ghost of miles

"Late Lee" is finally archived. Special thanks to MartyJazz.

Clem actually has southern roots, I believe--and is about 50, though his vigor & attitude often suggested someone younger.

Thanks a lot for posting that, Mike. The allusion to line-up changes--was Cherry gone from the group by this time? I'd love to read a really well-done bio of Sonny some day.

Speaking of Faulkner, he's being widely read this summer, owing to the Oprah book club.

Must be in the air (so to speak)... one of our engineers just showed me this earlier today, and I was taking an aerial tour of Bloomington.

Clem was & is an incredibly bright guy whose style always reminded me of Richard Meltzer by way of Allen Ginsberg. Hope he favors these parts again some day.

Georgie Auld dubbed DeNiro's sax parts for New York, New York (he also plays the bandleader). The movie has its moments as a tribute to the big-band era, but I was let down a bit when I watched the whole thing--I think Scorsese was doing too much coke when he filmed it. The pacing's off, for starters; but if you're interested in the swing era & its demise post World War II, it's worth a viewing. Godard claims it's MS's best movie, but I think he's being willfully perverse.

Ellington in Cabin in the Sky (1943) and the first Amos 'n Andy film, Check and Double-Check. Also Murder at the Vanities, though I've never seen that one. Chuck: I'll see if the Cinemat has that flick for rental.

Check out the very last Thin Man movie (SONG OF THE THIN MAN, 1947) in the DVD box that comes out tomorrow. The series was obviously running out of gas, but it's worth a watch just for the interplay between Powell/Loy and the "bop" musicians running around in the picture (the plot centers around the murder of a jazz bandleader). Then there's Kay Kyser's big band in the haunted-house film YOU'LL FIND OUT--the only movie in which Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff all appear together. Another one I've never seen--only read about, and viewed some of the Carmichael clips from it--is YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN. Supposedly a bastardized version of Dorothy Baker's bastardized novel about a Bix-like musician. Pimpin' for Night Lights programs, but check out The Subterraneans, The Wild One, and The Connection for some archived shows about jazz in the movies. I've got more on tap for the next couple of years.

It's in the issue that came the other day. Nice review, Nate.

Up for broadcast in about an hour and 10 minutes.

Conrad, Thank you for that beautiful tribute to your mother. Just last night I was thinking of my own mother, who died from cancer in March of last year, when I came across this line from a poet: The woods are already dark, the sky is still blue. It almost seemed like a message from her; it's so hard, initially, to keep loving the life that your loved one has left behind. You & I have found so much common ground; I'm sorry that this experience is now part of it, but I hope you know that you can call me at any time. Take care, my friend. David

This week on Night Lights it's "Late Lee." In the early 1970s trumpeter Lee Morgan was striking out in new musical directions; tragically, his life and career were cut short when he was shot to death at the age of 33 by his longtime lover in a New York City jazz bar. We'll hear music from Morgan's final Blue Note album, as well as selections from his last recording date (with organist Charles Earland, done just two days before Morgan's death) and the 1970 album LIVE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE. In addition, we'll hear an account from a jazz fan who was present at the bar the night that Morgan was killed. "Late Lee" airs this Saturday evening at 11:05 (9:05 California time, 12:05 a.m. NYC time) on WFIU; you can listen live, or wait until Monday afternoon, when the program will be posted in the Night Lights archives. Next week: "Decca Jazz Studio 5 & 6," with music from Ralph Burns and the Amram-Barrow Quartet.

Message received today via a public radio listserv:

Inspiration for the non-posting Jazzooo?

Hey Paul, welcome to Organissimo--seen you over on JC a few times. The song I've favored most off CARELESS LOVE lately is her version of "Lonesome Road." I like how she renders it sassy instead of mournful.

Bud did "Off Minor" back in '47.

Wow.

Saw 'em once--I think it was Claude Bartee that opened.

He's CIA, don'tcha know...

Any of our Michigan members in touch with him? He hasn't posted since mid-June, although he appears to have been online recently... Just hoping that all's well with him.

Thanks for the heads-up--I have two bonus-point freebies still coming to me through Columbia House.

"Teddy Charles: the Early Avant-Garde" is now archived.

Excellent news, Frank! Thanks for the update.

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT, pass on Anita and J.J., whatever one does!