Big Al

The sessions that produced All Mornin' Long, Soul Junction, and Dig It! are some of my favorite Red jam albums. Also, the session that produced "Lush Life" (among other tracks) as well. And can't forget Black Pearls!!! Man, when Red, Byrd, and Trane got together, that was some sweet sounds they produced!

Just now listening to it for the first time in my life, and I can't WAIT to review this one!

Dammit, if I'da posted before Monday's game, I coulda enjoyed that fleeting moment when the Rangers were above .500 for the first time since last May. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted (all 24 hours of it).... Geez, it feels like the early 80's again. Gonna be another looooooooooooooooo- ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo- oooooooooooooooooooooooooooong season.......

The response from you all has put a lot of this into perspective! I particularly like the comment about Hancock using the piano as more of a percussive instrument. I'm gonna have to listen to some of these songs again with that in mind. My original thought was that what may sound like a random hit on the keyboard, I seem to have heard on other recordings. (Or maybe it just seems that way because I've only heard a couple of tracks in that vein.) Sorta like Freddie Hubbard's trill (especially evident on his CTI recordings). So, thanks for responding, folks!

...how about 4) I gave my copy to Big Al Rearick TWICE!!!! aL

Much as I love Hancock's playing, as a writer, soloist, and comp-er, on the few tracks I've heard where he plays in a free-form setting, his chords and voicings all seem to sound the same. I'm thinking of some tracks from Some Other Stuff, Byrd's Free Form, Shorter's All-Seeing Eye, and Sam Rivers Contours, as well as "The Egg" and "Eye of the Hurricane." Maybe there's something you guys are hearing that I'm not, so any help would be greatly appreciated. (this thread inspired by the All Seeing Eye Album of the Week thread!)

You got THAT right!!! I like the idea you and Dan are talking about. Especially since I came to jazz late in the game, and as a result a lot of great titles went OOP before I even knew about 'em. Royal Flush is another fine treat. I wonder if Mosaic hadn't put "Jorgie's" on their website if I would've been as inclined to get the set or not! That one song sold me on the whole set!

I've tried to like this album; Lord knows I've tried. I find that I enjoy moments on this album more than the album itself. I like the ensembles of "The All-Seeing Eye" more than the solos. I'ev never been able to sit through all of "Genesis" without getting bored. "Chaos" lives up to its title. "Face of the Deep" and "Mephistopheles" are my two favorite tracks, the former because it's a solo ballad for Wayne, the latter with its insistent rhythm and beautiful interplay between brothers Wayne and Alan. This is also the album that almost permanently turned me off of James Spaulding. Hub Cap has since changed my opinion. But good gracious, some of the squeals he makes on this album make me hit the "next" button quickly! Letter grade? Solid "B" (an average of "A" for effort and "C" for execution)

These guys were/are the kings of double-entendres!!! Yesterday morning, I had the house to myself, and took the three AC/DC CD's mentioned earlier, plugged in the guitar and tried to play like Malcolm Young. Man, how does something so simple-sounding become so difficult to play? And the temptation to veer off the rhythm track is almost unquenchable. But I tell ya, you get locked in a groove like "Down Payment Blues" and the effect is nothing short of hypnotic! Wheeeeeeee! "Dirty Deeds" was my first AC/DC record, too! My favorite on that record is "Ride On."

Well gang, I got confirmation that my order shipped. However, after reading Nutty's comments, I'll let you know if I actually get the Green box!

I'm telling ya, AfricaBrass: the Mosaic is worth every penny my in-laws spent on it for my birthday this year! Seriously, "Off to the Races," "Royal Flush," and a couple of unreleased sessions make for very enjoyable listening!

Whew, that was close! Now, if you had been 99.99623% sure, that would've thrown some doubt into it and I would've immediately rushed back and bought it. Despite not having a turntable! As for the cover, I don't remember any waterfalls; the cover was pretty garish though. (Say, what does "garish" mean, anyway?)

This review, I believe, should win some kind of award for understatement. Gotta love the disclaimer at the end. Of course, you could always skip that and just judge the record by looking at the cover and make your buying decision from that!

Saw a vinyl copy of an album called Jobim & Gilberto on Capitol. Sez it's the "album that kicked off the bossa nova craze." Is it available on CD, or is it part of The Legendary Joao Gilberto?

I almost bought that Claus Ogerman set. I still might. Right now, I've gotta work on my hook...

How 'bout all those great records he did with Grant Green and Elvin Jones? Man, those are some sublime moments! Then there's this record everyone keeps talking about; UNITY or something like that....

That'll teach me to post in my sleep! Ah well, Higgins.... Chambers... two excellent drummers!

