Gil Melle

[Teasing the Korean]

On 7/31/2022 at 2:54 PM, Joe said:

In case anyone missed this recent reissue... perhaps the first official CD reissue of all of these rare titles?

https://alphastate.nyc/products/gil-melle-the-andromeda-strain

Andromeda Strain was released by Intrada in 2010.  It sold out quickly, as it should have.

[Gheorghe]

As I posted earlier, I saw him on the famous Blue Note Documentary film. 

I think to remember he was an older man, obviously quite rich, with a big cigar and in a fancy house. 

But then I hadn´t even heard his name, since he might not have been exactly on my main focus associated with BN (the classic hard-boppers and the modal into avantgarde stuff from the 60´s , and from the old times the classic bop sessions of Monk, Bud, Navarro....)

So I was quite astonished to read about an album under his own name on that great Label, but I don´t know what Lion and Wolff had heard in him, since it doesn´t seem to fit to the music they recorded usually, it doesn´t have the "BN-magic" . 

So why was he chosen to be featured on that documentary film , since they got some really important artists like Herbie Hancock  and Freddie Hubbard or to a lesser amount Lou Donaldson talked about their time with BN. 

Well, others I seem were chosen because the more important figures were allready dead or not available for interviews. 

I remember a really old and dead-sick Tommy Turrentine was seen, 

I would have liked to see more music and less talking....

[Rabshakeh]

3 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

As I posted earlier, I saw him on the famous Blue Note Documentary film. 

What film is this?

[Gheorghe]

51 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

What film is this?

It is "Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz" from 1997, that´s about the time I saw it and recorded it on VHS.

[mjzee]

3 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

It is "Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz" from 1997, that´s about the time I saw it and recorded it on VHS.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Note-Story-Modern-Jazz/dp/B0012K53U4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DMJ7INS50FVT&keywords=blue+note+a+story+of+modern+jazz+dvd&qid=1660143953&sprefix=blue+note+a+story+of+modern+jazz+dvd%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1

Worth seeing.  It's 91 minutes on DVD.  Originally broadcast on TV in two one-hour segments, so there was a little editing for the DVD version.  Yes, Gil Melle is all over it - very articulate.  He was the one who brought together Alfred and Rudy.

[sidewinder]

I have that one on DVD. From my recollection Melle is filmed surrounded by some of his vintage car collection.

[Gheorghe]

14 hours ago, mjzee said:

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Note-Story-Modern-Jazz/dp/B0012K53U4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DMJ7INS50FVT&keywords=blue+note+a+story+of+modern+jazz+dvd&qid=1660143953&sprefix=blue+note+a+story+of+modern+jazz+dvd%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1

Worth seeing.  It's 91 minutes on DVD.  Originally broadcast on TV in two one-hour segments, so there was a little editing for the DVD version.  Yes, Gil Melle is all over it - very articulate.  He was the one who brought together Alfred and Rudy.

Oh, I didn´t know he had brought Alfred and Rudy together. Maybe, this is the reason why he got a record date on their label, though he was not up to the standard of other BN-recording saxophonists ? 

On the BN-Film he looks like a really rich man. I suppose, he made his money from other sources than playin music ? 

[danasgoodstuff]

Gil Melle got his own 78rpm single recorded and played on the radio before he walked into Blue Note when he was still a teenager.  That probably impressed Alfred & Francis.  And he did album covers for them.  And he wrote a bunch of film and TV scores later, so he probably did make good money from that.  And he plays fine.