fasstrack

Indeed. When the WB box set of the Dial sides was released, it was in preparation for a "forthcoming" biopic starring Richard Pryor. This was in the mid/late 1970s. Several years, lifetimes, and brain cells ago (1973) I was a mail boy-messenger at MCA Universal. A project was broached to make Ross Russell's then-current book a movie. Lou Donaldson's name came up as a possible choice to play Bird because of not only the sonic but physical similarities. Anyway, we see where that idea went.....

well, you "outed" PeeWee Marquette as being female and no one else seemed to know. We have some funny MFs here. I once threatened Donald Duck with blackmail and presented pictures of him in compromising positions with Huey. Lived high on the hog for a minute at that. Oh, wait, scratch that---I think that was another Huey and Donald the FBI agent...... Damn. Another middle-aged moment

Thanks for being a gentleman, good sir.

It's not the point, Chris. It's not your call IMO to 'out' anyone, especially someone not around any more. People's sexuality is their own affair and none of my business unless they make it so. And c'mon, your negative comments re Chan had nothing to do with her sex life. No, I didn't read your bio on Bessie, but remember your liner notes and a '70s show on BAI here in the Big Mango. I have no issue with you as a writer, jazz or record industry persona. On the contrary. You are quite an accomplished and insightful man and friend of music. I don't know you, nor you me. It does seem from your posts that you are a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy sometimes. I can relate, since there are a lot of things to be drug about. But since I'm a musician I find I may not be able to do much about the things that displease me but I can do more good lifting someone's spirits or making them think in an hour playing---that's if and when I'm in focus---than tilting at all the windmills (or windbags) in the world. I have no illusions, but it just might help someone think better thoughts. Life is short and music beautiful. That's not nihilism to me, but using one's talents as John Stuart Mill might have suggested. But do your thing, Chris. I made my point, you made yours, and we're both big boys. I won't press this any further.

Don't know about the foot end, but people waking up on the wrong side usually miss the floor with their feet. Instead they wind up in their mouths.....

I feel wonderful, Chris. Thanks for asking. Look, I'm not trolling you. I know and respect your accomplishments, but making yourself hanging judge and jury, especially of those no longer around to defend themselves is downright tasteless IMO, and certainly unnecessary. That's all I meant despite my strong language, and it stands. As far as the movie Bird itself, when it came out there was a telling roundtable discussion of it with musicians like Diz, Roy Haynes, and others I can't remember now on (the great) Gil Noble's Like it Is. They corrected some of the more romantic flights of fancy like the one where Bird importunes Gillespie to 'write this (music) down for me'. Someone, perhaps Jackie McClean, was saying how at a record date Bird asked each guy if they wanted food and starting writing something that appeared to be food orders but in fact was parts he was copying super fast. Then there was Red Rodney, who many times has stated he never felt Parker had the great knowledge attributed to him---not that it mattered. "It doesn't matter how you got it, it's what you got" I believe were his exact words. As for my own opinion, I found the movie marred by Eastwood's heavy-handed anti-drug preachments and, as observed by others here, his one-dimensional characterization of Bird as someone pitiful and sort of doomed to act out a tragedy. People that knew him would say BS. Also, as has been noted here too, Dizzy's minimal role and the abscence of Max, Miles, KD are pretty egregious sins. It's obvious though that Eastwood loved Bird and loves jazz and its musicians generally, but I think he sort off booted this one. I still enjoy it as drama and art. I liked the actor that played Rodney and was less impressed by Whittaker (though I am a fan generally) and Venora's work. I think they sort of were done in by the soapsuds in the script. It's weird, but Eastwood in this case reminds me of how I feel about Spike Lee: best at capturing/romanticizing the atmospheric sights and sounds of an era. The 52nd Street themes were stunning to look at.

Jesus, calm down, will you? You are so dark and seem to be bent on exposing or 'outing' jazz people. WTF is up with that? Like your charming little vignette about Dizzy's supposed bisexuality. True or not, who the fuck are you to be talking about that on the Internet? Takes a lot of balls, BTW, after the man is in his grave.... Chan Richardson was married to the man. She had to know something, for chrissakes, even if there is a grain of truth to your bitter little analysis. I truly hope for your sake you are not this sour all the time.

