fasstrack

Bless you, Kenny. Your work has so much humanity. You are more relevant today than ever. As a guitar player in my early 50s I look out there among the individuals currently on my instrument with so much information age chops going on to hear sounds, idiosyncracies, personalities, and maturity and I still want Kenny Burrell back at the end. Toninho Horta is beautiful, though. Cat turned my head. Kenny, you still own the fattest sound and biggest heart in the biz, and not just among guitarskys.

Eddie Diehl (guitar) worked with her for years and remembers her fondly. I never heard the woman myself but wish I did.

BTW, not for nothin', but tell your kids they're right.....

Thank you all for your good wishes. I received more from friends and spent the shank of the evening with 'my tribe' (a very corny phrase I just remembered from Mel Torme: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I think a little jazz in the shank of the evening would be in order'). I listened to my buddies play at Smalls. John Mosca souded great. Jerry Dogion was there too, playing with Chris Byars' octet. I didn't stay past one tune, but I heard Ari Roland's group. Chris was in that, too, also Sascha Perry, piano and Phil Stewart, drums. All Ari's music. I've known him since he was 16. Sascha I know since he's like 14 sitting in with C. Sharpe at the Zanzibar and playing Monk already. Oh, these jazzers.......

That ended in a very fruitful private exchange BTW. He seems quite gracious away from the crowd actually. He was very nice, I swear. I think a lot of it is an act. Fascinating guy for sure.

Wow! Someone actually remembers that? Amazing. We had fun, though, especially at the Gull's Landing in Pentwater, though the last night there my keyboard player passed out and almost cracked his head open. Emergency room , the whole 9. He was OK though, just scratched his face up badly. Don't blame me for that bullshit name, BTW. Blame Tim Scully

Maybe someone less slow-witted than I could post a link to some of his recordings. They are treasures. Thanks BM. Hi, Rita.

I once wrote a tune called I was Never Young, but decided that title to be too dark, so I changed it to I'm Much Younger Now (stolen, I believe, from Dylan)

It's OK. I prolly wouldn't have gotten anywhere when she was sentient. Like I said, though, the Fass motor purrs along and moves forward and it's tough to kill dreams. Maybe I could hit on Madonna? I could always feign interest in the Kabbalah......

A totally unique pianist and a lovely, sensitive man, Chris has been in under the weather in NY. Let's send some good vibes his way. He turns 80 in September. We shouldn't forget the treasures still among us.

Probably just in time for me leaving the joint. What was that about musicians and timing?

Man, who is the doll in that picture? Can you see your way clear to making her my present? Probably she's dead. But hey, necrophilia? Like Voltaire I'll try anything once

Yo. When are we gonna hook up, you damn......GUITAR PLAYER you? Hope it's soon Thanks for your wishes and this happenin' joint to all you Organissimo knuckleros.

today (right now). My motor's purring, my dreams are alive, and I'll kick anyone's ass unarmed and under 4'6". I'm happy to be part of this community. Thanks for engaging this knucklehead and his phoney-baloney musings.

Anyone here read Manchild in the Promised Land? I have around 60 times since it came out when I was a kid in the Bronze Age. Remember Brown talking about how Johnny D., the pimp and gangster in his bulding taught him about 'gittin' over'?..........

Oh, the humanity----of that mixed metaphor. Remember Mad Magazine's 'Horrifying Cliches'? Blathering a Hindenburg is a good candidate

What a brilliant yet simple observation! Now if only I put it into action.......

It all just reminds me that I wouldn't give old Stanley the fucking time of day. If he sat next to me at the bar, I'd grab my drink and sit in the next room. I don't know, man. Maybe it's my penchant for self-criticism or guilt, and I wouldn't tell you how to live---but I think it's easier to call other people out than look in the mirror. It's even easier to talk shit than play good, as is evidenced by all the wanking opinionating (including my own dumbass chimings in) on the Intraweb. Besides, the fact that we're all giving Stanley the time of day is proof positive that, like it or not, he gets under our skin. That makes him the winner at this game and a master puppeteer.

I (among other Minor Men) flushed the quarry out. He spelled my name right, too. I think I went too far in responding to old Stanley and apologized. When we call people out or call them names we're really doing it to ourselves. I'm not sure whether I find that observation about this race of knuckleheads sad or funny. Tragicomic, I guess.

Aw, I think I'll bust out crying. And the problem with two channels would be? It never fails to amaze me how sheep-like people are when a new and 'improved' product is marketing super-sized then media served. I called Mac Mall and asked for computer speakers. As in two. You see, I have two ears at last count. I was sent something called a 5.1 system which had 5, count 'em 5 speakers, and enough wires to make Medusa work harder. I simply could not put it together properly. (truth in posting: I am a techno-moron, slobbering on myself even as I write this) Sent it back (the first of 2 times Mac Mall f'ed up a simple order), went to CompUSA and spent $20 on speakers including subwoofer that are just peachy keen. What is this obsession about 'new, improved technology'? What am I missing here?

You might want to check out Ludmila Ulehla's Contemporary Harmony (Advance Music). She was a legendary instructor at Manhattan School of Music here in NYC. She remains universally praised as a brilliant musician and teacher. My teacher, the late John Foca was a theory major and swore by her. I have it, BTW, and it too remains uncracked. I also would recommend getting perspective from direct usage of such harmony from scores by 20th Century composers, especially Bartok and Berg. Certainly there are others. Off topic alert: (If you are offended by off-topic remarks remain in your homes and hide all Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters recordings for the next several seconds) I did get some good use out of Cecil Forsyth's Orchestration; The Gil Evans Collection concert scores (especially "Jambangle" which I marked to a fare-thee-well); Inside the Score; and some romantic, impressionist, and 20th Century piano music. (I start to lose interest at Ligati and thereafter). And a lot of comics and Mad magazines.

I'm so lazy. Whip me. Hurt me. Make me write bad checks

At 18 I approached Mr. Lateef with a youthful question and received a most wise and thoughtful response, though he was getting ready to go to work at the Vanguard. 32 years hence I caught up with him at the 2004 IAJE conference here in NY. We had a minute to talk and I reminded him of his long-forgotten kindness. He said something like 'that's beautiful, bless you, brother' and smiled broadly. I think he is a great man and wonderful artist. He must be 80 or damn close. Long may you live Yusef Lateef, and salaam.

Yes. And it looks excellent. Now ask me if I ever cracked it