Tom Storer

Me, too. An opportunity to catch up on some of those box sets I never ordered because they were too expensive and I already knew some or all of the original albums. Being in Europe, the postage wasn't a big hit for the Monk box, but for the Henderson box (if they have enough in stock this time) it brings it up to $50. But the euro is strong, heh heh.

According to the CD cover pictured, Don Byas is part of the Ellington band! Now that's something I'd like to hear.

I'm telling you, this is the beginning of developments both wonderful and awful. Genetic engineering has been with us for a short while already, but this is another order of magnitude (if it is confirmed, of course). A homemade chromosome is only the start. It will end with us modifying our own genome, and creating alternate ones of comparable complexity. The species will begin to design itself and other species, wresting control from nature. It won't be within our lifetime--or rather, it won't end in our lifetime. It's already started! And you guys make quips!

Come on, doesn't anybody think this is: a) thrilling b) frightening c) both I got a couple of uh-ohs. That's it?

As usual, I completely ignore any sport until the French are on the verge of a heroic victory. Then I watch the last half and get all the thrills for free!

In other words, he does do interviews. But I'm not complaining! It's a good thing. Long live Muhal!

From The Guardian:

Yeah, they mention that when you order. They told me "delivery estimate 17-26 October" and said that's taking the postal strike into account.

Thanks, David! I ordered it, but it seems too good to be true. I won't be holding my breath. (Well, actually, I will, but I want to seem cool and blasé.)

A wise person once said to me, "To tell the truth, you have to exaggerate." I guess the Bad Plus bloggers could have said, "In many cases, what you dig at 13 you dig for life, although perhaps in not quite the same manner, and with numerous exceptions--sometimes you dig for life only some of what you dug at 13, and there are also those who stop digging altogether what they dug at 13." At least then they would have avoided all this sniping.

Everyone assumed she was black at the time, when the record first hit. It was a surprise to many when she was introduced on variety shows or whatever and a white woman walked out. Funny--I remember when it was a radio hit and I always assumed she was white. I was a kid at the time.

Thanks, Nate, for a very absorbing BFT. I didn't like all of it, but that's par for the course. I have no idea who any of it is, although there are things that sound familiar. I'm eager to read the answers! But without further ado, and before reading any other posts in the discussion thread, here are my own comments: 1. I'll take a wild guess that this is entitled "Five Cents a Page." Lots of fun! Fresh, despite the slightly joky mouth percussion. I was glad when the horns kicked in towards the end, too, to add some more flavor. I'm intrigued. But damn, Nate, what are you, some sort of poetry buff or something? 2. I got impatient with the bass vamp, and the generally static feel, but nice playing. 3. A Monk tune, can't think of the title, but seemingly stripped of its rests to give it something original. The jangling rhythm guitar, vaguely reminiscent of 70's funk, is a cool idea for Monk, but personally I feel he built enough funk into his theme that it would have been stronger if the original phrasing had been retained, with or without the guitar. I didn't get much nourishment from the soloing, either. To me this seems to try too hard to be hip. For funky Monk, I prefer the album Jamaaladeen Tacuma made with Wolfgang Puschnig, which favored danceable rhythm. Monk used to dance to his stuff and I guess I still feel everyone else should too (despite what they might want to do). 4. I like this a lot. Absorbing development, engaged playing with real ideas and beautiful sounds. Don't know who it is but will be pleased to learn. 5. I like the trumpeter's feisty tone but IMHO the whole thing suffers from predictability, a lack of memorable melody, and boring bass-and-drums. Similar in that way to number 2. 6. Ah, 60's style free jazz! Don't know when it dates from. I love the looseness and urgency, all that generous and assertive percussion. To me this has that edge that numbers 2 and 5 lack--that vividness. It has heart. 7. Well, how very mainstream. ;-) I love it! Very familiar sounding, I wonder if I don't actually have it. But I don't know what it is, only that everything about it fills me with ease. 8. Usually I'm not much taken with bowed string instruments in jazz, unless you're talking Grappelli or Stuff Smith (also I have a soft spot for Paul Chambers' determined sawing). But this is very cool, full of wit and feeling and a certain cocky swagger. Love those chirping double-stops at around 3:15, disintegrating into noisy scrapes. Another one I looking forward to learning the identity of. 9. Lovely atmospheres and textures. It drags in places, however. 10. I like the tenor player and, especially, the bassist. The punchy, repetitive rhythm figures by bass and drums are wearisome, however, IMHO. Quite a nice group, though. 11. Excellent end to the proceedings! Graceful and stately in a pleasingly old-timey way. The violin and trombone sound beautiful together.

Does Iverson--or his bandmates, since that "no irony" post was a collaborative effort--dis other people for recording some of the shit they do?

Joe Pass did a version on "Intercontinental." I doubt very much Gentry was making reference to the Emmett Till story. Nothing about the song other than the mention of the Tallahatchie bridge seems to make even the slightest allusion to racial injustice in the south, the Civil Rights movement, turbulent social change of the postwar era, or anything other than the vague and tragic story of young love ending nowhere.

Someone should perhaps point out that Iverson's quote about "what you dug at 13 you'll dig for life" or however he phrased it was just a way of saying "early loves have a lasting influence on one's taste." Certainly edc can understand the lure of exaggeration?

I concur. The CD sounds fine. It's available on eMusic as well, with bonus tracks.

I've gotten up to 150--kph, that is, or a bit over 90 mph. That was a few years ago before they installed radar-cameras all over the road system in France--if you speed past one it takes a picture of your car and they send you the ticket in the mail. Before that, people regularly drove 140-150 kph in the fast lane (speed limit 130 kph). Now mostly everybody is very careful to stay within the speed limit.

With the horns, or just the trio? Do you know if they'll pass through France?

Well, fuck.

I liked Iverson on the recent Billy Hart quartet album. I have no love for the originals of the covers they do, but I like their blog, especially Iverson's posts on music. The only thing to do now is see them live, which I'll do three weeks from now.

Very cool site - thanks, JS!

Another vote for "All Together Again For The First Time"--Brubeck, Desmond, Mulligan, Jack Six on bass, and the great Alan Dawson in the drum chair, a worthy successor to Morello. I wore that sucker out when I was in high school. Also "All the Things We Are" from 1973 or '74--Brubeck, Jack Six, Roy Haynes & Lee Konitz on "Like Someone in Love"; Anthony Braxton replacing Konitz on "In Your Own Sweet Way"; both Konitz and Braxton on "All The Things You Are"; and then a trio of Brubeck, Six and Alan Dawson playing a medley of Jimmy Van Heusen tunes (originally side 2 of the LP). And of course those early-50's college albums, before the arrival of Gene Wright and Joe Morello. Some of my favorite Desmond, when he had a lot of youthful heat that later melted into his more wistful lyricism.

That's actually not entirely true. My Nero burning program recognizes FLAC files and allows you to add them directly to the CD you are creating. I guess I need to update my Nero. Is that just a feature of your version of Nero, or is it a plug-in?

Are you talking about storing the FLAC file on a data CD, or making an audio CD out of it? As far as I know you can't make an audio CD directly from a FLAC file--you need to convert it to WAV first.

Thanks for a picture of a surrey with the fringe on top, MG! But where are the sidelights winkin' and blinkin'?? Where are the isinglass curtains??