mjzee

I own the download version from eMusic. The sound quality seems clear, at least on the car stereos/computer speakers/mini systems I've listened to it on. And the music is startling. Manhattan Studio

I'm thinking of replacing my car stereo and speakers. What are your thoughts about good head unit/speaker combos for jazz? I'd also like an iPod direct connection.

This month's downloads: Anthony Braxton - Six Compositions (GTM) 2001 Phineas Newborn, Jr. - A World of Piano Clifford Brown / Max Roach Quintet - More Live at the Bee Hive Kenny Burrell - 'Round Midnight Joe Pass Quartet - Live At Yoshi's Thelonious Monk - Thelonious In Action Bud Powell - Blue Note Cafe, Paris, 1961 Art Tatum - Group Masterpieces, Vol. 4 Lester Young in Washington, D.C. 1956, Vol. 2 Baby Dodds - Talking and Drum Solos Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes with French Horns

eMusic has started carrying the Vanguard label. While their initial offerings are all folk, let's hope they start carrying their jazz titles too. Also, interestingly enough, they're carrying the two Greyfolded disks: Greyfolded - Mirror Ashes, Greyfolded - Transitive Axis

Now on eMusic: Don't Misunderstand

K.C.'s Pendergast and Parker By WILLIAM H. SMITH I was among the now-dwindling group of jazz buffs on the scene in the fall of 1938 when Charlie Parker (1920-55) started on his oft-bumpy road to jazz immortality. The venue: Martin's-on-the-Plaza, a posh Kansas City, Mo., club on the famed Country Club Plaza, where legendary jazz pianist, blues singer and band leader Jay McShann gave the alto saxophonist his first steady gig. Little did I realize back then that this was to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as the 17-year-old Parker went on to be known as arguably the greatest sax player of all time. To understand how Kansas City, this Missouri cow town, became a magnet for jazz musicians, one must learn about Boss Tom Pendergast, who fell heir to the business interests and political machine established by his big brother, Jim. The baseball legend Buck O'Neil, who gained fame with the Kansas City Monarchs, described the Pendergast era in one sentence: "The sky was the limit; anything you were big enough to do and could afford, you did it." Others observed that policemen gambled alongside civilians in the many establishments dispensing booze. The vice and corruption afforded a fertile ground for jazz to flourish. During the 1930s, musicians from all over the country started Goin' to Kansas City. There was Lester "Pres" Young, who had come from Minneapolis, and drummer Jesse Price, who had arrived from Memphis, Tenn. On a stopover en route to Omaha, Neb., McShann had gotten off the bus and walked several blocks to the Reno Club, where Count Basie held court, and been persuaded by a bassist friend to stay. Charlie Parker -- who was born in Kansas City, Kan. -- had only needed to take a nickel bus ride across the Kaw River to Missouri, where he found a place to live near Vine Street. Charlie never returned home, except to visit his mother, Adele. As related in "Kansas City Jazz From Ragtime to Bebop," by Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix (Oxford University Press, 2005), McShann recalled that the clubs along Vine Street didn't close: "About 7:00 in the morning the cleanup man would come and all the guys at the bar would move out of the way . . . the bartender would serve them at a table while the place got cleaned up . . . the clubs went 24 hours a day." It was at Bar Lu Duc that McShann found the young man playing alto sax whom he had been looking for and wanted for his Martin's Plaza gig. Recovering from a 1936 car accident, Parker became addicted to heroin. As a result, his unreliability was notorious -- many times he'd show up for a gig sans saxophone and unable to perform. McShann told me that when he employed Parker, he was contacted by Earl "Fatha" Hines, who warned that he wanted the saxophonist -- and swore that "I've got the money and I'm taking him." And so he did. He kept him for about six months -- until Hines called McShann. "Hootie, come get this guy," Hines begged. "I can't handle him." Jay took Charlie back -- but paid a sideman a stipend to keep an eye on him. Parker's other well-known addiction -- fried chicken, or "yardbird" to Charlie -- accounts for Parker becoming universally recognized simply as "Bird." When Missouri Gov. Lloyd Stark was elected in 1936 and turned against Pendergast, it became clear that an end to the corruption and vice in Kansas City was in the cards. In 1938, Westbrook Pegler called the nation's attention to the Pendergast machine in his syndicated columns. In 1939, Tom Pendergast was imprisoned in Leavenworth for income-tax evasion; by the time of his death in 1945, the golden age of Kansas City jazz was over. With the curtailment of nightlife, musicians and bands looked for greener pastures in New York. Parker was among them. After Parker set the world of jazz afire with his blazing, revolutionary improvisations, his tragic life ended, March 12, 1955, at the Fifth Avenue residence of his friend, and benefactor of jazz, the Baroness de Koenigswarter. When he became deathly ill, Charlie was watching the Dorsey Brothers' TV program, "Stage Show." Parker liked the sound of Jimmy Dorsey's alto sax. Although the coroner estimated his age as between 55 and 60, Parker was only 34. Parker's birthday was Aug. 29. A few days early, The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, sponsored by the New York City Parks Foundation, celebrates the occasion on Aug. 25 at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem and on Aug. 26 at Tompkins Square Park in the East Village. Both events are from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Charlie Parker is buried at Lincoln Cemetery, on the outskirts of Kansas City, Mo. -- where the Charlie Parker story began. According to Dean Hampton, a K.C. jazz impresario, the 2007 Celebrating Bird events will begin at the grave site on Aug. 26 at 1 p.m., with a sax salute, a New Orleans style marching band, and many other Kansas City-based jazz musicians. The celebrations will continue through Parker's birthday at the famed Mutual Musician's Foundation, which during Parker's day was the home of local 627, the largest black local union in the country. Here there will be a jam session, as well as displays of Charlie's memorabilia. Further details and directions are provided at webjazz.net. Bird Lives!

