I think he already had the discipline from his family milieu and his classical
training. He played within himself and it was really hard to believe he was
only 18 - musically he was more like 25. There was no doubt in my mind where
he was headed. Of course, there was no doubt in Art Blakey's mind either.
I don't think he took on charity cases. :-)
As a patzer trumpeter I've had the great pleasure of seeing almost all the
greats in person starting with Satchmo and IMHO Wynton ranks right up there.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and declare Maynard Ferguson as having the
greatest chops. OK, maybe just 'cause I like a big sound. :-)
True that about Art Blakey Ghost. I saw Wynton on two tours with Art and the Jazz Messengers. On the second his brother Branford was in the band as well.
Backstage, at Keystone Korner in S.F., during a break on the second tour, Art was in Wynton's face. His exact words, "you are here to learn boy. If you don't want to listen to me I'll get someone in here tomorrow to replace you!"
seeing this old crazy black guy jumping up and down, destroy a grand piano wearing nothing more than a shower cap, a shower curtain cape and a loin cloth, complete with bone through the nose and voodoo headress made quit the impression on me at 10 years old. Bar set pretty high, very high
Such a great art form - just a couple years old -
This is the only stuff I can listen to anymore - and Zappa
Im an addict with a high tolerance - sue me
Jazz .. thats a broad subject .. in my little corner of the universe it means fusion ..Mahavishnu, Zappa, Weather Report .. of course Miles ..stuff like that. I liked Brand X and Jean Luc Ponty a lot. More recently Bill Bruford's Earthworks had some fresh and exciting stuff going on for a while. Jazz should make you a little nervous.
And thanks everyone for all this fantastic selection of music!
Here is my contribution - my all time favorite . One of my greatest experiences is ski touring down the Ruth Gorge from the Mountain house toward Mt Wake on a gorgeous blue sky day. Travelling under Mt Dickey and Barille for the first time is like driving into the valley for the first time but amplified 100 fold.
To top it off I had Miles Davis live at Carnagie hall and X live at the Whiskey A go go on my Walkman!
Un fuking believable
The 1961 live recording has an astounding version of "So What" which I can't seem to find on you Tube. Here it is off of ..... something else
2nd row, baby!!! I'll bet Largo would have liked this show. The 2nd time I saw their tour at the San Francisco Opera House, Steve Morse of Dixie Dregs opened and then joined in for a finale encore. AWESOME!!!
I beieve the old hipster with the bad attitude might be on to something, but it's no use, goose. The ego flies every day of the week here. It's what jazz is: This is "Me" and how I feel. No limits, please.
My selections for the evening, prompted by Joe Fitschen's memoir, Going Up.
You might think that my interest in jazz would have served as a bridge into black culture. When I was interested in Dixieland, I heard Kid Ory play at the Dixieland Jubilee at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium (and, if memory serves, Sidney Bechet)...
[See, OldBiterofTongue? "Los Everyjuan" does the "I saw so-and-so" so Fk U.]
...but by then Dixieland was mostly white people's music played by white musicians like Bob Crosby, Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden, Eddie Miller, and Zutty Singleton. One of my favorite radio shows was "Pete Kelly's Blues," which starred Jack Webb. It featured Dick Cathcart on cornet, but was only broadcast for a few months in 1951 (though in 1955 it was made into a movie).
See the clarinetist: Lee Marvin, M Squad
From Dixieland I glided into swing, but, again, I was exposed mostly to the white bands. My favorites were Woody Herman's Herd and Stan Kenton, and only later did I discover kBasie, Ellington, and Lionel Hampton. As my interests shifted from swing into bebo, however, I began to see a lot of black faces on record jackets. Because I was a trumpet player, I was especially impressed with Dizzy Gillespie and Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro.
When I started going to clubs to hear live jazz, however, the players were white--Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, and all the ex-Kentonites who played down at the Lighthouse. Later, I learned that Bird and Clifford had played down on Central Avenue, and I had missed them.
--Joe Fitschen, Going Up [again, edited by Mouse for paragraphing]
Another climber from Joe's era, Rick Sylvester, has an ear for jazz to the point that he has been atending the MJF for, oh, about the last forty years straight. He can bend our ears, let me tell you, and I wish he shwould. Matter of fact, I asked him about skiing a bit ago and just got a reply on his adventures this week in Tahoe. Recompense for all that pine needle bagging this fall.
It's not mysterious. Just takes talent and practice and exposure.
Credit: mouse from merced
I used to own this LP and practically wore it out. I liked Larry's work on his composition Lines, but can't locate the track...
