Free For All

....I thought it was Dubly....... B)

.....or is it Buddy Bolden? B)

I'm away from my music right now, but what was the name of the Tolliver big band side- "Impact" or something like that? What a great listen that one is. I think George Coleman and James Spaulding were on it, right? High energy, high intensity and some very interesting writing. Rooster, a little help? P.S. it looks like a laurel and hearty handshake is in order for the return of PFunk.......

Count me in as a Woody fanatic. The first time I heard him was on a Columbia LP called "Montreaux Summit"- it was a label concert of current Columbia recording artists done in the 70s (Dexter and Woody, Getz, Maynard etc.). Maynard's band was sort of the "house band" and was probably the reason I picked up the side (that's where my interests were at the time). On one tune Maynard was trading w/Woody (talk about "when worlds collide")- needless to say, my eyes were opened and my priorities changed forever. I immediately started to buy anything w/Woody's name on it (starting w/Homecoming), a practice that continues to this day. There was a series of concerts in the 70s at Iowa State University called "Jazz at the Maintenance Shop"- this was an excellent series and exposed me to many of the "desert island" heavies of jazz such as Bill Evans, Dexter, Woody, Jack DeJohnette, Johnny Griffin and others. I think the Dexter and Evans concerts were released on video. I wish the Woody would be released- it was an amazing performance! In addition to all the sides mentioned here, I've always loved Horace's "Cape Verdean Blues"- the sextet cuts w/Woody, Joe and J.J.- what a dream band! And I also like the Blue Notes w/Freddie- that's some of the last listenable Freddie, I'm sorry to say. I also would have loved to hear Woody and Lee mix it up. Or Woody and Charles Tolliver. I hear a lot of Booker little in Woody as well.

...walk towards the light.......................walk towards the light........

My wife has been coming out here to SF for several summers now- she plays in the orchestra for the SF Opera. We are able to avoid the overly "touristy" places and frequent the more unknown dives. I usually have my own summer activities like jazz camps, etc. so I don't get out here 'til the end of August most of the time. By the time I get here, though, I'm TOTALLY jonesin' for some New Mexican goodies. One thing I didn't expect is that I've actually developed an appreciation for opera. It helps that they have the libretto on little monitors on the back of the seat in front of you- my problem was that I NEVER understood what the hell was goin' on. Some of the music is awesome, I must say. BTW, just got back from lunch- the catfish tacos were awesome!

I just arrived in Santa Fe (to be reunited w/my wife and dog after 2+ months of being apart doing our various gigs) and my first stop, as always, was at Harry's Roadhouse for my usual inaugural burrito. Grilled chicken, black beans, red AND green chili (THAT is the part I haven't been able to duplicate at home), cheese, guac............it was a religious experience. There are so many great places to eat here for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's also green chili harvesting time and you can smell them being roasted all around town. Anyone else share an affection for SF cuisine?

Dick Wright was absolutely an awsome person. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the music as well as being one of the kindest and most generous people I've ever known. If you mentioned that you liked a certain player the next thing you knew he'd have made up a compilation tape for you. He had a HUGE music collection (did he leave that to KU, Eric?) and seemed to have it all indexed in his head. He will be sorely missed.

I think the others have explained this adequately. I guess my main gripe is that I just don't like underdone breakfast meats of any kind. I'm not saying it has to be burned, but I like it a little crispy. I sometimes fry slices of ham for breakfast and like to get them fairly well done. Bev, I think you need to experience a nice maple-smoked, thick sliced peppered bacon cooked medium-well and I think you'd see what I'm talking about. The crap you get in hotels in the US is not indicative at all. I guess with all that is going on in the world my little bacon rant is less than significant. Just trying to do my part for whirled peas.

It was incredibly boomy and extremely hot. From what I was told the sound (especially where a big band is concerned) was much better in the back, and worsened as you moved towards the front. The sound crew wanted to mic EVERYONE in the group as well as many drum mics, but we were able to talk them out of doing that and just used mics for soloists. It's always dangerous to put your ensemble sound so completely in the hands of a sound person unless you know how they work.

