Guy Berger

Lon, I'm in the same situation. I had a backlog of almost 40 CDs at the end of July and I've cut it by half since then.

I like this one better than the other pre-Let Freedom Ring Jackie Mac BN's. Some of those have a bit of hard-bop-genericness, but here there's a strong combination of interesting, original compositions and terrific performances. Guy

September 22, 2004 was the 50th anniversary of Thelonious Monk's original recording of "Blue Monk". A classic performance of a classic tune. Thanks Thelonious! Guy

Ichiro is now only two hits away from Sisler's record... Guy

Coltrane's final work (Expression, Interstellar Space, Stellar Regions) have a sort of "finality" about them, though I'm not sure if Trane actually knew he was going to die at the time. Also, Beethoven's final works have a sort of valedictory, "looking ahead to the next world" aura. Guy

Happy b-day. Thanks for sharing some of your collection on easytree and stg. Guy

By the way, as relating to Joe, I think the JH in Japan album (which I really like) is a great example of how NOT to use the FR in jazz. I look forward to hearing this new one. Guy

I completely disagree about the bolded statement above. Listen to any of the live dates from 1969! Chick is laying down some amazing, unbelievable stuff on the Fender Rhodes. His solos are fabulous and the instrument gives a fascinating, unique slant to the collectively improvised sections on "It's About That Time" and other tunes. He's not just treating it as "an acoustic piano with a different sound". (Which I think is the problem with a lot of electric piano playing in jazz. It's a different instrument!) The spring 1970 stuff is more mixed -- it's too heavy on electronic effects at times, obscuring the amazing stuff that Chick is doing on the instrument. But for every crazy, over-the-top keyboard freakout, there's ten times as much stuff that blows my mind every time I hear it. Chick's solo on the April 9 "Spanish Key" stands out in my mind. So does his playing with/against Wayne on the March 7 "Directions" (second set). I agree that once Keith joined the band, the band frequently suffered from keyboard-freakout overload. Supposedly Keith and Chick couldn't hear each other. Once the band returned to the one-keyboardist format things improved. Guy

Let us know what you think! The collective improv between "Directions" and "This" is a real trip. Guy

I believe it is this gig, 10/27/69 in Rome. Corea, Holland, and DeJohnette replace Hancock, Carter, and Williams. The version you are looking at is truncated by about 10 minutes from the original. Nevertheless, it's an incredible performance by an incredible group and if it weren't otherwise available I'd tell you to pick it up immediately. HOWEVER... sometime in the near future (ie as soon as Guy gets to work) we'll be generating a tree or vine of some sort to distribute about 25 Miles Davis boots, and this complete show will be part of it. So depending on how eager you are to hear it, you might want to wait a month or two. Guy

The tune "74 Miles Away" is really incredible! Cannonball incorporated avant-garde ideas into his style very effectively during the mid 60s. Guy

It was in the beginning of my 2nd year of grad school. We had a class at 9 am in the morning and I'm not sure about the exact sequence of events, but one of the other students ran in and said that a plane had crashed into the WTC. At the time I thought it must have just been a small plane. Anyway, the truth gradually unfolded during the day. All of our classes were cancelled. I watched much of the coverage at the Hall of Graduate Studies (they had a big screen TV), then later on my neighbor's tv. I was sure I'd wake up the next day to find out there'd been more attacks. It was an awful day, though I can't imagine it being nearly as horrible as for anyone who spent it in NYC. It's odd -- I haven't spent much time thinking about 9/11 over the past two anniversaries. Thanks for letting me share. p.s. I liked Belle Waring's reflections on 9/11.

I'm starting this thread to discuss Wayne as a saxophone player (rather than as a composer). What tracks feature your favorite playing by the man? Mine: solo "Time of the Barracudas" (from Et Cetera) w/Art Blakey "Arabia" (from Mosaic) title track of Free for All w/Miles Davis "Iris" (ESP) "So What" (from Plugged Nickel, 12/23/65) "Gingerbread Boy" (Miles Smiles) "Masqualero" (Sorcerer) "Mademoiselle Mabry" (Filles de Kilimanjaro) "In a Silent Way" (studio version) "Directions" (second set, 3/7/70) w/Weather Report opening of "Vertical Invader" (from Live in Tokyo) "Elegant People" (Black Market) w/others "Message from the Nile" (Extensions -- probably my favorite Wayne-on-soprano)

On September 7, 1654, the first Jews arrived in New Amsterdam. So it's been 350 years of Jews in America. We've had a pretty good run! "350 years of beautiful tradition from New Amsterdam to Sandy Koufax, you're goddamn right we're living in the fuckin' past!" Guy

100%, if you keep drawing until you run out of cards... Guy

I think you guys are right, but I'm too chicken to name musicians... Guy

That's really the feeling I get from listening to most of 8:30. Guy

Duke Pearson's Idle Moments

Any thoughts on this guy? I saw his group at Yoshi's last night; terrific Latin jazz. (though I wish there had been more piano solos!) It seems like all the Perfecta albums from the 60s are OOP. Guy

Ok, Here's the deal. I'm not at home so I don't have access to the CDs in question, but I'll copy them as soon as I get back. You guys work out how the structure and I'll mail a copy to the seed sometime in September. Guy p.s. Besides the 6 '67 CDs, I have 13 CDs from '69 and 8 CDs from '70. Not sure how big of an MD dose people can handle, but I have no problem copying the whole shebang.

It boils down to the fact that Miles liked pianists with a light touch and plenty of space in their playing. That's why he liked guys like Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland, Tommy Flanagan, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, and Herbie Hancock, and why he disliked OP and McCoy Tyner. Guy

I saw these guys at the Village Vanguard last night. They were quite awesome, as one would expect. Go see them. PS This is an annual gig.

The version of "Round Midnight" is stunning, some of Joe's most concentrated playing ever. Guy

On many days, my favorite tenor saxophonist. Keep it up, Wayne! Guy

Ever since I started grad school seeing these guys in concert has become an annual tradition. This year will be the 5th in a row and 2nd straight at Toad's Place. Not a great band, but a good one; and they do a bitchin' version of Duke's "Chinoiserie". Guy