Free For All

Ahhh, a man and his vehicle ( that's vee-HICKLE). True love. Sorry to see you suffering so with the weather!

Just recently filled a gap in my CT collection with this one. One of the few immediately identifiable sounds in the jazz world. The epitome of the word "swing". A true gentleman. One of my all-time favorites. Happy Birthday CT!

It's really, really good. We are truly fortunate to have gained access to it. Sometimes I neglect the Trane portion of my collection a bit. This just reminds me that he was indeed a superhero. Same with the Monk and Bird releases. Not much to complain about this year. Those three recordings should be at (or near) the top of nearly everyone's best-of-the-year list IMHO. No contest.

That's one phallic coffee machine. Or is it just me?

Yes, what he said. Thanks especially for The Duke and In Your Own Sweet Way. And Take Five. Please.

You're getting what we got yesterday. About 10 inches here. Temps below zero tonight. At least since it was already cold when it fell it was pretty easy to shovel. My all-wheel drive Subaru did great on the snowy roads, while others were foundering. Anyhow, good luck with all of that.

Happy Birthday! Have a great day! You share your b-day with Donald Byrd and Jimmy Owens.

There's probably some poor schmuck out there who thought he was getting Klugh. Hopefully he got the "Message".

You listen to jazz. Face it, you were a dork long before the headphones arrived. Accept and move on. I have.

I'll add that one favorite moment comes at about 12:15 into Willie Dixon's Spoonful, when the trumpets come in with a beautiful counterline waaaaaay at the bottom of their range. Dramatic, haunting, all that. Gives me a chill.

I know we recently had Gil's Hendrix project up for review, but I really have been wanting to talk about this one. It's one I've owned for a couple of decades now and frequently listen to. BTW, I checked and there are currently affordable copies available on Amazon, although I expect many here already possess it. There are so many things to love on this recording. For me the main feature is Gil's ensemble writing. His combination of instruments and use of unusual registers reminds me of Stravinsky. His voicings are very worthy of study, such as the way he puts the ninth of the minor chord a minor ninth below the third on Las Vegas Tango. He treats major sevenths and roots on major chords in a similar way, as does Brookmeyer and Bill Holman. Gil's arranging and orchestration is some seriously deep shit. The contribution of the various soloists really make this work for me. The guest artists really seem to have an emotional connection to the material, as opposed to just "phoning it in", if you know what I mean. Wayne Shorter has several outstanding moments and sounds very comfortable in his surroundings. Jimmy Cleveland, Thad Jones, Phil Woods and Kenny Burrell all have great moments. Elvin really seems to be enjoying himself, and really hooks up with Paul Chambers and the other bassists nicely. Frequently the best word that comes to mind to describe the overall ensemble sound is "haunting". Dolphy plays in the ensemble on several cuts. I wish he had gotten to blow a little! I sat and listened to this all the way through as I prepared to write this tonight, and I can't really find fault with much. Sure, some of the ensemble passages are a bit loose, apparently under-rehearsed (as with some of the Miles collaborations) but this doesn't really bother me all that much- it seems to actually contribute to the reckless, improvisatory mood. Great cover, too. Very "sixties". Just a great, great side IMHO. I look forward to your comments when the time comes.

Just out of curiousity, anyone know if the aforementioned James Falzone is related to Sam Falzone, who played sax with Don Ellis' band? Haven't run into that many "Falzones" so I was wondering.........

My only complaint has been that they're a little uncomfortable for my big ol' ears. Where can I find these XL earpads?

Speaking of which, wouldn't it be nice if Sam'n'Sonny did a side together? Maybe with Jack DeJohnette, Herbie and Ron Carter (or Cecil McBee?)? Or some other rhythm section? Andrew Hill? Kenny Barron? Billy Hart? Al Foster? I'd buy that in a minute.

Nice turn of a phrase. What, you been listening to Zappa lately?

Did Aric get married?

Reading this post will definitely help keep me on my diet. I'm afraid to even ask.

They were married for 56 years according to the article. That's some serious commitment right there. 56 years! How do you continue to function after you lose someone you've been with that long? I'm hoping he has lots of close friends and family to support him. BTW, I'd say that the tune "Beatrice" has easily become a jazz standard by now, which is a "Hall Of Fame" kind of achievement for a tune. Also it's an achievement that's not as easy to come by these days. Sangrey (or any other players/listeners), do you agree with that? 56 friggin' years. Wow! Rest in peace, Mrs. Rivers.

Earl McIntyre Earl Hines Gregory Hines

Looks pretty unanimous at this point.

I've never been able to play with earplugs. Can't tell how loud or soft I'm playing. I never sprung for really good ones, just used those foam things. Now after years and years of playing in big bands, usually sitting next to the drummer and in front of the trumpets, I have some pretty good tinnitus going. I have to sleep with some kind of droning noise in the room, like a fan, otherwise I have to listen to "oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..."

......or Alan Greenspan........

yeah, like *old* guys addressing the kids in formal ways. Where are we here, Germany? sheesh! Désolé, mon Français n'est pas très bon!

Vous trouverez beaucoup d'individus fous ici.