marcello

I've tried a few of his recent ECM discs and was bored by all of them. No thanks. You can say that again. I bought the Live at Birdland double disc and got double burned! The only saving grace was Billy Klison and then DH replaced him. Never trust the critics.

In the latest edition of the Jazzletter, LaFaro's mother gave it to Samuel Kolstein, who had reparied his basses. Kolstein never had the heart to restore it, so it sat unrepaired untill 1986, when is son Barrie Kolstein, repairied for the International Society of Bassists convention on 1988. I assume that he still has it. Now... I found this on the Web: Kolstein, Barrie. “The 'LaFaro Prescott' Restoration” Bass World: The Journal of the International Society of Bassists, vol. XIV, no. 3 (Spring 1988), pp. 56-63. Illustrated. Article discusses the second restoration by the author of Scott LaFaro's instrument damaged in his fatal automobile accident, July 6, 1961. The instrument was made by one Abraham Prescott of Concord NH, around 1801. It was obtained from LaFaro's colleague, bassist Red Mitchell. Another bassist, George Duvivier, introduced LaFaro around 1960 to the author's father, Samuel Kolstein, who did the initial restoration of LaFaro's Prescott bass. Following the tragic death of LaFaro, Scott's mother, Mrs. Joseph R. LaFaro, offered her son's instrument to the senior Kolstein at a fair price with the hope that once again it would be “resurrected back to life as Scott would have wished it to be.” Disconsolate with the tragic loss of LaFaro, the senior Kolstein kept the instrument in storage until he could bring himself up to the task of restoration. The bass remained in storage for nearly a quarter century following the July 1961 accident. The author decided to complete the restoration so that the bass would be played again in the twenty-fifth year following LaFaro's death, in 1986.

That's Called "Right Now: Live at the Jazz Workshop" and yes, John Handy is on it. Here is a photo I found with Jane Getz and Dannie Richmond: and another: and something more recent:

Only the Corporation.

Those ministers from ANGUILLA didn't need any help from me! By the end of the night they were dancing and shouting encouragement to the band, who by the way, included Geoffrey Keezer; The Joe Locke / Geoffey Keezer Group. When they found out that the bassist, Reuben Rogers', father was born in Anguilla, it pushed them over the top. Including their Cheif Justice. They have a jazz festival there called The Tranquility Jazz Festival

My God didn't Ellington have a lot of class! He records the Queen Suite, has copies printed only for the her, and doesn't let it be released during his lifetime. That music is amazing!

What happens there is that a lot of upper class tourists go there to have a "genuine NYC jazz club outing". Because of it's location and affiliation with Lincoln Center, it's a safe bet for them. The setting is exqusite looking out above Columbus Circle and the base of Central Park. The recently when I was there a entire mid week early set was sold out with company party. I believe they were part of a health group that has offices in that building complex. They were very well behaved and attentive, though. The next set there were a couple of large tables of Ministers from the island of Anguilla, who were the guests of BET.

Who the hell is "the famous B3-ist Matthew Fisher"? I must be out of the loop. Jazz festivals can't be compared with the everyday health of the jazz business ( but they are great), because there is more of a support for them as a city-wide event. They are great for promoting the music and you are lucky that that such a small ( and hip) city like yours supports it.

That is a great idea. The audience won't grow from jazz clubs alone, it's way too expensive for a lot of people to go and enjoy a night out. NYC has it's problems because of high real estate prices, taxes and rents. Out of town venues have their problems bringing in name acts because of the high price of transportation and overhead, and they all suffer from less than inspired musical programing. All the above make club owners very paranoid and slow to build a audience for more than a handful of artists. I mean, who needs "Javon Jackson plays the music of Dexter Gordon"? I still love going to the Vanguard, but when Geoffrey Keezer was playing there with his trio earlier in the year playing a great set of his music, Lorraine was overheard telling him, "Why can't you just play Body and Soul?" Boy, I miss Max Gordon but I remember seeing Cecil there in the mid 70's several times and they only had a good house on the weekend. On Sunday, I was there with just a handful of people. That was at $6 a head and nobody pushed a drink on you then. I'm going to see Cedar at Dizzy's, which has a high quotiant of non-jazz listeners who happen to come by, but a beautiful place with wonderful sound, and Jeremy Pelt at the Vanguard. Both venues have a two drink minimum, by the way. I might also see David David Binney at the 55 Bar. Hardbop, since you live in NYC and have been around for a good while, I defer to your observation, and you are correct in the long run. If there isn't a audience in NYC, then the economic health of the music is in a very bad state indeed.

