Lazaro Vega

Had to run an errand today which took an hour round trip, and listened to the entire first disc of "Two Ts for a lovely T" with the Feel Trio(William Parker/Tony Oxley) recorded in 1989. An amazing ebb and flow to the music.

Second Harold Z on that. I bought the first two volumes (including James P. Johnson's Waller tribute) and they're very good.

He'll be doing a benefit for MS at the Frauenthal on April 2nd, with many "local" jazzers, including a new big band put together by Tim Froncek..... Tomorrow, Thursday: Paul Wertico at Forest Hills Central High School, 7 p.m. in Grand Rapids. Tomorrow, Thursday: Xavier Davis Trio (with Ugonna Okegwo, Quincy Davis) 7:30 p.m. at Wealthy Theater, Grand Rapids. Anyone planning on making those?

NEW Dizzy Reece - Mosaic Select - 3 CDs (Mosaic) Mar 16

Forces In Motion. Then tell us, what's a Henkle?

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=A2dqag4abtvjz

Hey montg, did you click on the Real Player Media under listen live?

That was fun! Same time next week? Have to work on the 5 month old, though: she wimped out after only one beer. Should have seen the waitress's face when I asked if she could warm it up in her bottle (big tip got her to do our bidding, though. Cool place).

Yeah, this isn't happening. I'll have to wait until you archive it....Updated my Real Player stuff, etc, and this is a new machine, soo

the link for the real one player says it is no longer working...

For what it is worth, guitarist Joel Fass, who's hung out here some, was in a building in New York the other day and ran across a rehearsal for this performance and lo and behold, Ornette was there.

One of my good friends at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, trombonist Richard Goldsworthy was in this band: While in the service and stationed in Germany, he played with the 7th Army Jazz Orchestra, a band that included such musical heavyweights as Don Ellis, Leo Wright, Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton and Lanny Morgan. And he came over to the station with some tapes of he and Menza and Cedar Walton performing at that time: Four Freshman type vocal choruses, but wailing jazz, too.

James record is called "Gardenias For Lady Day," not Flowers.

final version: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=1200

http://www.firstofthemonth.org/culture/cul...te_history.html

For what it is worth I've really been digging Moody's latest on Savoy, especially for the Tony Williams inspired drumming of Anthony Pinciotti, who as a 16 or 17 year old played at Blue Lake with Ira Sullivan. The Main Theme to Glenngarry, Glenn Ross is happening. Upright Bill, might you elaborate on Washington's contribution?

Are you going to go?

Are you going to go?

Walton's second feature number, in the second set, was "I Want To Talk About You" which was also lovely, though the arrangement was a bit more abstracted from the original than his arrangement for "Over The Rainbow."

