jazzbo

He and Tizol got into arguments that were ultimately racially related. . . . Mingus' buttons were well-pushed and he apparently threatened Tizol with a knife either in rehearsal or actual performance. Ellington delicately fired Mingus, saying basically that Charles was new, Juan was an established good ole boy in the band, Charles had to go. . . .

Well, Duke was supposedly sort of lax in his management of the band, that is he let some behaviors go on unimpeded that other bandleaders probably wouldn't, managed to cultivate a sort of private club atmosphere that was hell on newbies (and some newbies didn't make it for the long run) and which probably induced those that fit in well to stay. . . . And I think the music wasn't always just the same ole same ole night after night. There was regular infusion of new material and new arrangements (most likely it appears in batches) and there was the fly by the seat of your pants thing that a lot of the studio dates (many of which were just for "the stockpile") seem to have been. . . . I think that they had a lot of fun, were occasionally challenged, and were paid well. . . . EDIT: I was typing while John was and he's mentioning specifics that I was alluding to. . . . Yes, some of those guys could and would have been fired really quickly from other bands!

You mean like Kermit Ruffin and Irwin Mayfilield (well those may be nineties continuations). . . ? That trend contined: Nick Payton is a Crescent City man, isn't he? etc. I would think that University courses and private instruction played a part (dare I mention Ellis Marsalis?), not to mention the fact that there was actually a jazz scene there in that city (go figure) at that time and that isn't something you really find in every city! Having a scene to play in really HELPS!

I think Wilson was a good producer. I've liked the rock records I've heard of his . . . notably the Dylan ones.

In a filmed interview with Duke in the late or mid sixties he was asked what "gimmick" he used to keep his band together. He said that he used. . . MONEY. He referred to his orchestra members as "these expensive gentlemen." I think that the fact that he had a steady employment for decades for a group of guys that got their way as much as they wanted to most of the time on the road and on the stand was a testimony to his loose but sly leadership, his dispensation of MONEY, the state of affairs in big band employment, and a few other factors . . . . MONEY would be the main answer, in a few cases I think personal loyalty contributed to longevity in the band.

You're right Flurin, First Flight is a Byrd on Delmark that either was a Transition or may/would have become one, and the two Sun Ras on Delmark were Transitions. You are also right that the Connoisseur booklet contains a label history of sorts.

Good move. This time through last night, urged on by Joe's comment about Hank Jones, I concentrated on Jones' playing. The man has such a distilled style now, that is sort of the concentrated essence of support and lyricism. Amazing!

Part of the indefatigable work done by our board member Mike Fitzgerald: http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/transitn.htm

A small label run by producer Tom Wilson (a good thing). Didn't last long enough, some of the dates that weren't issued by Transition were bought by Lion and issued on Blue Note, now I believe that EMI has the label and has issued Japanese cds and US cds under the Blue Note name. Every Transition I've heard I've really liked! I'm not sure but I think this was the original lp cover of the Transition lp. You do have, do you not, the "Donald Byrd" Transition lps two cd Connoisseur set? (This Byrd, the "Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill" and the Doug Watkins Transition lp are all included in the two cd set).

Complete Surf Ride Plus is a great find. I'm determined NOT TO BUY ANY MUSIC TODAY!

Universal UCCI 9105(Impulse)24bit,New Coltrane,Alice/Huntington Ashram Monastery* 2400 Universal UCCI 9110(Impulse)24bit,New Coltrane,Alice/Lord of Lords* 2400 BIG

That's sort of how I hear them too, and I suspect that pressing or pre-pressing mastering may be responsible. Not enough of a difference really for me to not purchase one over the other. (I'm becoming less picky I guess!) What I haven't really expected was to find that I prefer some Kirk Felton remastered US cds to their K2 Japanese counterpart (one specific case in point is the Clay/Newman "Sound of the Wide Open Spaces").

I'll pile on too and say anything recent of his I have heard has been very impressive!

I always laugh at the story that I heard that illustrates this ingenuity of his. It goes that early on in his career he heard raves about a trombonist that was using a waterglass to make great sound and music, and he marveled at how that could be, because he was under the impression that rather than using a bell of the trombone the musician was somehow using a waterglass in its place. So he experiemented and managed to produce a very unique sound and technique replacing the bell of the trombone with a waterglass that is marvelous to see and hear! Then he either saw the musician in question or was informed that the man was using a waterglass. . . as a mute!

I agree. The more I learn about Tea and the more I listen the more I realize how much of an amazing player and person he was. And I LOVE his singing. It snuck up on me and just corralled me; I just love it.

Mark, no problem and thanks. Here's to next year indeed!

I am a tremendous fan of Jack Teagarden's and I find that he is far more often that on than otherwise. . . . I tremendously recommend that you explore his work if you have been knocked out here! I have nearly everything I've been able to find. There is a new three cd set on Avid that looks like a fantastic way to get all the early highlights; I've got all this material on separate cds so I haven't bought the set but I've been tempted to I love Jackson so much! Also the Mosaic set of Roulette material is a wonderful wonderful set. And the recent Verve reissue of Mis'ry and the Blues is a great late Teagarden example.

Yeah for real. I'm solidly behind that. That was what I always tried to do as a musician. And those who couldn't seem to pay attention to that were the root cause of almost all my bad band memories!

Thank god you're no longer spinning at 33-1/3 rpm. . . .

Thanks! Ended the day with a long telephone conversation with my dad which was a wonderful thing. . . . I'm hoping that maybe somehow I can get a raise this year (haven't had one for three years and a month, and my wife has had six in that time, including a ten percent raise last week!) and maybe find work I want to do more readily (I use my birthday as a sort of review of my life and times and this year that wasn't a heartening thing!)

Happy Birthday Shawn! Take joy in ending the year on an upswing and a hopeful note or three, and here's to many more better ones!

Yes, I'm home with my lovely wife watching some stupid tv and letting the dust of the day wash away. Thanks for all the presents (and thinks for posting that about those born on Augst 4!) and helping make this a good day! I'm happy to spend a bit of it with you all!

Yeah, I've had this since the cd release. VERY COOL.

Thanks again all. The day is getting better. . . . The painters elected to choose my hallway to prop a 12' x 4' sign against and roll on very aromatic white enamel paint. . . . The resulting fumes have made it hard for me to focus on my Word documents and databases BUT has also dimished my ability to give a hoot!

I enjoy his singing. . . most of the time. . . sometimes I can't stand it and I don't listen to whole cds of his singing!