ghost of miles

Thanks for the discography, Jim. He shot himself at the Topper, a bar on 34th St. in Indianapolis. David Baker led the house band there; in his absence they booked touring acts, including a young Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Winchester. Winchester also evidently played tenor sax & flute, but I don't know if he ever recorded on those instruments.

While making a jazz mix CD-R the other day I came to a point where I wanted some haunting, slightly melancholic/dreamy late-30's Ellington tune, and happened upon "Night Song" (from CHRON. CLASSICS 1939 V. 2) as my choice. It was a Cootie Williams small-group tune, with Juan Tizol as co-composer on that particular track. I realized that I tend to like just about every Tizol composition that I hear, but that I can--off the top of my head--identify only three: "Caravan," "Pyramid," and "Night Song." Any other fans of Tizol's work as either composer or player?

Man, I ordered both Selects, the Mulligan, and the Gene Krupa--they're all shipping together, so I'll probably get 'em in October. Just in time for vacation!

Well, not to turn this into an ex-Borders' employee thread or anything--but, to turn this into an ex-Borders' employee thread for a moment: I think I was happiest as a music clerk. I did SPOs, took care of the jazz section (and yes, got the cream of the promos), sorted the multimedia skids, and tended the music-book section. We had a great staff, a good manager, and I truly enjoyed going to work every day. Once I became music manager I was miserable for about three months, but after adjusting to it I was pretty happy doing that as well. I got along well with everybody who worked for me, and we all had expertise in one area or another, enough to give the department great balance in terms of customer service. The feeling became quite family-like--we even exchanged presents at Christmas-time each year. We were also obsessed with driving multimedia sales, and took great pride in watching our percentage of the store gross climb. I have generally fond memories of that time. After the company re-structured in 2001, morale plummeted at our store, and I left later that year to work at our university's library. Within six months six other employees followed me here, three of them former Borders managers--we've re-grouped. Re: the coupon, I wouldn't feel guilty about using it at all, unless you knew for sure that it had been doctored by a third party or non-co-op partner. I mean, if you kept returning & trying to work it a second, third, or fourth time with a new clerk and/or manager-on-duty, that would be slippery. Certainly as a manager I would have honored such a coupon, unless corporate had sent us a warning not to. Even then, if the customer seemed sincere, I still might honor it--if we screwed up, we screwed up. If it was proven to be a doctored phony, that would be a different scenario, different response.

Thanks for your memories & reflections, Chris. I had a feeling that you might have known him. What a tragedy--my source (David Baker's essay in JAZZ SHRINES) says he'd just given up his police gig the previous year to devote himself fulltime to music. I think he was only 33 when he died.

I was introduced to this musician's fine vibraphone work via Oliver Nelson's NOCTURNE about a year ago or so. Recently, as I was re-visiting some of my Indiana jazz sources for a presentation, I learned that Winchester accidentally shot himself to death at one of the better black jazz bars in Indianapolis in 1961. I'm hoping to pick up some of his leader dates in the Fantasy catalog and wondered if anybody else had an opinion to share about this policeman-turned-musician.

Bro, you ol' fellow MOD, you! C'mon, man, suck it up, suck it up! Don't forget that buzzing sound that indicates eight skids of remainders have finally, belatedly arrived for that big tent sale that you need to set up by TOMORROW MORNING! No excuses--move it, man, move it! Oh, and btw, the cafe drawer's under by $200.

All right! Glad you got to use it, jacknife.

Hmm...maybe I just got lucky but the only thing the clerk said to me is "that's a darn good savings on this". This seems like one of those situations where we might require the assistance of some former Borders employees (Ghost? Berigan? etc.?) to throw a few clues our way so that we can positively identify the.....um, weakest link in the chain sort of speak, employee who'll not think twice about ringing up that little 40% jobber. B) Not sure what my erstwhile colleague & friend across the aisle would say, but I would recommend politely but firmly pointing out that this is a legitimate Borders coupon and that it clearly indicates 40% is to be taken off any item that isn't already discounted. (Actually, it doesn't clearly indicate that it's for a single item--at first glance it appears it could be for any number of items--but just put it that way.) Tell 'em you signed up for the Dell giveaway, even if you didn't. Ask to speak to the manager if they continue to refuse. Ask why Borders is putting out this coupon if they're not accepting it. Make negative noises about the corporation (ask for the customer care number if you want and then, when you're told that that service has been discontinued, get even more agitated). Raise your voice, wave a gun... just kidding. Steady, slightly irritated persistence usually pays off in the manager basically saying, "OK, yeah, just this once, whatever, let's just get rid of this guy!" At least that was my experience. Mr. B may have a different perspective.

