Mark Stryker

In 1969, Liberty-era Blue Note put out nine LPs of of the label's early material. Most of it was pre-bop (Edmond Hall, Ike Quebec, John Hardee, Sydney DeParis, Art Hodes, etc.), though there is one that couples James Moody and George Wallington sessions. On the front cover of the handful of these that I have, there's a note in the top right corner that says: "These historic performance have been specially engineered to be playable on both monaural and stereo equipment." Here's my question: What does that mean? I first thought it might mean "simulated stereo" -- but that doesn't make complete sense, because during the same era, Blue Note was issuing 1500 series LPs that were, according to text on the covers: "Electronically re-recorded to simulate stereo." The different wording "specially engineered to be playable etc." suggests a different process. Those simulated stereo 1500 series reissues sound crappy. These 6500 series records do sound better to the extent that they don't really sound like simulated stereo -- but they don't sound like pure mono to my ears either. Any insight as to what's going on here?.

Interesting — thanks. Leads credence to theory that Thad was probably with Connell in Indianapolis.

I restarted my website blog with a document and post folks here will find interesting. https://jazzfromdetroit.com/blog/thad-jones-selective-service

Regarding the Blakey session, I haven't seen any material in which someone is claiming falsely that this material was recently discovered.

I believe that Michael remains a friend of the Blue Note family -- certainly he knows more about the company and the vaults than anyone -- but he has no official role, and this or any other release would not need his approval. Anything in the vaults that was previously "rejected" in any era -- by Lion, Lundvall, Cuscuna, or the musicians themselves etc. can be issued if the current powers (Don Was and his team) decide it makes financial or aesthetic sense to do so. The new Blakey is Zev Feldman's first production for BN under his formalized agreement with the company that was announced in the last year. I'm guessing that some of the other sessions long buried for whatever reason will probably get put out. Whether this is a "good" or "bad" thing, depends on your point of view, but of the remaining titles I've heard, there's nothing that is essential. Some things are interesting, often more for the flaws than for what works. (Caveat: I have not heard the Wayne Shorter date -- that's the one thing that I'm seriously curious about hearing.) I will say that the often hysterical marketing hype over these unreleased recordings is not healthy for the art form in 2020. Not every unreleased recording, even by true masters, is a lost masterpiece. Often they aren't even very good, and in many cases the artists themselves -- who left the studio thinking "Thank God Nobody Will Ever Hear THAT" -- would be horrified if they knew that certain stuff was being released. As a collector and a record junkie, I of course want to hear everything, but that doesn't mean I have a right to hear it and it certainly doesn't mean it should be for sale. It's hard enough for contemporary musicians to compete for marketplace attention in a world where every truly great recording by every great musician is a click away -- but now today's musicians also have to compete with the mediocre stuff by great musicians that was previously rejected from the marketplace for good reason. That's not to say that there aren't truly important, interesting, and valuable discoveries that are being made. But perspective ...

As I recall, Cuscuna rejected it previously, and I agree with him. I've heard it and I don't think it's that good -- definitely below average for a Blakey Blue Note, lacking the band's typical fire, energy, and cohesion. Other than Lee on some tracks, the soloists don't show their best selves. Everybody sounds sluggish, like they were out too late the night before. I can understand why it was shelved at the time in favor of the far-superior Jazz Corner of the World dates with much of the same material. Yes, folks here on the board will want to hear it at least once because of the cats and the era, but don't get sucked in by the hype.

Peter -- I dug up a Detroit Free Press clipping from mid November 1965 that has listing of a Wayne Shorter-Roy Haynes Quartet playing at the Drome Lounge. The rest of the personnel isn't listed, though several months earlier, a quartet consisting of Wayne, Roy, Albert Dailey, and Larry Ridley played at the Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore. (Of course, Roy did have a quartet in that era with Strozier, Ridley, and (at least on various recordings) Ronnie Matthews or Sam Dockery.)

I haven't heard it in a long time but I remember quite liking this 1963 Erato recording by violinist Huguette Fernandez, clarinetist Guy Deplus, cellist Jacques Neilz, and pianist Marie-Madeleine Petit. I have an American LP. https://www.discogs.com/Olivier-Messiaen-Quatuor-Pour-La-Fin-Du-Temps/release/5261493. The label is confusing to me but it says Music Guild/ABC Records. In any case, it was apparently made under the supervision of Messiaen -- no guarantee of quality, of course, but worth noting. I assume (but can't guarantee) this is the same recording on CD. https://www.discogs.com/Messiaen-Quatuor-Pour-La-Fin-Du-Temps-Cinq-Rechants/release/4018842 Related. A young Leila Josefowicz recorded the finale with John Novacek on a recital disc in the late '90s -- it's pretty great, but to my knowledge she's never been a part of a recording of the entire piece. However, a few years ago I saw a tremendous performance in metro Detroit of the full work under the umbrella of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival that included Josefowicz, Novacek, clarinetist David Shifrin, and cellist Paul Watkins (the artistic director of the festival). I've seen maybe seven live performances of the piece over the years and this was the most gripping by far.

