ghost of miles

This week on Night Lights it's "The Jazz Workshops Part 2," another in an ongoing series of occasional episodes about progressive/collective jazz recordings in the 1950s. I'll be playing music from Charles Mingus' 1954 Savoy LP THE JAZZ COMPOSERS WORKSHOP, a recording that includes musicians such as clarinetist and alto saxophonist John LaPorta and tenor saxophonist Teo Macero. We'll also hear trumpeter John Carisi's 1956 session for RCA's Jazz Workshop series, which went unreleased until 1988, when it came out on a CD called THE ARRANGERS. Carisi's composition "Israel" was featured on THE BIRTH OF THE COOL; we'll hear his own version of it, as well as the original recording of his tune "Springsville," which would appear a year later on Davis' MILES AHEAD album. The program airs at 11:05 p.m. this Saturday night (8:05 California time, 10:05 Chicago time, 11:05 East Coast time). You can listen to it live at WFIU, or hear it in the Night Lights archives. (I think it's already posted there.) Next week: "The Wild One: Brando, Shorty Rogers, Leith Stevens and Jazz."

Are we talkin' public radio orgies here? Larry, I may ask my brother to swing by your signing tomorrow and buy a signed copy--my birthday's coming up, and his wife runs the nearby Borders store, so he's in that neck of the Chicago woods anyway on numerous occasions.

Our friend Weizen recently went on a European vacation, but so far he has zealously hoarded for himself all of the neat pictures that I'm sure he snapped while abroad. C'mon, man, share the photographic goodies!

Great story, Late! Jamey comes up here every now & then to play at Bear's Place... I'll have to pass that story along to him.

Hit it today, I think--writer Allen Lowe is #901.

I was just thinking about this recording the other day, in light of all of the Hawk celebration going on... will have to look up The Jazz Scene when I get home tonight, as the booklet that comes with it has some discussion of this piece.

Allen, when it comes to expression on this board, I think you'll find it's Kart blanche.

Yes, and I'm badly in need of a shine.

Jesus H., Allen Lowe is posting here now?? Who's next--Scott Deveaux and Dan Morgenstern? Welcome too, Allen!

Just found this used last week. Brownie's right on... Courtesy of King Ubu, I became aware of another thread devoted to Leith Stevens' JAZZ THEMES FOR COPS AND ROBBERS, which includes Stevens' score for the noir film Private Hell 36. Sounds like it's definitely worth checking out... I just finished taping a program about Stevens, Shorty Rogers, and THE WILD ONE, and am hoping to track down the music Stevens did for a film called Crashout.

Mr. Litweiler is in the house! Just in time for the holidays!

Yes, I got this, but the November issue never came... A lapse in renewal on my part, I guess?

John, very good to have you aboard! Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Found this used in a local bookstore the other day & put it on hold, since I'm such a geek for such aspects of jazz history: Anybody round these parts ever give it a read?

I wish Litweiler had ended up posting here--not that we're lacking for jazz crit luminaries!

BTW is the Daily Spectator Columbia's student paper? I'm betting it is... this guy's tone has all the trademarks of a journalism major trying desperately to be cool himself. (And I should know--I was once one myself!)

"Sensitive" bedsit pop. (I just now typed "poop" by mistake, and that might've been appropriate!) I shouldn't mock it--some would say my fave Elliott Smith is somewhat of a godfather to the movement--but, much like Kerouac in literature, gawd has the leading light inspired some insipid self-absorbed twaddle.

Found this comment from Shorty Rogers in Roy Carr's THE HIP: HIPSTERS, JAZZ & THE BEAT GENERATION: Rogers' comments about The Wild One make it sound as if Stevens was responsible for Shorty's involvement in the first place, and as if the composition duties had already been assigned to Stevens.

So what does that discount work out to? 88% off? I already have it, but best of luck to those who pulled the trigger... that is gonna be the buy of a lifetime!

All right, all right, you all can just stop now with the relentless PMs, the ceaseless posts, and the late-night hounding via telephone--the answer is "Queer Notions."

Yep, it was from that CD which has rocketed to the top of my "must purchase" list based on the tune I heard ("Love Song from 'Apache'") as well as your comments Late! That is indeed a good 'un--I played only one track apiece from the albums I chose for the Night Lights program, and "Apache" was the one I seized upon from TODAY. It was written by David Raksin of "Laura" fame, and I believe Hawk's interpretation was the first-ever jazz version (the movie came out in 1954).

From "Back to the Future, or Greg vs. Greg": Greg is troubled after a visitor from the future named Greg M. accosts him and derides his hi-fi system at great length, all the time preaching the joys of a new audio format called SACD. Tranquility is restored when Mr. Brady's old friend Buddy Rich shows up and hurls Greg M. into a drumkit.

I guess since this live material came out on BMG, and since Lasker was involved with the RCA box, that it seems to me as if it could easily have fallen within the parameters of that project. Technically no, it didn't belong to RCA... although they evidently have some sort of rights to it now, and it does include a period that's covered by the box (1940-42). Hey, you're sure right about the price--I thought this was an $11.99 item, but I see that it's a much more hefty list $19.99! Never mind... got mine as a premium for pledging to my local public radio station. It is turning up for $9 used, but not quite the bargain that I thought at first.

Mom always said, 'Don't play LIVE/EVIL in the house!'"

Not to mention the possibilities of "Greg Gets Into Electric Miles"... Mr. and Mrs. Brady become concerned after Greg begins to spend all of his free time in his "pad," neglecting his homework and listening to Miles Davis' ON THE CORNER at fullblast. Matters are resolved when Miles, an old friend of Mr. Brady's boss, pays Greg a visit and tells him that he's "an ofay motherf#*#er who should stop calling my s*%t 'fusion.'"