Happy birthday, JC, and hope you're blowing in the cosmos somewhere. Much thanks for your love supreme.

Hey, thanks for the tip there, Berigan, I'll try to run it down. Did you ever snag any of those Heps?

The new catalog arrived today. I always scan Cuscuna's note to the customers first, to see if he drops any hints about forthcoming sets. In this one he says that if the new Mulligan set does well, they'll try to get access to all of Norman Granz's live tapes of the band. Hope so!

Yikes! Would keep me away if I were the thievin' kind!

It should work for a single item. I ended up using it last night to buy a birthday present for my brother and had no problems. However, they won't give you more than 20% off if you try to buy a DVD or DVD set with it.

Well, this much-loved CD arrived on Friday, and you're right that Quebec and Green aren't too prominent, although there's enough tasty playing from Ike to make me happy that I got it. I also happen to like Dodo Greene's voice, much more than I thought I would--but the arrangements have a workmanlike quality that gives the album a certain quality of sameness. I've listened to it only once so far, but about halfway through it does start to seem a bit static. However, I think it could be a grower, and I'm glad I got it. Interesting that Dodo is portrayed as a singer's singer in the liner notes--also interesting that the CD (like other Conns) tacks on a second session, its release presumably doomed by consumer indifference to the first. (Wasn't this the case w/the Sonny Red & Fred Jackson titles?)

So have all memberships registered since late May been voided? Bummer... I joined in early March, around the time of the BNBB debacle, but I noticed that several people who came later no longer show up on the member list. I'm sure they can just re-register--even if it necessitates a different handle--but it does seem a bit odd over there, as if the past four months never happened... OTOH all of Greg's recent political wisdom has vanished.

Patricia, Hope you still re-visit this jazz province from time to time, even if it is admittedly a little guysy. I've enjoyed your contributions and will look for you as "still life" on AAJ.

I just printed it out and may try my luck with the forthcoming Miles Jack Johnson box. Thanks for the link!

Is that one still readily available? I'm about to give up on a domestic RVG of it.

I know, Weizen, I much prefer those as well. I have a number of those Savoys and am still on the hunt for THE CHARLIE PARKER STORY... I have both Jutta Hipp Hickory Houses and the Walter Davis Jr. In those instances I picked them up primarily because they're not available stateside (same as the James Clay TENORMAN, Eddie Costa HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS, Barry Harris BREAKIN' IT UP, and Joe Pass SOUNDS OF SYNANON that I've picked up recently). I like the JRVGs and the Japanese Universals--both sound and presentation style (the mini-LPs are cool)--but am wary of developing another big-spending jazz habit.

Not so much jazz yesterday: Various artists, NUGGETS II (great 60's international garage rock... Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything," the Poets' "That's the Way It's Got to Be"... I love that slightly sinister 60's grunge sound) Beck, SEA CHANGE Yo La Tengo, SUMMER SUN 10,000 Maniacs, THE WISHING CHAIR Stan Getz, PLAYS (early-50's Verve) Rachmaninoff, PLAYS RACHMANINOFF Willie the Lion Smith, Chronological Classics comp. (hope the Mosaic still comes out some day)

I'd also recommend that Carmen McRae SINGS MONK CD as well, which got re-issued a couple of years ago in the new Bluebird series. I've been listening to a lot of McRae lately, and plan to re-visit that one soon.

Ahoy, Organissimos! I thought it most important that I brin't'your attention t'fact that Friday be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! I'm off from work and will be lazin' about, listenin't'me vast plundero'jazz CD treaayes. Joy and good tidin'st'you, mates! talklikeapirate

You know, Tony, the ironic thing is that I ordered the set primarily for the Krupa, too (haven't gotten it yet--it's coming with the three new releases), and thought, "Eh, the James will be interesting too..." and shortly afterwards I went on my James kick. So my excitement about that set has doubled. I also stumbled across a remaindered paperback of TRUMPET BLUES, which looks like a decent bio of James, and I'm really looking forward to the Hindsight set. Thanks for everybody's recommendations. I'm now eyeing the James/Basie Hep...

OK, another guy I sloughed off for a long time as a nascent young jazz snob (outside of his early hot work as a sideman, of course). But lately I've been listening to him more, particularly the '39 band, and I just ordered the Hindsight box BANDSTAND MEMORIES 1938-48, as well as the Krupa/James Capitol set. Any other recommendations/thoughts on this trumpeter?