Mark Stryker

Gang, I once came across a quote from Duke Ellington in which he talks about the importance of the drums. I think I now want to use it in a piece, and, for the life of me, I cannot put my hands on it. Does anybody know what it might be? My memory is not super sharp on this matter but my recollection is that Duke was emphasizing just how critical the drums were in his music and perhaps all music under the jazz umbrella. I also seem to recall the quote having a family resemblance to Blakey's line of how no jazz band can be better than its drummer, but Ellington quote wasn't exactly like that. Any clues?

I don’t know what the micro reason might have been — new management or the like. But the macro cultural moment was the “revival” of the acoustic mainstream in the jazz eco system, marketplace and media that flowered in 1977. “Homecoming” was taped in 11/76 and issued in 1977; VSOP toured in summer 1977 and the black Columbia album came out in the fall. Art’s “Gypsy Folk Tales” was taped in February and March of 1977 and came out later that year. (He’s wearing overalls on the cover with his infant son.) That inaugurated a new run of regular recording for Art that he hadn’t had since the three Prestige LPs in 1972-73. I’m not sure if Blakey is often spoken about in the context of Dexter’s return and VSOP, but if he isn’t (or wasn’t), he should be. He didn’t strike the match but he was part of the flame.

For the record, I understood the the original irony with the possible misreading of “mythos.” of “last new generation, school of jazz, KB references. but continue to disagree with the contention that musicians from Art’s later band who trade off being in his band have elevated the drummer’s standing retrospectively. Art’s standing was set in stone at about the same time Wynton first held a trumpet in his hands. Art enhanced the standing young cats who played with him in the 80s; not the other way around, except in the most general sense that Art continued to function as a flame keeper.

Interesting point of view expressed here. https://audiophilestyle.com/blogs/entry/831-the-mobile-fidelity-one-step-dsd-controversy-and-why-the-d-for-digital-in-tbvo-is-silent/

I wondered if this story would attract mainstream attention. Geoff Edgers does a nice job of sorting it out for those who aren't necessarily record geeks or audiophiles. Sonic issues aside, MoFi's deception is inexcusable. . https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/05/mofi-records-analog-digital-scandal/?fbclid=IwAR2dh8EOy7fPHRK3-wrVw9mt7jgCZ3QyaXu2ig9lvcrJ19AZRIAj6hYdWKs&fs=e&s=cl

"Blakey's late '70s and early '80s records are core to the Blakey 'mythos.' A lot of his stature sits on his having supposedly reared the last ever Next Generation." I don't think this is true AT ALL. Very little of Blakey's stature is connected to having Wynton, Branford, Blanchard, Harrison, etc in the band. (The converse, however, might be true to the extent that the imprimatur of having been a Messenger was a big career boost for folks who played in the band from the late '70s forward.) But Blakey's well-earned position in the pantheon has everything to do with the bands and recordings he led from 1953-65; and, secondarily with his recording career outside the Messengers and relationships with Monk, Miles, etc.. In distant third would be his role in later decades as a generalized keeper of the straight-ahead flame regardless of who was in the band. Blakey did get a bump of attention in the 80s during the Young Lion era, but a lot of the coverage was about how long he had been in the game of bringing up young musicians. I know of no critic or musician, including those who played in the band, who puts any of the later records on the same level as best of those from the 1950s and '60s. I'm not saying there aren't some quality later recordings -- there are -- but to suggest they are "core to the Blakey mythos" strikes me as wildly overstated and unsupportable.

I am not the only one who wishes Sonny would have kept his band with Bley together for much longer than he did. Discography question: Is the trumpeter listed on the recording as Reshid Kmal Ali possibly Rashied Ali the drummer or are those two different guys?

Of course it's true that you don't get Keith Jarrett without Paul Bley first, but that doesn't mean that Bley gives you everything that Jarrett does. especially as a bandleader. The American Quartet is an extraordinary group, innovative, that really pushed the language forward. That band levitated. "Shades" is the masterpiece of the discography, but I really like "Bop-Be" too. The sound of those records has been absorbed into the DNA of the music. That doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't happen without Keith. Of course, it doesn't happen with out Dewey, Charlie and Paul either, but somebody's gotta lead the team and with those particular guys, that was no gimmie. I understand folks' reservations with Jarrett and the reaction to the '70s solo records and the 35 years of standards off-the-cuff and ho-hum . But don't throw out the baby with the bathwater and all that. Coda: Speaking of the later trio, I personally think "Standards Live" is fantastic, still as fresh as the morning dew. God know that nobody needs 30 of those Standards Trio records -- but, "Standards Live," to me, is the one for skeptics to check out. You may not dig it, and that's cool. Different strokes etc. But if "Standards Live" doesn't do it for you, you can skip the rest with a clear conscience. But don't sleep on "Shades."

