Free For All

I'm afraid part of the problem is the fact that KC audiences don't tend to have the most cosmopolitan taste in music. Not to be overly pessimistic, but this is the midwest, bordering on the south, and I think people (here and elsewhere) just aren't very adventuresome when it comes to seeking out music and entertainment (hence the current popularity of the sequel). I'm not surprised Jane Bunnett didn't sell- no one here probably knows who the hell she is! Turn on the TV and what do you see? Ads for BRANSON........................just shoot me. Ramsey Lewis and Peter Cincotti? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....................... I don't think it has to be this way, but I sure don't know what the solution is. I feel your pain! By the way, my wife and I just bought a house here in KC, so it looks like (for the forseeable future) that this is where I'll be fighting my part of the battle to keep jazz alive and kicking.

Come on now, Rooster. Give us what we want. Hey, maybe AB could put a cat head on Joel! I had a dream where everyone had a cat head- except the cats! Was that ironical or what! I guess no more late night hairballs for me! Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday Weizen! I've enjoyed your posts going back to that other board, whatever it was, back in my lurking days. :rsmile:

.....and may a healthy digestive tract keep your bathroom reading time to a minimum! H a P p Y b I r T h D a Y c O n N ! A royal flush beats a pair of fours, you know!

Another Festivus miracle! Now for the feats of strength................

Happy 58th! 1945 was a very interesting year in the evolution of jazz. The bop giants were hitting their stride. The recording ban had ended (in '43). The great jazz clubs of NYC were hopping. What an interesting time to have been born! Here's hoping you have a great birthday and get to do something special.

Many kudos to those of you with the advanced computer skills- those BN covers are wild! I think I'm going to have weird dreams about my LPs running around the house ("Mr. Marbles........?"). I'm also really enjoying the adventures of "the Cat in the Shat".

I don't know if you know about it already, but I recommend CDUniverse. Good prices and service. It's the site that Alan Lankin's "jazzmatazz" site links to.

It's my understanding that this was trombonist Willie Wilson's session originally. IMHO, he's just an OK player and I've never heard of him before or since. I bought this side because of Freddie, and he doesn't disappoint. Can't go wrong with Pepper, either!

Yes! I love Roxy and Elsewhere! ".....Bruce Fowler has just completed some sort of trombone solo........" Nobody but Bruce could've nailed that ridiculous ensemble shit. Some of the most amazing trombone playing ever.

Good lord, people. My original reference to BTTF was not to laud it as a "cult classic" or anything like that. I just mentioned it as an early example of two sequels coming out in quick succession. Jim, I meant that the time between #2 and #3 ( that's why I said sequels)was shorter than between other series of the time, like the Star Wars and Star Trek sequels. Didn't mean to start a debate about BTTF's place in film history. Edit: BTW, everything I've heard and read about M:R so far is not very encouraging, although I've disagreed w/the critics before. But this buzz is also word-of-mouth, so it might be worth something.

This trend seemed to start with the Back To The Future sequels. Remember? They came out in quick succession. Now Matrix and LOTR are doing the same thing. I think fads are coming and going at such a fast rate these days they're trying to cash in while the iron is hottest. It seems our whole culture is creating/catering to an increasingly short attention span. I see this in students all the time- the time required to practice and learn an instrument is definitely more of a turn-off to many kids than it used to be. This age of instant gratification is both a blessing and a curse.

I'm actually considering changing my name to this. Raise a little cash. B) Rooster, I'm all for trying anything. I think the choice would have to be a FZ tune with some substantial melodic/harmonic potential in order for it to come off. Many of FZ's tunes work because of the instrumentation- I often think it might be hard to make specific tunes work w/o vibes/marimba, for example. It's like when you do a piano/bass/drums quartet gig and someone wants an Allman Bros. tune- even if you could (or would) do it it won't sound right. We were talking about that Ed Palermo big band recording of Zappa tunes- I think you liked it more than I did, though I thought it did have some moments. It was a noble effort, but not always successful, and hard pressed to capture the appropriate FZ vibe much of the time, IMHO. I love FZ's music, but I'd be more inclined to try to compose something in that vein than copy or adapt one of his arrangements. Though I did steal some FZ blowing changes once for a tune I wrote. Hmmmm..............