Don’t overlook the previously unissued Bob James sessions from 1965 on Resonance. Full disclosure: I contributed the main liner note essay. https://resonancerecords.org/shop/bob-james-once-upon-a-time-the-lost-1965-new-york-studio-sessions/

Long a favorite record -- Randy's best as a leader, rewarding compositions and playing, team spirit, and to me one of the best straight-ahead records of the '80s.

Goes to some really interesting places. Good questions from David Marchese (whom I don't know) that draw Sonny out. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/24/magazine/sonny-rollins-interview.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=The+New+York+Times+Magazine&fbclid=IwAR3Uj8X_SZ-iAM-64P0FMdPv9nqixWaSBfrDHXzfO6UysfK6AEi2kz28hAI

Lyle Mays’ niece, singer Aubrey Johnson, is reporting on Twitter that he has died. She writes: “It is with deep sadness that I share that my uncle, Lyle Mays, passed away this morning in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones, after a long battle with a recurring illness. He was my dear uncle, mentor, and friend and words cannot express the depth of my grief.”

Totally new to me. Footage of Jug from the early '70s, apparently from a Chicago public television program produced by Dan Morgenstern. YouTube posting went up today and says Dan only recently found the tape. Yes, it's late period Jug and there's Varitone, etc. But still, holy shit! Plus, you get to hear Jug speak. With King Kolax, George Freeman, Wallace Burton, Chester Williamson, Bob Guthrie. Anybody know if this has ever circulated before and do any of you Chicagoans remember the program?

To be clear, I've never met Tom. Your reference above was the first time I heard his name. Presumably this is what he's been up to recently: https://banyanproject.coop/biography/tom-stites/

What did Tom do at the Tribune?

This is a good piece -- and I would say that even if I wasn't quoted prominently and my new book, "Jazz from Detroit," wasn't given a nice shout-out. Gio captured the DYI aesthetic of Detroit jazz & the ongoing legacy of Tribe & its founders, Wendell Harrison & Phi Ranelin. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/arts/music/detroit-jazz-collective-tribe.html

What's the discography story on this release? Has it been bootlegged previously or released legitimately before, and is this release legit or a bootleg? Thanks -- MS

There's some incorrect information floating around in this thread and on the web about the self-determination organinzations in Detroit and the record labels that they spawned. So, just to set the record straight: 1) The Strata Corporation, including the Strata label, was founded by pianist Kenn Cox and trumpeter Charles Moore in 1969.. 2) Tribe, including the record label, was formally incorporated by saxophonist Wendell Harrison and trombonist Phil Ranelin in January 1972, though the group Tribe had debuted a coupld months earlier. Doug Hammond had nothing to do with it, other than a record he co-led with David Durrah, was released on Tribe in the mid '70s. (That record, "Reflections in the Sea of Nurnen," was actually taped in San Francisco.") Coda: Marcus Belgrave and Harold McKinney are also often cited as co-founders of Tribe. This is incorrect too. They were part of the Tribe circle, but only Harrison and Ranelin were the founders. And speaking of Detroit, Dizzy Gillespie started Dee Gee Records in the city with Detroit businessmen Dave Usher in 1951.

mIssed this the first time around. thanks for posting.

"I had no problem with Gerry when I was not working for him." My understanding is that Phil's memoir is close to being published. I'm not authorized to speak on this, so I'll keep details close to the vest, but I had a recent conversation with someone within the orbit of the project and was left with the clear understanding that it was on its way. I do not know the timetable.

I don't disagree. However, just to circle back (pun intended) to what I presume to be the implication of MJZEE's opening volley and question: "Can Chick still play out?" -- by which I think he meant:, Can Chick engage meaningfully with Braxton in a musical language akin to Circle's original aesthetic as opposed to all the other musical languages that Chick has been associated with in the last 49 years, the answer is: "yes." Coda: Now, taking into acount the rest of our discussion, it would be equally valid to ask whether Braxton can still play "out"?

Well, yes. "Out" and "free" are vague terms. At the highest level "bebop" is too I suppose ... But in this case, I think we're talking about music outside of standard conventions of harmony, form, melody, texture. Chick still does that on occasion. Also true that any musician making music of quality is operating from a point of working "inside" of something, even that if that something is "outside" of standard conventions. Which is not to say that there aren't "conventions" within outside or free music. But back to Chick, that motherfucker can play anything, and he can play from nothing if he wants to. But of course, like anyone, he brings his entire history to the table when he plays, whether he's playing "from nothing" or a b-flat blues.

Is there any film footage of Circle? There's the stuff of Braxton at Woodstock, NY, in 1981 with Chick, Miroslav, Jack etc., but I've never seen stuff from 1970-71. Coda: As to the earlier inquiry about whether Chick can still play "out," the answer is of course he can. Whether he would want to play with Braxton (and vice versa) is a separate question and whether those guys playing together would produce music of quality and expression in 2019 is yet another question, though the only way to know for sure would be to actually hear it.

Thanks, Dan

Thanks for posting this. Hadn't seen it yet. FWIW, I wrote this a few years ago about a signficant Hammons sculpture, "Bird," acquired by the Detroit Institute of Arts. https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/arts/2016/07/20/dia-african-american-art-david-hammons/87291024/