mjzee

There's a nice interview with John McLaughlin in today's Wall St Journal. Here's the link, but it's behind a paywall: https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-mclaughlin-guitarist-11628611105?mod=searchresults_pos1&page=1 If you can access it, it's worth checking out. Embedded in the article is a video of his band playing Straight No Chaser.

Not really about plans; more like a permanent part of the new landscape. I use my iMac as a music source, similar to a CD drive or turntable. With a DAC and an Airport Express, I play my music through my stereo. Because I rip everything using Apple Lossless, it's all CD quality. It's more convenient to find an album on iTunes (now Music) than to shuffle through boxes looking for a CD or LP. My system can also play music throughout my house, since I've wirelessly connected additional Airport Expresses and Apple TVs attached to powered speakers. It really didn't cost that much to achieve. Apple Lossless files aren't as big as CD (AIFF) files, but they are pretty big, so every so often I need to transfer my music to a larger EHD. Also, EHDs fail every few years and require replacement. Therefore the question: does a powered EHD have any inherent advantages over the smaller, more portable ones?

While I use EHDs for backup, I also use my main one to play music from my computer throughout the house. I therefore wonder whether a powered unit will be more responsive in playing the music files. To put my initial question a different way: if the smaller, lighter units are just as good as the larger, bulkier ones, why do they offer both? What does the larger one do that the smaller one can't?

Many of us have our digital music collections on external hard drives (EHDs). There seem to be two styles of EHDs: larger boxes that are powered from an electric socket, and more portable ones that are powered via the same USB connection through which the data flows. I puzzle over the uses and limitations of each. Should my main collection be on the first type, with an automated backup on the second type, or does it not really matter? There are really no differences as to capacity, and I don't think one type fails more than the other. Is the first type somehow faster or more responsive? Example of the first type: Western Digital My Book Example of the second type: Western Digital My Passport

There's probably a false dialectic going on here. It's not like a listener had to choose between Dex and Sonny - that listener could buy records from both. I believe Dex dug Sonny's playing. But Dexter's popularity was even more remarkable when you consider he was off the scene for much of the '70's, while at the same time you could buy tons of records of Stitt's and see him when he toured. Even some of Dex's Blue Notes were hard to find during the mid-70's. As for the promotional push that accompanied Dexter's reemergence, don't forget there was a similar push given at the time to Johnny Griffin (Dex and Griffin even played together at Carnegie Hall; Dex told the audience they would hear some "European soul tenor"), with more limited success; the promotion of Dex was not guaranteed to succeed. So all props to long tall Dexter!

The Jordan is already available on Capri's website: https://caprirecords.com/html_index.cfm?page=item_page&itemoid=110733&itemname= Sheila Jordan Comes Love - Lost Session 1960 As an aside, I have what I imagine is one of the first releases on Capri. Robert Yelin was a guitarist who shopped at the jazz record store where I worked. He was a very friendly guy. An album of his was released on Capri in 1983, and he gave me a copy which I still own. It was called Night Rain.

There's an intriguing but ambiguous reference to this topic in the updated introduction to Jack Chambers' "Milestones" biography (1998 edition): "In January 1989, a few months before executing the will, Davis had been hospitalized in Santa Monica, California. Hospital stays were habitual for him in these years, but his confinement in Santa Monica was thrown into high relief by a tabloid report that Davis was suffering from AIDS and would probably never leave the hospital alive. The Star (February 21, 1989) cited unidentified sources - no surprise there - but implied that Cicely Tyson was one of them. It made sense. Tyson had filed for divorce from Davis exactly a year earlier, and the settlement negotiations were endless and acrimonious. Davis did eventually leave the hospital, despite the Star's prediction, and resumed his career. He shrugged off the allegations about AIDS, but he confirmed Tyson's role in spreading the rumors. One exchange on the subject, in an interview with Jennifer Lee in Spin (December 1991), included this dialogue: "LEE: Miles, I want to ask you a sensitive question. "DAVIS: What? "LEE: Do you have AIDS? "DAVIS: Why are you asking me? "LEE: Well, it's a heavy rumor about you - and what if I wanted to sleep with you someday? "DAVIS: My ex-wife started that rumor. She called up women and told them. "In the end, the official causes of death were pneumonia, stroke, and respiratory failure. The AIDS virus was not cited in medical announcements." What I find intriguing is it seems that Davis didn't directly answer yes or no.

