When Tyner is asked about his favorite pianists performing today in that 2003 AAJ interview, he says "The guy from Texas, young guy," and there's a parenthetical "(Cedar Walton?)." I wonder if that parenthetical is an editor's note, and Tyner was actually referring to Jason Moran?
Coincidentally, we saw Cabaret yesterday at the KitKat Club! Well, we both grew up with the film—my wife says she probably saw the film 20 times when she was a kid on HBO nonstop or something like that— we both enjoyed the production very much. Adam Lambert was surprisingly good in his first time on Broadway. We all know he has a hell of an instrument, and the part is right up his alley, but he seemed pretty comfortable up there. Auli’i Cravalho was strong as well as Sally, she has a hell of a voice and very personable. And it’s always fun to see Bebe Neuwirth! Did you just think the film was better but still enjoy the show (generally where we are at) or did you not care for the production?
We didn't like the production, but also I came away from the comparison convinced that the drastic rewrite for the movie made the story much better. (To state the obvious, this is not always the case!)
My first trip to New York, with a friend who was a tenor player, we went to Seventh Avenue South to see what was up on our way to the Vanguard, where Joe Henderson was playing the State of the Tenor week. Michael Brecker was there, and I approached him about a lesson on behalf of my terribly shy friend. "Does he speak English?" Brecker inquired, before giving my friend his number. No lesson ever transpired. Two nights later when we were back at Seventh Avenue South to hear John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius came in with Rashied Ali. There was a jukebox on the ground floor of Seventh Avenue South -- the music room was upstairs -- and whatever came on the jukebox, Jaco would claim to have played bass on it. "That's Jimi Hendrix, Third Stone from the Sun. That's me on bass."
Sharon Freeman on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz is a treat. She starts with a tune she wrote for her husband that I have never heard anywhere else, which is a shame. It's a gem. Her rendition of Ellington's "Heaven" is also wonderful. https://www.npr.org/2015/05/08/405177287/sharon-freeman-on-piano-jazz
Buddy Rich had two clubs in Manhattan. The first, bigger one, was in the 30s near MSG/Pen Station and was notable for having a bar behind a glass wall where patrons could talk, as Buddy would throw people out from tables who talked when acts were performing.
Reading Marlowe's comments on music reminds me of the passage in Chester Himes's COTTON COMES TO HARLEM where the heroes in his series, two very tough Black police detectives named Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, walk into Mammy Louise's uptown ribs joint:
=================
The place was filled mostly with young people who peeped at them through the corners of their eyes when they came back to play the jukebox.. Everyone knew them. They looked at these young people, thinking they didn't know what it was all about yet.
Suddenly they were listening.
'Pres,' Grave Digger recognized, cocking his ear. 'And Sweets.'
'Roy Eldridge too,' Coffin Ed added. 'Who's on the bass?'
'I don't know him or the guitar either,' Grave Digger confessed. 'I guess I'm an old pappy.'
'What's that platter?' Coffin Ed asked the youth standing by the jukebox who had played the number.
His girl looked at them through wide dark eyes, as though they'd escaped from the zoo, but the boy replied self-consciously, '"Laughing to Keep from Crying." It's foreign.'
'No, it ain't," Coffin Ed said.
No one contradicted him. They were silent with their thoughts until a waiter brought the food.
Re: the matchbooks. Jack’s Drum Shop was a well known drum shop on Boylston St. in Boston, right next to Berklee. I bought a Gretsch kit there about 20 years ago.
Matthew Guerrieri’s essay on Chandler is exceptional, worthy of its subject, and that’s about the highest praise I can give. I’m ashamed to admit I’m not familiar with Mr. Guerrieri’s writing. Perusing the history of his blog archive it looks like I have some catching up to do, although his exhaustive adjacent blog on the history of Andre Previn’s jazz recordings might be a bridge too far for me.
I saw Steve Kuhn at the Knickerbocker and as you mentioned I had to strain to hear him over the noise the audience was making. I believe Sweet Basil was where I got to hear Johnny Griffin. Can't wait to read the Billy Hart memoir: he was bemused when I turned up at a gig of his in the early 2000's and asked if he would sign my 20+ year old copy of his LP Enchance. I fondly recall seeing the two of you at Baltimore's An die Musik sometime later. Great story about Monk Montgomery and look forward to reading the McCoy interview. Thanks. Working my way through the Peter Serkin box as I type this -- if you have any thoughts on Serkin I would love to hear them.
Since I'm from Philly, I talked to McCoy every chance I got. But I never knew he worked with Solomon Burke! I'm not at all surprised he mentioned Mulgrew in this interview, Mulgrew was outstanding (we were friendly and I interviewed him for three different stories). Also, it's 'O Sole Mio' not 'Solo'.. a common error.
Ernestine Anderson was in Hamps band, and had an in depth, a little more colorful version of the Hamp story I involving the velvet suits they we were wearing on that hot summer day. She told that story to me several times.
Third row, third from left is S.O.B.s… I assume it's the one in lower Manhattan that used to host a lot of Latin bands but now mostly books hip-hop, tribute acts, and DJs.
When Tyner is asked about his favorite pianists performing today in that 2003 AAJ interview, he says "The guy from Texas, young guy," and there's a parenthetical "(Cedar Walton?)." I wonder if that parenthetical is an editor's note, and Tyner was actually referring to Jason Moran?
