Larry Kart

Herb Robertson, for sure -- though the one time I heard him live was a good deal more impressive than most of the Robertson recordings I've heard.

Organissimo member Phil Grenadier. Of his two Fresh Sound New Talent CDs, I slightly prefer the second "Playful Intentions" (with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bill Carrothers, brother Larry Grenadier, and Jeff Ballard) to the first, "Sweet Transients" (with Seamus Blake, Ethan Iverson, Larry G. or Doug Weiss, and Bill Stewart), mostly because Phil grew in the two years between albums and also because I can't get enough of Carrothers, but they're both very good. Someone to keep a watch out for is youngish (age 33) Chicago cornetist Josh Berman. He's in very good form on an IMO excellent forthcoming Delmark album (October release; disclaimer: I'm writing the notes) under the leadership of tenorman Keefe Jackson, "Fast Citizens," with cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, altoist Aram Shelton, bassist Anton Hatwich, and drummer Frank Rosaly. Josh, who is now very much his own man, originally was an unlikely blend of Don Cherry, Tony Fruscella, and Ruby Braff, if you can believe that!

A modification to my post above about Richard Carpenter's role as producer of that three-day, five-LP 1965 Chet Baker recording session for Prestige. At the time Carpenter was Tadd Dameron's manager, which accounts for the presence of a number of Dameron tunes on the session (not that Baker was averse to Dameron's music -- and as someone once said, even if Carpenter's motives were wholly or in large part mercenary on his own behalf, they were fine compositions). Don't have the albums myself (though I once had at least two of them), but I know that "Bevan Beeps," "Choose Now," "The 490," and "On a Misty Night," are all Dameron pieces, and think that there several more here as well. Chet Baker Quintet Chet Baker (flh) George Coleman (ts) Kirk Lightsey (p) Herman Wright (b) Roy Brooks (d) NYC, August 23, 25 & 29, 1965 Grade "A" Gravy Prestige PR 7449, PRCD 24172-2 Serenity - Fine and Dandy - Have You Met Miss Jones? - Rearin' Back Prestige 45-409, PR 7449, PRCD 24172-2 So Easy - * Smokin' with the Chet Baker Quintet (Prestige PR 7449) * Chet Baker Quintet same personnel NYC, August 23, 25 & 29, 1965 Madison Avenue Prestige PR 7460, PRCD 24172-2 Lonely Star - Wee, Too - Tan Gaugin - Cherokee Prestige PR 7460, PRCD 24173-2 Bevan Beeps - * Groovin' with the Chet Baker Quintet (Prestige PR 7460) Chet Baker Quintet same personnel NYC, August 23, 25 & 29, 1965 Comin' On Prestige PR 7478, PRCD 24173-2 Stairway to the Stars - No Fair Lady - When You're Gone - Choose Now - Chabootie - Carpsie's Groove - * Comin' on with the Chet Baker Quintet (Prestige PR 7478) same personnel NYC, August 23, 25 & 29, 1965 Hurry Prestige PR 7496, PRCD 24174-2 I Waited for You Prestige PR 7496, PRCD 24173-2 The 490 - Cut Plug Prestige PR 7496, PRCD 24174-2 Boudoir - Etude in Three - Sleeping Susan - * Cool Burnin' with the Chet Baker Quintet (Prestige PR 7496) * Chet Baker Quintet same personnel NYC, August 23, 25 & 29, 1965 Go-Go Prestige PR 7512, PRCD 24174-2 Lament for the Living - Pot Luck - Bud's Blues - Romas - On a Misty Night

For DeFranco's account of the incident, see p. 209 of Ira Gitler's "Swing To Bop." According to DeFranco, Dodo was in a coma "for almost 24 hours.... I don't want to cop out for Dodo, but he has never been the same since."

