Lazaro Vega

If you're starting out on Arnett Cobb perhaps the Lionel Hampton sides are a good place as it puts the rest of his career in context. There's a nice Decca CD under Hamp's name called "Midnight Sun" featuring "Flying Home #2" and "Cobb's Idea," I think. I hope that's right. His early Okeh recordings, the first version of "Smooth Sailing" and the reason why it became a staple for the rest of his career, may be available CD through Classics, but here is the lp that features this bootin' music: http://tinyurl.com/9utsr Another good place for some jumpin' Arnett Cobb is that Delmark release of Apollo recordings, "Arnett Blows for 1300." There was a time in the 1980's that Cobb was recording on Progressive Records, too, usually in quartets and that stuff compliments the Prestige material, helps to fill out the picture. I think those Progressive Records were done right before or about the same time as the "Live at Sandy's" taping, but I favored the Progressives back in college radio days just because they were more organized, better recorded and swung like mad.

Just opened it last week and have been playing Pith during most of our evening broadcasts, streaming live from www.bluelake.org from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. monday through Friday (best to log on before 10 p.m.). Still need to listen to the middle pieces more carefully. The usual ECM caveats apply -- floating textures, subdued lines, rubato in excess.

The Bjork composition is "Cocoon."

Werf, you don't stream? Man that's news to me. Do you know why? After our conversation I listened to Rangell's American Songbook album on Koch from last year, much of which has a highly produced pop quality to it, but listening to him and you were right, he's coming more out of the cutting sound of Sanborn than the lighter tones of Grover. His multi-instrumentalism produces music that wouldn't be confused with David. He does the whistling thing on the Jobim tune on this disc. Hey, maybe GVU, Organissimo and Nelson can work out a web hosting agreement for here? Congratulations to everyone! Glad it was a sucess!

http://offbeat.com/artman/publish/article_1277.shtml

http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/mainHTML....nathentoff.html

Opened a new quartet album from Larry Goldings last night but haven't heard it, and it is not up on the Palmetto web site just yet.....here's something from jazzmatazz: Larry Goldings - Quartet (Palmetto Records) Jan 24 — Larry Goldings (accordion, piano, Wurlitzer piano, harmonium, Hammond b-3 organ, glockenspiel); John Sneider (trumpet, cornet); Ben Allison (bass); Matt Wilson (drums) — originals, plus covers of tunes by Bjork, Faure, Monk and Handy; Madeleine Peyroux guests on one track

That "Pushkin Suite" is happening. The rest I'm not so sure about and haven't heard enough. At the risk of raising Clementine's ire here's a review: http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0548,davis,70433,22.html

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:xneq97egkrkt What is striking is the orchestral scope of the ensemble. This sounds like a band three times it's size. Those guitars just fill up everything. Yeah, they have no problem covering the horn parts from Pith, for instance, and Motian follows the rise and fall of the emtionalism of Mingus piece, but it's in his own way, you know, not as ecstatic as Mingus. Weren't Malaby and Cheek the two tenors on Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra release from last year? Interesting partnership. Unlike any other two tenor combo I can think of.

This is back in stock at Dusty Groove

Recorded live in Seattle following their introduction by Don Byron, with "additional production" from Ben Surman. The 11 and a half minute title piece is killin' -- Frisell improvising on electric at length with DeJohnette's full kit (and amazing bass drum sound -- he makes it sound like a Fender Bass) showing his evolution of ideas since his Miles Davis days. DeJohnette does that free funk thing better than anyone. Their interaction on the title number makes for an interesting comparison to how the young drummer Ted Poor played with Frisell in last year's Cuong Vu CD. In Seattle there's good "blowing" on "Otherworldly Dervishes," too, after several textured performances fade by where DeJohnette employs all kinds of percussion sounds, such as what might be metal circle chimes as backdrop for Frisell's banjo as koto on "The Garden of Chew-Man-Chew." If you dug the DeJohnette/John Surman duets on ECM this is another story in the multi-directional musical world of DeJohnette. (p.s. I haven't heard the entire disc yet). 2006, Golden Bean Productions, GBP-CD-1116

That's cool. How exciting for the Bad Plus to be "discovering" this incredible music for themselves. The Bad Plus is coming into West Michigan for the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, should anyone care to hear them live in these parts. Clementi, is that Lewis a new release?

How did it go? How did it work out musically?

WGVU FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They're on line. You'll want to contact Scott Vanderwerf. They program jazz most week nights after 7 p.m. and all weekend. Blue Lake may be interested in putting it on Sunday night at 7. I can talk to our P.D. Is there a cost involved? In Ypsilanti there's WEMU FM. Linda Yahn (I think that's how it is spelled) is the contact. And in Mount Pleasent there's WCMU which is distributed around most of norther lower Michigan and part of the uppper penninsula. They feature jazz every night.

