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garthsj
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Posts posted by garthsj
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Dragon have done a great job with getting Lars Gullin material out there ( early stuff mainly) . The latest
" Danny's Dream" Volume 8 in their on going series covers great quartet sides from 53/55. As ever beautifully annotated and very good sound.
I have all seven of the previous volumes on Dragon, plus, of course, just about everything else available on CD ... BUT ... I have been trying to get a copy of volume 8 ever since it was announced with no success. Usually Cadence gets the entire Dragon catalog, but so far they have not received this item. Does anyone have a suggestion where I can find this album, preferable in the U.S. (I have also tried Double-Time, as well as the usual suspects such as CDU, and The Bastards .. No luck!).
Garth.
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Cynicism aside, let's agree that they were playing in a "modern" style in the middle of the last century ... at least these musicians played a style in which the clarinet actually sounded like a clarinet!
Do you get to decide what the "clarinet actually sounded like"?
Which system - they sound very different.
Whether it be the Boehm, Albert, Auler, or Simple System ... I have always preferred the clarinet sound of Anton Stadler ... that is the standard by which I, as the sole arbiter, decide what sounds like a clarinet or not!
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Cynicism aside, let's agree that they were playing in a "modern" style in the middle of the last century ... at least these musicians played a style in which the clarinet actually sounded like a clarinet!
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No one seems to have mentioned the fabulous (sparse) arrangements that Jimmy did for two Lee Konitz albums, both are now available, one on Verve, and the two together on a recent Lonehill reissue. The arrangements for the Anita O'Day album are sublime, as is the album for Herb Ellis on Verve .... There are so many wonderful Giuffre arrangements around ... and, of course, the Mosaic box contains a pristine (no click) version of the "Clarinet" album, complete with the foot tapping ...
The neglected "Music Man" album has great arrangements, and should be listened to much more closely than most critics seem willing to do ...
Also .. let us not forget the arrangement for Herman's "Four Brothers" ...
Garth.
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This thread brings out a lot of thoughts .... I LOVE this music ....
That last Peter Ind release, JAZZ FROM THE NINETEEN FIFTIES (Wave CD39), with Konitz, Don Ferrara, Billy Bauer, Dick Scott (Tox Drohar), and Peter Ind is a sadly neglected gem, which should have received far more atention than it did. In my mind it certainly ranks up there with some of the "rediscovered" treasures so loudly triumphed in the press lately. And there is the promise that there is still more music where this came from ...
Also Peter Ind's wonderful book, JAZZ VISIONS: LENNIE TRISTANO AND HIS LEGACY (London:Equinox, 2005) is required reading for those who wish to gain an accurate insight into Tristano's role in the development of modern jazz. I think that Ind takes on, and disposes of many of the mythologies that have surrounded Tristano, and in particular that Lennie's music was strictly "white" and "cool" .... I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of jazz. I thought that I knew a lot about the Tristanoites, but this book has given me a whole new perspective and appreciation for this essential music.
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i don't see any mention of this recent release by gary smulyan on the reservoir label. he's backed by christian mcbride and billy drummond, so there's plenty of bari to go around. anyone pick this up yet?
Dynamic album .... with so few really interesting bari players around these days, this really satisfies my visceral need to hear that instrument .... Get it!
Gary has always had the chops, going back to his early years with the Jones-Lewis BB, but he has matured in his improvisational choices and quality, and has gotten away from trying to take the place of Pepper Adams. I have most of his albums and his progress is very obvious.
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I have noticed recently that Fresh Sounds has begun, as I predicted a while ago, to reissue material from the vast, and very tempting, Norman Granz catalog. There is a Ralph Burns "Among The JATPers", and just today I noticed this album:
Kenny Drew Trio
Featuring: Kenny Drew (p), Curley Russell, Eugene Wright (b), Art Blakey, Charles 'Specs' Wright, Lawrence Marable (d)
REFERENCE: FSRCD 416
BAR CODE: -
PRICE: 8.99 €
In a jazz scene literally overflowing with brilliant pianists, the clear truth is that a disproportionate number of them rely on their skill as technicians rather than their imagination, their wit and their new approach to older ideas. Mostly, the latter attributes are lacking. In Kenny Drew, however, we had a pianist whose skill was readily apparent—it was so apparent, in fact, that he chose not to belabor the point and astonish us with virtuosity for its own sake. Skill having been stated to everyone’s satisfaction, Drew went on to other matters—to the subtleties in shading and expression that made him unique.