That's Wynton Kelly on "All The Things You Are"

Good news. Welcome home.

Thanks for this perspective.

EI: Ernie Henry. MS: Out of Bird but with a hard-edged, wailing sound, rhythmic punch and a pungency to his lines that mark an emerging individuality. But he died so young that we never got to hear where he might have gone. I’m fond of both Riverside records, Presenting Ernie Henry and Seven Standards and a Blues. Also, he held his own standing next to Sonny Rollins on Monk’s Brilliant Corners. Not a lot of guys could do that in 1956.

Gang -- I'm helping a friend value and prepare for sale an extraordinary collection. Her late husband was in the record business for 40 years dating to 1967, he had rarified taste owned all the right records in the pressings you would want, and all in IMACULATE condition (vinyl and jacket)/ Jazz, blues, rock, classical. We'll be splitting them up by genre, using different strategies for different stock. But here's a basic question: If she uses a broker/dealer to sell stuff via eBay auction, discogs or consignment, what is a reasonable fee to pay for that service and how is it figured -- 30 percent? 40 percent? 25? Does the percentage change depending on value of the item being sold? How are packaging and shipping costs figured in? Thanks for your insights.

The 1970s were, um, a decade ...

Time capsule.

Worth mentioning that Shipp lays out some fairly concrete criteria for entrance into the club of Black Mystery School Pianists. It's not just a catchall for anyone who falls outside the mainstream or has a quirky/weird/unusual streak. Leaving aside the requirement of being black, which Shipp clarifies in his opening, he centers on these conditions: 1) an aspect of a secret code that places their language outside the mainstream 2) alternative touch to the Tatum-Peterson-Evans-Hancock ideals (I added the names Evans and Hancock for context) 3) resists academic codification 4) iconoclastic --carves out a singular universe and and lives there a stubborn fuck-the-world attitude. 5) tend to focus on their own compositions and/or body of work rather than deal with a common language or repertory Of course, a lot of these are judgement calls and in many cases, he's identifying members by a preponderance of the evidence combined plus his own intuition. It's almost like being a Black Mystery School Pianist is a syndrome more than an absolutely strict adherence to every symptom/condition.

Early Geri Allen.. Jason Moran. Possibly Craig Taborn.

Sigh. R.I.P. to another link in the chain of great bassists across genres from Detroit -- Al McKibbon, Major Holley, Ernie Farrow, Will Austin, Ray McKinney, Paul Chambers, Doug Watkins, James Jamerson, Ron Carter, Cecil McBee, Cameron Brown, Bootsy Collins (a transplant), Ralphe Armstrong, Jaribu Shahid, Marion Hayden, Robert Hurst, Rodney Whitaker, Tassili Bond ...

Amusing anecdote: “I looked around at the other musicians; they were staring at me,” Hancock recalled. “‘Did Rudy say I could actually plug it in?’ ‘Yeah, we heard that, too.’ So I did. I was like, ‘Wow, I finally rose to the top!’” https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/arts/music/rudy-van-gelder-studio.html

Man, great clip of Getz et. al. Thanks for posting.

FWIW, I posted this Top 20 Freddie Hubbard solos on Twitter for birthday in April. Half are from his own records or concerts as a leader. Coda: This is Freddie's best working band based on all the stuff I've been able to hear. 1973 -- Junior Cook, George Cables, Kent Brinkley, Michael Carvin.

Twenty years ago, James Carter bought a tenor saxophone from — wait for it — the late Larry Storch. The horn had once belonged to — wait for it — Chu Berry. https://www.facebook.com/852624088/posts/pfbid0gp1YjpTBsBn1rw7sZMmswwxF3GDga8suvKmqPECeRvvCvyDEjBJwrpyqh7FoFRDKl/?d=n&mibextid=25F3IK

Man, the complete show is something else with an extended performance of One Note Samba by Jobim and Mulligan joining in. Related: Anybody know who the trumpet player is in the California club scene?

Ugh. Amazing how far I've gotten in life considering my IQ is around 70. Link added above.