king ubu

So what does that say about the Democratic Party? It's more than 50 years older. 50 years? Wow! Must have been founded in the middle ages!

Time to put It Club on top of the listening pile, it seems...

If this is your honest reflection I can't put it down, BUT: I think you shouldn't be so rough on Tom. You sound frankly like you've come a bit late to the party. That's OK, I suppose. I couldn't tell whether you are a musician or fan, probably fan--which is cool, and you've obviously thought this through somewhat so I'll tell you the following: I've been following Harrell since the mid-70s when I met him musically and personally (never hung much or played, but from our few very meaningful conversations I got a clear sense of the man---he is thoughtful, caring, and especially hilarious) originally through Bob Mover. Harrell blew everyone away with his trumpet playing then. I mean everyone, especially musicians. We loved him then and now. Ask Phil Woods anytime his opinion of Tom Harrell and be prepared for a heartfelt testomony about a person he adores and considers a giant. He took the best of what was there in the literature from the 40s on and put it in a funnel with his own stuff (a lot of triplets as glue to tie things together, a beautiful melodic sense, the hippest harmony, and perfect structural soloing form) and came up with beautiful, passionate music in so many situations. He seemed to love all of them. I heard him with Ronnie Cuber, Mover, Sam Jones, Mike Nock---just off the top of my head. I know he and Cuber were tearing it up with Bobby Paunetto, playing cumbia and salsa. (Both are on Paunetto's point---great record). Every trumpet player bowed to him. Even the arrogant Woody Shaw gave it up. (please, no comments on that. I had dealings with him and know whereof I speak. Still love his music, though). I became aware of his writing somewhere along the line and fell in love with it also. He's a real explorer and writer of memorable melodies. The ones I like and have learned are not complex as you say, but clear as mud. It's all honest, anyway. My favorites remain Open Air; The Water's Edge; Train Shuffle; Sail Away---and the entire album called Stories. They make me feel beautiful and human. I just was cleaning up some and found a composition James Zollar gave me of Tom's from 1972---it's deep. So having said this and revealing my prejudice and also my knowledge of him I would say that I really have come to admire his courage, but this courage in the face of illness is very overplayed. The schizophrenia thing has become a press angle---and I wish people would shut it out, shut up, look away if his manner bothers them. If they do this they will hear some beautiful music and that's all that should matter. For the record I'm not apologizing for Tom's weird behavior in any way here---it has distressed me too at times through the years, the way you don't want to see someone you revere or love in bad shape. But Tom keeps getting up on the one and keeps creating. And think how much people's perception of him must bother as sensitive a soul as he. But fortunately for us his love of music and desire to honestly go inside, reveal what's there, and communicate on a human level overwhelmes the demons. He's also living proof that music speaks louder than words. BTW the 'woman who cares for him' is his wife Angela. I know her a bit too. She is really in his corner and a very nice person. Mainly fan, yes, and born towards the end of the 70s, so obviously I joined late, yes. Nothing I can do for that, and no way anyone can blame me for it, either. I didn't want to sound as negative as you obviously read my attempt at a review. I have the utmost respect for Tom Harrell, and indeed I do think it's great that he manages to do what he does, to write, to play, to travel. His strange behaviour is not a thing that did bother me too much, but it's just too obvious not to mention. I tell you, the atmosphere in the club he played in (the "Moods", in case you should happen to have been in Zurich) was different from the atmosphere at each other concert I saw there, and that was because the audience felt something about Tom, in whatever way they felt something, and whatever exactly they felt, everybody was aware this was different from all the other nights. And just that alone is not bad, and neither did I want to make it sound bad. It was more a kind of astonishment, that I felt... Anyway, I indeed think it's great that he manages to do what he does, and I admire him for that, and even more so for his music and his trumpet playing.

Are you KIDDING? Danny Grissett is a great player!! His debut album as a leader on Criss Cross is one of the best releases of the year! I have heard him with Harrell, John Heard, Vincent Herring and the Mingus Big Band and he was ALWAYS stellar. What didn't you like about his playing? I am VERY curious . . . Hm, he was playing soooooo many notes all of the time... just virtuoso solos with no end. Didn't fit in with Harrell that much. Next to Blake playing terrific solos and reacting and listening all of the time, he was just pale - these same criticisms apply to Escofferey, but he played a very heartfelt solo on "Autumn Leaves", after Harrell had one of his best, beautiful moments. Maybe I'd have to hear Grissett in a different setting to be able to build an opinion of him - I didn't want to put him down, but that night, in that setting, he simply didn't convince me.

