mjzee

Well said, Peter. I think we all have "go-to" people like that, where, over time, we learn that their tastes are similar to ours. Then there are writers where we learn the correlation is more hit and miss. I really like Gary Giddins, for example, but could never fathom how much he loved the music of Cecil Taylor. On the other hand, he was a consistent booster of Sonny Rollins and Sarah Vaughan, even when it was uncool to like them. I have never understood why it was off limits to criticize avant-garde musicians. Some have, to my tastes, valid musical conceptions, some consistently suck (again, to my tastes), and some are hit-and-miss. But why can't we point out that Braxton can't play bebop (although he tries), that Sun Ra's concerts frequently rambled aimlessly (and that's not a positive thing), that Albert Ayler sounded deranged? Again, solely to my tastes. If you hear it differently, more power to you. But there is no reason, as long as we have free speech, not to write it as we hear it.

"Anthony Braxton "He built his reputation with a height-of-pretension recording-solo alto saxophone on both sides of a 12-inch LP. It won a Prix du Disque but, after all, the French also think Jerry Lewis is a genius." LOL!!!!!

I liked the article; thanks for linking to it. I especially liked the last paragraph.

Sad day. RIP.

My hunch is that Japanese Sony will still release CDs.

When The Monkees started, I remember the huge uproar from the pop and (then-nascent) rock magazines. They hated The Monkees, called them inauthentic, cringe-inducing, insulting, worthless. It was truly a "which side are you on?" situation. I chose the authentic side, and as rock-and-roll morphed into rock, that's how I went. I've always liked Top 40 and good pop; it was the trappings of The Monkees that turned me off. It was the beginning of my knowledge about "formula," and perhaps about the business side of music. Probably my age also had something to do with it, as I could see The Monkees as "teeny-bopper"ish, and it seemed childish to me. Still does, actually; it's like being mournful about The Archies. So if the music was good, thank Boyce and Hart, The Wrecking Crew, and others "stoking the star-maker machinery behind the popular song," as Joni wrote it.

But how much would Hoffman charge to do the work? That might capsize the profits.

Yeah, I’m in too. I hope they can cure some of the raw sound quality of “The Flip.” And I expect the booklet to go into biographical details from this time period.

Release date March 15.

Mosaic sent this email: February 20, 2019 Upcoming Release: August 2019 New Hank Mobley Release? We are currently determining whether to a release a new Mosaic set The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-71 on 7 CDs. With the slowing of sales of CDs, we need to be assured that there is enough demand for this set before incurring the costs and commitment to issue this body of work. The Mosaic business model is becoming harder and harder to sustain and therefore we'll need a strong response for preorders (750+) before we are able to proceed. If you place an advance order for this set, your credit card will not be charged until we create and press the set and ship it to you (however PayPal is immediately deducted from your funds). We strongly suggest that you not combine this advance order with any existing sets. We expect to make a decision by early March and the set would be available about August, 2019. We regret any pressure or inconvenience this may cause you in your purchasing decisions, but this is the only way that we can safely proceed. Thank you for your support and understanding, Michael & Scott

It is a good speaker. Great to take on vacations, and this is a good price. I notice the newer model has a built-in microphone, which I would not want. Grab this.

I categorize Melle's music as simply "intelligent." He had a good brain, and wrote things that probably no one else would have. His work doesn't strike me as self-consciously "inventive," and his writing never screams out "look at me!" But it's lively and...how can I put this? There's just more music crammed in 8 bars than most other people's music. Intelligent. I like his work a lot (I have the Prestiges on mp3s and the Blue Note twofer).

Thanks, Jim!

Are there any titles that folks here would recommend? 21 pages worth...

Looks like there's only one unreleased track: the alternate of Me 'N You. I have all the rest, so unsure whether I'll be ordering it. Curious: which sessions do boardmembers think are most in need of remastering? My CD of Dippin' was one of the earliest BN reissues, but I always thought it sounded fine. A Caddy For Daddy, not so much.

You're welcome. Whenever I have a few moments, I like to do my little bit to help the industry.

The Ace is almost complete... "Track 8" (Blue) "has been edited down by two minutes in order to enable us to fit these 2 LPs on 1 CD."

