ghost of miles

Newly-released sequel to this label’s prior (and excellent) compilation Dust On The Nettles:

New York Review of Books has published several English translations of Jean-Patrick Manchette’s novels since this post (15 years ago, mon dieu!). And Fantagraphics just brought out two Graphic-fiction volumes of Manchette/Tardi collaborations and adaptations. Both volumes and a copy of Nada will be landing on my doorstep sometime this week... looking forward to exploring the world of Manchette!

Is that you, Yogi?

Saw this post quite early today and wonky Internet connection prevented me from replying, so I'll just say it now--great to see you around these parts, MG! Hope you've had a swell holiday.

The album (along with Jazz Giant) that made me fall in love with Bud. Right now, this nice collection of 1920s/early 30s jazz:

I'm envious! It certainly held up last night when I listened to it for the first time in many years. Amazing to think that Roddy Frame pretty much wrote it between the ages of 15-18. Until just now I'd never heard Aztec's 1981 debut single... not bad for a 16-yr-old, surprised it wasn't included as one of the bonus tracks on the deluxe version of High Land that came out a few years ago:

Yes! I listened to that several times after purchasing it and keep meaning to revisit. Right now, one of the musical staples of my freshman year in college:

U.S. deaths top three million in a single year for the first time, up 400,000/15% over 2019 and counting. Yeah, a little more than "just another strain of the flu" (as I heard an American citizen interviewee say on NPR the other night): U.S. deaths top three million so far in 2020 Largest single-year percentage increase since 1918. Official Covid death toll for U.S. as of this morning is around the 320,000 mark.

Highly recommended for those interested in Moe Asch! Making People's Music: Moe Asch and Folkways Records

Posting this week's Night Lights show a bit early, given that Christmas falls on Friday. Joe Pass, Paul Desmond with the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Judy Holliday are among the featured artists. Have Yourself A Very Quiet Christmas Happy holidays and all that jazz, David

Really enjoying Jack Walrath's playing on that new Mingus Bremen release from Sunnyside.

One of my favorite Blue Note Bulletin Board memories is the uproar that ensued when word got around that the announced George Braith and Don Wilkerson 2-CD Connoisseur compilations might not come to pass after all. Iirc somebody started a thread titled “WE DEMAND THE RELEASE OF THE GEORGE BRAITH AND DON WILKERSON DOUBLETIMES!!!” Up against the wall, m#%*^%*#ers! We were ready to march on EMI’s corporate suites, clutching CD openers in our clenched fists. ✊

Yes, Hardbop, who often butted heads with Chris Albertson over WM. The usual pattern iirc was Hardbop jubilantly starting a thread about some Marsalis/JALC release or event (after awhile his exuberance almost seemed to have a baiting quality to it), Chris responding with a sour rebuke, and away they’d go. Also, Hardbop referred to any book he was reading or considering acquiring as a “tome.” Definitely keeping you in my thoughts, Allen. Btw was recently singing your praises to Ricky Riccardi, who sang them right back. A lot of profound respect out there for you.

Came across mention of Tatro in Derrick Bang’s new book Crime And Spy Jazz On Screen Since 1971: >>The scoring assignment (for The Manhunter) went to veteran clarinetist and saxophonist Duane Tatro, known for stints with bands fronted by Stan Kenton and Mel Torme, and as the composer of his one and only swing LP; 1956’s well-received Jazz For Moderns. Tatro subsequently gravitated toward television, and The Manhunter was his only solo assignment; he gives the show a strong blend of period jazz and Americana. ”The most fun I ever had was with The Manhunter,” he recalled. “I got to stretch out musically. I had sort of a 12-toned score, which was very helpful in creating edgy music and slipping into country themes. We used a lot of guitars. I used a gut-string guitar on the pilot, interrupted it with an orchestra when they’d get to a roadblock. The series theme came from the theme I’d written for Ken Howard’s character in the pilot. It combined country with a contemporary sound.” Guitars are indeed prominent in Tatro’s title theme; so is the aggressively growling piano that anchors an agitated rhythm section. The melody doesn’t immediately emerge from the cacophony of brass and reeds, and—when it does—the motif is as twitchy as the rest of the cue. The theme plays against a montage of sepia-hued photographs that evoke the era, with additional clips appearing in fat arrows that point toward and away from the four points of the compass. Brass flourishes then synch to all four arrows as they emanate from a close-up of Howard. Tatro’s underscore cues often employ harmonica and accordion against tasty jazz orchestration, to evoke the American ambiance. The series and Tatro’s music have slipped into obscurity, although the title theme finally popped up in 2019’s The Quinn Martin Collection, V. 1: Cop and Detective Series.<< I haven’t listened to Jazz For Moderns in quite awhile (though Tatro’s recent passing should have sparked me into taking it off the shelf), but memory allows that calling it a “swing LP” would be quite a conceptual reach by most standards. I assume Bang meant to imply that it was Tatro’s only jazz album. Anyway, that’s not to denigrate the book, which provides a chronologically encyclopedic overview of its subject, with running commentary similar to the passage above.

And the vinyl initially listed for several dollars more. (Often the vinyl editions of any of these releases are much more expensive--my favorite point of comparison is the Brad Mehldau box-set that came out a few years back, which listed for about $30 on CD and $129 on vinyl.) So glad the cheaper CD version with more material was available! Like Jsngry I grew up with vinyl, nothing against it (well, except for what it's doing in terms of disrupting potential additional content for CD releases, as discussed in this thread) and still occasionally buy new or used LPs, but almost always only if there's no CD counterpart available.

I didn’t realize this, but you nailed it, Bill! I just glanced at the back cover for attribution, and that’s exactly what it is.

I was just thinking about Joe Christmas the other day--didn't he serve on a submarine? Quite a time-travel trip to see that board again... looks like I was member no. 620, joined January 2000, just in time for the new century. Finding the BNBB was exciting and revelatory.

Has the Roost material had a more recent reissue on Japanese CD that was also pitch-corrected? I can't recall right now for sure--perhaps Lon or some other board members might be able to weigh in, but I have a faint recollection of somebody mentioning such a release here. And yeah, definitely an essential session! EDIT: this Discogs entry lists some relatively recent (in the grand scheme of things) CD reissues from Japan. But I can't vouch for what they sound like or whether or not they've been pitch-corrected.

Another one from NYRB Classics (can't praise that series enough)--have read only the title story so far, which vividly evokes the vibe of mid/late 1940s Brooklyn for culturally-aspiring twentysomethings. Looking forward to the rest:

I need to pick this up. I'm a fan of Williamson, and the Mosaic Kenton Presents set doesn't include these sessions.

Have I missed prior discussion of this finally becoming available on CD? Picked it up at my local record store a few days ago: