HWright

Just to provide a more complete reference, see below. Jazz-Rock: A History by Stuart Nicholson Hardcover: 454 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 9.50 x 1.50 x 6.50 Publisher: Music Sales Corp; (May 1, 1998) ASIN: 0825671884 On a related note, Stuart Nicholson also wrote many of the entries in the British publication "The Essential Jazz Records [vol. 2]: Modernism to Postmodernism" by Max Harrison, Eric Thacker, Stuart Nicholson (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000). These books (vol. 1 is about pre-1945 jazz) may be hard to find or even be out of print but are very interesting, full of much valuable musicological and historical detail. (There is also a book about McLaughlin alone -- "Go Ahead John: The Music of John Malaughlin" by Paul Stump, but I haven't read it and can't comment.) The great thing about Nicholson's book, by the way, is that it has material about McLaughlin as well as Tony Williams, Miles, Jimi Hendrix, Chick Corea, Weather Report and also covers more obscure groups too. Regarding the cover of "Where Fortune Smiles": the cover I have (under Surman's name) is tan and has a kind of pentagram on the cover with the names of the artists written around it. The rainbow cover is the version of the album under McLaughlin's name, I believe.

I agree. It was a special period for McLaughlin and that is why I am always on the look-out for anything he did during 1969-1973, whether it is under his own name or someone else's. Last night I reread the chapter about McLaughlin in Nicholson's "Jazz Rock." It didn't talk a lot about "Where Fortune Smiles" but it did have some interesting bits about McLaughlin's development during the 1960's and the formation and breaking apart of Life Time and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

I had the opportunity to visit the great jazz department in the Tower Records in London earlier this week (on a vacation to the UK) and I was able to find a British reissue of an album I'd been looking for everywhere without any success: "Where Fortune Smiles" which features John Surman, Dave Holland and John McLaughlin. The album is nowadays generally attributed to John McLaughlin (it is listed that way in the Penguin guide, for instance), but it seems that it was/has been also released under Surman's name and indeed the British CD I found called "The Dawn Sessions" (it pairs the album with an unrelated 1976 Surman album) is under Surman's name. Has anyone else picked up this disc? It's very worth checking out. Not quite as good as "Extrapolation" (which also has John Surman on it), but very good in its own right. Perhaps because of Dave Holland's presence and the presence of a vibe player, I was often reminded of Dave Holland's current group while listening to "Where Fortune Smiles." As I am neither British nor an expert on British jazz, if anyone else here knows more about the discographical history of this session, feel free to correct me or add more detail... I believe the session was recorded in 1970, issued in the UK in 1971 and released in the USA in 1975.

Chrome: I liked it too -- couldn't put it down. Nevertheless, I do agree with some of the criticisms made here on the board.

Bill, although it is possible that Cook ran out of time, I tend to believe that the absence of coverage of a lot of the mid to late 1960's Blue Notes is really a reflection of Cook's negative view of much of that material. If you read the entries on the artists in question in the Penguin guide (much of which was either written by or edited by Cook, I think), you will find the same views. Cook just does not think that most of the later BNs are of interest. As an example, both in the biography and in the Penguin guide he makes it quite clear that he think that Lee Morgan went down hill after the success of "The Sidewinder," and really the only exception he makes is for "Search for the New Land." Given that this is his view, it is not at all suprising that he does not comment in any detail on most of Morgan's later output or on Hank Mobley's, which he dismises at the same time in the same paragraph, in fact. As for more obscure figures like Tyrone Washington or Grachan Moncur, I don't think he thinks they were ever relevant. Personally, I find this unfortunate, since his chapters on 1939-1960 make a point of highlighting various under-rated BN artists such as Tina Brooks.

