ghost of miles

Worst MLB season team records

Interesting question about Eovaldi and his performance against the Yankees this year. Tonight presents a great opportunity for Price to overcome whatever his NY bugaboo has been; he's been on fire the second half of the season and did well against them last time out in Fenway, right? And yeah, I made that very suggestion about Happ on a Yankees social-media site last night, given that it's already a toss-up as to whether he or Tanaka start the WC game. But that's without my knowing how they each fare against the A's, what difference it might make whether the game's at NY or at Oakland, etc. Strange that for most Yankee fans Severino isn't really the focus of WC starter discussions, because he's been such a hot mess for the last two months... anxious about how he's going to do tonight, especially if Betts and Benintendi are back in the starting lineup for Boston.

I dig where you're coming from, RT. It would be cool to see a whole series of Blue Note artists done in this style, either as posters or even trading cards. Seems like something that Don Was might go for. I'm really enjoying the live recordings on this new release, btw. I want to go back and listen to disc 1 (studio) again for further absorption.

OK, tonight’s game might offer further fodder for the notion that the thermal exhaust port on the Death Star that is the 2018 Red Sox is the bullpen-bridge-to-Kimbrel, but I would argue that the solution to that vulnerability might be tonight’s starting Boston pitcher, who, as I understand it, is bullpen-bound once the playoffs begin. On another note, what team needs three tries in a row to complete an easy and successful double play? Who would be the 2018 New York Yankees? That is correct! And for your correct answer you win a full-blown case of Yips!!

Yeah, actually at their current percentage the Red Sox will end up 111-51, which would be two better than Houk's 109 wins in 1961. (109-53-1... including a tie?! Did that factor into Maris' HR chase?) One small saving grace for me would be seeing NY be the team to eliminate any chance Boston might have of matching or surpassing the 1998 Yankees' 114 regular-season wins and 125 wins overall (which is the most wins by any team in history when the post-season is factored into account). It seems quite unlikely that Boston could do that now, but earlier this summer they were on pace to match or even pass that amount of wins. (And yes, it's second in the modern era to the 2001 Mariners, but the overall 125-50 1998 record is still the gold standard for a team to equal or beat IMO; Mariners' regular-season record tends to be overlooked because of their loss in the playoffs.)

Well, I'd practically be willing to bet you a Topps Fred Lynn rookie card that NY won't sweep Boston--hell, I'll be extraordinarily grateful if we manage to take two of three. But yeah, without a deeper dive on match-ups etc., I'd definitely favor Happ or Tanaka to start the WC, and the other to start game 1 of a DS IF, big IF, they can get past the A's (and they better hold on to their butts to keep homefield advantage, because they stink on the road against Oakland in 2017-18). This is also an opportunity for Price to purge his Yankee bugaboo. He's been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball for the second half of 2018, so this might be a prime moment for it to happen. I think if Judge hadn't gotten hurt, Boston might have won the division by 5-6 games instead of the 10-12 lead they'll probably end up with. Too many other inconsistent factors with this year's team, at least to catch up to the Red Sox clipping along at a 110-win pace.

Thanks for the tip! I have Untitled, half of which is live, but wasn’t aware of this release—just added it to my mammoth Amazon wish-list.

Yep, Zev has now gone public with this: Resonance Celebrates 10th Anniversary With Strategic Play And New Eric Dolphy Release

I’ve been on a renewed Byrds kick (I go on one every several years, as with so many artists both pop-rock and jazz) and have rediscovered this early Gene Clark gem:

Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole as well--that's quite a lineup, along with Ricky and Allen.

She's on a forthcoming Jasmine compilation that a Yahoo Songbirds listserv contributor put together. This from his recent email: >>In October, Jasmine is releasing a compilation I did of movie “ghost” singers. Not the well-known hits, which are readily available elsewhere, but rare recordings they did on their own. The title is “They Called Them Ghosts -- The Great Movie Dubbers Sing” and the vocalists I are chose are Jo Ann Greer, Annette Warren, India Adams, Anita Ellis, Louanne Hogan, Nan Wynn, Eileen Wilson, and Martha Mears. There are several tracks for each singer and almost all are on CD for the first time.<< I wish I had that first volume of Raymond Scott on Hindsight--I have a CD-R dub of V. 2. I don't think V. 1 has ever been reissued on CD. Yes, in 2018 I imagine there's no market for a Wynn compilation, but I'm surprised Collectors' Choice didn't get to her in the late 1990s/early 2000s when they were putting out compilations of singers from that era. But then again, maybe not--she doesn't appear to have ever really attracted a strong following in her heyday. EDIT: also meant to mention that she did record with Hal Kemp at the end of the 1930s. I have a compilation of Kemp's mid-1930s Brunswick recordings, which don't cover her time in the band. Obviously a lot of tracks floating around on YouTube and what not that I could stitch together into a home-made compilation if I were so inclined.

