Henry Grimes

[Lazaro Vega]

He sounds great on the new Luis Perdomo recording "Awareness" on Ravi Coltrane's label -- that was a pleasent shock, really, because he's throwing in with some of the younger players. Best to Henry and love to you, too, Margaret.

LV

[musicmargaret]

I have a concern of a slightly different sort about the discussion here. That is, I'm glad to see Henry's so busy with his music, that he's enjoying himself, and doing well. I also hope that he's getting paid well for all the gigs he's playing and not just scuffling as a free jazz musician instead of scuffling as a janitor or whatever he was during the "lost" years. And maybe making a little extra to make up for all those lost years too!!

Thanks for your concern for Henry's well-being, "chitownjazz"! Henry's doing okay financially, making far, far below the national average, with not much left at the end of each week, but not going without anything he really needs either. He doesn't have luxuries, but there's no wolf at the door. He's happy to live humbly and grateful for the life he has. To fend off the wolf and the scuffle you mention, we have set minimum-guarantee requirements for concerts in town, concerts out of town, concerts overseas, and festivals, so Henry only works for meager fees if it's for a benefit concert or occasionally to help out a fellow musician. (He's playing two benefit concerts this month, one to help New York City children in public schools get musical instruments to play, and the other for the Jazz Foundation of America.)

Hey, Lazaro, we didn't even know the Luis Perdomo CD was out! Glad you like it. I wrote to you two or three times in the past month or so about the trio coming out to Chicago but never had a reply. Did you not receive those for some reason, or did I bip when I should've bopped?

Chuck and Ann, thanks for the beautiful photo (we hadn't seen that one before) and thanks for being... Chuck and Ann! Mark, we miss you!

[Lazaro Vega]

What!!!!! No, didn't get those! Please try again: radio@bluelake.org

[J Larsen]

I've seen him several times in the past year or so. I thought he was $(#%ing incredible every time. I'm not a big fan of the CD Spiritual Unity put out on Pi, but their live shows are consistently great.

[musicmargaret]

A quick note about some upcoming things for the great Henry Grimes:

* Saturday, January 2Oth: Henry Grimes's Spaceship on the Highway, w/ Marshall Allen, Andrew Lamb, & Avreeayl Ra, showcase concert for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (also open to the public) at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St. betw. Broadway & Church St., New York City, main space, 8 p.m. (total of 18 groups playing in three concert spaces between 6 p.m. & 1 a.m.),

212-219-3OO6, 212-219-3132, www.knittingfactory.com,

full schedule at

www.winterjazzfest.com/2007/artspresentersjan20.html,

tickets from

www.ticketweb.com/user/?region=nyc&query=detail&event=705372

(this will be the 8th concert of this quartet since March, 'O5, though Fred Anderson has usually been the tenor player);

and then various other things large & small before and afterwards, but this one is certainly significant:

* Friday & Saturday, March 9th & 1Oth, 'O7, 8 p.m: Cecil Taylor AHA3 trio w/ Henry Grimes & Pheeroan akLaff; John Zorn w/ Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen, & Joey Baron (Masada), at the Rose Theatre, Lincoln Center, Broadway at 6Oth St., 212-546-2656, www.lincolncenter.org, www.jalc.org/concerts/details.asp?EventID=952. Tickets at $127.5O, $1O7.5O, $82.5O, $57.5O, $37.5O are available at the Web site, at the Rose Hall box office at 6Oth St. and Broadway, or from CenterCharge, 212-721-65OO. This will be the fourth and fifth concerts of this trio since October, 'O6.

and another very exciting thing, or rather combination of things, right now still "in the brewing luminous":

* Henry Grimes & Rashied Ali, combined live duo concerts, WKCR broadcast, WKCR Webcast, and recording sessions at Columbia University, mid-March or so, details to follow.

www.henrygrimes.com

musicmargaret@earthlink.net

Voicemail 212-841-O899

Edited January 11, 2007 by musicmargaret