mjzee

I might get this. I have 4 of the albums: Goin' Up, Here To Stay, Hub Cap and Open Sesame.

Interesting interview with Kevin Gray in Stereophile: https://www.stereophile.com/content/kevin-gray-vinyl-mastering-master This stayed with me: Matson: Are most of the Blue Note tapes in pretty good shape? Gray: Yes. They have been so well archived and cared for. I can only think of one or two tapes that we've had to reject because there were problems. That's unlike a lot of other companies. The condition of tapes from the '50s and '60s is fine. The older tapes are in way better shape. Around 1974, you start getting problems with sludge. Ampex tape in particular—they changed the formulation. Ampex later figured out that you could bake the tapes to help. I have a convection oven, and all those kind of tapes from that era have to go in the oven.

Very nice reminiscence about Mr. Cherry: https://www.stereophile.com/content/mes-après-midis-chez-don-cherry

https://nypost.com/2022/07/11/james-bond-theme-music-composer-monty-norman-dead-at-94/

Back around 1970, I kept hearing about Charlie Parker but never saw any actual albums. I didn't know what he sounded like, and so didn't know if I would like his music. In a budget bin, I found this album: I was too young, and couldn't relate to it. In 1978, around the time the Warner Bros. set came out, I bought all 6 Spotlite Dial albums. Now it made a lot more sense.

Mine arrived today. Beautiful booklet, beautiful presentation.

Flora Purim, Getz, Cowell, Vitous, DeJohnette. Paris 1969.

There are 8766 hours in a (365-day) year. So, a little less than half a year, played continuously. Can you set up your own radio station and just have it play continuously?

I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to classical music, but just coincidently I saw this thread while listening to #2, "Resurrection," under Bruno Walter (I'm listening to the Sony Walter box in order, and I'm up to disc 37). It's not making much of an impression, but that's maybe because it's so long (80 minutes), and I'm forced to listen to it in segments.

https://dunnandbrown.com/richard-taruskin-vigorously-polemical-musicologist-dies-at-77/ For those who can't open the Times article, this appears to be the same thing.

Just got a shipping notice (as in "label created").

Frank Zappa’s Estate, Including His Catalog and ‘The Vault,’ Acquired by Universal Music Group https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/frank-zappa-estate-including-catalog-130231363.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

I don't get why Yancey always changes the key at the endings of his songs. Was that just his signature phrase?

They were all released (with alternates) on the Mosaic Select "Boogie Woogie And Blues Piano."

No word yet from Houston.

Release date September 23: For the first time in a very long time super drummer STEVE GADD joins up with his friends from Gadd Gang times, EDDIE GOMEZ and RONNIE CUBER for a production with the WDR Big Band. Under the direction of Michael Abene, a heavenly groovy album emerges, with Steve Gadd and his friends taking center stage. Recorded in January & February of 2022! The cooperation between Steve's Gadd Gang and the WDR Big Band was hanging in the air for quite some time. Already back in 2011 there was talk about a potential collaboration with the Big Band under the leadership of Michael Abene (the chief conductor of that orchestra from 2004 to 2014). I love Michael and highly esteem his work, says Gadd, his arrangements as well as his piano playing. It is just a matter of trying to get the schedule together, but I am sure at some point we will be able to get it together.

