ghost of miles

I was introduced to this musician's fine vibraphone work via Oliver Nelson's NOCTURNE about a year ago or so. Recently, as I was re-visiting some of my Indiana jazz sources for a presentation, I learned that Winchester accidentally shot himself to death at one of the better black jazz bars in Indianapolis in 1961. I'm hoping to pick up some of his leader dates in the Fantasy catalog and wondered if anybody else had an opinion to share about this policeman-turned-musician.

Bro, you ol' fellow MOD, you! C'mon, man, suck it up, suck it up! Don't forget that buzzing sound that indicates eight skids of remainders have finally, belatedly arrived for that big tent sale that you need to set up by TOMORROW MORNING! No excuses--move it, man, move it! Oh, and btw, the cafe drawer's under by $200.

All right! Glad you got to use it, jacknife.

Hmm...maybe I just got lucky but the only thing the clerk said to me is "that's a darn good savings on this". This seems like one of those situations where we might require the assistance of some former Borders employees (Ghost? Berigan? etc.?) to throw a few clues our way so that we can positively identify the.....um, weakest link in the chain sort of speak, employee who'll not think twice about ringing up that little 40% jobber. B) Not sure what my erstwhile colleague & friend across the aisle would say, but I would recommend politely but firmly pointing out that this is a legitimate Borders coupon and that it clearly indicates 40% is to be taken off any item that isn't already discounted. (Actually, it doesn't clearly indicate that it's for a single item--at first glance it appears it could be for any number of items--but just put it that way.) Tell 'em you signed up for the Dell giveaway, even if you didn't. Ask to speak to the manager if they continue to refuse. Ask why Borders is putting out this coupon if they're not accepting it. Make negative noises about the corporation (ask for the customer care number if you want and then, when you're told that that service has been discontinued, get even more agitated). Raise your voice, wave a gun... just kidding. Steady, slightly irritated persistence usually pays off in the manager basically saying, "OK, yeah, just this once, whatever, let's just get rid of this guy!" At least that was my experience. Mr. B may have a different perspective.

Happy birthday, JC, and hope you're blowing in the cosmos somewhere. Much thanks for your love supreme.

Hey, thanks for the tip there, Berigan, I'll try to run it down. Did you ever snag any of those Heps?

The new catalog arrived today. I always scan Cuscuna's note to the customers first, to see if he drops any hints about forthcoming sets. In this one he says that if the new Mulligan set does well, they'll try to get access to all of Norman Granz's live tapes of the band. Hope so!

Yikes! Would keep me away if I were the thievin' kind!

It should work for a single item. I ended up using it last night to buy a birthday present for my brother and had no problems. However, they won't give you more than 20% off if you try to buy a DVD or DVD set with it.

Well, this much-loved CD arrived on Friday, and you're right that Quebec and Green aren't too prominent, although there's enough tasty playing from Ike to make me happy that I got it. I also happen to like Dodo Greene's voice, much more than I thought I would--but the arrangements have a workmanlike quality that gives the album a certain quality of sameness. I've listened to it only once so far, but about halfway through it does start to seem a bit static. However, I think it could be a grower, and I'm glad I got it. Interesting that Dodo is portrayed as a singer's singer in the liner notes--also interesting that the CD (like other Conns) tacks on a second session, its release presumably doomed by consumer indifference to the first. (Wasn't this the case w/the Sonny Red & Fred Jackson titles?)

So have all memberships registered since late May been voided? Bummer... I joined in early March, around the time of the BNBB debacle, but I noticed that several people who came later no longer show up on the member list. I'm sure they can just re-register--even if it necessitates a different handle--but it does seem a bit odd over there, as if the past four months never happened... OTOH all of Greg's recent political wisdom has vanished.

Patricia, Hope you still re-visit this jazz province from time to time, even if it is admittedly a little guysy. I've enjoyed your contributions and will look for you as "still life" on AAJ.

I just printed it out and may try my luck with the forthcoming Miles Jack Johnson box. Thanks for the link!

Is that one still readily available? I'm about to give up on a domestic RVG of it.

