ghost of miles

An old and sentimental favorite, the first Chaloff I ever picked up before getting the Mosaic set:

Fans on Twitter are awaiting his breakdown of the brawl like it's a Marvel or Tom Cruise summer blockbuster movie. ... and it just went live!

In Lee Konitz: Conversations On The Improviser's Art, there's this exchange on page 82: Andy Hamilton: Did you know Bob Graettinger, the arranger? Lee Konitz: We played something he wrote for saxes on a standard, "You Go To My Head." It was very unique. I just met him at the rehearsal, I didn't really get to know him. He was a very interesting composer, but I guess wasn't able to take care of himself. Some of what he wrote, "City Of Glass" maybe, didn't have much jazz indication; it sounded like modern classical music to me, with some saxophones added. I love to hear nonconventional orchestration, but I feel that it was kind of forced in some way. I haven't listened to that work for many years--I'd be curious to hear it again, maybe I'd hear it differently.

That is odd--forgot about that, but just pulled out the CD and you're right. Not sure why they did that for the reissue, except that the prevailing mentality for Blue Note/Capitol and Mosaic reissues and sets in the early/mid-1990s often seemed to tack towards preferring to put recordings in chronological sequence. If Graettinger and/or Kenton did intend to order those pieces in the sequence that originally came out, seems like a disservice to have undone that when the "This Modern World" material was included on the City Of Glass CD compilation. Good liner notes for that CD reissue, btw, by Max Harrison.

Apparently Seattle buzzed Trout’s head the night before. Hilarious observation about the bullpens running in together… imagine a second scrum happening out there as well! Oh, and Jomboy’s working on it

One more go-around this past week for Our Delight: The Music Of Tadd Dameron

Quite the brawl in yesterday’s Angels-Mariners game:

Judge also hit the roof of the Marlins' retractable roof twice during the 2017 home run derby--something that was supposed to not even be possible: Judge hits Marlins' stadium roof twice

Here's something I wrote for NPR's Take Five series about 10 years ago. (My original title was "That Seventies Big Band," but they changed it.) That '70s Swing: Big Bands And Bell Bottoms It's something I've long wanted to do a Night Lights show about.

Aaron Judge hit a home run over the catwalk at the Trop last night. I’ve seen several balls hit the catwalk in the past (resulting in ungainly, annoying “Trop rules” live-ball outcomes), but how often has somebody hit it high enough to clear the catwalk and still have the trajectory to land in the stands for a home run? Judge clears the catwalk

A happy 90th birthday today to Lalo Schifrin. Here’s a Night Lights show devoted to his early years: Jazz Mission Possible

Up in honor of Lalo Schifrin’s 90th birthday today, and because we re-aired this show last week: Jazz Mission Possible: Lalo Schifrin’s Early Years

