Big Wheel

Dude, didn't that hurt like hell to keep your eyes open? I tried scanning my face when I first got my Visioneer flatbed and thought I was going to be blind for a week from the flash.

That's strange because I really like WHISTLE STOP. Everyone is in fine form: Hank, the leader, a top-notch rhythm section that is just cooking. Maybe you don't dig the compositions, although I find that hard to believe as well. Give it another chance. Whistle Stop is an awesome record, in my opinion! A love-at-first-listen affair, for me! Maybe my favourite Dorham, together with the Jazz Prophets' recordings. No, I dig the tunes. I just sometimes think that the band doesn't gel in a way that I find enjoyable. As I said, the remastering may play a role (weird, because I can usually hear beyond it).

True, but he hasn't done any of those things here. In any case, making a big deal about him can only serve to bait him to come over, which I don't think too many here particularly want.

I don't think that Dorham is overrated but I can see how he can leave some people underwhelmed. There's something about Whistle Stop that leaves me cold about half the time I play it. I'm not sure if it's the music or the RVG remastering, but it just doesn't seem to crackle the way you'd expect it to. The writing is top-notch, it's just the playing that I sometimes find lacking.

There is a fun and sort of bizarro cameo by Hal Singer (playing himself) in the late Soviet movie "Taxi Blues." Check it out if you can find it!

Yes Big Wheel, that is the beer, it is of course spelt Yebisu, sorry for the confusion. As you can see, it is brewed by Sapporo and is their premium beer. Definitely recommend picking some up if you can find it. Beer update: No luck finding Yebisu in stock around Boston yet. But I think there is a sushi restaurant around here that serves it. All else failing, I'll try the markets in Chinatown. Anyone in the States seen this beer? John, have you ever tried Hitachino? The guy at the liquor store recommended their red rice ale to me today. At $4 or so a bottle I decided to skip it this time. Did pick up a 6-pack of the Anchor Christmas Ale today, as a gift to a friend.

Shouldn't we be doing just the opposite, since that may be the reason Crouch is such a douche? I don't think anyone's very grateful to the admissions director of the art school that turned down Hitler's application...

Here's one I spotted in the (sort of) wild this summer.

How do we know his age? He could be 40 for all we know.

The BN Herbie Nichols box. Broke one of the mini jewel cases the first time I pulled it out of the box. I am not a fan of LP-style cardboard either.

Parallelism, for one. Two major triads together have an interesting edge and make for a more consistent pattern than a major triad followed by an augmented triad. I guess I was reacting because as a pianist I went through the same thing with theory--a stage of adhering to the idea that you have to extract MAXIMUM COLOR out of every harmony just because you can. Real jazz contains so much chromaticism that it really isn't productive to focus on playing all the "right" extensions over dominant chords...especially once you start going outside, doing modal side-slipping, etc. etc. etc.

That strikes me as sort of weird. Hasn't every other Water title been from the post-Alfred Lion era?

The use of the words "arpeggiating" and "patterns" are enough to indicate that nobody is talking about sitting long and loud on the dreaded 4th. As Mark Levine likes to say, there's a reason it's called jazz theory.

Complete and not particularly original troll: http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/t.pl?f=music&m=116896

This guy is still around? Yeesh. I doubt this guy is way better in terms of trivia knowledge than many Jeopardy players. The difference must be that he has complete mastery over the timing of the buzzer.

My brother has played with Rene Marie in Richmond, but I haven't heard her. Everyone there tells me she was amazing. I had forgotten. Good of you to bring this up! Better get "Vertigo" for yourself for Christmas then. Excellent stuff. The Jazz Standard disc is nice too.

He did use Phil Woods who studied with Tristano at some point.

You have to get the first Basie/Williams album. Simply gorgeous.

Ok then. Best Buy had WIJS for $6.99, so I grabbed it. At that price it won't hurt too much to part with it if it doesn't strike my fancy.

To those who have heard this one and the debut: If this rates 10 out of 10, how does the earlier album hold up?

I was one of the first to hear a bit of material on this box--the producer sent us a couple of tracks in advance when my radio station played a Jaco tribute. Don't remember a whole lot...I think my impression was that it was interesting but not really essential or anything. If you are a Jaco freak or interested in what the Miami scene was like in the late '60s and early '70s, get it, otherwise, I'd probably spend my money elsewhere.

John, is this the beer you were referring to? http://www.epinions.com/content_6748016260

Never seen an Ebisu in the States but will be on the lookout.

Sapporo is good stuff. Only had one but greatly preferred it to Kirin.

Anyone know of any CD shops offering crazy deals for tomorrow? At least one site is trying to keep track of the sales but the only major CD retailer it includes is Best Buy, which has a few good CD/DVD specials but not much jazz on sale.