fasstrack

I started a thread about that years ago, maybe even on Board Krypton, hoping that somebody knew something, but nope. I'm left to conclude that it's something that came to us through a wormhole, something from, like, the 25th century or something. Yeah, that's a great mystery, and only for the brave. Very heavy and I've always wondered about it myself. Sonny Stitt recorded it and a few other staunch beboppers had to have tried or even succeeded. It seems like a diminished-scale type phrase in the first 4 bars. You have to use your ear, since there's no piano or bass, only horns and drums. The last notes of the first 8 are pretty out and amazing. The part Bird plays on the recording with Dizzy, the little solo part for a few bars at the intro's end sounds like he's quoting the changes of the tune for a brief minute, but who knows what he was thinking? Pure genius and its like the 9th wonder of the world. Reminds me of a smartass comment by someone or other: 'we don't look at art. Art looks at us'. And sticks it tongue out, I think, on this one.

I'm sure it would need new frets at the very least!!! There was a vol. 2? What tunes are on it? There are a few recordings I don't have: one called Here's That Rainy Day, from the 80s. There are also some that aren't as well known, like Live at Birdland 1950 w/Getz. It's not as well-known as the famous Storyville stuff, but great all around and Stan is just an animal on it, tears it up. There's also something I can't quite remember with a tenor player---Wardell Grey? I'm totally not remembering, but it was early on and he sounded great. The Charlie Christian influence was still very strong. He must've been 21-22. Then I've been hearing In 3 Attitudes, the whole CD of which seems to be posted on youtube. I hope you and Doug are getting some money, Jon. There are originals on it....David X. Young's Jazz Loft has two long tracks with great Jimmy, and a young Jim Hall---new in town---also Brookmeyer, Pepper Adams, Zoot, Dave McKenna, and absolutely knockout artwork by David. There are some essays about Young and that whole scene in his loft by Brook, Teddy Charles, and Young himself. It's great and well worth buying if it's still around.

I remember going there in my teens to early 20s when I was trying to learn to play a little and checking out whatever was available. I remember that building in the 50s aomewhere. I saw a concert with Paul Quinchette, can't remember who else, but I remember a trumpet player so it was a quintet. One of those Sunday concerts, I guess, and free too. I alao remember some of the artifacts like---I could almost swear---Lester Young's horn. I remember some kind of event re: John Coltrane and a handwritten note by him saying: 'I think the artist would like to create beauty' or something very close to those words. IK think they had his handwritten response to questions from DownBeat. I think that was the interview where they asked him to name his best solos and he wrote 'no good solos'. That's all I remember about the place, except it was a great resource for a kid like me to see these things up close and hear the music live. The National Jazz Museum of Harlem is the baby of my old friend Loren Schoenberg. I've been there a few times and it is a great space also. Loren is trying to do some great things and should be supported by jazz lovers. I offered to donate for his archives a video a student made of a concert with James Chirillo, John Beal, Eddie Locke, and myself at Mercy College in 2002. I put this group together for Black History Month, a concert featuring music of Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian and Jimmy Raney, followed by a Q&A. I edited it and added titles, but there was no commercial interest b/c of the low-tech nature of the sound/visual quality. But it's a good document, largely b/c Eddie was a highlight, talking about how the guys looked after him in NY (Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, etc.) jazz education, and neighborhoods. It's in less than great video/audio quality, but we got to the kids and the spirit was great that day. I thought we dug in pretty good on Topsy. We had fun, anyway, and Eddie's speeches were wise and humanitarian, and of archival worth, I think. I have to dub a copy and then it'll be there for anyone interested.

I guess everyone's heard the recording with Brubeck/Paul Desmond. Can't remember the name, and it's morphing in my decaying memory into The Jazz Ambassadors with Pops, Carmen McCrae, and Brubeck, who also wrote the music. I know it's a whole different animal, so someone please straighten me out. I was amazed when I first heard about this, couldn't imagine it, those guys together, how it would work and lay. It's terrific, though, as I remember. They all sound great together.

If you did hear that piece, Suite for Guitar Quintet, you would hear it immediately. Quartet #5. It's a nice performance, BTW. Jimmy in good shape. Strings were out of tune I thought (string players, not guitar strings) and I would've liked to hear it done over. But still it's a good piece and worth hearing. I had it on a Muse LP: Strings and Swings. The other side (that really dates me, I know) is a concert in Louisville with his friend Jack Brengle on bass and Bobby Jones on tenor. Yeah, that's it. I might buy a turntable this weekend just to hear it again. I feel your pain. I have hundreds of LPs and no turntable at the moment. Waiting to pounce at the thrift shop....