Mark he did wear a lighter jacket, not a black leather one, so maybe he did get rid of that one?

Maybe - I am not familiar with any of his recordings as a leader - his intricate tunes work alright in a studio situation, but it seems from last night's concert he'd be better off playing standards... He is technically able to pull off his tunes, but it seems like he can't solo over them with anything close to ease - he did achieve that on "Darn that Dream", and probably inspired by it, on the very last tune that followed, too. But, it occurred to me once or twice, that someone like Woody Shaw - who wrote some nice tunes, himself, too - would have been able to play these more complicated tunes of Harrell's beautifully. Probably that's the tunes he hears, but it's not the ones he playes the best...

Saw Tom Harrell and his band last night, playing a small club here in Zurich. He had Wayne Escofferey on slightly too quick-fingered tenor, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and the *great* Jonathan Blake happily caressing and bashing his drums. The pianist, Danny Grissett, I didn't like that much... Anyway, Harrell is tough to watch. I knew that since I've seen him before, about 5-6 years ago, in a devastating festival appearance with a larger band (trombone and two saxes). Compared to that night, he was in a better mood and turning in some good solos, occasionally. His tunes sound fairly complicated and/or complex, melodically and rhythmically, and of course Escofferey handled all of them easily - he is monstrously competent... I enjoyed him a lot some time ago with the Mingus BB (Stubblefield was still there, that night, but he remained seated and looked very tired, just played one - terrific! - solo), but in this context, alongside Harrell, he sounded too mainstream, too fast, not edgy enough. Anyway, I do assume it's what Harrell needs: a band that plays his stuff, regardless if he has adjusted his microphone, wetted his lip, chosen between flugel and trumpet or whatever, in time before his solo starts... so, the band just *has* to be there, and in comparison to Harrell himself, they sounded too streamline-ish, if that makes sense. On about half of the tunes, Harrell didn't really get started, he joined the theme presentation too late or missed it entirely, fumbling around after he counted the band off, and offered some disjointed solos, but on a few tunes, he really got going, and that was worth it! He did "Darn that Dream" in duo with Okegwo who laid it out beautifully for Harrell, rolled out a red carpet, but Harrell refused to take it, so Okegwo just continued, smiling, until Harrell finally thought it was his time now, and his sound and what he did with this tune was so stunningly beautiful! His lines are so full of harmonies, he is able to outline the whole song. That was in the second set, and as the band (except for Okegwo) left the stage before it, Harrell left, too, and had to be brought back to the stage by a lady who seems to take care of him. After that, the concert ended on what I assume is an original by Harrell, where he really caught fire, and Blake blew our brains out, really building up a storm, but always very, very musical, always melodic. In the first set, one of the most astonishing moments was when they did Monk's "Rhyhtm-A-Ning" - Harrell's solos was disjointed in a good way, nicely fitting with the tune, but after 3 or 4 minutes of soloing he either hit a dead spot, or he was in Nirvana, just rhythmically playing the same few notes again and again... The first set ended with a beautiful rendition of "Autumn Leaves", where Tom was for a long time accompanied by just piano and bass. His sound on flugelhorn is so warm, so soft... I did ask myself about a few things afterwards, one being why he has the full band with him, the other being why he writes those difficult tunes when his own performance on the standards was so beautiful, while on his own songs, he had trouble getting started or ended his solos in the middle of a chorus... maybe these questions are totally off mark, but still, they went through my head. So it was an experience of a different kind, but it was very much worth, even though he's a pain to look at, looking as if he was going to bust in tears all of the time. When he has his horn to his lips and is playing and feeling well though, he really opens up and is one of the most beautiful musicians I've yet come to hear. Here's a nice recent photo:

The swiss TCB label (founded/headed by drummer Peter Schmidlin - someone posting here used to work for him, I remember, but can't tell who it was) is a very nice one! Their "Swiss Radio Days" series has some great discs to offer - my one favourite is the fantastic 1969 Basle concert of the Jones/Lewis big band, featuring terrific solos by Joe Henderson, Richard Williams, Jerome Richardson, Jimmy Knepper, Roland Hanna and of course the whole band is smokin¨! TCB also releases new recordings, by artists like Buster Williams, Lynne Arriale, Louis Hayes and other "modern mainstream" musicians. They also have a few nice things in their catalogue that are most certainly below most listeners' radars, like the "International Hashva Orchestra", a Tristano-influenced cool band by Nat Su (alto sax) with Mark Turner, and a few other, more adventurous releases (Pago Libre's "Cinémagiques", for instance). A great label, I'd say, and hopefully there's no connection to this crappy vinyl reissue label! Or if there was, let that be a youthful sin of Mr. Schmidlin, since TCB nowadays is very respectable company, or so I think.

