Lazaro Vega

Wow Valerie...Mingus says on this recording his Monterey set was all of 20 minutes, so this is music they had planned to play there but ran out of time. The first piece, Meditations on Intergration, would have filled their spot on the festival. This release has a comfortable, rehearsal-like quality to it. A few false starts, some off mic banter with the crowd, and the crowd's laughter in response, but when it comes together, incredible music. You're fortunate to have heard Mingus in his home state.

Is there another thread here about this release?

The double CD re-issued domestically on Sunnyside. Hobart Dotson, trumpet Lonnie Hillyer, trumpet Jimmy Owens, flugelhorn/trumpet Charles McPerson, alto saxophone Julius Watkins, French horn Howard Johnson, tuba Mingus, bass/piano Dannie Richmond, drums

Patricia sings a charming version of "Summer Samba" with its cute little melody...Her "postmodern" songbook takes in melodic material from pop, things which sound like kitch (sp) in a jazz context. In terms of her songs, yes, her music often moves in its own narrative way, a la "Lush Life".

We're back up, but barely. The antennae was clobbered by lightening, made a hole, which filled up with water and took out hundreds of feet, at least, of the transmission cable. So we have a replacement antennae running at only 10,000 watts from 400 feet off the ground. Still working on that digital link to 88.9. We are web casting again. Sorry about the leg, Chuck; she is a beast.

That his campaign denied WZZM an interview because it didn't completely toe his party line is some ugly shit, man. It's too bad the story about China won't jump to a discussion of labor and out sourcing because unless he's completely reversed his opinion on the matter, DeVos is anti-labor. How does one purport to be pro jobs but anti labor in Michigan? Someone in the media needs to ask him. The investment in the medical industry the DeVos family made in Grand Rapids is incredible yet how does that translate to the state? Unless he's just saying bag it to the auto industry.... In any case, our antennae blew up. Must have been hit by lightening before, and then it filled up with water, and fizz. We'll hopefully be up with 5,000 watt replacement antennae tomorrow Also a new digital link between the station and WBLU FM 88.9 in Grand Rapids is going into place as we work the bugs out so in the future if WBLV FM 90.3 goes down, WBLU will stay up.

Johnny Frigo on bass before 1940?

That's the University Musical Society. Glad they have a jazz division -- Ornette, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck have all had big concerts there in the last two years. (They're primarily a classical organization. UMS is putting on a big Shostakovich weekend in October).

Nice work if you can get it

I want to see Roy Haynes. Chuck, did Roy play the Chicago Jazz Festival?

Oh Lord, too true. That's hilarious and mortifying simultaneously. There was a period when the afterglows at Blue Lake became a continuation of the festival, jam sessions. That's all I've got.

Ah -- it sounded so different. Truth be told I was looking at the display from the Holland Nature Center, their birds of prey -- a red tailed hawk and a barred (?) owl -- while preventing my daughters from offering up their fingers as part of the demonstration. Louise checked out a lampray they had in a bag on the table -- lots of Great Lakes info, including a stuffed version of this gigantic asian carp that's coming up the Mississippi toward Lake Michigan. Ellie eventually ran away and got lost in the crowd enough times what we hauled out the bright blue nylon leash with her name on it. By the time we were in the wine tasting, gourmet salmon cook-off tent it was John Montgomery, tenor (still lovin' Mike Brecker), with Jim Cooper, vibes; Dave Hey, piano/bass keys; and Mike VanLente, drums. VanLente let Ellie up behind his drums, put sticks in her hands and indulged her. That was too much. As he's scooping her up towards the stand he says more than asks, "You're insured aren't you?" Froncek said you guys called him about it at one o'clock and when he asked when's the hit you said one thirty and that sun of bitch made it from Muskegon, set up and played on time. Now there's a musician who wants it everyday. He's comin' ready. Randy can build dynamic climaxes in the music, and plays funk and street rhythms across a style as eclectic as DeJohnette. This summer Tim went through something of a Tony Williams phase. That came out in his playing on three or four concerts he played at Blue Lake this summer, but towards the end of the season he was spending more time in the pocket. Between the two of them, with their individual strengths and personalities, West Michigan's jazz scene has legs. Like Edwin Moses. Tim's doing a thing at Aquinas College early October. It's in The Jazz Datebook on the Blue Lake web site. Chuck, you might have Ann check it out: there were artists booths with paintings, ceramics, some photography, jewelery. No "craft" shit. Jim, who runs the Salmon Festival?

That was different. Tim sitting in with Organissimo at the last minute under a big tent on a beautiful day in Grand Haven. I heard the band as my daughters and I were walking by and thought, Hey, Organissimo. But then I saw Tim behind the drums and thought, Oh, must be another band...but from where? Jim and Joe were just shadow outlines and unrecognizable. And because they played mostly familiar tunes, not the Organissimo book, I was completely fooled. "Helluva band, who are they?" Good job guys.

