Spontooneous

I'm in for the download.

You da man, Thom. Now I feel silly, because I believe I was standing nearby when Hot Ptah purchased that CD a couple of months ago.

I tell my troubles to the Smorkin' Labbit. And he listens.

Meanwhile, back in Ravioliland... I found the Tin Tin Deo! It's here.

We can get plenty of gigs at Chef Boy-Ar-Dee sales meetings. It'll be great.

That settles it. Now we have to write an arrangement where the band shouts "Ravioli! Ravioli!"

I'd guess that the power supply, the part that converts the juice from your wall outlet to smaller amounts that the sensitive electronics can tolerate, has gone bad. And now, every time you turn the receiver on, the electronics might be getting pounded with voltages that could be ruinous. Yes, unplug it.

Nah, they didn't expect anyone to return the records. I've been in the newspaper field for almost 30 years and have gotten promo copies of at least a few things in most of those years. The only person who ever asked me to return a promo copy was a hotheaded young local artist. The promo arrived with a note saying "Please review within 30 days or return disc to me." The whole arts-and-entertainment desk of the paper had a good chuckle at that note. (The artist never got a review and never got the disc back.)

Yeah, Workman is just about the star of that session.

An overlooked great Mingus solo is on "Get Out of Town" on the Thad Jones album on Debut, reissued on OJC. And speaking of Thad, Richard Davis gets some truly great spots on the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra dates.

You are correct as to both albums. James Newton's "If Love" could, at one time, often be found in cut out bins, but it is an excellent album. It is his most mainstream jazz album. I wondered if anyone would identify this version of "Stolen Moments" as having been recorded by Frank Zappa's 1988 big band. "Broadway The Hard Way" is my least favorite of the three live albums released from that tour. I like "Make a Jazz Noise Here" the best, followed by "The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life". What you and another member have referred to as the abrupt transitions at the beginning and end of the song is unfortunately something that Zappa did a lot of with his live recordings in his later years, running them all together with no moment of silence between them, not even letting the last note fade before the next song began. This also occurs on his "You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore" series. I never liked that. I rank "Broadway The Hard Way" as my third favorite live album from the 1988 Zappa big band tour, because it is mostly topical vocal songs, about political matters which were current at the time. The other two albums have a good deal of improvisation and instrumental songs. So who is the trumpet soloist on Zappa's version of "Stolen Moments?" My copy of "If Love" came from a Half Price Books store in Indianapolis, about eight years before Half Price Books came to Kansas City. Really a lovely record. Michael Cain was on a lot of good sessions for a while, but he's fallen off my radar since. The disc was brought to us by the same company that flooded the market with all those cheap discs on the Laserlight label. Zappa's trumpetist was Walt Fowler, brother Bruce on trombone. Only five horns, but the band sounds bigger.

You sly dog, Bill! Number 11 is here. Number 14 is here. Presumably the tempo jump comes from a splice.

Seems like I'm never the first one on these, so I'll jump in early this time. Only one positive ID, for 7. 1. Something about this makes me think it's honest-to-gosh African and not some Americans with a conga player. Love the tenor bridge, both times. 2. Seems Tapscottish to me, 'cept for that synthesizer. The drummer needs to relax some. I can live without the trombonist's "Afro Blue" quote. Like the piano solo very, very much; guitar is just OK. 3. Hey, that's an oboe! Which perhaps puts us in Lateef land? Some kind of '70s recording with direct-injection bass. That's a dandy piano solo. 4. The chart's more modern than some guys in the band are. Thought it might have been Buddy's band at first. Lumpy piano solo, cute tenor solo by a Prez fan. Wait a minute, they all said "Johnny Otis! Johnny Otis!" Cool ending. Faults and all, I love this. Johnny Otis is just about the coolest dude ever. 5. Anitra's Dance, after an intro that threw me. It's a John Kirby sextet, or someone who copped the instrumentation and attitude. 6. A pretty good big-band boogie-woogie. Damn fine piano solo, from a player who doesn't succumb to the temptation to sling some mud. That's not Benny on clarinet; sounds like Woody for a minute. Then the trumpet comes on all swaggering like Harry James, determined to obliterate everybody, so I'll guess Harry and that's my final answer. 7. I'd have to turn in my KC credentials if I didn't instantly recognize Moten's "Prince of Wails," the classic from 1932, with that jittery Ben Webster solo and some very amazing striding Basie. And just feel how poised Hot Lips Page is. What a way to finish this band's recording career! What tragedy that their few remaining years aren't documented in sound. 8. Tin Tin Deo is the tune, but no guess beyond that. Got a feeling that this is in my collection somewhere and that the answer is going to kick my butt. 9. Eronel! Nobody plays this wonderful tune. Sounds like Mal until near the end. Or maybe it's Mal in an uncharacteristically puckish mood. 10. Two basses and tenor, a configuration I've never heard before. Is that David Ware? Whoever it is, they're in too big a hurry to bring this thing to a climax. Then it's over too soon. (That's what she said.) 11. Nice idea using the Evans vamp on Prelude to a Kiss. Big flute sound and great control of the instrument. Piano solo makes me happy too. It isn't on James Newton's Ellington album, but the power and control have me thinking it's him. 12. Horace Silver's Peace. The performance seems familiar. The tenor reminds me of Junior Cook again and again -- big, pretty higher notes. More direct-injection bass, and an upright piano that needs some work. It just screams Muse Records. The piano playing makes me think of Albert Dailey. Bass seems like Buster Williams. Or maybe I'm off base and this is George Coleman? 13. Like the cymbal coloration, but I'm a sucker for that. The pianist has the courage to leave space and the patience to wait until the time is right to make his move. I'm reminded of Ahmad Jamal. But then the horns come in, so it probably isn't Jamal. I surrender. 14. A big, glossy Stolen Moments with a pingy synthesizer that bugs me. Love the bass line, though. Is it Jaco? Hey guys, let's all speed up for the trumpet solo! 15. Well, the head didn't go where I thought it was going, so that's a good sign. I like the big, sloppy, juicy Roz Rudd-like trombone sound. But the setting seems too L.A.-studio-slick. A mystery track for me. 16. Back in the James Booker bag? Love the willingness to go for broke on a tune that could have been a sleepwalk. This is great. I'm going to keep puzzling over some of these IDs. The whole collection is a pleasure.

Tallahassee's got Free For All Paul -- what more could you want?

One other thing. Bebop emerges in the 1942-45 period, when many of the most able-bodied and creative men in the United States were getting shot at abroad. So the art of dance probably fell behind the art of music in those years. Don't blame the musicians.

I live in fear of misspelling "Hadron" in print.

Aww, guys, we've been over this before. I'm only interested in the ones who have albums produced by Mutt Lange.

Judging from the number of them I've seen around the Midwest, I'd guess that the best sellers included the RCA and Columbia boogie-woogie sets and Columbia's "Blues by Basie." Honestly, you don't see the Decca "Kansas City" album around Kansas City very much.

It's just good to see Lester smile like that.

I'm in for a download.

Johnny Dodds, John Carter. Surprised nobody's mentioned Buddy Collette. And no love for Jimmy Hamilton, people?

The CD sounds lousy too. Seems like a home recording.

Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, Carlos Ward, Jimmy Lyons...

Nice guy and good storyteller, in addition to being a great player and provocative composer. This CD is darned fine. And his solo feature "Sticks" with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is a must-hear.

Ravi signing with BN is mere nepotism, since he's Norah's dad, isn't he?