Listened to High Voltage, Let There Be Rock, and Powerage all day today. Is it safe to say that not only does nobody do it better than AC/DC, but nobody else has that sound? I mean, 25 years later and still going strong, and their sound hasn't changed all that much. Which is a GOOD thing! Parkertown hit it right on the nose. There's something about what the sound of those crunchy riffs does to ya, you just wanna crank it up, pedal to the floor, screamin' at the top of yer lungs, and to hell with all the other idiots on the road! And make no mistake, I really dig the Brian Johnson era. He does the old songs proud, and makes 'em fit right in with the newer stuff with that ear-splitting glass-shattering backbone-crunching shriek of his. For my money, Fly on the Wall is one underrated ground-shaker. Plus, are these guys as humble as they come across as? On the RNRHOF ceremony, they didn't have much to say, just some simple thank-yous & stuff (I thought it was cool that Bon's nephews were on stage with them). But did you get the idea that they were thinking, "Yeah this is nice; when do we get to play again?" Rock and roll ain't noise pollution indeed!!!

Just another hearty thumbs-up for this session. Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Herbie Hancock, Joe Chambers.... truly a dream lineup! I've got the TOCJ of this as well, and the 2nd session hasn't really set in with me either. It's just a different sound altogether, albeit a good one.

From the other end of the perspective, last time I saw Quartet Out (JSngry's kick-ass combo), before the set, I noticed that the drummer was nowhere to be found, and it was getting closer to start-time. The drummer showed up. Thankfully. The point of all this is, this guy saved me from making an even bigger fool of myself than I already do. For those who've never been in a band, maybe you know that kind of mind-fantasy that kicks in: "Hey, their [insert instrument here]-player isn't here. I like to play that instrument. Wonder if they'll let me play as a last-minute sub? Hell, I'd even do it for free, just to be able to play with these guys!" Anyway, as the set progressed, and their drummer was tearing the place up and destroying my spinal column, I became very thankful that the fantasy remained just as it is: a fantasy.

Hey folks, I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Vandemark 5's "Single Piece Flow" which I'm getting in a trade. Outside of a sax/drum duet I heard on the radio a few years back, I've never heard anything by Ken Vandemark in any incarnation. I've yet to read anything disparaging about Vandemark (well, at least by people who know what jazz is), so I'm finally gonna hear what all the fuss is about. So, whet my appetite. Just how avant-garde is it? If I like this, where to go from here?

Lately I've had a SERIOUS jones for the no-nonsense balls-out grit & crunch of AC/DC! For my money, nobody hits the raw nerve of rock like these guys, especially when Bon Scott was the lead screamer....er, singer! Double-entendres out the wazoo, delivered with a devilish sense of humor that a lot of today's self-obsessed grunge whiners could learn a lot from. And there's a lot of people who dig Angus Young's fiery lead guitar, but you know who my favorite's always been? His brother Malcolm! Man, NOBODY can play a rhythm guitar like this guy. This guy sounds like Chuck Berry with the amp cranked to 20! If it weren't for Malcolm, we wouldn't have those unforgettable riffs from "It's a Long Way to the Top," "The Jack," "Highway to Hell," etc. Teamed with his brother, these guys put together one of the most ferocious twin-guitar attacks I've ever heard. Not only that, they are the ONLY rock group that has literally scared the shit outta me. True story: 1978, I was 8 years old, and my cousin took me to the mall to pick up his brother and sister from the ice rink. We walked by the record store, and there in all it's bloody gory...er, glory is If You Want Blood, You've Got It. (This was before I knew what special effects were). Man, that cover frightened the hell outta me. Years later, I found out the record inside was just as ferocious! What I would've given to see those guys live back then. This is not to diminish or short-change latter-day Brian Johnson AC/DC. But there was something special about the Bon years. Something I can't really describe. But I do like it that 25+ years later, they're still kicking ass left and right. Oh yeah, one other thing: "Ride On," baby. Beautiful. Anyone else?

Did he ever record a vocal version of "Filthy McNasty?" My wife and I heard a vocal version the other day, and we figured it was the same guy who did "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill" (not knowing who did this at the time).

If nothing else, I would've liked to have seen a box of all the sessions of what I refer to as the Holy Trinity of Greeeaze: Patton, Green, & Dixon. I can think of a few off the top of my head: Oh Baby Along Came John The Natural Soul (Lou Donaldson) Blues for Lou Steppin' Out (Harold Vick) The Way I Feel I'm sure there are others, none of which I can recall immediately.

No kiddin'? I've been debating picking that up. Any extras on the DVD worth noting? Is the movie in stereo? (Heaven forbid I actually buy a DVD for just the movie!!!)