ghost of miles

Why bother trying 'em at all? Why not just march 'em around naked with their crimes imprinted upon their skin?

Quartet Out, LIVE AT THE MEAT HOUSE. Or Organissimo, WAITING FOR THE BOOGALOO SISTERS. Or is that just too incestuous?

My mom's a prosecutor--I'd get axed in a second.

I had, may still have, the 1989 French CD release. Has the Jones material surfaced on CD anywhere else besides the LUST FOR LIFE title listed in AMG?

Zen Master Rama, aka Fred Lenz III, aka "the Yuppie Guru." My friends & I once put this guy's poster up on our refrigerator door, as he seemed the epitome of shallow 80's New Age Zen. He died several years ago, an apparent suicide, from drowning and ingestion of 150 barbituates (guess it was more than apparent). Here's a link to a website (a rather derisive one) about him: ZenMasterRama

I remember really enjoying this track, but I can't recall if it was the Okeh or Victor version that jumped out of the speakers at me one night. I'll go home tonight and listen to 'em both. Thanks, Chuck.

The BNBB ain't dead... it just looks funny.

This did get re-issued in Japan a couple of years ago, right? I keep meaning to pick it up--it came out over there around the same time as another elusive, technically-not-BN CD, the Russ Freeman/Richard Twardzik PIANO TRIOS.

Run, do not walk, to your keyboard to order this CD. (Well, you're probably already at your keyboard if you're reading this...) There is a lot of bone and sinew to this band. "Allnette" will put you in mind of another Texan saxophonist & and the fluidly tight quartets he led... "Cannon's Blues" kicks with an avant-gutbucket feel--I live near a hospital, and just as the track really started to howl I heard the sirens that I often hear a few blocks away, and they blended beautifully with the music. "Island Party" begins as a Rollinsesque Carnaval romp that turns fierce, and by God I hear a "Rhapsody in Blue" quote right before the drum solo. Muscular hooks aplenty here, too, as evidenced by "Oh Boys Try to Get Along" and "Donkey Dix"... The ghosts of Ayler/Murray collaborations are hovering about as well. Music with sass & swagger, playful but with just a hint of menace that lets you know these guys have a little more funk, a little more dirt on their hands, than the Vandermark clan from Chicago. It's aces, Jim--CD of the week, anyone?

Tonight, after work: John Coltrane/Milt Jackson, BAGS & TRANE Chick Corea, COMPLETE IS SESSIONS (inspired by reading raves about Bennie Maupin's playing) and... Quartet Out, LIVE AT THE MEATHOUSE (yeah, man!)

All ways wither once you have found the path of Zen Master Rama:

Contact Jim directly. I bought one from him several weeks ago & shamefully have not set aside time yet to spin it--a situation I'm rectifying tomorrow. I'm going to feature it on my May 7 radio show.

I've been in Seattle only once, for a few weeks after I came back from working on a salmon processor in Alaska (glorious work, that!). In addition to the places listed above, check out the Elliott Bay Book Company, a beautiful independent bookstore on South Main Street. Great thread--my wife & I are currently planning a trip to both Port Townsend and Portland for next spring. I was hoping to find Bud Shank in Port Townsend, but I hear he's moved to Arizona.

Roy Campbell's ETHNIC STEW & BREW comes to mind, as does the Horace Parlan Mosaic (mentioned by Rooster Ties in a previous post). Beck's SEA CHANGES also caught me offguard last year with its beauty & revelatory emotion--I played that one just about every day for the first month that I had it. And, many moons ago, Jackie McLean's DESTINATION OUT, the Andrew Hill Mosaic, and Anthony Braxton's WILISAU set.

I was at a Borders the other day, listening to some audio samples of Gloria Lynne (the Collectables re-issue AT THE BASIN STREET EAST/AT THE LAS VEGAS THUNDERBIRD). She seems to fall into that jazz/soul/pop genre that I associate with singers such as Dakota Staton & Nancy Wilson--a genre that I happen to enjoy. Anyway, I'm thinking of picking this one up, and wondered if there were any Lynne fans around these parts.

I'll cast my vote for George Russell's interpretation, with Eric Dolphy on alto sax. David Baker played on that date as well; when I told him how much I liked that group's recording of the song, he said "Yeah, man, Monk once told me that was his favorite version."

John Carter, DAUWHE. Great stuff, esp. enjoying Bobby Bradford and James Newton's work on this CD, which I've listened to several times in the past two days. Looking forward to moving on to CASTLES OF GHANA. Betty Roche, LIGHTLY AND POLITELY.

A friend of mine is wrapping up his dissertation and is looking for books--histories or cultural studies--about the Black Panthers and the black power/nationalism movement of the 1960's and 70's. Any recommendations from Organissimo prowlers & posters?

Wow, thanks for the rundown, FrancoisD. I'll have to nab that Andy Kirk disc as well--hoping to do a show on B. Calloway sometime in the future.

Only for us Fuddy-Duddies! Another happy fuddy-duddy checking in. (I was listening to John Carter yesterday--does that impugn my f-d status?)

I loved that book, Alan, and I think you'll enjoy the rest of it as well. Chabon did a marvelous job in recreating NYC of the 30's/40's/50's; IMO he's one of the most entertaining literary-mainstream writers around these days.

I haven't actually read it yet... bought it a few months ago, my interest piqued by the forthcoming set. I'm hoping to start on it over the weekend and will let you know--in the meantime, though, I think Lon's already read it and might be able to offer up an opinion. Lon?

Yes--whatever happened to the Capitol Big Band Sessions box? Maybe they're waiting for the Collectors set to sell out first... I'm hoping that some interesting things like "A Bird in Igor's Yard" (Defranco's big band?) will turn up if such a box ever sees the light of day.

Not sure if we've had this topic yet on the board, but I wanted to recommend WGBH out of Boston. I listen to it frequently during my breaks at work each night; if some of you remember SteveBop (Steve Schwarz) from the Blue Note board, this is his home station. Lotsa jazz, pretty much from 7 in the evening till five in the morning--seems to be a good mix of classic/historical and modern, leaning towards straightahead much of the time. Here's a link to their site and webcast: WGBH

I just pulled out the Bunny Berigan bio from my bookshelf and am going to begin reading it in anticipation of the forthcoming set: