From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V10 #29 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Friday, February 2 2001 Volume 10 : Number 029 Today's Subjects: ----------------- RE: oh...my...god [Eb ] music lovers "jazzed" [Bayard ] cdnow top ten ["Andrew D. Simchik" ] Re: cdnow top ten [Paul Christian Glenn ] Re: rock and/or roll [grutness@surf4nix.com] robyn radio [Bayard ] Re: oh...my...god [Ben ] Re: You're going to reap just what you sow ["Russ Reynolds" ] "The Emperor Has No Clothes"...or this year's Metal Machine Music [Eb ] Re: I've seen trouble all my days [Michael R Godwin ] Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz [Eb ] Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz [hbrandt ] Re: beg your pardon? no, but you can buy it. [GSS ] Re: robyn radio [GSS ] Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz [Eb ] Simpsons' episode request [LDudich@ase.org] Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz [GSS ] Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz [Eb ] Re: robyn radio [Bayard ] an awfully articulate opinion, found elsewhere [Eb Subject: RE: oh...my...god >Yeah, Eb I agree. And I am still trying to fiqure why they showed >Cassandra Wilson, but not Diana Krall. Is it because Diana is Canadian >and white? Probably. Of course, she's from the era after jazz "died," so it's doubtful she could've received anything beyond an insertion into those quick contemporary-musician montages at the end. Also, maybe she's perceived as more of a "crossover" artist. After all, Kenny G wasn't mentioned, either. In fact, I guess he was ruled altogether "ineligible," because Burns claimed Kind of Blue is the all-time best-selling jazz album (two-million copies, according to the RIAA site). Kenny G *must* have outsold that.... Similarly, I suppose you could gripe about New Age music not earning the slightest mention, as well. But, it's kinda pointless to even bother griping about oversights of the past 25 years, because Burns scarcely even *tried* to discuss this period. >Did I miss it, or was John Coltane's "A Love Supreme" even mentioned? Well, there, I can't complain. A Love Supreme received quite ample coverage. On the other hand, there was minimal acknowledgement of Coltrane's final, free-jazz phase, which was much less accessible (and more controversial) than the Love Supreme-era material. Coincidentally, last night I stumbled upon the news that A Love Supreme was finally certified Gold on January 3rd of this year. Ain't that cool? :) Incidentally, one of the most interesting things I learned from later "Jazz" episodes was that Miles Davis grew up "privileged." I didn't know this -- I guess I assumed he was another romantic, up-from-the-ghetto story. Eb, hoping all of Burns' friends give him Zorn albums for his next birthday ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 17:25:30 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: music lovers "jazzed" http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010201/16/jazz-surge ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2001 14:40:38 -0800 From: "Andrew D. Simchik" Subject: cdnow top ten >From: Eb > >http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/redirect/leaf=switch/from=sr-127876/target=buyweb_purchase/itemid=1329187 Speaking of CDNOW, they apparently have an all-time top 10 list (in what genre, I don't know) on which New Order's _Power, Corruption, and Lies_ appears. But I can't find said list so I can't find out what its peers are. Anyone know what this is all about? >From: "Bachman, Michael" > > Yeah, Eb I agree. And I am still trying to fiqure why they showed >Cassandra Wilson, but not Diana Krall. Is it because Diana is Canadian >and white? Maybe it's because Diana is really, really, really white. But I base this on about ten minutes of viewing a hideous, unbearable live performance of hers, and not on any extensive knowledge of Krall's work in particular and jazz in the last 40 years in general. (I say "is really, really, really white" in lieu of saying "really, really, really sucks," but that doesn't mean I think the two are synonymous, even in jazz. I just write irresponsibly.) >From: Jeff Dwarf > >"Andrew D. Simchik" wrote: > > I'm really used to _Rubber Soul_ starting with "Norwegian Wood," > > which I gather is the US running order. > >nope. side one of the US version starts with "I've Just Seen a Face"; >side two with "It's Only Love." nevermind that they are both supposed >to be on _help!