jazzbo

Okay, so maybe my favorite holiday song is really . . . "Yesterdays" from the Commodore days. . . . Oh and as an Xmas cd, well I really don't like Xmas music at all. Being a PK I've heard it all too too too many times. But I do like Marcus Roberts' "Prayer for Peace."

I've been living with this music for a looooooooong time as Jim has, and I pretty much have the same opinions about it that he has. I got in on the ground floor with Filles, In A Silent Way and Miles at Filmore. I can still remember what it felt like to buy Live/Evil when it was released and just FREAK at the sound. And then to see the "In Concert" band on the TV and finally be SEEING this stuff. And then to listen to "He Loved Him Madly" in a darkened room and just marvel. This electric Miles up to 1975 is a deep river in me of music memory and enjoyment. These recordings were what led me to jazz, following Miles and Wynton Kelly to so many great recordings, and seriously listening again and again to Duke because Miles gave him so much gravity and finally being swallowed by Duke's and Strays' musical world. I owe this music a TON.

I've never heard the Zodiac and Prof. Leary releases. . . mythical beasts, I've only ever seen them on ebay for far more than I would spend! Le Grand Cirque is indeed a great one, though L'Auto Jazz, an earlier similar date with (even more) racing sounds mixed in seems more avant garde to me. . . .

Ha ha. They aired the outtakes over the radio and tapes/cdrs circulate. . .

AMEN!

My favorite Holiday song may be "Fine and Mellow". . . .

Yes, this is amazing stuff, but I prefer his final decade or so of work, ultimately; it is varied and yet always wonderful. BUT really flippin' hard to find, at least at a reasonable price! I really love almost all of those with girlfriend Marie Moor on the cover!

Lawrence that is indeed an excellent book (which can be bought at a nice price from Daedalus books) and you are right, a lot more credit is due Strays than he'll ever receive. A fascinating book in so many ways! (Just like the subject, the man and music, Billy Strayhorn.)

Classic bossa nova . . . I can dig it JimR!

Well, from what I can quickly tell (and hey, I'm supposed to be at work auditing work orders in this verdamnt new computer system we bought. . . a pig in a poke if you ask me!) you sir are correct! My bad memory at work. . . Here's one blurb I found: In 1958, Ellington took his orchestra to an arts festival in Leeds. There, he was introduced to Queen Elizabeth at a reception, and each party appeared to be charmed by the other. Upon his return to New York, Ellington decided to express his admiration in his own regal way---he recorded The Queen's Suite at his own expense and had a single pressing made and delivered to Buckingham Palace. He never sanctioned the recording's release during his lifetime.

I don't think so. . . I'll see if I can find out for sure.

This is not the original recording though, which was a privately pressed recording purportedly only for the Queen herself (though you know the Duke had copies for some other of his royal ladies spirited away). . . .

Yeah, I was once working on a novel that included a religious sect sortof used Amway as a model (from personal experience of working with someone deep into the scam). . . I called it "The Church of the American Dream" (CAD). Those CADs!

I think you're going to enjoy hearing his playing evolve over the years, taking the lessons he learned from Newk and Pres and that spark he always had from the stat that was HIM, and becoming more and more a saxophone master (and I mean of all the horns save maybe bass and contrabass!) and an elder European jazz statesman, and a proliferator of French music as well. . . . Keep me posted on your Wilen journey (and I can probably help out here and there too.)

Good mentions guys. Cuber was really burning on those Hampton tracks on video. . . . I really like his Xanadus as well. And Payne was someone I should have mentioned. I think his recordings as a leader really should be heard more, the Delmarks, the Charlie Parker Records, the Stash, and more (?) . . . Good call.

For the last half a dozen years it has been "Pre-bop" for me. A decade ago I would have said either "Progressive Sixties" or "Classic Blue Note" and labored over the choice!

Yeah, I've had several versions of that one; it's a wonderful session. Barney was somethin' else then and from then forwards!

I really enjoy Lars Gullin as well, and wish I had more of his work at hand to play. I also reach for Harry Carney a lot (as an Ellington Orchestra member; precious little that he did as a leader; I don't think I have any except the Granz date). And I also like Mulligan, have a growing collection of his work. Pepper Adams as a modern hardbop and beyond player is who I think of when I think of modern baritone. Brignola is good, Smulyan is good, Bluette is good. . .Pepper is BOSS.

I think you'll dig it; it is a little bit ragged, but that's part of its charm ch'ask me. What Wilen did you McGrab from the dusty groove-exagera/misses?

I don't know, I like that one session he led that is a Tadd dedication (can't remember the exact title or label!) a lot. . . . It's quirky and odd but damned nice to listen to. Charles Davis. . . great playing with Kenny Dorham too.

Clifford Jarvis does some really rockin' great work as part of the Andrew Hill Trio on Steeplechase!

Damned? So now I have you to thank for those evil spirits whispering in my ear!

S, I have the Verve Master Edition of Tide, but really I want to hear what a recent remaster by RVG of Tide, and really I should have said Wave, would sound like.

Mal was not at all surprised to see that he had a message from Albinia. . . yeah, he was going to be doing some work now, making some coin. Then he saw that the message said "Kenny G wants MM for his band." "What the FUCK!" he shouted dropping the message to the fllor.

K2s sound really nice. . . but. . .I know I'm going to take some flak for this. . .but I prefer a few OJC remasters of titles to the K2 versions, case in point the Newman-Clay "The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces." The Kirk Felton remastered and remixed version I prefer to the K2---it's just better sounding in important ways.