Very nice. But, being a big fan and follower of Tom's career IMO his recordings on other people's records in the 70s-80s and a lot of his leader dates on smaller labels were generally better than the BMG stuff. I liked Labyrinth. He really stretched out on that writing-wise and played a stunner of a solo on his chart called Hot Licks on the Sidewalk. This is not to say this is not a lovely album. I revisit it from time to time and enjoy it. The orchestrations are nice and well-thought out. The use of all the voices in the mix, his own included, is like a good director. Tom does that very well, establishes the sound as a writer, then lets the players speak. I guess my overall gripe is that the tunes were not his best, because he has some gems in his years, and not just a few. But where he might have been coming from was to explore rhythmic structures, grooves, and vamps. He definitely succeeded at that. Sometimes it's hard to tell with the larger labels why a recording gets made. I think part of the reason for this on was that either the label wanted to try something different, or Harrell did---or both. And they have the budget for larger projects, so why not? I still like recordings like Form, Passages, Stories, Sail Away, etc. better, and let's not even talk about his trumpet playing with Horace, Bill Evans, Harold Danko, Ronnie Cuber, etc. etc.---going all the way back to my old friend Bob Mover who I just saw and heard tonight, and who first told me "I have this amazing trumpet player in my band" 30 years ago. I went to Sweet Basil, fell in love, and never looked back.....

Excellent musician. Everything I ever heard by him swung and was musical. I was friendly with a guitarist named Les Spann and he had a record called Gemini where he played guitar and flute and Julius got some nice space on that. I believe he's on Phil Woods' the Rites of Swing too. Not sure of that, though.

About last week's concert or the one in '98? He's also on my suspect list for writing wrong info about the Jazz Cultural Theater on the notes to David X. Young's Jazz Loft and never even bothering to do the simplest research after the fact to correct it. My solution would be to put Ben, Howard, and the Great Genius Stanley Crouch together in an isolation chamber. They'd have no choice then but to bore each other to death and leave the rest of us alone.

Ha. 'Deed it does. I miss Johnny terribly. Late night TV is interchangeable and forgettable host and guest-wise these days. RIP, Ross. So many great players in that band over the years. CT, Snooky Young, Pete Christlieb,etc. Good charts, too. And Doc had style and panache and was crazy like a fox to allow himself and his wardrobe to become grist for the Carson zinger mill. An era I can only remember fondly now.

You go, Dave! I love reading stuff like this. Music keeps us young.

Ha. It really does speak for itself. Don't fall over yourselves all apologizing at once, guys (I love this). Wilson's racism, condescendingness, his fascination with what he took to be his own intellect, and other appealing qualities were self-evident on the tape. And, as I said, Bird nailed it and Wilson's sorry ass in one sentence, and with one look. What cracks me up is the video is some 3 years after the none-too-funny doggerel of his article. But did the Broadway Sage catch up one iota to what every musician knew was important and great? Like I said, he was a low-rent Winchell wannabe, a Broadway hustler that landed in a newspaper. What a self-important windbag.

I'm quite surprised no one mentioned the Art Farmer-Jim Hall collaboration (unless I missed it). The best known one is Interactions, and deservedly so. I Love Sweden is also good. Chet Baker, the Tokyo concerts (1987) is very nice. Also, These Rooms (Jim Hall/Tom Harrell). I'm sure I'll think of some others. Bedtime for Bonzo just now.

Bless you for mentioning both Ruby and Warren. Both are gems and I'm a major fan.

BTW, don't believe a word of that charlatan Ben Ratliff about Herbie's working group. He says the same thing about any group with electric instruments, especially bass (God forbid it should soil a jazz group). He ran almost that review verbatim at a magical Wayne Shorter concert in '98. I was there and it was a phenomenal evening but the all-knowing one ripped it to shreds in his 'review'. Ben, stop annoying people. I tell you, all the wrong people get paid in this world....

I get the idiot of the year award. I had a ticket. 40 f'ing dollars. Shit. I had it in my calendar and I was tired last night and spaced. I remembered when I saw a listing in the Times, but it was 10 PM (do you know where your brain cells are?....) by then. I'm glad, though, to hear Mr. Brecker was well enough to play. That's very good news, and a damn sight better than what I was hearing.

