HWright

Speaking of Pink Floyd related DVDs, this past weekend I rented and watched Barbet Schroeder's "More" (1969) and finally got to see the movie that goes with the Floyd album. I enjoyed hearing the music again (I don't currently have the soundtrack album) but found the movie, which is mainly about a young couple strung out on heroin in Ibiza (an island off the coast of Spain), a bit disturbing. The movie did have its moments though and at its best the movie reminded me a little of "Zabriski Point" by Antonioni (which also had some Floyd music on the soundtrack). On a related note, the Floyd also did the soundtrack for Schroeder's "La Vallée" ("Obscured by Clouds", 1972) but I haven't been able to track that down to rent on DVD so far. Schroeder, by the way, was a German who started his directing career in France, although subsequently he worked in Hollywood. His most well known US films are probably "Barfly," "Reversal of Fortune" and "Single White Female." Recently I saw the Criterion DVD of one of his later French films, "Maitresse"(1976), which is an interesting story about a petty crook and a dominatrix starring Isabelle Hupert and Gerard Depardieu.

Interesting theory but I didn't see anything to prove or disprove it.

Three guitarists???? Damn, I like the sound of that! ← I think it was three, anyway. That would be lead, bass and rhythm. There were so many people on that stage it was hard to keep track of them all!

Yes, I was up in the front. I had originally intended to sit in the balcony area but it was my first time in the club and I couldn't figure out how to reach it.

I saw Al Green at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. last night. The opening act was a young soul/r'n'b singer named Angela Johnson. She performed an energetic set of original tunes from her first two albums. By the end of her set she had won the crowd over, myself included. Then Al came on and the crowd went wild. Al handed out roses to the ladies in the crowd and welcomed everyone to the concert. He played with a large group: three guitarists, one organ player, one keyboard player, horn section of about 3 players, two drummers, and 3 or 4 back up singers. In addition there were two young male dancers who came out during the more upbeat numbers. Although I like a big sound generally, I found this way too loud for the most part, especially considering the size of the club (and the fact that I was in the front near the stage!). Al played his greatest hits from the Hi Years, the title tracks of his two Blue Note releases and two Gospel numbers, one of which was "Amazing Grace" (I wasn't able to identify the other one). I never heard him live before but he struck me as being in fine form and vocally was quite on the ball, using his famous falsetto from time to time.

According to amazon.com, there is a new Wayne Shorter live album coming out next week... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...0194548-8172170 Beyond the Sound Barrier [LIVE] Wayne Shorter List Price: $18.98 Price: $13.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details. You Save: $4.99 (26%) Product Details Audio CD (June 14, 2005) Original Release Date: June 14, 2005 Label: Verve ASIN: B0009I8QAY Amazon.com Sales Rank: #680 in Music 1. Smilin' Through Listen Listen Listen 2. As Far as the Eye Can See Listen Listen Listen 3. On Wings of Song Listen Listen Listen 4. Tinker Bell Listen Listen Listen 5. Joy Ryder Listen Listen Listen 6. Over Shadow Hill Way Listen Listen Listen 7. Adventures Aboard the Golden Mean Listen Listen Listen 8. Beyond the Sound Barrier Listen Listen Listen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Wayne Shorter took jazz by storm with 2002’s Footprints Live!, marking the return of the firebrand improviser of the 1960s after decades of self-effacing fusion. Beyond the Sound Barrier continues in the same vein, with more live recordings of his working quartet. Pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade bring a mercurial collective creativity to the project, adding a fresh urgency to the kind of interactivity that marked Shorter’s classic Blue Notes and his work with Miles Davis. The group can venture into free jazz on "Tinker Bell," explore the classical lyricism of Mendelssohn’s "On Wings of Song," or bring new life to older compositions, as with the leader’s spinning, high velocity runs on "Joy Ryder" and the multi-dimensional exploration of "Over Shadow Hill Way." Each track is an adventure, with Shorter’s saxophones dancing through the band’s creative firestorm. --Stuart Broomer

Last Friday I saw the Joey DeFrancesco Trio at Blues Alley (in Washington DC) with special guest George Coleman (tenor sax). The Trio came out first and played "The Champ" in tribute to Jimmy Smith. Then they played "I Got My Mojo Working" as heard on the Joey-Jimmy album but this time the vocals were by Joey. They played a few other numbers and then George Coleman joined the group and played a number of standards. They didn't announce them but there was a bossa nova number (probably "Girl from Ipanema") and some standards and bebop tunes. This was the first time I ever heard a hammond B3 organ in person and I must say it was great. I couldn't see the keyboard or Joey's hands but the sounds coming from out of it were quite impressive. It was also a great pleasure to hear George in person for the first time. Members of Joey's family were in attendance and he acknowledged them at the end of the first set.