Maybe so. Sounds right. Thanks.

Hope I can get the feed in NY. If I'm home I will listen. I heard a suite on WKCR, can't remember the name, maybe you can help me, but it knocked me out. Thank you, Joel

I remember that guy Jon from Branford's wild and crazy forum I met you on and a rehearsal big band at local 802, also a Brookmeyer concert we both attended. Nice guy, good player for sure. Do they live in NY? I haven't seen him since. Ingrid I don't know enough about but she always sounded good to me. We were both featured on the same day in '95 at a series of original music by different composers at the Angry Squire. Neal Minor put it together. If I remember right Freddie Bryant had a group that day too, the late Mercedes Rossy, and Larry Goldings. On different days Joe Magnarelli, Ray Gallon, Sascha Perry, and other worthy musicians got their music played. I don't remember Ingrid's set in all candor but she always did sound good to me. Have to listen for her.

BTW: Jon is too modest to mention it, but is a pianist and composer at least one mutual friend I really respect thinks highly of.

To go back to stories, what I'm best at, I guess, re: Jimmy and Lee Konitz, Jimmy told me years ago Lee was kind of intense and he had a lot of gigs at one time, got a little nervous and said 'gee, maybe I should quit for a while, do something else'. He said like in the next sentence he heard Lee did some funny day gigs and was at one point a dogcatcher in LA! Put me down as a fan of Lee's early stuff. I also love Warne Marsh, he could do no wrong. Whatever one thinks of Tristano, and again I ain't going down that road, he sure helped some great talent find themselves. A funny couple of stories about Lee that I myself know of, having been there----and I claim no personal knowledge other than this, just appreciate his dead-on humor: I was hanging out with Bob Mover a lot in the late 70s. He had a couple of years and a lot of experience on me. He talked about Lee a lot and I was hearing Lee with different groups around town and studying with different cats trying to figure it out. I called Lee for a lesson. When I heard his price I sort of waffled a bit and told him it was a little over my head. Without missing a beat he cracked me up by saying 'I'll teach you everything I know in an hour and you'll never have to come back'...... A few years later I myself had one in a series of weird day gigs: selling fruit and nuts from a cart on Broadway. I saw Lee pass by and said hello. He asked me 'are you making your nut? Very funny character and great player. I'm sorry I didn't study with him. Now my memory has been tripped and I recall speaking him at a place called Greene Street in Soho. He was playing a duo with Gil Evans and they sounded very special. Lee was very approachable and nice and we talked about Bird and probably other things. He's a jazz original, one of the few.

If you did hear that piece, Suite for Guitar Quintet, you would hear it immediately. Quartet #5. It's a nice performance, BTW. Jimmy in good shape. Strings were out of tune I thought (string players, not guitar strings) and I would've liked to hear it done over. But still it's a good piece and worth hearing. I had it on a Muse LP: Strings and Swings. The other side (that really dates me, I know) is a concert in Louisville with his friend Jack Brengle on bass and Bobby Jones on tenor. Jon, if you read this again please comment. I for one would appreciate your insights and stories. I'm sure others on here would as well. You can do a much better job talking about your dad and cronies than a guy who took a few lessons and hung around him as a kid, and briefly at that. Ok, Joel. I got a little break at work and I know that you're eager to hear my views on this. In reference to Bartok, Joel you're right on the money. It was String Qt #5, that was most infuential to him although he liked them all. I'm pretty sure I have his original pocket score for it if anecdotes are not proof enough:) He was studying with Hall Overton at the time. He was a big fan of Bartok, late Beethoven and the great Ravel/Debussy quartets that are almost always paired together. So his original intention was to write a string quartet. It became a suite. The recording date for it 1957 is accurate however the Louisville concert date on the other side I'm almost certain is not. My recollection is 1967. His child sweetheart Ola Miracle arranged that concert. They were gigging together that year. Dad was still struggling with his addiction and a recent separation. In terms of the intonation on Suite. Yeah the guitar sounds flat in relation to the strings, (I'm listening to it in my head, haven't heard it years given no turntable). It might be a tall order because string players play in tune in ref to each other and then the guitar comes in and gotta keep the best solo takes. Maybe it's Dad's fault:) Remember the Storyville Cuts, he was a bit flat there so... Mr. Raney can be a human at times:) You can tell the influence on his classical studies on his 50s recordings, in terms of his arranging style. Generally speaking by the 70s, with the exception of some favorite artists almost listened exclusively to classical especially Beethoven, Bach and Bartok and not jazz. In reference to Tristano. A friend of mine took a lesson from him. He said he arrived in his pad and the lights were off and he was sitting in the corner at the piano. This was a test of both his balls and his ear I guess My father was not a big fan of Tristano's playing btw. No offense to fans of him. Just not Dad's cup of tea. Or at least not his favs list. He thought he was a very cold player. Bud Powell and Bill Evans were his favorites. He liked Lee Konitz though and the tune Lee is for the most part dedicated to his style of writing. See you guys later. Jon Beautiful, Jon. Thanks so much for checking in, your insights are worth more than mine in accuracy, not to mention 'Raneyness', and appreciated by all here, I'm sure. I have some memories but in no way am a spokesman for Jimmy, just an admirer and briefly a student. I know from your efforts on your own board that it would be gratifying to know how much impact Jimmy had and still has. He would love it too, I'm sure. Thanks again, man, from the bottom.