Contains the albums:
- New Faces / New Sounds (Blue Note)
- The Ideation of Kenny Drew (Norgran Records)
Tracklisting:
1. Yesterdays (Kern-Harbach) 5:19
2. Stella By Starlight (Young-Washington) 2:26
3. Gloria (Drew) 3:21
4. Be My Love (Cahn-Brodzsky) 2:41
5. Lover Come Back To Me (Romberg-Hammerstein) 3:30
6. Everything Happens To Me (Adair-Dennis) 4:39
7. It Might As Well Be Spring (Rodgers-Hammerstein) 2:46
8. Drew’s Blues (Drew) 2:23
9. Bluesville (Drew) 5:21
10. Angie (Drew) 5:33
11. I’ll Remember April (Raye-DePaul-Johnston) 6:33
12. My Beautiful Lady (McLellan-Caryll) 5:33
13. Many Miles Away (Drew) 2:42
14. Four And Five (Drew) 3:13
15. Fifty-Second St. Theme (Monk) 3:22
16. Lo Flame (Drew) 3:34
17. Chartreuse (Drew) 4:29
18. Kenny’s Blues (Drew) 5:55
19. Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Burke-Van Heusen) 4:16
Personnel and dates:
#1-8: Kenny Drew (p), Curley Russell (b), Art Blakey (d). NYC, April 16, 1953.
#9-13: Kenny Drew (p), Eugene Wright (b), Charles "Specs" Wright (d). NYC, 1953.
#14-18: Kenny Drew (p), Eugene Wright (b), Lawrence Marable (d). Hollywood, September 2, 1954.
#19: Kenny Drew (p).
This is a two-fer combining a Blue Note and a Norgran! Also, the Kenny Drew Trio on Norgran was recently reissued on the Verve Vault download site. I wonder what all of this means? I must confess, as someone who prefers his music in a nice jewel box, this could be the answer to finding those elusive albums, complete with liner notes and cover art (albeit a small one).
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garthsj:"Having studied Hollywood for most of my life (it's what I do for a living!), I think that we can thank our lucky stars (pun intended) that this movie was ever made at all! If it had not been for Clint Eastwood's personal emotional attachment to jazz (and his close friendship with Lennie Niehaus), who is heaven's name would ever have "greenlighted" a major motion picture production about a 'black, junkie bebop musician'?"
Garth, Hollywood may well shrink back in horror at the thought of devoting a biopic to a white junkie, but they obviously accepted Eastwood's production even though he emphasized Bird's drug life. Also, remember that horrid attempt at depicting Billie's life--it dwelled on drugs, too. As a matter of fact, Warner Brothers may we have turned down an adaptation of my Bessie Smith biography because she wasn't on drugs. Here's an excerpt from the revised edition of my book.:
Film studios rely on outside readers for initial evaluations of new books. A 1972 Warner Brothers reader’s report on Bessie, gave a summation of Bessie Smith’s life as the book depicted it, but concluded that this was not recommended film material, because “Bessie Smith was not on drugs, and this is not the five-handkerchief stuff that ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ is made of.”Chris,
I totally empathize with what you are saying and the reaction to your Bessie Smith project. Maybe you should have emphasized the "sex" angle ...
Seriously, I have this running dialogue with my students in my "Social Aspects of Film" class which centers around the question: "Who, in God's Name, approved the making of this film, and why did they think it would attract an audience?" It is, ultimately a difficult question to answer ... but makes for an interesting and spirited discussion.
But .. MEDJUCK!! Where are you? .. No one is better equipped to answer this question than you are. Tell us why some films are made, and others are not!
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watching Brubeck play the piano is, for me, like watching something shuffle cards over and over and never get around to playing - he's all mannerism and gesture, to my way of thinking, but surely I'm in the monority here. Though I do agree he is a nice guy - and he has a nice smile -
Did you mean "moanority"?
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I agree with Chris on the excessive Chan slant in "Bird," though I think Dianne Venora did a much better job in that role than Forrest Whittaker (an actor I usually admire) did as Bird -- admittedly a difficult bordering on impossible role to play. As many have said before, Whittaker's exaggerated physical motions when he's pretending to play are particularly annoying, given that we know that Bird aalmost always stood stock still when playing. My choice for Bird would have been the young James Earl Jones. In the same vein, at a certain age, Eastwood would have made a great Stan Kenton in a biopic.
Having studied Hollywood for most of my life (it's what I do for a living!), I think that we can thank our lucky stars (pun intended) that this movie was ever made at all! If it had not been for Clint Eastwood's personal emotional attachment to jazz (and his close friendship with Lennie Niehaus), who is heaven's name would ever have "greenlighted" a major motion picture production about a "black, junkie bebop musician"?
