GA Russell

I received word today that this First Quintet box's street date has been postponed till May 23, closer to Miles' birthday.

How much do you intend to eat per day?

Here's how I rank the ones I got, in order of preference: For Yourself: Miles Davis* Bill Evans Stan Getz Chet Baker Tony Bennett Barney Kessel Dave Brubeck For Your Valentine: Miles Davis Chet Baker Stan Getz Tony Bennett Barney Kessel Bill Evans Dave Brubeck *Because eight of the twelve songs are by the First Quintet, I don't recommend that you buy the Miles Davis for yourself. I recommend that you wait until (edit:) May 23, when Concord/Fantasy is scheduled to release the Complete First Quintet box.

Last one...Tony Bennett Sings for Lovers I imagine that there aren't too many Americans old enough to vote who haven't already made up their minds about Tony Bennett. I like him. I remember it all clicking when I was at a restaurant in 1991, and heard over the speakers in the bar I Wanna Be Around. Not too long after I purchased his then current Perfectly Frank, which is still one of my very favorite records. A year later Bennett was on MTV Unplugged, and a new generation discovered him. But I feel that this was not just a career move. He really has been getting better over the decades. With Perfectly Frank he exhibited a worldly wise hipster nuance which hadn't been there in previous decades. All of the songs selected for Sings for Lovers were recorded in the 70s. Bennett hadn't developed his hipster persona yet. His voice had not developed any rasp yet. There are 15 songs [edit: totalling 52 minutes], all but one standards, taken from four albums. Unlike the other CDs of this series, the songs are not all ballads. The mix of happy and sad songs is typical of a Bennett album. Seven songs are taken from a session he did with cornetist Ruby Braff and guitarist George Barnes, all of which are Rodgers and Hart tunes. Five are duets with Bill Evans, four from the 1975 Fantasy Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album. Three are with an orchestra. Now here's what I don't like: All of the songs except the three with the orchestra are without drums. And the three with the orchestra are the least jazzy of the album. This isn't a bad album. None of the songs are objectionable. But of the eight Bennett albums I own, this is the least interesting. For that reason, I can't recommend that you buy it for yourself. If you give it to your Valentine, she won't mind. But since you're a jazz aficianado, you can do better.

Thanks for your input! I've added it to my queue. Here's the Your Music link to this album: http://www.yourmusic.com/browse/album/Vija...ing-118787.html

Stan Getz Plays for Lovers is much better than I was afraid it might be. I have a love-hate relationship with Getz. My records show that I have 13 CDs or LPs of his (not including this one). I like seven and don't like six. A year ago some of you persuaded me to pick up Captain Marvel, which I have never warmed up to. It doesn't seem like fifteen years since he passed away. I have read some good things about some of his later recordings, but the most recent thing of his that I had was Another World, which was recorded in 1978 for Columbia. Plays for Lovers has nine songs totalling 56 minutes, taken from five albums. All nine are standards. Only one is from Getz's time with Prestige (from 1950). One is from his 1958 Fantasy date with Cal Tjader. Two are from a 1974 concert he performed with Bill Evans. Five are from early 80s Concord albums. I was previously familiar only with his session with Tjader. I find that the quality of the music improved over time. I didn't know his work for Concord was so good. All of the tracks are good, but the two from the 50s are the weakest. If you are familiar only with his work for Verve and Columbia, this would be a good CD to pick up. This would also be good for your Valentine, as it is very mellow, yet is good jazz.