I heard some of this last night and liked Corey Wilkes and Big Red Peaches.

The Bud Powell on that is terrific! He's in top form. More so than Bird, IMHO.

I've always pronounced it (and have heard others pronounce it) lie-tell. I wonder if the pronunciation may have been given in one of the early liner notes? The fans in the old neighborhood used to pronounce it Liet-el. That's with a soft 't', and you say it fast. He was best heard in a club, kind of one a dimentional player, but he has a good time and showed it on stage. A dying art these days.

Here's a article from Encore that may interest everyone, including this: Nearly 281 million digital singles were purchased through July 2, compared to 158.8 million in the time frame last year. More than 14 million full-album downloads were purchased in the first six months of this year, more than double the 6.5 million bought in the first half of 2005. And this: Independent record labels accounted for 12.79 percent of market share.

This is a different drummer than last month. But the young man I saw, who's name escapes me, was a terror too!

To keep the Buffalo connection going you could turn him on to : Joe Ford Mel Lewis Sam Noto Lonnie Smith Don Menza All from Buffalo.

I saw him last month. After two very strong tunes where he played the shit out of his horn, he played a couple songs on soprano ( one was a japanese folk song ) that were OK. Then he played a sort of rap song that was so silly( he mumbeled over and over "C'mon people get up and git it" ), so pandering to the crowd and so loud ( he hooked up to a midi phaser of some kind), that I left. It was going on forever and ever. The crowd loved it but not I.

Did he have Allison Miller with him? She's got a nice grove.

Well. Grover was from Buffalo, ( is your Dad?) so that may explain that. But hey, give him some music, and see how he likes it!

This one is real nice:

All in all "Bird" is a wreck; nothing of the true excitement of the man and his music comes through. Just the poor suffering black jazz-junkie. Even that is lame! And John Guerin's drumming? Don't ask! They could have hired Danny D'Impierio!

The best website music I've heard in a long time!

