Larry Kart

"The Modern Art of Jazz"

How could I forget John R. Tunis' sports books -- all the baseball novels of course ("The Kid from Tomkinsville," "Rookie of the Year," etc.) but also two fantastic books about Indiana high school basketball, "Yea, Wildcats!" and "A City for Lincoln." Tunis also holds up well to adult re-reading. Philip Roth was a Tunis fan, or at least he read and was affected by his books as a boy -- they're referred to in the early pages of "American Pastoral."

That Stephen W. Meader book (one of many) was "Blueberry Mountain," not "Blueberry Hill."

About "The Hoods": "This book by HARRY GREY --an ex-hood himself! --will shock you but you must read it. He dares to tell the truth about cold-blooded Killer Mobs and how they work."-- Mickey Spillaine. Written in prison by author Grey, this legendary novel became the source for Sergio Leone's classic "Once Upon a Time in America." I didn't know that "The Hoods" was the source for "Once Upon a Time in America," but of course -- on the screen, that rape scene (Tuesday Weld is the victim) is at least as horrific as it was in the book.

At first author-illustrators: Virginia Lee Burton's "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," and "The Little House"; Robert McCloskey's "Make Way for Duckings"; almost everything by Robert Lawson ("Rabbit Hill") but especially his somewhat obscure "The Fabulous Flight," about a boy who after a riding accident begins to grow smaller with age until he's only a few inches tall and makes friends with a talkative pigeon, after which he and the pigeon go off to save the world from a mad scientist who's threatening to blow up the world; William Pene Du Bois' "Twenty-One Balloons," etc. All of these books I've reread as an adult and found to be at least as good as I thought they were back then. Then a whole lot of semi-"adventure" books: ones about dogs by Jim Kjellgaard "(Big Red"); about young strivers in rural settings by Stephen W. Meader ("Blueberry Hill"), Walter Farley's WWII-set "Larry and the Undersea Raider," about a boy in New England who spots a German submarine raiding party (with my name in the title, I almost thought it had been written for me). A multi-volume adult-level (i.e. akin to the prose of Time magazine but without Time's quirks of style) history of the U.S. Navy in WWII, "Battle Report," which I read over and over with deep fascination -- much of my early success in school, such as it was, was thanks to the level of general verbal facility that reading this book to pieces gave me. Beginning in fifth or sixth grade (1953-4), lots of science fiction, which IMO was at an all-time high point then: all the Heinlein juveniles in particular, which also hold up like gangbusters when I've re-read them as an adult. First adult novel I read (at about age 12 or 13) was Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man," which blew me way. I'm still grateful to the wise librarian who hesitated at first about letting me check it out (adult books were for adults then, by and large), then let me go ahead. I certainly got a fair amount of the racial theme but also found much of the book very funny in a kind of crazed-slapstick manner (e.g. the scene in the paint factory). In college, Ellison was a resident-scholar (or some such) for a while and lived at our dorm. One night he was holding forth (actually, more or less being forced to hold forth) amid much solemn-pious liberal handwringing from us about "Invisible Man," when I mentioned how funny much of the book seemed to me back then. Ellison was delighted, said that he meant those passages to be crazed-funny first, in addition to whatever else they were. First, "adult" adult novel probably was Norman Mailer's "The Deer Park" which was strange, somewhat confusing, and enlightening. First "adult" semi-trashy novels were Leon Uris's "Battle Cry" and Harry Grey's "The Hoods," which contained a horrifically violent and eye-opening rape scene. Also, in a similar vein, there was "A Stone for Danny Fisher," a surprisingly good early semi-autobiographical novel by Harold Robbins about growing up poor in a rough New York City neighborhood. Also, all the books by humorist S.J. Perelman, who replaced/erased my earlier favorite humorist H. Allen Smith ("Life in a Putty Knife Factory"). Speaking of librarians, in junior-high, "library" was something you got a grade in, based on what books you checked out. One semester in seventh grade I read every Horatio Hornblower book I could find and got an "F" in library because my reading wasn't varied enough. I could have strangled that stupid woman; of course, kids who like to read and are lucky enough to find an author they really like will read every book by that author in a row -- what could be more natural?

