mjzee

She's a very interesting singer, giving her material a downtown/new wave/slightly sinister tone. Tonight I heard "Dedicated To The One I Love" (from "Romantically Helpless"); without changing the words, she gives the song a dark, moody interpretation. Worth a listen.

On my drive home today I was listening to Ben Sidran's interview with Blythe. Here's wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

He'll always be Alex to me.

I did. Went on vacation in the interim, haven't listened to it yet. But I will...

No. I think it was UA.

But on the other hand, the audience has rights, too. If Perugia held 4,000 people, they all paid for their tickets, and if 3,990 of them didn't take pictures, why were they punished?

Why? It's one small aspect of his personality, similar to Horowitz's finickiness. If you like the recordings, then it's mostly good. After all, you wouldn't refuse to see an Alex Baldwin movie because of his Twitter rants...? Having said that, Keith was wrong to accept the engagement if he was going to be on edge; that's not fair to the audience.

I don't have much '78 Dead. Not sure what I'm in for. I cracked open the recent '77 box and listened to the first show. Very, very nice.

He's reminding me of Alex Baldwin.

You have your music.

A lot of those are special recordings, they have a wonderful feel: Burrell, Dorham, Byrd, Turrentine. A thought: I think Horace tried some of the same tracks in the studio before recording at the Gate. Could it be that Alfred heard the material and thought it would sound better recorded live? He seemed to put as much care into the live dates as into the studio ones, such as bringing Grant Green in to the Turrentine date.

And your music.

No, it's with strings (ala Charlie Parker with Strings). Actually, I just found the performance on YouTube: http://youtu.be/AdvLh89I0YM I guess I now know the album it's from. Is this currently available?

There's a recording of Hawk with strings playing a lullaby (might be Brahms' Lullaby, not sure, but it's used to rock babies to sleep...you know how to hum it). Does anyone know which album this comes from?

I'd never heard of that title. Has it ever been issued on CD?

The book "The Introvert Advantage" has a fascinating section about how the brains of introverts and extroverts are different, how they process sensations and thoughts differently and through different neural pathways through the brain.

Thanks. I'm currently reading this: And have these "queued up": Fascinating stuff.

Found a copy in a local record store recently. I'd never heard it, wanted to for decades. What a hoot! Blake plays his great compositions with such verve and brio. The LP cover doesn't list where or when it was recorded, or who sings along with him (is it Noble Sissle?). The LP sticks mostly to the music; in this, it's different from The Autobiography of Willie The Lion Smith, which is more an aural history with accompanied music. Both are valuable, vital documents.

Hope you're holding strong, Jazzbo.

I've just found a used copy (in excellent condition, they say) from an Amazon Reseller for $16 + shipping.

Amazon's explanation is more ambiguous; it sounds like it might be an internal Amazon problem. Here's what is posted: Item Under Review This item is currently unavailable because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it's described here. (Thanks for the tip!) We're working to fix the problem as quickly as possible.

So if you're aware of your imminent demise, post what you have here with prices and shipping costs.

Let me put in a good word for the 3 albums released in the LT series: A Slice Of The Top, Third Season, and Thinking Of Home. I think of these as "of a piece": sophisticated arrangements, great tunes, and interesting instrumentation. Some surprising musicians pop up: Woody Shaw, Sonny Greenwich, Eddie Diehl. These sessions also have a "polish" to them. Hank is great, as usual.

True love is wonderful. You both are fortunate to have each other.