Jazz Confessional

[BeBop]

Thought I'd ressurect this thread from many years (and several bulletin boards) ago.

Perhaps you laughed at one (or more) of Steve Reynolds' out-there musical recommendations, then found yourself listening to it in the Dillards (department store) elevator, thinking 'this ain't so bad...'

Maybe you decided to supersize your Happy Meal for an extra 49 cents, then found yourself a quarter short of being able to afford the hard-to-find Pete LaRoca Basra disc in the $3.99 bin at the local CD emporium.

Or you realized that you are one of only three Stan Kenton fans on the planet, and the other two wear high-water pants and starched, short-sleeved, plaid shirts.

Not to worry! This is the place to confess. And our privacy policy is nearly as strict as the average internet retailer.

[Dr Dave]

I missed Dizzy's Diamond Jubilee gigs at the Blue Note. Still kicking myself, 'cause I coulda gone.

I sat through however many hours of the Fire In The Valley concert last September and decided to skip the closing act: Fred Anderson and Kidd Jordan. Now it is true that I have a copy of "2 days in April," but I did miss them in the flesh. It was having to listen to Alan Silva in two different trios that sapped my energy...

I love Harry James. What's it to ya?

[graypencil]

I have a thing for absolutely AWFUL music ..

I collect it ..

if it's absolutely and positively excreable and anti-musical beyond all rational standards ..and somebody's had the consummate bad taste to preserve it in recorded form ..

I MUST HAVE IT !!!

I have amassed a fairly large CD compendium of some of the flat out worst disgusting stuff known to man ..stuff that makes the Gong Show seem like Parker or Count Basie! ..and I'm alweays looking for new and more offensive tracks ..

BRING EM ON!! D:

[moneyp]

Originally posted by Dr Dave
I love Harry James. What's it to ya?

Me too. What's not to love? (I also think Benny Goodman is about the best clarinet player I've ever heard, too.)

Confession? I once described KIND OF BLUE as "pretty good nighttime driving music."

[Chris A]

I spent an entire night with Richard Pryor, visiting coffee houses and, finally, greeting the dawn in Central Park. The purpose of our meeting was his desire to appear on my radio show, so he was doing everything to be funny--trying so hard that he failed. I liked him as a person, but didn't think he was funny enough to be on my show, so I tactfully got out of using him.


A few of months later, I was backstage at the Apollo to interview the Temptations. Richard--his career beginning to heat up--was the opening act, and he was extremely funny. When we ran into each ther backstage, he asked me if I had caught his opening. I told him that I had, and that I laughed my head off.

"We win a few and we lose a few," he said, with a wink.

[Tanager]

I love listening to cheesy early 80s pop and getting all misty-eyed about my high school years.

I'm with Mone on Benny Goodman - I grew up listening to him (via Dad), and I dig the crap outta his stuff.

I wear colored socks with Birkenstocks. Frequently.

I bought my first copy of A Love Supreme...last year. Seriously.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

If you like Benny Goodman you'll really like Artie Shaw...............

[Uli]

I like Steve Lacy. Makes me kinda feel guilty when I read his biggest fan's comments about other musicians I like.

[Chris A]

While I never tire of listening to my old boss, Benny Goodman, I think Artie Shaw was a more interesting clarinetist..

[Tom Storer]

One night many years ago I was in Greenwich Village during the Christmas season with my girlfriend, a friend of hers from her high school years, and the friend's boyfriend. The ladies wanted to do something glamorous in New York without knowing just what. We walked past the Village Gate and I saw that Mingus's quintet was playing. That would have been with Adams, Walrath, Pullen and Richmond, I believe. No, they didn't want to go see some musicians they'd never heard of. We went on our way. Not long after we walked past Bradley's. I looked in and saw Jimmy Rowles and Sam Jones cooking away. I begged. Nah, how dull to sit in a bar with some old jazz musicians playing. I don't even remember where we ended up, but I remember concluding that I should have just dumped the fools and seen the music all by myself. What memories missed just to go along with a crowd I didn't even especially want to be with in the first place.

[FredC]

Ah, Benny, Charlie, and the Hamp! Yes! Or, Benny, Cootie Williams, and Georgie Auld, not too bad either

Artie, also fine. BTW he is still alive, in his 90s, he lives in Newberry Park, CA, and is as reclusive as ever.

Harry James, great trumpeter, had a super band with Willie Smith, Juan Tizol, Corky Corceran, etc. Anyone who can marry Betty Grable must have done something right.

[graypencil]

BTW:

along the thread of reminiscing about Harry James:

1. Back in the 60s, when I was working gigs in Dallas clubs, I became good friends with Harrys old 40s drummer, Mickey Scrima. He was manager of several dives I worked in back then ..

Mickey was a great cat.. and had lots of good stories about Harrys ..uh ..peccadilloes.

2. I almost arranged/ co-produced a big band Christmas Swing album in '95 with Harry James JUNIOR ..featuring Peanuts Hucko ..who was then married to Harry Srs first wife Louise ( at 83, she could still sing quite well ).

The deal fell through when HArry Jr. suffered a sudden brain aneurysm.

( he's fine now, to the best of my knowledge ..)

[Pete C]

I kick myself for never seeing Bill Evans because I didn't appreciate him when I was in my 20s (he died when I was 25).

[Tanager]

I kick myself for not going out to see more shows when I was young and not-yet-gainfully-employed or married.

