clifford_thornton

Great piece by Taylor Ho Bynum here. I also put something up on Ni Kantu. It was hard to write and I can only imagine how hard it was to put something together having played/studied with him.

Thanks, will have this on all night.

Was that the concert w/ Dixon, Brooks, J.R. Mitchell & G. Sojkowski? That music scared the shit out of me when I heard it.

Yes, but it was not public & a lot of us thought he was doing much better.

I talked with his wife this morning and the news is true. I am heartbroken. RIP, Bill - you were a friend and mentor to so many, myself included.

Guess I'm easy to please...

Blumenthal isn't a favorite by any stretch, but at the time I was getting into jazz his words (usually in liner notes) were very helpful.

I need to pick up that blues box - still wading through Devilin' Tune after a couple of years!

Dunno... a fair amount of those early Enja LPs had lead sheets printed on the back, which is/was cool.

Indeed. I have very fond memories of watching him play (or watching him watch while seated at the bar) at the old Velvet Lounge. What a nice and unassuming gentleman. Hope that once he pulls through he's able to continue playing.

Yeah, I actually think he got more distinctive in the post-Trane years, especially in the 1970s. There were certainly players trying to do what he did and not doing it quite as well (e.g., Lonnie Liston Smith), and for me, hearing him nail that approach to chord voicings and rhythm - however you want to put it - is something really special. Granted, more recent recordings haven't really gassed me that much, but the BN and Milestone years are full of some top-notch material.

Almost always, if I'm not all that into somebody and they are objectively "good," I'll come around to them eventually. Brubeck, Getz, Tyner... all are players I now enjoy quite a bit. I used to be more "into" Rollins, now not so much, though the pendulum will probably swing back at some point.

pm sent

Oh shit. Hopes are high that he pulls through okay.

The twitter-verse has announced that Fred Anderson is ailing. Any news would be appreciated.

Yeah, I'd like to check this Bishop disc out as well - sounds awesome. Indeed, the Keefe Jackson on Clean Feed is very fine!

I would probably keep East Broadway, Way Out West and Sonny Meets Hawk if it came down to it. For some reason, he's clicked very little on record for me, though ironically some of the players he's influenced I hold in high esteem (Monterose, Shepp, etc.).

Happy Belated, Kevin!

Yeah, I totally dig the set with Morris immensely. Will have to get Old Dogs as well.

Gruppe Icky Rats - Free Rock - (Coat-Tail)

What about a mud-encrusted copy of Blackjack, as seen once for about $2.99 at Dusty Groove?

:tup

I just keep buying / acquiring / listening / hearing as much as my pocketbook and time will allow, and hope that one day I'll have a fraction of an understanding about what some of these great artists (like/not like being beyond me sometimes) have been up to.

The most enticing things to me on this list are the Ammons/Lewis, Bechet, and Cole box. I guess that shows how much my tastes have changed since joining this board.