_ Well, so I have a cassette that has all of the songs on the version I just bought, supposedly the British version, and it (the cassette) starts with "Norwegian Wood." I like the cassette's running order. A lot. Oh well. Maybe you're right and I will get used to it. Drew ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 14:49:57 -0800 (PST) From: Paul Christian Glenn Subject: Re: cdnow top ten >Speaking of CDNOW, they apparently have an all-time top 10 list (in what genre, >I don't know) on which New Order's _Power, Corruption, and Lies_ appears. But >I can't find said list so I can't find out what its peers are. Anyone know >what this >is all about? They have many Top 10 lists (one for each genre). Go here: http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=76898909/pagename=/RP/GENRES/cms_genre_millennium_alltime.html Look under "Essential Dance Records" for New Order's entry. It's for Blue Monday. == paul pcg@bootbox.net _____________________________________________________________ BootBox.Net - Home Of The Totally Free Internet Solution http://www.bootbox.net Get an @bootbox.net webmail account - http://webmail.bootbox.net Host Your Website For Free - http://webhosting.bootbox.net Put Your E-Commerce Business Online Virtually Free - http://bcommerce.bootbox.net ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 13:10:38 +1300 From: grutness@surf4nix.com Subject: Re: rock and/or roll >i was thinking the other day that the greatest rock and/or roll >song of all time has got to be Sympathy For The Devil. anyone care >to disagree? I'd say "Won't get fooled again" myself - it has everything all there in one song, yet retains all the raw power. Then again, its length would probably count against it. How anyone would go about quantifying 'the greatest rock and/or roll song' though might be tricky. And, as with all such polls, YMMV. James James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand. =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= -=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- You talk to me as if from a distance -.-=-.- And I reply with impressions chosen from another time =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 19:25:39 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: robyn radio two Robyn radio clips are up: http://www.bitmine.net/~bayard/robyn/ It takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry (6 megs- inordinately high quality) many thanks and beverages to GSS - unknown mark radcliffe "in session" Uncorrected Personality Traits, solo acoustic accompanied version - (2.3 megs - perfectly acceptable low quality) kudos and hearty back-slaps to UK Rob - recent "big booth too" boothby graffoe show I don't know the dates - woj, maybe archival of your fegmania.org news posting is in order? whenever i go to find out something slightly old, you've updated! =b many hugs and kisses to Capuchin for bitmine.net, portland's finest (drew can supply the kisses) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2001 21:47:28 -0500 From: Ben Subject: Re: oh...my...god Here's something you may enjoy from rec.music.bluenote: Presenting Ken Burns' 144-hour Extremely Important documentary, Jazz." Fade up on a grainy old photograph of a man in a three-piece suit, holding a cornet. Or a bicycle horn, it's hard to tell. Narrator: Skunkbucket LeFunke was born in 1876 and died in 1901. No one who heard him is alive today. The grandchildren of the people who heard him are not alive today. The great-grandchildren of the people who heard him are not alive today. He was never recorded. Wynton Marsalis: I'll tell you what Skunkbucket LeFunke sounded like. He had this big rippling sound, and he always phrased off the beat, and he slurred his notes. And when the Creole bands were still playing De-bah-de-bah-ta-da-tah, he was already playing Bo-dap-da-lete-do-do-do-bah! He was just like gumbo, ahead of his time. Announcer: LeFunke was a cornet player, gambler, card shark, pool hustler, pimp, male prostitute, Kelly Girl, computer programmer, brain surgeon and he invented the internet. Stanley Crouch: When people listened to Skunkbucket LeFunke, they heard Do-do-dee-bwap-da-dee-dee-de-da-da-doop-doop-dap. And they knew even then how deeply profound that was. Announcer: It didn't take LeFunke long to advance the art of jazz past its humble beginnings in New Orleans whoredom with the addition of a bold and sassy beat. Wynton: Let me tell you about the Big Four. Before the Big Four, jazz drumming sounded like BOOM-chick-BOOM-chick-BOOM-chick. But now they had the Big Four, which was so powerful some said it felt like a Six. A few visiting musicians even swore they were in an Eight. Stanley: It was smooth and responsive, and there was no knocking and pinging, even on 87 octane. Wynton: Even on gumbo. Announcer: When any musician in the world heard Louis Armstrong for the first time, they gnawed their arm off with envy, then said the angels probably wanted to sound like Louis. When you consider a bunch of angels talking in gruff voices and singing "Hello Dolly," you realize what a stupid aspiration that is. Gary Giddy: Louis changed jazz because he was the only cat going Do-da-dep-do-wah-be-be, while everyone else was doing Do-de-dap-dit-dit-dee. Stanley: And that was very profound. Marsalis: Like gumbo. Stanley: Uh-huh. Matt Glaser: I always have this fantasy that when Louis performed in