I’m really enjoying Wynn’s appearances on the new Teddy Wilson Mosaic set. That’s too bad about her big-band sides... perhaps why there’s never been a CD compilation of her recordings by Collectors Choice, Jasmine, or any of the other usual suspects?

No, doesn’t appear to be—based on my quick skim of it last night. I think it’s just an example of what they’re looking for in the contest. I listened to disc 1 last night and am going to read the graphic novel (which it’s evidently meant to accompany) while listening again. Haven’t listened to discs 2 and 3 yet. Overall it’s a really interesting package/concept; my only complaint is that the two “Live in London” discs could have fit on one CD—so it ends up feeling like shelling out $60 for a 2-CD set w/accompanying book. A small complaint overall, and I imagine they were simply replicating the length of the LP versions. (I’ve noticed that a number of recent jazz and indie-pop CD releases are in the 40-45 minute range, which is undoubtedly because they are being released on vinyl as well. And that’s not really a bad thing, more good in general, I’d say. It’s just that Emanon is a pricey set to begin with. Maybe there’s a conceptual reason for splitting the live London material into two discs that I’ll understand better after I listen to them.)

Much-needed morale booster for the Yankees tonight at home, with a strong offensive showing throughout the order, and another notch in Tanaka’s favor for possibly getting the WC start. Plus the return of this guy! 😀 https://www.mlb.com/video/c-2487743083 ... only in there to play defense, still not ready to take a live at-bat, but man—only his second full year in MLB, and he already feels like the heart and soul of this team.

Not surprising--Dolphy headed over to Europe with Mingus not long after recording Out To Lunch, right?

Also wondering if this is the final time that Dolphy performed with Coltrane, given that he died only a few months later.

I'm currently working on a Night Lights show about John Coltrane in 1963 and came across mention of the Coltrane Quartet's appearance at NYC's Philharmonic Hall on Dec. 31, 1963 in the John Coltrane Reference book. I'm pretty sure I've read about this concert before, but wow, crank up the time machine and all that, especially given who else was on the bill: *John Coltrane Quartet w/Eric Dolphy *Cecil Taylor Jazz Unit (w/Jimmy Lyons as, Albert Ayler ts, Henry Grimes bass, Sunny Murray drums) *Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (w/Wayne Shorter ts, Freddie Hubbard tpt, Curtis Fuller trombone, Cedar Walton piano, Reggie Workman bass, Wellington Blakey vocals...?!) The concert was reviewed by Leroi Jones for DownBeat and Whitney Balliett for the New Yorker--I probably read said reviews in anthologies of theirs a long time ago, but somehow had overlooked just how dynamic this overall lineup must have been.

The John Coltrane Reference book also gives high marks to this concert and says it definitely merits an official release of some kind. Does seem odd that it wasn't included in the Live Trane box... rights issues of some kind, perhaps?

Happy birthday to the original GHF!!!

Volume 1 arrived in the mail today. Williams also shows up on the new Teddy Wilson Mosaic set.

Same here, got an email last night from my local record store saying it would be available for pickup Friday morning. Woo-hoo!

Last night Miguel Andujar became the second Yankee in team history to hit 40 doubles and 20 HR in his rookie season. The other? Joe DiMaggio. Not bad, Miggy!

Let me know what you think! It's an older show (I did it about 10 years ago), but it was definitely a labor of love--the focus is on Conover. I interviewed a biographer of his and got a couple of quotes from George Avakian as well... and there's some archived interviews with Conover himself, though done late in life after the operation that changed his voice. Also some bits from his VOA broadcasts, and music and artists that he championed, plus a rare 45 that he released of a collaboration with guitarist Charlie Byrd.

