kh1958

She has a new release (recorded in 1991), under Jim Pepper's name--Afro Indian Blues, on Pao. Also with Anthony Cox and Leopoldo Fleming. Very nice one.

Lionel Hampton--Flamenco (RCA)

Definitely get "Roger the Engineer," (aka Over Under Sideways Down). This is essentially their only true studio album (they recorded fairly haphazardly like most second-tier Brit groups). Most reissues include "Happenings" and "Psycho Daisies" with Beck and Page. Be sure to get the edition with the mono and stereo albums. The mono album includes some important overdubs left off the stereo. And the single disc Rhino "Best of" will give you a good survey of the Giorgio Gomelsky period (early stuff through "Shapes of Things"). And the BBC album would make a good companion to those. I have the Rhino collection, Roger the Engineer, the BBC CD, plus Five Live Yardbirds. I don't really like Five Live Yardbirds, but the first three, mostly featuring Jeff Beck, are good ones.

Priests just want to have fun.

Duke Ellington, of course. Best of luck acquiring the complete Ellington!

The '80s/early 90s is when I saw him, and he certainly had not slowed down. He always looked so happy when playing the drums, as well.

There was a small one in Richardson two or three months ago, but I don't know when the next one is.

Some more Ornette quotes. (The writer incorrectly states that his last appearance in Fort Worth was 1983, when in fact he appeared at the Caravan of Dreams several more times over the next few years.) D Sultan of 'Sound'; At 76, Fort Worth native Ornette Coleman releases a bold new CD that's one of the prolific jazz titan's best By CHRIS VAUGHN STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER 1293 words 24 September 2006 The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram Tarrant 5 English Copyright © 2006 The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram. All rights reserved. Of all the lions of jazz in the 1950s and '60s -- a period in which the creativity of American musicians peaked, yet was sadly overshadowed by English mop-tops and tie-dyed peace anthems -- Ornette Coleman is one of the few still living. His lungs must be as pink as ever, as anyone who has seen him in concert in recent years will attest. At age 76, the Fort Worth-born musician is anything but a doddering shell attempting to live up to his considerable legacy. The years have not in the least dimmed his intellectual curiosity, prolific composing or musical adventurousness. "More and more, I realize music is more of an idea than an arrangement," says Coleman by phone from his home in Manhattan. "Most music is an arrangement. In my case, the guys who play with me play it where they hear it, instead of backing me up where I'm going." He has a new record that's proof of his continued daring vision, and though Coleman is long finished shocking critics and sparking fistfights, his music is no less ambitious than it was 40 years ago when he blew up jazz's standard format. Sound Grammar , released this month on his own label of the same name, is Coleman's first record in 10 years and, rather staggeringly, his 56th since 1958. The CD is the result of a musical journey he embarked on three years ago with his son, Denardo Coleman, on drums, and two bassists: Greg Cohen, a jazzman who plucks; and Tony Falanga, a classically trained player who bows. The band deserves much of the credit for Sound Grammar , recorded live in Ludwigshafen, Germany, in October 2005. Coleman had done a fair bit of recording in his studio in New York over the previous three years, but the band really liked the sets they played in Italy and Germany. "We'd done the same repertoire in Italy, and it had gotten stronger," Coleman says. "So when we played in Germany, everybody thought they would like to [release] that one." Coleman has always sounded best at his most stripped-down, as on The Shape of Jazz to Come , the two-volume Live at the Golden Circle in Stockholm and Love Call , a record he did with his old Fort Worth friend Dewey Redman. The richly expressive sound of Coleman's alto horn, so vocal in its phrasing and pitch, and that hint of blues in his sound (you can still hear Fort Worth in him after all these years) have always mixed best with the rhythmic simplicity of a drum set, a bass and not a whole lot more. That's why Sound Grammar is one of his best works in years, a typically complex Coleman idea executed with wondrous simplicity. The second track, Sleep Talking , is the most plaintively beautiful song Coleman has written in a long while. With a sultry beat and Coleman's emotional and repeating melodies, it sounds like a Raymond Chandler story. "The thing I had in