A. Kingstone

Crosby is snake-bit.

Does Chris Albertson post here?

I'm loving The Max Roach Box for the past while.

I love Dizzy Gillespie but I have no idea who Verve Phillips is.

Bruce, do you learn them by numbers or chord letters? ie: IIm7 or Dm7

Start charging them extra for bringing you instruments to the gig. Demand time and a half for breaks.

I have the changes memorised to about 400 tunes. I don't portend to KNOW these songs but if they are called I can comp and blow. When I was doing a long commute I used to keep a homemade fake book on the seat beside me, hum the melody as I'd memorise 4 bars at a time. The Autumn two minor seven five seven one.... It helped that I was playing 2 nights a week with a leader with a huge book. The memorisation thing became an obsession for a while, I was closing in on 600 tunes but I would have to review them constantly. Now it's evened out and I review less rigorously. The best parts of the process were not needing a book on gigs and the recognition of repeated harmonic patterns between songs. I think in chunks of chords now instead of just one or two. I've also named progressions for quick recognition. For instance I call VIm7 / II7 / IIm7 / V7 a FINESSE FIVE because it appears to be going to the FIVE MAJOR. I can say to folks I play with regularly, "lets give this the LAURA ending" Gotta have a hobby.

I like the one with Bird, Monk, Mingus and Haynes. Bird in white. A voluptuous mural in the background.

Last night. Thad Jones with the wonderful Barry Harris Tal Farlow

Can't remember where I heard this. Jim Hall was sharing the stage with a very eager young guitarist who as is expected when you are a young eager guitar player sharing the stage with Jim Hall was over playing. Jim said "Don't just play something, sit there".

Just ordered this baby. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. The All Music Guide review says the remastering is first rate.

All those damn requests for Tadd Dameron tunes.