I know, Weizen, I much prefer those as well. I have a number of those Savoys and am still on the hunt for THE CHARLIE PARKER STORY... I have both Jutta Hipp Hickory Houses and the Walter Davis Jr. In those instances I picked them up primarily because they're not available stateside (same as the James Clay TENORMAN, Eddie Costa HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS, Barry Harris BREAKIN' IT UP, and Joe Pass SOUNDS OF SYNANON that I've picked up recently). I like the JRVGs and the Japanese Universals--both sound and presentation style (the mini-LPs are cool)--but am wary of developing another big-spending jazz habit.

Not so much jazz yesterday: Various artists, NUGGETS II (great 60's international garage rock... Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything," the Poets' "That's the Way It's Got to Be"... I love that slightly sinister 60's grunge sound) Beck, SEA CHANGE Yo La Tengo, SUMMER SUN 10,000 Maniacs, THE WISHING CHAIR Stan Getz, PLAYS (early-50's Verve) Rachmaninoff, PLAYS RACHMANINOFF Willie the Lion Smith, Chronological Classics comp. (hope the Mosaic still comes out some day)

I'd also recommend that Carmen McRae SINGS MONK CD as well, which got re-issued a couple of years ago in the new Bluebird series. I've been listening to a lot of McRae lately, and plan to re-visit that one soon.

Ahoy, Organissimos! I thought it most important that I brin't'your attention t'fact that Friday be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! I'm off from work and will be lazin' about, listenin't'me vast plundero'jazz CD treaayes. Joy and good tidin'st'you, mates! talklikeapirate

You know, Tony, the ironic thing is that I ordered the set primarily for the Krupa, too (haven't gotten it yet--it's coming with the three new releases), and thought, "Eh, the James will be interesting too..." and shortly afterwards I went on my James kick. So my excitement about that set has doubled. I also stumbled across a remaindered paperback of TRUMPET BLUES, which looks like a decent bio of James, and I'm really looking forward to the Hindsight set. Thanks for everybody's recommendations. I'm now eyeing the James/Basie Hep...

OK, another guy I sloughed off for a long time as a nascent young jazz snob (outside of his early hot work as a sideman, of course). But lately I've been listening to him more, particularly the '39 band, and I just ordered the Hindsight box BANDSTAND MEMORIES 1938-48, as well as the Krupa/James Capitol set. Any other recommendations/thoughts on this trumpeter?

Excellent! You guys are priceless--thanks!

That is quite a coincidence, Swinging Swede! And thanks for the account, Matthew--does it give a date for that performance, BTW? I'm really hoping to track down the specific night...

Hey all, anybody know of eyewitness accounts or otherwise to the night that Artie Shaw walked off the stage at the Cafe Rouge in New York's Hotel Pennsylvania circa November 1939? He gave up his big band and disappeared for a couple of months--re-surfacing in Mexico, I believe. I don't know if our library's Downbeats go back that far, but I'm very interested in any stories about this night that have been printed anywhere. Surely Shaw's talked about it before (he mentions it fleetingly in the SELF-PORTRAIT liners, I think).

WL, I'm planning to pick up CRISSCRAFT, which I think just got re-issued by Savoy. (Hell, how can I resist when AMG says its "tones" are Sophisticated, Intimate, Amiable/Good-Natured, Rollicking, Passionate, Reverent, Reserved! B) ) You're right, Hawes does show up on some of those jams... The Fresh Sounds CD I have is the 1959 session that came out on Impulse with the Dorham Jazz Prophets date (both originally ABC?). Wynton Kelly is the pianist. Didja get my PM?

Recently I've been hitting the Criss Prestige sides hard (and Late's AOTW choice only spurred me on even more). What is it about Criss' playing on these albums that make me return to them again and again of late? Even something like I'LL CATCH THE SUN, which seems to be written off as one of his lesser efforts in that (late-60s) era, still comes across to me with a magical vitality that infuses even material like the title track and "Don't Rain On My Parade"--and when he gets his hands on "I Thought About You" and "Cry Me a River," look out. Damn, I wish he'd gotten to record with Hampton Hawes more. In any even, records like PORTRAIT OF CRISS, THIS IS CRISS, and SONNY'S DREAM are in my CD player all the time these days. The other night I listened to the 2-CD Imperial set, and while it's a fine collection of 1950s Criss (hell, the only collection, I think, outside of the Fresh Sounds CD and some of the stuff that turned up on Xanadu), the Prestige years sound like a great leap forward to me. I still haven't heard THE BEAT GOES ON and ROCKIN' IN RHYTHM, but that's just one of the many, many things I have to look forward to...