When I saw the title of this it reminded me of the theme song from "It's Gary Shandling's Show" Something like 'This is Gary's theme song. He asked me to write the song..............and now we'll watch It's Gary Shandling's show. Sorry for the momentary hijack, Chuck. I'm glad there's a thread about you. As you were, board........

I've occasionally wondered what studying with Tristano would have been like. He would've kicked my ass, I'm sure, made a soldier outta me, he was probably a great teacher as far as the actual instruction. His surviving students are quite devoted and close-knit. But that cult............. Well I think the whole Tristano cult thing is a bit over played and probably not true, but I find it interesting that two great, original and unique soloists, from completely different backrounds would both give the same type of advice on how to start out, basically start imitating your heros until you find your own sound. I absolutely agree with your second statement. The first, not so sure, but boy do I not want to go there. Me and my big mouth....

If you did hear that piece, Suite for Guitar Quintet, you would hear it immediately. Quartet #5. It's a nice performance, BTW. Jimmy in good shape. Strings were out of tune I thought (string players, not guitar strings) and I would've liked to hear it done over. But still it's a good piece and worth hearing. I had it on a Muse LP: Strings and Swings. The other side (that really dates me, I know) is a concert in Louisville with his friend Jack Brengle on bass and Bobby Jones on tenor. Jon, if you read this again please comment. I for one would appreciate your insights and stories. I'm sure others on here would as well. You can do a much better job talking about your dad and cronies than a guy who took a few lessons and hung around him as a kid, and briefly at that.

I've occasionally wondered what studying with Tristano would have been like. He would've kicked my ass, I'm sure, made a soldier outta me, he was probably a great teacher as far as the actual instruction. His surviving students are quite devoted and close-knit. But that cult.............

It's OK, I did a lot of R&D with the drinking for years before stopping in '07. It probably would have killed me. Anyway...my automatic reaction when I first heard Raney was a combination of Bach 'n' Bird. I have a few albums on vinyl I haven't heard in years. He was high on Bartok, too. Wouldn't stop talking about him... I know about that, but I never heard it in his music. Almost never - if I had turntable, I could check my copy of the album he did with a string qt. I vaguely remember something special about that one, maybe a Bartok influence. He should, he's shown up on USNET and AAJ. I think I posted his web site in another Jimmy thread. I hope nobody chases him off! Uh uh. Why, pray tell, would they chase him off? He told me he looked at thread here and seemed to dig it, whether or not he decides to comment. Very nice cat, too, I can tell.

Check out that LP, Up Til Now (Catalyst). It's probably out of print, though. It goes to interesting places. Great Tom. Some of the solos are in a collection of Tom Harrell solos. Nice work by Ray Pizzi, too, and I like Levine's writing. A nice project all around.

Thanks. Did anyone hear that recording with Levine? Nice cover shot. I kind of like Mark Levine. His record Up Til Now, from '76, I got for Tom Harrell and serendipously discovered a searching musician on both piano and trombone. Interesting composer snd presenter too.

Then perhaps, kind sir, you could tell me.

Serendipity: I found a pile of books left for trash in Hastings, NY yesterday. Hope to get to all, as all seem interesting. Titles: Saints and Strangers (George F. Williston---should I know him?); Managing Your Mind Through Food and Thought; The Ritz on the Bayou (Nancy Lehmann); Black Hamlet (Wulf Sachs, a 1947 edition. I've heard of neither author nor book); The Jew of Rome (Lion Feuchtwanger. Publishing date: 1936); The Secret Life of Dogs (David Sipress. A Steve Gross-like comedy cartoon book). Will report back..........

