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This will be a thread talking about music in general but hopefully jazz music since there seems to be some interest on the board. Jazz stories well here is one for you. The late Art Pepper used to play with Stan Kenton and a solo recording artist one of his side interests (hopefully your sitting down), was a peeping tom. Pepper used to peek in windows I believe at women going around the neighborhood. One time the police arrested him and he got pissed off told the cops I have more talent in my pinky than you do your whole fu%#$& ing body.

Joshua Redman was going to be a lawyer until he won the Thelonious Monk sax competiton a number of years ago. Chris Potter and Eric Alexander were in the top 5. John Coltrane used to play a solo for over an hour and the club owners got mad and told him to more tunes since people got bored and were not buying drinks to hep the club revenue. If you have seen the Arturo Sandoval movie you'll know what I am talking about. Dizzy Gillispie went over to Cuba and heard about this great Cuban trumpet player.He first got off the boat and the taxicab driver said Mr Gillispie I am here to take you to the club. They chit chatted in the cab and Gillispie got to the club to check it out. That night Gillispie got to the club and the Cuban band was playing with the incredible trumpet player screaming high notes that Gillispie was very impressed. He went to check out who was playing the trumpet and guess who it was? It was the taxi driver, Gillispie said hey that's my taxicab driver what in the world,he was shocked. Arturo was a huge fan of Gillispie and was nervous meeting him. Gillispie helped Arturo come to America to play jazz since Castro didn't want his best musicians to leave the island. Pacquito D Rivera also has a similar story about coming to America.

Paul Desmond(Dave Brubeck group) believe it or not got alot of women in his day. The guy looks like a professor/bookworm but the women loved him,must be the glasses?

I think in Europe correct me if I am wrong but they appreciate music more since they take courses in school which help students understand music(music appreciation). The United States kids are not required to take music appreciation classes and don't know the complexities of classical or jazz music. It's always been this way which is why many american artist go to europe to make the money.

When I was in Europe a long time ago I went to Austria and saw where Mozart was born. I was just getting out of high school went to Europe and since I had never traveled before didn't bring a blasted camera. It still makes me mad I didn't take pictures of Germany,England,Austria,Switzerland in a 2 week period I was there. I hope some day I can go back.

Miles Davis got invited to the White House and everyone was sitting down eating dinner. The President's wife asked each person who they were and what they did for a living. I believe Miles Davis said he changed music 4 times and if memory serves correct was pissed that the President's wife didn't know who he was I think Miles refered to her has that crazy white bitch.. Miles had a huge ego is what I am saying.

Miles Davis told Herbie Hancock ( I believe it was him) and the rest of the band members he doesn't believe in practicing. Playing in the moment is what counts to Davis no need to practice jazz riffs it's not jazz improvisation.Charlie Parker when he was starting out showed up at a jam session didn't know the chord changes to a tune and the drummer threw a cymbal at him. Parker left frustrated and began practicing 6-8 hours a day to become the most unique jazz player of the day.

Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young used to play for hours trying to outdo each others solo.Each thought they were better than the other and were very competitive.

The guy in my avatar is blind Cootie Stark, and true piedmont bluesman I had the priviledge to travel and mentor with. The stories I could tell about Italy with a couple blind black musicians in 2001 would fill a page! Cootie was a riot. Every morning he would get up an drink milk and rum, no joke. Yuck. This man could play guitar like no other. A true savant. But when you spent time with him, it crushed you to literally see the pain he grew up in. Yet, he always smiled, said he was 'blessed'...One of my favorite songs of his had a hook that went

'I looked and looked, I searched and searched, but I never saw a u haul behind no hearse!'....

Another great influence on me was 'Big Daddy' Pattman. A one armed harp player from Athens. He used to wear tacky gold chains and drove a silver caddy and had a wife 45 years his junior. He taught me the harp on tour. His wife and I would love to have me ride in the caddy with then instead of the bus, because even in this day and age, they thought they needed a honky int he car in the deep south! BDP would put his wife and small child in the back and say 'boy, get your cracka ass up here and learn somefin!'..He taught me the harp,driving with his knees. Needless to say it was not hard to pay attention! He also taught me alot about music. Once when I was practising I hit a wrong note and he kinda laughed and said 'boy, if that happens when you are on stage, hit that same note three more times and everyone will think it's JAZZ!'... He tuaght me to play 'country harp' not the chicago stuff everyone else plays. What a great man.

