Larry Kart

In the late '70s or early '80s I heard Mal accompany Sonny Stitt at the Jazz Medium in Chicago. His typical "thematic/motivic" comping inspired some intense, similarly thematic/motivic playing from Stitt. Between sets I talked to Mal, complementing him on what he had played. He couldn't have been nicer.

Just to be clear, this is a real a cappella performance that Orlando native Sailor Sabol gave at the CPAC convention. Larry Goldings' added "accompaniment" is his comically mock-desparate attempt to stay in the key or keys she is in. Ms. Sabol has a YouTube channel if you care to investigate.

Strange, fabulous music, beautifully performed.

Dallas was a good one IMO, a very determined sober walker, if you know what I mean. Stabulus is another story, a mixed bag. Perhaps the most Blakey-like of non-Blakey drummers -- that side of him pays great dividends of on the excellent Al Cohn/Bob Brookmeyer album on Coral (see below); an album BTW that makes it clear that Nick needed to be recorded just so, rather crisply I would say -- he also was not unlike Art Taylor, of whom the same could be said. OTOH, there was a kind of loose "crash/bang" aspect to Nick at times that could be annoying. Phil Woods and Al and Zoot favored him IIRC.

Excellent album. And Ted Brown is still with us at age 94 and playing well too in terms of ideas, though at times one might wish he could get more air through the horn. His most recent album is definitely worth checking out: Ted is the first soloist on these: BTW, his daughter Anita is a terrific composer. This album, her only one so far, is quite something. There are other links to her work on You Tube.

Try this: Or this: Markowitz was a perfect accompanist for Chet.

Sadly, I don't have that one, but De Valk gives it XXXX out of XXXXX, says it's (the 1983 recording) "vastly superior to, and not to be confused with, the well-publizmed Ronnie Scott's gig from 1986. This is serious improvised music." You should check out some of the latter-day recordings I mentioned in my post above.

I recall approving responses here to these albums from time to time (to my regret I once bought all of them). IMO and in that of Baker's excellent biographer Jeroen de Valk, despite the presence of George Coleman, Kirk Lightsey, and Roy Brooks, Chet himself is in fairly torpid form on this marathon session, which was the work of the inimitable Richard Carpenter, non-composer of "Walkin." I mention this not to dis anyone who likes those albums but as a warning to those who might think that they preserve top-drawer Chet. In De Valk's view, and I wholeheartedly agree, though Chet in his later European years often looked like death warmed over, his best recordings (on a selective basis) came from that period. For sterling examples, listen to "Broken Wing," "The Sesjun Radio Shows," "Chet in Tokyo," "The Last Great Concert," and to a several of the albums he recorded for Steeplechase -- "This Is Always," "Daybreak," "Someday My Prince Will Come," "The Touch of Your Lips," and "Diane."

And/or Branford probably learned it from the late Mr. Crouch -- as did Wynton as well for that matter.

Idiot here. I love those Carter albums.

Label it's on is Phono. Lou Levy and Conte were a terrific comper-soloist pair; at times you can hear Conte completing in the next breath an idea that sprang right from Lou's comping. And Marable is really popping.

Conte Candoli -- West Coast Wailers. Two 1956 LPs on one CD. Same group on both -- Candoli, Bill Holman, Lou Levy, Leroy Vinnegar, Lawrence Marable. All parties in top form, the surprise for me being what a fine muscular tenorman Holman was -- perhaps halfway between Zoot and early Rollins but actually quite individual.

Vinnie has an excellent new CD out -- "For the Record" Vinnie Riccitelli Octet. Bill Kirchner, knowing how much I like the Westchester Jazz Workshop album, suggested that Vinnie send me a copy of the new one. All writing is by him, except one arrangement by Tommy Newsom. Trumpeter Glenn Drewes is the only member of the band that many people would know, but there is a very good tenor soloist, Joe Stelluti, The writing, from the '60s and '70s, is more conservative than on the Westchester album but quite distinctive, and the performances are lovely. I think the only way to obtain the CD is from Riccitelli himself. I'll try to find out. Talked to Vinnie; he's at 914-968-9752 in Yonkers. He doesn't have access to more copies of the album but said, after I told him there'd probably be interest here, that I have permission to burn copies for those who would want one. I'll entertain requests within reason but don't want to turn myself into CD factory.

OK -- add it to my list.

From Bill Kirchner's 2011 Smithsonian interview with Dave Liebman:

Love them both, and would have picked both, but I thought "Star Highs" wasn't within the '80s time frame. I may have been mistaken on that.

Al Cohn, "Rifftide" (1987, Timeless) Roscoe Mitchell, "Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes" (1980, Nessa) Warne Marsh, "A Ballad Album" (1983, Criss Cross) Lee Konitz/Gil Evans, "Heroes" and "Anti-Heroes" (1980, Verve) Henry Threadgill, "When Was That?" (1982, About Time), "Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket" (1983, About Time), "Subject to Change" (1984, About Time) George Wallington, "The Symphony of a Jazz Piano" (1985, Interface)

Will Leonard's gig was "Night Life." He was not a jazz person. Harriet did not IIRC typically review club engagements; she had a weekly jazz column "Jazz By Choice" and would mention things there in a judicious roundup manner. Why I didn't review this engagement I have no idea. I regularly reviewed lots of other jazz events at that time, and I did go to see this band at the London House as a paying customer.

The Captain Marvel band played the London House in Chicago at about that time. The room pretty much levitated.

Donation sent to your Lansing address.

P.S. to my earlier post. Now that I think about it, I don't believe that my wife and I were married as yet when Chick seemed to both me and to her to come on to her when I was interviewing him in 1969 or '70. He certainly could charm the birds from the trees though.

Did an interview with him for Down Beat in 1969-70 when he was with Miles at the Plugged Nickel on electric piano. Couldn't have been nicer. Somewhat disconcertingly, he kind of came on to my wife who was along for the ride, kept telling her she was "an old soul." I got the feeling that this was a line that had worked for him before. We laughed it off.

Response from Keefe: Apart from little bits here and there (ensemble passages in early WSQ, some parts of the Chile New York record) the only time (til now) that his tenor playing was on record was Flat-Out Jump Suite, where he doesn’t play alto at all. Maybe we should say ‘main example’ of his tenor playing. ...and I didn’t have to look that up, if that tells you anything You’re right about the words. I never spent much time transcribing his solos but listened over and over again to most of his records.