Shrdlu

The only version I have ever heard is the one on Art Blakey's "Free For All" album, and that's in Gb. Considering that there is no vocalist to allow for, it's a safe bet that they used the original key.

This is a very good point, and I have often wondered about it. I am left-handed, and my first music lessons were on the piano, but I was unable to progress very far on it. I wonder if it would have helped to have had a left-handed piano. (I've never seen one, lol, but I do know a guy who pulled a piano accordion apart and reversed it all, as he is left-handed.) As a reed player, I also wonder whether left-handed versions would be easier to play. But, after all these years, I can't imagine switching over. I recently took up the electric bass, played the usual way around, and I don't see that there would be any advantage in switching it around - but it is an interesting point.

The sessions Wilbur did with Trane have long been favorites of mine. Very tasty stuff. I first saw them as budget LPs and grabbed a couple of them, as Trane was featured. But Wilbur Harden was also a quality player, and the sidemen are top guys too, so you can't go wrong. Add the fact that Rudy was the engineer, to top it off. The entire collection came out as a 2 CD set a few years back. This music is amongst the best from the era, and Trane is in fine form. A favorite moment is the track where Tommy Flanagan plays a stunning intro with breaks. Fabulous timing, worthy of Louis Armstrong.

Glad you posted this. As my thread on house said, I've had a lot of pleasure listening to various forms of electronic music in the last year or so. It has been a welcome addition (not a replacement!) to the other types of music I like. At its best, it is very absorbing, and it can really swing. My favorite type is electro/house - there isn't a lot of non-electro house around anymore. But there are no sharp dividing lines between the various genres and sub-genres. That site mentions DI FM. That's where you will find Darin Epsilon, who has put out some consistently fine mixes. Have a listen to his sets on his website darinepsilon.com I have played lots of them, and they are fantastic. Also chatted with him on msn, and he's a very nice, humble guy.

What a marvelous player. and what a sad loss. The first album I heard him on was the live date with Wes Montgomery and Miles's rhythm section. I don't think that has popped up in this thread yet. That's a real cooker of a date, and the Wes Montgomery Riverside box set has several extra tracks. Griff was perfect for Monk, and has to be counted as one of the very best of Monk's tenors. Some people thought he was more suited to Monk than Trane, but I don't want to make comparisons like that. We have both to enjoy, in any case.

Ah, that explains why I saw him on a TV show with a bass without the low C extension on the bottom string. Basses really need a lower note than E (I realized this especially after listening to electro/house where they can easily go below the usual E, and also after getting myself an electric bass) and Ron is the only acoustic player that I know of who has an extended bass fiddle. I've always wanted to ask Ron why he has that characteristic sound - a sound that is instantly recognizable, which is something that the top players always have. It is very rich and deep, and almost completely lacking in treble, unlike, say, Richard Davis's sound, which is at the other extreme. Why does his tone have little treble? Maybe it is the particular instrument that he plays.

It didn't change my life.

I love the jazz vinyl from the 50s and 60s. I don't think there is any point in vinyl for new recordings where everything is done digitally until the very end. For house DJ-ing, give me CDs and the Pioneer CDJ 1000 decks every time. Sounds great. I never had any difficulty in looking after my old jazz LPs, and it pisses me off when I get used jazz LPs on eBay and they are so crackly. Certain eBay regular sellers can often be relied on to sell you a lousy copy, described as VG++. Grrr.

Really? The LSO is usually top notch. I don't know Julius Katchen.

Does he have the famous Kansas City swing?

Probably CD reissues on the Deutsche Grammophon label (aka the Yellow Peril) would fit the bill. Richter is one of my favorites, and would be on that label and also the Russian Melodya label. (And don't start on about spellings, guys. I know it is a transliteration of Cyrillic, lol.)

I spotted Archie Shepp with Horace Parlan in one list there. A ridiculous pairing? Not in the least. I saw them together on TV, recorded in Montréal I think. It was a fantastic performance. Back in the 60s, some of those "avant garde" guys seemed a little intimidating, but many years have passed since then ............

I will step into a patch of mud and they can buy my footprint.

Thanks for those classics, Chris. For some reason, they remind me of James Thurber, lol. The play title today would be "Do you give or do you take?".

I take it that the original two Mosaics were the Thad Jones BN set and the Serge Chaloff. (By the way, if you are into Serge, you must get "Blue Serge", with Sonny Clarke and Philly Joe.) You guys are right about the kids' interest in jazz soon fading. Funny thing is that I'm now into electro/house and trance bigtime, and my kids don't like THAT either!! So who's the old fogey in my house, lol? I mean, isn't that supposed to be for teens and 20s only? Ironically, two young guys in the clubs said to me "Wow, I wish MY Dad was into house."

Yeah, a great loss to the fashion world. Haven't tried "Opium" yet, but it's on my "to do" list. (It's a mens' fragrance, right?)

Did anyone see that movie called "The Wave"? Very believable. I have some neighbors who would make excellent nazis.

Easy. It looks like they are wanking. There are not many harmonics apart from the fundamental sine wave, if any at all. It just sounds like one of those sine wave generators that they used to have in Physics labs. They also make a Bb soprano theremin, and a contrabass one in C with a kink in the neck.

Ha ha, I have the same scarf, and another almost the same without the thick tassels, and wear them clubbing and elsewhere. I have some others like it in different colors, too. Search me for concealed bombs! I will add a pic if I can find out how to attach one from my hard drive to a post.

Yusef Lateef used it on one track on his "A Flat, G Flat and C" album - a great album by the way. It makes a kind of pure tone whistle sound. You hold a hand near it and the pitch varies according to the distance of your hand from the device. It's just a noise as far as I'm concerned. Yusef has a penchant for trying odds and ends like that, lol.

His bass clarinet work on "Bitches Brew" was stunningly original. As someone said, he was almost part of the rhythm section on that.

Deepest sympathy, Jim. I still remember losing my Dad, so I know what it's like.

Dave Brubeck is NOT Jewish. He is a Roman Catholic. Paul Desmond WAS Jewish - it came up in some Brubeck LP liner notes that I read. He was hassled about it on one of the tours. Easy and clear definition of a Jew: a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not exactly rocket science. That's what it's really all about, whatever customs might be. As usual, the Scriptures make it completely clear.

I've always been more than happy with the old OJC and U.S. box sets. No Ron McMaster, lol.

Agree with a lot of this. But I do like my txts, lol. One sad thing is that, many times, cyber sex has replaced the real thing. Seems like some people would rather cyber than meet. Time to go back to the mid 1800s, right?