"The Gift Economy" by Toby Summerfield's very large ensemble Never Enough Hope, I highly recommend: http://www.contraphonic.com/con/neh.php Dig the photo of Toby, BTW. Two disclaimers: Toby and my son Jacob are members of the rock band Crush Kill Destroy, which is neither here nor there actually, but I think I should mention it, and I do know that some very good players on the Chicago scene we've been talking about think that Toby's Never Enough Hope is ... too spacey, I think is what they think. On the other hand, some other very good players on the scene, who play with those other players I just mentioned, are committed members of the ensemble.

Sorry, don't know those. Line-ups looks promising. Are you sure that "Luminesence" is still available? Think I tried to get a copy a while back and was told it was self-produced in (as is typical) small numbers and by that time was OOP. I believe (though I hope I'm wrong -- there is a link for it below) that the same thing happened to a Jason Ajemien album from a few years back that I really like, "Who Cares How Long You Sink?": http://www.luckykitchen.com/spark2/lk025.html with these players: Matt Bauder - tenor saxophone Stewart Bogie - clarinet Jeff Parker - guitar Kyle Bruckman - oboe Aram Shelton - alto saxophone Ernst Karel - trumpet Dan Sylvester - marimba Tim Daisy - marimba Jason Ajemian - bass May take me a while to assemble that list of things from this scene that I can vouch for, because a lot of my CDs are inaccessible to me right now (still dealing with the aftermath of a basement that sprung a big leak in February, many things packed away) , and I don't want to rely on memory alone but would prefer to actually look at everything and re-listen when that seems like a good idea.

Don't have, haven't heard it, but if the accordionist (is that how you say it?) is Mat Mathews from the Netherlands, I like him quite bit. His own Dawn album (with Puma, Gigi Gryce, Art Farmer, Mann, Julius Watkins, Dick Katz, Oscar Pettiford, and Kenny Clarke) is a gem. If you fear the "squeeze box" sound in any form, Matthews hardly does that at all; he sticks to the buttons and turns the accordion into a single-line instrument basically. He's not a profound player but a genial, hip swinger, and he obviously had fine taste in sidemen.

Yes, the Delmarks are representative, though some are more successful than others; usually the closer to the present, the better. I'm particularly impressed by Keefe Jackson's "Just Like This" and Jason Ajemian's "The Art of Dying." Another recent very good one is Jason Adasiewicz's "Roll Down" (482 Music). I''ll try to assemble a more comprehensive list, but I don't think you can go wrong with those.

Very impressive all-round. Roberts is one of the few players I've heard who has grasped Trane's early '60s ability to freely/precisely alter the denisity of individual notes and turn that pattern of altered densities into a kind of secondary "line with the line" -- this with consistent, unmistakable intimations of The Spirit. On the other hand, some of her work got a little too applause-begging soulful for my tastes -- not that there was anything wrong in what she played then; I just preferred her "tougher" stuff. Fred Anderson's arrival to share the stand made that preference feel even more preferable to me -- Fred in top form, as he was, is just jaw-dropping; both conception and execution sharp enough to cut fresh baked bread. The rhythm section was almost beyond words -- in particular, this was the first time Rosaly had played with Fred, and Frank was jacked and played his ass off; the up-tempo shoulder-shrug semi-shuffle that Frank and Josh Abrams got going behind Fred on one piece fit him perfectly. Also, some of the best and boldest solo work I've heard from the sometimes rather diffident Jeff Parker. A further thought about Roberts -- at times she reminds me just a bit of Oliver Nelson on alto, strange as that may seem. There's some timbral resemblance -- a certain throaty/gargly creaminess of tone -- plus the sense that what one hears is backed up by years of practice.