I have two EHDs, one for the backup. I see no reason to burn onto CDRs; I did that for awhile, then realized having a backup EHD saves a lot of time.

Looking at the Mosaic site now, don't see anything about an August sale. Where did you see it?

I also have the Chambers TOCJ and agreed that the sound is terrific on that one, so I probably will not upgrade it. If anyone missed out on the early conn's and cc's though, there are a lot of those in this and the upcoming batch. I'm planning on grabbing the Davis since I passed on this one when it was reissued 12 years ago. Has it really been 12 years since Davis Cup came out as a Connoisseur? Jeez...

I personally don't believe the two sessions were recorded on the same day. It doesn't make sense: not just two entirely different set lists, but two different bands. Most probably one of the dates is wrong. Just my personal opinion.

The Quebec is a great session. I love Kenny Burrell's playing on that. I'll probably get the Duke Jordan. I've always been intrigued by the cover - Reid Miles almost never used serif type - the cover almost looks like a Riverside rather than a BN. I have the others - the Morgans on the Mosaic box. I don't particularly care for the Chambers - too much solo bass; it's just not that interesting a lead instrument.

New Wine in Old Bottles is great. Jackie was on that day.

Just the 30-second samples available on eMusic. Sounds like a cassette recording. Spirited performance. "Spitballs" is just soprano sax and drums (Artie Tripp/Ed Marimba). It was a great version of the band.

New on eMusic: Captain Beefheart Live at Bickershaw 1972

The Mary Lou Williams - Cecil Taylor is a train wreck. It's worth hearing once, just to experience how awful it is. I was at that show, and remember the expression on Bob Cranshaw's face on stage, as in "What am I doing here?" There was another John Lewis - Hank Jones recording, a direct-to-disc for a Japanese label, called Piano Play House. George Duvivier and Shelly Manne supporting, but there are 2 tracks that are just the duo pianos. More info: Piano Play House

Another good one, if a little lacking in fire (clever title, too): George Shearing & Hank Jones - The Spirit of 176

I think the real reason they shut down the old BNBB was all the anti-Norah Jones rants. I really couldn't blame them if that were the reason. Imagine if this BB was full of anti-Organissimo rants - how long do you think this would remain online?

I really like this: Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones - Our Delights

RRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrockin' !! [i like The Donnas, actually] I can't wait to hear this. "Spend The Night" is an amazing album, and interesting lyrically; my wife and I have spent some time discussing the songs. And they do rock out; the drummer and guitarist are very impressive. eMusic just has so much! Everytime I look, I'm surprised. This time out, I found not just all The Donnas indie releases, but Dar Williams, Nick Lowe, and all of Moondog's European releases. Also, I just looked at Fantasy's website, and they seem to have acquired Telarc - guess all of their stuff will show up on eMusic soon. And Charlie Hunter's next album is on Fantasy. Lotsa good stuff to look forward to.

This month's downloads: Leroy Carr (3 tracks) From "This Bird Has Flown" (3 tracks) The Donnas Turn 21 Spyro Gyra - Morning Dance Trudy Pitts - Legends of Acid Jazz Ron Affif - Vierd Blues John Coltrane - The Believer Gerry Mulligan - Idol Gossip Mal Waldron - Impressions Roy Haynes - Cymbalism Red Garland - Solar