Sorry to hear that, Larry; a true loss. Our golden retriever died last year age 10 from cancer. We knew all along that Goldens are prone to cancer, with lifespans from 8-12 years.

Dexter was a star, who had a great personality and an identifiable sound. When you played a Dex record, you weren't hearing a tenor sax so much as you were hearing Dex. Sonny Stitt was more of a journeyman, to which he'd probably admit. Most of his records were interchangeable, and his solos by and large weren't memorable. True, some of it may have been that he didn't have as romantic a story as Dex (he didn't have long stretches where he disappeared, he didn't spend a long time in Scandinavia), but it's mostly due to quality - Dex's playing was simply better, in that indefinable way that makes us want to hear a particular record.

Wishing you the best. It's tough. Does the retirement community itself recommend a substitute?

ImportCDs has this for $93.36.

It's intriguing that the article apparently was originally titled Fifteen Geniuses of Jazz, per the article's URL: https://www.jazzwax.com/2021/08/fifteen-geniuses-of-jazz.html I wonder who got added at the last minute? I thought it was a good list. I would have left off Dizzy.

Re #3: Is it Andrew Cyrille on drums?

Still wondering what's the story with Sleepy Night Records.

I prefer when his birthday was July 4th. Still, happy birthday, Louie!

Interesting discussion. Amazon has offered the download of the full day session for $3.99 for awhile now, and I've been tempted: https://www.amazon.com/York-Tony-Scott-Bill-Evans/dp/B076X5Y7T2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Tony+Scott+a+day+in+new+york&qid=1628026587&s=dmusic&sr=1-1

Very useful explanation; thanks, bresna. I’ve never liked listening to headphones at high volumes. Even as a teen, I never liked the feeling of high pressure directly against my eardrums (I still prefer listening to music with the speakers behind me), so it seems this setup wouldn’t do much for me.

#3 is a beautiful track. Everyone's playing is top notch, and they interact so well. The trumpeter's tone is beautiful. The guitarist's phrasing sounds familiar, but I can't place anyone.

The Wall St Journal just published an excellent appreciation of Burrell's career.

I liked this BFT a lot. I own two of the tracks: #5 is Joey Baron's "Bit O' Water," from his album We'll Soon Find Out. Great band: Arthur Blythe, Ron Carter, Bill Frisell. Track 13 is John Scofield's "Lazy," from his album Groove Elation. His run of Blue Note albums was so good. Just a guess: #7 sounds like The Great Jazz Trio doing Monk's "Think Of One."

Release date October 1: Guitarist Steve Khan, one of the leading jazz guitarists of his generation, continues his explorations of the wondrous traditions of Latin music. Joining him are guest artists Rob Mounsey (keyboards and orchestrations), Randy Brecker (fluegelhorn), Gil Goldstein (accordion) and Mariana Ingold (vocals). Together with Khan's core group - Ruben Rodrguez (bass), Bobby Allende (conga), Marc Quinones (timbal) and Dennis Chambers (drums) - they perform Steve's arrangements of compositions by Ornette Coleman, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Greg Osby and Thelonious Monk. Also included is the gorgeous ballad, "Never Let Me Go" plus two originals from Khan and a Cumbia driven Vallenato (Colombian traditional folk style) epic collaboration between Steve and Mariana Ingold. Steve uses his own compositions and enticing re-arrangements of jazz and Latin standards to amplify the rhythmic ingenuity, textural creativity and technical brilliance for which he's already well known. TRACK LIST: 1. Bird Food (Comida Para Pajaros) 2. Blue Subtext (Subtexto En Azul) 3. Baraka Sasa 4. Infant Eyes (Ojos De Nino) 5. Heard (Escuchado) 6. Never Let Me Go (Nunca Me Dejes Ir) 7. Cada Gota De Mar 8. Hackensack 9. Bait and Switch (Gato Por Liebre)

