Guy Berger

I guess I should have read the whole thing, it's pretty clearly tongue in cheek. DOH! Guy

If it really is that "easy... for any decent jazz pianist to [do] better", why aren't there dozens of people doing it? ????? Guy Not to [do] better, to better. People don't do it [where 'it' = a pseudo-compositional, pseudo-improvisational mishmash forced through the filter of concert/hall procedure, etiquette and associated prestige] because it's a rubbish idea in the first place. Improvisers improvise with other improvisers and play off/with them, not, generally, themselves. I guess in the end it just boils down to taste. (Do you really think that improvisers shouldn't play solo concerts?) I'm still waiting for the explanation of the "doesn't like improvising, doesn't like improvisers" comment. Guy

I've heard this story before, but with a different retort: "And if you were my wife, I'd drink it." I like my version better. Which is more "accurate"? Guy

A goofy anti-Potter rant in the Washington Post: Harry Potter and the Death of Reading And also an interesting article by a critic who gained appreciation for the series while reading it with his son: Berube

If it really is that "easy... for any decent jazz pianist to [do] better", why aren't there dozens of people doing it? ????? Guy

Yup! Guy

Restrain? I think that it's a beautifull album on his on right who give an idea in which direction he was heading for a while. No soprano, shorter format pieces and a return to more structure music. From this point, I think that Coltrane would have develop his composer's talent and in the same time try, like in "Interstellar Space", unusual experiences. I also think ubu's assessment of Stellar Regions is off -- IMHO, it's a more satisfying album than Expression. I am not convinced by the argument that "in his last works, he started to come back into the melodic and clearer, simpler stuff." This is probably a bias induced by the fact that most of Coltrane's 1967 recordings were made in the studio, while his best known 1966 recordings were live. The Olatunji Concert (which post-dates most of the other 1967 recordings) makes such a comparison questionable. I haven't heard his 1966 studio recordings so perhaps someone can comment on how those compare to the 1967 stuff. As far as GA Russell's question -- all of Coltrane's 1967 studio recordings are in the free jazz style. The performances tend to be shorter than on live recordings, and Pharoah Sanders is almost entirely absent, so I can understand why some would find them to be more accessible or "melodic". But knowing your preferences, I don't think you would like them. Guy

Bobo Stenson, War Orphans

David, in general I agree with the sentiment, but... I don't think there have been "numerous white posters telling a black poster to 'get over it' " in this thread -- maybe two or three. (edit: I looked over the thread and found two.) Most of the discussion in this topic fits into two categories: whether Mosaic should have censored the track or put a disclaimer, and whether the lyrics to this song really are racist once put into historical context. Guy

Joe Smith signed with the Bulls today. I don't follow the Bulls closely, so perhaps an aging, injury-prone power forward of average ability who will (maybe) score 10 ppg is what they need. (Better than an ancient PJ Brown, I suppose.) Slow NBA news day/week. Guy

Just listened to Etudes. Fantastic album, especially the stunning performance of "Lonely Woman". Highly recommended to those of you guys that like this type of inside-outside piano trio music. Guy

Actually, they performed it at least twice during the 1977 tour. I don't know if it was the whole thing or just the abbreviated version. A month or two ago Conn and I were discussing Genesis and he told me he didn't like "Carpet Crawlers". Guy

I think it is available as part of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. I don't know whether the Civil War history is creditable, but wikipedia says the following about his work as a historian:

Happy birthday, Jan! Guy

Happy birthday, Tom! Guy

Good point, but if they can do Carpet Crawlers and I Know What I Like, they shouldn't have a problem with that one. Well, I have a problem with it. It's not very good. Though the live version with strings (on the Archives box) is nice. Guy

link Out of curiosity, how do these competitions work? Is this a blind test?

Thanks for all the amazing music, John. Guy

"Your Own Special Way" was actually recorded by the quartet (w/Hackett), though it obviously fits stylistically with the later material. Guy

What about "Watermelon Man" and "Canteloupe Island"? Or the funky section of "Sleeping Giant"? When people criticize the "Marsalises" (not a monolithic entity) for conservatism, it usually goes beyond the mere criticism that their music is more conservative. Presumably "Marsalises" actually means "Wynton", and the problem is not just that his music is conservative but that he thinks (or thought) that's the only proper style for jazz music. How so? Is Hank Jones's playing any less "safe" than Jarrett's? I do think that at least in the early days of the standards trio, their approach to playing standards WAS innovative. It took the art of "straight ahead piano trio playing" and developed it further. I won't pretend that this was some sort of "macro" or "major" innovation of jazz, but it was not simply a regurgitation of earlier forms. At this point, I'll agree that they are pretty much doing what they've been doing for a long time. I don't see this as being a negative or a positive. edit: A comment -- I don't think Jarrett presents his music as cutting edge or innovative, at least these days. And the "selling" and "brand" comments are unjustified, IMHO. Guy edit: Likewise, I hope I'm not being too argumentative.

Would you say the same about Herbie? Can you elaborate on this? (ALL his music?) Guy

The setlist for the recent European tour seems to be: I have to say that this is better than I would have expected. Guy

The album was recorded on two different dates; the music on the box set is presented in recorded order. They are being consistent. (Not that I think this is a good idea.) Guy

Here's the bit that suggests this article is mostly (totally?) garbage. AFAIK it's not possible to teach about WW2 without mentioning Churchill. Berigan, where did you find this article? Guy

Question -- Are any of the RoS quotes of more obscure themes within the ballet? I feel like most of those I've heard are of that one famous theme near the beginning. Guy