paul secor

The JB's: "Doin' It To Death".

My wife and I are in church more often than not on Sunday, and occasionally one of Monk's hymns, "Abide with Me" or "Blessed Assurance"/"This Is My Story, This Is My Song" will be included in the service, to my great pleasure. Driving to and from church, I tend to listen to whatever suits my mood. If I remember correctly, last Sunday it was Mal Waldron and Django.

Makes you wonder if anyone (especially the mastering engineer and reissuing producer) listens to these things before they're issued. I'm reminded of an interview I read with Steve Hoffman. He said that one big difference between what he does and what's issued by most record labels is that he has the time to do it right, whereas the average engineer has to crank the issues out. Hoffman has good ears, but having enough time no doubt helps. This fiasco does Mosaic's reputation no good. If someone had taken the time to listen, they could have used a previous issue of The Way I Feel and this screwup could have been avoided.

I'm real late with this. I had a cold/flu thing and just didn't have the energy to put into this (sounds like a school excuse, I know). Anyway, I've listened for a couple of days at work and driving back and forth to work, so here goes. 1 - Probably a Ray Charles tune, I don't know the title. Didn't blow me away. I think I'd rather hear Ray play it than whoever this is. This pianist has too much facility to sound comfortable playing this simple a tune. Dan is a Gene Harris fan - could it be he? 2. Jimmy Witherspoon? A hoarse Lou Rawls? I was a little put off by the audience participation thing. This kind of thing always sounds to me like an easy way to get the audience to do part of the performer's work. I always feel that if an artist is going to do this, he/she should refund part of the ticket price. 5. My favorite on the CD. No idea who it is - my first thought was Wilbur Ware with Griff and John Jenkins, but I don't think so. I'm too tired to put the record on and find out. Anyway, a very nice cut. 6. Maybe Curtis Fuller? Tommy Flanagan on piano? Another good cut. 7. My first thought was possibly Howard McGhee on trumpet. I wasn't blown away by anyone on this, except for the bass player. Whoever's on bass plays well and really carries the rhythm throughout the performance. 9. Very nice. No idea who it is, but the sax player plays with some true feeling. John Hicks came to mind for the piano. 12. Don't know if McDuff recorded with a big band. The band backing sounds kind of perfunctory to me. Pun not intended. 13. "Lonely Avenue" - begin with Ray, end with Ray. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. This is a good example of a jazz group playing an r&b tune and keeping the feeling while still doing something creative and not playing down to an audience. I enjoyed the saxophone player a great deal. A great tune and a fine performance. I've only commented on the tunes that interested me. I was pretty much stumped on this blindfold test, and I'm sure I'll pick up a few titles from what I've heard here. Thanks Dan, and my apologies for not getting to this sooner. Next time I'll get to things earlier and participate in the give and take.

Complete H.R.S. Sessions - discs 3&4 Al Green/O.V. Wright/Don Bryant: 1320 South Lauderdale Avenue - Rare & Unissued Hi Recordings Jimmy Raney & Doug Raney: Nardis Jimmy Smith: Groovin' at Small's Paradise - disc 1 Mal Waldron Quintet: Mal 1 Jesse Thomas: 1948-1958

I've always liked Monk's Dream, but you can't go wrong with any of them.

This thread has been dormant for two weeks. Time to bring it back. Just finished reading A Knot Garden by Geoff Nicholson. He's written a fair number of novels and at least two no fiction books. So far, I've only read this and Hunters and Gatherers, but I plan on reading them all. I've also been letting my eyes and intellect feast on the drawings in Philip Guston's Poor Richard. Guston nails Tricky Dick and his cabal perfectly. Highly recommended to anyone who ever detested Nixon or even to anyone who can't stomach politicians.

He made the Big Guy a real person, where many actors would have made him a cartoon. You were good, Gordon Jump. R.I.P.

My motto for this kind of thing is, "Don't Look Back".

I remember that Chuck Wayne played banjo on a couple of mid-1960's albums he recorded for Focus and Prestige. I've never heard either, so I don't know how his playing sounded or even what style he played in. I'm sure that someone here has heard these and can comment further.

Damn! This is truly sad news. I'll miss him. Rest In Peace, Mr. Lowe.

Andrew Hill does a unique and, to my ears, somewhat disturbing, version of "Invitation" on his Steeplechase album of the same name.

I probably shouldn't be a naysayer before I see this, but I'm not expecting much. I hope I'm wrong.

When I posted my guesses last night, I said I was humbled by the disc, and now I feel even more so. I actually have the Oscar Aleman double CD and the Legrand on LP, and didn't guess either (tho I did pick up on Phil Woods). I haven't listened to the Legrand recording in years, so I guess I have an excuse there, but I listened to the entire Aleman within the past six months. Shame on me. I'm definitely picking up the Grappelli/Stuff CD, and I'll look for the Ibraham/Brand (possibly my favorite cut on the disc - I only have recordings of him with horns) and the Wilen. Thanks, Dr. J., for an enjoyable time (at times it seemed like work, but it was fun, overall). And thanks for introducing me to some new things. For me, that's the main point of the Blindfold Test.

