ghost of miles

Not nearly as classical-savvy as others in this new forum (many thanks, Jim), but I'll cast my vote for the Borodin String Quartets as well. I bought them a few years back when I was working at Borders, and they were ridiculously cheap--$43 list or something for a 6-CD set, and the performances are (to my crudely-trained classical ears, anyway) outstanding.

Isn't that from 'Byrd In Hand' ghost? Whoops--yes, it is. Might behoove me to check my own playlists before responding to such queries, eh?

AP review:

Who could ever forget Mel's star turn in that cinematic classic, Girls Town? The Rhino set is a very good comp of early Mel. I have yet to score a copy of TORME, which I've heard others swear by.

Inspired opening choice with "Good Times, Bad Times." I figured they'd end with "Rock 'n Roll." Honestly thought this appearance would fall somewhere between dud and smash, but initial reports make it sound as if they just about lived up to the hype. My older cousin introduced me to Zeppelin (among other things) and we were going to go up to Chicago to see them on the announced IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR tour... I was 13 at the time and always regretted that that trip never came to pass.

Best birthday wishes again, Mr. D!

It's up now, Al--and the show is archived for online listening. Lazaro: music for the promo was "Devil Whip," from OFF TO THE RACES. Dan: I think the point of the sentence was that Brown did indeed "die unexpectedly"... "in a car crash" is a modifying clause. I really, really wanted to include "Infra-Rae" from the Blakey album (a favorite of mine as well), but it would have meant chopping out either the Gryce Jazz Lab or the McLean track. Great playing from Byrd there for sure... I'm seriously thinking about doing a Night Lights outtake/supplemental audio segment for the website, about 15 minutes or so, that would simply consist of some brief commentary/info and music that didn't make it into the show for time or conceptual reasons.

Wow... many thanks, Al! And for the update from Red as well... I don't see him as much these days, and I understand he's pretty much retired from the Politics forum. Ah well, that's how it goes with those commie-types... they eventually throw over their ideology for a heap of RVG Blue Notes or some other consumerist goodies. And many thanks to everyone else... speaking of RVGs, got the two new Jimmy Smiths, BACK AT THE CHICKEN SHACK and MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, as well as the Warne Marsh bio. A good day!

Lazaro, I used "Here I Am" too--one of my fave tracks off the Byrd/Adams Mosaic box. Larry's quote is from a late-1960s Downbeat review of SLOW DRAG--a somewhat critical review which I quote at greater length near the end of the show. The IU School of Music has Downbeat in hardbound volumes from the late 1930s into the early 1970s, and this isn't the first time that I've come across one of LK's reviews while doing research.

After 25-year-old trumpet great Clifford Brown died unexpectedly in a 1956 automobile accident, some critics and fans looked to a recent Manhattan arrival from Detroit as a possible successor: Donald Byrd. This week we’ll celebrate the trumpeter’s 75th birthday (he was born on December 9, 1932) with a program devoted to his hardbop recordings from the late 1950s and 1960s, drawing on albums that he made with saxophonists Gigi Gryce, Jackie McLean, Pepper Adams, and Sonny Red–the first incarnation of Donald Byrd, which jazz writer Larry Kart has described as “a clear-toned trumpeter with a gift for light and graceful playing on the chords.” Byrd would undergo several stylistic changes throughout his career, finding commercial success with forays into electric and funk-influenced jazz that produced bestselling LPs like Black Byrd, but eventually he would return to the classic style of his youth. His well-honed talent, deep musical knowledge, warm and lyrical drive, and dependability made him a busy musician in the golden age of hardbop; even so, he continued to avidly pursue education, earning several college degrees (including one in law) and teaching frequently throughout his career. Donald Byrd: the Hardbop Years airs Saturday, Dec. 8 at 11:05 p.m. EST on WFIU and at 9 p.m. Central Time on WNIN-Evansville. It will also air Sunday evening at 10 p.m. EST on Michigan's Blue Lake Public Radio. The program will be posted by Monday morning for online listening. Next week: "After the Vanguard: the Return of Bill Evans."

Yep, got mine yesterday--haven't traveled overseas at all. I think all my purchases have been through Mr. Tanno. Speaking of which, $25, hmmmm....

I think he's been featured in RS before--David Fricke wrote about him, but that was a long time ago, late-1980s Prime Time era. Library is indeed a good option; I haven't bought a copy of RS in God knows how many years. This one showed up in the mail today as a subscription-teaser.

7/4, do you always have to be such a pathetic asshole! This is precisely why I'm throwing my hat into the ring and campaigning for a moderator slot!!! All those years of taking unseemly verbal shots in the political forum and never once having gone off my meds.... er, um, off the rails to swear at any ill-informed person who dared challenge my authority and encyclopaedic knowledge of both Congress & Weizenbier. Worry not, if elected, I'll have my old Ashcroft Senate staff pals fix me up with some surplus NSA surveillance cameras for quick installation in every forum (yes, even 'live' chat!! Two are going into that place!!) and order will be maintained. Herr Weizen, it is very, very good to see you here again.

There's a feature about him by novelist Scott Spencer in the new issue--the one with Led Zeppelin on the cover. Not as bad as you might think; John Litweiler is among those quoted (though it may be directly from the bio--not sure if Spencer actually interviewed him or not). Doesn't appear to be available online, however.

Brute, I know we already exchanged PMs on another topic, but I'll add a public welcome as well... the Quincy and Hamp sets arrived this afternoon, and I'm currently digging BIRTH OF A BAND (how did I ever make it this far without hearing this album) and queing up the first disc from the Hamp set as we speak. Feels like Christmas has come three weeks early...

Yeah, I remember Jim saying that as well--makes it even more impressive!

, both to your return, and to your sentiments! Ditto! Or tritto!

Jim, I'm kicking in some more $$ for future investment... many, many thanks for everything.

To quote Robin Williams from THE SURVIVORS: "You can't get any more American than that."

Marc Myers is running a great interview/history series on Bert this week at JazzWax.

Definitely in for Chicago... definitely in for another donation to the forums. $1925 won't be hard to reach at all IMO, esp. if (again, speaking from much fund-drive experience) there's a visible sense of momentum that builds from seeing how far we have to go. And as an annual event it would take some of the pressure off Jim to have to periodically beat the drum for $$. Very, very glad this place is still going to be around.

Yes--please, this ending and not another one: "Forget it, Jake...it's the Internet."

Autumn de Wilde's book finally came in today at the Book Corner (my fave B-town bookstore)...fantastic if you're an ES fan, a mix of pictures that she took around the time of FIGURE 8 (she did the cover) and interviews with people like Joanna Bolme, Sam Coomes, Jon Brion, and others who haven't really gone on the record much about ES before. The CD is great, too, five solo-acoustic songs from Largo in L.A. circa '98, including a cover of Hank Williams Jr.'s "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down." The book's definitely a bit worshipful, but not in a sticky-schmaltzy way... a lot of stories in there that I'd never heard or read before. I was listening to a live May '03 show for awhile after reading the first half of the book... damn, he was trying so hard to get back to where he'd been, performance-wise, before 2001. The contrast between it and the book CD from '98 was pretty stark.

I've already got some of this material on the Goodman Heps, but yeah, I'm pretty psyched. How much recording did Benny do for Columbia post-1942? Got a copy of Firestone's Goodman bio on the way--hoping to read it before the Mosaic comes out.

On a lighter note, remember the nutty wackiness that ensued as the BNBB slowly sank beneath the waves? With Greg Maltz strutting about deck, as it were, proclaiming that he would "indoctrinate" new members in the ways of audio and other matters?