Six years ago when Rifftides was a year old, we asked readers to send information about the music they were turning on, and vice versa. There was a deluge of replies. It took several days of long posts to accommodate the responses. It’s time to do it again. The invitation went something like this:
The Rifftides staff is interested in what our readers around the world are listening to. Please take a moment to send a message with your name (if you care to disclose it), your location and the most recent music on your iPod, smartphone, CD player, tape deck, wire recorder, turntable or cylinder machine. Many of you listen to a wide range of music that the rest of us would like to know about. Don’t worry about genres; who needs pigeonholes? We will keep track of your responses and compile a report when we have a sizeable list.
The last time we did this, it took extensive post-production work to get all of the responses published, but it was worth it. Part of the staff is saying, “Oh, no, not again,” but they’ve been overruled. To send your choice or choices, click on “Contact Me” at the top of this page.
I’ll get the ball rolling:
Kenny Garrett, Seeds From the Underground.
Brian Lewis (violin), London Symphony Orchestra, Bernstein: Serenade, McLean: Elements. I recently heard Lewis play the McLean with Lawrence Golan and the Yakima Symphony Orchestra and ordered the CD the next day.
Doug Ramsey,
Yakima, Washington, USA.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
The new(ish) Steal Away by Hank Jones and Charlie Haden.