Is it true that at present there is no readily available CD edition of "Where I'm Coming From"?

Thanks Jim. Now I'm caught up! Henry.

I found the website on Brazilian music (link provided by Fent99) especially useful for helping me find out about currently CD reissues of Gilberto's first three Odeon albums. Alas, it seems that is really not possible to get them on CD without paying a lot of money since the Brazilian, US, French and Spanish editions are all currently out of print. Such a shame... By the way, here is one of the links that I mentioned in my original post: http://www.jobim.com.br/cgi-bin/clubedotom...g.html&ling=eng

Thanks to everyone who replied.

One question I've always been interested in is what bossa nova recordings came out in Brazil before Bossa Nova became popular in the US (via Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd). I managed to find a Brazilian website (in Portuguese) dedicated to Jobim that revealed that many of Jobim's most famous compositions first appeared on Brazilian LPs by a number of other artists the most well known of whom is João Gilberto. On these LPs Jobim acts as composer, side-man and sometimes even arranger/musical director. I asked a Brazilian colleague if these albums had ever been reissued on CD in Brazil and she said she didn't think so. I'd certainly never heard of them before. My question to the Board: have they been put out in Japan or somewhere else? Does anyone else have any resources about these early days of Bossa Nova in Brazil that they would care to share?

That's a very interesting suggestion, Chuck. I will check it out.

This question is mainly for fans of British and Anglo-American folk music. When I was in grade school my father would often listen to folk records while grading papers (he was a university professor) and sometimes I would sit in the room and listen to the records too. One such record is much on my mind these days but I can't figure out what it was. It was an album that had on it two Scottish songs "'Til the Weavers can ye go" and "Loch Loman." I thought it was by Jean Redpath but an inspection of my dad's collection (in its current condition) doesn't contain any Jean Redpath albums with those songs on them and further Jean Redpath research on the web hasn't helped either...The main thing I remember about the album I'm trying to identify is that it was sung by a woman and that on the two songs she sang with a very pronounced accent at times even singing in what may have been the Scotts version of Gaelic... Anyone have any ideas? Is this a Jean Redpath album? or is it by some other singer?

I found a site about Faddis which suggests that he worked with Greg Osby in the '80's, around 1985, it seems.

I saw the Billy Taylor Trio with Jon Faddis concert at the Kennedy Center last night. It was recorded for broadcast on the radio and was also Taylor's last concert, he said. I went mainly to hear Faddis who doesn't come to Washington DC very often to the best of my knowledge. The Trio began the 7:30 set with a few of Taylor's compositions and then Faddis came out for a tribute to Dizzy. The Quartet then played various bebop classics as well as excellent versions of "Manteca" (with great rhythms by drummer Winard Harper)and "Con Alma" (with Faddis on mute). Some people in the audience felt Faddis had a tendency to overblow when on open horn but it seemed to me this was only true on some passages and I enjoyed his performance in general over all. Faddis also talked with Taylor about Diz and recounted to the audience his (Faddis's) first meetings with Diz in his (Faddis's) home state of California when he (Faddis) was 12 and 15 years old. After the show I read the AMG entry on Faddis and was interested to note that Faddis made an early record with Billy Harper and that he played with Greg Osby at one point (in the '90's?). Anyone know anything about that?

Although I can't say I'm particulary fond of Brel's "Le Moribund," I am a fan of Brel in general and do recommend him for those who like French language music.

