I've Got the Saint Louis Blues:

Miles Plays for Lovers

2009-03-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Miles' version of 'Round Midnight will put you in a black and white French movie. You can smell the cigarattes, hear the rain, taste the booze, and see The Girl.

This is Miles in the 50s.

From Concord:
One of the most haunting sounds to emerge from the 20th century emanated from Miles Davis’s trumpet. Whether the bell of that horn was open or filled by his trademark Harmon mute, Davis (1926-1991) soloed with surpassing beauty. From 1953 to 1956 he established himself as one of the preeminent balladeers; it was also during this period that he formed his first great quintet, featuring a rapidly-developing tenor saxophonist named John Coltrane. On “’Round Midnight,” “It Never Entered My Mind,” and “My Funny Valentine” (which Coltrane sat out), Davis’s band brought new depth and intimacy to love songs, with the trumpeter’s restrained lyricism offset by Coltrane’s voluble approach. Elsewhere, Davis is joined by such giants as Horace Silver, Charles Mingus (co-composer, with Miles, of the moody blues “Smooch”), and Elvin Jones. Here is a great artist playing for lovers—and offering nary a sentimental note.

From AMG:
Miles Davis Plays for Lovers collects a number of ballads from the trumpeter's mid-'50s albums to create a lovely late-night disc for friends, night owls, and couples in love. The core band for three-quarters of the album consists of trumpeter Davis, tenor John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. There's an elegant beauty to pieces like "My Funny Valentine" and "You're My Everything," featuring the rhythm section's spare, tasteful backdrop and the carefully chosen notes of Davis and Coltrane's horns. Even when this lineup shifts occasionally, the low-light mood remains. Bassist Charles Mingus lends a hand on "Smooch" and "Easy Living," while pianist Horace Silver chimes in on "You Don't Know What Love Is." There are fabulous takes of "'Round Midnight," originally recorded for Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, and the peaceful, melancholy closer, "When I Fall in Love." Davis' refined trumpet style, with its full-bodied notes and use of quiet spaces, has reached an early peak here. One also notices the intricate ensemble work by these various groups, with each musician playing just the right number of notes. Plays for Lovers is an exquisite disc that will also serve as a fine introduction to Davis' 1953-1956 work.

Ben Ratliff, Author of New Coltrane Biography

2007-11-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Ratliff, the jazz critic for the New York Times, isn't interested in simply retelling the biographical facts of John Coltrane's life.

Instead, he analyzes how the saxophone player came to be regarded as the last major figure in the evolution of jazz, tracing both the evolution of his playing style and the critical reception to it.

The first half of this study concentrates on Coltrane's career, from his early days as a semianonymous sideman to his final, increasingly experimental recordings, while the second half explores the growth of Coltrane's legacy after his death.

Ratliff has a keen sense of Coltrane's constantly changing sound, highlighting the collaborative nature of jazz by discussing the bands he played in as both sideman and leader. (One of the more intriguing asides is a suggestion that Coltrane's alleged LSD use might have inclined him toward a more cooperative mode of performance.)

The consideration of Coltrane's shifting influence on jazz—and other modern musical forms—up to the present day is equally vigorous, refusing to rely on simple adulation. Always going past the legend to focus on the real-life stories and the actual recordings, Ratliff's assessment is a model for music criticism.

Notes on Music:

Ben Ratliff and Alex Ross discuss the state of the art form and the experience of listening:

http://www.slate.com/id/2177726/

Still Chasin’ the Trane

2007-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

From Newsweek:

Forty years after his death, the jazz world still lives in the shadow of saxophone demigod John Coltrane.

At a press conference in Tokyo in 1966, almost exactly a year before he died of liver cancer at the age of 40, was asked, "What would you like to be in 10 years?" He replied, "I would like to be a saint." It was an arresting answer, but by then Coltrane believed he had found the divine in music and was desperate to share what he had discovered. "I believe that men are here to grow themselves into the best good that they can be," he said. "If I ever become this, it will just come out of the horn." From the Coltrane we meet in 's new biography, "Coltrane: The Story of a Sound," that Coltrane became the best good seems indisputable. In his all-too-short career he radically reshaped the world of jazz both as a composer and a performer. Before he came along, most jazz musicians took standards and then improvised over the chord changes. Coltrane thought nothing of playing for half an hour over a single chord ("India"). Or he might use an established form like the blues as the takeoff point for improvisation so fast and blistering that he all but incinerates the form as he goes along ("Chasin' the Trane"). He could compose and play with etudelike exactitude ("Countdown"), and he could play music that seems to have no form except as he defines it note by frenetic note, as though he were translating the contents of his soul into musical form right on the spot ("Intersteller Space"). In roughly a decade he went from being a more or less conventional sideman to the creator of music so radical it still sounds as if it was written tomorrow. If it is in fact a question of sainthood, there's certainly no one ahead of him in line.