Here's a story told by pianist and composer David Frishberg, which I found on Doug Ramsey's Rifftides blog: HOW HISTORY ALMOST HAPPENED AT THE PAGE THREE By Dave Frishberg Around the time I first came to New York, during the late fifties, I got a call from a piano player named Johnny Knapp. He asked if I would be interested in replacing him with the band at The Page Three. It was a two piece band--piano and drums. "You have to play a continuous show," he told me, "the hours are 9pm to 4am, and the pay is seventy-five a week." I told him I would be interested. The Page Three was a cabaret on Seventh Avenue a block south of the Village Vanguard and, situated there, it was an ideal gig for me. I was living right across the street on Waverly Place, and I could dash out of my apartment five minutes before we hit, and even dash back and forth during intermissions. I took the gig. I thought I was hip, but I wasn't ready for The Page Three. When I first walked in it took me a while to realize that most of the staff and many of the customers were dressed as the opposite sex. It was like a museum of sexual lifestyles. I knew nothing of this. The musical part was equally intimidating. The policy was continuous entertainment, and although we must have been provided with intermissions, my memory is that the drummer Jimmy Olin and I were never off the stage. Six entertainers did three shows a night. They rotated out of a stable of ten so that each entertainer worked four or five nights a week. This was a hell of a lot of music and paper to deal with, since everybody needed rehearsals, and some of the performers came with thick books of arrangements. Kiki Hall was the MC. After the first rehearsal I had to take Kiki's music home and work on it. He did risque patter and naughty lyrics, and there was a lot of ad lib accompaniment and stops and starts, and it all went by very fast. Kiki did Noel Coward material like "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington," and some Dwight Fiske material, and other stuff I had never heard of. He was ruthless about the piano part, tolerated no mistakes, and demanded extra rehearsals during the week. He was a pain in the ass. The hostess, Jackie Howe, was a solidly built woman with a big friendly smile who always dressed in a tweed business suit. She liked jazz musicians, and she sang obscure songs like "Mississippi Dreamboat" and "Like a Ship in the Night." I was learning a lot of unfamiliar and interesting material. The rest of the cast was a jumble of characters, talented and untalented: There was Kerri April, who dressed in a tuxedo and made up his face to look like a woman, and Laurel Watson who was a terrific rhythm and blues singer, and Bubbles Kent, a female body-builder who did a strip dance to "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails." Tiny Tim, who was just beginning to do his act, was from time to time a member of the cast, although during the months I worked there he appeared only a couple of nights, subbing for one of the other acts. I remember the occasions chiefly because of the fact that Jimmy Olin and I were able to get off the stage for a cigarette or two while Tiny accompanied himself on the ukelele or whatever it was. Jimmy and I would listen from the front bar, and we had some good laughs, but the fact was that in the context of The Page Three staff, entertainers, and clientele, Tiny Tim didn't seem all that bizarre. The Unique Monique was especially unrewarding to play for. She was a beautiful blonde Viking who was apparently buffaloed by the prospect of singing a song, and seemed to have borrowed someone else's hands and feet for the ordeal. She sang "Guess Who I Saw Today," and at the end she would jab a finger toward some poor guy sitting at a front table and give him the "I saw YOOOOO," on the major seventh, dismally out of tune. What Jimmy and I looked forward to each night was Sheila Jordan. Sheila was magic. The customers would stop gabbing and all the entertainers would turn their attention to Sheila and the whole place would be under her spell. She was doing "If You Could See Me Now" and "Baltimore Oriole" and some of the other material that she subsequently put on record. During my time at The Page Three I began to grasp the fundamentals of how to be a helpful accompanist and by the time I was ready to move on even Kiki Hall was pleased and confident with the way I played for him. In fact when I told him I was leaving to join Sol Yaged at the Metropole Kiki threw a tantrum. "Oh, no! Who's going to play my Noel Coward material?" "I got just the guy," I told him. About a week earlier I had met the pianist Herbie Nichols, who was a unique jazz stylist, very advanced and adventurous and as unorthodox and original as Thelonious Monk. But I heard Nichols play in a conventional situation, and I immediately understood that this guy could be musical and appropriate in all kinds of contexts. I sounded him about the Page Three. He was interested. Sure enough, Herbie was a hit with the cast, and became the new pianist. I stopped in one night to dig him, and Jackie Howe gave me the big smile and the OK sign. Herbie sounded like a million bucks and everybody was happy. A few weeks later I dropped by The Page Three after my gig. When Kiki Hall saw me he began hissing "It's your fault!", and Jackie Howe had to restrain him from going for my throat. The Unique Monique was on stage, and she seemed even more lost than usual. "I saw YOOO.." she sang on that dismal major seventh, and the pianist resolved the chord a half step down so Monique's note became the tonic. It was shocking and unearthly, and the customers began to laugh. . Monique stumbled off the stage in tears. I looked at the pianist and I didn't recognize him. Herbie Nichols had sent a sub. The other singers were sitting in a booth, all very upset, and they were refusing to go on. Kiki was climbing the walls, and Bubbles Kent had gone home. Sheila Jordan greeted me with a big smile. "You really missed something tonight," she said. "You should have heard Kiki's show. You should have heard "Mad Dogs and Englishmen." It was really out there! You know who that is on piano, don't you? You don't? That's Cecil Taylor," she told me. "Herbie sent him to sub. He's been here all night, played for everyone. You've never heard a show like this in your life." I thought that over for a moment, wishing I had it on tape. Then a thought hit me. "Sheila," I said. "Dare I ask? Could it be true? Did Tiny Tim perform tonight?" "No, damn it," she said. "Wouldn't that have been priceless." "Well, Tiny Tim doesn't use piano anyway," I said, "so it wouldn't have happened." Sheila said, "Oh yes it would have happened. Cecil would have played. Cecil would have insisted on playing." Herbie Nichols came back the next night and I assume all was forgiven. Herbie died not long after this took place.. My path and Sheila's path still cross once in a while, and naturally I go into my Page Three routines. I can still get a laugh with my Monique imitation, but the Page Three survivors list is dwindling, and there are few of us left to share the memories, real and imagined.. But I keep the stories going, and I have been known in weak moments to announce that I once saw Cecil Taylor play for Tiny Tim. So let the word go forth now that it never happened. I only wish it had happened. Of course, I'm assuming that they never got together privately. ©2006 Dave Frishberg

I see that Vijay Iyer's Reimagining is now available from BMG/Your Music. A quick search shows that it was one of Nate Dorward's many favorites of 2005. Does anyone else have an opinion of this one? What's it like, free jazz? In the quote from Thom Jurek's AMG review, there is emphasis on Iyer being unique. I'm not sure that I lke that! Sounds ominous. What do you think?

md, so far this thread has received 361 views, so I can't be the only guy here who enjoys ballads compilations. Besides, 50s jazz is my favorite jazz, and Prestige and Riverside are my favorite 50s jazz labels. So I'm going to be predisposed to be interested to see what Concord does with the material they have purchased. When I get a CD that is hot off the press, I enjoy sharing my views about it, and all comments are welcome. Isn't that what a jazz discussion board is all about?

Chet Baker Plays for Lovers is a perfect gift for a Valentine who doesn't have any jazz in her collection. There are eleven tracks, totalling 52 minutes. At least ten of the eleven songs are standards (I'm not familiar with a song called Lonely Star.). The cuts are taken from six different albums. Two tracks are taken from the Mulligan Quartet's first recording date (for Fantasy in January of '53), including the hit which put Baker on the map, My Funny Valentine. Seven are taken from Riverside dates of the late 50s. And two are from the 1965 marathon session recorded for Prestige. Three of the Riverside cuts are vocals. There's not a bad selection in the bunch, although I can understand those who don't like his singing. However, 52 minutes of melancholia can be a little too much. There is nothing here which would alienate your Valentine, and much which would appeal to her. As for yourself, I recommend that you first get the Mulligan Fantasy date for its historical significance. After that, you might find this set particularly enjoyable on Sunday afternoons when you want to enjoy some quiet time. edit for typo

Apropos, each of these has a sticker which says, "Timeless music that sets the mood."