Here's the blurb on the concert from today's Washington Post: Monday, March 14, 2005; Page C05 Roy Haynes Roy Haynes led a remarkable quartet at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater Saturday in a tribute to Charlie Parker, but the sold-out concert could have been billed as a salute to Haynes, who turned 80 yesterday. Drummer (and Parker collaborator) Haynes still swings with great power and finesse. The program, titled "Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker," began on an exhilarating note -- the first of many. Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, who has a habit of opening his own concerts at full bore, ripped through the quartet's arrangement of Parker's "Diverse," feverishly reworking the theme, then improvising with a combination of headlong drive and harmonic ingenuity. The tune also showcased pianist David Kikoski, who engaged Garrett in a series of quick-witted exchanges, and bassist Christian McBride, who contributed a typically elegant and soulful interlude. Haynes wasn't always happy with the way his drums sounded -- he retuned the heads at one point -- but he was nevertheless in vibrant form, whether animating Thelonious Monk's "Green Chimneys" with tumbling commotion and sudden rhythmic displacements or using his mallets to create calms before the frequent, bop-inspired storms. Kikoski, a sorely underrated pianist, happily obliged the drummer's birthday request: a solo rendering of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," imaginatively re-harmonized. Part of the Kennedy Center's ongoing series on the 1940s and the arts, the concert ended with a deservedly long standing ovation. The band couldn't return for an encore -- there was a late show scheduled -- but Haynes left the stage beaming -- and looking even younger than when he arrived. -- Mike Joyce

Did anyone end up going to the Kennedy Center Show on Saturday? Haynes appeared with Kenny Garrett on alto, David Kikoski on piano, Christian McBride on bass. Everyone in the group was great but I was especially impressed by Kikoski. I'd only heard him on recordings before. I don't know what they played exactly although "Green Chimneys" by Monk was announced and Kikoski did a solo of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square." Some of the other tunes were no doubt from Haynes' "Birds of a Feather" album (I think that is the name of it) tribute to Charlie Parker.

I saw Jason Moran and the Bandwagon at the Kennedy Center. Although Moran and his group played mostly material from the new "Same Mother" album, there was no guitarist with the group. Perhaps to offset this the basist played electric bass, although not having ever seen the group before, I'm not sure if this was unusual in and of itself. I saw the first set in which they played: You've got to be Modernistic (James P. Johnson) Gangsterism on the Rise Aubade [a tune written by JM and Andrew Hill] Ellington Medley (inc. Kinda Dukish, Black and Tan Fantasy and Body and Soul) Jump Up Mixed Medley (inc. an original by the bassist, a Jobim tune and a classical piece) I'll Play the Blues for You (made famous by Albert King) For me the highlight of the show was the Ellington Medley which had a lot of energy and swing.

I saw Jeff "Tain" Watts at Blues Alley here in Washington, DC on Saturday. He played with more or less the same group as on his "Detained" live CD, although the piano player was different (I didn't catch his name but he is from PA, I believe) and there was no guitar player. During the first set the group played "107 Steps" (Bjork tune) "Ling" (this had a longer title but I don't remember it) "Vodville" (about vodka) "Stevie in Rio" (written for Stevie Wonder) "Pools of Amber" "JC is the Man" (Most of these tunes are from Watts' "Bar Talk" album) Watts was in fine form with a lot of energy. I was very impressed by him. He did not sing like on the last track on "Detained," but was very talkative.

I got this CD and am enjoying it. I am curious about the composition "I Have the Room Above Her," which is from "Showboat." I can't seem to find the lyrics on line though...If anyone has them I would appreciate it if you could post them here. Thanks.

I'm thinking about going to the KC show. Haven't bought a ticket yet though.

Brownie: Thanks. I hadn't seen that site before. Even thought the soundtrack material is available (as you point out), it doesn't look like there is a collection of the other "loose" material. To be more specific, I'm in particular interested in an EP Gainsbourg put out in 1963 called "Vilaine filles, mauvais garçons." It includes 4 tracks not included on any LP as far as I can tell: Vilaine filles, mauvais garçons L'appareil à sous La javanaise Un violon, un jambon I've heard "La javanaise" on my two-disc best of set and if its quality is any indicator, this collection should be as good as anything else SG did during that period.

To fans of Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter: I've been a fan for some time but recently I decided to collect his original French albums on Phillips. I have the first five, dating from 1959-1964. They're all quite good, very jazz influenced, somewhat like Frank Sinatra or Charles Aznavour. However, based on information on the web, it turns out that during the same period Gainsbourg also recorded a number of EPs, non-LP singles and tracks for movie soundtracks. Some of these songs are among his best. I know this because before I bought the original albums on CD I bought a two disc best of which included some of them. My question here is: have these "loose" songs ever been collected in one place? Or does one have to buy one of these enormous 10 disc box sets to get them? (Incidentally, I do realize that some of these songs may be collected on the three single disc best of collections that were released in the USA a few years back, but I'm not interested in those collections since most of what's on them is from the first 5 or 6 original albums. )