[MXC]

'Nother fan here. Would love to be a fly on the wall in the writers' room.

[Lesser known symphonies]

Another defender of Nielsen 6 here.

Look into the symphonies of Vagn Holmboe, recorded on Bis. I'm partial to 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 2, in about that order.

[Most bizzare band names of all time.]

The Rooster missed another recent KC band...

called I Can Lick Any SOB In The House.

[Roswell Rudd]

Oh, yeah, Numatik Swing Band is magnificent, if you can find it.

Don't forget "Regeneration" on Soul Note, where Rudd, Misha Mengelberg, Lacy and Bennink rip through some Monk and Herbie Nichols tunes. A joyful noise.

[Stanley Cowell]

Stanley has some discs on Steeplechase too. I've heard at least two -- titles escape me and I'm not at home right now. But both were superb. Good luck finding them.

Let me also second the recommendation for "Back to the Beautiful" on Concord. I really like the Concord records that don't sound like Concord records.

[Miles on a billboard]

Toolin' around town today, I saw a big photo of Miles on a billboard.

It's a great, striking image, circa 1970 I'd guess.

The b&w photo dominates the billboard. Off to the right is a slogan, "Never blend in," and a little logo for Hennessy cognac.

Oh, crap. That old jazz-and-booze connection again.

Am I off base for being bothered by this use of his image?

[OJC Recomendations]

Please pardon any duplications here, but:

Harold Land, The Fox

Elmo Hope Trio

the Eddie Davis/Johnny Griffin live dates

Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny and Blue Spring

Oliver Nelson, Screamin' the Blues

Art Pepper, Smack Up

many, many others

We gotta get a cheaper hobby.

[Concert deathwatch]

We're seeing the slow, painful death of a jazz concert series here in Kansas City.

The Folly Theater jazz series audiences are getting smaller and smaller. The hall seats about 1,060. The first concert this season, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (I know, I know...), sold about 600 tickets. The second, Jane Bunnett and the Spirits of Havana (well, that's better), sold about 500.

In better days, Sonny Rollins sold out the hall, Dave Holland and Don Byron drew 800 apiece, and Lester Bowie did 700.

What do you see as the problem here?

Is it that their bookings this season are uninspired? (Later in the series, Ramsey Lewis and Peter Cincotti.) Would things be better if the bookings took more chances? Have they retrenched into dullness?

Is it that they've failed to build a new audience as the old-line Kansas City jazz crowd ages (and dies)?

And I'd like to know: Are you seeing the same sort of thing where you live?

And what do we do about this?

A lot of questions there, I know. But this is really depressing me right now. I don't want this series to die. And after lackluster ticket sales last year, the vultures are circling.

Help!

[best Zappa tunes to play in jazz contexts]

"Flower Punk" has perfectly good blowing changes, though it might drive the rhythm section insane.