Hey Brad, so glad you enjoyed the show, and thanks for sharing those vivid memories as well. The Night Lights show on Willis Conover starts with that A-Train introduction... "Time for jazz--Willis Conover with the Voice of America jazz hour": Conover's Coming Over: Willis Conover and Jazz on the Voice of America

A six-CD set coming from Sunnyside later this autumn--here's the email I just received: I'm very excited to be working with pianist Frank Kimbrough on Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk, a six-CD boxed set of the entire Monk repertoire, to be released November 23 via Sunnyside. The album features Kimbrough with bassist Rufus Reid, drummer Billy Drummond and multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson. They celebrate the albums on Nov. 27 & 28 at The Jazz Standard in NYC. The recordings came about because, at their October 2017 performance, Kimbrough's friend Mait Jones urged that the group record Monk's entire oeuvre. A jazz fan and co-presenter of his own Princeton series JazzNights, Jones brought in his friend and fellow jazz head, Dr. Dorothy Lieberman, to help co-produce the effort. The recordings form a fantastically diverse collection. On the set Monk's compositions are played in various configurations, most by the quartet, but others in smaller combinations, even solo piano. Highlights of the group's takes on these classic pieces include Robinson's juggling of trumpet and tenor sax on "Thelonious" and the ensemble's free-wheeling energy on "Skippy." "Locomotive" is the picture of peaceful beauty, whereas "Jackie-ing" is all jumps and starts. Reid and Robinson play beautifully on "Reflections" and a lovely solo performance of "Crepuscule with Nellie" showcases Kimbrough's command of the piano and Monk's language. The package also includes beautifully penned liner notes from Nate Chinen (New York Times, WBGO and NPR) along with notes from members of the ensemble and the producers of the album. I'll have downloads soon, but just wanted to make sure you knew about this project. A press release is below. All the best, Ann Braithwaite Office: 781-259-9600 Text: 781-367-9760 Frank Kimbrough Quartet Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk A six-disc boxed set of the entire Thelonious Monk repertoire by a quartet led by pianist Frank Kimbrough will be released November 23, 2018! A celebration of this release will be held Nov. 27th and 28th at the Jazz Standard in New York City! © Marielle Solan The genius of pianist and composer Thelonious Monk is unassailable. Since his death in 1982, he has become recognized as one of the greatest composers of jazz – and of the wider world of music. The year 2017 was the centennial of Monk’s birth, and brought scores of tributes, including a well-received stay of pianist Frank Kimbrough’s quartet at the Jazz Standard club in New York City. Like many jazz pianists, Kimbrough found Monk’s music a revelation when he first heard it. From the outset of his career, Kimbrough has returned time and again to Monk’s compositions. After nearly four decades of study, reflection, and performance, Kimbrough has established a relationship with these pieces and found a way to express himself through the prism of Monk. When the Standard approached Kimbrough to put together a quartet to play Monk’s music, he picked the brilliant rhythm section of bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Billy Drummond. His choice for lead horn voice was the multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson, with whom he has played for many years and in many combinations, most notably with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. After the first set of the October 17th, 2017 performance at the Standard Kimbrough’s friend Mait Jones urged that the group record Monk’s entire oeuvre, a feat that Kimbrough had never considered. A jazz fan and co-presenter of his own Princeton series JazzNights Jones began a lifelong appreciation of Monk when he heard the master live at the Five Spot in New York City in 1957 . Over the next few days, Jones doubled down on his intent to make the project reach fruition, bringing in his friend and fellow jazz head, Dr. Dorothy Lieberman, to help co-produce the effort. The musicians began the intensive work such a project demands. Finally, in April of 2018 Kimbrough led a trio and then the quartet at Jazz at the Kitano, polishing 30 new tunes on the way to the full Monk catalog of 70 pieces. For the recording, Matt Balitsaris provided his renowned Maggie’s Farm studios and an optimistic plan of recording a disc’s worth of material each day for six days. The musicians recorded each day from 11 to 5 or 6 in two three-day intervals broken up by a three-day respite. Miraculously this ambitious plan succeeded, with most tunes needing only one or two takes. Robinson picked his axe of choice on the spot, from the standard (tenor sax and trumpet) to the exotic (bass saxophone, echo cornet, bass clarinet, and contrabass sarrusophone). The resultant tracks are fresh, varied, and inspired. Highlights of the group’s takes on these classic pieces include Robinson’s juggling of trumpet and tenor sax on “Thelonious” and the ensemble’s free-wheeling energy on “Skippy.” “Locomotive” is the picture of peaceful beauty, whereas “Jackie-ing” is all jumps and starts. Reid and Robinson play beautifully on “Reflections” and a lovely solo performance of “Crepuscule with Nellie” showcases Kimbrough’s command of the piano and Monk’s language. The recordings form a fantastically diverse collection. On the six-CD set, titled Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk, Monk’s compositions are played in various configurations, most by the quartet, but others in smaller combinations, even solo piano. The package also includes beautifully penned liner notes from Nate Chinen (New York Times, WBGO and NPR) along with notes from members of the ensemble and the producers of the album.