Read the rest here.

Introducing Ms. Lucy Gillespie

2007-11-09T16:54:00.000-08:00

On October 30th

10.53 pm

LUCY CATHARINE GILLESPIE

Entered the World

She is beautiful, wise, and perfect.

The St. Louis I Never Saw--Bowling Capital of the Western World!

2007-10-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

I got to see a lot in the month while I was in Missouri. I got to go to two Cardinals games, visit the wine country, eat in "Oprah's Favorite Restaurant" *as identified by Patt-uh-son, go up the arch, wander around in Soulard, take full advantage of the "tasting bar" at the Budweiser factory, and listen to a heck of a lot of jazz. But the only thing I didn't get to do was play a frame or two of bowling at the sacred site for pin monkeys, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.

Thankfully, the Steffens Collective was able to squeeze in a game or two while their plane was delayed. The following pictures, taken by Noreen Steffens, are as close as I'll ever come to seeing a giant bowling pin car.

How did they score? Everyone is a winner at the IBMAHOF!

For more, see the official site: http://www.bowlingmuseum.com/

There you can find the answers to these pressing questions:

When was the American Bowling Congress founded?
When was bowling a part of the Olympics?
In France today there are how manydifferent types of bowling being played?

Did you know: A British anthropologist, Sir Flinders Petrie, discovered in the 1930's a collection of objects in a child's grave in Egypt that appeared to him to be used for a crude form of bowling. If he was correct, then bowling traces its ancestry to 3200 BC.

Or that German historian, William Pehle, asserted that bowling began in his country about 300 AD. There is substantial evidence that a form of bowling was in vogue in England in 1366, when King Edward III allegedly outlawed it to keep his troops focused on archery practice. And it is almost certain that bowling was popular during the reign of Henry VIII.

St. Louis Steffens Special--The Recliner

2007-10-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

October 20--Happy Birthday, Dan Steffens!

2007-10-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue, but I can't think of a better time to get to it. During the last weekend of the NEH Jazz Seminar I was visited by Birthday Boy Dan Steffens and a coterie of Brooklynites. His love for beer, baseball, and nights out on the town are only exceeded by his love for travel to new places where the beer, baseball and towns are all new to him. So, when he first heard that I was coming to the Lou to listen to jazz records, he checked the Cardinals schedule and the flight departure times, called a few friends, and faster than you can say Bevo the Budweiser Fox, he was up in the arch.

The view from our hotel room...the arch, the Mississippi, Busch Stadium.

Kelly, meeting people wherever she goes.

Noreen famously said that if you looking to go on vacation but have no money, head to St. Louis. In the course of a few hours, we went from going to a bar/restaraunt that offered a ridiculous happy hour (prompting us to order every appetizer they could drop into a deep fryer) to walking into a place on Laclede's Landing where everything was free. Seriously. Food, drinks. Everything. Free! I am not exaggerating. Free, as in no cover charge, no nothing. I don't even think they had a cash register in the place.

I have posted before about the unusual and interesing fare that make St. Louis a destination for the regular-guy gormand: Friend Ravioli, Gooey Buttercake, BBQ Pork Butt, Fitz's soda, strange pizza. But this might take the cake.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Tavern Egg. Hard boiled egg, wrapped in pork sausage, corn meal, and batter, then deep fried. Even the waitress tried to talk me out of ordering it. But what can I say? Not too bad, especially with a few A-B products. Tastes like Easter dipped in Scrapple.

Note: All pictures by Noreen Steffens.