Carpenter was a notorious vulture/manager/producer -- of (at various times) Gene Ammons, Jimmy Mundy, Chet Baker et al.; the first and last names above suggest what the nature of Carpenter's hold on some of his clients was. "Gravy," which is "Walkin,'" was recorded by Ammons in 1950. Junior Mance, who was on that date, says it was written by Mundy and that the light-fingered Carpenter put his name on it as sole composer. To further cloud the picture, "El Sino" ( a 32-bar tune) credited to trombonist Charles Greenlee and bearing a strong similarity to "Walkin'/Gravy," was recorded in 1947 by baritonist Leo Parker. Ammons was a sideman on that date. It has been speculated that "Gravy" arose because Ammons told Mundy he wanted to record a blues that resembled "El Sino." I'm sure that there a lot more Richard Capenter tales out there -- including some about the 5-LP 1965 Baker record date (with George Coleman et al.) that Carpenter recorded in three days. As I recall, he put his name as co-composer (or worse) on several Tadd Dameron tunes that recorded on that date. Dameron, like Baker, fits into the pattern of neediness alluded to above.

Right. Forgot about "Four." Lord knows how many others there are.

Try to track down his "Further Adventures" with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra (Koch), rec. 1996. IMO the four-movement, circa 35-minute title work is one of the best long-form jazz compositions there is.

I believe that the most notable instances of Miles taking credit for pieces that were not his are "Tune Up" (Cleanhead Vinson's piece), "Solar" (Chuck Wayne's piece), and "Blue in Green" (essentially Bill Evans' creation, though he was in Miles' band at the time, and some interaction may have been involved -- see page 82 of Peter Pettinger's "Evans bio "How My Heart Sings," in which Earl Zinders is quoted that Evans wrote the piece in Zindars' apartment and that Zindars "has sketches to prove it").

Got it on Monday. I see what you mean or implied about the difference between "Milestones" and "Soul Journey." I like both, and your "core identify" so to speak is intact (especially as a soloist), but I hear your writing on "Soul Journey" a mood (or moods) that is/are implied by the album's title, reminiscent perhaps of "Odyssey of Iska"-era Wayne Shorter. Fine band, too.

Sorry -- that's Julio Cortazar (1914-84), who was Paris-based and touched upon jazz in several of his works. Brownie probably knew him. The original title of the the "Blow Up" collection was "End of the Game." His best-known work probably is the novel "Hopscotch."

That's how it struck me. I also like Carl Woideck's "Charlie Parker." And don't miss Argentianian writer Julio Cortazer's long short story/novella "The Pursuer" (in his collection "Blow Up" -- yes, Antonioni's film is based on the title work) about the relationship between Bruno, a Leonard Feather-like jazz writer/promoter, and Johnny, a musician who is mostly based on Parker with a sprinking of Bud Powell. There are passages here where Parker the man and artist comes alive for me as he does nowhere else (nowhere else on a page, that is).

Yes. Brian Priestley's "Chasin' the Bird," page 59: "... the 'Indiana'-based 'Donna Lee' was an original line put together by Miles, whose authorship ws contradicted by the record-label credit 'Parker' but confirmed by Gil Evans and many other observers." Also this, from Priestley's earlier, briefer "Charlie Parker": "Parker also uses a melodic 'macro-syncopation' of the length of phrases (a lack of which easily identifies tunes attributed to but not written by Parker, such as 'Ornithology' and 'Donna Lee')."

Allen -- Can't speak for EKE BBB, but I believe you mentioned it here once before, perhaps in a discussion of Schaap's blowhard mendacity.

He was excellent opposite Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick in Andrew Bergmann's "The Freshman."

Roland's four tenors were Jimmy Giuffre, Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, Stan Getz.

You've won ... "The $64,000 Question"!!

While we're waiting for the correct answer on Garbarek, I have a jazz question ABOUT a jazz question. Back in 1955-6, the speciality of one of the contestants on the hugely popular TV game show "The $64,000 Question" was jazz. I, of course, at age 13 or so, followed his progress toward the top with great curiosity and competiveness -- certain that I could blurt out the correct answers before he did. As I recall -- and here's where things get a bit blurry -- one of two things happened at, perhaps, the $32,000 level. The question was, "Who were the original 'Four Brothers?'" My memory is that either the contestant gave the wrong answer and was eliminated, or he gave the wrong answer and it was accepted as correct. In either case, What was the right answer? And -- for all the money now -- What was the incorrect answer? While, as I said above, I'm not sure whether the contestant's incorrect answer was accepted or rejected, I am sure what his incorrect answer was. You're in the isolation booth and have 60 seconds. Correct answer: Incorrect answer: P.S. Yes, back in '55-'56, I got it right. Never bet against a adolescent jazz geek.

