ghost of miles

Ramsey Lewis, SOUND OF CHRISTMAS. The Kenny Burrell, which was just reissued last year, I think, is also quite good, as other posters mentioned. I also like his version of "A Child Is Born" that appears on his CTI record GOD BLESS THE CHILD. And yes, that Uptown CD is a worthy pickup.

Here in southern Indiana yesterday, a woman stuck in traffic got out of her vehicle and started shooting into the minivan directly behind her. The woman in the minivan ran away and fortunately was shot only in the buttocks. No reason ascertained yet as to why the incident occurred... Happy holidays!

Teddy Charles is on tap for sometime next year. I'm very committed to playing this kind of material--and I think garth is the DJ I was trying to remember elsewhere who had mentioned playing this music as well. I used to work it into my mixes at my old WFHB show quite a lot, and had a similarly positive response. We just had a caller the other day saying very nice things about the Mingus/Carisi "Jazz Workshops Pt. 2" show... and one of the things he said was that you hardly ever hear this music on the radio. Sadly true. Allen, I'll buy your 1950s book right out of the gate--I've been eager to read it ever since learning of it in the author bio for THAT DEVILIN' TUNE.

I think you should, Ed. Costa's arrangements are much better on disc 3 (IMO) and Fred Norman returns on disc 4 (which has BACK TO THE BLUES & other similar material), and I'm enjoying this set more & more as I go along & re-listen to each disc. I didn't even realize that Kenny Burrell & Illinois Jacquet put in appearances as well.

EKE BBB, you are absolutely right. When I looked at the notes, I missed Purtill's replacing Spangler on the June 2, 1939 session, and staying at the drum chair thereafter. My mistake.

The arrangement was by Eddie Durham (if it is indeed the Aug. 1, 1939 recording). Here are Loren Schoenberg's notes for it and the preceding track, "Glen Island Special":

Jim, if it's the Aug. 1939 recording, it's Maurice Purtill (thanks to EKE BBB for correction). I have it on a Miller CD that Berigan hipped me to--THE SPIRIT IS WILLING, a nice collection of Miller's jazzier sides. Now, here's an odd coincidence--after I read your post, I went hunting for that CD, which I was pretty sure had the song in question. It was in a huge stack of CDs on top of my left speaker--the stack of "listened to a couple of times, liked 'em and want to listen to them again before filing" CDs. It was right beneath--ta da!--Quartet Out's WELCOME TO THE PARTY.

Got it last week and have listened to the first two discs. I tend to like the Sigler-Norman material on Disc 1 better than the Don Costa sides, which do get a bit wearisome at times... but in general, Dinah's singing is very good and the song selection is also pleasing. I actually enjoy the contrast of her voice with strings... Hoping to listen to discs 3 & 4 tonight.

I believe they're coming out on Dec. 22, and that Mr. Tanno will be carrying them at Early Records. I'll be saving my pennies, given what's happening to the dollar.

My favorite from the "early" period is SLEEPER (particularly the scene where Woody, disguising himself as a robot-servant, won't let go of the "orb" and also has to fend off a gigantic jello that's attacking him--also Rex the robotic dog--"Hello! I'm Rex! Woof, woof!"), MANHATTAN from the middle period, and either CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS or MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY from the later films. (Haven't seen many of the recent ones.) A friend of mine and I all but worshipped the three books--WITHOUT FEATHERS, SIDE EFFECTS, and GETTING EVEN--when we were in high school. Used to quote them all the time to each other. "Remembering Needleman" was a particular favorite, as were the ballet descriptions.

Not so amazing... I just went to the Jump the Shark site, and "Scrappy" wins in a landslide: Etc., etc.

They jumped the shark with Scrappy.

I couldn't agree more. Before I saw this post, I (not having anything better to do) was looking at AAJ and saw that Heaney thread and the self righteous attitude of the administrators. I was pretty disgusted at their attitude. What ever happened to free speech and lively discussion. I let them know it (it'll probably be deleted). They justify everything on the basis that "we have to grow AAJ." I have no goddamn idea what that means. Are they a corporation where they have to increase the profits. Sounds like Human Resources-speak to me. The whole tone, look and approach seems very stilted, even what they call forums ("Talk Jazz"). In a way it's condescending. The ironic thing is--and I say this with admiration for what AAJ has done elsewhere on their board--that the current forum attitude is precisely what is discouraging growth at AAJ. IMHO, of course.