Dear John, Dear Coltrane

2007-10-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Dear John, Dear Coltrane
by Michael S. Harper

a love supreme, a love supreme

Sex fingers toes
in the marketplace
near your father's church
in Hamlet, North Carolina—
witness to this love
in this calm fallow
of these minds,
there is no substitute for pain:
genitals gone or going,
seed burned out,
you tuck the roots in the earth,
turn back, and move
by river through the swamps,
singing: a love supreme, a love supreme;
what does it all mean?
Loss, so great each black
woman expects your failure
in mute change, the seed gone.
You plod up into the electric city—
your song now crystal and
the blues. You pick up the horn
with some will and blow
into the freezing night:
a love supreme, a love supreme—

Dawn comes and you cook
up the thick sin 'tween
impotence and death, fuel
the tenor sax cannibal
heart, genitals, and sweat
that makes you clean—
a love supreme, a love supreme—
Why you so black?
cause I am
why you so funky?
cause I am
why you so black?
cause I am
why you so sweet?
cause I am
why you so black?
cause I am
a love supreme, a love supreme:

So sick
you couldn't play Naima,
so flat we ached
for song you'd concealed
with your own blood,
your diseased liver gave
out its purity,
the inflated heart
pumps out, the tenor kiss,
tenor love:
a love supreme, a love supreme—
a love supreme, a love supreme—

Michael S. Harper, "Dear John, Dear Coltrane" from Songlines in Michaeltree: New and Collected Poems.

See more:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=171552

St. John Coltrane, Pray for Us

2007-09-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.coltranechurch.org/

Saint John Coltrane Church

1286 Fillmore Street

San Francisco, CA 94115

Founders Archbishop Franzo King and Reverend Mother Marina King began this work in 1971 under the name of “One Mind Temple Evolutionary Transitional Body of Christ.” The inspiration came after the young couple had seen John Coltrane perform live in San Francisco in the year 1965. Being raised in the Pentecostal Church, Franzo King knew the presence of the Lord when it came through the power of the Holy Ghost. Seeing John Coltrane and hearing his sound that night was that familiar feeling he knew since childhood. It was the presence of God. Archbishop King refers to this as a “sound baptism” which touched their hearts and minds. Further investigation into this man proved him to be not just a “jazz musician” but one who was chosen to guide souls back to God.

More "Giant Steps" Follow Closely!

2007-09-23T09:52:00.001-07:00

The genius of Coltrane continued. Watch the notes move as the music flies. An incredibly inventive video.

Coltrane's "Giant Steps" Performed by Robot

2007-09-23T09:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, John Coltrane

2007-09-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

September 23 is the birthday of John Coltrane, born in Hamlet, North Carolina (1926). When asked to describe his style, he said, "I start in the middle of a sentence and move both directions at once."

Coltrane is, at heart, a Philadelphian, having moved here after high school. It remained his base of operations even as he began to tour the country playing for Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson, Johnny Hodges and Dizzy Gillespie. His home at 1511 N. 33rd has been designated a landmark, and although it is not open to the public, it is a nice reminder of a time when musical celebrities remained part of the neighborhood. In an age of gated communities, 24 hour papparazi, bodyguards and stalkers, it is hard to imagine someone keeping it real in Strawberry Mansion. Maybe Britney Spears ought to consider relocating to Frankford.

(A Giant Step - John Coltrane's Philadelphia house designated historic site)

It is hard to describe Coltrane's influence on later players, partly because his genius was so inimitable. Like Charle Parker before him, Coltrane played so spectacularly that his style couldn't be repeated. He does continue to inspire players by his spirit, both as a constant experimenter, one who constantly tried different things, expanding what was considered possible, and also by using jazz as a means of spiritual discovery. Some of his most important works--"Love Supreme," "Ascension," "Om," "Meditations" and others--all explore the lasting questions of God, love, and the longing of the soul.

The New York Times writes, "At a certain point, about 1961, Coltrane’s name became shorthand for the idea of cultural rarefaction. You might remember Coltrane references in movies like Woody Allen’s “Alice” or Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” or from books like Ken Kesey’s “Sometimes a Great Notion”: they propose Coltrane as a kind of sacred mystery, an unparsable source of enlightenment. But he was a down-home character too, and the raw country sound was always with him. "

Enjoy this down-home enlightenment:

Listen to "Blue Train," the title track from his 1957 album, the only one he made for legendary Blue Note Records. Trane is joined by an impressive set of musicians including Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Kenny Drew (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). Warning: this is a ten minute song.