Rooster, as one of those you initially referred to, please accept my eternal gratitude for laying a copy of this on me. Now I'll be happy to comment just as soon as I finish this hellish unpacking process. I have a stack of waiting-to-be-heard CDs that I'm looking forward to checking out in my new listening space. I finally can stay up late and listen to tunes w/o driving my wife crazy! We found a house where my "jazz cave" is far removed from the bedroom. Anyway, I'll post on this as soon as I can. Promise. And thank you again.

10,000 posts and you get to be a token member of Organissimo- you know, stand in front and play tambourine like Linda McCartney! Speaking of that, has anyone heard that tape of her made by the Wings sound man(who I believe got canned)? She's singing "Hey Jude" really badly- apparently her mike was usually off. I know it's not nice to ridicule the departed, but it IS funny stuff (we still talk about the Buddy tapes, don't we?).

Now there's an idea! Guess those "Babe thread" posts and those "how many days 'til Passing Ships" and those "Album cover" posts could come back to haunt you and Sangrey. So it turns out the 4000 post title is "Financier"! Where's Rod Serling when you need him?

I seem to be in a habit of derailing threads lately. Sorry. Jazzkrow, you're right about Blue Mitchell. He has such a great sound, very identifiable- that's one of the most important qualities of any player IMHO. Love his work w/Horace- the band w/Junior Cook was one of my favorites. And yes, his ballad skills really show off a magnificent sound and extreme soulfulness. I think a compilation of his ballad recordings is a great idea. EDIT: As far as "romantic" inspiration, I've always liked Jarrett's Koln Concert and Shirley Horn's Here's To Life. If I'm remembering correctly, that is.

Yeah, Stroud's is some nasty yardbird lovin'. About once every three months. It hurts so good. I've heard about LC's, need to check it out. Austin is also where I became aware of the BREAKFAST BURRITO. Best eaten at 3AM or so. Have you tried County Line? I really liked that place. There also is/was a great place way out in the hill country, like a big barn.........the Salt Lick! I'd have to say the best single BBQ meal I've ever had was in Memphis at a place called the Rendezvous. It must have been a good day, 'cause it was AWESOME! Dry-rub ribs. Man, I loves to talk about da foods! :rsmile:

I heard that there's actually no chocolate in white chocolate- is that true?

I thought their live CD was by far their best.

Foundation jams are going strong. I spent about 10 years in Austin (UT grad student in the 80s- while it was still "undiscovered") where I received my early education in BBQ and Mexican food. I must say I do prefer the KC BBQ, but the actual hangouts in Austin were much more colorful. Considering I moved to Austin from Iowa, where Chi Chi's was the happening Mexican food, it was truly culture shock. Add to that my frequent summer sojourns to Santa Fe, and I've become a bit of a Mexican food snob. So far all the Mexican Food I've found in KC blows. But I'm still looking. From Austin I miss: Threadgill's, Trudy's, Ironworks, Elgin sausage, G+M Steakhouse (on the drag- giant burgers; still there?) Katz' deli to name a few. I'm sure many of these are long gone by now. In KC I've found Bryant's to be inconsistent, which is a drag, 'cause when it's good, it rules. In addition to the usual places (Gates, etc.) I like Rosedale's on SW boulevard. What was this thread about, anyway? EDIT: Also liked County Line BBQ in Austin A LOT!

And not just the symphony.

Holy shit!

I myself find the "Brotzmann Plays For Lovers" compilation really drives the ladies wild.

You built us a great hangout, Jim. Be careful what you wish for! BTW, my personal favorites were posts #47,923 and #19,645. Man , I just crack up when I think of those. Oh, and also #52,980. Priceless.

Trombone can be a pretty discouraging instrument for beginners. It takes longer to develop proficiency and in the meantime the trumpet and clarinet beginners are improving quickly and playing hipper material. In most beginner bands the bones get whole notes while the button-pushers get the fun. I often refer to the trombone section as the "offensive line" of the big band- lots of dues,not much glory. The problem is that most writers don't challenge the bones much, so they don't have much initiative to improve. A vicious circle. I initially got interested in jazz trombone through the horn bands of the 70s- Chicago, BS+T, Tower of Power, Crusaders. The next step was the big bands, and then small group jazz followed. I think the key of enlightenment for me was not to constantly compare trombone to sax/trumpet, but instead to deal with it on its own terms, kind of "differently enabled" as opposed to "disadvantaged loser". If I could go back and do it differently I'd choose the same axe, no question about it. It's my voice.