I know that the film has deep flaws, but I must confess that for me it was still a thrill to see a picture about THIS MAN making it to the screen with a fairly significant publicity campaign, and a very successful soundtrack album sale in the aftermarket.
Larry, the Kentonites on the Kenton Board have wanted Eastwood to make (and star in) the Stan Kenton story for many years now. Now ... who in Hollywood would be willing to greenlight THAT story .. and why?
Regarding Goodman, and Billie .... hmmmm .. does anyone really remember Goodman? On the other hand, with so many promising young black film directors and acting talent now available, I would not be too surprised to see an "accurate" Billie Holiday biopic sometime in the future ... After all, the black population goes to movies at an attendance rate almost 50% more than their white counterparts, and films about black stars (see RAY) do attract white audiences. (Yes, I realize that Billie was a "black, junkie jazz singer" -- but her story has a much more compelling story arc for a movie plot).
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Brubeck's imitation of Basie is about the closest you'll come to the original these days, which is strange because he plays spare, light and swinging when doing it, and has earned the unflattering nick-name "old iron hands" when he doesn't.
Funny ... in all the years (since about 1953) that I have been an avid brubeck (and Desmond) fan, I have read a lot of criticism about Dave's playing being too bombastic, unswinging, abstract, unsubtle, etc., but I have never heard the expression "Old Iron Hands" ... what is the source for this quote?
For what is is worth, hearing Dave in concert is still an enormous thrill for me ... He seems to have lost little of his enthusiasm and this is very contagious .. if anything, he is more "playful" than when I first saw him at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1958.
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Has anyone read this book yet? It looks quite interesting ....
I decided to look Yaffe up based on the thread on his article on Andrew Hill ...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069112357...6911834?ie=UTF8
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Over the years, as I have wrestled with this problem I have learned to play a cruel game ... I try to see how many pieces I will end up with after removing all of this tape. So far my record is 18!!! It stops me from crying, and I just laugh trying to picture the executives at EMI trying to do this for themselves ... I bet they have their free copies sent to them without this dreaded tape ...
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Clifford had an amazing musical mind. And a beautiful sound. Undoubtedly a wonderful person.
I'd love to see someone get authorization from his wife and estate and put together the best possible sounding set of the unofficial material that is circulating, with a detailed booklet. This could be six or seven cds or more and be a real boon to collectors and musicians!
I certainly second this motion. Unfortunately his wife died about two years ago. I met her once at one of Ken Poston's west coast weekends, and she was a charming, and well-informed lady. (She was there when the music from the PJ album "The Immortal Clifford Brown" was very effectively recreated by Jack Montrose, also sadly no longer with us, with Carl Saunders doing the trumpet solos ). Clifford's son, Clifford Brown, Jr. does a regular afternoon stint on KCSM-FM .. a wonderful jazz radio station .... and he does a fine job. KCSM is available on the net and worth keeping on your desktop.
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I am surprised by how little response this thread had received today ... I wonder if the genius of Clifford Brown is truly appreciated by many on this board who are not that acquainted with his music. I know that we try to avoid disparaging comparisons, but for instance Lee Morgan gets an amazing amount of attention here (Is it because he was a Blue Note recordings star?), and IMHO he couldn't hold a valve to Clifford (or Art Farmer either, for that matter). Still ... you had to be there when Clifford first appeared on the scene.
For those few reading this, you might enjoy learning how I became aware/interested in Clifford Brown. In my early teen years (12-15) I was very much into the west-coast stuff, and tried to get as many albums from labels such as Pacific Jazz, and Contemporary as I could. This was not easy in South Africa, and I used to give my hard-earned pocketmoney to the older brothers of many of my friends who were in the merchant marine, sailing between Cape Town and New Orleans. I used to give them lists of albums I wanted taken from reviews and ads in Metronome magazine, and they would try to find these albums for me while in port in the U.S. One time my "buyer" returned with this album on 10" Pacific Jazz that he had seen, and thought that I would like. I had never heard of Clifford Brown, (I was not yet into Blakey and the Messengers) as the album had just been released, and not yet advertised ... It was called "Clifford Brown Ensemble Featuring Zoot Sims" ... and featured several of my west coast favorites such as Bob Gordon on baritone, Russ Freeman on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass, Stu Williamson on valve trombone, and Shelly Manne on drums ... the great, tight arrangements were by Jack Montrose. Clifford was the unknown quantity for me, but I listened, and listened, and listened .. and by the end of the first evening I was a total convert! Just imagine the thrill of hearing "Daahoud," "Joy Spring," "Bones For Jones," and "Tiny Capers" for the very first time!! I spent the next few years trying to get every piece of music by him that I could lay my hands on ... but it wasn't until I moved to England in 1958 that I was able to get a full set of the Emarcy albums ... and as I said in my earlier post, it was then that I fully understood what an enormous lacuna his death has left in the history of jazz trumpet playing.
