fasstrack

I'll let you in on a secret----against my better judgement: Fat Cat IMO is the hippest joint in NYC and the best deal. $3 to get in to hear musicians that smoke anyone you could hear at the Vanguard (except perhaps the Orchestra, which John Mosca has done a great job of leading for years now). Smalls is also a great deal. I admit my prejudice b/c both employ my friends and myself. But I believe I speak the truth. Plus 'the cats' can't afford admission and can only get in if they know someone or have saved their sheckels. Fat Cat and Smalls have never turned anyone away, and customers get to stay for every set of three different bands until 4 or 5 AM. Your call. Let's face it: The jazz greats that made the Vanguard what it was are long gone---either that or, like Sonny Rollins or Ahmad Jamal (both of whom I heard there in the glory pre-Lorraine days) won't work there anymore. I won't name names but IMO other than Tom Harrell most of the people playing the Vanguard are not even close to the best out there. So why not save money and let it---and Lorraine---ride? I'll give her one thing: it's not her fault the greats died off (actually, on 2nd thought....just kidding). She wants to stay in business and the name still brings in customers, so why not? But the Vanguard had its day, and more than earned its place in history. Now it's over. From the ashes will rise new Phoenixes. That's the cycle of life. Leaving Lorraine's personality aside and relative cost of clubs, this overstates the case so drastically it's laughable. First, to suggest that Sonny Rollins not playing the Vanguard is an indictment is to ignore the fact that Sonny hasn't played any nightclub anywhere in literally decades, stopping long before Max died. Second, here's the lineup at the club for the first quartet of the year. We can all argue about taste, and everyone can find fault with this guy or that guy and point to others that should get the gigs as we construct our own ideal line-up, etc -- I certainly am not enamored with all of these players. But just using these three months as a baseline, to say that "most of the people playing the Vanguard are not even close to the best out there" seems more rooted in stylistic preferences and prejudices than an objective survey of what's being offered. As always, Your mileage may vary. JANUARY 2012 January 03 - January 08 BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO Larry Grenadier-b, Jeff Ballard-d January 10 - January 15 GERI ALLEN, ESPERANZA SPALDING, TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON January 17 - January 22 CHRIS POTTER QUARTET David Virelles-p, Joe Martin-b, Marcus Gilmore-d January 24 - January 29 BARRY HARRIS TRIO Ray Drummond-b, Leroy Williams-d January 31 - February 05 JEFF "TAIN" WATTS QUARTET David Kikoski-p, Marcus Strickland-sax, Orlando LeFleming-b February 07 - February 12 FRED HERSCH TRIO John Hebert-b, Eric McPherson-d February 14 - February 19 MARK TURNER QUARTET Avishai Cohen-tpt, Joe Martin-b, Marcus Gilmore-d February 21 - February 26 FABIAN ALMAZAN TRIO Linda Oh-b, Henry Cole-d, February 28 - March 04 KURT ROSENWINKEL QUARTET Aaron Parks-p, Eric Revis-b, Justin Faulkner-d March 06 - March 11 AL FOSTER QUARTET J. D. Allen-sax, Adam Birnbaum-p, Dezron Douglas-b March 13 - March 18 THE HEATH BROTHERS Jimmy Heath-sax, Albert "Tootie" Heath-d, Jeb Patton-p, David Wong-b March 20 - March 25 BILL McHENRY QUARTET Bill McHenry-sax, Orrin Evans-p, Eric Revis-b, Andrew Cyrille-d March 27 - April 01 ENRICO PIERANUNZI TRIO April 03 - April 08 CRAIG TABORN TRIO April 10 - April 15 TOM HARRELL QUINTET Tom Harrell-tpt, Wayne Escoffery-sax, Danny Grissett-p, Ugonna Okegwo-b, Johnathan Blake-d April 17 - April 22 JOSHUA REDMAN TRIO Joshua Redman-sax, Reuben Rogers-b Greg Hutchinson-d April 24 - April 29 ROY HARGROVE QUINTET Go overpay to hear the great Esperanza Spaulding, then. Enjoy yourself. I'm done.