I think I played there once in the 80s, if it was still around. I know I played in a joint called the Three Eyed Shrimp, with some people from the Jazz Cultural Theater (a Barry Harris operated and part-owned place of pedagogy and performance. A lot of pros played there and we were the kids hanging and learning. We had gigs there too, all courtesy of Barry's generosity. This gig at the Shrimp was courtesy of Barry's friend and JCT mainstay, Richard Wilkerson). Kim Clarke, myself, Roy Haynes' son Greg (he used to play drums) and a guy named Haji Akbar on trumpet. We were kids (well, 20-somethings, anyway). We backed Al Hibbler on "Unchained Melody" and no one knew it. It was pitiful. Ah, memories! I also played a jam session at La Famille. I definitely remember that. Also one gig at the then new Small's Paradise with a singer. All the same period, '83-'85. But this Red Rooster sounds very familiar and I either played there or was in there.

I knew Bucky. Not well. Played with him a few times. Couldn't tell you anything about his personal life. But possibly could point you to someone who did. PM me.

A lot of sideman dates from the 70s have some of his best work and even some of his tunes: Ronnie Cuber: 7th Day of Acquarius (Open Air) Harold Danko; Coincidence Bill Evans: We Will Meet Again Phil Woods: Live in NY Horace Silver: Silver 'n' series Bob Berg: New Birth For Tom's leader albums I like the smaller label stuff better: Passages Stories Form Total (his first recording done in '79 or '76. Originall called Aurora. Rerealeased under current title on Pinnacle. Produced by the late Arnie Lawrence Great record) Play of Light Sail Away The best RCA I thought was Labyrinth. His solo on "Hot Licks on the Sidewalk" is beutiful. Nice writing. Art of Rhythm is good too, nmore for the ensemble writing than his playing IMO

There's a DVD out of that band, with Horave, Tom, Berg, Eddie Gladden, Steve Besrkone. It's from '76. Called Horace silver Quintet Recorded Live at the Umbria jazz Festival. I have it. It's excellent. Tom and Horace both sound great.

Good observations. Tom experiments a lot in his writing, and, like all artists who take chances, with varying degrees of success. But he never strays from human emotion, which is why his work resonates with people where others with perhaps equal writing expertise don't. He has a real melodic gift in his playing and writing besides deep knowledge, and of every kind of music, that came from a lot of work. I used to hear him in the late 70s when people were just becoming aware of him in NY. He was playing in all kinds of situations with people like Ronnie Cuber, Mike Nock, Bob Mover (the first one to tell me about him and in whose band I first heard Harrell), Jill McManus, Sam Jones, etc., etc. Every band he was in he brought something wise, fresh, passionate, and lyrical to, like his talent was the ideal prism the for material. That song Rapture and the album I first heard it on, Stories, has a real emotional resonance for me. I remember taking a long bus ride to Tuscon in '89 staving off boredom by listening to those tunes like Water's Edge and The Mountain. I hadn't heard Tom in a little bit when that album came out and I got into him again in a flash. For the person that asked about the Horace stuff the Silver 'n' series all featured Tom---some with Berg, some with Larry Schneider. I really liked Silver 'n' Wood. Barbara from Silver 'n' Brass has a beautiful solo and is one of my favorite Silver pieces from that period. Silver 'n' voices also has burning Tom. That tune Out of the Night is a standout. Great tune, great solo by Tom. I think Silver 'n' Strings was the best, though. Great Tom (in a front line and very nice blend with Schneider), really strong writing and nice playing by Horace and it even offers the very worthwhile singing talents of the late Gregory Hines.

I heard that band live in some long-defunct club on Broadway around 74th street, the Upper West Side that very year. Everybody in that band was kicking ass and taking names. But Tom! Every head on the bandstand was turned to him during his solos. He was playing so much that that piano player Moroni had to fight back a laughing jag.

Getting back to the original theme it really amazes me how there's so much music, often great or near-great, that is practically being given away---and few want it. So many new releases for close to $20 I wouldn't bother with because I know they're over-hyped and smell a rat immediately. But it's my gain, I figure. I just bought this beautiful Warren Vache with the Scottish (string) Ensemble CD (Don't Look Back, Arbor), a real off-the-beaten track labor of love for Vache, the string players, arrangers (the great) Bill Finegan, James Chirillo, and Alan Barnes. Price? $6 and change on amazon.com. James (a terrific veteran guitarist and great writer and one of my close buddies) played it for me in his home and there was no way I was not going to not own something so special and beautiful. To my personal delight it was to be had for a song plus postage. To my great consternation art on this level is going at bargain basement prices. I guess that's always the way it's been, though. Van Gogh, it is said, never sold a painting in his life.

What, the silverware? I knew you were the SOB stealing it