Release date July 29: Pianist Art Hirahara unearths the heavenly landscapes of “Verdant Valley” on his eighth album for Posi-Tone Records. Searching for new realms of engaging expression, Hirahara perseveres steadily along on his personal journey of musical unfoldment. With a steady hand, Hirahara displays a clear sense of creative continuity, and succeeds in creating a bold impassioned statement with significant and meaningful contributions from his trusted collaborators: tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston. The program is eminently lyrical and clearly suggestive of a modern jazz sensibility, while the focus remains melodically straight forward with a steady flow of thoughtful interplay and hard swinging highlights. With an amazing combination of talents and an evocative program of brilliant performances, “Verdant Valley” is sure to bring bright moments of intense delight to serious listeners and jazz fans everywhere. About the Artist Art Hirahara is a jazz keyboardist and composer based in New York, NY. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Hirahara moved to New York in 2003 to be challenged by its pool of world-class musicians. There, he has honed his craft while performing in a wide range of musical situations, ranging from straight-ahead standards to time cycle-based progressive jazz to free improvisation. From the traditional to the avant-garde, Hirahara has found a sound of his own that cuts across genres and boundaries. Hirahara latest album, titled “Verdant Valley” (2022), perseveres steadily along on his personal journey of musical unfoldment. With a steady hand, Hirahara displays a clear sense of creative continuity, and succeeds in creating a bold impassioned statement with significant and meaningful contributions from his trusted collaborators: tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston. Hirahara’s previous Posi-Tone albums are “Noble Path” (2011), “Libations & Meditations” (2015), “Central Line” (2017), “Sunward Bound” (2018), “Balance Point” (2020), “Open Sky” (2021), and “Ascent” (2022). Hirahara was awakened to jazz during his studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he earned a degree in Electronic and Computer Music. During his junior year, he began jazz piano studies with the Cleveland jazz giant, Neal Creque. He then continued at California Institute of the Arts, where he was mentored by David Roitstein, Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith. It was there that he immersed himself in world music, focusing on West African drumming and dance, Balinese gamelan and North Indian tabla. In August of 2000, Hirahara self-released his debut record "Edge Of This Earth" to critical acclaim. After his move to New York, Hirahara studied at the Banff Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music program with Dave Douglas in 2004. Hirahara has had the privilege to perform with Stacey Kent, Freddy Cole, Akira Tana, Rufus Reid, Don Braden, Roseanna Vitro, Dave Douglas, Vincent Herring, Victor Lewis, Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra, Jim Black, Jenny Scheinman, Greg Cohen, Fred Ho, Sean Nowell, Royal Hartigan and Hafez Modirzadeh. He has performed around the world in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East and extensively around the United States. Hirahara’s piano and compositional sound are an amalgamation of the varied musical influences he has studied and the wide range of leaders he has worked for. Hirahara is constantly seeking new situations to challenge his musicality. Hirahara has recently worked as a producer and musical director for various artists of different genres.

Release date August 12: The efforts put forth by ensembles comprised of friends always seem to have a special spark. When such a group comes together under ideal circumstances, the results can be spellbinding. Take note: This is exactly the case with the collaborative group of pianist Roberta Piket, bassist Harvie S, and drummer Billy Mintz on their new recording, You've Been Warned. // Individually, Piket, Harvie S, and Mintz have found success in a myriad of projects. But it is their collective identity that has really cemented itself over the past decade. Mintz and Harvie S have been collaborators since the 1970s. Their most notable affiliation was as members of pianist Alan Broadbent's trio. Piket met Harvie S in the mid-1990s and incorporated the bassist into her fold. Piket and Mintz have been partners in music and life since 2001. They married in 2011. // The dimension of the group's interconnectedness is obviously vast and varied. Their own work together as a rhythm section began organically. Piket and Mintz found themselves bound even closer together during the pandemic lockdown. They managed to work on each other's music at home. It wasn't long before they included their friend, Harvie S, at first with open windows and masks.

Release date September 9: Multi-award winning jazz vocalist,Joe Coughlin's career has spanned 4 decades. He's one of the rare breed of singers able to inhabit and truly flourish in the land where jazz meets the great American Song Book. Evident from his first eponymously titled release 40 years ago, it continues to this day where he is reunited with pianist Bernie Senen­sky and drummer Terry Clarke, both of whom performed on that first recording. Joe cites Johnny Hartman as an early influence when, as a teenager he began to develop an interest in and talent for vocal jazz. Joe and Johnny have also shared sidemen, both having recorded with Lorne Lofsky, Chris Connor and Buff Allen. Over the years, Joe has honed his craft and developed his own sound although the nods to Hartman and Sinatra are still evident. Along with Canadian jazz icons Bernie Senensky and Terry Clarke, joining Joe on this recording are Neil Swainson on bass, a true jazz heavyweight and consummate tenor player, Ryan Oliver. Not surprisingly, the result is impressive. The album opens with an uptempo, swinging rendition of Eino Swan's When Your Lover Has Gone, a main­stay of the Hartman and Sinatra catalogue and takes us on a voyage through that Great American Song Book with stops along the way including a magnificent (perhaps definitive) version of Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life. The deep connection and empathy among Joe and the band members is evident throughout this truly splendid journey. Steven Feifke (pianist, composer, arranger/orchestator and conductor) and Bijon Watson (lead trumpet) have joined forces to bring together a big band featuring some of the most well known names in all of jazz. These two artists are frequent-flyer-mile performers in a number of internationally acclaimed large ensembles and noticed one small problem in each one: there is almost no generation gap! The longstanding tradition spearheaded by artists like Art Blakey and Horace Silver of hiring the young guns for an ensemble has all but disappeared in recent years. In creating The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra, Bijon and Steven make the objective of this band to strengthen that tradition of mentorship that has shaped and defined the jazz idiom since its earliest beginnings.

