MartyJazz

I have a bootleg VHS tape of two Art Ford Jazz Party shows. While the personnel listed is somewhat incomplete for the show that includes Hawkins (no bassist identified, for example), the participants include Charlie Shavers (tp); Vic Dickinson (tb); Pee Wee Russell (cl); Harry Sheppard (vb); Willie 'the Lion' Smith (p); Dick Thompson (g); Sonny Greer (d); May Barnes (vcl). Hope this helps.

For the jazz lovers on this board, one CD that I'm surprised has not been mentioned is his very first for the Reprise label, RING-A-DING DING! Except for the title dismissible track, it consists of standards arranged by Johnny Mandel (original LP issue which had 12 tracks) and features solos by Frank Rosolino and Don Fagerquist among others. Terrific, swinging Frank. The arrangement of "Let's Fall in Love" is worth the price of admission alone. The CD has 3 additional tracks done by other arrangers including one by Nelson Riddle.

Plus CD-Rs enable you to make fantastic compilation CD-Rs for the car, parties, etc.

As one who has benefited from your use of this machine, I can attest to the fact that transfers from source cassettes are excellent. The only negative I can see is that when indexing the tracks from a live recording, a split second of silence is inserted during the applause between cuts.

The version this group does of "Locomotive" is terrific. One of the great "train" pieces of all time (along with Duke's "Daybreak Express").

First off, definitely enjoyed Disc 1 more than this one. I'm just not into gutbucket tenors (e.g., #10), down home blues (too many tracks to count), and shuffle rhythms (#8), all of which are represented pretty heavily on this disc. Some other observations: 1) "Summertime", too much fucking around for me on a tune that should have been retired a long time ago. (For those who now deduce I hate the tune, well, there have been great versions by the likes of Bechet, Artie Shaw, Stan Getz, Hubbard & Gilmore, etc., but this is not one of them). 3) "Jeannine", great tune, nice version. No clue as to the tenor 6) McShann's "The Jumpin' Blues". Sounds like Benny Carter on alto. (Saw Dexter and Stitt play this at the Village Vanguard back in '76 - a definite "live" highlight). 10) "Willow, Weep for Me", version NMCOT.

Thanks Dan for a stimulating set. Here are my thoughts: 1) First impression was Scott Hamilton, as he sounds like he’s got all those pre-WW II influences down. (Now looking at the previous responses, I see why I thought so but this is a case where the actual player pre-dates Scott H but he also absorbed similar tenor influences quite well). 2) Ben Webster, if not then Harold Ashby, but I’ll stick with Ben 3) “Chelsea Bridge”, live quartet date, damn if it doesn’t sound a lot like Joe Lovano but I don’t have this version (only recorded version I know of Lovano doing this is a solo on on his "Rush Hour" CD with Schuller). As I’m pretty sure you’re not into Lovano, who can this be? In any event, liked it, always loved the tune. 4) Mercer E's "Things Ain't...", but HAFC about personnel although I feel I should know the tenor 5) NMCOT, drummer as dull as can be for my taste 6) “After Hours”, but again HAFC re anything else, tenors too “soulful” for my taste, ie., that gutbucket sound that doesn’t do much for me 7) trumpet-trombone blues, chirpy trumpet sounds like Bill Hardman, good possibility that Curtis Fuller is on trombone. (I now see where the trumpet was correctly id'd as one of my unheralded favorites - shame on me!) 8) Sounds like it could be very early Wynton M. 9) Recognize tenor sound of Clifford Jordan; this is possibly one of the big band dates under his leadership that he did towards the end of his life, but as I don’t have any of those CDs, can’t be sure 10) “Maiden Voyage”, interesting version with organ but unable to ID anybody 11) Like this one a lot, sounds like you transferred it from an LP with all the clicks and pops; while it sounds like a McCoy Tyner piece, that’s not McCoy on piano; trombone sounds very good. Martin

I too have never cared much for James Spaulding, but why put down Bird? Had Bird lived, he would have been only in his 40s during the 1960s and I'm sure he still would have sounded great.