Boots Randolph?

Another review of the Talmor-Swallow disc: http://www.onefinalnote.com/reviews/s/swal...du-clochard.asp

Haven't heard the new Konitz nonet, but I was impressed by Talmor's writing for an album of Steve Swallow pieces, with Swallow in the band: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14461 Some of the same players are in both bands.

That Chicago Jazz Fest Monk Orchestra performance with Mal on piano is one of my favorite memories. Not only was the music great, but I was out on the far edges of the crowd for some of the set and could see that quite a few perfectly ordinary people (as in, no signs of aggressive hipness) were absolutely galvanized by what they were hearing. I particularly remember two kids of about eleven or so who reacted to the opening figures of "Bye-Ya" as though they'd been hit by lightning bolts. I felt the same way myself. About Mal, one little moment. In the late '70s or early '80s, when the Jazz Showcase was located on Rush St. beneath the Happy Medium disco, Mal and, I think, two of Joe Segal's Chicago regulars, made up the rhythm section for Sonny Stitt. (I'm pretty sure that Mal wasn't traveling with Stitt and that the pairing was Joe's doing.) It seemed like it might be an oil-and-water thing, but in fact Mal's loving, thematic, SERIOUS comping inspired some of the best and appropriately serious Stitt I'd ever heard. Between sets I went up to Mal, introduced myself, and said how fine I thought he sounded, what a pleasure it was that he was back in the U.S. for a visit, and how good it would be if he could be here more often. I don't recall exactly what he said in response, other than it was direct, no-bull, and left me feeling very good. In that respect, Mal was no Art Pepper (who in my experience could hardly bear to be told that he'd played beautifully and left you, if you'd said or written that, feeling like you'd f------ with his mind).

I don't know any more about the Rodby-Pepper story, but I do remember a time later on when Lee Konitz played the Jazz Showcase with a Jodie Christian-Rodby-Wilbur Campbell rhythm section. Lee wanted them to play as freely as possible within his concept of freedom (the "ten levels of paraphrase" thing), and by the final tune of the first set, they were definitely on level ten, with Rodby more than holding up his end. I heard him a good bit in those days; he reminded me of the young Steve Swallow, when Swallow still played acoustic bass.

Bud is in topnotch and very feisty form, and Hawkins replies in kind. All the horns are great to hear, but the Freeman-Hawkins thing is special. And that's one heck of a rhythm section, with special credit to Gus Johnson and Billy Bauer, who as I recall once stated that he was very proud of his work on this date, felt that it was a privilege to be there.

Blakey in piano trios -- also, I now see, Kenny Drew, Paul Bley, Bud Powell (Norgran, 1955). As far as I can tell, except for the Monk Black Lion material from 1971, an offshoot of the Giants of Jazz tour, the '55 Jordan date was the last time Blakey was in the studio as a piano trio sideman.

Yes, that's the one. There's also an interesting latish (1987) Bert-led album with Jordan, Ray Drummond, Mel Lewis, Carmen Leggio, and Jerry Dodgion on Fresh Sound, "The Human Factor." It's a mixed bag -- recording quality is a rather claustrophobic, and balances are not ideal (Drummond is boomy, Lewis is distant, piano sounds brittle; date was recorded in someone's Long Island living room) -- but Jordan gets a lot of solo space and is in fine form, seemingly delighted to tackle material, mostly originals from arranger Ed Bonoff Jr., that is new to him. The leader and the too seldom heard Leggio are in fine form too. It's a nice changeup from Jordan's excellent string of Steeplechase albums, which are built around him and his own pieces for the most part. Speaking of that Savoy/Denon Jordan, what a great trio drummer Blakey was! Too bad that aren't that many opprtunities to hear him in that context -- Jordan, Monk, Herbie Nichols, Horace Silver, who am I forgetting?