Listen to "Nutty" from the historic collaboration Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane.

Visit johncoltrane.com

Jazz in an Unexpected Place: Bengalis in Boston

2007-09-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

"When she went upstairs to change, Shukumar poured himself some wine and put on a record, a Thelonius Monk album he knew she liked."

--"A Temporary Matter" from Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.

This story will break your heart and then punch you in the gut. It is the first and perhaps most affecting story in an excellent collection. Without giving too much away, it is the story of a young couple, a nightly power outage, dinner conversations, and the difficulty we have in communicating the difficult.

Thelonious Sphere Monk at All About Jazz:

Thelonious Institute offers a jazz curriculum, library, and a whole bunch of audio "snippets."

Other bits of goodness:

In classical mythology, Thelonious is a son of Mercury (featured in Ovid's Metamorphoses.)

The coffee-shop that is frequented in the show Seinfeld is called Monk's after Thelonious Monk. Apparently there was a Thelonious Monk poster hanging in the room Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld would write the script.

Listen to these:

"Blues Five Spot" (Also known as the "Five Spot Blues," it takes its title friom the famous New York Club where Monk had a long lasting residency. It is the place that made Monk a star while he in turn made it into the premier jazz club in America. Do not confuse it with this place. This version features full backing band.)

"I Should Care" (a short piano only track from his album Solo Monk.)

Another favorite, but I don't have it handy, is "Straight, No Chaser."

More from Joe Z.

2007-09-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

On my way home today I was listening to local radio station 88.5 WXPN when all of a sudden came on this great tune. When it finished, the DJ identified it as "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by the Cannonball Adderly Quintet. The piece was written by his keyboardist, Joe Zawinul.

Even if you don't like jazz, you'll love this one. You can smell the cigarette smoke in the air. Great intro, too.

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"

For serious jazz fans, you might also like this one:
"Birdland" by Weather Report

This song is a pretty good example of "fusion," a style I am typically not crazy about, but this has a catchy melody line. One critic says, "'Birdland' is a remarkable bit of record-making, a unified, ever-developing piece of music that evokes, without in any way imitating, a joyous evening on 52nd St. with a big band."

An interesting sidenote: "Weather Report started out as a jazz equivalent of what the rock world in 1970 was calling a "supergroup." But unlike most of the rock supergroups, this one not only kept going for a good 15 years, it more than lived up to its billing, practically defining the state of the jazz-rock art throughout almost all of its run." For more on supergroups, see the R.L.P.A.

Joe Zawinul was born in Earth time on 07 July 1932 and was born in Eternity time on 11 September 2007

2007-09-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Joe Zawinul, a white European who mastered the music of Black America, passed away today at the age of 75. Seen as a pioneer in jazz-rock fusion, electronic jazz, and the father of the Jazz Synthesizer, he made his mark working with Miles Davis.

From the Wires:

Jazz legend Joe Zawinul dies at 75

By VERONIKA OLEKSYN, Associated Press

Joe Zawinul, who soared to fame as one of the creators of jazz fusion and performed and recorded with Miles Davis, died early Tuesday, a hospital official said. He was 75.

Zawinul had been hospitalized since last month. A spokeswoman for Vienna's Wilhelmina Clinic confirmed his death without giving details. His manager, Risa Zincke, said Zawinul suffered from a rare form of skin cancer, according to the Austria Press Agency.

Zawinul won widespread acclaim for his keyboard work on chart-topping Davis albums such as "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew," and was a leading force behind the so-called "Electric Jazz" movement.

In 1970, Zawinul founded the band Weather Report and produced a series of albums including "Heavy Weather," "Black Market" and "I Sing the Body Electric." After that band's breakup, he founded the Zawinul Syndicate in 1987.

Zawinul, who was born in the Austrian capital, Vienna, and emigrated to the United States in 1959, is credited with bringing the electric piano and synthesizer into the jazz mainstream.
This past spring, he toured Europe to mark the 20th anniversary of the Zawinul Syndicate. He sought medical attention when the tour ended, the Viennese Hospital Association said in a statement last month.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer said Zawinul's death meant the loss of a "music ambassador" who was known and cherished around the world. "As a person and through his music, Joe Zawinul will remain unforgettable for us all," Fischer said in a statement.

Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer praised Zawinul's "unpretentious way of dealing with listeners" and said he wasn't "blinded by superficialities."

"Wherever he performed, he impressed with his playing," Gusenbauer said in a statement.
Zawinul's son, Erich, said his father would not be forgotten. "He lives on," Erich Zawinul was quoted as saying by APA.

Zawinul played with Maynard Ferguson and Dinah Washington before joining alto saxophonist great Cannonball Adderley in 1961 for nine years, according to a biography on his Web site. With Adderley, Zawinul wrote several important songs, among them the slow and funky hit "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy."

Zawinul then moved on to a brief collaboration with Miles Davis, at the time Davis was moving into the electric arena. It was Zawinul's tune "In a Silent Way" that served as the title track of Davis' first electric foray.

Funeral plans were not immediately released, but Vienna Mayor Michael Haeupl told reporters he would be given an honorary grave in the capital.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_en_mu/storytext/obit_zawinul/24414691/SIG=10tmhgr1u/*http://www.zawinulmusic.com

TRANE-ING MISSION: Two events celebrate John Coltrane

2007-08-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

By SHAUN BRADY
For the Daily News

JAZZ LEGEND John Coltrane was once quoted as saying, "I know that there are evil forces in the world, but I want to be a force for good.

"A force for real good."

Four decades after Coltrane's death, that sentiment is being celebrated by two events in the city that he called home for much of his life. Over Labor Day weekend, the Tranestop Resource Institute will host the second annual John Coltrane Jazz Festival at Awbury Arboretum in Germantown; later in the month, altoist and bandleader Bobby Zankel will premiere his four-part suite, "A Force For Good" at North Philly's Church of the Advocate.

Though timed to coincide with his Sept. 23 birthday, both commemorate the 40th anniversary of his passing (the anniversary of which occurred on July 17 with shamefully less fanfare than Elvis Presley's decade-younger anniversary a month later).

The Tranestop Resource Institute, founded in 1979 by Arnold Boyd, who died suddenly last November, is a "nonprofit organization with a mission to advocate, support and preserve African-American music; in particular, African-American classical music, which is jazz and all its derivatives," according to TRI executive director Rosalind Plummer-Wood.

Besides the festival, the institute hosts a series of community concerts throughout the summer.
"The reason it was named Tranestop," Plummer-Wood continued, "was because Philadelphia was a stop on Trane's spiritual and musical development, and the organization was actually established in honor of the spirituality and the discipline of John Coltrane. Our concerts have an educational thrust, to get the word out to audiences that we might not ordinarily have and turn them on to the spiritual and intellectual benefits of being exposed to jazz."

By holding the higher-profile festival each year, explained Raymond Wood - Plummer-Wood's husband and chairman of the executive board at TRI - Tranestop aims to raise the profile of the organization and of Coltrane's Philadelphia presence.

"We hope that the festival makes known that John Coltrane has more than a mural - he has an existence in Philadelphia at a festival level that is nationally recognized," Wood said.

The location of the festival is especially appropriate, the couple stressed, not just because of the natural setting of the Arboretum but because it sits directly opposite the SEPTA R7 train stop.
This year, the festival is divided into a soul/blues day, headlined by R&B master Jerry "The Ice Man" Butler, and a jazz day headlined by Philly saxophonist Odean Pope and his 12-member Saxophone Choir.

The festival will feature appearances by the Philly Blues Messengers, the Barbara Walker Story, vibraphonist Khan Jamal and the Groovin' High Quintet, saluting Dizzy Gillespie.
Pope knew Coltrane as a young man when both lived in North Philly, and he credits the older saxophonist with landing him his first major gig.

Coltrane was playing a two-week stint with organist Jimmy Smith at the now-defunct Spider Kelly's club on Columbia (now Cecil B. Moore) Avenue when he was invited to join Miles Davis' group. Coltrane recommended the 16-year-old Pope to finish the engagement in his place.
"I guess he thought I was good enough to make the gig in his place," Pope recalled, "but I was really scared to death. But from that point I started getting a little better recognition, and it opened up some doors for me."

Pope declared that despite Coltrane's musical innovations, his influence has been primarily in the discipline which Pope witnessed firsthand.

"He was very consistent, and he always stressed to me how important it was to practice every day," Pope said. "Now, if I don't play every day I feel very let down, and I'll be very grumpy and kind of hard to get along with."