Also, as I noted earlier, perhaps you had to be there when all this happened ... Clifford was unique, and his replacement has yet to appear. God Knows! where he would have taken his talent if he had lived ...
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Well summarized Harold! And the sound is very good indeed, set to please Lil Red Riding Hood because it's "just right."
AND you get portions of that book, just about a quarter of the book in each set! What's it called again? "Beelzlebub's Boogie?" "Them Satanic Melodies?" Something like that.
I think that you mean "Goldilocks" .. right? The Red Hooded One was the kid that killed the wolf! When last did you read Grimms Fairy Tales??
Where in Houston are you esconced? Perhaps I can buy you an expensive cup of coffee sometime ...
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How about John Lewis's "P.O.V. (Point of View)" .. a great album .... and there is also material from Orchestra U.S.A. .. and the Bob Prince material ....
There was also a fine 2-LP set featuring piano players called "They Played Bebop" or something like that. I used to have a copy in my late lamented LP collection ...
If we go through the Columbia catalog I am sure that there are many gems yet to be mined ..
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I remember with some clarity hearing about Clifford Brown's death several days after the event. Even in in far off Cape Town, the news filtered through. I had two Brownie albums at that time, and loved them both ... but the significance of the gap that his death woud leave did not hit me the same way that Charlie Parker's death had. It was only after acquiring the rest of his recorded legacy that I began to understand how much jazz had lost by his early death.
See this article ....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
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Has this gone OOP ?
Try this ... I got these a few weeks ago, and the sound is very good, especially considering the price. Open the U.K. Amazon site, and then look for "Miles Davis - Olympia" under "popular music." Then choose the Laserlight editions ... they are the cheapest and the easiest to find.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search...3198536-3350006
Garth.
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I had to check this list twice to make sure of what I was (not) reading .... How could anyone discuss Johnny Coles without mentioning his enormous contributions to several major Gil Evans dates ...? He was he "other" Miles on such recordings as the recent reissue on BN - "Gil Evans: The Complete Pacific Jazz Sessions" ... and also on "Into The Hot" on Impulse ... and several others. These are important and evocative solos that he contributes to these historic recordings...
Garth.
Go back and read my first post.
OOOPS! Must be my eyesight ...
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I had to check this list twice to make sure of what I was (not) reading .... How could anyone discuss Johnny Coles without mentioning his enormous contributions to several major Gil Evans dates ...? He was he "other" Miles on such recordings as the recent reissue on BN - "Gil Evans: The Complete Pacific Jazz Sessions" ... and also on "Into The Hot" on Impulse ... and several others. These are important and evocative solos that he contributes to these historic recordings...
Garth.
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Any opinions on the "companion" 4-disc set? I usually stay away from compilations like this (only because I eventually discover that I want all of the individual releases), but there's a whole bunch of music I haven't heard on these four discs:
Disc 1
1. Where Flamingos Fly / Gil Evans 5:14
2. Stolen Moments / Oliver Nelson 8:48
3. Greensleeves / John Coltrane 10:00
4. Alamode / Art Blakey 6:49
5. Honeysuckle Rose / Benny Carter 3:53
6. Trey of Hearts / Count Basie 3:45
7. Samba Para Bean / Coleman Hawkins 5:28
8. Too Young to Go Steady / John Coltrane 4:24
9.Snap Crackle / Roy Haynes 4:13
10. Chocolate Shake / Freddie Hubbard 3:59
11. Impressions / John Coltrane 4:36
12. Theme for Lester Young (Aka "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat") / Charles Mingus 5:50
Disc 2
1. My One and Only Love / Johnny Hartman 4:57
2. Salt and Pepper / Sonny Stitt 7:52
3. Forest Flower - Sunrise/Forest Flower - Sunset / Chico Hamilton 10:37
4. T 'N' a Blues / McCoy Tyner 4:06
5. Someone to Watch Over Me / Ben Webster 4:31
6. Sister Mamie / Yusef Lateef 5:29
7. A Love Supreme, Pt. 1: Acknowledgement / John Coltrane 7:45
8. Rapid Shave / Shirley Scott 8:30
9. Los Olvidados / John Coltrane 8:56
10. Ask Me Now! / Pee Wee Russell 2:28
Disc 3