Sony press release: The latest chapter in Columbia/Legacy's acclaimed Miles Davis Bootleg Series shines a fresh light on an underrated period of the musician's restless career-spanning quest for sublime and transcendent sounds. The 3CD set includes two discs of previously unreleased studio material - from the Star People, Decoy and You're Under Arrest sessions - and a third disc showcasing Miles Davis Live in Montreal on July 7, 1983. The collection comes in a slipcase with individual album mini-jackets and a booklet featuring liner notes by Marcus J. Moore and revelatory new interviews with Miles' 80's players including Vince Wilburn, Jr. (drummer and bandmate), John Scofield (electric guitarist), Darryl Jones (bassist), Marcus Miller (bassist) and Mike Stern (guitarist). Eight of the ten tracks on CD 1 of Miles Davis - That's What Happened 1982-1985: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 are unreleased studio tracks from the sessions that resulted in 1983's Star People. The second studio album released after Miles' six-year hiatus from recordings and performing, Star People was the artist's last to feature the studio wizardry of Miles' longtime producer Teo Macero. Musicians include J.J. Johnson (trombone), Bill Evans (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone), Mike Stern (guitar), John Scofield (guitar), Marcus Miller (electric bass), Al Foster (drums) and Mino Cinélu (percussion) with Miles doubling on trumpet and keyboards (without overdubs). CD1's other two tracks - "Freaky Deaky, Part 1" and "Freaky Deaky, Part 2" - were produced by Miles Davis (trumpet and keyboards) and feature John Scofield (guitar), Darryl Jones (electric bass), Robert Irving III (Linn Drum programming) and Mino Cinélu (percussion). Recorded June 30, 1983 at A&R Studios in New York during the Decoy sessions, this previously unreleased cassette recording comes from the collection of John Scofield. The second CD of Miles Davis - That's What Happened 1982-1985: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 contains unreleased studio recordings from the sessions that gave us 1985's You're Under Arrest. Produced by Miles Davis and Robert Irving III, You're Under Arrest reflected Miles' polarity of passions, from politics to pop music; among its achievements, the album transformed then-contemporary hits like Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" into abiding jazz standards. Musicians include Miles (trumpet), Bob Berg (soprano saxophone), John Scofield (guitar), Robert Irving III (keyboards), Darryl Jones (electric bass), Al Foster (drums), Vince Wilburn, Jr. (drums, drum programming, percussion), Steve Thornton (percussion) and John McLaughlin (guitar on "Katia [full session]"). The previously unreleased recordings in this set were mixed by Steve Berkowitz and Dave Darlington in 2022 at Bass Hit Recording, NYC. Disc 3 of Miles Davis - That's What Happened 1982-1985: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 features Miles Davis Live at the Theatre St. Denis in Montreal, Canada on July 7, 1983. The set is being released for the first time as a 2LP 12" vinyl title, Miles Davis - What It Is: Montreal 7/7/83, for Record Store Day 2022. The recording showcases one of Miles Davis' final great bands including John Scofield on guitar, Bill "The Other Bill Evans" Evans on saxophones, flute and electric piano, Darryl Jones on bass, Al Foster on drums and percussionist Mino Cinélu. What It Is: Montreal 7/7/83 features liner notes penned by the incomparable music journalist Greg Tate, who passed away on December 7, 2021. One of Tate's final pieces, the essay provides insight into Davis' process and psyche: "Asked in the 1980s why he changed his music so many times, Miles replied 'You don't change music, music changes you.' He also stridently stated: 'You don't play what the critics tell you to play, you play what your body tells you to play.'" Miles Davis - That's What Happened 1982-1985: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 was produced by the multi-Grammy winning team of producers Steve Berkowitz, Michael Cuscuna and Richard Seidel and mastered by multi-Grammy winning Sony Music engineer Mark Wilder. The set is authorized for official release by the Miles Davis Estate and Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.

Storyville’s 1940s Ellington set:

Terrible news. She has been such a positive force for younger jazz musicians and jazz in general.

Classic album! Love that performance of "Lotus Blossom" with the band packing up around him.

Definitely in on this!

We re-aired Dolphy '63 this past week, and it remains archived for online listening.

Perused all of my Parker books here at work--Gary Giddins' Celebrating Bird, Brian Priestley's Chasin' The Bird, Carl Woideck's A Charlie Parker Companion, and Ken Vail's Bird's Diary 1945-1955--and the only possibly pertinent info I can find is Vail's entry for December 1950 showing the Parker quintet w/Rodney as trumpeter performing that month as Birdland, which could conceivably fit into Appel's "winter 1951" timeline. Nothing that specifically confirms his story of Stravinsky dropping by the club, though. I may post a query to Mike's listserv later this week, but in the meantime, Appel's account is the only one we appear to have.

Oh yes! Have you heard the 1976 Nassau concert from that tour that was included in the Bowie 1974-76 box set several years ago? Best live Bowie I've ever listened to. Right now:

My observation as well. At home right now, and the Parker books I have on hand here--Carl Woideck's Charlie Parker and Ross Russell's Bird Lives--each list several mentions of Stravinsky in their indexes, but none that reference any event like Appel's anecdote. I'll look at my other Parker books when I get to my office in a bit. One would think that Red Rodney would have recounted this incident if it did indeed occur, as in Appel's narrative he's the one who spots Stravinsky in the audience. And Rodney was certainly asked to talk about Bird a lot later in life. Maybe the second volume of Stephen Walsh's Stravinsky bio would include any pertinent info--hoping to read both of those books at some point.