Adam

For those in Southern California, "Portrait of Jason" is actually screening soon at the LA County Museum of Art, as part of a great "jazz film" night of sorts, with "Pull My Daisy" and "Shadows." "Shadows" has a score by Mingus. This is probably the first public screening of "Portrait of Jason" in L.A since 1998, when I included it in an Shirley Clarke tribute. http://www.lacma.org/ Click on Films, click on the "America of Diane Arbus" series Friday, May 7 7:30 pm Pull My Daisy (1958/b&w/30 min.) Scr: Jack Kerouac; dir: Alfred Leslie, Robert Frank; w/Allen Ginsburg, Gregory Corso, Larry Rivers, Alice Neel, David Amram, Peter Orlovsky. Pull My Daisy is a beat-era time capsule about a drunken literary gathering in a Bowery loft, shot silent and featuring improvised voice-over narration by Jack Kerouac and an “all-stars of the beat generation” cast. When the film was first released in New York, it was double billed with Cassavetes’s Shadows. 8:00 pm Shadows (1959/b&w/81 min.) Scr/dir: John Cassavetes; w/Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, Hugh Hurd. Restored print courtesy UCLA Film and Television Archive. Shadows may well be the film that has defined American independent filmmaking for nearly fifty years. The film is a partially improvised story of interracial romance, and its naturalistic scenes strongly evoke the French New Wave, the culture of the beat generation, and the jazz music that fueled it. Shot entirely in gritty New York locations—and despite costing a mere $40,000—Shadows won the Critic’s Choice Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Its style and subject matter represent a spirit of candidness that had not been present in previous American films. 9:35 pm Portrait of Jason (1967/b&w/105 min.) Dir: Shirley Clark; w/ Jason Holliday. Restored print courtesy MOMA Film Archive. Long unavailable for screening and made pre-Stonewall, Clarke’s legendary feature-length interview with a black male hustler in New York City was an audacious and provocative use of the new cinema-vérité technology to explore the hidden and taboo corners of society.

What Michael said. Horace did mention that he has finished the book, but it is currently being edited, rewritten, etc. But I don't think he has a publisher yet.

He seemed reluctant to mention any of the players until he had confirmed them all. I noticed this the one previous time as well, when he spoke of potential players on his next album. I haven't asked him about contributing directly; I don't think he would. He's a really kind and gentle soul, doesn't drink alcohol. I don't know him that well. But here's the story in brief. At a jazz convention a couple of years ago I met a man named George Schmid (who produced Horact Tapscott's The Dark Tree and a couple of other records for Hat, and who has been seeing shows since the 50s). George is friends with Bobby Bradford, Horace Silver, Andrew Cyrille, etc; was also friends with Horace Tapscott, etc. Every two or three months George, another friend of mine, and I have an "avant-garde jazz" listening session. Between the three of us, we have a great array of stuff, particularly George, who gets every single Hat Art. Add lots of Okka Discs, Ememens, etc. Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Brotherhood of Breath, Brotzmann, David Murray. Whatever catches our fancy. So we spend the afternoon listening to out jazz, then have more straight stuff mixed in (as George and I also will gladly throw in a Johnny Hodges, Duke, or what have you.) And George will occasionally invite one of his friends as an additional guest for listening & dinner. Bobby Bradford came another time. Horace Silver doesn't care for the "out" stuff, so he comes later, at 6:00, for dinner. So this dinner on Easter, for example, was just the five of us: George, his wife, my friend, myself, and Horace Silver. Per Horace's request, we listened frst to a side of Jimmy Lunceford, then there was some of Mulligan & Desmond; some Kenny Dorham, etc. It's very nice & casual. Horace takes a bit of time to warm to my friend and I, but George is much better friends with him, and is great at getting him to warm up. I asked him if there was any likelihood of the issuing of the Silveto albums. He said not for now. He owns the masters. He won't issue anything unless he is properly compensated. George has asked him if Horace would do an album for Hat Art, because he could arrange it, but Horace says that Hat is too small. I asked how many LPs there are, and he said 7 or 8. So I think it would be a good Mosaic box. He didn't mention a new album this spring at all; just the "Rachmaninoff" disc. But none of us asked him about it either, as we didn't know that there might be one. He didn't ontribute a lot of information about his current activities.

Just thought I'd give Horace Silver his own all-encompassing "corner." Especially with some live shows coming up. I was lucky enough to have Easter dinner 2 nights ago with Horace, listening to some great stories about his early days, the people he's thinking of getting for the Blue Note gig (all local NYers). He will be doing a free show at the Santa Monica Pier in July, for those of us in So Cal. It was news to him that United States of Mind would be coming out later this year. So I hope some of you have heard some of his music. Any thoughts?