History Lesson at the Frauenthal: Newport Jazz Festival All Stars salute first 50 years of America’s first jazz festival. By Lazaro Vega Blue Lake Public Radio Monday night at Muskegon’s historic Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, the Newport Jazz Festival All Stars completed a swing through Michigan with a two and half hour concert that brought to life the repertoire of jazz greats Miles Davis, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Don Byas and Duke Ellington. This performance was unique in that it was free as a gift to the people of Muskegon County from the Collins Fund of the Muskegon Community Foundation, so all 1,700 plus seats were taken. It wasn’t repertoire alone that evoked jazz played on those long July 4th weekends in Newport, Rhode Island, but the way the melodic vocabulary of an era salted Monday night’s improvisations. And, of course, the band member’s introductions – this group used everything in its power to connect with the audience: information, humor, a variety of instrumental settings and most of all music. The band featured a trumpet/two saxophone front-line with a full, i.e. four-man, rhythm section of guitar, piano, bass and drums. Trumpeter Randy Brecker, saxophonists James Moody and James Carter; guitarist Howard Alden; bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash made for the all-star band. Chief instigator of the spontaneous review of jazz vocabulary and popular song favorites was pianist Cedar Walton, who was introduced as the band’s composer as well as pianist (near the end of the concert, the full band played Walton’s "Firm Roots"). When joined by bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash for the feature "Over The Rainbow" Walton improvised a clear, continuos flow of ideas which lingered on that famous rhythmic figure in the bridge to "Over the Rainbow." Walton lightened the mood and seemed to be talking over the fence to his band mates with melodic allusions to "There’s No Business Like Show Business," "Mona Lisa" and a handful of other familiar themes. At one point in James Carter’s tenor sax feature for Coleman Hawkins, "Stuffy," guitarist Howard Alden added a famous riff from the Count Basie band, that (chromatic?) figure leading to Jimmy Rushing singing, "Don’t the moon look lonesome shining through the trees." During the full ensemble opener, "Dig," Miles Davis variation on "Sweet Georgia Brown," James Carter soloing on soprano sax laid in one of Charlie Parker’s recognizable variations on those familiar chords. That sort of stuff went on all-night and there was so much of it woven into the fabric of the music that it became more than just quipping or joking or coasting: it was deep, though playful, homage. The historical terrain of the Newport Festival is the landscape of brilliance and creativity made last century. That the players Monday evening -- young, old and in between -- were able to find so much inspiration from that rich past is testament to the versatility and resilience of jazz and the universal appeal of swing. And that seemed to provide a more entertaining history lesson than musician’s aping styles by the masters of jazz: if individuality was a hallmark of a musician’s greatness in the tradition, then James Moody was there to remind us of it. Sounding like no one else but himself, Moody played an imaginatively taught, melodically sustained improvised performance on "Body and Soul" with just the swinging bass of Peter Washington to set him off. Of course it was a tribute to Coleman Hawkins, and Moody’s brilliantly arppeggiated and extended harmonic lines were in the spirit of Hawk. Yet unlike Hawkin’s famous 1939 recording Moody played the whole tune, and in method was as much informed by the mid to late-1950’s musical extensions of John Coltrane, as he was by the first great tenor saxophonist of jazz. In any case, it was beautiful and a highlight of the concert. Though trumpeter Randy Brecker had a chance to pull a Miles Davis imitation on his feature, "All Blues," Brecker didn’t compromise the brilliance of his sound or the almost lead trumpet register he can dance in during his sped up interpretation of the classic from the record selling album "Kind of Blue." Brecker put some Mile-isms into his first half chorus, then went for himself. Later while he and Moody played a simmering version of Dizzy Gillespie’s "Con Alma," Brecker kept the Gillespie-isms to a gesture, as well, and created a moving original performance. Of course Moody was a regular feature in the Dizzy Gillespie quintet, not only on saxophone, but also flute, and his turn on "Con Alma" Monday showed how he’s still finding ideas to spare in that well traveled terrain. He and James Carter did the tenor battle thing on "C Jam Blues," replete with telescoping chase choruses and a free for all collective improvisation. Moody started off the solo rounds, and it seemed to me he was using some of Carter’s ideas and moves in that opening solo, just not with the forceful textures of Carter’s style. Moody remained tastefully centered, while Carter bedazzled. James Carter, who spent many formative years at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Muskegon County, and played there again last July, was the crowd favorite: he had them by turns hollering questions and retorts at the bandstand, whooping, snickering, laughing, exploding in applause, gasping in appreciation, and abiding the most outrageous sounds of the night. With only guitarist Howard Alden to accompany him, Carter on baritone sax created his only unaccompanied cadenza of the night in introducing "Gloria," the Don Byas number found on Carter's new Columbia Recording "Flowers For Lady Day." While Alden waited patiently, Carter pulled out every trick in his bag, from his signature staccato accelerandos, to high harmonic yaps, to swaths of exciting circular breathing, to blowing whispers of air through the horn without triggering the reed. It was brief and almost an afterthought as he and Alden flowed together into the tune itself and played beautiful music together. After hearing Carter Monday, one might say he’s gaining more control, meaningful musical use, in deploying his fearsome saxophone chops. He summed up the post-Coltrane era of expressionism in jazz saxophone for Monday night’s crowd, and for this tour in general, and made it work within the very traditional settings. The rhythm section was unflagging. Alden took for his feature Barney Kessel’s "64 Bars on Wilshire." Drummer Lewis Nash took a few Max Roach style solo phrases on "Dig," but really let loose in his own manner on "Caravan," a perennial showcase for the jazz drummer, and was otherwise an inventive, constantly interesting presence during Monday’s music. And Walton and bassist Peter Washington found common ground everywhere they went together. Newport thrived on the ‘all-star’ band concept – that is a hand-picked group of sometimes very different musicians who don’t work together regularly put together for a concert set. That the band which came to Muskegon Monday night had played Friday at Michigan State University in East Lansing and Valentine’s Day night at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo helped make it more than a one-off. However short-lived, this is a touring ensemble with an exciting program they’re working out night after night on the bandstand, and recommended to any seeking to hear jazz with a strong connection to the iconic past.

the e-mail feature is not working. anyone in Muskegon who can get a hold of upright bill, please let him know about the above post. thanks, lv

I have a guy who wants a least one ticket if Chuck and Ann aren't up for it -- Far Coston. He's not on the list here, but his e-mail is mfcoston@charter.net and his phone in Spring Lake is (616) 842 - 1305. I hope you can hook up. Please post if you do or don't so I can know. Thanks, Lazaro

Anyone see this concert on Friday at Michigan State, or Saturday in Kalamazoo?

Mating Call was early on (1956) for Trane playing in an exposed, out front lone horn position -- there's not much else to compare it to like that, while his work with Miles at that time was still coming into its own....Love Dameron, but 1958's Soultrane is the killer quartet date before Giant Steps, don't you think? Especially for Good Bait.