Free For All

It was a hang! It was the first time I'd met Jim, but I felt like we were already old friends....so I borrowed some money from him (not really) . LTB took very good care of us- she's as phenomenal as you would expect. She's apparently unperturbed by gatherings of aging jazz cats. The food was sublime. The Sangreys really did it up. Sangrey is as charming in person as he is here. The Quartet Out guys were immediately accommodating and made me feel right at home. Regarding Sangrey's music collection, what can I tell you? It was as awesome as I expected it to be. It's gradually expanding on the walls like a ivy on a house. I hope to cross paths with many more of you board members soon! Thanks, Jim and Brenda! And thanks for your kind words folks! I needed that right now!

I saw him last summer and he was doing these long funk vamps that might have gotten boring had it not been for his drummer, a young kid whose name I believe is Ronald Bruner. This kid was ridiculous, a total groove machine. I enjoy Kenny Garrett, I think he has a unique sound, and while I may not like everything he's done in recent years, I do think there are some great standouts.

Happy Birthday! :rsmile: :rsmile: :rsly: :rsly:

You dig?

Could have been a much nastier solution had he not been cremated. You know, "you can take dad out of the clarinet, but you can't take the clarinet out of dad"......

I believe you meant "secular breathing".................

I've always liked this side since it first came out in................umm, not sure what year that was.

**sigh**

They're not in the same vein.

I remember wondering how he and Ernie Borgnine ended up with two hotties like Carol Lynley and Stella Stevens.

Actually, as a beer drinker, I'm really quite gruntled.

By the way Berigan, I like your Jack Black High Fidelity signature a lot more than that damn distracting ship!

The Bill Evans Riverside box is very tempting, but I do have most of the material on individual CDs and am going to resist the urge to get the box since I really don't need it. I just can't afford to continually buy things I already have, but the lure of the "bargain box set" is indeed seductive. .......must.....resist........ It will be a shame if all these do go OOP.

I think you better slow your mustang down.

Thanks for your response, Tony. Perhaps I should move there. Are they receptive to the trombone in Prague? I should have mentioned that a good single-malt selection is essential!

I saw this topic on another site and I was curious to see how the folks here might respond. What do you think the ideal jazz club should be like? Be realistic, be idealistic, be sarcastic, whatever you want. It can't possibly be successful, so please exercise your fantasy. I'll get it started: - Me, I like the idea of a place that serves food and alcohol. It does help the income considerably, and I don't mind the social atmosphere that accompanies such a scenario. I think a good "cuisine" concept can be very complementary to the vibe of the place. Perhaps a separate room for those who want to eat and be noisy, with the music happening in a space that's a little more secluded and at least a little more dedicated to listening, although food and drink would be available. Personally, I don't think it's necessary to create a museum-type silent listening environment, although my room manager would be empowered to shush the clueless. I don't mind bar blenders and a little conversation, but if you are there to talk, go hang at the bar (which would ideally be far from the stage). My dad and I used to fantasize about buying the local abandoned train station, filling it with his train memorabilia (he was a avid model railroader) and serving up great barbecue, steaks, chili, onion rings, chicken wings etc. and first-rate jazz. Of course this was in a small town in Iowa, so it would have failed miserably, what with there being no audience for jazz there. Other considerations: - no smoking, not an unreasonable request these days - first-rate sound system - a well-maintained and decent quality piano - a real stage, no "in the corner" location - obviously, decent pay is essential, although it would be less of a deal-breaker if the venue and staff are music-friendly. Sure, I'd love to make a couple bills for a jazz gig, but in lieu of that I'd rather play with people I like to play with in a good environment. If I can have the last two things, money is a little less critical. The more the gig sucks, the more it should pay (that's the TUX/BUX/SUX formula). - local/area/less known groups booked as well as the "big names" - easy load-in/convenient parking - clean, minimally funky bathrooms OK, that's a start. Have at it.

I wish I'd had someplace this hip to hang out when I was seventeen, although I may not have appreciated it at the time- IIRC, I think I was listening to more Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton than Miles and Trane.

Actually, that looks pretty tasty.

Happy Birthday JK! When I was your age this poster occupied my wall: The rest is none of your damn business!

Happy Birthday!

Found this over at the Senior Shopping Network, Greg.

Phenomenal ! Don't miss.. Not to mention the great Andy Warhol cover art!!

Singers.

Good luck, sounds like a great band. I know of Chirillo from his composing/arranging, and he's a MF. Good ears to have in the booth!

Hope your birthday's, like, totally NEWK-U-LAR!