Free For All

Looks great , Jim! Nice work- do you still have all your fingers? Omigod! Where's Herman????

I haven't heard this one yet and I'll be curious to see what people say. The band that backs Curtis is made up of the guys I played with in Chicago (at the Green Mill) for 8 years or so. (Brad Goode, trumpet; Karl Montzka, piano; Stew Miller/ Larry Gray, bass; Tim Davis, drums). They're all great players, don't let the unknown names put you off buying the CD. I'll be curious to see what people here think of the trumpet player, Brad Goode. Some people like his playing, some don't. I hope Curtis sounds good on this one. No reason to think he won't, I guess.

Amen, Joe. I fell in love with that tune after hearing that awful trumpet player Miles Davis play it on the Someday My Prince Will Come session. It's currently my favorite ballad to call on gigs. Actually lately I should say on "gig".

H a P p Y B i R t H d A y M i C h E l !

Actually, I thought the standard version of this contained SIX nyahs, sung to scale degrees 5-5-3-6-5-3. That would make you one nyah shy, WNMC- you must have gotten yours out of the Real Book!

Got to love the Hen! I didn't realize this was out 'til I saw the thread. Picked it up today. I'll be back to comment, although I can't imagine it'll be anything but GREAT!

Alone Together - nice 14 bar phrases to start out, fun changes to blow over, many different types of grooves work (12/8, 4/4). Funny, many of these same titles were on the "I Hate" thread. wHaT a NuTtY wOrLd!

He also appears on many Dave Liebman recordings. Seems to be a regular member of Lieb's band.

Welcome back, AB!

Even Kevin Bacon? Oh wait, "bacon"...."pigmeat".....wow, I guess you're right!

Get it any way you can. You won't regret it.

I'll probably get in on this, Rooster- I'm curious to see what the board members recommend. I'll be talkin' to ya soon!

I haven't seen the DVD yet, conn, but I assume it's the same thing he often uses when he plays. It functions as a type of mute which darkens the sound- he's been using it for quite awhile, so he must like the effect. I need to get that Blue Note DVD.

Miles, PC, Red, Philly Joe and Trane. That would've been fun to hear. I was alive at that point but just barely. Also, since we're wishing for things, I wish I could go back and prevent Clifford's car accident. Or Lee from getting shot...or somehow prevent Rosolino from doing what he did..........etc.....etc....etc........

I was thinking it sounds like a Dave Letterman-ism.

Welcome to the party TedR! Glad you don't hate Miles!

Yes, although my stance is a more "half full" where yours is more "half empty"! And couw, do you really "hate" Miles? That's a pretty strong word, especially if you do indeed agree with even one of my other points. Or were you just going for bit of National Enquirer-type sensationalism with the thread title? B) I think this is a very interesting thread and I'm glad we can have discussions about potentially divisive issues like this and keep things in perspective. That's why I like this place. .....and here comes Rooster finally. I was wondering where he was.............

And for my two cents worth........ I look at Miles on several levels- As a leader: He assembled some amazing groups (that might not have existed otherwise) that had a huge impact on the direction of the music as well as the direction of the musicians themselves. As a musician: He had a sound in mind for each of his groups. He knew how to edit, organize and shape the music, especially in the studio. He certainly had a lot of influence from key players/composers and certain producers along the way, but it seems that Miles' vision was for the most part undiluted. As a trumpet player: No, he didn't have all the "tools" that others like Clifford, Lee, Freddie or others had, but I find Miles to be one of the most expressive players of any I've listened to. There are examples of Miles on good days and bad days, but I wouldn't change a thing about something like the Plugged Nickel sessions- not Miles' best day as a trumpet player, but a very good day as a member and contributor to an amazing group. Same thing I like about Chet- he was somewhat limited as a trumpet player, especially towards the end but made the most of what he had- just listen to "Chet Baker in Tokyo" for some amazing late Chet. Miles isn't always the best soloist on his recordings, but I would speculate that being on the stand with him when he's struggling through a rough night may have inspired his musicians to bring a little more to the table. I do think of Miles' sound as fragile and brittle at times, but I think of this more frequently as an intentional choice of musical expression than a weakness. I'm not going to try to change anyone's mind about Miles; everyone's opinion is significant, and if you don't like Miles, that's cool (like Lon said). We each have our favorites who mean the most to us, and we can't expect to share the same choices. It's like the "100 best" thread- interesting to discuss, but there will never be a unanimously accepted final decision. The diversity is as much a part of the music as is the virtuosity. My question to couw and others would be "who do you think best illustrates what you do like in a trumpet player?". Just curious. And I love Bill Evans. I don't care who knows it!

I just picked up all three, largely due to this thread combined with my obsessive collector-ness. REALLY good stuff, kudos for the improved sound. Yet even more proof that Clark Terry is a national treasure!!!!!!!!! If he doesn't already, he should have his own thread- he has made as much of an impression on me over the years as anyone I've listened to! I'm appreciating these more than I did the first time around, more due to my coming to a level of appreciation than any sonic improvement, although the existence of the latter doesn't hurt.

Sound like the arranging duties were passed around a bit, which is good. I don't know that I'd be comfortable with Wynton doing ALL the charts. My main concern with a project like this is "how are they going to make these tunes work with the large ensemble?". When arranging Ornette tunes for a big band, you'd have to commit to specific voicings for the sections, and it would seem that such a "harmonic commitment" would defeat the purpose of many of these tunes, which seem to revel in their harmonic ambiguity. I've contemplated attempting to arrange some Ornette for big band, such as "Bird Food" or maybe "Una Muy Bonita" or maybe "Broadway Blues". Some Ornette tunes, however, would seem to be too confined by the specific harmonies required to create a structured big band arrangement. I'll be curious to hear the opinions of the concerts.

Free, I'll see your " " - and raise you three more: " "!!! I mean REALLY...come on now...you got some 'splainin to do.....WTF!......huh?

I've felt pangs of "what's the point" from time to time. They always pass, though and things get better again (so far). I can certainly sympathize with someone who has those feelings. One thing I wouldn't do is make a public announcement about it, however- it's hard to say "never" as a player, and I can't help but wonder if this is a temporary situation that will pass and Menza will reconsider. Either way, it's his call, and I respect that even though he will be missed. It's frequently frustrating having to depend on something like the creative arts to make a living. Sure, it's important to be idealistic and stay true to your art, but you also have to pay the bills, so you end up having to deal with the business end of it and that can really be a discouraging experience. It's just an unfortunate reality. It's just not possible to live like Jack Kerouac these days. I'd guess that few players have the kind of money that Joni Mitchell has! ....and jazz is NOT dying- it's just taking a nap........

Wow- an already high-insensity animal hopped up on caffeine. I'll bet there are kitty tracks on the ceiling!