Wow, there's no thread under Artists for all things Horace Silver related. Someone should start one.

Finishing them tonight! (if all goes well.)

I read it all in the print edition last night. Really interesting.

I don't think It's Hard to Be a Saint works. Doesn't an anthemic song have to be one that everyone in the audience sings along, especially to teh chorus, over and over again? I don't think that one quite does it. Born in the USA, maybe. Hmmmm... Oh, Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone

I said at the start "Excepting National Anthems." Now if we could only modify a Sousa march, add lyrics by Irving Berlin, thrown in a line about letting the dogs out and a reference to a jungle, and have it sung by U2, we'd really have something to crow over.

I personally have found that the best way to introduce anyone to jazz is to take them a concert, where all the intimacy, excitement, and skill gets communicated. And with younger folk, take them to something with some "outness" to it. I've brought two people to Pharoah Sanders; one to Brotzmann Chicago Ten (at Tonic); one to the Sun Ra Arkestra. One to McCoy Tyner. You get the idea. Of course, it doesn't always work. And it doesn't mean they'll necessarily start buying jazz CDs. But the fear of jazz is gone.

Just goofin around at the office, and started thinking with co-workers of the most anthemic songs ever. Excepting actual National Anthems. I think this started because I was listening to a Nick Cave cover of "Let It Be," and first we went into the most anthemic Beatles songs, with the winner below. Got any suggestions? Then we can have a silly poll. Hey Jude- Beatles Who Let the Dogs Out - The Baja Men We Will Rock You/We are the Champions - Queen Born to Run - Bruce

I saw that Eddie Gale LP of "Ghetto Music" at Aron's over the weekend. Is that in concert with Water?

This is a bit forward, but although I didn't ask for this before, the descriptions make a lot of this seems right up my taste alley (I have the Tapscott, for example). Could I please ask if someone would make me a dub of these discs, and I'll recompense. Maybe a fellow Angeleno? You can PM me. Thank you! Adam

I hope it's not too late, but I'm done with Hannibal reenactments. Can I sign up for this one please? Adam

Ditto to Waldron & Lacy - about time for them to get into the real Hall of Fame.

My last time in Amoeba (a week or two ago) in Hollywood, there had been no change in the jazz. When they opened the store, the created a separate jazz/classical/blues room in the back, and the 2nd floor is DVDs/videos/soundtracks. Aside from a slight expansion of jazz & blues DVDs in the jazz room, nothing else seemed different. Good picture of Ollie. I've run into him at Amoeba as well.

When they originally announced Mosaic Selects, they said they woudl be two or three CD sets. Thus far all have been three, but there would be no need to find new Newton material (for example) to make it 3 CDs (although that woudl be nice. They could release it as a 2 CD set for $26.

Stan is the man. But his films are really best experienced as films - projected. That said, I also own the DVD. I've had a few Brakhage screenings at Filmforum, including a tribute last year after he passed away. We showed three beautiful films, (especially "Chartres Series" which is like a series of stained glass windows) and had comments from Kenneth Anger, Carolee Schneeman, and Steve Anker. If you don't know Brakhage's work, it might be easiest to start by thinking of him in lines of fine art, but transfering those concerns of light and texture (from painting) into film, adding movement, and dreams.

The Shirley Clarke film is "Portrait of Jason." It is pretty great.

Or Try 50th Birthday Concert (the one with the crown in Penguin) for a mix of settings.

Yes, it was an Art Farmer one that was pulled, but I didn't get it and don't remember the details.

What?!?!?!?!?!

Walt Disney Hall announced their Jazz Series for next year. It appears we will finally get to see Ornette Coleman again! - Nov. 12, 2004 The other shows are Sonny Rollins (March 16, 2005); Dianne Reeves with Terence Blanchard & Paul McCandless (Jan 29, 2005); and the San Francisco Jazz Collective (who?) with artistic director Joshua Redman (April 8, 2005). And as a non-subscription add-on, James Moody's 80th Birthday invitation, April 30, 2005.

I think in the second-to-last verse, it's "better off than dead" not "better off and dead." Great song that does a good job of reproducing that experience (or so I've heard). I'm more interested in trying opium, but I haven't tried any opiates in my life.

This was the only album released on the Coltrane label. It was a LP that bore a tag that read 'A Coltrane Recording Corporation Presentation' in a bottom corner of the front cover. The front cover design was enlarged from an original sketch drawn by John Coltrane! Yes, it was Coltrane Music, not Impulse.