1. Black and Tan Fantasy / Earl Hines 5:14
2. Alfie's Theme / Sonny Rollins 9:45
3. Spanish Rice / Chico O'Farrill 2:47
4. Mama Too Tight / Archie Shepp 5:25
5. Gypsy Queen / Gabor Szabo 5:14
6. Larry of Arabia / Chico Hamilton 5:12
7. Our Prayer / Albert Ayler 4:48
8. Offering / John Coltrane 8:27
9. Journey in Satchidananda / Alice Coltrane 6:37
10. War Orphans / Charlie Haden 6:42
Disc 4
1. Stolen Moments / John Coltrane 6:30
2. The Creator Has a Master Plan / Pharoah Sanders 32:48
3. India / Gato Barbieri 8:57
4. The Rich (And the Poor) / Keith Jarrett 9:26
5. Hard Work / John Coltrane 6:59
6. Walk With Me / Alice Coltrane 7:49
In the mid-sixties I was doing a "closed circuit" jazz radio program at the University of Toronto, with a listenership of probably 48 people. However, I used this fact to convince the Canadian company pressing Impulse (Sparton Records) to send me all of their new releases. So these orange and black LPs kept coming, and kept coming. I must have had the entire catalog issued before 1968! While these were all "original pressings" I found that when it came time to sell them off that the Canadian pressings did not have the same value as the U.S. versions (although IMHO they were sonically superior), nevertheless they did go quickly. My point -- I was amazed at the variety of the music that Impulse put out, and not all of it was "great" ... a good example would be Chico O'Farrell - Clark Terry "Spanish Rice" ... but then there were real keepers like the Pee Wee Russell, Oliver Nelsons, and the first few Chico Hamilton albums ... and. of course, the early Coltranes. All of this is being brought home to me as I read Ashley Kahn's book. It also makes me want to revisit some of those, such as the Earl Hines.
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40 pages in, absolutely a MASTERPIECE already! My copy arrived today ... and taking some valuable time away from my own writing chores, I gave it a quick once-over. The book is very "user-friendly" and handsomely produced -- lots of pictues and illustrative material (notes, album covers, lead sheets, etc.) that interests the historian in me. It does not contain the kind of in-depth analysis of the music that some might wish for, but as an institutional history I think that Kahn has, once again, performed yeoman service. I have found his previous books to be very insightful, and his comments on NPR always capture my interest, even when he is dealing with more pop subjects.
(On a very personal note, I am must confess a certain amount of professional jealousy here ... this is the kind of subject I should be writing about instead of my current impossible attempt to make some sense of television's impact on American society!)
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I take issue with Lonehill’s sloppy, misleading and unethical reissues.
Two bad examples are Eric Dolphy Quartet’s Complete Recordings Featuring Lalo Schifrin (which does not even include Lalo Schifrin!) and Albert Ayler’s Complete Live At Slug’s Saloon Recordings, which is not complete and competes against a legitimate version that is complete.
On the other hand, it’s not like a major label would ever reissue John Graas’ records and Lonehill did. But Lonehill crosses the line way too much for me. A shady label.
Having been an "early adopter" of LoneHill reissues (or sometimes 'new' releases) I have noticed a definite improvement in their notations recently. Maybe when they realize that they are capturing the coin from the pockets of "serious" collectors they will become more meticulous and forthright in their marketing. I am also tired of their "Complete Session of ..... " labels. I wish they would cut that out. Fresh Sounds Records started out this misleading way too, and eventually Jordie Pujols realized that he was annoying his customers with misleading captioning. Pujols now apparently works closely with the record companies to get the best available master tapes. Perhaps LoneHill will move in the same direction.
In the meantime, I have just listened for the first time in a long time to what was in this morning's post -- the LoneHill reissue of the Manny Albam Jazz Workshop album (from RCA), and remembered how much I used to enjoy this music, and the fine perfomances of Hal McKusick, Joe Newman, Al Cohn, and Bob Brookmeyer.
Also, the very recent LoneHill reissue of Dave Brubeck's "At Storyville 1954" has the Brubeck fans all excited, as Dave, who maintains control over his material, has refused to allow Sony/Columbia to reissue this important album. This is where the ethics gets murky ...
Lars Gullin
in Re-issues
Posted
Thanks Dave ..
I finally found a new copy on the Amazon U.K. site from one of their vendors for about $20.00, including postage.