Niels Myrner: Funky New Orleans Snare/Bass Drum Solo

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Musical. Fun to watch. Fun to hear. Thank you, Niels Myrner

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Brian Auger: That Ain’t Miles to Me!

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Scott K Fish
Brian Auger standing

Brian Auger standing

SKF NOTE: Yesterday, Brian Auger‘s statement below caught my eye. I confess I’m not familiar with Brian Auger’s music. Yes, I remember his name while growing up. But I never bought his music. Apparently, neither did any of my circle of musician friends. That’s fine. That’s what makes horse racing.

Two things come to mind reading Mr. Auger’s 1973 opinion of Miles Davis‘s music. First, how tough it is for musical pioneers. I too was confused when I first heard Miles’s Bitches Brew and subsequent fusion albums — including On The Corner. But I didn’t dismiss them. Instead, I thought, “I don’t understand this music.” It made no sense that a brilliant musician like Miles Davis would assemble in the recording studio other brilliant musicians — and produce musical garbage. 

on_the_cornerEventually, after listening to all of Miles’s albums leading up to Bitches Brew, after reading interviews with Miles, other musicians on the dates, producer Teo Macero, and bassist/producer Bill Laswell — I had a much better sense of the music, and like it very much.

Maybe Brian Auger had a similar experience.

Finally, Mr. Auger seems to skip right over Miles’s Second Great Quintet. And I wonder if, when this interview took place, he wasn’t familiar with the group. Or did he not like the Second Great Quintet’s music either?

Brian Auger: Now when it comes to Miles — Miles is always Miles. I really respect the guy. The series of albums he did back in the late 50s and early 60s with Gil Evans, were absolute mind blowers. But I just went out and bought On The Corner. I’m afraid he’s going to have to do better than that — that ain’t Miles to me! That was the first time I realized rock had gotten to Miles.

Source: Brian Auger “Ten Years Later”, by Frankie Nemko, October 25, 1973, Down Beat.

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Pat LaBarbera: Buddy Rich Makes Me Want to Play

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Scott K Fish
Pat LaBarbera with Buddy Rich

Pat LaBarbera with Buddy Rich

Pat LaBarbera: I like to play with Buddy because he builds a fire in me. He makes me want to play. When he says that he wants to stretch out a tune, he really plays behind you. A lot of cats tend to think of him, more or less, as a soloist than the type of drummer who plays as a timekeeper.

Source: Profile: Pat LaBarbera, Tenor Saxophonist with Buddy Rich, [author not listed], October 25, 1973, Down Beat

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A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters is Coming 11/6/2015

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Scott K Fish

A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters is Coming 11/6/2015

JColtrane-ALS-3CD_COVER_300dpiCMYK1

John Coltrane and his classic quartet (Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison and McCoy Tyner) went into the legendary Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey and recorded A Love Supreme–the four-part suite that has influenced musicians and reached generations of fans far beyond the jazz world. Far less known is the fact that Coltrane, his classic quartet and two additional musicians–the legendary saxophonist Archie Shepp and second bassist, Dr. Art Davis–returned to the studio the next day to cut the opening part of the suite again. Until now, the complete picture of what happened on those two days, including all takes, overdubs, and even studio chatter, has been unavailable.

That will change on 6 November when Verve will release A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters…. It will include this alternate version, taken from reels from the personal collection of John Coltrane and originally recorded in incredible sonic detail by Rudy Van Gelder, along with revised notes and detailed information on these amazing lost sessions.

…A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters brings together all existing recordings and written outlines for the first time to paint the most comprehensive and accurate picture of the A Love Supreme story. It reveals how Coltrane’s masterpiece came together, from its initial conception as a nine-piece performance–it turns out the original plan was for a nine-piece band, including three Latin percussionists–to how it changed and developed in the studio. …The Complete Masters is the first to feature all six takes of “Acknowledgement,” the opening section of the suite, in their entirety….. The box also presents takes one and two of the track “Acknowledgement” from the sextet sessions in stereo for the first time.

A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters will be available in two formats: a 2-CD set, including the original best-selling album, along with unreleased mono “reference” versions of two tracks, owned by Coltrane himself, and seven unreleased performances from the two sessions. A 32-page booklet features an extensive essay by Ashley Kahn, noted producer, instructor and author of A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album, rare photographs from the sessions and all of Coltrane’s surviving musical sketches and written elements for the groundbreaking, four-part suite, including the words that would become the poem, “A Love Supreme.”

A 3-CD “Super Deluxe Edition” adds what is currently the only documented live recording of the album, a spirited, impromptu performance from the Festival Mondial du Jazz Antibes in July 1965…. This 3-CD set is presented in a larger format that includes additional information about the live material and a personal introduction by Carlos Santana.

Full Story

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Steve Gadd: Working with Chick was Inspiring and Confusing

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Somewhere along the way I paid $4.98 for an interesting book of music interviews and photographs by Julie Coryell and Laura Friedman: Jazz-Rock Fusion: The People, The Music. Ms. Coryell did the interviewing. Ms. Friedman, the photo shoots. I have to fact check this, but I believe I worked with Laura when I was at Modern Drummer. That is, Laura may have done some photo shooting for an MD article or more.

steve_gaddLaura’s black-and-white photo of Steve Gadd has always been a favorite. Right down to Steve’s box of Marlboro’s, butane lighter, and lit cigarette in hand.

This segment from Julie Coryell’s interview has Steve talking about the major impact Chick Corea‘s drumming had on Steve. Gadd spoke about this in another interview (Down Beat?) where he said Chick Corea was explaining and showing Steve Tony Williams‘s concept.

Good stuff worth passing on. 

steve_gadd_coverJulie Coryell: After college you played with Chick Corea. What was that like?

Steve Gadd: Chick came to Rochester and formed a band. Chuck Mangione, Chick, Joe Romano, Frank Polaro, and me. We were working six nights a week. We got into the same kind of stuff that Miles was doing and the influence came from Chick. Working with Chick was inspiring and confusing….

I could play with all my might all night without getting tired, but there was something that just wasn’t happening; there wasn’t a real blend. …Chick was feeling real locked in to the way I was playing, because I was playing a very rhythm-oriented thing….

One afternoon Chick said let’s go down to the club and play. I said great. He ended up playing some drums for a while and I watched him. I said, holy s**t, not because he was a great technician, but just the musical approach — he got so much more music out of the instrument.

Chick had to go into New York for the weekend and…when he came back the band was steaming. I forgot the backbeat, eliminated playing the high-hat on two and four. There’s a thin line between real free-form music and music that’s loose, where one isn’t really heavily influenced. There’s a thin line between when it happens and when it’s b******t.

Steve Gadd circa 1978

Steve Gadd circa 1978

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