Washington Post review from today's paper: Joe Lovano at the Terrace Theater Saxophonist Joe Lovano dedicated his nonet's performance Friday night at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater to drummer Elvin Jones, who died last week. His passing led to a significant change in the program: the inclusion of "After the Rain," in which drummer Billy Drummond evoked Jones's turbulent force and his pivotal association with John Coltrane's quartet. Nothing heard during the concert proved more dramatic, stirring or heartfelt. The concert's principal focus, however, wasn't altered. The band paid homage to Miles Davis's landmark "Birth of the Cool" recording via three recently penned orchestrations by Gunther Schuller, who played on the original 1949 sessions. The tunes drawn from the recording -- "Moon Dreams," "Move" and "Boplicity" -- formed a short, multifaceted suite, variously marked by unfettered swing, robust bop-inspired horn alignments, sublime reed voicings and well-wrought solos. Lovano may have set the tone for the concert with his imposing sound and harmonic assurance -- he explored the full range of his tenor with great force and finesse. But he was surrounded by top-tier jazz musicians who left distinctive impressions, including fellow reedmen Steve Slagle (on alto), Ralph Lalama (tenor) and Gary Smulyan (baritone). Indeed, the reeds and brass -- trumpeter Barry Ries and trombonist Larry Farrell -- were colorfully deployed throughout the concert, in aggregate and in solo settings. Besides Drummond, the rhythm section boasted pianist James Weidman and bassist Dennis Irwin, who neatly underpinned the sophisticated horn charts. Not all the tunes were vintage, but each performance contributed to the extended standing ovation that came at evening's end. -- Mike Joyce

Keeping in mind that there were, to say the least, mixed reviews of this book (see the earlier parts of this thread above), I remained curious about it and since it has now come out in paperback in the USA, I picked up a copy at Borders on Saturday and started reading it. I agree that it is not the book that most BN fans on this board would like to read (it doesn't look like he did any new research or interviews and he does gloss over a lot of the second tier artists), but it is very well written and Cook clearly has a great love for the early Blue Note and its history. Even though I am more of a big fan of '60's BN (like a lot of the people on this board), I found the material about 1939-1960 to be the best and most informative in the book. Especially the material about the transition from '78s to LPs (10 inch or 12 inch) during 1949-1950. I think I would say that if one is fan of the Penguin Guide, one may enjoy this book for what it is, but if one does not enjoy the Penguin Guide, who is sure to dislike it.

Well, this concert was on Friday and I attended the first set. Joe and his Nonette played: At the Vanguard Focus Birth of the Cool Suite: Moondreams/Move/Boplicity After the Rain Deal Most of this material was featured on the Nonette live album "On This Day," although it sounded much better live (recall the commentaries on the board about the poor sound of the CD). Joe mentioned Elvin Jones' passing and dedicated "After the Rain" in tribute to him. Joe also revealed that the Birth of the Cool suite was arranged for a jazz festival in California (I forget which one), although it wasn't clear how recently that event took place and Joe didn't say anything about recording it for Blue Note either. I know some were skeptical of the interest of such a piece, but personally I found it very enjoyable and perfectly suited to the group and it fit in perfectly with its Dameron and original material. The drummer, Billy Drummond, played on Andrew Hill's "Dusk," as well as on releases by Javon Jackson and Archie Shepp. Anyone else attend the first set or the second one? What was the set list for the second set?

I listened to the samples and thought they were pretty good. The playing has a lot of energy and in fact the versions on the studio album seem limp in comparison at times.

Since I got into jazz by listening to Miles, Monk and Elvin's work with Trane, I feel Elvin's music and sound has always been very important to me and my appreciation of modern jazz. Later I discovered his work with Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Ornette Coleman, his brothers and others.

Cannonball Addict: I'm not aware of any general calendar or listing for jazz events in Washington, DC (or any other city for that matter) here on the site (or anywhere else). As far as I know, what tends to happen is that when Board Members become aware of good shows, they start a link on the Live Shows & Festivals Thread. My most recent thread in that respect was about the Joe Lovano Birth of the Cool concert at the Kennedy Center this Friday. As for keeping track of other upcoming events, I tend to consult the Kennedy Center page, read the Washington Post and the City Paper (even if its listings are not always accurate, many of the clubs like Blues Alley advertize in its pages, providing good schedules), this website, etc.

Stefan and Bertrand: Thanks for drawing everyone's attention to the Big Band date in Washington in January. I wasn't aware of it and have printed off the information for future reference.

Since I posted the original thread about this show, I would like to just add that I am glad that some people on the Board from the DC area did make it. As you may recall, I was myself unable to attend because of a prior committment. I will look forward to the new album featuring the great new drummer and can only hope that Holland and company will come back to DC again in the next few years (I did catch them at the Kennedy Center in the past, so it seems that do come to the area from time to time).