Release date August 27: Denise Donatelli digs deep into the songs of Burt Bacharach on this, her fifth recording for Savant Records. The music of the immensely popular and prolific composer is well suited for this Grammy finalist who has performed in a wide variety of venues from clubs such as Catalina's, Herb Alpert's Vibrato Grill, and Mezzrow to the stage of the Municipal Opera in Prague, Czech Republic. Bacharach's sumptuous melodies sound more seductive than ever imbued with a dark moodiness which spotlights the luminous quality of the lyrics from the pens of Elvis Costello, Daniel Tashian, Bob Hilliard and, of course, Hal David. Donatelli gives us nine beautifully-recorded tracks highlighting the impressionistic and often ethereal arrangements of arranger, bassist and producer, the renowned Larry Klein. "Larry's idea," Donatelli says, "was to reimagine Bacharach's music in such a minimalistic way... to reframe them in a way that examines the very essence of the songs." Denise Donatelli and her colleagues bring unique insight into the musical legacy of one of the great American composers who helped define the course of popular music. Time was when a jazz trio without a piano or guitar was a rare occurrence. But once Sonny Rollins went chordless at the Vanguard the die was cast and, though the instrumentation is still not exactly thick on the ground, it is an important subset in the list of saxophone-fronted jazz groups. For the last three years tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover has embraced this format with her regular band featuring colleagues Daniel Duke (bass) and Nic Cacioppo (drums). Here, for her first album with the group and her Savant Records debut, she has attracted the attention of keyboard great George Cables, who appears on four tracks of the recording. Michael J, West points out in the album's liner notes that to Glover, "Cables represents the continuum of the music, it's past, present and future; she wanted that wisdom and energy to manifest itself and inform the band's work." In the trio numbers, mostly originals, the musicians display a unity of thought that goes far beyond the notes, one that takes the freedom of a chordless ensemble and runs with it. Their music is full of strength and power, challenging but communicative with a sly sense of playfulness peeking out occasionally all providing a memorable musical experience that is at once high-spirited and deeply felt.

Release date October 15: An unearthed treasure of a recording from one of Canada's most beloved vocalists and educators, this 2001 studio recording was never released, and is Shannon Gunn's posthumous debut. Shannon tragically passed from cancer in 2020, leaving the music community with a massive void. Shannon inspired hundreds if not thousands of musicians to dedicate their lives to jazz music and her loss was felt by the entire jazz industry. This release comes out just over a year after her passing. The album is a true discovery, brought to the label from Shannon's husband Brian Dickenson. It features a dream team band of multi-Juno Award winners Renee Rosnes on piano, Neil Swainson on bass, Billy Drummond on drums, Brad Turner on trumpet, Pat Labarbera on saxophone and Rock Lazar on percussion and was Produced and arranged by 5-Time Juno Award winning jazz legend Renee Rosnes.

The Astonishing Mickey Fields was probably 3/24/68, since it's listed in the Left Bank history as "Groove Holmes trio, guest Mickey Fields." Would make sense that the LP came out under Fields name, as Holmes was probably under contract. IIRC, this is the only date that lists both Holmes and Fields. http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?/topic/82143-left-bank-releases-upcoming/&do=findComment&comment=1705901

4-21-68 JOE HENDERSON, tenor sax; WYNTON KELLY, piano; PAUL CHAMBERS, bass; JIMMY COBB, drums Release: Joe Henderson - Four! (Verve)