Tom Storer

Pretty impressive, all right. I didn't know they talked about "tenor" drums. Is that a drum corps thing?

Impossible to misunderstand Houston Person and Etta Jones! Thanks for the tip, el Magnifico. This is going to the top of my list.

I knew "pwned" meant "owned," but I never knew why all of a sudden "owned" was being used all over the net to mean "you have been crushed into the dirt and completely dominated, you pathetic, laughable worm." I started noticing this on message boards over the past year or two--when someone scores a coup in a debate/pissing contest, someone else posts "OWNED!" or "PWNED!", sometimes adding the dreaded "lol." And now I know--it originates in video games. One more mystery solved.

[looks up from foxhole] [scurries out of no-man's land]

I never got the impression that Monk was "battling personal demons." That's such a contemporary cliché. To me that would be a description, for example, of a drug addict who really, really wanted to clean up his act but couldn't due to his all-too-human weaknesses, scars from childhood tragedy, etc. Cue the violins. It always seemed to me that Monk was solidly himself--never heard any reports of him wanting or trying to change his ways.

It's always imprudent to step into the no-man's-land of someone else's debate, but here goes. Seems to me Allen isn't saying "Max shouldn't have experimented with this or that"--what he's saying is that he believes Max's efforts to those ends weren't entirely successful. Same with his comments about Pepper/Morgan and "misunderstood modality"--I don't think he's saying they shouldn't have gone in that direction. Rather, he, like you, hears "the reality" of what they played but hears it differently, and judges it somewhat harshly. Further, he speculates that the results might have been better if the musicians had been more given to conscious critical thought about their own music. It seems to me that what you're saying is that if a musician follows his or her muse into uncharted (for them) territory, that approach is so laudable and honest in its intentions that someone who feels the direction proved fruitless isn't allowed to criticize and analyze the move because that would be tantamount to "telling everybody what's good for them and who's a good boy." But you could say that about any negative criticism of the arts.

I've never seen the American version, but I have trouble imagine it equalling the original, which in my humble opinion is brilliant.

I guess spag is spaghetti, but what's bog?

I've never liked the idea of very specific dietary restrictions. It would drive me crazy to have to monitor each mouthful, never ever eat this and always eat so much of that, etc. Instead, I simply make an effort to avoid carbs, fat, and processed food as much as possible (which rules out my secret vice, pernicious snacking--I have to be stern with myself to stay away from peanuts and chips and stuff; I don't have a sweet tooth but I have a salt-and-grease tooth). I drink lots of water, get regular exercise, and make sure I eat plenty of fresh produce. What I also find to be important is to exercise restraint concerning portion size and second helpings. When I gaze down at my less-than-flat stomach, my mantra is "Put less in it." Also, I try to keep alcohol consumption down. That stuff is fattening. And no soda or sugary drinks. Of course, I am a poor sinner and do at times gorge myself on delicious, high-calorie meals washed down with too much red wine. But usually I don't. (Grammar police note: the thread title should be "Help My Wife and Me Eat Better and Lose Weight.")

Philly Joe Jones once said, "If you love jazz, you have to love the drums." I love the drums, but the thought of Ginger Baker, Tony Williams and Max Roach drowning each other out against a backdrop of aimless percussionists rattling and tapping does sound like a nightmare. (The second part of that Philly Joe quote was "and if you love the drums, you have to love Buddy Rich.")

Gary Giddins once reported that Crouch had generously shared his Bird research with him at one point, and he praised both the research and the generosity. I really have trouble reading Crouch, but I'll get this in the hopes of learning more about Charlie Parker. Crouch we already know about.

For which I have a ticket! Come on, Joe, we're rootin' for you!

Proust. I'm about halfway through. I've started it many times and always got side-tracked somewhere in the first two to four volumes, so this year my mission is to read it from start to finish. Quite a feast. No indigestion yet, though.

I saw Max a few times... once with his latter-day quartet w. Odean Pope, Tyrone Hill and Cecil Bridgewater (I bought a T-shirt from Roach at a little table they set up after the concert... Max Roach selling T-shirts to make a buck, now that's a disgrace); once in the duo with Dizzy Gillespie that they made a CD out of; and once in a solo concert. He started the solo concert with his rendition of a spiritual, I guess, with a refrain of "I'm singing with a sword in my hand," which he sang while drumming. It was electrifying. He had that theatrical thing down. Same with his recording of MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech where he accompanies the speech on drums. Goose bumps. And oh, yeah, once with M'Boom! That was a great concert, too.

Good work, Jim and Jason! Great to have this place back. Let me second the request for a bigger-font display. You young people just don't know what it's like to peer at tiny font through bifocals.

I think they've just identified a market niche and are going to work it using the skills they've developed with another market niche (jazz geeks). Business is business!

And let us not forget that some proclaim the latter to be always superior to the former. No, it's just that if I made the investment to appreciate it and you didn't, then I am superior to you. No, no, it's the other way around. That would mean that you're an elitist snob and I'm "authentic."

Your question was about jazz and improv, but I'd have to say that what proves difficult for me is most classical music. Not difficult in the sense of finding it obscure or incomprehensible or "over my head," but in the sense that... it just doesn't move me very much. Obviously there are exceptions to this, and there is classical music that I really love. But in general it just doesn't give me whatever it is I want. I can listen to many composers and hear that it is consequential art composed and performed at a very high level, in other words I can't dismiss it by any means. But I just don't care about it. Something comes between me and it and I'm never quite sure what.

And let us not forget that some proclaim the latter to be always superior to the former.

That his presence on a record does not guarantee exciting music is clear, and many of his own records are not inspired. So be it. However, I saw a videotaped performance of Carter with his trio (Jacky Terrasson and Russell Malone) in 2006 that was very, very fine. I wouldn't write him off.

Hey, tomorrow's my birthday too. Happy birthday!

You'd really have to hear his tone of voice to be sure. So he's a jerk, big deal. I'd worry about that if I had to work with him, be his neighbor, etc. All I have to do is listen to him play. Carter is among the bassists I love, but I can understand not liking his playing--to each his own. I'm certainly glad not all bass players sound like Ron Carter, but I'm just as glad that one of them does.

Yeah, he talks the talk but also walks the walk. Maybe he's difficult on a personal level, I wouldn't know, but winning personalities and great talent are independent parameters.

Excellent insight. Applicable in so many situations!

Shit, I only got 11 right. Which means, in line with what guy said, that I have no idea and am only guessing. Among the ones I got wrong were about an equal number of genuine and fake, so I'm not systematically misinterpreting. For me the lesson of this is that at a certain level of personal interaction, I'll just have to trust people, since obviously second-guessing them won't do me much good! And since that's already the way I operate, I won't have to change a thing.