Pope's latest Saxophone Choir CD, "Locked and Loaded" (HalfNote), features his arrangements of two Coltrane tunes, "Central Park West" and "Coltrane Time." For this show, Pope promises a few Coltrane pieces as well as a surprise alongside his own originals.

"That was his forte," Pope said about paying tribute to Coltrane by playing new music. "He was about trying to keep the music new and always trying to bring something new to the table."
Bobby Zankel agrees. While his new piece, "A Force For Good," incorporates several Trane-inspired techniques, the composer said that he uses them in a highly individual way.

"My idea of an homage is to take somebody's way of thinking and to expand on it," Zankel explained. "A great teacher is not one who creates imitators, it's one who creates people who are able to advance their approach. I'm trying to do it humbly, but that's what I'm trying to do: take the spirit of the music and the musical train of thought, to make a play on words, and apply it in a personal way."

Zankel will premiere the work with his big band, the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, plus guest appearances by Pope, percussionist Mogauwane Mahloele and vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd, who will recite the poem from the final section of Coltrane's "A Love Supreme."

The event, co-presented by West Philly's Ars Nova Workshop, will take place on Coltrane's birthday at the Church of the Advocate, a center for political activity during the civil rights era, where Coltrane himself played one of his final performances in Philly.

But besides those ties, Zankel said, its mere location in the neighborhood has iconic resonance.
"There's so little music played in North Philadelphia now," Zankel said, "when that was one of the most fertile areas, probably in the whole country, for producing great American musicians. It's unbelievable how many people in the so-called hall of fame, or who have contributed hugely to the history of American culture, came within walking distance of that church."

Zankel also stressed the spiritual influence of Coltrane's music, especially during his own youth. "1967, when I got out of high school," he said, "was an unbelievably turbulent, painful time. People talk about the summer of love, but most people were just going insane from the confusion created by the war. That was really the reality of the time. So the thing that really, in a sense, saved my life was the music that was happening at that time.

"The music from the last period of Trane's life just made me feel that there's a spiritual aspect to life that made me want to create beauty amidst turbulence."

That influence persists in the way that Zankel's Buddhist faith pervades much of his own music.
"He was making these records talking about a love supreme and all these spiritual ideas, and it really felt like he was a priest in a sense - in Buddhism we call it a bodhisattva, someone who's trying to elevate people's lives. When you read the small amount of writing we have in Trane's own words, that was very specifically what he was trying to do.

"He wasn't simply trying to entertain people, he wasn't simply trying to amass a fortune, he wasn't simply trying to be groovy and create ambience for bars," said Zankel. "He was trying to lift people's awareness of the spiritual nature of life and the goodness and potential of humanity. I was a long way from that when I started as a person, but it was really something to aspire to and it always made me feel like that was what music was about." *

Send e-mailto http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/mailto:bradys@phillynews.com.
Second annual John Coltrane Jazz Festival, Awbury Arboretum, 800 block of E. Washington Lane, 1-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, free, 215-438-3178,

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/mailto:thetranestop@comcast.net. Bobby Zankel and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, Church of the Advocate, 18th and Diamond streets, 4 p.m. Sept. 23, $25, http://www.arsnovaworkshop.com/.

Original source:

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20070827_TRANE-ING_MISSION.html

Max Roach, Rest in Peace

2007-08-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

January 10, 1924 to August 16, 2007

See Slate's article: Why Max Roach was the greatest jazz drummer.

http://www.slate.com/id/2172543/fr/flyout

Ironic Conclusion to the T.S. Eliot Quest

2007-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

"The City of St. Louis has affected me more deeply than any other environment has ever done, I consider myself fortunate to have been born here, rather than in Boston, or New York, or London."
---T.S. Eliot

Found on St. Louis promotional material.

The feeling, sadly, is not mutual.

Best Names in the History of Jazz, Part Two: Saint Louis

2007-07-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

All St. Louis edition:

Mound City Blue Blowers
Trimp's Ambassador Bellhops
The Original Saint Louis Crackerjacks (performers of "The Duck's Yass Yass Yass" a song allegedly so ribald the professor wouldn't play a sample")
Albino Red Chapman
Falstaff Foster (Blues player, not jazz)

Final Address to the Institute

2007-07-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

[I thought I might open with a few improvisational remarks before moving on to the memorized portion of my speech. It shouldn’t add more than eight or nine minutes. Kidding! Kidding!]

