medjuck

Great songwriters. Their joint autobiography is pretty good too. For years I used to see a big band record of theirs in the remainder pile of record stores. By the time I realized it was basically the Basie band I couldn't find it any more.

So are there other recorded examples of Bags on guitar?

Listening to the Milt Jackson/Ray Charles sides the other day and noticed that Jackson plays guitar on "Bags' Guitar Blues"? Are there other recorded examples of his guitar playing. Also I heard something on the radio the other day with Kenny Clark on vibes. it was pretty good. Are there many examples of that? (I was listening to the Charles/Jackson because, after listening to the Mosaic MJQ box, I wanted to hear some unfettered Bags without John Lewis behind him. Maybe because the booklet made several references to Jackson's complaints about Lewis's playing counterpoint, Lewis's comping seemed just too busy for me. It was as if he was soloing along with Jackson and then he would get to take his own-- often surprisingly funky solo-- without any interference.)

The little bit of what I've heard of his covering of pop tunes hasn't inspired me to listen to more. I think I prefer the Riverside years but I'm willing to give the Verve sides more of a listen if someone here tells me they're worthwhile. (I do have all of the Half-Note stuff minus the overdubs. And one cut from the Jimmy Smith session that I like. )

This is not a rhetorical question: is any of it besides the Half-Note sessions any good?

Any great jazz records from '78 or 79? I wouldn't be surprised is various estates take this up.

I agree. But what do you think of his contention that Lonnie Johnson is the source from which all other jazz guitarists spring? (He doesn't actually put it that way.) BTW I saw Lonnie Johnson performing at a restaurant in Toronto. At the time I didn't really know who he was.

Chet Baker's "Lost Memoir--As Though I had Wings". Really a partial memoir in that in ends in 1963 and is very brief. Still interesting. No pretense that he wasn't a junky.

Co-incidentally I've just been listening to At the Horseshoe Tavern which presents the music from 3 different nights in 1978 on 9 discs. (There's a 10th disc with an interview.) I was present one of the nights and these cds really bring back memories. He did some Henderson-Ellington stuff each evening but usually began with a percussion group and ended with singing.

He also had an amazing visual presence. Every performance of his I've been able to see on video was terrific.

You can just rent it if you want too.

Ron Mann just e-mailed me that his film Imagine the Sound which consists of performances and interviews with Archie Shepp, Paul Bley, Bill Dixon and Cecil Taylor can now be purchased as a download from iTunes. (You can even get it in HD.) The music is great and the musicians are very articulate in the interviews. Film is really well art directed and looks really good.

Congrats!! (Are you going to have to change all those cd notes?)

Good for you for finding this. Mistress doesn't have an index. (Or at least my copy doesn't-- though I think someone has done one.)

Weren't they both acolytes of Willie the Lion? They don't seem to have been close friends. I checked the index of the 4 EKE bios I have at hand and Waller isn't even listed in one of them. The only real mention of them being in the same room together was a vague reference to Waller being amongst the NY pianists who came to hear Ellington when he first arrived in NY.

I guess there wasn't a Wolf MCA?Chess box set because several Wolf cuts were on the Willie Dixon box. (Or was there?)

"Cabaret Echoes--New Orleans Jazzers at Work" contains 6 numbers by The Original New Orleans Jazz Band which was led by Durante even though he wasn't from NO. (Most of the rest of the band was.)

The other Was brother (Dave?) had been a jazz critic I think.

My initials are J.A.W., not JAWS - I don't appreciate the pun. To answer your question, I am indeed referring to those European public domain labels, whose releases are being sold illegally by Amazon (and other stores, for that matter) in the United States as far as the material is still under copyright there. Some of it is available for download from both Amazon and iTunes. IIRC EMI went to the source, sued Naxos and won. (It was over classical recordings but that's why you can't get Naxos's great Ellington cds in the States. Which is probably a good thing because if they were available here it might have deterred Mosaic from releasing their last two Ellington boxes.

Happy Birthday and welcome to California!

Happy B'day and many more!!

So is the Christian available yet?

Most films don't get made. (Though, obviously some do.)

Nice packaging too.

When I spent a couple of months on Kauai about 13 years ago the Border's was the community hangout. People used to hold meetings there.