Release date April 2. George Freeman George The Bomb! Special Guest - Billy Branch 2019 Southport Records Chicago guitarist and jazz legend George Freeman explodes with his new original songs, tracing his roots back to the blues, with special guest three time Grammy nominee Billy Branch on harp and vocals. "You will always have jazz; jazz is not dead-as long as you have kids coming into this world who have rhythm and soul and a feeling." - George Freeman (Chicago Jazz Magazine, 2015) Guitarist George Freeman turns up the volume in his Chicago living room as he listens to "George The Bomb!" and he is smiling. He was born April 10, 1927. He remembers a time when Charlie Parker wouldn't go onstage without him. He is one of the few remaining living musicians who recorded with Bird ("An Evening In Chicago" Savoy, 1950). The music of George Freeman is not restricted to swing, blues, bop, rock or modern because George has been a living part of all of these eras. On track #1, "George The Bomb!" three time Grammy nominee and harp master Billy Branch sends out a sound that explodes! His sly way of comping on the title track gets the groove rocking and rolling. The surprise here is when Freeman breaks into a full vocal scat! Is it jazz or is it blues? Who cares, it's hot! On track #3, "Where's The Cornbread?" George and Billy have a fun ride with their vocal conversation... "Hey Billy!" - "Yes, George..." To hear Billy Branch sing the blues on "Help Me", track #5, while showcasing his authentic blues harp alongside Freeman's searing guitar is their breakout culmination! John Devlin's accordion creates a lush canvas on track #2, "Gorgeous George" - a masterful composition from Freeman. Could this be a new "Steppers" song, with it's smooth groove? Drummer Luiz Ewerlingadds the right spice with his percussion. The entire recording was a joyful collaboration! Pianist Bradley Parker-Sparrow opens track #4, "Tonto" with a moody swing groove, while Freeman delivers a strong and happy scat! Track #9, "Home Grown Tomatoes" features a vocal bluesy duet between Freeman and vocalist Joanie Pallatto. Freeman penned track #11, "Al Carter-Bey" for his lifelong friend and radio impresario. George Freeman is a living legend and has toured and/or recorded with musical legends from Charlie Parker to Lester Young, Johnny Griffin, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Gene Ammons, to Dinah Washington, along with his brothers Von Freeman and Bruz Freeman and his nephew Chico Freeman. "George The Bomb!" features: George Freeman, electric guitar and vocals; Billy Branch, harmonica and vocals; John Devlin, 6-string electric bass, accordion and vocals; Luiz Ewerling, drums and percussion; Joanie Pallatto, vocals and Bradley Parker-Sparrow, piano. Produced by Joanie Pallatto & Bradley Parker-Sparrow Recorded August - December 2018 at Sparrow Sound Design Recording Studio, Chicago, IL Promotions: Blujazz Records, Lampkin Music Group, Orman Music Media Group George The Bomb! © 2019 Southport Records S-SSD 0148 ALL SONGS © 2019 SSD PUB CO. ASCAP

Release date March 15. The music on this album could be called a prelude to a love affair . Why, because it was the great tenor saxophonist Ben Webster s first encounter with the country and city he decided to spend the rest of his life in, living, playing and loving. It was also his first day on the continent after a successful time in London, mostly at Ronnie Scotts famous club. The day in January 1965 when he entered the Danish Radio Concert hall, a wonderful, wooden acoustic architecture from the thirties, began with a short band rehearsal and sound check for the live concert on the Sunday afternoon on the FM radio wave. One hour. His backing would be his new friends, Kenny Drew, Niels Henning Ørsted-Pedersen, Alex Riel, the bass player would from then on be called only Niels by Webster, and the producer, Børge Roger Henrichsen, a well estimated pianist, bandleader and radio editor, wanted to time the concert... thus is Webster playing one chorus of In A Mellowtone in two tempi at the Steinway for Roger to get his stopwatch in sync. Of course the concert stretched over time with applause from the full house and since it was live, we only get to hear the first chorus of Cottontail at the end.

Release date March 15: Release date May 15:

Release date March 22: