fasstrack

Shaffer referred to him as a 'personal guru'. Not sure if he's a typical show-biz rat being insincere or he meant it and meant well. Perhaps a bit of both. Anyway it was to promote the relaunching of Blue Note around '85. I remember Letterman telling McCoy to 'stick around' and touching his leg. McCoy looked understandably uncomfortable as hell........

I came across this just last week and sent it to my students. Good stuff. Good. He lived it, too. The most no-BS, straight ahead artist I ever knew. I hope his following grows. I'm sure it will.

Music speaking loudest, here is a clip of the master in good form blowing on Dancing in the Dark from '84:

Evidently at an Aebersold clinic just before he died. Check out what the man has to say about playing, learning, hearing.

I think I'm confused and it was Jerry Lewis Rich played the drum duet with. Or maybe I had anchovies and dreamt it........

I'm surprised Buddy Rich was only fleetingly mentioned. He was a Carson favorite, and they had great chemistry. I remember Rich sitting down at the desk and Carson started the interview by saying 'now you're one of the best drummers in the music world', to which Rich replied 'no, I'm the best'. Cracked everyone up. There's also a video online of them playing two drum sets. Carson was an amateur drummer and a class act on his show to keep a big band. I really miss that show generally. I liked Leno's standup but he's no Carson. No one could be and it's over, I guess. Conan O'Brien? Please.......... When Leno took over Branford tried to do the right thing and have good players get national exposure by playing on the breaks and they would be on for a minute or so and he'd introduce them. But they killed it, apparently. Jim Hall came on with his young group toward the end of Carson's tenure. Played, I think, Skylark and an original. That was nice, indeed.

Bump. Don't want this to get buried. Anyone know?

And you can hear Trane's dedication piece, "Like Sonny" on Coltrane Jazz. Nice little tune. Supposed to be based on a Sonny lick. I used to hear guys play it a lot. It goes up, like in minor thirds, I think. I always liked Trane's opening on his solo. It was so melodic I thought it was part of the tune. The tune "Like Sonny" ( also recorded as "Simple Like") is based on lick played by Sonny Rollins. You can hear Sonny play it on the Kenny Dorham album "Jazz Contrasts" (Riverside/OJC) during his solo on "My Old Flame" Yeah. I knew I heard it somewhere. I guess I knew to listen after Trane said how he wrote it. Tank-a-you

Frickin' hilarious......

I read The Bass Saxophone after a friend turned me on, and really dug it. The preface was a classic---with all the Nazi regulations about suitable music. There was another book following the adventures of that same group of jazz-struck teens, not sure of the title. I also at least looked through his first novel---the one that got him in hot water---The Heroes, I think. Anyway, I lost track of Skvorky. What's become of him? Still in Canada? Did he go home? Written anything lately? Anyone know? Any other fans?

And you can hear Trane's dedication piece, "Like Sonny" on Coltrane Jazz. Nice little tune. Supposed to be based on a Sonny lick. I used to hear guys play it a lot. It goes up, like in minor thirds, I think. I always liked Trane's opening on his solo. It was so melodic I thought it was part of the tune.

Only the Mosaic, not the person. I think Tal has been gone for a while. '98. I think.

PJ? Pacific Jazz?

Did you know Morris Edwards?

RIP indeed. A life well-lived.

Jeez. I remember Skinny Bergan (I thought it was Berger). He and Percy played a job at the West End accompanying Jo Jones and Jo wasn't too nice to the band. Great guy, as I recall. I think he stood up to Jo, or Percy defended him. I'm a longtime admirer of the talents of Randy Sandke. Hope I get a chance to work with him. His musical depth, creativity, and knowledge are impressive indeed. Yes, Leroy is a great cat. Everybody in NY has nothing but props for him and his playing.