I agree, Claude, but I happen to open threads offering Mosaic sets and only then seeing an ebay-link - that I don't like. GOP = grossly offending pigs?

yous talkin' of her, sir?

I see I'm not alone in liking the strings album! I agree it's one of the best w/strings project I know! Of course Brownie or Ben Webster with strings is what some may call heaven, and I like it as well, it's lush and soft and beautiful, but the strings on McIntyre's album have a different quality that at time gets quite soaring. I like that date as much as I like the Byard one! As for the Steeplechases, I've had the Vibrations for some time, it's ok. Picked up three more recently in a sale, so far only gave them one spin, but I enjoyed them. To me, McIntyre seems to be a rather nuanced player. He may just sound slighty weird (sound and intonation-wise) if you play his music in the background, but he gets much more involving if you listen closer and pay attention to the small shades and idiosyncrasies of his style.

I don't really see the point of "pimpin my ebay" on this board, anyway... I'd prefer to just have real sales that are directly done via this board and not have the ebay spam here, too... or indeed, not just a "FA" in the subject, rather just put the word "ebay" right in the subject, so that anyone clearly sees it. May be my non-english native problem, but it took me a while to figure out all those annoying abbreviations, anyway. NMCOT, IMHO, AFAIC... I still don't know what GOP means, just that it involves some elected gorilla...

I decided some time ago not to upgrade this one, and I'll leave it at that...

whose babs? mine or yourse? his BN disc is fine! there has been some discussion of him here, too... why not try the search function?

Now that I look at the number again, looks like Ron is probably right. Fire drill over . Wouldn't you please change the thread's title, then? I just ordered the feghing Elvin and it cost a fortune... I get stumped by seeing this thread again and again, afraid I have to spend even more money right now! -_-

This is how my Monk in Tokyo looks:

Hm, I prefer the JWS over It Club, but JWS was the one I got first. As for the Tokyo, I think I have the same japanese 2CD slimcase edition Lon has - a fine date, and Dunlop always makes a difference for me! Both are not essential, I'd say, but both are good!

Drop me a PM with you email address and I can send you a PDF with the discography - the Hawkins 4CD box is great, congrats on finding it!

There is a Lonehill CD of the Jim Hall Trios that includes the tracks with him playing from the Chico Trio - even they don't seem to believe in the Hamilton Trio with Howard Robert. Whenever I find the time to CDR this, I will think of you .... Thanks Mike! And it's not even really stealin'...

Oh, I sure do... but somehow I always waited (and still am waiting) for a new reissue of BBQC. I will not lay hands on the Nelson project - the two (or is it just one?) cuts in the glossy 3CD Monk boxlette (can't call that a box, as Columbia could have done a nice complete Monk studio box... not saying that they should have, but they could) are enough for me. Sorry to bring this thread off course. To bring it back on topic, I am quite a fan of the Monk in Tokyo. I think I like the Jazz Workshop best of the three 2CD live sets, but it's the first I got, so figure... oh, it's four 2CD live sets with the Newport one (and still excluding the one I wait for a new reissue - don't ask me why I wait, btw... just because...)

Big Band & Quartet is live. My bad, sorry... I meant to say: Columbia Monk... means I don't have any of the non-Columbia sixties releases, legit or not (Storyville, Monk family stuff, etc), except for one great Paris Tentet concert.

Wow, now that's great news! Did you contact Schmidlin directly?

Happy birthday, Chico! I love the Mosaic a lot! First time I heard him was on "Passin' Through", one of the few jazz albums my mother owns... nice one! And yes, please reissue that Pacific Jazz trio album! I could have bought a beaten old LP (maybe original presseing? it certainly cost far too much for how beaten it was), but never had a chance to hear all of it. But I guess now that BN restricts itself to RVGs and Conns (Dodo G. died, btw, now that would be a rare Conn they could bring up as RVG again, instead of doing the same ones again and again), and as it seems the Pac Conns sold badly, I guess chances are very, very small that we will see the Chico Trio soon. Jim Hall's would be another one...

Happy new year, Barak! All the best to you and your family - here's hope for better times!

Dash is on some of the Buck Clayton CBS jams. I have the vinyl Mosaic of that one, I think Lonehill or another of those labels has done a master takes CD release. Great music!