fasstrack

Larry, I haven't heard enough to know her bona fides as a real improviser, but thought her an excellent all-around musician. Tenor playing didn't floor me either. As far as the social elements you broach influencing success they shouldn't be disqualifers if she got game. And as far as 'Daddy Longlegs'-hey, nice work if you can get it...

Why? All I hear is lots of licks, no particular sense of line. In any case, what is there about her that you find striking musically?... Further, there's the fact that some of her early prominent NYC gigs came about because her boyfriend, Bill Gates' financial advisor, bankrolled.. I never said I found anything striking, just wondering what the bee in your bonnet was. I will say my first hearing of her was in the choro group mentioned in the article-an excellent group BTW, with CDs available. Choro is not improvised except in short vamp sections, and Ms. Cohen and the gtr/percussion ists made the most of these w/o flash. She got a good sound and seemed a good generic player. Haven't heard enough to forge an opinion...

Why?

He was actually a guest on Letterman in the '80s or '90s. He showed Dave a trinket Bird had given him as a gift.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the Gil Evans-Miles collaborations are perfect matches. Miles Ahead especially qualifies b/c it plays like a suite. Really just about all Gil's writing was attuned to his soloists. Plus Ten sounds like he and Steve Lacy were born to work together.

http://melmartin.com/html_pages/getz.html A good interview from '86.

Right. Forgot all about that one. Good group on there too.

Can't hold it against Stan for playing so perfectly. Sure, he had his predestined solo approaches and licks (as did Sonny Stitt and other players so smooth technically critics call them glib) but it's not as if there's no poetry or humanity there. If he were ice cold no one would be talking about him today.

Thank you ArtSalt.

It was Chuck Wayne that played Lovely (on banjo!). Unless Puma recorded it also.

Who, and what tunes are on Forest Eyes?

Anyone Can Whistle is a good blowing vehicle. Pretty Women is a challenge. There is much in Sondheim for improvisors, you just have to dig in to the repertoire. Plus the man is so brilliant it can't hurt to study his craft, read interviews, etc.

I disagree about Getz's playing on Focus. The solos, especially on I'm Late and Her, take their material from the compositions and their moods, hardly pre-fab. Stan's job was to fill out the spaces left open in otherwise stand-alone pieces. (Read Eddie Sauter's liner note comments). Stan is listening all the way and responding, not hung up in bebop, diminished scales, or any other kind of cliches.

Yes. There was a video made about the making of that date. I've seen it. Getz and others were interviewed. Some of the actual recording was filmed and shown. Don't recall what the circumstances were. May have been a 60 Minutes feature on Abbey. If anyone knows, please chime in.

Focus is a masterpiece. Getz just looked at Eddie's backgrounds once and nailed everything. It came together perfectly. A match of a great writer and one of the all-time pair of ears. For Getz/Sauter completists there's also the soundtrack to Mickey One, a sixties crime drama starring Warren Beatty. Getz plays clarinet and possibly alto on it.

Good stuff. Thanks.

How can I forget: Abbey Lincoln, You Gotta Pay the Band. Great record, great Stan. I think it was his last studio date.

Focus, The Master, Birdland 1952, Diz and Getz, For Musicians Only, Quintet at Storyville, Voyage, People Time, Serenity, Anniversary, Pure Getz, Dynasty, The Peacocks, The Dolphin...Stop me anytime

I think the avatars are one of the most fun aspects of this joint. I still don't know who some of the musicians are whose images are used-like the bassists in Face of the Bass or Bertrand's. And the guy w/the funny hat in Bebop's. Some others are more obvious, but it's fun playing detective. I think they absolutely say something about who the people are or admire. They give another dimension to the posts.

Wow. I heard him sing Freedom live at Woodstock. Had a voice you could pick out in 2 seconds. All the iconic figures of my generation are going. Sad.

He's funny that way....

'Jazz radio' is where it goes.

All the best, Joel

I met him in the '70s. There was a gig at Gerald's, a now-legendary club in Queens. Weldon Irvine was the leader with himself on Rhodes, Donald Blackman on accoustic piano, and my friend Bill Naccari on guitar. Can't remember the rest, but I could see Blackman was a great talent. Afterwards we got in someone's car to hang out and I saw he was a natural comedian. Had me rolling on the floor. Someone should do a story on Gerald's BTW. Very hip place. They could interview Roy Haynes. He hung out there a fair amount.

You know someone that great deserves a tribute thread. I guess this is it. Memories? I remember him on Carson telling a story about trying to cheat in 2nd grade math class and his classmate refused to help him, saying 'we learn by doing'.