Belgium, Heisenberg was in the audience and he was blown away and that's where he got the idea for his Uncertainty Principle. Marsalis: Because the Uncertainty Principle, applied to jazz, means you never know if a cat is going to go Dap-da-de-do-ba-ta-bah or Dap-da-de-do-bip-de-beep. Wynton: Louis was the first one to realize that. Stanley: And that can be very profound. Stanley: I thought it was a box of chocolates... Announcer: The Savoy Ballroom brought people of all races colors and political persuasions together to get sweaty as Europe moved closer and closer to the brink of World War II. Savoy Dancer: We didn't care what color you were at the Savoy. We only cared if you were wearing deodorant. Stanley: Wynton always wears deodorant. Glaser: I'll bet Arthur Murray was on the dance floor and he was thinking about Louis and that's where he got the idea to open a bunch of dance schools. Stanley: And that was very profound. Giddy: Let's talk about Louis some more. We've wasted three minutes of this 57-part documentary not talking about Louis. Wynton: He was an angel, a genius, much better than Cats. Stanley: He invented the word "Cats." Wynton: He invented swing, he invented jazz, he invented the telephone, the automobile and the polio vaccine. Stanley: And the internet. Wynton: Very profound. Announcer: Louis Armstrong turned commercial in the 1930s and didn't make any more breakthrough contributions to jazz. But it's not PC to point that out, so we'll be showing him in every segment of this series to come, even if he's just doing the same things as the last time you saw him. Glaser: I'll bet Chuck Yeager was in the audience when Louis was hitting those high Cs at the Earle Theater in Philadelphia, and that's what made him decide to break the sound barrier. Stanley: And from there go to Pluto. Wynton: I'm going to make some gumbo- Stanley: BOOM-chick-BOOM-chick-BOOM-chick.. Giddy: Do-yap-do-wee-bah-scoot-scoot-dap-dap...That's what all the cats were saying back then. Announcer: In 1964, John Coltrane was at his peak, Eric Dolphy was in Europe, where he would eventually die, the Modern Jazz Quartet was making breakthrough recordings in the field of Third Stream Music, Miles Davis was breaking new barrier with his second great quintet, and Charlie Mingus was extending jazz composition to new levels of complexity. But we're going to talk about Louis singing "Hello Dolly" instead. Stanley: Louis went, Ba-ba-yaba-do-do-dee-da-bebin-doo-wap-deet-deet-do-da-da. Wynton: Sweets went, Scoop-doop-shalaba-yaba-mokey-hokey-bwap-bwap-tee-tee-dee. Giddy: I go, Da-da-shoobie-doobie-det-det-det-bap-bap-baaaaa... Announcer: The rest of the history of jazz will be shown in fast forward and will occupy exactly seven seconds. --There, that was it. Now here are some scenes from Ken Burns' next documentary, a 97-part epic about the Empire State Building, titled "The Empire State Building." "It is tall and majestic. It is America's building. It is the Empire State Building. Dozens of workers gave their lives in the construction of this building." Matt Glaser: I'll bet that they were thinking of Louis as they were falling to their deaths. I have this fantasy that his high notes inspired the immenseness of the Empire State Building. Wynton Marsalis: I'll bet most people who'd fall off the Empire State Building would go "Aaaaaahhhh!" But these cats went "Dee-dee-daba-da-da-bop-bop-de-dop-shewap-splat!" "That's next time on PBS." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2001 22:06:52 -0800 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Re: You're going to reap just what you sow > Topic for a silly thread: > I am wondering what you think is the best or coolest song you ever > heard used in a commercial? Without a doubt the Buzzcocks tune from that recent SUV commercial. I don't even remember which Buzzcocks song it was but I've never heard anything cooler. - -rUss ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2001 22:20:46 -0800 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Re: it sure ain't the apes >i was thinking the other day that the greatest rock and/or roll >song of all time has got to be Sympathy For The Devil. anyone care >to disagree? Okay I will. "Johnny B. Goode" is the greatest. I'd probably even put "Jumpin' Jack Flash" above "Sympathy". "Layla" still gets to me. "Sympathy" is certainly superb and one of my favorites but "Johnny B. Goode" is the very embodiment of both rock AND roll. So you're wrong. - -rUss ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 00:45:17 -0700 From: Eb Subject: "The Emperor Has No Clothes"...or this year's Metal Machine Music http://www.rockrap.com/01poll1.html The results of the major Rock & Rap Confidential/SonicNet critics' poll have been posted (see above link). As far as I know, it's the biggest such poll in existence, except for the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll (which has more prestige, but probably includes