There's a cloak-and-dagger aspect to the Hatto revelation that I find intriguing. The Wall St Journal in February published an article, and here are two excerpts: "But earlier this month, Brian Ventura, a classical-music fan and financial analyst in Mount Vernon, N.Y., said he put Ms. Hatto's "Liszt's 12 Transcendental Studies" into his computer to transfer it to his iPod -- and was surprised when Apple Inc.'s iTunes software identified it as a CD by another pianist, Laszlo Simon. "At first I thought it was a misunderstanding," Mr. Ventura said. "The next morning, Mr. Ventura said, he went to Amazon.com and found samples of the Simon recordings, which sounded very similar. That left Mr. Ventura wondering: Had Amazon somehow posted the wrong clips? ""I really didn't know what to do about it," he said. "I wanted very much to believe that the Joyce Hatto story was true because it's such an amazing story." "He emailed critic Jed Distler, which led to an investigation by Gramophone, a United Kingdom classical-music magazine. Gramophone sent the recordings to a sound engineer, Andrew Rose of Pristine Audio, who said 10 of the Hatto tracks were indeed from a 1987 recording by Mr. Simon on BIS Records. (Mr. Rose's Web site includes an online demonstration that lets you listen to the Hatto track in one ear and the Simon track -- slightly time-shrunk -- in the other.) "Gramophone's story led classical-music experts and fans to put on headphones and join the hunt. That led to a deluge of charges that more Hatto recordings were swiped from other sources, sometimes with audio trickery involved, such as shrinking or stretching the length of the recording." "As the affair has unfolded, classical-music fans have been slugging it out on online forums and Internet newsgroups. Technically minded fans, meanwhile, have wondered about iTunes' role as a techno sleuth. "Like many digital-music programs, iTunes recognizes a CD put in a computer by querying a database maintained by a company called Gracenote, of Emeryville, Calif. Gracenote recognizes a CD by the number of tracks it has and the length of each of those tracks; when combined, the two form a mathematical fingerprint that Gracenote says is essentially unique for CDs with more than about five songs. "In comparing the Hatto and Simon CDs, Mr. Rose noted that track times had been shrunk or stretched, and the fifth Hatto track is 13 seconds shorter than the fifth Simon track -- because it is actually a recording by Minoru Nojima. Would such discrepancies throw off Gracenote? The company said a single outlier would tax the system's matching ability but shouldn't throw it off, though it is impossible to say without examining the actual CDs. And even then, variables in CD pressings might leave the question unsettled." What struck me when I read the article is that the reporter didn't try to recreate what Mr. Ventura said he experienced. It would have been an easy experiment: just put the Hatto CD into a computer and see what iTunes returns as the disc. It would be interesting if iTunes did not return the Simon data, but instead identified the CD as Hatto. I guess what I'm trying to say is: did someone in the know tattle on Hatto/Barrington-Coupe and use iTunes as a camouflage?

The contents of my Ornette box slide out too easily and too quickly: if I don't handle the box very carefully, I find the contents on the floor. Same with the Mingus Atlantic box. The individual digipaks in the Ornette box are beautifully designed, and the book is very readable. The kind I most dislike are the Mosaics that are unnecessarily large and bulky. I totally agree about the Coltrane box - I love seeing that cool tape reel box. I dislike Mosaic packaging because the black and white photo covers are artless and the typeface is ugly (not as bad as Pablo LPs but close), and the booklets separate on different pages the track listings and personnel listings. The Miles boxes are nice, but the book spines are too stiff - it's difficult to open the books. Other box sets I like: Capt. Beefheart Grow Fins, Charlie Parker Savoy & Dial box, also the Savoy Live Recordings box, The Savoy Story (nice large type in the booklet), Clifford Brown Blue Note (just beautiful design and use of photos), Grant Green retrospective. A booklet that I think is top notch, both for design and content, is Sonny Rollins Complete Prestige Recordings.

I do know that (Enja, Steeplechase, West Wind, Black and White, etc). But I knew these releases on Inner City. And some of their own titles, like the Jeff Lorber, sold respectably.

While you're largely correct, I can think of some odd exceptions. 1) There was a series of funk jazz albums on Inner City that involved graduates of Miles Davis's '70 bands: Mtume playing with Hubert Eaves (? I think that was the name)...there were others, too, if I remember the names, I will amend here. They were very bland funk albums. 2) There was an odd album, also on Inner City, called "The Three", a trio of Joe Sample, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne (well, they are all West Coast guys). Now on eMusic: The Three 3) Alphonse Mouzon was in Weather Report, then made many fusion/dance albums on MPS. 4) Idris Muhammad seems like a guy who went the other direction: from a dance/fusion focus to becoming a respected Jazz drummer.

Faddis had good chops, but worshipped Dizzy too much. There also always seemed to be steady work for trumpeters who could hit those high notes (Maynard Ferguson, Al Killian, etc); I guess some people liked it. At a JATP session, it was akin to the fat lady singing. During the '70's, I thought most Muse albums looked cheesy, populated with nobodies. I can moderate that opinion somewhat now, but back then I knew no one who listed to Jimmy Ponder, for example, and couldn't figure out why these albums kept coming out. Eric Gale had that sound that Paul Simon liked, but it seemed like he only had 6 notes in his repertoire. Steve Khan did some interesting things on Novus. Sammy Cahn's son, by the way. In the '70's, I remember really disliking certain artists, thinking they were overhyped (at least in the NYC area). Two in particular were Lester Bowie and Betty Carter. I remember having impassioned discussions with friends about the relative merits or lack of same ("How can you like Betty Carter? Haven't you heard Abbey Lincoln?" etc.). Then I remember hearing about Lester's death and feeling a loss. It seemed like those impassioned opinions paled next to the loss of a person's life; the opinions really weren't that important, y'know? You may like a person's work or you may not, but they only have a certain number of years on this earth.