I'm inclined to think of it not as a LACK of tension, but more as a lack of VARIATION in the tension-release way of thinking. There is often little to differentiate between head and solos on bop tunes, and the solos can contain little or no variation in texture/density. If a bop era player approached solo construction the same way as a post-bopper (more pacing, use of space, periods of less activity) they probably would have been ostracized by their peers and the public. I try to look at the bop period as something that was a reaction to swing; I think the perceived lack of textural contrast in the bop solo style takes a back seat to the importance of the increased level of harmonic awareness that came about. Bebop wasn't perfect by any means- for a "revolutionary" type of music it was defined by fairly conservative parameters- but I think it was an integral step in the evolution process. I think of the influence of the bop style as one element of my playing- I don't want to be a "Bird clone" (not that I ever could) but since studying bop was an integral part of my musical education, I don't want to deny or overlook its influence. Plus, it's fun to play! With all that has happened since it's easy to look back on the bop style as one-dimensional; it sure would have been interesting to live in that era and see how we all reacted to it initially!

Actually, Rooster, what I meant by "the sometimes stagnant world of changes" didn't refer to the number or frequency of chords in a given tune, but more the type of playing where one just incessantly "runs the changes", which often results, IMHO, in less interesting listening. This can happen in modal (less harmonically "busy") tunes as well as more complex bop-type tunes. I think THAT is the complaint many have w/bebop- the solos are often mechanical and workmanlike, lacking in melodic content or rhythmic variation. Obviously, bop heavies like Bird were exceptions to this, although I've heard recordings of even the big stars who seemed to be "phoning it in" at times. Don't get me wrong- I'm a big bop fan and some of the most important development in my own playing came about from a summer long ago I spent playing w/the Bird play-along. The heads are like jazz etudes and dealing with the changes led to some harmonic revelations to be sure. Bebop was "music for musicians" to a great extent, a huge contrast to the Swing era styles, and alienated the audiences to a degree by excluding them from the "inner circle". As I've said before, I think it's important to have a balance of "entertainment' and "education" in any performance. I think there has to be an element of accessibility to "pull the audience in" that co-exists with the spirit of exploration which serves to artistically satisfy the players. Of course, things that fall into the "accessible" category certainly don't have to be void of artistic satisfaction. Connecting w/an audience is obviously a HUGE source of inspiration- I just think that once you establish a level of "trust" you can slip in something maybe they haven't heard before and they might be more inclined to listen with an open mind and open ears.

Learning tunes in all keys is one of those things that we are told we "should" do. I certainly don't obsess on it, but I do enjoy playing tunes, esp. familiar ones, in alternative keys. It can be as simple as splitting the tune in half, like Bill Evans did with Days of Wine and Roses, doing the tune in F and Ab. Or you can alternate keys for the whole chorus- I sometimes play My Shining Hour by alternating the keys of C and Eb each chorus. Or you could do a pattern like C-Eb-Ab-Db, or whatever you like! One issue with this is communicating your intentions to the rhythm section, since part of the fun in doing this is the element of spontaneity. Or you can simply plan it out in advance. Sometimes (as I said before) I'll simply play with the drummer alone for a while so I can create my own little harmonic world. That's what I envy about pianists- they can compliment their solo lines with the perfect accompanimental choices. Think about it-when a pianist solos, he's playing only w/bass and drums; you see why horn players like to do that sometimes? Of course when you develop an affinity with a rhythm section they can learn to read your mind, which is often a beautiful thing. Sometimes not.... When I practice in other keys I feel the rewards exist on multiple levels- I feel like the original key has a new clarity for me, and finesse in multple keys certainly comes in handy when employing substitute changes or chromatic side-slipping. I'm so tired of playing Rhythm changes in Bb- this of course is my problem and not a fault with the music. But it IS fun to play in some other keys- I like F, Ab or Eb, for starters. I also think you can divide tunes into phrases- for example you can play pretty much whatever you'd like on the A section of a Rhythm changes as long as you create some sort of rhythmic or harmonic cadence to seperate the sections. Or you could "take it out" all the way to the bridge. It's just the concept or tension-and-release. For me, too much tension w/o release gets as tiresome as too much consonance- everyone has their own threshold regarding this area. I also like it when rhythm sections "pedal" (usually on the V) on the A section of Rhythm tunes- it gets away from the repetative cycle of chords, and when you return to the changes they are fresher sounding. While none of these things are earth-shaking revelations by any means, they ARE some little things that help to create at least a little variation in the sometimes stagnant world of changes.

Wow! Instant Sun Ra collection!

I'm a big fan of EW&F. It was horn bands like them as well as Chicago, The Crusaders, Tower of Power and BS&T that started me down the path to jazz in the 70s. My favorite recording would have to be All 'N All. Fantasy, Serpentine Fire as well as tunes from other recordings including That's The Way Of The World, Getaway, Shining Star are all favorites. The Greatest Hits CD (cranked, of course) was a party favorite back in the 80s. I hear their live show is awesome. I've not seen them live but I'm sure you'll have a good time ss1- let us know how it was!