less writers). Of course, I'm disgusted that Kid A won the top spot, based on the dubious "ooooh, how NERVY" vote. Phooey. Meanwhile, seven of my own top 10 did fairly well (PJ Harvey = #3, Jurassic 5 = #9, Billy Bragg/Wilco = #24, Elliott Smith and Patti Smith = both at #35, Eels = #43, Lambchop = #46), but Amy Correia, Chris Knox and Einsturzende Neubauten were reeeeeelly buried. Only one other critic named Chris Knox or Amy Correia, and I was the *only* one to name Neubauten! Sorry about that, Quail.... Meanwhile, personally endorsed albums by Great Lakes, Of Montreal, the Olivia Tremor Control, the Muffs, Dusty Trails, the Meat Puppets, the Sugarplastic, Robyn Hitchcock, Land of the Loops and Toshack Highway (among others) didn't receive even *one* vote. In any case, enjoy.... Eb now watching: Beck on "The Tonight Show," once again backed by a horn guy whom I was in high-school band with ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2001 07:13:38 -0700 From: hbrandt Subject: Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz > Wynton: Sweets went, > Scoop-doop-shalaba-yaba-mokey-hokey-bwap-bwap-tee-tee-dee. I don't know why everyone is so angry about "Jazz". Ken Burns certainly has many failings as a filmmaker, but he warned in advance that "Jazz" was not comprehensive and certainly not all-inclusive. A lot of my favorite's stories weren't told either (Cab Calloway, Buddy Rich and later Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea to name just a few). But I really enjoyed the stories that were told including (yes) Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker (better than that Eastwood movie), Fletcher Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, etc. I even bought some CD's by a few of those artists including the Armstrong Hot Five/Seven box set (awesome) and I hadn't added any jazz music to my collection since the fusion era. The documentary was as promised. An incomplete primer (Jazz 101) and if approached as such, was entertaining. Not great, but I did watch the whole thing as did many of its detractors obviously. The reason it was *entertaining* is that it followed storylines. I was interested to know how Charlie Parker died at age 34. And since I grew up seeing only the "Hello Dolly!" Armstrong, I was glad to be shown his legacy in detail. The show frequently moved me and while I wish more full-length musical sequences would have been shown, the teasers they did show were fascinating. I'd never heard Billie Holiday before and if Diana Ross' "Lady Sings The Blues" was my only exposure to her, I would most likely have never heard her sad voice. Stories have to have beginnings, middles and ends. That's why Burns followed the stories to the finish line. The fact that contemporary jazz got the short shrift is too bad; maybe someone else should make the sequel. But, the 18-hour (or even 30-hour) history of rock would never include Robyn Hitchcock or Neutral Milk Hotel and no one would really expect it to, right? I enjoyed "Jazz" despite its many shortcomings (way too much Wynton Marsalis). Did anyone else who spent the 18-hours watching like it (even a little?) /hal ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 16:50:50 +0000 (GMT) From: Michael R Godwin Subject: Re: I've seen trouble all my days On Mon, 29 Jan 2001, Viv Lyon wrote: > ps- I cannot get Man of Constant Sorrow out of my head. I am in pain. Just realised that I made a hash of describing the Ginger Baker's Airforce rendition: the excellent lead vocal is by Denny Laine (ex-Moody Blues, ex-Balls, ex-Electric String Band, ex-Wings) _not_ by Steve Winwood, who only played keyboards. Wish I had a copy of the studio-recorded single as well as the live version. - - Mike Godwin PS Top rock'n'roll records: Elvis 'Mystery Train' and 'Jailhouse Rock'; Gene Vincent 'Race with the Devil'; Rolling Stones 'Street Fighting Man'; Chuck Berry 'Little Queenie' and "School Days"; Beatles "I saw her standing there"; Johnny Kidd & the Pirates "Shakin' All Over"; Bo Diddly "Pretty Thing"; Carl Perkins "Boppin' the Blues" ... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 10:36:35 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz >Stories have to have beginnings, middles and ends. That's why Burns >followed the stories to the finish line. Beyond Armstrong, Parker and Ellington, how many stories did Burns really follow "to the finish line"? And certainly, I would've rather he had followed the story of *jazz* to the finish line, rather than merely the stories of Wynton Marsalis' select heroes. Speaking of Armstrong/Parker/Ellington, did you notice how Marsalis gave the same description of all three? Some rave about them being "observers" who "saw it all"? ;) I enjoyed the first hour of episode#10, reasonably well. My hair really stood on end with those performance clips of Cecil Taylor. Oh *man*. (Even though Taylor was included mostly just to give the old-school critics a chance to scoff