Mark Stryker

Folks are of course free to rant any at time about labels issuing rejected materials contrary to artists' wishes -- I have mounted that soapbox myself. And folks are free to shake their fists at any and all manifestations of the vinyl boom -- though despite qualms about price gouging, I do not share your disdain and remain decidedly pro-vinyl, pro-Tone Poet, pro-analog (but not anti-CD). However, I would urge commentators to keep their eyes on the ball as it relates to this particular thread. The most welcome aspects of the news I posted about Wayne is that he has expressly approved of the material Blue Note is going to issue. That's a win all around. I do not know what material is being considered, but someone in a position to know tells me that the rejected 1970 date with Tyner, Vitous, Mouzon, etc. is not, at least, the first one slated for release. Hard to believe there's anything in the deep vaults we don't already know about. I suspect what is on the docket are live tapes of the quartet with Perez, Patitucci, and Blade and/or some of the orchestral or chamber music projects in the last decades of Wayne's life. Coda: I will say that I would LOVE to hear the three rejected performances from the aborted Speak No Evil session with Billy Higgins, but if Wayne doesn't want that released, then it shouldn't be released.

“I will say that you haven't heard the last of Wayne Shorter, let me put it that way. Wayne knew he wasn't going to be around much longer, and he earmarked a lot of stuff to be released.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebaltin/2024/02/25/sunday-conversation-don-was-on-85-years-of-blue-note-and-the-dead/?sh=6c9e3e725398

This is a good question. I assume Yusef was more than a willing participant in the conception and execution of the overdubbed tracks given all the other records he and Dorn were making at the time. However, those tracks are still a drag to me, because the only documentation we have of this group -- Yusef's finest working band -- in its pure form are the quartet-only tracks on 10 Years Hence. So, this new set is REALLY welcome. An interesting coda, however, is that there are still 29 (!) unissued tracks from the two nights recorded at the Keystone Korner from which the material was drawn for 10 Years Hence.

Are you aware that you've posted this on what would have been Wardell's 103rd birthday?

Coda: The pianist in the band, Emmanuel (Manuel) Riggins is a Detroiter and drummer Karriem Riggins' father. Green, as most of you probably know, was living in Detroit in the '70s.

Hutcherson and Hancock also cross paths on: Lee Morgan's The Procrastinator (1967) Hutcherson's Components (1965), The single trac "Memory" on Tony Williams' LIfetime (1964) The duet track "Maiden Voyage" on Jazz at the Opera House (1982) There are two concert videos that I know of that circulate on YouTube with both players in the group -- one from Japan in 1987, the other other from Antibes in 2003. I think there are a couple of stray duet tracks on the two Round Midnight records on Columbia and Blue Note but my memory is hazy here.

This news is making the rounds today. https://www.bluenote.com/sonny-rollins-a-night-at-the-village-vanguard-the-complete-masters-tone-poet-vinyl-edition/#:~:text=Blue Note Records has announced,de-force live trio album. At the risk of coming off as self-aggrandizing, I feel compelled to point out that this was my idea. In March 2023, I posted a thread on Twitter that started like this: "I want a Tone Poet release of the complete Sonny Rollins' 1957 Village Vanguard material: The original LP as released, plus the 2 LPs of additional material first issued in the '70s ..." I tagged Blue Note folks including vice president Cem Kurosman, who a couple of months ago confirmed to me that my tweet did indeed inspire the new package. He told me BN was going to reissue A Night at the Village Vanguard as a single LP when they saw my tweet and decided to change course and do a Tone Poet along the lines of my suggestion. I am at least hoping to get a free copy in return since I have not, to my knowledge, received an assistant producer credit. Anybody got any other ideas you want me to pass along as long as I've got their ear?

Moderators -- cutting and pasting an entire article, as Teasing has done -- even with a link included -- is copyright infringement. It's stealing, adding one more nail into the coffin of the media and putting folks like me and my colleagues out of work. Please remedy.

👍 👍All great of course.

#JazzFromDetroit!!