And finally Mr Frank Edwards. A guy I played with for years. Here's a clip of one of his famous songs, 'Chicken Raid'. The vrse is 'if the preacher comes around get on the bus and leave the town 'cause he'll eat you out of house and home, I'll sure be glad when the reverend was gone'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cxajUZ9tLM

http://steel.lcc.gatech.edu/~jransone/mrfrank/index.htm

I loved this man. When I first met him in the late 80's, he used to do this 'one man band' act with a harp holder and drum machine, one of those old boss 'Dr Rythym' jobs. It was pretty bad, he would start the drum track and then speed it up or slow it down to suit the song. My buddy Mudcat found a power cord that looked like the one Mr Frank had and disabled it and would switch it out before a show. Poor Mr Frank must have bought dozens of replacements but every time the damn thing would 'break' right before showtime enabling me to play the drums behind him! He never got wise to it, and after a while he just gave upand let me play with him

Now if you would have told me in my teens I would grow up and play blues, polka, dixieland jazz, I would have said your nuts. Funny how that stuff works out, huh? It scares me for my future, lord only knows what crazy crap is in store for me next..But, it was nice learning from these guys who have all passed on, but not before they shared thier wisdom and talent with a bucnha young white kids. Which is really neat, because in the dog eat dog world of music, alot of folks wonmt show you thier 'tricks'. These guys, once you gained thier trust, were happy to teach you. Awesome, great men of the blues!

Great stuff guys!! Thanks!!!

Scout, here is a Basie tune. Watch closely at the 6:00 mark, where Lockjaw Davis just tears it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk3lI-GBjpA


And the "Duke", with a classic. Note how smooth Ben Webster is on that sax. Barney Bigard on the clarinet was also a frequent visitor to Fontainebleau.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOlpcJhNyDI

that poor bastard on the fiddle. you know once the drums and horns got in the mix 'it's over johhny' without amplification it's all but drowned out

BTW, check out this link to a good buddy of mine that passed in 94, Atlanta's premier gentleman of the blues sax Grady Fats Jackson..HIs big trick was he could play 2 saxes at the same time. So if you ever wonder why I was such a Gravy nut, well, now you know!

http://mp3.rhapsody.com/album/black-top ... reak-blues

LOL...well that solves one of the longest remaining mysteries of all time!!!

Way cool, gus. Those old school country guys are professors in their own right--whether they play music or not! Dying breed.

I just listened to the clip good stuff. Yes Lockjaw Davis played a killer solo on that tune called Wind Machine. I noticed a few jazz quotes or cliches in his playing that are part of many sax players repitore. I also noticed that the music parts were all memorized. I think Ellington also had his band do the same. That style playing reminds me of Earl Bostic(alto player).

Here are two more stories for your interest.

Charlie Parker played on a very hard reed and he challenged local sax players to play on it I guess to embarass them. Many thought they could play on Parker's reeds but many could barely get a sound out and Parker would laugh at them.After the local players tried to blow and were frustrated,Parker took the mothpiece put on sax and blew the daylights out of it.

Doris Day remember her? I have a good friend who is a very good jazz historian told me during the days when she was the lead singer in a big band she would take the players to the bus and have some fun. Needless to say she wasn't a goody to shoes.

Don't believe what you always here the same friend visited the Jazz Hall of Fame in Kansas City. He would listen to the spokeman at the museum talk about Glenn Miller and some other things and realize it was a bunch of crap he was telling customers visiting the museum.

A true legend...Gatemouth!! Those fingers are amazing!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ40kVRvcdk

Here's a question for the musicians can you be a great musician if you don't come from a musical family? What I am talking about can you suceed without coming from a musical family. Conti Condoli the late trumpet player on the Tonight Shopw once said at a lecture I heard he doesn't know any good musicians that didn't come from a musical family.

Of course the likelihood of being a great talented musician helps alot if you come from a musical family however what about the case of Elvis Pressley? I don't believe his parents were musically inclined. There is an up coming piano player who is 14 yrs old now(I'll get the name a little later for the fellas) but at 2 yrs of age the kid never played piano before, didn't come from a musical family but it was said he could here a jazz piano player play on the radio and go to the piano and play the exact piece solo and melody at 2 yrs old. I guess you need a tape recorder mind however to be a great musician it's about individuallity not mimicing someone although it's a good start. Dave Sanborn said he knows a 1000 tenor players who play like Coltrane who cares. What do you have to say that is different?

Richard Marx was asked a few years ago what he thought about American Idol. He said he didn't like it.It was like finding out who the worst singers were at karoke.Who cares about singers getting on stage singing a 1968 tune.

There are few innovators in any discipline but if you are one there is a chance for greatness.