at him.) And the Coltrane segments were nice. Then Burns finished the section with Miles Davis' move toward a more electric sound, neatly wrote off the rest of Davis' career as being mucked up by "too many ingredients," and WHOOMP...all of a sudden, we were back to hearing old-time jazz and more Armstrong/Ellington fawning. All the forward momentum...GONE. It was like sticking a knife into a rubber raft...ssssssssssssssss...all the air instantly rushed out. About 10 minutes later was when I started chuckling. By the time Burns got around to breathlessly announcing the exalted arrival of His Wyntonness to singlehandedly salvage a dead genre (did you dig that pregnant pause, when he concluded the list of Blakey alumni with Wynton's sacred name?), I was shaking with giggles. Hey, it wasn't all bad. The series certainly included some good information, and I learned something with every episode. I also always enjoyed Gary Giddins' observations. But...jeez. It'll be years and years before someone else attempts a project like this, because "Jazz" will hang in the air as the definitive telling of the story. And until then, millions of people will be cheerfully convinced that jazz is a nostalgic museum piece, to hang on the wall in an antique picture frame. It is nice that "Jazz" has given a boost to jazz CD sales, though. Even if the posturing of neophyte Burns presenting collections of his favorite jazz classics is almost too much to bear. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2001 12:05:10 -0700 From: hbrandt Subject: Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz > >Stories have to have beginnings, middles and ends. That's why Burns > >followed the stories to the finish line. Eb: > Beyond Armstrong, Parker and Ellington, how many stories did Burns really > follow "to the finish line"? Billie Holiday, Miles and a few others. And, Burns *tried* to bring the film full-circle with the (however misguided) exaltation of Marsalis which constitutes an ending (of sorts). > And certainly, I would've rather he had > followed the story of *jazz* to the finish line Jazz itself, as an artform, has yet to "end", so that would be impossible. > It is nice that "Jazz" has given a boost to jazz CD sales, though. Agreed. > Even if > the posturing of neophyte Burns presenting collections of his favorite jazz > classics is almost too much to bear. But that's good ol' fashioned all-American capitalist-weenie marketing at its "finest". Blame the tyranny of the masses that we all have to be spoonfed in this manner. On the plus side, they are convenient little mid-priced samplers. /hal ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 13:25:35 -0500 (CDT) From: GSS Subject: Re: beg your pardon? no, but you can buy it. On Tue, 30 Jan 2001, Tom Clark wrote: > on 1/30/01 8:40 AM, GSS at gshell@metronet.com wrote: > > I have the nick drake syndrome again. > > > > Beats the hell out of the chest cold I've been suffering from. hee hee, yeah I guess if I had to pick between the two, the nd syndrome would be my choice. > I first bought "Way To Blue" and liked it so much I gave it to my brother > and bought "Fruit Tree". Fruit Tree has the original albums in their > entirety - no "bonus tracks", plus the CD of extras. It isn't his entire > output, though; obviously there are demos and bootlegs floating around. the CDNOW write-up said that 'fruit tree' was his entire recorded output. that of course could not include, bootlegs etc.., but I was hoping this to be an entire collection of his 'made for commercial release' stuff. > Buy "Fruit Tree". done. gss ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 13:44:30 -0500 (CDT) From: GSS Subject: Re: robyn radio On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Bayard wrote: > It takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry (6 megs- inordinately > high quality) many thanks and beverages to GSS - unknown mark radcliffe > "in session" I took that from minidisc to wav to mp3. I got rid of some noise and made a few other enhancements. I can send a lower quality version if requested. Hey, if you can't do her well, you shouldn't even bother. Does the British feg who sent me that recording, along with some from the 12 Bar Club, remember the date? I do not recall that fegs name, or I would appeal directly. Also, the portland show may have a surprise visitor. gss ps - the world's greatest rock-n-roll song has just become, hazy jane ii ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 11:51:32 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz >> Beyond Armstrong, Parker and Ellington, how many stories did Burns really >> follow "to the finish line"? > >Billie Holiday, Miles and a few others. Right, just a few. And no *way* did he follow Miles to the finish line. Heck, he didn't even make it to "On the Corner." >> And certainly, I would've rather he had >> followed the story of *jazz* to the finish line > >Jazz itself, as an artform, has yet to "end", so that would be >impossible. You know what I meant: up to the present day, with a substantial depth of discussion. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 14:55:03 -0500 From: LDudich@ase.org Subject: Simpsons' episode request > I'm doing a little work which i would like your help on. I am trying to find out about on episode of "the simpsons" for work. THere is one episode in particular I am trying to find out about: * one with Marge suggesting - when the Simpsons come into some money - spending it on "double-ply windows that will save 4% on our heating bill". If anyone has seen these in reruns recently (or remembers them) and can let me know what the main plot was, I can find out what the episode was. FOX National news maybe doing a story on this with the Alliance, and I need to find out which episodes. ----------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone know how the Soft boys shows are selling so far? -luther Luther W. Dudich Alliance to Save Energy Buildings Team 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20036 202/530-2243 202/331-9588 (fax) ldudich@ase.org www.ase.org You are one click away from helping the Alliance Ukraine program.... > http://www.environmentsite.com > > "you can't count on anything- except your fingers, and sometimes your toes." - -anon ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 14:10:05 -0500 (CDT) From: GSS Subject: Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz On Fri, 2 Feb 2001, Eb wrote: > Right, just a few. And no *way* did he follow Miles to the finish line. > Heck, he didn't even make it to "On the Corner." And I remember no mention of 'all blues', though I did not watch each show entirely, which has got to be the greatest jazz song of all times. Overall, I think he did a good job, but of course I would have done it differently. gss ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 12:24:54 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: oh...my...god and all that jazz >And I remember no mention of 'all blues', though I did not watch each >show entirely, which has got to be the greatest jazz song of all times. Well, Burns did explicitly discuss Kind of Blue. It was even one of the choice few album covers flashed onscreen during the series. And wasn't "All Blues" played as background music, at one point? Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 15:26:06 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: robyn radio On Fri, 2 Feb 2001, GSS wrote: > On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Bayard wrote: > > It takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry (6 megs- inordinately > > high quality) many thanks and beverages to GSS - unknown mark radcliffe > > "in session" > > I took that from minidisc to wav to mp3. I got rid of some noise and made > a few other enhancements. I can send a lower quality version if > requested. Hey, if you can't do her well, you shouldn't even bother. i just meant, FM broadcasts only go so high anyway (16khz?). So cranking the quality won't get you much. Not that I'm complaining. it sounds fantastic, and I have a T3. =b ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 12:40:35 -0700 From: Eb Subject: an awfully articulate opinion, found elsewhere While Ken Burns has been roundly criticized for the scant attention "Jazz" paid to the music since 1970, after seeing episode 10 I only wish he had said nothing whatsoever. What a sour note to end on! My 14-year old son, who had watched the entire series, asked, in confusion, why the last episode was suddenly nothing but people putting down other people's music. It would have made a far happier ending for everyone, the devoted fan and the newly initiated, to have portrayed the 70's for what they really were: the triumph of jazz, a triumph both commercial and artistic, and, indeed, a triumph inseparable from the success of the civil rights movement. Ken Burns and Geoffrey Ward judged jazz in the 70's to be in a state of collapse and despair, but this is clearly the judgement of people who were not there or, at least, certainly not paying attention. Here's what the record really shows. Commercial success: Jazz consistently charted throughout the decade, from the ridiculous (Deodato's catchy sendup of Richard Strauss) to the sublime (Roberta Flack's spellbinding "First time ever I saw your face", which, Billboard magazine noted, enjoyed the longest stay at No. 1 on the pop charts any female vocalist had achieved since 1956). Other artists who achieved hit singles on the pop charts: George Benson, Joni Mitchell (with an old Lambert Hendricks and Ross song!), Chuck Mangione (a reminder that Mangione still is the best selling trumpeter of all former Blakey sidemen), Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Carlos Ward (The B.T. Express), Manhattan Transfer (with the Joe Zawinul-Jon Hendricks "Birdland"), Roy Ayers, The Crusaders (with the sensational