That's a great track. I like the whole record quite a bit. This one has always been a favorite.

Sonny Rollins: A Personal Top 10 and Bonus Tracks. Official releases, unreleased material, and bootleg live performances. The order of a couple of these could shift but titles probably not, though I am still trying to figure out how to squeeze "G-Man" into my bonus tracks. The center of gravity is weighted decisively toward the 1960s. Top 10 1. A Night at the Village Vanguard, 1957 (Blue Note) 2. Paris concert, 11/4/65 3. The Standard Sonny Rollins, 1964 (RCA) 4. Alfie, 1966 (Impulse) 5. Newk’s Time, 1957 (Blue Note) 6. The Sound of Sonny, 1957 (Riverside) 7. Now’s The Time, 1964 (RCA) 8. Saxophone Colossus, 1956 (Prestige) 9. Newport Jazz Festival, 7/7/63 10. Falling in Love with Jazz, 1989. (Milestone) Bonus Tracks in chronological order 1. There’s No Business Like Show Business (Worktime), 1955 (Prestige) 2. Misterioso (Sonny Rollins Vol. 2), 1957 (Blue Note) 3. Freedom Suite (Freedom Suite), 1958 (Riverside) 4. If Ever I Would Leave You (What’s New), 1962 (RCA) 5. Lover, Village Gate, 7/28/62 6. Oleo, Paris, 10/31/65 7. Three Little Words, Copenhagen concert, 9/6/68 8. First Moves (The Cutting Edge), 1974 (Milestone) 9. Best Wishes (Road Shows Vol. 1), 1986 (Milestone) 10. Darn that Dream (Old Flames), 1993 (Milestone) Break Down by Decade: 1950s: 4 LPs, 3 bonus tracks 1960s: 3 LPs, 2 complete bootleg performances, 4 bonus tracks 1970s: 0 LPs, 1 bonus track 1980s: 1 CD, 1 bonus track 1990s: 0 CDs, 1 bonus track

Closing the circle on this: Per Liebman's liner notes to the Elvin set on Mosaic, Perla had a third composition ready to go on the date that was part of planned trilogy with his other two pieces, but for some reason the producer cut the date short -- Liebman doesn't name him but it was George Butler. Definitely odd and mars what is otherwise a very rewarding record.

KIrk Lightsey -- #JazzFromDetroit

I loved "Maestro" and would encourage anyone to see it. It is not a traditional biopic and that is a strength, not a weakness. Yes, it focuses on Bernstein's personal life -- it is a character study -- particularly his relationship with his wife, Felicia, and children and how he navigated this territory as a gay or bisexual man, born teacher, and an artist of the first order; and in some ways the film is as much about Felicia as it is about Lenny. You do get a real sense of Bernstein as an artist, as a vessel for music, and for the way he was pulled in many directions and that being so good at so many things was not always helpful to his psyche. The film is melancholy. There is a TON of great music throughout the picture but it is not a music history lesson. The film is not perfect but it is very good, sometimes great, often inventive.

Interjecting here to say that while I certainly cannot speak for all university presses or Allen's experiences, the University of Michigan Press paid me a modest advance for Jazz from Detroit -- half upon signing the contract, half upon delivery of the manuscript -- and I have received royalties annually since publication. Now, it is an exceedingly small return, particularly given the years of work involved and my own dollars that went into it -- I had to pay for the indexing and some of the photo acquisitions. I have no doubt that Allen's self-published books have netted him a higher return per title than my book did through a university press. But it has not been nothing.

Glenn Gould's only recording on organ to my knowledge. 1962 release.

Folks are sleeping on one of the greatest solo piano records in the canon -- "Have You Met Hank Jones" (Savoy), recorded in 1956. It also was reissued on LP as as "Solo Piano" in the 1970s. It's peerless -- the best of Hank's solo records and I'd put it up against anything by anyone. Coda: Was glad to see Roland Hanna mentioned by way of "Free Spirit" -- he was truly a profound solo pianist, more compelling in the idiom that any of his contemporaries. I would note that "Free Spirit,} which you sometimes see titled as "Solo Piano," is a double CD reissue and star of the show is the 1979 LP "Swing Me No Waltzes" that makes up half the set -- Roland's best record. Also, I find the CD sound disappointing. Thin and tinny and not faithful to Roland's fulsome sound and the better sonics of the original LPs.

