Mark Stryker

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/

John S. Wilson wrote about jazz for the NYT forever. Don't have time to really scour the archives but here are some things: Feature review of "The Connection" from 1960. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/06/26/99746217.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=ArticleEndCTA&region=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=303 Brief capsule revew of Freddie's "Open Sesame" in 1961 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/02/12/118022261.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=LedeAsset&region=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=371 Interesting snapshot piece about Andrew HIll story that's not a record review but mentions Blue Note label. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/03/17/83035710.pdf

Re: that Arethan Franklin ad for Harmony House posted earlier. Harmony House was a metro Detroit chain of excellentall-round record stores, including one all-classical stores that was as fine a classical store as you could find anywhere. When Neeme Jarvi was music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, he also did a commercial for Harmony House. Not jazz but fun.

Good Lord, how did I not know this existed?

Oops. I'm sure you're right. Sorry about that. I'm a little self-centered at the moment ... Carry on.

Sorry 'bout that. We should have offered a package deal combining the book and reading glasses.

https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/17/archives/jazz-lofts-a-walk-through-the-wild-sounds.html

Thanks for your enthusiasm! Hey, thanks. Much appreciated. Thanks, Peter. Hope it brings back some memories for you. Glad you're enjoying it ...

Public Service Announcement For reasons too convoluted to summarize easily, Amazon is currently showing "Jazz from Detroit' out of stock and with a one-month wait for orders. Some of you who ordered through them previously might have gotten a notification saying the book was on back order. Ignore all of this. They've got lots of books on the way to them, and we've requested that they change the page to reflect this ASAP, but we can't do it ourselves or make them move any swifter than they want to. Leaving all of this aside, if you have not gotten the book yet and would like to, I suggest (a) patronizing your favorite bricks-and-mortar bookstore and if they don't have it in stock, ask them to order it for you -- they'll get it within days. (b) order via the University of Michign Press website. Use the discount code UMSTRYKER on the check-out page to get 30% off the list price. https://www.press.umich.edu/4454129/jazz_from_detroit

Yes. Jack had moved to Windsor, Canada -- just across the river from Detroit -- and the Australian Jazz Quartet/Quintet was formed there. When the group broke up, he settled in Detroit in the late '50s, where, among other things, he was a staff musicians for years at ABC, including being part of the band for Soupy Sales' late-night show, "Soupy's On," which featured a LOT of visiting jazz stars. Jack also owned a jazz club/restaurant here in the '60s and did a TON of studio and commercial works like writing/arranging for auto shows and industry films for the car companies. He retired to Florida in the late '90s or so. Coda: I sent another note to my publisher askng about overseas shipping rates.

Excellent. Hope you like it!

I don't know who it is, but I think it's a rock or popular music guy.

Good question. I did tap into some of Dan's writing and it helped here and there confirm some stuff or keep a timelines straight, but mostly it documents players and scenes who were not central to the book. His name does come up in the book as an early teacher of Robert Hurst. The photos that I was able to find again were not directly relevant to my project, but I also was not able to access the bulk of the photos in the time frame of the book -- long story. Thanks for ordering! I

This is exactly right. That's the biggest problem with the post-1969 bands. Too many college kids. Plus, the electric bass exacerbates the issue. Not because it's not "pure jazz" or "authentic" but because the attack, timbre and texture of the electric instrument doesn't have the weight, warmth or pop ("hump") an acoustic bass when walking quarter notes. So the beat sounds thin. Not helpful when the band is already sounding thin and too on-top to swing.

Will ask the mother ship.

Yes! Early in the day on Friday, August 2. Noon I believe ...Come say hi. Really appreciate your enthusiasm and, of course, the sales. Thanks

Absolutely. Good sleuthing.

Gang: Today at John F. King Books in Detroit -- a truly amazing used book store that's GINORMOUS (four flours, quite possibly 1 million books) -- I saw what appeared to be a complete set of bound issues of Storyville Magazine. Vols. 1-162 in about about 16 separate bound collections as you would find in libraries. Mint condition. They were not cheap. I think $35 for each set, but the store might work with anyone interested in all of them. These are not for me, but I thought somebody who frequents our little colony here might be interested. Here's a link to the store: https://www.rarebooklink.com/

You rock, thanks!

Sorry for the commercial, but I feel compelled to remind folks that my book "Jazz from Detroit" will be published in just three weeks on July 8 by the University of Michigan Press. The book explores Detroit's profound impact on jazz from the middle of the 20th Century until the present day. For more details -- including Playlists, various blog musings and music -- please visit my website: www.jazzfromdetroit.com. And if you'd like to pre-order, there's a discount code and link on the home page that will get you a 40% discount off of list price if you order through the U-M Press website. Re: the picture of Burrell and Flanagan. I had sought use of that photo for the book, but there were prohibitive issues in tracking down a Douglas family member to obtain rights. Even though the pictures are held in an archive at Cal State-Northridge, the university is not the copyright holder.

Moderators: Can you please remove Adam's post on the first page in which he simply copies the entire NYT's article? The post is pure copyright infringement. It also embodies part of the reason why the newspaper industry has collapsed, partly why so many of my former colleagues are out of their jobs, and in its broader effects, partly why I left the Detroit Free Press (voluntarily) in 2016. Thanks in advance.