mind with the melody was when you're dreaming, do you hear music?" Coleman says. Uncharacteristically, he has reprised a couple of old tunes, including Turnaround from Tomorrow Is the Question! and Song X from the album of the same title, a collaboration with Pat Metheny. Coleman's alto, and, sparingly, his turns on trumpet and violin, obviously carry every song, his distinct phrasing, rapid key changes and unconventional improvisation giving every other musician the melodic hook they need to work off of. Cohen, a gifted bassist, provides Coleman's music its jazz backbone. Drummer Denardo Coleman, who has played with his father since he was a child, is intuitively with his dad's sound, moving in and out of the front with a deft rhythmic touch. These three would make a formidable trio. But it's Falanga who makes the ensemble both musically daring and yet more melodically accessible than his more recent records. He contributes an undercurrent of evocative sound that moves with Ornette Coleman's alto -- and occasionally against it. On Once Only , Coleman's playing is mostly sunshine and upbeat, where Falanga's bass is deepening the piece by darkening it. Coleman, born to a cook and a seamstress on the outskirts of downtown Fort Worth in the early days of the Depression, made his name in the juke joints on the north and south sides in the '40s and early '50s. No one could imitate Charlie Parker note for note better than he could. Jazz was the scene then, and the local leader everyone looked up to was Red Connor. In a matter of a few years, Fort Worth spawned an inordinate number of notables -- Redman, Bobby Simmons, "King" Curtis Ousley, Prince Lasha, Julius Hemphill, Charles Moffett. Ornette Coleman became the biggest, of course, exploding onto the New York scene in the late '50s with his own compositions (almost everyone else still riffed off the standards) and a curious sound that bucked the strict adherence to predictable and melodic chord changes. He writes a melody for each song, then asks the other musicians to play their own melodies, creating a more complex harmonic sound in which no one is the "lead" and no one the "rhythm." He used to call it "harmolodics," but now his preferred term is "sound grammar." It's as much a philosophy as a technique, and only gifted and especially nimble musicians can make their creativity within a song intersect with Coleman's vision. "They can go anywhere they want," he says. "I don't tell them where to go. It's like sound chemistry." As a result, his music has always demanded a listener. It's not for hitting the dance floor or making romance. Neither is it "free jazz" that is utterly atonal and discordant. "Total freedom does not mean playing out of key or playing a note that isn't what you're trying to do with the piece," he says. Several years ago, Coleman was asked to name the best song he ever wrote, and was probably expected to answer Lonely Woman or Congeniality . Instead, he said he hadn't written his favorite piece yet. Those who play with him are forever having to learn new music. "I write music to inspire the guys who play with me," he said. "I feel like I'm cheating the musicians, using their energy to make money, if I don't give them new music. I want them to have their human rights." Coleman rarely comes back to Fort Worth. He hasn't played in his hometown since he opened the now-closed Caravan of Dreams in Sundance Square in 1983. Before that, he hadn't played in Fort Worth since 1966. But his conversations are peppered with memories of a local scene that's long gone (I.M. Terrell High School, Leonards Department Store, the Jim Hotel and the China Doll club), and everyone in New York can tell he's a Texan by the way he emphasizes "Fort," not "Worth." Asked when he would come back and play Cowtown, Coleman answers that he doesn't know anyone to talk to about it anymore. But, he says, "I'd like to play it tomorrow." Chris Vaughn, (817) 390-7547 cvaughn@star-telegram.com

I haven't heard this record, but I did see Charles Moffett performing a number of times with the Moffett Family Jazz Band--really, it was thrilling, a great group. As I recall, he did occasionally sing a song--it was nothing serious, just something he appeared to enjoy. His daughter, Charisse, is a fine vocalist. It was Mondre on trumpet, Charles Jr. on saxophone (I really liked his playing but have heard nothing of him for many years), Charnett on bass, and Coradyl on second drums. Then there would be an honorary Moffett on keyboards. Sometimes a special guest--a set with Ornette! Another time, with Rachella Parks. I really would urge seeking out their two recordings on Venus--Magic of Love is the best of the two.