I didn’t buy my first jazz recording until I was eighteen years old, which is rather late considering Louis Armstrong was playing the cornet before his thirteenth birthday and Mary Lou Williams gave her first piano performance at age six. Then again, Red Holloway is just hitting his peak at 80, so maybe there’s still time. I was a freshman in college when I first got a copy of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. I kept it, alphabetically ordered, between a copy of The Clash’s London Calling and the Dead Milkmen’s Beelzebubba (“One Saturday I took a walk to Zipperhead/ I met a girl there and she almost knocked me dead”). Miles was, needless to say, like nothing I had ever heard before. In any case, I remember playing it for the first time in my dorm room and hearing a piano then bass then finally a blast of horn. Then it went on. And on. For more than nine minutes. It had a beat, a rhythm I could almost feel, but otherwise it was completely foreign. I kept waiting for words that would never come. In short, it both blew my mind and confused the hell out of me. Well, in the past four weeks, with the benefit of engaging and insightful speakers and carefully chosen reading selections, I’ve replaced much of my confusion with practical knowledge, while still occasionally having my mind blown.

One of the most important outcomes of this seminar is that it not only helped me appreciate jazz in particular or music in general in a much richer way—though it has—but that it has genuinely changed the way I look at the complexities of American society. Yes, it is true that I didn’t know what a “blue note” was before or what an “A-A-B-A” song structure was, nor did I know the colorful history of Stalebread Lacoume and his Razzy Tazzy Spasm band or who played drums in Ellington’s rhythm section (for the record, that would be Sonny Greer). And while knowing these things has no doubt enriched my enjoyment of music—and no doubt improved my dinner conversations—they have not, in and of themselves, made me a better teacher. What has done that, and what I will take a way from St. Louis, is an understanding of how jazz music, this wonderful sound born out of New Orleans, incubated in Chicago, dispersed through Kansas City’s territorial bands, matured in New York City, and given to the rest of the world, offers a unique lens in which we can study the cultural transformations of the 20th century and the American character. Music, literature, visual art, dance, economics, politics, sociology, history, these are not separate disciplines in everyday life and should not be taught as such. This is a fact that seemed self-evident to me before, but there is a difference between an intellectual tenet and deeply felt truth. This is the stuff, like a Charlie Parker solo, that when finally understood, blows minds.

If time permits, I would like to address one specific area that appeals directly to my English classroom. Professor Herman Beavers from the University of Pennsylvania, challenged us in a few particular areas. First, he stressed a point made in Guthrie Ramsay’s Race Matters: Music cannot be separated from the conditions that created it. I often find myself asked to teach literature to my seniors in a method called New Criticism, which advocates close reading of texts independent of any background information; in a sense, we are to isolate the words on the page from external influences such as race, class, and gender. This seminar has seriously called into question much of this thinking. In addition, I could cite some of the techniques he suggested for a discussion of time, setting, characterization, space, and identity, but I think it would be more fitting to end with another of Dr. Beaver’s challenges: “Sustain this moment.” Let us not be tourists here, but, as he urged, occupants. And let us take that challenge with us back to home, [improvisational riff ] back to our students.

So, to steal Columbia University professor Dr. Bob O’Meally’s paraphrase of Mark Twain: I apologize. If I had more time, it would have been shorter.

Eating St. Louis IX: Barbeque

2007-07-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

St. Louis consumes more barbeque sauce than anywhere else in the world--more than in Kansas City or Memphis, Dallas or Houston, and probably more than all those bodunk towns in North Carolina. So what took me so long to finally get some BBQ?

I finally found Mama's Coal Pot BBQ in walking distance from Wash U.

If I were truly more adventurous I would have ordered the "Snoot Dinner." Instead, I go the Pork Steak, a true St. Louis original.

Washed it down with an Orange Whistle. The Vess Company has been making soda in STL since 1919. One of their salesmen went on to create a version of his own favorite. You may know it as 7-Up.

Another good local soft drink is from Fitz's. Their specialty is rootbeer, but I also like the Cream Soda.