Coincidentally, we saw Cabaret yesterday at the KitKat Club! Well, we both grew up with the film—my wife says she probably saw the film 20 times when she was a kid on HBO nonstop or something like that— we both enjoyed the production very much. Adam Lambert was surprisingly good in his first time on Broadway. We all know he has a hell of an instrument, and the part is right up his alley, but he seemed pretty comfortable up there. Auli’i Cravalho was strong as well as Sally, she has a hell of a voice and very personable. And it’s always fun to see Bebe Neuwirth! Did you just think the film was better but still enjoy the show (generally where we are at) or did you not care for the production?
We didn't like the production, but also I came away from the comparison convinced that the drastic rewrite for the movie made the story much better. (To state the obvious, this is not always the case!)
My first trip to New York, with a friend who was a tenor player, we went to Seventh Avenue South to see what was up on our way to the Vanguard, where Joe Henderson was playing the State of the Tenor week. Michael Brecker was there, and I approached him about a lesson on behalf of my terribly shy friend. "Does he speak English?" Brecker inquired, before giving my friend his number. No lesson ever transpired. Two nights later when we were back at Seventh Avenue South to hear John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius came in with Rashied Ali. There was a jukebox on the ground floor of Seventh Avenue South -- the music room was upstairs -- and whatever came on the jukebox, Jaco would claim to have played bass on it. "That's Jimi Hendrix, Third Stone from the Sun. That's me on bass."
In that same era, I heard Eddie Jefferson with a combo (led by Richie Cole) at the old Tralf in Buffalo. A week later he got gunned down in Detroit.
Sharon Freeman on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz is a treat. She starts with a tune she wrote for her husband that I have never heard anywhere else, which is a shame. It's a gem. Her rendition of Ellington's "Heaven" is also wonderful. https://www.npr.org/2015/05/08/405177287/sharon-freeman-on-piano-jazz
Happy birthday, Ethan! (Tomorrow)
Buddy Rich had two clubs in Manhattan. The first, bigger one, was in the 30s near MSG/Pen Station and was notable for having a bar behind a glass wall where patrons could talk, as Buddy would throw people out from tables who talked when acts were performing.
Reading Marlowe's comments on music reminds me of the passage in Chester Himes's COTTON COMES TO HARLEM where the heroes in his series, two very tough Black police detectives named Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, walk into Mammy Louise's uptown ribs joint:
=================
The place was filled mostly with young people who peeped at them through the corners of their eyes when they came back to play the jukebox.. Everyone knew them. They looked at these young people, thinking they didn't know what it was all about yet.
Suddenly they were listening.
'Pres,' Grave Digger recognized, cocking his ear. 'And Sweets.'
'Roy Eldridge too,' Coffin Ed added. 'Who's on the bass?'
'I don't know him or the guitar either,' Grave Digger confessed. 'I guess I'm an old pappy.'
'What's that platter?' Coffin Ed asked the youth standing by the jukebox who had played the number.
His girl looked at them through wide dark eyes, as though they'd escaped from the zoo, but the boy replied self-consciously, '"Laughing to Keep from Crying." It's foreign.'
'No, it ain't," Coffin Ed said.
No one contradicted him. They were silent with their thoughts until a waiter brought the food.
=================
Re: the matchbooks. Jack’s Drum Shop was a well known drum shop on Boylston St. in Boston, right next to Berklee. I bought a Gretsch kit there about 20 years ago.
Matthew Guerrieri’s essay on Chandler is exceptional, worthy of its subject, and that’s about the highest praise I can give. I’m ashamed to admit I’m not familiar with Mr. Guerrieri’s writing. Perusing the history of his blog archive it looks like I have some catching up to do, although his exhaustive adjacent blog on the history of Andre Previn’s jazz recordings might be a bridge too far for me.
I saw Steve Kuhn at the Knickerbocker and as you mentioned I had to strain to hear him over the noise the audience was making. I believe Sweet Basil was where I got to hear Johnny Griffin. Can't wait to read the Billy Hart memoir: he was bemused when I turned up at a gig of his in the early 2000's and asked if he would sign my 20+ year old copy of his LP Enchance. I fondly recall seeing the two of you at Baltimore's An die Musik sometime later. Great story about Monk Montgomery and look forward to reading the McCoy interview. Thanks. Working my way through the Peter Serkin box as I type this -- if you have any thoughts on Serkin I would love to hear them.
Since I'm from Philly, I talked to McCoy every chance I got. But I never knew he worked with Solomon Burke! I'm not at all surprised he mentioned Mulgrew in this interview, Mulgrew was outstanding (we were friendly and I interviewed him for three different stories). Also, it's 'O Sole Mio' not 'Solo'.. a common error.
Ernestine Anderson was in Hamps band, and had an in depth, a little more colorful version of the Hamp story I involving the velvet suits they we were wearing on that hot summer day. She told that story to me several times.
Third row, third from left is S.O.B.s… I assume it's the one in lower Manhattan that used to host a lot of Latin bands but now mostly books hip-hop, tribute acts, and DJs.
What a fabulous collection of matchbooks – and stories! Also, Sharon Freeman on Rhodes?!