And for Bit'r, I saw and heard and applauded for the Quartet at 1970's Free Monterey Jazz Festival for Dirtbags Who Can Climb Fences.
That clip of Ella and Mel Torme might be the finest scat singing I have ever heard! Absolutely brilliant!!
Obviously, Mel and Ella both have perfect pitch. Notice how she just whips off the opening riff in the correct key.
Oh. I stand corrected. Just listened again, they're in the same key as the original intro. So even I could could have got the opening note. However the licks they are singing are so complex, and so pitch perfect, it takes real musicians to pull off something like that.
TFPU! Great great history writing by Ferretlegger:
"My observation was that the Jazz musicians who my father worked with (hundreds) seemed to fall into several categories. Some were superior musicians, and also good, grounded businessmen and people. They dealt with the world in an upfront and forthright manner. Another category, quite large, were like little children. Music was their lives, their passion, their sole interest, and their language. When playing a gig, practicing, or in session, they communicated through music with each other in an almost paranormal way. The sensitivity and artistry and way they seemed to read each others minds was thrilling to behold. But when the music stopped, they seemed barely able to cope with the real world. It was something that just didn't really make sense for them. Drug and alcohol abuse was very common, perhaps to dull the pain of the outside world, perhaps as a retreat from an existence totally barren and meaningless compared to their music. I have always had very mixed feelings about these musical geniuses (and some of the greatest jazz musicians in history were in this group). One the one hand, I have felt pity that their lives outside of music were so screwed up and tragic. On the other hand, I have seen closeup what a great gift taken to the limit is capable of. The soaring heights of an intense session with world class players transcends normal life."
and:
"Finally, the bad blood chemistry got the better of him (Ferretlegger's father) and he slipped into a coma. The doctors were sure that this was it. As you would expect, the entire family had gathered and we were pretty glum. Then Ken Peplowski, the great clarinetist showed up at the ICU where we had gathered. With tears streaming down his face he assembled his clarinet and began to play. He had hardly finished the first bar when my father popped right out of his "death coma", sat bolt upright in bed and hollered "KEN!!!" Ken kept playing and soon the entire ICU was filled with doctors, nurses, relatives, and even a few terminal patients were wheeled in. Ken played for a long time, and the effect on all was magical. My father had several more days of great contentment, as Ken continued to visit. Finally, though, even music was not enough and he passed along to whatever waits."
You're welcome Marlow, Michael lurks on ST, doesn't post that much, but his writings when he does (they are usually l-o-n-g) are very interesting..he great writer...and his professional background is laser physics!
He has some wonderful stories about some of his trips to Japan and helping with the artists!
I played trombone and mostly piano at the jazz club in Toronto on Thursday night for damn near four hours. Favourites we did were There Will Never Be Another You, Just Friends, and Sway. Great night!
When I was 17 I went to see the Modern Jazz Quartet at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City (Bellas Artes). I couldn't afford a good seat but during the intermission I bribed an usher into letting us into an empty box that was literally directly above the stage. It was a sublime evening that will stay with me forever.
You are right, Largo. Clifford Brown would have made a huge contribution.
Such an irony that he was one of the straight musicians of his era, in good health, and he dies in a car crash.
Clifford Brown's Joy Spring is one of my all time faves. I can do a pretty good job on the slide trombone, but of course it was written as a tune for a valved instrument.
I really wanted to play it last night at my gig, but the temperature wasn't quite warm enough. Man, we need spring here...
I was working on Jazz Express magazine in London, which was started by Peter Boizot, who had started the Pizza Express chain of restaurants.
The Jazz Basement in the Dean Street (Soho) Pizza Express was great (I was also a member of Ronnie Scott's club and visited the 100 club on Oxford Street). But the Jazz Basement was my favorite, mainly because I got in for free and had free food, had to pay for the booze though.
Some great acts there but my most fondest memory is Benny Carter when he performed on his 83rd birthday. After the last set, after the customers left, we (staff and I) stayed up into the wee hours and he was regaling us with his stories of being a jazz man travelling around the States, especially as an African-American in segregated America, his gigs... it was great.
EDIT
Peter Boizot also had Pizza On The Park (next to Hyde Park) restaurant/jazz club, some good acts. I also got in there for free and free food, beer/wine I had to pay for.
Next time you have time to enjoy a concert, this is a pretty decent one.
Enjoy.
Note: That's Jaco Pastorius' kid, Felix, on base, and with Will Kenndey on drums, they are questionably the suavest rhythm section working in contemporary jazz. Great thing about this group is that they rarely overplay or ramble.
Tea For Two - 
Let us know!