Reese Markewich, if I recall correctly and I really believe I do, was also somewhat of a jazz scholar and musicologist. A couple of decades ago, he published either a monograph or an actual book that revealed which jazz originals through that time were based on the chord changes of popular tunes, e.g., Bird's "Ornithology" ("How High the Moon"), Konitz's "Subconscious-Lee" ("What is This Thing...."), K.D.'s "Prince Albert" ("All the Things..."), etc. I was never able to secure a copy, and Lord knows, it would require a major update at this point in time, but I'd still love to have it, nevertheless.

Can't dispute you but I'm hopeful that Loaiza can get it together before I lump him with Contreras, someone who proved to me in spades that he can't handle the pressure of pitching for the New York Yankees. The majors over the years has been littered with pitchers who do well for other teams, e.g., Kenny Rogers a current all-star no less (!), who choke once they put on the pinstripes understanding that unless the team gets into (and wins) the World Series, the season is a failure. Unfair expectations perhaps, but that's what the tradition demands.

That's a shame because of all the great recordings Dexter made during this period, that one is my favorite. Great charts and terrific playing by all concerned.

I have an original MOSAIC Blue Note LP I copped in the early '60s. Still my favorite Blakey recording of all time. Terrific record - "Arabia" and "Children of the Night" knock me out every time. Normally loathe to "upgrade" my CDs, especially as they already duplicate what I have on LP, I might make an exception in this case.

It's kind of eerie here in Palm Beach County. I watch the TV and see this absolute devastation in Punta Gorda, FL, (west coast), see my TV transmission interrupted every so often with the National Weather Service telling me to still be alert to hurricane possibility here, and I go out to walk the dog and not only is there no rain, but hardly any wind! I aint' complainin' ! Thanks to one and all for their concern.

I find Lennie Niehaus at least, if not more recognizable than Pepper.

These were done around the late '60s or early '70s. Geez, looks like '68 & '69....glad you pointed that out. What was I ever thinkin'? Yeah, if I hadn't been too lazy, I would have gone downstairs to the "archives" to check on the dates, but I do remember having purchased them over 30 years ago. They are very good dates in a Miles late '60s vein. However I doubt that they'll ever see the light of day on CD as all the players are relative unknowns.

One quote that I remember from time to time is "Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny." Anyone know who said it because I can't recall who it was.

Jet fan and 37 year season ticket holder currently living in southeast Florida (I sell my tickets every year to two guys in Manhattan and Long Island). Dolfans hate us but they wouldn't be able to fill up Pro Player without we transplanted New Yorkers. Not only that, on the rare occasion that the Giants come to town, Dolphin ticket holders who normally sport the aqua and orange are all of a sudden wearing their old L.T. jerseys and cheering "Here we go Giants, here we go!" Anyway, back to my cursed Jets (thank God, I was born and raised a Yankee fan because rooting for the Jets is almost as bad as being a Red Sox supporter), if Pennington stays healthy and a few of their No. 1 draft choices on the defense play like they're supposed to, we'll still be behind the Patriots. Never should have let Belichick escape to New England, but what's done is done. Anyway, with Ricky and David Boston out and the Dolphin front office being a shambles and Wannstedt apparently lacking the necessary ingredient to make and play well in the playoffs, I'm hoping my Jets surprise everybody by finishing in 2nd place with hopefully, a wild card spot. Sorry, Evan, Marty

These were done around the late '60s or early '70s.

There are many players that I and many of us on this board can spot immediately. However, since Dan asks us to just pick one, I'd have to say in my case it would be Sonny Rollins, in all his tonal manifestations from the '50s through the present day. In the spirit however of most who have responded here with a plethora of heavyweights and keeping in mind JSngry's point that there are also quite a number of players who haven't achieved giant stature yet nevertheless have made their mark by having developed a unique, musically interesting sound, I would also nominate this mix of musicians: Bennie Wallace Anthony Braxton (on alto only) Harold Land John Tchicai Sam Rivers (tenor only altho his soprano sound is generally distinctive) George Adams Artie Shaw Obviously, I'm more confident with the reed players. We all realize, don't we, that Dan is compiling this list so that he can try to f**k each of us up on his next BFT.