Hell, hardly any white or black folks got Warne in his lifetime. I think way more people are hip to him now than when he was alive. And yet Anthony Braxton "got" him better than anybody outside of the original(-ish) Tristano-ites, rightfully placing him in the "white mystic tradtiion" (or something like that) and digging him precisely because of that. Then again, Anthony Braxton "gets" more things than most people, period. Yeah. All I know is he's a great player, and the world needs all the beauty it can get. Here is a page from a tribute site, with some rememberances, including my own: http://www.warnemarsh.info/global_warne-ing.htm

uh, oh... Indeed. Sad.

I just put a whole long response in only to see it disappear in cyberspace. Arrrrrggghhh! F-ing aggravating. I don't have the energy, the koioch to rewrite it, but musicians and people generally across race and gender are constantly being miscategorized, misunderstood, over or underrated, and generally screwed due to race prejudice (from both sides of the B/W divide), professional exploitation, but worst of all IMO cultural separation. Warne Marsh comes to mind as a great player not as much noticed among blacks as whites b/c he inhabited a cultural reference point---even within jazz---not as resonant with black culture. Whites (particularly white critics)overrating black players simply b/c they are black is equally lame, ultimately racist, and perhaps reflective of wannabeism. It also always bugs me when I wind up picking white players for my own projects even though they are the best musical choices b/c it makes me wonder why I don't know more black players on the scene. Then I think: I'm just a guitar player and it's too much responsibility to solve society's problems. I just want a good band. In reality I know quite a few black and female musicians (not nearly enough Latinos) but we always seem, at least from what we learn culturally, to gravitate to our own kind---we humans---and everyone hires those they know (unless they are politically motivated----musically really unforgiveable). It's almost tempting to say it would be better if everyone mixed it up and sort of shtupped everyone else until their were no more races. But then there would be no difference, no chiarascuro among humans and it would be damn boring. I do wish we would get to the point where cultural identities would recede more generally.

I like Stephen Holden on cabaret a whole lot. I used to like John S. Wilson and the late Whitney Baillett (in the New Yorker, not the NYT). Elvis Mitchell and A.O. Scott are very good on movies. The NYT also had some excellent TV commentary 10-15 years ago by John J. O' Connor and John Corry. Richard Sandomir is tremendous on a lot of subjects. I think their jazz reviewing went downhill from Peter Watrous and especially with Ben Ratliff. Ratliff isn't really a holding writer to me---rather weak, actually---aside from disagreeing with his taste and analyses. Actually, the Gray Lady has been sinking generally IMO for some time.

Someone should do a tribute thread to Percy, come to think of it. Maybe I will. He was really a great guy and underrated as hell: a real bluesman & pro who could swing you into bad health. By himself. Michael Howell and I were reminiscing about Percy and he told me this story: He walked into a dance hall or something and everyone was dancing and having a great time. He turned to the bandstand and the band was..........Percy France. He was my first real friend in the jazz biz. He had me sit in at the West End and recommended me to George Kelly. I wanted to use him for my first concert playing originals, but he was out of the country. In (I swear) France. I'll close with a final story: in those days WKCR had annual fundraisers at the West End. Percy MCed one, and graciously introed tenor player after tenor player----all damn respectable players. Finally he got up, strapped on the horn, called "Sugar"---and blew the roof off the joint. He let music have the last say.

If it was '81 that must've been the band I meant.

I not only agree with that, I have a serious problem with people who talk about the outrage of artists stealing from other artists. To use the obvious and most often used example, Elvis Presley. People act as if he had no interest in the music he performed but was just using it to get rich at the expense of African-American artists who came before him. This is such a silly perspective I have to wonder what causes it. Some super dumbasses said the same about Stan Getz ripping off Prez. I remember Dizzy always saying 'musicians are the biggest thieves'. One time at the Monday Night Jazz Foundation jam at Local 802 Donald Byrd turned around to say to everyone listening: 'Miles heard Sweets (I think he said Sweets) play with a Harmon one night and the next night he was using a Harmon. Thief.' And he laughed. He wasn't putting Miles down, just appreciating his good taste. Everyone 'steals' and it only shows good taste and respect. If you build on it it's all good. Stop there, 'nother story.