Once when I was in grad school I was practicing with a play-along CD and noticed my roomate's cocker spaniel was sitting in the doorway, apparently listening. I continued playing and when I looked again the dog was gone but he had left a steaming little pile on the carpet. Everybody's a critic..............

Bob Brookmeyer & Kenny Wheeler "Island" w/John Hollenbeck (drums), Jeremy Allen (bass) and Frank Carlberg (piano) (this includes a DVD with interviews, a documentary of the session and downloadable music- I haven't checked it out yet, but the music is great!) Hank Jones "The Definitive Black and Blue Sessions" w/George Duvivier and Oliver Jackson Michel Pettruciani Trio "Live At The Vanguard" w/Palle Danielsson and Eliot Zigmund Both trio sides are excellent. All good purchases.

Damn! If only I'd have played just a little better!

Woody was always pro-education, he loved to mix it up w/the young players. That certainly makes sense considering the way he raided the various college jazz programs to find players. I think Stan Kenton was maybe one of the first big band leaders to really push the clinic thing. I certainly was influenced by the accessibility of the Woody guys, especially of the 70s era. I remember going back to my high school and talking of the various big band guys as if they were rock stars (they were to me). I couldn't wait to experience the "glamour" (the "U" is in respect of my UK trip) of the road.

Well, Big Wheel, I was more or less talking about the harmonic content, but you are absolutely right, I can see where the groove can get repetitious. I know sometimes rhythym sections will go into a walking swing groove on this tune, but there must be more options than that. I always am happy when a drummer playing this type of groove gets interactive and plays more soloistically than repetatively- know what I mean? Actually what you said brings up a good point- playing on a tune like St. Thomas should be about more than changes/bop playing- the rhythmic content should be just as important. I'm not citing this tune as a example of an ultimate improvisational vehicle (in Missouri that word is Vee-Hickle) but more a tune that is simplistic harmonically and requires somes creativity to keep interesting. BTW, Big Wheel, what instrument do you play? Try playing St. Thomas in a whole buncha keys. I thought that was a fun thing. Try modulating chromatically, by fourths and by random key changes. That's what breathed new life into the tune for me. But I'm an idiot who's easily entertained- your mileage may vary. B)

Sometimes when a tune is called that I'm bored with I'll try to think of a way to do something different. Recently I had to play on St. Thomas, a great tune but after 2-3 solos there's not much to say (unless you're Sonny, which I'm not). So I had the bass and piano cut out and played several choruses w/just the drummer, changing keys each chorus. That was fun (on a couple of the key changes I kicked my own ass) and it just goes to show that you can find something new to do on any tune.

Actually, Rooster (BTW, you said you were crashing and yet it's 2AM and here you are! You are a hanger!), there's a reharmonized version of Autumn Leaves that has some cool chromatic ii/Vs in the first eight bars (those of you that know what I'm talking about, please step in) that make it a whole new tune. Please understand I'm with you on this "tired Real Book Tunes" subject, but for many of the examples you cite, I can think of a recording that breathes life into the tune, and I will be happy to make you a CDR of all the tunes you despise, being played with conviction and inspiration. As I said, I just think of this as a lack of inspiration on the part of the player, as opposed to an inherent tune weakness.

I tend to be of the type who says "it's the player, not the tune". I know of specific tunes I'll avoid calling because I'm tired of them, not because it's a lame tune but because my creative well is currently dry regarding that specific tune. Then I'll listen to Miles or Sonny or someone tear it up and think "now why couldn't I do that?". Every time I swear I'll NEVER play something like "Funny Valentine" I hear some recording that kicks my ass. I think if you can call a tune that's overplayed with the intention of resurrecting it and even partially succeed, well, then you're doing something right. That being said, if I NEVER play "Another You" again it won't break my heart........

My ass was on fire the last time I hit the Anchor Bar in Buffalo for some hot wings (but that's another story....) Great to hear about Arno, thanks. I think it's amazing Frank Tiberi is near that age and still is playing like a kid who doesn't know no better. God bless these guys, they're disappearing too fast!

I've never met Arno, Jim, but I sure know who he is! How's he doing? I know the music scene in Vegas has really dried up. I was out there about a year ago to visit Carl Fontana, who is battling Alzheimer's. Man, Vegas has sure changed since I played there with the band. Now it's like a Disneyland for gamblers. Bring the family, lose the farm.......