I'll let you in on a secret----against my better judgement: Fat Cat IMO is the hippest joint in NYC and the best deal. $3 to get in to hear musicians that smoke anyone you could hear at the Vanguard (except perhaps the Orchestra, which John Mosca has done a great job of leading for years now). Smalls is also a great deal. I admit my prejudice b/c both employ my friends and myself. But I believe I speak the truth. Plus 'the cats' can't afford admission and can only get in if they know someone or have saved their sheckels. Fat Cat and Smalls have never turned anyone away, and customers get to stay for every set of three different bands until 4 or 5 AM. Your call. Let's face it: The jazz greats that made the Vanguard what it was are long gone---either that or, like Sonny Rollins or Ahmad Jamal (both of whom I heard there in the glory pre-Lorraine days) won't work there anymore. I won't name names but IMO other than Tom Harrell most of the people playing the Vanguard are not even close to the best out there. So why not save money and let it---and Lorraine---ride? I'll give her one thing: it's not her fault the greats died off (actually, on 2nd thought....just kidding). She wants to stay in business and the name still brings in customers, so why not? But the Vanguard had its day, and more than earned its place in history. Now it's over. From the ashes will rise new Phoenixes. That's the cycle of life.

But Schepp ruins it. He won't shut up, yammering throughout C's. one friggin' solo on the whole record (alright, maybe he got two. My next article is gonna be about C. Sharpe. I knew him very well, much better than I knew Chris. A beautiful cat with talent that reached everyone who heard it and mental energy that could tire you out.

The waitresses a trip in that joint. When I was a kid and broke I left what I had. The waitress followed me out the door to the street ragging me out that it was a shitty tip. Another one, Mary, was mixing drinks in a machine so loud Jimmy Raney stopped and said 'Hey Mary, you wanna come over and sit in---on hammer?

Did they cover most of that material on 40 years of Tony Bennett (if that's the right title)? That started with Because of You and Cold Cold Heart and finished with the Bill Evans collaboration. Pretty great stuff.

Did they cover most of that material on 40 years of Tony Bennett (if that's the right title)? That started with Because of You and Cold Cold Heart and finished with the Bill Evans collaboration. Pretty great stuff.

The guy's bio says he was born in '39. I figure he must know something.....

What year was that? I got to know Barry in the '80s and the first concert I remember was in '83 b/c he asked me to come out to Weehawken and help out. I remember Charles MacPherson being on it and Harold Vick. I don't remember Chris, which doesn't mean he didn't play. But I figure he started concerts in the '70s b/c I remember him passing a donation jar around at Bradley's around '76.

She's such a peach and so devoted to her customers she keeps two tables off-limits: one to sit at, the other (adjacent) so her royal view isn't blocked. And it's old news to anyone on the jazz scene in NY that she can drink most customers under the table. Believe what y'all want. That's it from me here. Like Mammy Yokum 'I has spoken'..... oh, dear, what sinful, horrible things you're accusing her of!! LOL!! in her own club, she saves a seat for herself and possibly one for a guest or someone to join her?!? what nerve! and at her age, i would think that the drinks might be her saving grace with all the responsibility she has. more power to her. i'd love to join her in a martini! and you have your very own axe to grind, fasstrack, that's obvious. Not really. I don't care too much one way or the other about Lorraine or the Vanguard. But reading that disingenuous tripe just brought back the memory. I'm far from the only person feeling like this and I don't want to beat it into the ground. So salud!

He was on every concert Barry had thereafter. The memory is so vivid: Chris sitting at the grand piano amid a sea of faces belonging to the choir. They would sing something like A Time For Love with Chris commenting like a one-man greek chorus---then going off for a long solo excursion. Those moments were pretty special. It also shows what kind of man Barry is---what a good heart he has and how secure he is in himself to feature a pianist he loved on his own concert. And many of those concerts were recorded. Someone out there has some precious documents.

I'm happy with the feedback I got from several who read the piece---but especially from Chris's best friend, a great guy named Al Sutton. Al is a NY-based actor who really looked after Chris and even created a shoestring label (AlSut) to record and distribute Chris's music. I hope this isn't taken the wrong way, but I think in time Chris will get the credit he deserves for his unique playing and not have being 'Herbie Hancock's teacher' the first thing seemingly always uttered about him (in those rare instances when anything is uttered). Herbie is a great musician and a trend-setter on piano himself, but to my ears I never heard even a remote resemblance to Chris's playing. They are totally different and Chris should be respected on his own merits. Having said that I'm glad Herbie spoke up for Chris the way he did---claiming to have begged to study with him--- in interviews.

