Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.--Benjamin Franklin America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.--Abraham Lincoln … [Read more...]
Archives for July 4, 2006
Comment: Jazz Compass
Jason Crane writes concerning the Doug's Picks item about John La Barbera (right-hand column): If I'm not mistaken, Joe is a co-owner of Jazz Compass with Clay Jenkins, Tom Warrington and Larry Koonse. The label has put out a crop of high-quality releases. It's refreshing to see the players taking … [Read more...]
New CD And Book Picks
In the right column under Doug's Picks, you will find three new CD entries and a timely book tip. A new DVD entry will follow before the week is out, if I can get ahead of the apricot and cherry harvesting long enough to watch the one I have in mind. The birds got most of the Royal Annes and Bings, … [Read more...]
CD: Ralph Burns
Ralph Burns, Perpetual Motion (Fresh Sound). Infrequently mentioned today, Burns was one of the great jazz arrangers of the 1940s and 50s, with a later career scoring for radio, TV and motion pictures. His arrangements were central to the success of several Woody Herman herds. The final movement of … [Read more...]
CD
Jenny Scheinman, 12 Songs (Cryptogramophone). Scheinman is the violinist who mesmerized a Portland Jazz Festival audience earlier this year as a member of guitarist Bill Frisell's Unspeakable Orchestra. Frisell is aboard here as a member of Scheinman's band, and much, but no means all, of the … [Read more...]
CD
John La Barbera, On The Wild Side (Jazz Compass). This has been out for three years, but I just caught up with it. I'm glad that I did. La Barbera's arrangements for Buddy Rich and Woody Herman impressed me years ago, and so does this new batch. The album bears endorsements by Elmer Bernstein and … [Read more...]
DVD:Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett, Tokyo Solo (ECM). With this magnificent DVD, the pianist banishes worries that his years under seige by chronic fatigue syndrome may have ended his solo career. He demonstrates, too, that he has learned the discipline of self-editing, reducing the average length of his inventions … [Read more...]
Book
Catherine Dinker Bowen, Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May-September 1787 (Back Bay). With all of today's arguments about what is, isn't or should be constitutional, Bowen's classic offers a refresher course on the original arguments, who made them, why, and how … [Read more...]
After John Lewis, Who?
Deborah, who may or may not have a last name, wrote a few days ago about her encounter with "I Remember Clifford" and followed up with this message. Thank you for helping to educate me! Regarding the John Lewis-Wonderful World of Jazz album ... I have twice given it to other jazz newbies, but new … [Read more...]
The Last Word
Our colloquy on annoying, useless, stupid and redundant words and phrases could probably go on forever, but it won't. It's time to wrap it up with these entries from Rifftides readers. Any time soon. Ramping up. Heart-wrenching. (From Gene Lees) Add to the list of unnecessary expressions: "To … [Read more...]