I'd feel great running with the employment aspect. I don't think it wise to both work for the guy and live in his home. One wrong move and I've made an enemy, plus familiarity breeds contempt and we would drive each other nuts seeing that much of each other. I think it wiser to find another lower-cost living situation and not bring one's problems to work. There's the slightest chance I could get a charitable grant and cool things down here but it'll always be pressure to pay this kind of rent given my history of making little money. Plus I see how this landlord is. Even if I survive this current crisis with my rear end black and blue he will continue to have it in for me and my lease will never be renewed----worse still there will be unending harrassment in a campaign to get rid of me. I'm pretty sure I'm out of time, though, and expect to be served with papers today. Not really sure what to do, but at least I do have the job and again I see how the kindness of people nurtures hope and striving.

Wow dude, that's not much incentive to let you live now, is it... Stevie's gotten "too big" alright, but I'm not talking about the shows, if you know what I mean. Not that I have any room for talking. Or anything else for that matter... (can we get a "fat" smiley in here?" How about Smiley Winters? I doubt anyone will get that, so: I think he's (or was) a SF area musician. Pianist Mark Levine recorded an album wirh him, Smiley & Me. Now that I explained it I see exactly how much it sucks Yeah, Stevie and Aretha got mad big. Don't know why...............There's no sun up in the sky......

This may have a happy ending yet. I walked into a neighborhood eatery on Monday, not knowing where to turn. The owner knew me from when I used to come in to eat after work in the car service down the street (where my recent problems started after a falling out with the boss, resulting in her firing me) and we had struck up a friendship. My timing was good, b/c he offered me a delivery job on the spot---without knowledge of my predicament. The day I started, Tuesday, this golded-hearted guy loaned me money to get the repair my car needed to make it driveable after fetching it from the tow joint. Now, three days later, it turns out that he is learning mideast drums and jams outside the store with friends, sounding pretty good; he is a fan of my playing (he has a guitar in the place and asked me to play, though I wasn't in the mood) and has talked me up to the keeper of a well-loved saloon with live music on the block; just bought another place in a private pool/ health club that is perfect for live music in summertime, and we discussed myself and friends perhaps playing a steady night (summertime is a bitch, it has killed me for years as all my incomes have gone on vacation with the clients). And, incredibly, he has a basement he's willing to rent to me cheap! Now if the landlord starts eviction, which he has a hard-on to do, and I was ready to have a stroke over, I can move out by month's end and live on the security deposit (I doubt that the fuck'll go for that, but it's cheaper than to sue to get me out). This guy Khali, BTW, is, I believe Lebanese, and his wife Palistinian. He has been having monthly skull sessions in the joint among Jews and Arabs called "Working towards Peace, One Falafel at a Time", something he cooked up. There was an article about this in the terrific local paper, the Riverdale Press, posted in the front window. The thing to do when this calms down is to take a serious look at why I keep fucking up and living so close to the edge. I started out stressing the importance of responsibilty. It's not really cool to always have to be rescued, though I'm very relieved to have the help. All of us will run out of second and third chances one day. We have to make our own lives work. I think I tend not to think things out, resulting in bad decisions, the consequences of which I have to live with. Fortunately, there is no wife or family to pull down on the way to rack and ruin---but doing it to oneself is bad enough. Change can come anytime the desire and willingness to work toward it are present. I also don't know about the appropriateness of becoming dependent on this guy for both a job and housing. That sounds like a recipe for a possible rift if something fucks up. Moving into this guy's basement means we will be in each other's faces day and night, not a good thing, Also, giving me too soft a landing is not doing me a favor ultimately since the world is tough and if you don't learn that and how to survive in it (better yet, how to live comfortably---or even prosper) it's sort of your ass. It's sort of feeding my need for a crutch, when kicking it away might be better medicine. Maybe I'll ask to stay only til I get healthy, then, after saving a bit, move into another apartment ahead of schedule. I think a result of continued poverty, outside of important factors like racial prejudice, is perhaps a synthesis of the thoughts we put out (attracting good or bad results) and a certain degree of luck. I think the trick to turning a life around probably begins with one's thinking. What do you all think? How have you handled similar situations? Anyone want to confess their own transgressions? Tell Rabbi Fass..............

Great picture. John Beal's a great player, we've worked together a fair amount. I'd love to hear this. Y'all should check out Who was it Sang that Song by Rushing, too. excellent recording.