John Tapscott

Man, this is a horse race, maybe the tightest poll I ever remember on this Board! Just a couple of thoughts. Interesting to see the excellent pianists getting no votes at all; I thought Andrew Hill might garner a few. Though I didn't in the end vote for Horace Parlan, I did consider him for a few moments and I'm glad he's picked up a few votes. And even before I saw the nominees listed, the first name which popped into my mind was McCoy Tyner, but perhaps that's because I've been listening to some McCoy discs lately. In retrospect, he probably should have been on the list, and might have received a few votes, though not up there up there with Silver and Clark.

I had to go with Horace, but this is a tight one. I do agree with Dan. Horace's playing helped to define the Blue Note "house" sound. Sonny's a great player, but for me, not quite as distinctive as Horace.

I was torn between Smokestack and Rumproller, but voted for the latter. This is a session which I really enjoy, and is nearly the equal of Sidewinder.

My thought is that unless you're the kind of person who really abuses cars, just drive as you normally do from the git-go. Just don't forget your first oil change at 3,000 miles (or 5,000 km). That's what I've done with all my cars and with the exception of one, they have been OK for the most part. The problems with that one had nothing to do with the break-in period or lack thereof. It was just poorly manufactured. Needless, to say, I won't buy another one from that company again. (Hint - it was a model made by the company which recently merged with a famous Europen auto company).

If you have a mono switch on your stereo, press it while listening to a stereo recording, and you'll be able to tell the difference. On many of the digital era recordings, the stereo separation is not nearly as noticeable as on earlier stereo recordings. You could listen to many current recordings in mono and I don't think you would notice a huge difference. BTW, I think mono sounds really fine in most cases. Try to avoid those recordings which were originally mono, but were rechannled for stereo. They sound pretty bad. If you have to listen to them, use the mono switch and they sound much better.

I voted for "Midnight Blue". Though Wynton's trumpet playing is often quite beautiful on the CD, overall I find the CD to be insufferably dull. At 77 minutes, it's way, way too long. I'm asleep before I've listened to half to it. Snoozeville.

My favorites, "Marciac Suite" and "Black Codes from the Underground" aren't listed. Therefore, I cast my vote for "Blue Interlude", another Wynton CD I have enjoyed over the years. Had the choice been restricted to the big band sides, I would have voted for "Big Train."

Charlie had "it" when he was younger, too. Listen to him on Bill Holman's arrangement of "Stella by Starlight" from Stan Kenton's Contemporary Concepts CD (just re-issed by Capitol). He had feeling, depth, and great tone back then, too, when he was still in his 30's. And he's continued to grow over the years. I haven't got the new Justin-Time release yet, but I've read 3 very positive reviews, including Jim's. This is one I'll have to pick up.

Storyville CD - Woody Herman and his Orchestra - "Live in Warsaw" Feb. 25, 1976 Tenors - Frank Tiberi, Gary Anderson, Salvatore Spicola Baritone - John Oslawski

Late :Thanks for that. Carl has been woefully underrecorded in his career. I pulled out a few discs last night just to see what he's on. Here's what I've found. Bobby Knight and the Great American Trombone Company - Cream of the Crop (Jazz Mark) - Rosolino is on this, too. The Great Fontana - a 1985 Quintet date on Uptown Bobby Shew with Carl Fontana - Heavyweights (Mama) Stan Kenton - Kenton in Hi-Fi Cuban Fire plus a couple of Kenton bootlegs from the '56 European tour which feature two Bill Holman arrangements written to feature Carl.

Bataki: I was a fairly close follower of the Herd and its peronnel in the '70's, and I'm almost certain that the tenor player you saw with Herman on those dates was not Gregory Herbert. The last time I saw Gregory with the Herd was in the spring of '75 at a Toronto concert. By that time he had already left Herman but had come back to fill in for a one night stand. Woody made some reference to that fact in the concert. I believe Woody really dug Gregory's playing. The tenor player you are likely referring to is the one and only Joe Lovano who played with the Herd from about mid '76 to early '79. The other tenor player in the band at the time (besides Tiberi) was Gary Anderson who also arranged for the Herd. I don't think anyone would describe Herbert as "a skyscraper" though you might speak of Lovano that way. On reflection, it probably wasn't Lovano at the March 1, 1976 concert, but another player whose name escapes me at the moment. There's a poorly recorded CD on Storyville from that tour which I have at home, and his name is listed on that. On the 25th of October 1977, it would certainly have been Lovano.

I voted for JJ, Tea second, Fuller third. Had he been there, I would have voted for Rosolino. But the all-time underrated trombone great has got to be Carl Fontana. Nobody, but NOBODY of the post JJ players had the melodic flow at tempo that Carl had (and perhaps still has, though I understand he's quite ill). We shouldn't overlook Bill Watrous, either. I heard him live in a club one night with a very hot rhythm section and he was phenomenal. Unfortunately, his recordings don't always do him justice.