This New Yorker currently residing in Florida decided to vacation in the Pacific northwest the past week and a half. Got to take in Sunday's show. Arrived close to 3 PM on a hot, clear day at the Main City Park in Gresham, OR where the Mt. Hood JF is currently held. Since the festivities had begun two hours earlier, I came in towards the end of a jumping, straight ahead set that featured three tenors, Hadley Caliman, Rob Scheps and David Evans. In any event, they cooked on "Lester Leaps In" and "Blues Up and Down". Following a set by a number of local vocalists, none of which killed me, one of the main acts followed, a group led by the guitarist Charlie Hunter. Too much of a fusion thing for my tastes and the audience response was rather tepid reinforcing my opinion. Then, an absolute highlight - a duet between Cyrus Chestnut and Frank Morgan. They played a bunch of jazz evergreens, i.e., "K.C. Blues" in tribute to Bird, "'Round Midnight" and "Well, You Needn't" for Monk, "Cherokee", "Nature Boy", "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing", "Georgia on My Mind" after mentioning the recent passing of Ray Charles, and a couple of pieces including a wonderful piano solo of an original by Chestnut. They meshed beautifully and the audience really dug them. I usually prefer the added backing of bass and drums but it definitely was not needed on this occasion. Finally, an absolutely riveting and terrific performance by Abbey Lincoln with a rhythm section that included Marc Carey on piano. She's older, the pitch wavers more than ever, but damn, that lady has tremendous style and personal magnetism. The audience was bowled over in particular by her performances of her originals including her masterfully insightful "Throw It Away" as well as such standards as "Skylark" and "Runnin' Wild". The last time I had seen her was in '85 at "Smalls Paradise" in Harlem. She knocked me out then, she knocked me out again. A definite highlight of a conclusion to a memorable visit to a part of the world I had not heretofore experienced. Sidenote: A hearty thank you to jazzkrow (a fellow jazz lover I "met" on this fantastic board) who, together with his wife, guided me, the wife and my daughter, around the wonderful city of Portland one glorious afternoon.

Wow. I really chuckled when I saw that deal on the hotel TV somewhere in the Pacific NW where I'm vacationing. I thought it was a terrible deal for the Bosox, this Yankee fan having a very healthy respect for Nomar. I guess the seeds were planted during this past off season when Nomar realized that he was a valuable pawn in the unsuccessful attempt to land the infamous A-Rod. Big mistake by the precocious Theo, IMO. As for the Yanks getting Loaiza for Contreras, you're right Dan, I am ecstatic. Loaiza is a BIG step up AFAIAC. He'll pitch big in pinstripes, I feel confident of that. As for Jose, maybe he'll eventually adapt to pitching in the big leagues, but he would not have done that in the pressurized cooker that playing for Steinbrenner represents.

Methinks you're overreacting a tad. He's in a pennant race, he doesn't want to miss four games, that's all. It's just harmless posturing. If you guys had signed him and Kevin Brown had plunked him and an identical altercation would have ensued with Posada, you wouldn't be talking about losing respect for A-Rod. I'm not defending him, I just don't think it's worth getting upset about on either side.

If you like soulful piano that fits into the Three Sounds/Ramsey Lewis vibe, I would start with McCann's Pacific Jazz LPs, which were popular enough that they aren't terribly hard to find, should you be willing to buy vinyl. I've always said: "Give me MORE jazz and LESS McCann".

Just caught your response today. Very generous of you. Will send a PM with address details. Thanks again.

I have the ROOTS cd. Like it very much. Very accessible Sam and everyone plays well.