[Jonathan Sutton]

I regret that I let my interest in jazz lapse the 3 years that I lived in Philadelphia, and saw no live jazz in the city (although I did see Ornette in NY), and by the time my interest reignited, I was in Dallas, which has a *much* worse scene than Philly (or even Houston, where I was for a year in between Philly and Dallas).

[graypencil]

Jonathan:

I lived in Dallas for many years ..it used to be better jazzwise ..but ..

I now live in the NW ..and love Seattle ..

I feel your pain

[Jonathan Sutton]

GP, I interviewed for a job in Bellingham the year I got the job in Dallas... If things had gone slightly differently, I guess that I could have been loving Seattle too!

[moneyp]

I dig Artie Shaw as well, but I've heard more of Benny in a wider variety of situations, in big band, small group (including those blistering sessions with Charlie Christian) and classical settings. He dabbled in "chamber jazz" which I didn't care for, but when he played uptempo, I can't think of many artists from the time who had his sense of swing.

And those years with Goodman and James and Krupa... sweet.

[FredC]

Ah, gp, the once lovely and fine singing Louise Tobin, not quite up to Helen Ward (with BG) or Helen Forrest, but no slouch.

I did not know that Harry had a musician son.

Harry now, peccadillos puts it mildly. In her autobio Helen Forrest, with whom Harry had a long time affair, claimed any day that Harry did not get laid was not a day to try to talk to him.

[graypencil]

Originally posted by FredC

I did not know that Harry had a musician son.

( gp relies )He seemed more of a promoter and biznessman type than actual musician ..

Harry now, peccadillos puts it mildly. In her autobio Helen Forrest, with whom Harry had a long time affair, claimed any day that Harry did not get laid was not a day to try to talk to him.

yes, the stories were even grosser than that in some cases

[Tom Storer]

Originally posted by Pete C
I kick myself for never seeing Bill Evans because I didn't appreciate him when I was in my 20s (he died when I was 25).

I saw him only once, at the Vanguard in the summer of 1979. Just under the wire. However, I kick myself for not realizing how great Stan Getz was until it was too late. He played Paris frequently during the 1980's, and I went to see him twice only to be turned away at the door because it was sold out. After that when he was in town I thought, "It'll probably be sold out - oh well, there will be other times." I finally saw him in Dublin in the late 80's and was floored. And then he got sick. A friend of mine saw him with Kenny Barron at the Théatre de la Ville in what was, I believe, his last public performance. I couldn't go for some stupid reason. What an idiot I was.

[Valerie]

Originally posted by Chris A
I spent an entire night with Richard Pryor, visiting coffee houses and, finally, greeting the dawn in Central Park. The purpose of our meeting was his desire to appear on my radio show, so he was doing everything to be funny--trying so hard that he failed. I liked him as a person, but didn't think he was funny enough to be on my show, so I tactfully got out of using him.


A few of months later, I was backstage at the Apollo to interview the Temptations. Richard--his career beginning to heat up--was the opening act, and he was extremely funny. When we ran into each ther backstage, he asked me if I had caught his opening. I told him that I had, and that I laughed my head off.

"We win a few and we lose a few," he said, with a wink.

Since Chris has taken this thread out of the realm of a "jazz confessional," I'll chime in to admit that I must have been a bit masochistic in the '70s and early '80s to work for both Richard AND Ike Turner!! How's that for my being a "survivor"?!? LOL!!

[FredC]

Well Valerie, I guess not getting either immolated *or* beaten up qualifies you as survivor. ;-)

BTW did you get to Plas' LA gig?

[Pete C]

Tom, I didn't realize how great Getz was until I heard the Anniversary album. The only time I saw him was at a TV taping in 1974 for a UHF show called "Jazz Expressions" (I think).

[Valerie]

Originally posted by FredC
Well Valerie, I guess not getting either immolated *or* beaten up qualifies you as survivor. ;-)

BTW did you get to Plas' LA gig?

I'm happy to say that I escaped from both jobs relatively unscathed!! Tina actually gave me a bit of a compliment in her autobio, saying that I had too much sense to remain working for Ike for very long (or something similar to that)!

Didn't get to hear Plas as I'm still in Boston.

[SinginSumo]

After enjoying a few libations at a bar in the 70's, I asked the bartender what that nondescript music was that he had playing. His answer? Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good." The catch? The album was sped up to 45 RPM and then played rather quietly as a kind of background music under the din of the bar crowd.

[dugray]

When I wasw a kid my Dad was an attorney for King Records. We had a basement full of the total King output and it is all gone as a result of garage sales, etc. in 1971. Ouch!

[FredC]

Originally posted by SinginSumo
After enjoying a few libations at a bar in the 70's, I asked the bartender what that nondescript music was that he had playing. His answer? Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good." The catch? The album was sped up to 45 RPM and then played rather quietly as a kind of background music under the din of the bar crowd.

Somehow there just *had* to be a way to make Mangione listenable. Fluegelhorn plus funny hat doth not a great jazzman make.

You read it here first!! ;-)

[Gary Sisco]

I confess to still loving MJQ, even if John Lewis (unsuccessfully) tries to keep them from swinging a lot of the time. Still great morning and late night music.

[Tom Storer]

Gary, that's nothing to have to confess to! The MJQ was *great*. All that stuff about John Lewis being the repressive superego who kept them all from swinging is nonsense, IMHO. No group with Percy Heath on bass could fail to swing. They swung the way Lewis wanted them to swing, I guess... Milt Jackson might have felt hampered but he stuck with them for a long time. I've often thought that if they swung more vigorously they would have sounded like a Milt Jackson quartet - great stuff, no argument, but without that special MJQ sound.