Jazz for aficionados

Rok, I'm sure you know by now that Gene Ammons is heavy on my play list. Canadian Sunset and Hittin the Jug were also on jukeboxes in jazz lounges, including one in San Antonio named "The Lifesaver".


   

0-10 to my hears Sonny was a more "everything" than any other Saxophone player . He could go from the sweetest lullaby to an Atom bomb
in a flash .
Of course , I am a very biased old man and I could be wrong , with much less hears than anybody on here .

Schubert, some people like chocolate, some like vanilla, while others like strawberry; it's all about what floats your boat.

***********Schubert, "Cherokee" is in the domain of the "heavy hitters" like Bird and Stitt.************

Don’t forget Art Pepper. I have the rare 9 disc box set "Live At The Village Vanguard" from Art’s "comeback" period in the 70’s. The 9 discs were recorded on 3 nights Friday through Sunday.


Anyway Friday night opening residency first set closing song is Cherokee. Before playing Art spoke to the audience as follows word for word:

"We are gonna close this set with our rendition of the tune in the bible of the jazz musician... if you cant play this don’t play.... Cherokee.... that’s jazz I mean if you cant play this and play the crap  outa it don’t play the horn.... or the drums or anything...… break it 123....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFEyZf4Fw0s

The intro to Cherokee I wrote word for word from Art during the Friday night show. I could not find the Friday night "Cherokee with intro" so I improvised. I listened to the intro on my pc until I got it all down the used the Saturday night rendition of Cherokee (all I could find on You Tube).

Art Pepper, during his comeback was on methadone but in the book he and his wife Laurie wrote "Straight Life" Art discussed this 3 night residency and recording at the Village Vanguard. He was obsessed with getting everything just right and started snorting cocaine When they arrived in NY and he never went to sleep until the last set on Sunday was over. 4 days and nights straight with no sleep and he still played terrific on every set.


His band for these shows was an all star line up with Elvin Jones on drums, George Cables on Piano and George Mraz on bass.

Here is another great book on Art Pepper written by his wife Laurie after he died. Its titled "Why I Stuck With A Junkie Jazz Man"

https://www.amazon.com/ART-Why-Stuck-Junkie-Jazzman/dp/1494297574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400004...

I have read it and its a great read if you like that sort of thing.

Amazon blurb:

Art Pepper told his sexy, sordid, and exciting true adventure stories to his lover, Laurie, who put them in a book. She quizzed him (and those who knew him) unrelentingly over seven years, editing and structuring a narrative to which she dedicated all her energy. Straight Life by Art and Laurie Pepper (Da Capo) was published in 1979. It was critical success and remains a classic of its kind, the subject of college literary and music studies. Laurie went on to marry Art and manage his resurgent career, touring the world with his band.

“Why I Stuck with a Junkie Jazzman” was the headline some editor gave a newspaper interview Laurie did while the band was in Australia in 1981, and she’s now stolen that “that perfect title” for her memoir. ART: Why I Stuck with a Junkie Jazzman (APMCorp), describes her marriage to the deeply troubled, drug-addicted, madly gifted artist. “That marriage was the making of me,” says Laurie. “Some people go to grad school or join the Marines. I married a genius who valued and inspired me and challenged me to use MY gifts. We had a difficult, powerful partnership. I had to tell that story.” She says she also needs to set the record straight and clarify her role: “People think I was some kind of little wifey-saint who rescued him. And Art encouraged them in that. But he knew how truly crazy I could be. We rescued each other.”