Imagine The Sound was, also, a close look at Taylor's playing. Bloody piano. Seen Taylor twice that I remember. The first time in New York. My wife had heard The Blue Man Group was a "must see" so we agreed that if we went to that, then I got a "pick," and it just so happened they were on the same night. The Blue Man group wasn't all that, but it was entertaining. Taylor was on a double bill with Phillip Glass. The Glass show emptied out and we were right on time. That performance, solo, was transforming. Hearing him live, doing his poetry and dance, and then the very, as Litweiler has said, elemental aspect of his music. Elemental in terms of Creation Myths and juxtaposition of geological forces with those of water, pressure and heat, air and fire. When he did play blocked chords the effect was like a tremendous machine: the piano sounded 10 yards long. In other words Taylor had me trippin'. The second time was at Orchestra Hall in Chicago. That was supposed to be a trio performance but Taylor's sidemen were stuck somewhere (I think it was late January or February). Hearing him solo in such a grand concert space was perfect. The way he constructed the music from his scores was fascinating, as were the slow sections, which were long and developed at that concert. Reading Balliett's assesment and he comes back to the "otherness" of Cecil Taylor's music in terms of musical revolution, that he was part of it but didn't attract followers. Today, that arguement is harder to see with so many pianists dipping into aspects of Taylor's vocabulary (Marilyn Crispell and Craig Taborn come to mind as players well versed in the world of Cecil Taylor) and Taylor's collaborations such as the recent recording with the Italian Instabile Orchestra.

I've been looking around and can't find this for internet viewing? Is there a link you could put up? FWIW major chunks of our five hour radio program was dedicated to Cecil's music last night, with the written insights from Balliett and Bill Shoemaker (?).

Where did you get all that unissued material?

This is the playlist for this week’s Vinyl Side of Midnight, which can be heard on 89.7fm WLNZ in the Greater Lansing area, or you can tune in internationally on the web on www.wlnz.org - hosted by Mike Stratton, Sunday nights, 9- midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Feel free to forward this to friends. Contact Mike Stratton at dreamtrane@sbcglobal.net For more information, visit www.mikestratton.com 1/22/06 Wynton Marsalis & Rodney Whitaker This week I had the pleasure to interview Rodney Whitaker and Wynton Marsalis together (Wynton was on the phone and Rodney was in the studio). This week I’ll play the interview and music by both artists, in a number of formats. Wynton Marsalis has had a celebrated career, from being a side man with Art Blakey through a storied set of albums as band leader of Quartet, Quintet, Septet and Orchestra. He’s won Grammies and a Pulitzer and broke ground by rekindling the fire of straight ahead mainstream jazz. Rodney Whitaker is one of the world’s finest bass players. He’s recorded with Roy Hargrove, Terrence Blanchard, Wynton, and numerous other fine musicians. He’s currently the head of MSU’s Jazz Program and plays with the band, The Professors of Jazz. The Lincoln Center Orchestra will be playing this coming Wednesday at the MSU Auditorium. Get your tickets through the Wharton Center Box Office, or check out some free tickets I’ll be giving away on the show Sunday.

Came in today. Will try and play some of it tonight on Jazz From Blue Lake.....

Hey man, played that "Blue Lou" from the Arno with Orgo radioissimo broadcast and that swings hard. We'll be featuring Andrew Hill tonight, same bat time, same bat channel.

Thelonious Monk recordings are highlighted tonight as Jazz From Blue Lake presents the premier pianist, composer and bandleader from the 1940's. Web streaming live from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. est. www.bluelake.org At midnight, "Out on Blue Lake,"featuring the New York Contemporary 5, Don Cherry with Ed Blackwell, Ornette Coleman's quartet with Geri Allen, maybe some Lester Bowie doing St. Louis Blues (Chicago Style) who knows, we'll see. (edit to add we'll feature Amiri Baraka with Malachi Thompson's Freebop Band recorded by Blue Lake in Grand Rapids, including Baraka poems set to music by Monk, Ellington).

Was this ever on CD?

Maybe you can contact him and ask. See: http://www.wguc.org/wvxu/jazz.asp or http://www.wguc.org/contact/

Thanks for the suggestions. AHHHH! The "Black Brown and Beautiful" we have at work is not the Flying Dutchman lp, but this one: http://tinyurl.com/awapu

Had a chance to listen to Oliver Nelson's son speak at an IAJE convention in Chicago. Nice radio program here, good script, especially; and lately Nina Simone is under my skin. That "Sunday in Savannah" is one reason why. Other pieces we might work in tonight on Jazz From Blue Lake, to carry on the thread, would be something from Blakey's "Freedom Rider." And then three pieces which feature King's own voice with jazz accompaniment: Max Roach "It's Time" from Chatahoochi Red; Leo Smith's "Nuru Light: The Prince of Peace (for Martin Luther King)" on from Spirits of our Ancestors (Nessa); and John Hollenbeck "The Drum Major Instinct" from one of his self produced recordings. Of course we'll cop some of your ideas from this program. Don't have that Mary Lou Williams piece, though.