ghost of miles

I signed on to Threads on Thursday and am still using my Facebook and Instagram accounts, though I often go for several days without checking the latter two. Still using Twitter occasionally for certain news topics that I follow, but it’s become such a toxic dumpster fire in the past nine months that I’m about to abandon it completely, especially with Threads taking off so successfully. Threads could use a fair amount of tweaking, some of which I’m confldent will happen. I haven’t seen too many jazz accounts yet, though, from either musicians or writers and DJs/radio stations. As for a “war,” Threads will ultimately win, largely because of what’s happened to Twitter since Musk took over. Lots of people on Threads are simply looking for a pre-Musk Twitter-like place to post and read. All of that said, this forum remains my favorite place to read about and discuss jazz, and that’s driven completely by the people here and Jim Alfredson’s longtime commitment to maintaining it.

The 1999 “songtrack” version, which replaced the George Martin instrumentals with additional Beatles songs used in the movie:

One of the first big box sets that I bought when I was working in a record store, and one that I love to go back to from time to time. Still making my way through recent-years binges on Soul Note and Black Saint sets: … had forgotten how damn good Parallel Worlds is.

The quest to do justice to Orson Welles’ studio-mangled The Magnificent Ambersons continues: A new attempt to reconstruct the lost version of “The Magnificent Ambersons”

This is an excerpt from a pretty old (2007) bibliographic index for Byrd that Jazzinstitut sent me when I was working on a Night Lights show about Byrd. Their indexes don’t claim to catch everything, but they scoop up a lot—especially when it comes to Downbeat—and no review for Black Byrd appears between Michael Bourne’s January 1971 review of Electric Byrd and Neil Tesser’s May 1974 review of Street Lady. There is a mid-1973 article about Byrd by Herb Nolan titled “Infinite Variations,” but no idea if it discusses Black Byrd or not. Michael Bourne: Donald Byrd – "Electric Byrd" (Blue Note), in: Down Beat, 38/2 (21.Jan.1971), p. 24 (R) Leonard Feather: Blindfold Test. Donald Byrd, in: Down Beat, 38/7 (1.Apr.1971), p. 26 (BT: Stan Kenton: "Granada"; Johnnie Cole: "Heavy Legs"; Time-Life Orchestra: "Things Ain't What They Used to Be"; Ornette Coleman: "The Circle With a Hole in the Middle"; Don Ellis: "Open Beauty") [digi.copy] Bill Quinn: Donald Byrd. Campus Catalyst, in: Down Beat, 38/17 (14.Oct.1971), p. 19, 38 (F/I) Malcolm Walker: Donald Byrd Discography, in: Discographical Forum, #30/31 (1972), p. 35- 38 (D); part 2, in: Discographical Forum, #32 (1972), p. 15-16 (D) Donald Byrd & Leonard Goines: The Lorton Project. "Those detained in your institution cannot come to the University, therefore we would like to bring the University to them", in: Down Beat, 40/4 (1.Mar.1973), p. 13 ("I") NN: Potpourri. Donald Byrd heads Archive of Black Music at Howard University, in: Down Beat, 40/1 (18.Jan.1973), p. 12 (N) NN: potpourri, in: Down Beat, 40/10 (24.May 1973), p. 12 (N: new group with students, says free jazz is dead, to be replaced by fusion) [digi.copy] Herb Nolan: Donald Byrd - Infinite Variations, in: Down Beat, 40/13 (19.Jul.1973), p. 18-19, 36 (F/I); response, by Dan Bittker: Chords and Discords. Important Articles, in: Down Beat, 40/14 (16.Aug.1973), p. 10 (letter) Herb Nolan: Donald Byrd. "Infinite Variations", in: Down Beat, 40/13 (19.Jul.1973), p. 18-19, 36 (F/I) [digi.copy] NN: Potpourri. Donald Byrd cooperates with Fantasy Records, in: Down Beat, 40/21 (20.Dec.1973), p. 44 (N) NN: Potpourri. Donald Byrd's newest album for Blue Note, in: Down Beat, 41/1 (17.Jan.1974), p. 35 (N) Neil Tesser: Donald Byrd - "Street Lady" (Blue Note), in: Down Beat, 41/10 (23.May 1974), p. 24, 26 (R) B. Palmer: Black Byrd's Jazz Flies High, in: Rolling Stone, #184 (1975), p. 22 Neil Tesser: Donald Byrd. Blowin' Gold, in: Melody Maker, 1.Feb.1975, p. 39 Pete Welding: Donald Byrd - "Stepping Into Tomorrow" (Blue Note), in: Down Beat, 42/12 (19.Jun.1975), p. 24 (R)

A new Night Lights show celebrates the legacy of swing for America’s Independence Day. A World War I era recording from James Reese Europe’s Hellfighters, a live performance of the short-lived Duke Ellington band theme that preceded “Take The A Train,” Woody Herman’s rendition of a Frank Zappa tune, and music from the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Machito, Count Basie and others all contribute to this patriotic panorama for the holiday. A Big Band Fourth of July

I think you’d dig the Lethem 33 1/3. He was 15 and living in Brooklyn when the album came out, and he filters the album through that view, but in a broad, non-self-indulgent way. His description of the opening of “Memories Can’t Wait” made me laugh out loud the other night, nailing it in a humorously surreal way. I’ve apparently looped myself into the late 1970s/early 80s of late. Currently revisiting this excellent Clash anthology:

It’s so good! The original seemed to quickly get overshadowed by Stop Making Sense. They’re both great albums, of course, but I’ve been in a real early TH mood lately, and Name is such a kinetic document of the band in those years. Have you ever read Jonathan Lethem’s 33 1/3 book about Fear Of Music?

I’ll bet he feels like a million!

I have a black version of this t-shirt, which came from the Coltrane church in San Francisco: I still have a Great Day in Harlem t-shirt and a Lester Young one as well that date back to the late 1990s. There was a company that used to run ads in DownBeat and JazzTimes selling lots of t-shirts featuring various jazz icons, but I haven’t seen those ads in quite a few years.

If the season ended at this moment—and we’re about halfway through—all three American League wild-card spots would go to AL East teams. And Boston’s one of the teams bubbling under. An intensely competitive division!

Hip Record? Ordered this one through my local record store, but it hasn't arrived yet.

Up for Elmo’s centennial today. We’re re-airing a Night Lights show this week in his honor: Hope Lives: A Portrait of Elmo Hope Is WKCR in NYC doing any kind of celebratory Elmo broadcast today? Iirc a street was renamed after him several years ago.

Up for Elmo Hope’s centennial today: Hope Lives: A Portrait of Elmo Hope

My NYRB summer sale shipment just arrived (the NYRB summer sale is practically an annual holiday at this house), and I'll be starting this one tonight. Also picked up these.

I just finished reading that a couple of months ago. Will be curious to hear your thoughts, Bill!

That’s one of the first Ellington collections I ever got! Much, much love for that set.