brownie

Curtis Amy Select, disc 1

French soccer team coach Raymond Domenech announced today at a news conference the lineup for the national team at the World Cup. Only real good news is that the brilliant midfield star Frank Ribery, 22, will finally make it to the team. Another rising star defender Pascal Chimboda also joins the national team for the first time. Domenech insisted on having Fabien Barthez as nr. 1 goalkeeper despite the fact that Lyon's Gregory Coupet has proved to be a much more effective goalie. A mistake as far as I am concerned. Barthez is well past his prime but Domenech obviously feels safer with the veteran Barthez. Other valuable players that were left out of the team include Robert Pires, Barcelona's Ludovic Giuly and Nicolas Anelka. Domenech never hid the fact that he hates Pires. One leftover from the 1998 Cup winning team is Lilian Thuram who has not been very effective for the past months.

A very Happy Birthday to Tooter

Sonny Stitt 'I Remember Bird' (Catalyst)

Happy Birthday, Doc

Bobby Jaspar 'Bobby Jaspar With George Wallington, Idrees Sulieman' (Riverside, Victor Japan, mono)

Obituary in today's edition of The New York Times:

His website does not mention anything about it... http://www.nicholaspayton.com/

I really should have an image of Clifford Brown, but I like that shot of Coltrane and Miles!

Johnny Hodges 'The Complete Verve Small Group Sessions 1956-61', disc 3

Brief bio from Equinox book on the author of the Lee Morgan book: I say, let's wait and see...

Woody Shaw 'Master of the Art' (Elektra Musician)

Managed to get to the Martial Solal evening at the Paris Jewish Art and History Museumlast night. Despite the fact that the concert had barely been publisided except to Museum habitués, the concert hall was filled to capacity. It turned out to be a memorable evening which ended with Martial Solal performing solo for a one-hour concert that was a bit short in length but was incredibly filled with talent! The evening started with a vocal and saxophone duo of Martial's daughter Claudia and Jean-Claude Richard alternating on baritone and soprano saxophone (shades of Steve Lacy and Irene Aebi!). Though I can admire Claudia Solal's rather abstract vocalizing, I must admit I was not really moved by the duo. Second part of the concert was another duo: pianist Manuel Rocheman and opera singer (and a devoted jazz fan) Laurent Naouri. Another singer with remarkable technique but too little feeling for jazz singing. Rocheman, a Solal disciple working his personal way, provided superb and intelligent accompanying. He had a chance to display his solo talent on 'On Green Dolphin Street'. Must have been quite hard on him to come to the stage before Solal! Then it was Martial Solal's turn. I had not heard him live in too long a time. Always modest and making good use of his personal sense of humor. Solal who will turn 80 next year mesmerized with his tehnique. Playing with the stamina of a young man, he kept pushing through with a flow of ideas that were bursting out of his head and fingers in an astonishing display of musical pyrotechnics. Solal went backstage to bring back his daughter for a final duo that consisted of two Monk tunes ('Monk's Dream' and 'Ask Me Now'). Claudia did wonders on those two to her father's accompanying. The concert ended with Claudia happily pointing to her father with a loud and proud 'Mon père!'. Martial's answer 'Ma fille' was inaudible from the ever modest and obviously delighted father! I left the hall promising myself not to miss any further Solal concerts! The man is a national treasure!

From The New York Times today:

I had already seen that photo! Wish I had never seen it

Thelonious Monk Quartet 'Thelonious In Action' (Riverside, mono blue label) with Johnny Griffin

Looks like the label Sketch is back in business. The French-based Japanese importer Sawano is taking care of business. Some of the new releases are featured on his (all in japanese) website Sketch They are being distributed in France and are available at Amazon.fr

Seems that Wardell Gray was among the musicians at the jam sessions Thelonious Monk held at the Royal Roost in the late '40s. Ira Gitler heard them at the time.

Oh yes, Martial Solal is Jewish. A non-believing Jew. He was born in a sepharadic jewish family in Algeria when it was French. Did not care about the jewish or arab music that was played in his family when he was a child and prefered jazz. Solal is a pretty common name among sepharadic Jews from North Africa. The great jewish writer Albert Cohen wrote 'Solal', one of his best novels.

Johnny Hodges -Wild Bill Davis 'Mess of Blues' (Verve) with Joe Wilder, Kenny Burrell, etc...

Very sad to hear this!

The Miles Davis, the Charlie Parker and the John Coltrane are the only individual CDs. The others are multiple-disc sets!

Sam Rivers 'Waves' (Tomato)

The Board seems to have hicups!

You mean the Pope is not jewish ? ?