9:30PM at the Velvet Lounge, 67 E Cermak, 312.791.9050 Matana Roberts's Chicago Project, with Fred Anderson, Jeff Parker, Josh Abrams, Frank Rosaly

Prefer all you want , but unless you're prepared to argue for the assumptions underlying that preference , don't think for a second that such a preference is morally privileged simply in virtue of whatever emotional appeal it may have . The umbrage you ostensibly take with this constituent’s disputation is eclipsed by the excessively complex nature of your composed rejoinder. I think it's fitting that Chas lives in Interzone, which is a suburb of Andorra.

Not much since I was a kid (baseball then) except golf, which I think I'll have to give up (lower back/hip/knee problems). But I thought I'd mention that the very good alto saxophonist Andy Fusco (ex-Buddy Rich, has recorded on Criss Cross as a leader and as a frequent sideman with Walt Weiskopf) was an offensive lineman at Syracuse and was drafted by, and played for a while for, the New York Jets. A friend once said to Fusco: "You're probably the only guy to line up against Penn State who knew the changes to 'Stablemates.'"

What the hell?!?!? Screech trumpet??? This is bizarre in the truest sense of the word. Haven't heard this track, but while Brisbois could play "insanely high," he did not (in my experience) screech. I've always assumed "screech trumpet" is commonly used term for ....insanely high trumpet playing. Maybe so, but some guys who play insanely high trumpet sound screechy -- one hears something thin and forced/effortful, like a soprano weightlighter just before the hernia hits -- while others manage to sound pure and ecstatic/otherworldly (or delerious). Brisbois was one of those guys.

Not a fan -- he mostly strikes me as very logy and/or kind of like a "chubby kid," if you know what I mean. On the other hand, I have heard a few things I warmed up to, especially his playing on this excellent Carol Sloane sings Ellington album: http://www.amazon.com/Dearest-Duke-Carol-S...e/dp/B000PC6E9O

What the hell?!?!? Screech trumpet??? This is bizarre in the truest sense of the word. Haven't heard this track, but while Brisbois could play "insanely high," he did not (in my experience) screech.

Everything Happens To Me -- circa 1940 (when Sinatra had the hit on it with Tommy Dorsey) Why Try To Change Me Now? -- 1952

Children of the Night

BILLY MAY AND HIS ORCHESTRA: John Audino,Don Fagerquist,Uan Rasey,Bud Brisbois(tp) Lew McCreary(bass tp) Ed Kusby,Milt Bernhart, Tommy Shepard,William Schaefer(tb) Paul Horn(fl,as) Justin Gordon(ts,picc) Chuck Gentry(bs) Ray Sherman(p) Joe Gibbons(g) Ralph Pena(b) Alvin Stoller(dm) Billy May(arr,cond). (Session #11042)(Capitol Tower) LA,February 11,1963

Matt Dennis and The Hi-Los: A bit scary in some respects, I admit.

He was a hip, charming singer, too.

YMMV, but I find Keepnews, dealing with Danilo Perez, to be compact, lucid, and sensible: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/arts/mus...erez&st=cse and Ratliff, dealing with Marcus Roberts and J@LC, to be clueless and verbose (he says very little in about a third more space than Keepnews had): http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/arts/mus...liff&st=cse Disclaimer: I once exchanged an e-mail or two with Keepnews about something I don't recall; he seemed to be a nice guy. Ratliff I know only from his writing.

A great book. And it's about more than Stalingrad, though that portion of the book is almost beyond belief; at one point, Grossman even takes us inside a gas chamber at Treblinka -- an impossible scene to render, one might think, but he does it. Grossman, BTW, was, I believe, the first journalist (he was in the front line, with the troops) to write an account of the death camps, in 1944. Also, just about the whole story of the Soviet intelligentsia during this period is here, plus the Battle of Kursk, etc.

All the Martin Cruz Smith/Arkady Renko novels after "Gorky Park." Am in the middle of "Wolves Eat Dogs."So far, I like "Red Square" the best. As a friend said, at the end it's almost as good as Stendhal. Too bad (for me) that there's only one left after this one. Start writing, Martin.

Leave us not forget Velvel: Velvel - 24" This figure is made to represent the character created by Ricky Layne. It was his ventriloquist figure he created in the 50's. Velvel was a Yiddish character.... http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com/ventri...-toys/index.htm