Release date July 1: 'Inborn' a 2CD set led by pianist Richie Beirach, presents recordings from 1989 featuring Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, John Scofield, George Mraz and Adam Nussbaum! All the tracks were recorded at the legendary Clinton Recording Studios in New York, where many of the great Bill Evans trio and some of the later Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner records were made. This all-star combo was assembled under the leadership of pianist Richie Beirach (born 1947), it included the Brecker Brothers - the late tenor saxophonist Michael and the trumpeter Randy, the guitarist John Scofield, bassist George Mraz and the drummer Adam Nussbaum. At the time of recording all six of them were internationally recognised names in jazz, with the Brecker Brothers, who were fast becoming "superstars" of modern jazz, leading the way. The setting for the recording was quite exceptional and is worth mentioning. On the first day of their recording session in mid-April of 1989 the six jazz musicians performed the pieces highly focused and without disturbance at the Clinton Studios in New York. However, on the second day they invited friends and acquaintances and played some of the same pieces as the day before, but now under more difficult conditions, live on stage in front of an audience. The result is a double album of historical significance for the world of jazz. A must-have for your collection! Personnel: Richie Beirach (piano), Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn), Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone), John Scofield (guitar), George Mraz (bass), Adam Nussbaum (drums)

RIP. Enja had a nice run. I first encountered them through the Inner City releases, then I think they were distributed by Polygram in the U.S. (could be wrong about that). Wonder what will happen to the catalog.

Actually, she was just a rich kid, acting privileged. Kinda like the Paris Hilton of her day. Hilton's a great DJ, dontcha know? From Wikipedia: Ono was born on February 18, 1933, in Tokyo City, to Isoko Ono (小野 磯子, Ono Isoko) (1911-1999)[15] and Eisuke Ono (小野 英輔, Ono Eisuke), a wealthy banker and former classical pianist.[16] Isoko's maternal grandfather Zenjiro Yasuda (安田 善次郎, Yasuda Zenjirō) was an affiliate of the Yasuda clan and zaibatsu. Yasuda zaibatsu, also from Wikipedia: Yasuda zaibatsu (安田財閥) was a financial conglomerate owned and managed by the Yasuda clan. One of the four major zaibatsu of Imperial Japan, it was founded by the entrepreneur Yasuda Zenjirō. It was dissolved at the end of World War II.

I’ve liked some things of hers: the Don’t Worry Kyoko b-side of Cold Turkey, and side two of the live Toronto LP. I also have a hardcover edition of Grapefruit. She was on much shakier ground (thin ice?) with basic song structure that required her to sing; those attempts I found painful to listen to. How many people bought Double Fantasy and picked up the tonearm to only listen to tracks 1, 3, 5, etc.? Inflicting her songs on those who desperately wanted to hear John’s was just cruel. Indeed, it’s a dilettante who thinks she can sing to the masses without first putting in her musical dues and care about what the audience wants to hear.

Release date August 12: Recorded in the historic ambience of the Village Vanguard in New York, The Extra Something is not just another release by a prolific artist. Working with a first-class band, Pieranunzi combines core jazz values with a sense of structure and order that comes from classical music, but all of it animated by a strong sense of freedom. Pieranunzi has risen to the ranks of the most significant contemporary musicians, a name to be placed alongside some of the greatest we have seen and heard. The Extra Something contains approximately 60 minutes of original music composed by Enrico Pieranunzi.