I listened to this again--I definitely enjoyed the Cairo Jazz Band side on this LP, recorded in Cairo in 1983. Not to mention their vertically striped coats in the black and white photo of the band, which I'm guessing were red and white.

That's a cardboard slip-on cover. The CD insert cover is the same as the LP.

20 minutes?!? i sure don't remember it being anything but a full set which probably would have been 60-90 minutes. i'm fortunate to have heard Mingus in Calif. but even more so to have heard him more times than i can count in NY! Were you at Monterey in 1964 (Mingus played a full set, released as Mingus at Monterey) or 1965 (a truncated set, allegedly provoked because Mingus was following the great performance by John Handy (Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival) and they supposedly left early playing When the Saints Are Marching In)?

I bought one at the Mingus Big Band performance at the Iridium last week.

Here to Stay is indeed top-notch.

The new ones seem to be a bit hard to find, but I did just find two of them at the Jazz Record Center--Believe and 6th Avenue Romp--I haven't had the chance to listen yet.

Salah Ragab does play congas with the Arkestra, I just noticed.

I have an LP, Sun Ra Meets Salah Ragab in Egypt, on Praxis, recorded in 1983. Actually, they don't really meet, as they each have a side of the LP. I should listen again before commenting, but my recollection is that both sides of the LP were good.

Two bad choices.

It really was fantastic. Saw another very interesting one tonight, my last night here--Don Preston (of the early Mothers of Invention and who later recorded with John Carter), at The Monkey. The club was very small--there were actually only 21 seats. The room had a five channel sound system (3 in front, 2 in rear). Don Preston played a couple of solo keyboard pieces, in an avant garde jazz vein, that were quite good. The rest was a trio, with Preston on various electronic keyboards, Andre Choimondeley on guitar, and Cheri Hosne on some sort of electronic percussion keyboards. I'm not sure what genre of music this was--improvised electronica? It sounded really amazing in the small club, with a great sound system coming at you from every direction.

Wow, that sounds like it was great! If I'd have known, I might have come up from Corpus for that show. I also missed the Dave Holland show in San Antonio last night (and the Los Lobos show at Antone's in Austin). Was a good weekend for music in TX! Actually, I'm visiting New York for a few days, so it would be alot longer trip!

Last night at Merkin Hall (nice venue), a Tribute to Don Cherry--first a short set by the Dave Douglas Quartet (with J.D. Allen on tenor, Henry Grimes, and Andrew Cyrille), next a short set by Roy Campbell (Mixashawn on sax, William Parker, and Hamid Drake)--both sets were intense and inspired. Then both groups combined to perform Don Cherry's A Symphony for Improvisers, recorded for Blue Note 40 years ago--a very inspiring and powerful performance, with Henry Grimes of course being on the recording.

Last night, a double feature at the Blue Note--the Bad Plus, followed by Jason Moran and Bandwagon. I had mixed feelings about the Bad Plus, some of their songs left me cold, but several were quite good, so by the end of the set I liked them pretty well. Jason Moran was a whole other story--his set as simply brilliant, confirming why he's among my favorites in jazz today. By the end of his set, the Bad Plus was virtually forgotten--it's a good thing they came on first. Damn, that was good, is all I can say.

Last night, the Mingus Big Band at the Iridium, and they sounded great--players included Craig Handy, Abraham Burton, Jaleel Shaw, Wayne Escoffrey, Earl McEntire, Frank Lacy, Alex Spiagan, Sean Jones, George Colligan, and Boris Koslow. Songs performed included--Jump Monk, Meditations, Opus Four, Portrait, Open Letter to Duke, A Song with Orange, and Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me.. However, the less than full house at the Iridium was a bit disappointing. Same as my last visit in May. I miss the overflowing, enthusiastic crowds at the Time Cafe. The new reissue of Music Written for Monterey, Not Heard, was available at the show, and I picked up a copy.

They played Lonely Woman in Austin.

Hard to go wrong for $5.99! I've been going to see Roy live since he was a teenager in Dallas and always been frustrated by his recordings, which never seemed to capture the fiery playing I witnessed. This one finally captures at least some of what I've heard. There's some pretty nice Slide Hampton on the record as well.