Next up...Bill Evans Plays for Lovers. For me the quality of Bill Evans' work was a straight line downhill. I love his Riversides; I like his Verves; and his Fantasies don't grab me. Fortunately, Plays for Lovers is 52 minutes of Riverside material. There are 11 songs, taken from 8 albums. Six of the songs are by the LaFaro Motian trio. Four are other trios, and one is solo piano. Every song is a standard, if you include Blue in Green. This is an excellent album. I recommend that you buy it for yourself unless you plan to get the albums the songs came from. I believe that all of Evans' Riverside albums are available as OJCs. Evans maintained a consistent mood throughout the 60s, and I can't say that this album is any better than any of his other Riversides. Like all of his Riverside work, it's a little on the dry side. For that reason, I would say that as far as giving this to your Valentine goes, if she already likes jazz and is ready to move up I would definitely recommend this. But if she is a newbie who doesn't yet have a passion for jazz, this might be too dry for her. edit for spelling

That's the one!

I read a book last year called Purgatory and the Means to Avoid It by a French priest named Martin Jugie. It was very moving, and one of the three best I read in 2005. I've been praying for my parents and deceased relatives daily ever since.

LOL! The Coltrane is backordered. I received today my Miles package. They sent me the wrong box! I received the Jack Johnson box instead of the IASW box. I already have the Jack Johnson with the metal spine. I notified them right away. We'll see how long it takes for me to get the IASW Sessions.

I'm not sure that the number of illiterate people is growing. It looks to me like more illiterate people are attending college than in the past.

By the way, when I visited the CD Universe website the week before last, located in the prime spot (top row, upper left) of the featured albums on the site's main page was Tony Bennett Sings For Lovers. I assume that the record companies pay to have their albums featured there, as I know that they pay Borders to have their CDs placed on the endcaps and in the listening posts. So it's nice to see that Concord is putting a little promotional money behind this series.

My bundle has arrived. I've been thinking about Ghost's insight regarding jazz lovers and jazz likers, and I've decided to comment on the albums I've received with the two groups in mind. I'm going to assume that you are the jazz lover, and your Valentine is a jazz liker. First up...Dave Brubeck Plays For Lovers. This has 11 songs, totalling 52 minutes. Nine were recorded for Fantasy in the 50s, and two for Concord in the 80s. [edit: Ten of the eleven songs are standards. The tracks are taken from seven different albums.] If you are not familiar with Brubeck's work for Fantasy, I can recommend Jazz at Oberlin and Jazz at the College of the Pacific. I got both from BMG, but they are not available from them anymore. Of the nine Fantasy tracks, only three feature Paul Desmond. The other six are solo piano. I think this was a mistake. Brubeck's touch on the keyboard is not romantic. I think your Valentine will consider the music to be too dry to enjoy. I think you will find it boring. I'm sure that I will play this album from time to time, but I consider it to be a disappointment.

This interests me. I met Dave Holland in February of 1970, and I asked him who in Europe was good, and he said John Surman. So the recording you mention was I suppose the sort of thing Holland had in mind.

It's been years since I've heard it, but I have a recording of Sue Raney singing Emily. I believe that the album is called Sue Raney Sings Johnny Mandel or something similar. As I recall it was on the Discovery label. Sorry I can't be of more definitive help.

I was browbeaten into lending a CD once. Naturally, I never saw it again. I won't make that mistake again. If I ever lend a CD in the future, I won't expect to ever see it again.

Because of this discussion, I pulled out the first disc of the VV box and played it tonight. As so often happens, I found that my perception of the disc had been colored by my dislike of an early track. In this case, I don't much go for the first two tracks, but like the remainder. I ordered One Down from BMG for $9.99, so for that price I can afford to take a chance and find out what all the talk is about.

Thanks for the tip. Since my One Down, One Up was backordered anyway, I cancelled the Your Music order at $11.98 and placed the BMG order at $9.99. An easy way to save two dollars, which I'm sure they'll get for something!

Is Jazzanova - The Blue Note Trip merely a compilation of Blue Note sides (in which case I might be interested), or are the songs remixed by DJs (in which case, I wouldn't)?

Mine too. I was surprised to see that because One UP, One Down is the Jazz page's Featured Album.