Saturday, September 23rd at 8 p.m. Alice Coltrane will give a rare public performance with her quartet Translinear Light in a celebration of John Coltrane’s 80th Birthday at Hill Auditorium, 825 N. Univerisity Avenue, Ann Arbor. Pianist Alice Coltrane, widow of the famous saxophonist John Coltrane, will be joined by their son Ravi on saxophones, plus bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Roy Haynes. Additionally, the quartet will participate in a free public interview conducted by WDET host Liz Copland on Friday, September 22 at 3 p.m. in the Rackham Amphitheatre, 915 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor. Tickets for Saturday’s opening concert of the University Musical Society’s 2006/2007 season are $10 to $50 and available from (734) 764-2538 or online at www.ums.org.

Clem, you mean Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker?

I'm digging the rave ups on this new one: "Jack Baker" and "Black Elk Speaks." (Jack Baker, the actor?). Of the more mellow, rubato soprano balladisms, not so much, though the tune dedicated to their road manager is cool. Having heard Bran play Henry Purcell's "O, Solitude" (on tenor) live, quoting "Gloomy Sunday," alluding to his version on "Eternal," it's clear his classical chops are up. Musically the recording is documenting how well the group plays as a group, that evolution. It hit me on initial casual listening how this band is either up or down, there's not much mid-tempo swing or bounce going on -- it's rubato or full on head long post Coltrane. Haven't spent enough time with it to say if that's accurate, but a first impression. By the way A.B. Spellman's notes, and his notes for Delfayo's new one featuring Elvin Jones, are very, very good. He sticks to the music at hand and enlightens it.

Hi Cliff, Big Red Peaches was a "commission," if you will, for a commercial. I think they also did one called "Grape Escape" for them. The company naming itself "Odwalla" to the best of my knowledge came from the company's founder appreciating the Art Ensemble.

CN: Review in the new Signal to Noise. With a cover story on George Lewis, Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell. Just read it: great review. The insight into Ornette having retained some of Prime Time's methods for the ensemble and how Ornette basically just blows over the curtain of sound is right on the money. In fact, the last part of that sentance is exactly what Nessa said immediately after hearing the band in Ann Arbor.

"Hunger" is timely with the mainstreaming of organic food (see www.thenation.com for their "Food" issue). Barber drew a great crowd to Grand Rapids several years ago and performed enthusiastically. She mentioned enjoying the sound of the room. P.B. can come back in her stocking feet any time she wants to. Dug Grazyna Auguscik's version of Barber's "Almost Blue" on Auguscik's "The Light" CD. Arranged for voice, guitar, bass and cello. There's a mess of jazz singers in Chicago if that's your flave.

Just ordered a copy on line for cheap. Anyone check this out? CHET BAKER - AS THOUGH I HAD WINGS $16.98 Chet Baker - musician, junkie, and progenitor of West Coast cool jazz - has always been an aloof mystery and a tortured saint. Until now. In these memoirs divided into 13 chapters, discovered after his mysterious death in 1988, Chet Baker's real voice can finally be heard as he writes of his life as a musician with stories of romances, drugs and prison interspersed along the way. Baker's original handwritten draft is shown along with the typeset version. Hardcover. 118 pages.

Aggie87, the bassist was from L.A. and looked like one of the dudes in Z.Z. Top: real long white hair, long, long Gandolf beard, and bald on top. Leeland Sklar? Solid session player. Left out funk, another element of the music. 2 1/2 hour concert and just all around great. Sat in front of the stage. Francine Reed is still with him (20 years down the road) and sounding great.

Lyle Lovett's large band last night at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. Four singers, four horns (tenor, alto, trumpet, trombone), electric guitar, mandolin doubling guitar and voice, cello, electric bass, percussion, drums and Lyle. Great show -- they opened the band portion with "Topsy" by Basie. There was no one kind of music but a melange of his influences: blues, gospel, Texas shit kicking music, bluegrass, and Lyle's version of rock n roll. His lead black singer from Atlanta did "Put A Little Sugar In My Bowl" and Ida Cox's 1924 "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues." Great show. Tight, well paced. My wife took me.

Organissimo. Drummer Tim Froncek. Hometown heroes.

How did it go?

A couple of years ago, or maybe more, WBEZ stopped producing the live national broadcast of the Chicago Jazz Festival and made available to NPR stations 13 one hour programs culled from the jazz fest performances and interviews. The immediacy of the live broadcast, it's ability to unite the jazz community and the country in a end of summer ritual, was more appealing to me as a jazz director. Needless to say what was a Labor Day weekend special for years and years, able to pre-empt all programming on Blue Lake except "A Prarie Home Companion," went away when they broke it up into a post produced series. Many of our listeners were dissappointed the live broadcast was kaput, and I'm sorry to say they were in the national minority according to the radio professionals who carried the day.