During a business trip a few years back I found a number of the Ken McIntyre Steeplechase albums in the Virgin Megastore (or maybe it was the FNAC nearby) in Paris. Being a big fan of McIntyre's UA set and work with Cecil Taylor on "Unit Structures," I was tempted to buy them all. However, I decided to just buy one and give it a try, so I picked up "Home" (1975). I liked it a lot. It has on it a good line-up: Ken McIntyre - Flute, Bassoon, Oboe, Sax (Alto) Jaki Byard - Piano Reggie Workman - Bass and some interesting compositions too. That said, I found the sound/engineering/mastering of the recording (at least on the CD version I got) to be only average (a little dull in fact) and it's not something I've listened to a lot since I bought it and I never did pick up any of the other Steeplechases, unless I also got "Hindsight" (1974) at the same time, but unfortunately I can't remember right now... [later edit: I did not buy "Hindsight."] Fans of McIntryre should also check out his interesting side-man appearances with drummer Beaver Harris' group 360 Degree Music Experience. I have an import copy of Harris' album "Beautiful Africa" (1979, Soul Note) which is very recommended and not only has McIntyre, but also has Grachan Moncur III. I should also add that McIntyre did a great free performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, which I attended a few years ago. Since someone raised the question of the hole in McIntrye's discography, in between Taylor's "Unit Structures" (1966) and his Steeplechase contract (starting in 1974), I have not seen or read anything to suggest that he made any recordings during that period. I believe that Ken was mainly teaching during that time, both in the New York City public schools and at various college and universities. See his website for more details: http://www.mkmjazz.com/bio.htm postscript: in consulting the above website for the first time, I found out that Ken died in 2001, which I was not aware of. The site also tells about an album he made that year, which may also have been the year I saw him in concert, although I'm not sure.

Addition to my comments: The box set may also be too long for its own good and if I have neglected or missed out on some of its goodies it may be because of its rather staggering length.

I have very mixed feelings about the Elvin Mosaic set. On the whole it's been a great disappointment to me so far. The only session/album on the box that I like a lot is the one with Lee Morgan and George Coleman ("The Prime Element"?). What one makes of the rest of the box set really depends on what one thinks of the performances by the three main horn players: Joe Farrell, Joe Liebman and Steve Grossman. They're all talented and yet personally I feel they've all done better work elsewhere. Since they are generally playing with Elvin, a bassist and no piano player, there's a very heavy burden placed on them. While this combination sounded great when Elvin was playing with Trane or Sonny Rollins, I don't find that their younger followers (at that time at any rate) were able to sustain interest. That said, some of the tracks on the box set are more interesting than others and I don't by any means regret having bought it. Especially since the Morgan/Coleman session is not available anywhere else. Come to think of it, I'd like to see a Conn. or RVG of the Elvin Jones/Lee Morgan album since I think it's a session that should be a lot more well known than it is currently.

Since I started this topic, I would like to add that I picked up the disc when it came out on Tuesday and am enjoying it so far. I wouldn't say that I like it as much as "Oh!" by ScoLoHoFo, but it certainly is very listenable. I have nothing against Lovano's more experimental and outside playing (after all, I listen to late period Coltrane), but I often find his compositions hard to follow and as such I am always happy to hear him take a break and play someone else's tunes, whether they be standards (as is the case with the new album) or works by fellow bandmembers (as with ScoLoHoFo for instance). It gives one something to hold on to, to ground one's appreciation of the improvistations. (For this same reason I am looking forward to hearing Lovano interpret the "Birth of the Cool" in concert this month. )

While Washington DC remains a rather unpredictible place, I think I can safely say that it has changed a lot since the mid 1980's and that a lot of neighborhoods have been transformed. Whether these changes are all for the good or not is of course the source of much debate, but it is a fact. I would add though that as these changes take place, the change itself is often the source of security incidents as elements from the old and new version of a neighborhood tend to clash at times. Personally I would say that the location being discussed is a little risky (for reasons mentioned above) but not dangerous in general or in a very overt way nowadays.

