Comments on: Better Red Than Dead

By: dave gross

dave gross — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:11:28 +0000

indeed, i’m with chris. the tastemakers, aka wynton marsalis, would not give charles gayle the time of day. that’s what i am talking about. it’s funny that mr. marsalis’ right hand man is stanley crouch, a many who was a free jazz drummer in the late sixties and early seventies and then rejected the music. that is some lame shit. and now he has the moral authority to diss electric miles. that is bullshit. that is what i am talking about.

By: admin

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:27:38 +0000

Nice, Steve. Yes, I know of Charlie. He’s a player, fer sure.

By: Steve Peterson

Steve Peterson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:08:43 +0000

I remember one time when I was pretty young, maybe 15, I was invited to jam with a local altoist I'd heard was incredible. That guy played some of the slickest bebop alto I've ever heard, incredibly fast and precise, seemingly every lick out there, with all the passion of a guy shopping for socks. I walked away bizarrely depressed, thinking, "Is that what jazz amounts to?" I honestly felt finished with the music. Luckily, the very next day a CD arrived in the mail, "Good Deeds" by saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase (anyone out there know his stuff?). Now, he's not a really technical player, or at least he wasn't on that album, but he's got ideas (rather than licks), a sense of humor, a crack band, and, yeah, soul. Hearing it at that moment helped me get my head on straight. My hope is that no matter how intelligent and searching jazz becomes, it remains a folk music in spirit - open to change and borrowing from outside sources, gritty and spontaneous, and trying to make a genuine connection with an audience... no matter how small.

By: matt lavelle

matt lavelle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:44:09 +0000

Just try and get a grant these days,.enough adversity for just about anyone„but true,.no macarthur for bird..

By: admin

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:35:11 +0000

Of course I dig the heaviness of Parker! Maceo is one soulful cat …

By: M.MALLOY

M.MALLOY — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:25:13 +0000

Well,as to why the blogger doesn’t name the saxaphonist is not a very good argument! too many to name because of they fit the description? now how do we know this? just because a person is a musician? can we have audio or transcriptions to compare? see this is why such posts only do a disservice to the music, and the artist, the only purpose is that the post does is to celebrate the ego of the writer, who’s on the soul commitee, blood pumpin through your veins, i would bet that you don’t even comprehend the heavyness of parker! oh yeah, he came up with all that crap when he was broke probably, no grants around back then!!!!!!!!!

By: matt Lavelle

matt Lavelle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:20:58 +0000

man,..chris,.ill tell you a story when i cross paths with you about how JC dressed down this cat at sam ash for insulting a Mark 6 alto! it was deep!

By: admin

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:00:16 +0000

I’m a Carter fan.

By: matt Lavelle

matt Lavelle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:40:30 +0000

great description of JZ,.but the dig on JC by JM,.I cant get with that,.could be because Ive crossed paths with him in Person.JC is an original,.and he mos def has Soul.Try telling HIM you feel that way.meeting someone in person can really tell you alot them,..and in this way,.Wynton is a soulful person in his own way.Everybody hears differently.Ive heard Joe Lovano bust out soul on the blue note record he did with Joshua Redman.Shit,.Ill even admit the europe jazz cats have soul,..I cant really hear what most of them are doing,.but there playing their songs and the music of their lives,..

By: admin

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:31:48 +0000

My choice of Zorn was meant to provoke; his version of “soul” is perhaps different than that of an African-American musician, but is no less real. And he can do a lot more than bite his reed, believe me. The guy is an extraordinary saxophonist. Not for everybody, obviously, but that’s part of what makes him special.