She's such a peach and so devoted to her customers she keeps two tables off-limits: one to sit at, the other (adjacent) so her royal view isn't blocked. And it's old news to anyone on the jazz scene in NY that she can drink most customers under the table. Believe what y'all want. That's it from me here. Like Mammy Yokum 'I has spoken'.....

Bach was a family man. Regarding mortals The people at Fat Cat are practically saints and are doing more for talented but lesser-known musicians for anyone else in NY except maybe Smalls. In your neck of the woods the only people I know are Lazaro Vega and Tim Scully and I have nothing but admiration for both. Lorraine is a creep who inherited a great club through marriage and ran it into the ground. Her importance is completely to herself. WTF does that have to do with where I live. If you are hinting I'm in the hinterlands, I was in the Vanguard a couple of weeks ago to hear the big band. FWIW, met Max back in the day and spent a delightful afternoon in a bar with Lorraine in the early '80s. I'm not hinting that at all. You're hinting that. If your experience with her was different, good for you. I'm just telling mine.

Wow. Sounds great. Thanks for the tip.

Bach was a family man. Alright, I'll give you Wagner, but still.... Regarding mortals The people at Fat Cat are practically saints and are doing more for talented but lesser-known musicians than anyone else in NY except maybe Smalls. In your neck of the woods the only people I know are Lazaro Vega and Tim Scully and I have nothing but admiration for both. Lorraine is a creep who inherited a great club through marriage and ran it into the ground. Her importance is completely to herself.

'No you can't' 'Yes I can' (etc.) 'Can you bake a pie? Well neither can I'.......

Damn! And I thought it was just me. Why, you, you neurosis killer!

Don't be fooled. She turns on the charm in interviews but treats customers and others like crap. I won't even go into the politics involved in getting a gig at the Vanguard. I haven't experience in the latter. As far as the former, she was such a rude creep to me the last time I went and paid to hear one of the few people worth hearing anymore at the Vanguard that I haven't been back (except to give music to a member of the Vanguard Orchestra) and don't intend to---until she's gone. Maybe I can slip in Monday to hear the band---the night she's off. It's fine with me anyway b/c almost no one performing there these days interests me to spend money to hear that much. The late Max Gordon was a class act and presided over a great club. Alcoholic and nasty Lorraine did the same thing to the Vanguard that Bradley Cunningham's widow Wendy did to Bradley's: run it into the ground. But I have great memories of the Max Gordon-era Vanguard.

I just read the whole thing. I hope he doesn't play like he writes b/c that post is the kind of shallow self-importance and egotism that almost did kill jazz personified. Also poor writers almost always use vulgarity--as he does here--in place of ideas. Enough twaddle from various arrested adolescents today. I'm gonna go write a song. Or learn one at least.

<rimshot> ;-) Somehow this reminds me of the scene in The Nutty Professor where Kelp (after already having stained his white tux blazer red dipping in the punch bowl) goes a little nuts dancing to the Les Brown band. Warfield yells at him and he replies, saying (roughly) 'I do apologize, Dr. Warfield, but, er, you must admit that last number was certainly a toe-tapper'.....

He had a live band too. I remember either Rogers or Sesame Street had Eric Kloss as a guest playing and speaking about blindness. Mister Rogers had great music its entire run.

of "Red Rubber Ball" fame As kids in Canarsie we made up a parody: Red Rubber Rabbi. All the kids in hebrew school sang it as protest, we hated school so much. We also called the 'morah' (rabbi's wife) the 'moron'. As you might imagine my career as Yeshivaista was mercifully short-lived.

Except that the professor has a gig.......

I hope someone looked at this. It's really nice. I know Kermit digs it, right Kermit?

Yawn. I hear good jazz live every night. Once in a great while I even play some. This Payton kid should get over himself. The world needs his playing more than dumb professed oracle-like scribblings like these.