It's strange that the new owners of Ronnies will be milkink their archive of real jazz when it's current policy takes a more commercial slant, raises prices and changes thier club member policy. That said, they have a vast horde of material and have been recording their artists for many years. The articles of late never mention that actor Kevin Spacey is a partner along with Sally Greene. She (and I believe Spacey too) own The Old Vic theatre, although his is the A Artistic Director. The real estate that Ronnie's occupies, is a prime Soho location. Greene (far right), Elton John, Kevin Spacey and Old Vic producer David Liddiment. Do you believe that these people are jazz fans? Here is a recent article: Ronnie Scott's Time Out gets an early peek at the refurbished Ronnie Scott’s and discovers that the changes go much further than a quick lick of paint I’m standing on a spot in Ronnie Scott’s where Dizzy Gillespie once threw up. ‘You didn’t want to look at the old carpet too closely,’ says Leo Green, the new musical booker at Ronnie Scott’s. ‘It was pretty sordid. And then there were the chairs – like something from your old fucking geography class. And then there was the food…’ Ronnie Scott’s might be one of the world’s most famous jazz clubs, but it has been looking shabby for a while. You might have got a thrill from using the same lavatories where Miles Davis snorted coke and where Bill Evans fixed up, but you’d also be cramped into uncomfortable seats, hearing expense-account suits jabbering loudly through the headline sets and trying to get the attention of surly waiters who’d forget to bring you drinks you’d ordered an hour ago. The menu, of course, was legendarily bad, as Ronnie Scott himself famously acknowledged in an early Melody Maker advert (‘Food untouched by human hand – our chef is a gorilla’). It’s little wonder that, for many jazz purists, Ronnie’s even lost its position as Soho’s pre-eminent jazz venue to the Pizza Express on Dean Street. Ronnie’s was bought last year by Sally Greene – who runs the Old Vic and Criterion theatres – and was closed in March for major refurbishment, under the auspices of Parisian designer Jacques Garcia. The entire three-storey space has been gutted: the kitchen has been revamped (with a classy ‘traditional English’ menu); the bar and mixing desk have been moved to the back, opposite the stage; seating has been placed to the right of the stage; there is now a ramp at the entrance for wheelchair access (and a disabled toilet); the cosy downstairs bar has been redone and the upstairs dancefloor turned into a private members bar. But the main venue remains intact: they’ve tried to retain the room’s old acoustics, while each of the iconic photographs of jazz legends that lined the walls has been replaced in exactly the same position. The refurbishment has come at a cost. Entry prices have gone up – midweek gigs have risen from £20 to £25, and the Friday and Saturday acts have soared to £35, rising to £45 for bigger names. There will also be an additional £23 charge for a two-course menu (although you can still choose not to eat, or order finger food à la carte when the main act is playing). And the headline acts will no longer be playing fixed, Monday-to-Saturday runs – there will instead be shorter residencies. ‘We’ve got a lot more flexibility now,’ says Leo Green, the 32-year-old saxophonist – and son of the late broadcaster and musician Benny Green – who has been brought in by Sally Greene to book the acts. ‘We’re often dealing with American musicians who are playing festivals or big theatre halls in Europe, and they will rarely have six nights free in a touring schedule. Also, let’s face it, there are fewer and fewer artists who can sell out six nights. Ronnie was able to put on Stan Getz one week, Mingus the next, and Sonny Rollins the week after that. We can’t. And the few jazz legends who are alive are playing big, 3,000-seater venues or outdoor festivals rather than 250-capacity clubs like ours.’ The schedule for the next few months includes some heavyweight names – including Ramsey Lewis, Chick Corea, David Sanborn and Wynton Marsalis – but also a few that have raised eyebrows, suggesting that the venue may be moving towards the looser definition of ‘jazz’ employed by, say, Camden’s Jazz Café. ‘There are some great bookings but also some questionable ones,’ says Jon Newey, editor of the jazz bible Jazzwise. ‘Of course, Ronnie’s has always booked non-jazz artists like Lisa Stansfield and Ike Turner, but I’m not sure that, say, Gary US Bonds and Alexander O’Neal are convincing or prestigious enough for Ronnie’s. On the other hand, people look at the old days at Ronnie’s through rose-tinted spectacles. You might have had a great name like Sonny Rollins for one week but he’d be followed by two or three lesser names. And, let’s face it, £45 isn’t a great deal to see big names like Wynton or Chick Corea in such an intimate venue – you’d certainly pay more than that to sit in the first six rows of the Barbican.’ There are other concerns about the prices. Previously, club members could get in for £5 on weekdays, £10 on Fridays and Saturdays, while students and Musicians Union members would get a reduced entry rate of £10 from Monday to Thursday. Membership has now trebled to £165 a year but there will no longer be any price reduction for members – instead they’ll get ‘priority booking’ for gigs, while membership of the new upstairs bar will set you back a further £365 a year. With the NUS and MU reductions there is mixed news – both will get free entry after 11pm (subject to space) but there will be no formal price reductions for headline acts. The main change for punters will be the opening hours. The venue used to open at around 9pm and alternate between the support act and main act until 2am. Now it will open at 6.30pm, allowing the support act to start early while some punters will be dining, and the main act will play a much longer 90 minute set from 9.45pm. From midnight another support act will play into the early hours of the morning. On Thursdays, the headline act will come on later (10.45pm), and on Fridays and Saturdays there will be a two shows with separate entry fees – one running from 6.30-10.30pm, another from 11pm-3am. ‘You’ve got to move with the times,’ says Green. ‘When Ronnie and Pete King first opened this place nearly 50 years ago, you couldn’t get a drink after 11pm in London, let alone buy dinner at two in the morning. And many of the tactics used by New York clubs just don’t work here. You couldn’t get away with having two houses – an early and later show – every night of the week in London, but you can do that on Fridays and Saturdays. American clubs might have cover charges – where you pay a minimum of $20 for food – but in London most punters would think that was bollocks. And you can’t have headliners not finishing their act until past midnight. When people have to get the tube home, pay babysitters and get up for work the next day, that’s just commercial suicide.’ Ronnie Scott's re-opens on Monday June 26 with the Monty Alexander Trio.

I've just realized that the multi talented Henry Hey is playing with Monday Michiru. Henry Hey MySpace That's Henry on the right next to Tain:

Some later Gillespie are really fine: The Giant Portrait of Jenny