"I'm All for You - Ballad Song Book," Joe Lovano's new quartet album with Hank Jones, George Mraz and Paul Motion on Blue Note, is coming out on May 4 according to the BN site. The site now has some good examples of the album for one's listening pleasure. If you interested in checking them out, I would encourage you to do so now as past experience suggests they take them down after a while. http://www.bluenote.com/detail.asp?SelectionID=10319 Track Listing 1 I’m All For You 2 Don’t Blame Me 3 Monk’s Mood 4 The Summary 5 Stella By Starlight 6 I Waited For You 7 Like Someone In Love 8 Early Autumn 9 Countdown

Adam says "I have the remastered single disc (original album) version. How essential is that second disc in the Deluxe Edition?" The second disc is very enjoyable, less essential than the first perhaps, but quite good all the same. One thing it has going for it is that it has Johnny Nash's great song "I Can See Clearly Now" on it and the extra Jimmy Cliff songs like "Vietnam" and "Let Your Yeah be Yeah" are pretty good too.

Just to hazard a guess, it seems to me highly likely that the nonette will include many of the same players on his live album "On This Day."

I highly recommend the new two-disc Deluxe version of the soundtrack to "The Harder They Come." This set has dynamite improved sound! The artist most represented is Jimmy Cliff, who was the star of the movie, but it also includes a number of tracks by other great Jamaican artists. The first disc is the original LP remastered and the second disc is other songs from the same period and many of the same artists. I know it's a compiliation, but it's a brillant one and the original soundtrack had a big role in popularizing Jamaican music around the world, I think. Disc: 1 1. You Can Get It if You Really Want - Jimmy Cliff 2. Draw Your Brakes Listen Listen 3. Rivers of Babylon - The Melodians 4. Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff 5. Sweet and Dandy - The Maytals 6. Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff 7. Johnny Too Bad - The Slickers 8. 007 (Shanty Town) - Desmond Dekker 9. Pressure Drop - The Maytals 10. Sitting in Limbo - Jimmy Cliff 11. You Can Get It if You Really Want - Jimmy Cliff 12. Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff Disc: 2 1. Israelites - Desmond Dekker 2. My Conversation 3. Do the Reggay - The Maytals 4. Viet Nam - Jimmy Cliff 5. I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash 6. Reggae Hit the Town - The Ethiopians 7. Double Barrel - Ansel Collins 8. It Mek - Desmond Dekker 9. Sweet Sensation - The Melodians 10. Let Your Yeah Be Yeah - Jimmy Cliff 11. Cherry Oh Baby - Eric Donaldson 12. Monkey Spanner - Ansel Collins 13. 54-36 (That's My Number) - The Maytals 14. It's My Delight - The Melodians 15. Wonderful World, Beautiful People - Jimmy Cliff 16. Pomp and Pride - The Maytals 17. Guava Jelly - Johnny Nash 18. Bigger They Come the Harder They Fall - Jimmy Cliff

Grachan Moncur!

Great news! Joe Lovano will be playing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on May 21. Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, April 14. Even more interesting, the KC newsletter reports that Lovano will have a nonet with him that will play a new version of Miles' "Birth of the Cool" material. Here's a quote from their website: "Grammy®-winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano “fully justifies the growing view of him as an important, world-class jazz talent” (The Los Angeles Times). Growing up with a saxophone in his hands and a saxophonist for a father, Lovano was schooled not only in the basics, but also in dynamics and interpretation, and was regularly exposed to jazz artists. Influenced by Miles Davis, Lovano brings his nonet for a special concert featuring a re-invention of Miles Davis’s legendary nonet recording Birth of the Cool, with orchestration by Gunther Schuller. " http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/ind...ent&event=MEJBD

I received mine in the mail yesterday and listened to it today. I find it quite listenable. Incidentally having known Alexander for many years, I can tell you I wasn't suprised at all that the disc had a "conservative" (or "inside") sound...his jazz collection has always veered in that direction, at least compared to mine. One thing that I hadn't really thought about before this though is how much he is into piano trios. Consequently what I am rather painfully struck by is how little I can tell one piano trio from another, at least based on this BFT. I don't have many piano trio discs in my collection (I like horns!), really just the most well known Blue Notes trios by Monk, Bud, Herbie Nichols and a few stray items by McCoy Tyner on various labels and the like. Certainly like many of the other folks, I did recognize several of the tunes, some of which are standards, but I can't say I had any moments of great recognition for the piano players...although I would say there is at least one track in there that reminds me of either Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland playing like Ahmad Jamal or someone else playing like both of them...