CJ Shearn

Once we get beyond the concept in the abstract, just what do you think the contours of a class-based look at jazz would be? Do you see class distinctions, apart from race, as central to the trajectory of jazz history? I can't say for sure, but I think it's possible. One thing that you see in jazz history--and this is probably an oversimplification--but it seems like the music moves from the streets, and, as it becomes more accepted as an art form, into the academy. At the same time, jazz at its peak was not entirely a working or poor man's music. Miles came from the middle class, etc. And many white jazz musicians came from poor backgrounds or broken homes. So there's something there as well. And then you also have the long-standing reality that many jazz musicians were black but that the audience for the music becomes increasingly white. This would involve a significant class dynamic in and of itself, since during the postwar era the average black person was significantly poorer than the average white person. There's also a strong argument to be made for a gendered analysis of jazz history, not just because the instrumentalists are overwhelmingly men, but also because of the kind of masculinity they project--especially within the black community. Obviously, the discourses on race, class, and gender all intersect in various ways. And as should be clear from this response I haven't myself fully thought through how these dynamics play themselves out in the history of jazz. But I wish someone would do that, instead of regurgitating the tired arguments about jazz as a black music, about the forgotten white contributions to jazz, etc. That seems like a field that has been played out and I don't think I've heard anything original on jazz and race in a long time. I agree with all of this completely. As jazz got increasingly more complex, the black audience (this can be seen in my own family to a degree, as well as others I've spoken to) moved to soul/R&B, and records like ones made by Grover Washington eventually birthed the smooth jazz genre. I wonder how many members of the black community did buy Blue Note for example after a certain point, such as Wayne Shorter's records, Jackie McLean's records, Bobby Hutcherson, etc. Or was it mostly white jazz fans into those artists? Miles tried to reclaim the black audience, but was that audience buying albums like "Dark Magus" or "Miles Davis in Concert at Philharmonic Hall"? it seems he lost touch with the audience, and Eddie Henderson's notes in the Blackhawk set make mention of that. Hip hop is the primary form of social expression for the black community, even there you have to look past the mainstream to get content that socially is saying something. I've wondered a lot myself and reading Nicholas Payton's blogs, how can the young black community get interested in jazz again? I think Robert Glasper, Chris Dave are definitely a good start connecting hip hop to jazz. But this raises the larger question how to get my generation and younger into jazz period. I'm unusual in that I grew up with jazz my whole life and took an interest in it when I was a child almost immediately.

No offense, and I don't mean to single you out---but it just hit me how inbred this thread is. What jazz nerds we are. If we wonder why people shut out jazz, I submit that perhaps it is because we shut out people. Just a thought.... You've got a point. I mean, aside from my listening I can say that my interest in jazz history and its societal impact is academic, always has been starting with when I'd read the liner notes learning about the artists on records. The average person does not think about these things when they listen to music. We're a special breed

Roy is the definition of hip, and I actually wonder why not many hip hop fans know who he is cuz he's got that swagger, it's great.

George Cables is another one I think where he made a solid transition to Rhodes.

Yes, it does. Thank you This situation with the Newport albums is worse than like, who owns what for CTI (another big clusterf*ck) Does Denon have any US distributors? the only Savoy/Denoy release I have is the purple spine series edition of Blakey/JM's "Midnight Session" which IIRC a more complete version was issued a few years back.

Damn this is messy, and the recordings don't fall under the public domain yet in Europe or do they? cuz hasn't a lot of Muse stuff reverted to High Note? Joey D, Woody, Houston Person, Roney all recorded for Muse and have releases on High Note that if Muse was around, they'd be Muse releases.HN practically is Muse. Then Savoy has reissued Muse stuff for digital download. So if there was an official Newport in NY '72 release it'd be High Note I'd think.

Roy was tripping you said?

Damn, RIP

If Baraka's feelings towards hard bop as a retrograde music are very well known, what were his feelings towards music with "Afrocentric" leanings like McCoy's "Asante" or Joe Henderson's "Power to the People", "Black is The Color", etc...... which admittedly, the latter titles have more sociopolitical leanings than being "out" musically.

What exactly was a remix engineer in those days? As I asked about the Dexter set, the booklet also lists remixing credits for each session. Were the original mixes unsatisfactory?

Man, Benny sounds and looks wonderful!

yeah I noticed that on Spotify Reinier, bothered me tremendously. Who owns the tapes and are they still around?

RIP. He always cooked with McDuff and added some great playing to his final 2 albums.

I will go for the USB at some point, the album is terrific. I like that Chick released the music this way as opposed to only releasing a box set in Japan for example. I think Chick, Stanley and Lenny are playing even better as a unit than back in the RTF hey day, and thats saying a lot b/c RTF has been consistently excellent lately IMO. Does the USB contain additional music from the Yoshi's and Blues Alley gigs that disc 1 of the album was comprised from or the Hollywood Bowl gig mentioned in the liners?

Wow, I have the double album, too much $$ this USB at this time, I would like it though, the album is fantastic. Is this USB stick protected so you can't delete the files?

Listening to the set on Spotify, I had one of the "Best of LP's" growing up. Is this a legal release if it comes out of Spain? seems to be from a master source

What the? interesting from an artistic perspective but doesn't seem to follow the tradition of Montreux posters.

"The Greatest Love at All"

Thanks for the info

I thought Sonny might have been there. Did they play together at the concert?

Who was featured in the "Titans of the Tenor" concert?

Isn't C. Sharpe's only recorded appearance on Mogie's "Indeed!"? Lee had the otherwise unknown Kenny Rodgers on sax.

"Fun Time" is good to hear him on a ballad, I forget which one but he takes it out at the ending cadenza which is amusing and Basie brings him right back down. "Montreux '77" he is prominent on, including a tenor duel with Eric Dixon on "Jumpin at the Woodside".

This is the only way to get properly remastered domestic versions of most of Clarke's Epic releases. IMO Stanley has made some of his best music of recent vintage his last few albums: the 2 Stanley Clarke Band releases and the trios of course with Hiromi and Lenny White and the Corea/Clarke/White: "Forever" album. Probably many people will purchase the Clarke/Duke sets because many soul/R&B consider that their finest music even though I'm not that hot on getting something like the Duke set I know a lot of family members would enjoy it. I wonder if we will see as the Herbie set apparently was canned, a "VSOP Quintet: Complete Columbia Albums Collection" because that would be a way to get "Five Stars" out domestically in physical form plus remastered versions of "The Quintet" and the only domestic CD versions of "VSOP" and "Tempest in The Colosseum" though I have most of those on French Columbia CD's. Also, I would not be thrilled about a Freddie Hubbard Complete Columbia Albums Collection BUT I would love to see a domestic release of the Japan only "Gleam", and at this point that would be the only way to get that most likely.