Here's another story I found fascinating. One key skill for any jazz player is the ability to have a good ear. Picking tunes up and playing them instantly.Some people can do it in fact John Smoltz the former Braves pitcher I think has this ability playing accordian. Anyway pitch perception can be developed in fact here is a story from Jamey Abersold the jazz educator. Aebersold said that he used to carry a harmonica and constantly play a note,sing it and eventually memorize the sound of all notes. It's not perfect pitch or relative pitch but the fact you can teach yourself pitch memorization is just another way to overcome the obstacles that many are not born with a great ear.

I wouldn't know. I can't play anything well. I dabble in a few things, but I am just not musically inclined. My grandmother, who played piano in the same Baptist Church for 50 years, tried to teach me to play. However my Father put an end to that, saying "No boy of mine is going to play the piano". Yeah, like I was going to be the next Elton John or something...lol..

I was better at sports anyway. To this day, I don't trust an football player who plays the piano.

I bet Brian Baldinger has a hellacious chord span with his left hand though.

Joey,Joey,Joey!

I mentioned Phil Woods earlier he was the sax player on tunes such has Just The Way You Are, It's My Turn with Jill ??...and the movie where Jackie Gleason played a poolplayer. I have heard all the traditonal jazz players and Phil is right up at the top at least in the same breath has Parker.

Im not sure about that...in 2003 when I worked for 680 I met him in studio I knew he was coming in. I brought my box he asked me to play it for him and then asked me if he could try of course! He was good but didnt have that skill which I don't have either but I have seen before.I ran into him in I think 2005 in Helen and he remebered myname. My head swelled!

I heard the Smoltz story a long time ago by a tv commentator, you could be right.Oh well guess you can't trust commentators all the time.

Here are 3 clips of the great Arturo Sanodval the most multitalented jazz musician in the business in my opinion. I know we have are Wynton fans but I love Arturo's playing watch and you'll see. The first clip is the 2 part of 4 at a concert. The 2nd clip is Arturo playing with Dizzy Gillespie and the the 3rd is Arturo playing piano.

Arturo is the guy I mentioned on the other MJ thread his music teacher thought he had no musical talent. Arturo is on another planet compare to most musicians.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOyE_3uODFE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TChocbG_TTI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYOP4Ul16-U

I hate this thread because I hate music! MWA HA HA HA

oh, you are one sick bastard

BB, Arturo Sandoval is going to be heading your way. If at all possible you need to see this player. I am a jazz fanatic and have seen Arturo a few times and he takes your breath away.He's unlike any instrument player I have seen and it would be something you would remember forever.

Not sure if there are tickets left arturo's webiste is Arturosandoval.com

Luxembourg
July 12th, 2009
Festival Biannuel Thématique
Venue : Centre Sportif Oberkorn
Address : Avenue du Parc des Sports, 4671 Differdange, Luxembourg
Show time : 8 :00 PM

Rijeka, Croatia
July 17th, 2009
Rijeka Summer Nights Festival
Venue : Streljana
Address : Drenovski, Put 26, Rijeca, Croatia
Show time : 9 :30 PM

Reims, France
July 18th, 2009
Les Flaneries Musicales de Reims
Arturo Sandoval – Concert Pique - Nique
Venue : Parc de Champagne
Address : 10 Avenue du Général Giraud, Reims, Champagne – Ardenne 51100, France
Show time : 7:00 PM

Thanks for the tip Scout. I have seen him twice before. Once in Heidelberg and once in the Alte Oper in Frankfurt. Well worth the time. However..... most of July I will be following the Tour de France around as I do every year.

OK BB interesting you have seen him twice. What did you think of Sandoval? There are not alot of non sax players intruemntalist I like but Arturo is one of the few I love. Sandoval and Michael Brecker are at the top for crossover players. Players who can play traditional and contemporary jazz both exceptional. I was really tore to pieces when Brecker died a few years ago since he has influenced more sax player since Coltrane than any other player except probably Sanborn. Brecker was a very humble man and would always take time for people .Sandoval I heard was cocky just a huge ego from some of the best trumpet players in Los Angeles.

If you haven't seen the Arturo Sandoval story you should rent the movie or buy it.It's probably very cheap on amazon.com. Andy Garcia plays Sandoval and I thought did a great job.

I can't get into the Tour de France bicyling just aint my bag. I do respect the riders since I knew of a guy in college who was heavy into it. Over here in the USA it doesn't make the front pages but over in Europe I am sure it does.Baseball,basketball and football always have been the most popular over in the USA.

Ben Webster - The Brute


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoYc4XV7M8o