Pete C

"Craftspeople," "makers of things," whatever. The word isn't important and I didn't mean to imply I give any exalted status to artists.

That's a rather glib and irrelevant response, as I never said I only like work that is akin to my own. I merely stated that when judging my own work I ask myself, would I approve of this if I were a third-party consumer of said work. And in that role, standing back, I can only speak for my own taste, nobody else's. I'm never going to sing like Jimmy Rushing, I'm never going to write fiction like Robert Penn Warren or Georges Simenon, because they inhabit a space that simply doesn't intersect with what I want to do or am capable of doing (in the case of Simenon, I'm not capable). But that doesn't stop me from loving the work, and it would be the rare narcissist who looked like your straw man. While Jim and Allen may disagree on the question of Herbie, I think there's an underlying assumption to both arguments about some platonic ideal of "the artist's responsibility," which I reject. IMO, the artist's only responsibility is to make quality work by whatever definition of quality works for him.

Where my art is concerned my universe IS "THE" Universe. Anybody who wants to visit is more than welcome. And when I collaborate with others it's OUR shared universe. I've made it clear that I can't connect with Kidd Jordan's music, but I have the utmost of respect for his integrity and his sticking with his vision for so long. And he does indeed have his audience without making any concessions. At the other end of the spectrum, I'm convinced that the artists who are truly successful in what many of us may consider trash, be it Kenny G or Danielle Steele (I'm dating myself), truly believe in what they're doing, do it with contextual integrity, and that's why they make work that connects with people who are looking for that kind of thing. When people try that stuff who really come from a different plane, the results are usually disingenuous, and the intended audience can generally tell. I think Herbie is an omnivore, and though I may not like many of his projects, I wouldn't damn them as disingenuous.

I don't think my answer implied selfishness. The only aesthetic criteria that works for me with my own work is what I stated. The business of art is aesthetics, and as far as I'm concerned the best answer to whether my output works is: 1. Does this please me and 2. Have I avoided the kind of self-indulgence that would annoy me in the work of others. Outside of that any work or art, regardless of genre or form, is essentially about making pleasurable things (and pleasurable encompasses a wide range of emotions). I also give myself extra brownie points when I can say I've done it in a way that nobody else would do quite the same way, and hopefully that individuality of expression will resonate with my readership or audience. So, yes, only consider the audience as an abstract entity and simply strive to make art that expresses you and pleases you. If it's honest it'll find its audience, and on its terms it will "serve" that audience. I like Gertrude Stein's line: "I write for myself and strangers."

IMO, the only question an artist needs to ask is, "Am I making something that would please me if somebody else had made it." Service schmervice.

Are there any other jazz labels besides Black Saint/Soul Note that are priced a flat per-track charge regardless of length? Edit: Well, I do see that John Handy's The New View (3 tracks) is $2.99, plus at the link you can see other deals other customers found: http://www.amazon.com/New-View/dp/B001HE2KFG/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334955533&sr=301-1 The odd thing is, Handy at Monterey (2 tracks) is priced at $9.99 for the album, but only 99 cents for each track, so it's $1.98 if you buy it that way.

First installment: Mark Twain, Following the Equator http://www.amazon.com/Following-Equator-Journey-Around-World/dp/0486261131 Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky http://www.amazon.com/The-Sheltering-P-S-Paul-Bowles/dp/006083482X Henri Michaux, A Barbarian in Asia http://www.amazon.com/A-Barbarian-Asia-Henri-Michaux/dp/0811209911/ Barry Unsworth, Pascali's Island (avoid the awful Merchant-Ivory film. Ben Kinglsey is horribly miscast) http://www.amazon.com/Pascalis-Island-Barry-Unsworth/dp/0393317218/ V.S. Naipaul, The Mystic Masseur (long before he became totally full of himself) (also a Merchant-Ivory film, but I haven't seen it) http://www.amazon.com/The-Mystic-Masseur-V-S-Naipaul/dp/037570714X/ R.K. Narayan, The Man-Eater of Malgudi http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-eater-Malgudi-R-Narayan/dp/8122204937/ Amos Tutuola, The Palm Wine Drinkard http://www.amazon.com/Palm-Wine-Drinkard-Life-Bush-Ghosts/dp/0802133630/ Auden & Isherwood, Journey to a War (China, 1938) http://www.amazon.com/Journey-War-Armchair-Traveller-Series/dp/1557783284/ And I humbly submit, for your perusal, my own India travelogue, in 2 parts: http://petercherches.blogspot.com/2007/08/mr-cherches-goes-to-india-part-i.html http://petercherches.blogspot.com/2007/08/mr-cherches-goes-to-india-part-ii.html I'll also second The Quiet American, but my 2 favorite Greenes are the African novels A Burnt Out Case and The Heart of The Matter.

I find on "The President Plays" sides his intonation is stronger, his soloing surer, and with more of his rhythmic buoyancy of old that I don't see on the earlier Granzes (the Cole-Rich date, of course, excluded).

Well, he can drum no more, but when he could I'd add when he's Robert Wyatt.

Looked on Spotify. Not there, but I saw something I wasn't aware of, Sesjun Radio Shows. Maybe it was discussed here? http://www.jazzwax.com/2011/07/bill-evans-sesjun-radio-shows.html

Thanks. With that plus the $1 credit I recently got I can buy a 3-track Black Saint album. Was the Waldron one of the Black Saint long tracks? Crowd Scene, with Ricky Ford and Sonny Fortune is fabulous, and the whole album is 2 tracks, for a total of $1.78.

I'd say before anybody puts down Herbie's career choices they should remember this. Though, I must admit, watching him sing it makes me hate it a little less.

Levon & the Hawks

I'm looking forward to the release of the O'Day-D'Imperio dialogues. I don't need it in hi-fi.

Much as I love him I find some of the early Granz dates (with Hank Jones and John Lewis) weak, as well as his playing on Pres and Sweets. For me, '49-51 are among his weakest years, then he comes back swinging with Peterson in 1952, and transcendent with Basie at Newport.

Le Boeuf Sur le Toit is one of my favorite Milhaud pieces, but it's not an especially good soundtrack to sex.

Seinfeld is in some high yellow hot water. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/seinfeld-car-ad-row-we-want-a-black-actor-not-too-dark/story-e6frfmq9-1226333237918

I've had the William Bolcom recording on Nonesuch of some of that music for years. Saudades is based on Brazilian choros, a form which is jazz-inflected in essence.

And its predecessor Dirt Farmer. The one time I saw him live, not so long ago, he was having voice problems and couldn't sing, but his playing was superb. It was a taping of Elvis Costello's Spectacle at the Apollo, and how's this for a guest list: Levon, Allen Toussaint, Richard Thompson & Nick Lowe, plus Ray La Montaigne.

Are you talking about the Ember set, in the long bookfold box? That's the one I have.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/18/cartagena-war-on-drugs

Yes, he was responsible for some of the most adventurous jazz of the '50s.

I hear a connection in the touch, for one thing.

James Brown Otis Redding Little Richard (all famous Georgians, like Stalin)