Alon Marcus

Thanks!

The word appears in the beginning of the story. I'll be grateful if someone could explain to me what it means in this context. "All hunting stories are the same," said Clovis; "just as all Turf stories are the same, and all--" Here is the link for the complete story. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Esm%C3%A9

Thanks Jim.

I just saw that there are two versions of his "Black, Brown and Beautiful". Is there anybody familiar with those records?

The new album "Light On" is very good.

Listened to "Live at Minton's" and it is a "fun record". The things I liked: # Both tenors are approaching bebop but from different directions. Davis is a bit before and Griffin is a bit after. This contrast is interesting. # I like when they play together the tunes, their double-voice interaction on arrangements is very original. The things I didn't like: # Junior Mance sounds "allright", since I haven't heard a really bad solo for a long time I think that being "allright" is not enough. I nead something special. # They always solo in the same order and that's boring. # Wish they did more "trades". Their main interaction is on the tunes, not in improvisations.

Whatever one's opinion of Jim Hall, I think you might get more than a few differing opinions about him being the "'father' of modern guitar." It could be a nice thread.

Jim Hall has been my favorite guitarist for a long time. He builds improvisations in a logical way, but that’s not the thing which makes him so interesting. His playing is full of surprises. He always keeps a feeling of suspense, the feeling of “What will happen now? What is he going to do next? How he intends to use that new idea he just droped into the solo?” Such 180 degrees plot twists are thrilling. Most of his phrases are pretty short and simple. I like to count, sometimes, the number of notes players use in a single phrase and use my fingers for that purpose. With some people you need both your hands and legs and other unusual organs. Hall’s inventivness with only three or four notes is amazing. He plays those notes, then approaches them from a different note, plays them with a different rhythm. It’s so simple one wonders what makes so many musicians play fast and pale technical lines. Jim Hall is also the “father” of modern guitar. More than other guitarists I think. Actually it will be interesting to analyze the genetics of guitar playing. In my opinion two main branches of that tree grow from Wes Montgomery (with Benson afterwards) and Jim Hall. I like his recordings with Ron Carter. Right now I’m listening to the “Complete Recordings of the Paul Desmond Quartet with Jim Hall”.

A few tubes with June Christy. Taking a chance on love All God's Children Got Rhythm Supposin' Imagination

Animation

I think that Martial Solal plays a synthesis of Tatum's and Monk's styles. 1. He has Tatum virtousity. 2. He has Monk's angular phrasing. Obviously other reasonable choices could be made, but that's part of the freedom the game allows. Solal plays with Montgomery and Griffin

Cecil? Muhal? Maybe Cecil and Muhal are good choices but you need to give two reasons for your opinion and examplify it with a video clip.

Here's a random choice of mine for a thesis to begin spinning the wheels of the game. Art Tatum- Yesterdays

The rules of the game are simple. In the first post we choose the thesis. In the second post the antithesis is presented. In the third post you present the synthesis which is the new thesis and the so the game goes on and on. YET, it's a musical game. In the first post the thesis is a piano player. Let's say Bud Powell for example. The first poster puts a link to a video with Bud Powell. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P-kpOiT6Eo The second post is an antithesis for Bud Powell's video, and you also need to give two reasons why. Let's say you chose Bill Evans as the antithesis 1. Lyrical approach as opposed to Bud Powell's more trumpet like attack. 2. Richer use of left hand chords. And a link to Bill Evans video. The synthesis might be Herbie Hancock. You need to give two reasons why he is a synthesis of Bud Powell and Bill Evans in your ears. And a link to his video. It's fun

I get the impression that you're not real familar with all they have done. All is a big word. Probably you're right. I'm also not familiar with ALL what Christina Aguilera did, but still I enjoy listening to her more then to KC. They never made me interested with their music to dig into more of it. Somehow it was always the BUZZZ around this band that created the interest for me. Hope you're not angry or something

Simple is beautiful. But trivial or primitive are not the same as simple. Bill Brufford is great. I liked his solo projects very much.

Let's hear one of those bands pop out a classic like Fracture. The right thing at the wrong time is wrong. The wrong thing at the right time may be right. The right thing at the right time is beautiful. I'm not saying they didn't have their moments! But sometimes the music they play is pretensious and embarassing. Like the very very long song they have on the first album, where they put a flute on a sequence of "spanish chords", which is the first thing you learn when you play the guitar. Each time I listened to it I asked "What's the big deal?".

I know this band is important and everything, but everytime i tried to listen to them, it sounded to long and to boring. Somehow it felt like a waste of time listening to King Crimson because IMHO an average fusion band (take Uzeb, Yellowjackets e.t.c) has better compositions and play better. King Crimson sound best when they play short riifs, like the ones that made Guy think they took something from Mingus. But that's not special and there are many rock artists who did it before KC and better than KC. It seems to me that they are to pompose for a pop-rock band and to trivial as compared with fusion bands. As I said, I've always thought that there is music which catched the essence of the things that KC tried to do, better than KC.

Sounds like a version of Stevie Wonder. (I didn't want to say white version but that was my thought). Listened to some of his music and liked it very much.

I heard the "Ben Folds Five" on the radio. Then went home and looked about him on the internet. Listened to some stuff on Pandora. Do you like this kind of music? I like it.

Listened to his album "Meaningless" and had fun! It's pop, but most of the songs are not bad at all. What do you know about him? What good albums he has?

She's just waiting for Santa.

If I expected pain when first you drilled, blame it on my tooth. If only just for you did I exist, blame it on my tooth. I believed in everything, like a child of three. You meant more than anything, all the world to me. If you were on my mind both night and day, blame it on my tooth. If I forgot to eat and sleep and pray, blame it on my tooth. And if I cried a little bit when first I saw the price, Don't blame it on my teeth, blame it on my eyes.

Few days ago I listened to one of his recent live recordings with Danilo Perez and John Patitucci and he sounds great. More experienced than ever, impecable diversity in his phrasing and maybe the best soprano alive. I think he just became better with the years.

I'd like to say few negative things about this recording. The tunes most of the time are weaker than usual. The first track with the clarinet is too much sweet and smoothy, I don't like it. Doo Bop is annoying. It's one of those post-modern-hardbop songs that you get tired of before you figure out what's going on there. Almost every new album from a young jazz lion contains sophisticated tunes of that type, which are no more than trying to connect with a stinky glue used patterns from old Blue Note masters. I like Harrell because usually he avoids that kind of writing and composes clear, simple and beautiful melodies. I don't like Dewey Redman on that record, especially not on the third track "Oasis". His solos are meaningless and boring on this date. Maybe because a player like him needs more space to spread his creativity wings, and more solo time to develop ideas.