kh1958

I'm generally not too wild about the recordings of the David Murray Big Band, but I did get to see the band a couple of times at the Knitting Factory, where they were playing every Monday night for awhile--I recall James Spaulding being in the band and soloing almost as much as David Murray. Craig Harris was there also. Butch Morris was conducting. Flowers for Albert and Let the Music Take You stand out in my memory. Not the most disciplined or polished large group I've ever heard, but they did stir things up and generate some excitement. I must have been in New York on Monday nights several times in a short while, as I was going to see them a third time but ended up having to work until midnight or so, and the band stopped playing at the KF a short time thereafter.

Same here--I've recently picked up Surrealistic Pillow, Crown of Creation, After Bathing at Baxter's, Volunteers and Bless It's Pointed Little Head, after not listening to the Airplane for years (bought the LPs of all but Bathing at Baxter's when released), and (unlike some 60s rock groups I used to like), the Airplane still sound good to me. On the other hand, that other live CD at the Filmore that was released a few years back, is not a good performance.

Ten discs of some of the greatest music ever recorded. Of course it's worth it. There are a few sessions I don't care for (like the Gil Evans led vocal session, and I'm not a fan of Bird with Strings), but mostly it's great and even underrated. The JATP sessions with Bird are fantastic, the quartet and quintet sessions (you wish there were more of course) are mostly just as good as the Dial and Savoy sessions. The recordings with Machito are fantastic, the session with Dizzy and Monk incredible. It's a very diverse collection of recordings (the Latin sessions are nice also, in my opinion).

The Natives Are Restless Tonight is a good mid-1960s live CD, but $35 seems a little steep.

Another UT Law graduate here, from 1983.

My first experience with David Murray was around 1984 or 1985, when the Jack DeJohnette Special Edition played a one-night engagement at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth. The same group recorded Album Album on ECM, which I strongly recommend. This was a rather exciting group (also with John Purcell and Howard Johnson). Then, a few weeks later, he returned leading his Octet, which also featured Julius Hemphill, Bakida Carroll and Craig Harris. This was another very exciting concert that I was able to hear on consecutive evenings. As far as the Octet goes, my favorite recording remains Home (Black Saint). He has a rather large discography, but some of my favorites are Special Quartet (with McCoy Tyner), Shakill's Warrior and Shakill 2 (with Don Pullen on organ), Vertical's Currency (under Kip Hanrahan's name, with vocals by Jack Bruce), the duet recording with Randy Weston (Black Saint), the duet recording with Jon Jang, Gwotet, Live at the Village Vanguard, and Creole.

If you are a fan of Mick Taylor (he of the rather scant discography), this one recently came to my attention--an instrumental album, which is mostly Mick Taylor soloing over compositions by Miyuki, on keyboards. It sometimes slips too far over into a contemporary synthesized jazz realm, but the best cuts--like Never Imagine and Over and Beyond, are very good, with Mick Taylor's guitar coming through strong and clear. Here's a link to where it can be purchased. http://www.sierrabravo.co.uk/miyuki/mickandi.php

Actually, if you alert a person bidding on a fake that the item is a fake, they will suspend you for bid tampering!

It still seems like the best major jazz label to me (perhaps faint praise). I like all of Jason Moran, Greg Osby, Eric Trufazz, and Stephan Harris. Moran's Same Mother and Osby's last trio releases were terrific, in my opinion.

After seeing Louis Hayes many times with the McCoy Tyner Trio, as well as a couple of times with the Freddie Hubbard Quartet, and most recently backing up Bobby Watson and others in a Jazz Messengers alumni group, I must say I love Louis Hayes' drumming.

Just when I thought I'd heard just about every great hard bop date on Blue Note, I stumble across this one in a Tower cutout bin--Kenny Drew's Undercurrent, from December 11, 1960, with Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes. Six Kenny Drew compositions, and both Freddie and Mr. Mobley are in great form. According to the Blue Note discography, this is one of only two sessions as a leader for Mr. Drew on Blue Note.

Art Blakey--Buhaina (Prestige)--with Woody Shaw and Carter Jefferson--good record it appears I bought for $4 many years ago.

My favorite 1980s Freddie Hubbard recordings are these: Outpost (Enja)--quartet recording. Temptation (Timeless)--quartet with Kirk Lightsey as co-leader Sweet Return (Atlantic). Bolivia.

No. Do these early 80s recordings capture the Hubbard you're talking about? I'm guilty of not really listening to FH after Red Clay. Maybe time to rethink that.

I hate this thread.

Don Pullen

The Bill Mays Trio University of Texas at Dallas Date: Saturday, April 1 Time: 8:00 p.m. Venue: Conference Center The Bill Mays Trio will perform April 1. Born into a musical family and beginning at the piano at age five, Bill Mays had his first exposure to jazz as a teenager—a solo concert by Earl "Fatha" Hines. Later, discovering the music of Bill Evans, Art Tatum, Horace Silver and Jimmy Rowles, he found himself "hooked" and embarked on his professional career. Since then, Bill has been the musical director for Sarah Vaughan, accompanied singers Frank Sinatra, Al Jarreau, Mark Murphy and Helen Merrill. Before moving to New York in the mid-80s, he spent 12 years as a session player in Hollywood making many albums and recording hundreds of TV and movie scores. The Bill Mays Trio includes Matt Wilson on drums and Martin Wind on bass.

Sammons Center for the Arts WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2006 - 7:00 TO 10:00 P.M. “Annual Artistic Director’s Concert – A Tribute to Ray Charles” Featured Group: Leroy “Hog” Cooper – a key member of the Ray Charles Orchestra for twenty years heads up a group of musicians in this tribute to the great Ray Charles. Mr. Cooper will demonstrate his superb mastery of the saxophone and will be joined by other former members of the Ray Charles Orchestra including John Bryant on drums and Jack Evans on trumpet. They will be joined by James Gilyard on bass and Arlington Jones on piano.

I strongly recommend the Curtis Amy Mosaic Select. I got this one for Christmas and it is great, a somewhat unexpected favorite.

Yeah, on those nights when he was really on, it was jawdropping unbelievable. I have to laugh at the people around here who think he was at his best on Blue Note in the 1960s.

Live in Germany?

Presumably some more live recordings.

Trees just closed.

Sharpeville is a good one (with Thomas Chapin).

Ditto.