Lon, I know what you mean. It can be overwhelming. But Tatum's music is not forbidding to the newer (or even the veteran) jazz listener, as Taylor's often is. I always look forward to playing some Tatum, (a few tracks at a time as Jim suggests), because I find it so enjoyable. I probably get about 1% of it, but what I do get often makes me laugh and smile. I am astounded by the technique, but I also revel in the sheer joy of Tatum's music. I think it has something to do with the way he used harmony.

I gave the album a spin yesterday and it reminds me of the first rule of tenor saxophone playing: No matter who you are, don't go head to head with Coleman Hawkins. Certainly Rollins plays very well as he follows Bley down a slightly more abstract path. But Hawkins holds his ground and shows everyone why he is the king of the tenor saxophone. It's a terrifc album overall.

Dan, I think it's a little unfair to speak of the "Christian Fascist" in this regard, since people of other faiths believe in God as well, and some of them may be as offended by the use of the word "God" in this way. I am a Christian believer, and while I would not use "God" in a sentence as Waller did, I think most of us know this is a figure of speech, and take it that way. I simply marvel and am grateful that the Creator gave Tatum such talent. In terms of Tatum's playing, he may well be the greatest solo piano jazz piano player ever (and certainly among the top three). But I would not rank him nearly as high on the list of ensemble or group pianists.

I saw Herbert several times with Woody Herman in the early '70's and he was a hot tenor player. I think his best work is on Herd at Montreus on Fantasy which I believe is now on CD. He is the featured soloist on three lengthy tracks on that album. Woody obviously and rightfully thought he was a major talent. As I recall, when he was about 18 years old he substituted briefly for one of the Ellington saxophone players.

Apparently Mingus' bass was almost inaudible on the recording. BTW, the tapes were given to Mingus in lieu of $$$$ for playing that night. Massey Hall was only a quarter full and the promoters ran out of money before the musicians were paid in full. Originally Mingus wanted to destroy the tapes immediately because the recording wasn't great and the bass couldn't be heard. Thankfully, he held on to them, overdubbed the bass lines again, and released them on his own label a year later. And we know the rest of the story. I'm sure Massey Hall will be sold out tonight for the 50th Anniversary Concert - Roy Hargrove, Kenny Garrett, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes, and making a special appearance, Max Roach. Wish I could be there.

Another bassist - Ron McClure

Over the Past couple of weeks: Chico Hamilton Mosaic Miles Davis - E.S.P. Roy Hargrove and Antonio Hart - The Tokyo Sessions Duke Ellington - Three Suites Stan Kenton - At the Rendezvous Vol. 1&2 Lenny Breau and Dave Young - Live at Bourbon Street Mark Nightingale - What I Wanted to Say Tony Williams - Young at Heart Duke Ellington Meets Count Basie - For the First Time! The Fantastic Frank Strozier Stan Kenton - Stompin' at Newport John Coltrane - Ascension The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra - Can I Persuade You? Dexter Gordon - One Flight Up Bix Beiderbecke - Riverboat Shuffle (Naxos) Art Tatum - Tiger Rag (Naxos) Johnny O'Neal - At Baker's Keyboard Lounge

Ed Neumeister

I have the double LP with four tunes, Absolutions, Beehive, Neophilia and Nommo. Due to a busy week, I've only had a chance to listen to it once all the way through. My overall impression is that it's a decent, if not great Morgan album. You have to give the band credit for exploring some new tunes and new musical areas even if everything doesn't quite come off. I think the first two tunes are generally more successful than the latter two. Lee seems more focussed and fiery and I think the band comes together better on these tunes. Neophilia is a great tune, though I am not as impressed with Maupin's bass clarinet work as others may be. His tenor playing on the other tunes is very strong, however, and to me he may be the most impressive soloist. I am a Mabern fan, and I think he plays well here. Though I don't have really have an "ear" for this, I wonder if the piano is a bit out-of-tune. I don't think Nommo is a totally settled performance, but given its rhythmic pattern, maybe it's not supposed to be. It still is an excellent tune. Anyway, I'm glad I had a chance to listen to this one again. Probably not my favorite Morgan recording, but generally very enjoyable. 3 and 1/2 stars.

There are 4 LP's under Booker Little's leadership that I know of. Add another session or two that he played on, and you'd have a real nice Mosaic Select set. Recently I've been listening to "The Fantastic Frank Strozier" CD (Vee-Jay reissue on Koch.) Nothing wrong with Strozier, but if anyone's fantastic on that session it's Booker. Man, he digs deep into the blues!

Toshiko Akyoshi

I voted for Black Fire, because this is the one I would play for a newcomer to Andrew's music. That doesn't necessarily make it the best, but perhaps the most accessible. It's the one I reach for most. Joe H. is just terrific on this, but then I could say the same about Hutcherson on Judgment.

Lee Konitz