BTW, some interesting picture stills on Albert's site from a recently restored film of the Goldkette band on tour in 1926. I think my favorite is the one of Bix and the person in a monkey suit:

A couple of weeks ago Albert Haim, who teaches at the State University of New York, and who runs probably the most comprehensive Bix Beiderbecke site on the web, came across an old description of my WFIU Bix program and e-mailed me to ask for a copy of it. He's now uploaded it to his site, if anybody is interested in listening to it. It's a one-hour program of music and includes comments from Richard Sudhalter, American cultural historian Michael McGerr, and trumpeter and IU School of Music faculty member Pat Harbison: Bix Beiderbecke: Never the Same Way Twice. (and click on the tab or scroll down to the bottom of the page) Update: now on the Night Lights site as well.

"The Wild One" is now archived and available for listening.

Michael, yeah, in fact I think I remember talking to you on the phone about that CD when Joe was on leave... Joe & I drove up to see Benny Golson last night and I passed along your regards. David Miller was at that show too--he still runs Jazz Fables every Thursday night at Bear's. Tom Moeller (who sadly passed away a couple of years ago) gave me a tape of the Dexter show, but I haven't come across one yet of RRK's last gig. Haven't dug too seriously for it yet, though... And I, too, really enjoyed your & Barry's comments in the Bud Powell booklet--bought that the day it came out. Hope Peter's bio eventually comes out as well.

Yes, that was a hell of a "local rhythm section!" Luke and Jack in particular really seemed on top of their game last night... Golson introduced most of his tunes with long, very interesting stories ("My wife says that I talk too much," he joked, "but she's not here tonight"), often drawing on his adolescent playing experiences with John Coltrane, or reflecting upon the day he & his bandmates saw Walter Davis Jr. running up the street towards them in Harlem, crying because he'd just heard that Clifford Brown was dead. Other tunes besides the ones sheldonm mentioned included "Along Came Betty," "Whisper Not," "Take the A Train," and an opener called "Horizontal" or "Horizon" something--can't quite remember. One of the blues tunes (w/vocalist J.C. Faulk added) was a Charles Brown favorite of mine, "Black Night." Quite a show! Golson appeared to be in very good health. And much thanks to sheldonm for snagging the three front-row seats for me, my wife, and Joe Bourne! Never dreamed I'd get to sit ten feet away from Benny Golson while he played "I Remember Clifford." That has to be one of my best live-jazz moments to date.

Allegro appears to be running a sale on Hep--many of the titles are currently listed at $11.99.

Ask Frank Kimbrough about Webster the next time he drops in. Frank played with him briefly in either the late 1970s or early 1980s.

This week on Night Lights it's "THE WILD ONE: Marlon Brando, Shorty Rogers, and Jazz." THE WILD ONE, Brando's 1953 motorcycle-gang movie, was based on a real-life 1947 incident in which thousands of bikers, many of them blue-collar World War II vets from Los Angeles, descended upon a northern California town and terrorized its residents by drag-racing up and down the streets and hurling beer bottles through storefront windows. Leith Stevens, who was commissioned to write the movie's score, was a regular at the Lighthouse jazz club in Hermosa Beach, California, where trumpeter Shorty Rogers frequently gigged. Stevens played Rogers' Capitol Records 10-inch LP MODERN SOUNDS for Brando, who was so impressed that he insisted Rogers be used on the soundtrack. Rogers arranged Stevens' compositions and brought in a number of fellow West Coast musicians to record them, including Jimmy Giuffre, Bud Shank, and Shelly Manne. The resulting "rebop," as one of the film's characters called it, was used to suggest a grimy but exuberant anarchy and rebellion. More information on Leith Stevens can be found here. Some background on the movie and an extended summary, replete with many dialogue passages, is available at this site. The program airs this Saturday night at 11:05 on WFIU (8:05 California time, 10:05 Chicago time, 11:05 on the East Coast). You can listen live on the web at WFIU, or listen to the program after it's posted in the Night Lights archives. Next week: "Java Jive: Jazz Coffee Songs."

I'll look for you, sheldonm! Anybody else from Organissimo who happens to be in attendance--I'll be the guy with the "Great Day in Harlem" photo T-shirt. (Surely no one else will be enough of a geek to wear said shirt.)

Deus-- Yes. That 17-minute-long version of "Flyin' Home" is unbelievable.

Freeman was the first that came to mind... Lucky Roberts?