Randy Crawford). Add the soul charts and the list grows rapidly longer: Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington, Jr., David Newman, Webster Lewis, Lonnie Liston Smith, Cedar Walton. Even Milt Jackson hit the soul charts with Cedar's "I'm Not So Sure". If all this is too "Pop" for you, consider other artists who had major label contracts in the 1970's: Miles, of course (CBS, Warner Bros.) and of his great quintet, Hancock (Warners, CBS), Shorter (CBS), and Williams (Polydor, CBS), but also Cedar Walton (RCA, then CBS), McCoy Tyner (CBS), Bobby Hutcherson (CBS), Phil Woods (RCA), the Heath Brothers (CBS), Gil Evans (Atlantic, then RCA), Arthur Blythe (CBS), and the Art Ensemble of Chicago (Atlantic). Aside from the majors, a plethora of independent jazz labels sprang up. Among those those with durable commercial success, Pablo, CTI, Concord, and from Germany, ECM. In the 1970's, record companies discovered that their back catalog of jazz was nothing less than a cash cow, and the modern-day reissue was born. (It is hard today to realize just how scant was the availability of older music prior to 1970.) But throughout the decade the musical world recognized that the great accomplishments of the 30's, 40's and 50's were "classics", durable works of art that audiences were still eager to hear. Recognition and Honor: Jazz did indeed become "classical" in the 70's. Universities recruited jazz musicians for their faculties, with sometimes fierce competition for the top talent. (Jackie McLean could well have told that story!) By the end of the decade, even the staid conservatories were following suit. Governmental arts fund poured in first from the New York State Council on the Arts, then from the National Endowment and the Smithsonian. In 1973 was born the first of the Jazz Repertory orchestras, Chuck Israels' National Jazz Ensemble. Big bands were touring again. Basie's of course, selling out houses wherever he went, but also Maynard Ferguson and Woody Herman (with some superb young musicians and with Wayne Shorter compositions added to his book. There high-profile tours by the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and the Carla Bley Band. A generation of musicians who had spent much of the sixties in exile, in limbo, or in prison, reappeared to significant acclaim. Burns mentions Dexter Gordon, but could just as well have added Slide Hampton, Betty Carter, Hampton Hawes, Sonny Criss, Johnny Griffin, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Milt Jackson, Phil Woods, Hank Jones, Chet Baker, Ernestine Anderson, and even Dave Brubeck, whose "Two Generations" album was his most successful since "Time Out". By the 1970's, jazz had virtually taken over incidental music for movies and television. It was virtually impossible to get a job in the studios if you had no jazz experience. Jazz in the 1970's became not just America's music, but the World's music. Europe and Japan were as much a part of the itinerary as the U.S. And U.S. record and ticket sales were now only one part of the totals revenue. By the late 70's, Cedar Walton could downplay the importance of New York, saying "New York is where my office is." Conversely, artists from all over the world were making a big impact in the U.S.: Airto Moreira & Flora Purim, Dollar Brand, Teramasa Hino, Jean Luc-Ponty, Jan Garbarek, Toshiko Akiyoshi, etc., etc. It is important to recognize what all this meant for musicians. Mary Lou Williams, like quite a few others of her generation, who had lived from hand to mouth for some 40 years, lived the last years of her life with undreamed-of financial security, recognition, and respect. Charley Parker or Clifford Brown could not have imagined either the recognition or the remuneration bestowed on Ornette Coleman or Joe Henderson. Masterpieces: Finally, there was great music. The recorded legacy should speak for itself. Don Cherry's "Relativity Suite" and Clifford Jordan's "Glass Bead Games". The work of Arthur Blythe, of Carla Bley, of the Randy Weston-Melba Liston Orchestra, of Roland Hanna & Mickey Tucker's New Heritage Keyboard Quartet and Max Roach's MBoom re:Percussion, of Eastern Rebellion, Howard Johnson's Gravity, and Warren Smith's Composers' Workshop Ensemble, of the Tony Williams Lifetime and the Great Jazz Trio. Jump in now to add your favorites, folks, and we'll have, in no time at all, a long thread describing some of the century's finest music. It is certainly true that Jazz, propelled by the explosive innovations (and ambitions) of the 1960's, moved in the 70's in a thousand different directions, but it has always been the nature of Jazz to assimilate and reshape every conceivable kind of music, and to draw from the entire musical world for its basic working materials. In the 1970's the world was simply shown the true richness of that nature. Regards, Steve Bayer ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V10 #29 *******************************