The LP was titled "Love Is The Thing" (Red Records) but, ironically, that song wasn't included. This is my favorite track.

Sorry the delay in responding. I was locked out of the site for a while. This is great stuff. I've heard some other Grossman from around this same period --1986 -- that is fantastic and related to his playing on "Love Is The Thing" from the same period with Walton, Williams, Higgins --easily Grossman's best post-1980 record. There was a moment when he seemed to be synthesizing his earlier "Trane" inspiration with his later "Rollins" inspiration and reach a whole new level. I think this was relatively short lived but when he was on, it was FANTASTIC. I need to spend more time with the live tapes from the 1980s, 90s and beyond to continue to hone my thoughts -- not necessarily to overall my entire thesis but to account for the greatness that never entirely left him.

I saw the Detroit production referenced here. There are still some issues with the libretto but the whole makes an impact. Not a perfect opera, but a powerful one, especially in terms of music and stagecraft. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/arts/music/malcolm-x-opera-met.html

Cover story in the latest issue of the Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/louis-armstrong-archive/?fbclid=IwAR39LE3RrJpq2a89Bru-6g3m8DExnVyEPuL_6-Qr4ADPNfcxl94od-x1e3w

This quest has vexed me too -- to find quality LP versions of this material in good sound with smart curation that includes correct and/or superior takes. My first Charlie Parker record as a kid, c. 1975 was "Byrd Symbols" on Charlie Parker Records. I still think it's the best single LP selection of Dial material, but the version I had was obviously simulated stereo and as I got older, I grew to dislike it sonically. So, question: Are there earlier mono or reissued mono versions of this record that anyone can vouch for? Have always wondered what the sound quality of the Joker LPs. Anybody got an opinion on this? I got the 2LP Warner Brothers set up on release but was always disappointed in that, as I recall, several tracks are inferior alternate takes rather than the masters (and didn't match my Bird Symbols LP) and all the ballads are frontloaded on Side 1. (Side 2 of Bird Symbols is mostly ballads, but "Scrapple" is there to break up the monotony of tempo. The sound is good but the pressing quality is dubious, and many copies I've heard have been flawed. Caveat Emptor. That said, the packaging is aces, including the insert with reproductions of a half dozen Parker-themed paintings by significant artists inspired by Bird -- those inserts are VERY scarce now. I've not heard the 2-LP Spotlight compilation but I can see from photos that it has a problem that, in my view, plagues MANY compilations of this material, especially the CD collections. The first take of "Embraceable You" is one of the greatest (and most frequently analyzed) ballad performances in jazz history, but far too often it gets left out of compilations in favor of the second take (which is good but not nearly as fine as take 1) because of the general principal that the master take is the final take that the band did in the studio. Whether or not that's generally true, this is one case where the smart choice for reissue producers to go with take 1 (which, by the way, is the one on "Bird Symbols" and the Warner Bros twofer.) I am curious which take of "Embraceable You" was actually the one that was first released on Dial on 78. Anyone know?

https://www.nyrb.com/products/the-notebooks-of-sonny-rollins

I don't understand the complaint. Are you referring to the reaction among board member or attention in the wider media landscape? The NYT had a substantial obit posted quickly that had obviously been pre-written -- a sign of the respect with which she was held. Here's a list of obits via Google. Not all are in depth but it's a different media environment than 25 years ago. https://www.google.com/searchsca_esv=574459239&sxsrf=AM9HkKkUVH41WW1jK0Db100vpq09qX3kuw:1697639242331&q=carla+bley&tbm=nws&source=lnms&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjj2_r_5v-BAxUVtYkEHQMzAroQ0pQJegQIExAB&biw=1536&bih=707&dpr=1.25