I received Test #1 on Monday, courtesy of Jim Dye (thanks, Jim), and have listened to it a couple of times through, and some tracks three or four times. I"ve made it a true blindfold test - haven't read other people's comments (though I'm looking forward to that after I post my guesses, and haven't checked out AMG). Listening to this was a humbling experience. There's a lot here that I don't recognize, even though I enjoyed listening to much of it. Anyway, here goes. 1 - No idea. The first names that came to mind were Lonnie Johnson and Teddy Bunn, but neither plays with a much virtuosity as this musician. I normally am somewhat turned off by flashy playing, but in this case the virtuosity is part of the musicality. I'd like to hear more of whoever this is. 2 - J.J.? Possibly a Columbia side? 3 - The tenor player has me baffled. I'm sure it's someone I know, and I probably have this record. The more I listen, the more frunstrated I get. I like the sax, and I would have liked a longer sax solo and less drums. 4 - Nice arrangement of "Jitterbug Waltz". It could have sounded cute, but these guys pulled it of nicely. I enjoyed the trumpet player and the alto (Phil Woods?). I"m looking forward to finding out who this is. I'd like to get the record if it's available. 5 - Finally! One I have in my collection. Tubby Hayes: "You For Me" from Tubby the Tenor. I played this fairly recently so I recognized the opening. 6 - This drove me nuts. It sounded like someone whose playing I know well, but I couldn't pin it down. Finally I realized that it sounded like late Bud Powell to me. I'm not certain that's it, but some of the voicings and rhythm reminded me of Bud, so I'll go with that. 7 - A post-Trane sax player. Didn't grab me. No idea who it is. 8 - One of the violin players sounded to me like Stephane Grappelly. I know he made a record with Stuff Smith, so it may be them, although he probably recorded with other violinists also. I'd buy this. 9 - Just a guess. I know that Doug Raney made an organ trio record. I've never heard it, but that's my guess. 10 - No idea. The soloists seemed rather anonymous to me, and the large group seemed a bit extraneous. 11 - Generic post bop. The only player who grabbed my attention was the trumpeter for about a minute. He sounded as if his sound came out of his horn very easily, perhaps too easily though, as his solo went nowhere after it opened. 12 - Dave Pike came to mind. I don't know why, as I've never heard Dave Pike. I guess that none of the vibists I know fit and I ended up picking someone whose playing I didn't know. Didn't like the drummer at all. I hope that it's not someone whose playing I normally enjoy. The whole thing seemed like something that was just thrown together. 13 - An ECM recording? Didn't interest me at all, whoever they may be. 14 - "Little Rootie Tootie", I believe. I enjoyed the pianist's playing of the theme - not Monk, but sounded OK to me. They lost me with the solos - where was Monk? I know that Barry Harris has recorded Monk tunes. I think that he would be somewhat truer to Monk than this. OK - That's the best I can do. I'm going to check out the answers now and find out what a dunce I am.

I've always been a sucker for Wes' version of "Dreamsville".

To get back to Herb Ellis and Nothing But the Blues for a second, I like the record even if he's not one of my favorite guitarists. I agree that his tone here is twangy, but it doesn't bother me. I guess I've listened to too many Western swing and country records over the years. I can see where some folks might be put off by his sound on this, though. Different strokes....

Roswell Rudd & Toumani Diabate: Malicool (Sunnyside) Lester Bowie, et.al.: Gittin' To Know Y'All (MPS-Japan) Carmel Jones - Mosaic Select - disc 3 Herb Ellis: Nothing But the Blues

I've always liked this record, and listened to it again today. I hear some of what you're saying, Lawrence, but it still sounds good to me.

Have a great one, Dan!

Brigitte Fontaine & the Art Ensemble of Chicago: Comme a la Radio - on the French Saravah label.

Almost missed seeing this, but before it's over: HAPPY 27TH, VIBES!

This was my introduction to Archie Shepp. When I was in college, there was an AM radio dj who did weekend shows and played a lot of organ-tenor records (to my ears at that time, some of the most cliched records of that genre - hope that remark doesn't earn me a Greg-like fate). He took pride in never playing a John Coltrane record, since he didn't like Coltrane. However, for some reason, he used to play "Cousin Mary", from Four for Trane. I enjoyed that and ended up buying the record. I still have my old mono LP. Some thoughts and favorite moments: Shepp and Rudd's comments and urgings behind each other's solos on "Syeeda's Song Flute" - the beginning of a musical partnership which continues to this day. The moans with which Rudd begins his solo on "Syeeda's". John Tchicai's solos on "Rufus" and especially on "Cousin Mary". To my ears, he's never surpassed them. "Niema" ("Naima") - As the then Leroi Jones points out in the liners, this indeed sounds much like a piece of Ellingtonia; and Ellingtonia played by musicians influenced by Ellington and playing something new, not just copying him. As jazzdog commented, young musicians playing this music today would probably play it straight, and perhaps not add anything much to it. Imagine the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble (or whatever they call themselves) playing these four Trane tunes. I have, and I'm falling asleep already. Wonderful arrangement by Roswell and a fine playing of the arrangement by all. Shepp's playing on "Niema" - I could never understand why so many people only heard anger and ugliness in his playing. I have to believe that they were reading politics and not listening to music. Alan Shorter - I've always liked his playing. He doesn't have all that much facility, but, to me, he could play enough to make the feeling come across. I like his solo on "Cousin Mary" best. Charles Moffett was one of my favorite drummers. No. One of my favorite musicians. In the past, I thought he sounded a bit uncomfortable on this date, but with my listenings over the past few days I've changed my mind. He sounds fine on "Syeeda's", for example. He still sounds a little out of sync to me on parts of "Rufus". Archie Shepp and Roswell Rudd - two of my favorite musicians. 'Nuff said. As I said, this was my introduction to Archie Shepp's music. Four for Trane sounded good to me then. It sounds better now. Another fine choice for Album of the Week.

One of my favorites is a photo from the last page of the Bud Powell Mosaic box booklet. Photographed at Birdland in 1957, Bud is in the center foreground of the photograph, seemingly in a good mood. At the right side of the photograph, there is a young man, sitting with chin in hand, and all of his attention focused on Bud.

Thanks to Lon for posting the photo, and to Daniel for the information. Cool to see Teddy and Monk together.