The Commodore Jazz Recordings III #14 listening to Willie The Lion Smith - really great stride piano!
Thumbscrew - Thumbscrew Bandcamp download Mary Halvorson - guitar Michael Formanek - double bass Tomas Fujiwara - drums Recorded on April 7, 2013 at The Bunker, Brooklyn, NY. Recorded and mixed by Jon Rosenberg. Produced by Thumbscrew.
Not just my favorite sounding edition of the Monk Blue Notes, but also my favorite way to listen to them -- in order of singles release.
More of great piano players... Michel Petrucciani - Both Worlds followed by Bill Evans Trio - Explorations
Regarding the Monk Singles set: This is excellent. There are three Japanese SHM-CDs in the 75th Anniversary series that I think may sound a hair better with this material (and the other Milt Jackson material on "Milt Jackson"). Just a hair, and it may be system dependent, I've kept both (the Japanese Blue Note cds are the 12" order). Fantastic, desert island music for me in either configuration.
Did you ever do an LP to CDR transfer of the Commodore boxes? I have the boxes, but never had the patience to do a transfer.
Yesterday I spent the day with my Dad, taking him in for some tests, having a leisurely lunch, looking around futilely for some no-sodium or really low-sodium bread he can eat, and then on to a dermatology appointment. (He loves this doctor, but in six years I've taken him about fifteen times and not once were they ever "on time"--the closest they have ever been is seeing the doctor thirty minutes after his appointment time, yesterday it was one hour and twenty five minutes after his appointment time the doctor walked into the room--something is seriously wrong in the way that office is run!) On the way there and back I listened to two favorite in this thread: Ron Miles "I AM A MAN" and "Jack Wilkins" on Mainstream. As he has before, Ron's playing reminds me of a more abstract Wynton, and his composing as well. A nice album; I could do without the concluding Frisell Freak Out. The Wilkins is very good. The third track doesn't thrill me but the others are excellent. Great guitar sound he gets. Today I have listened to the Ron Miles again, sound so much better on the main system. I've also listened to the Verve cd "Coleman Hawkins and his All Stars at Newport," which is a nicely recorded and tight Newport set for the ages, and Duke Jordan's "Flight to Jordan," Blue Note Japan RVG LP facsimile edition. I always enjoy this one, his only leader date for Blue Note--Dizzy Reece and Stanley Turrentine have made great music together when they are recorded as a front line. They "blend" so well.
Very cool you listened to the Ron Miles album, I Am A Man. I’d hardly call anything Frisell did on this album a ‘freak out’, though. I think if you’re familiar with Frisell’s work, then you would realize that this little, reversed guitar loop section he improvised in that last piece was something he does every now and then, but, more importantly, if you want to hear Frisell in true ‘freak out’ mode listen to any of his albums with John Zorn, especially the Naked City recordings.
They're all like that - specialists, I mean. Derms & ophthalmologists are some of the worst in terms of wait and unfortunately it seems to be a nationwide issue. It's awful to have to deal with that.
I'm familiar with Frisell. It may not be his most extreme bit of loop stuff. . . but I just don't like his loop stuff. I'm also not really a John Zorn album fan. We're all different! I like Frisell a lot, but some of his work I just don't enjoy listening to much.
I guess I'm lucky--my Dad sees several specialists and only this dermatologist has office practices anything like this. Dad really likes her so I bite my tongue. The worst waits I ever encountered were when I was accompanying my late first wife to every oncology appointment. At the M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center in Houston her final doctor was a world-renowned oncologist who traveled the world lecturing and had "invented" several chemo therapies. We once waited 3 hours to have our appointment with him. He had very few actual patients, and he accepted her at her request after he had corrected a misinterpretation of marrow results from her former oncologist. I realized WHY we always faced these delays though. He was an incredibly patient man and very generous with his time and knowledge. He would not leave your appointment until he had exhaustively answered every single question you could or would pose. His patients were fighting for their lives, making momentous decisions and he understood that perhaps even more than some of them did and honored their anxieties and curiosities and fears and need to know, and was an amazing resource. We never complained about the wait, though sometimes our stomachs audibly rumbled as we missed lunches. . . .
Now on to Horace Silver Quintet "The Tokyo Blues"--another Japanese Blue Note RVG LP facsimile cd reissue.
Yep, we’re all different, which is a great thing, but I do find it much more rewarding to find commonality with another listener than simply listing dislikes.
Well, so do I. (My listing of dislikes was brought on by your comment about Frisell, not just volunteered). I just feel that little freak out thing Frisell does on the Miles disc to be a bit out of place, and wish it weren't there. That's all. But if wishes were horses, there'd be dung everywhere.