Annotated Listening: Duke Ellington

2007-07-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ellington, Duke. “Such Sweet Thunder.” Such Sweet Thunder. Sony Records CD, 1999.

After performing two concerts at the Shakespearean Festival in Stratford, Ontario in July of 1956, Duke Ellington, no doubt impressed by the brilliant performance of a young Canadian actor named William Shatner, was inspired to write a jazz suite inspired by the works of the Bard. Composed with long time collaborator Billy Strayhorn, Ellington sought to create a series of musical portraits for some of Shakespeare’s most famous characters. For students and teachers of both literature and music, Ellington’s daring work offers an exciting tool for the discussing the individual personalities of Shakespearean characterization, Ellington’s sophistication and ambition, jazz’ musical vocabulary, and larger questions about music’s ability to create mood, tone, and perhaps even tell a story.
Ellington’s initial work offered eleven songs, each linked to a Shakespearean character: “Sweet Sweet Thunder” is based on Othello; "Sonnet for Caesar" on Julius Caesar; "Sonnet to Hank Cinq" on Henry V; "Lady Mac" on Lady Macbeth; "Sonnet in Search of a Moor" on Othello; "The Telecasters" is for both the Three Witches from Macbeth and Iago from Othello; "Up and Down, Up and Down, I Will Lead Them (Up and Down)" on Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream; "Sonnet for Sister Kate" on Katherine from The Taming of the Shrew; "The Star-Crossed Lovers" on Romeo and Juliet; "Madness in Great Ones" on Hamlet; and "Half the Fun" on Cleopatra. While some tracks work better than others as reflections of Shakespeare’s characters, each is ambitious and interesting in its own right and may be recommended for classroom use.
One of the interesting things about the title track “Such Sweet Thunder” is that while it purports to describe the character of Othello, it is actually a line lifted from another play—it is taken from Hippolyta’s description of Hercules in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Some critics have argued that the title is actually a clever reminder of how jazz was initially dismissed by white listeners; the full quote is “I never heard/so musical a discord, such sweet thunder.” The song itself is a 12-bar blues based on strong drum beats and low horns, but how does Ellington make this piece fit Othello? This may be one of the issues worth exploring in class discussion as there seems to be no clear consensus. Stephen M. Buhler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, suggests that the “music is applied to Othello's accounts of his own experiences (see Othello 1.3. 128-45). Ellington and Strayhorn factor in how these adventures and the man who endured them might have sounded to Desdemona.” Jack Chambers, in his essay Birdland: Shakespeare in Ellington’s World,” is not so convinced, saying, “Unlike the other scenes, however, it is only tangentially Shakespearean. It has no connection to its source play. Originally titled "Cleo," it might have been intended as an evocation of Cleopatra’s sexuality, which certainly works, but instead Ellington always introduced it as (at Juan les Pins in 1966) ‘the sweet swinging line of talk that Othello gave to Desdemona which swayed her into his direction.’ That does not work. It is far from pillow talk, by any criterion. Though it works perfectly as overture, it is one of the pieces that only loosely fits the thematic conception.” An ongoing debate concerning music and the story telling tradition, and one I won’t attempt to answer here, is whether or not music is properly equipped with the necessary devices to narrate. While there is little question that music, especially in the skilled hands of a composer like Ellington, can evoke a mood, create a scene, inspire feeling, and even invite listeners to visualize action, students may enjoy debating the question of whether or not the tracks on Such Sweet Thunder reveals anything about character and plot.

240 people trapped inside the St. Louis Arch after power outage

2007-07-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Not sure if this made the news elsewhere...

ST. LOUIS — Over 200 people were trapped inside the 630-foot Gateway Arch for about two hours after an apparent power outage, authorities said.

The power went out around 8:45 p.m. Saturday, stalling two trams filled with about 40 people each, said Mike Maris, deputy superintendent of the Gateway Arch.

About 100 other people were stranded at the top of the monument of stainless steel, Maris said. He said the evacuation of the south tram, where one of nine cables may have broken, took about two hours.

Power eventually was restored to the north tram, and stranded visitors no longer had to use the stairs to evacuate, said Capt. Steve Simpson, a spokesman for the St. Louis Fire department. He said officials do not know what happened to the equipment.

Simpson said rescue crews treated two people. One was given oxygen and the other was diabetic. He did not elaborate on their treatment.

Eating St. Louis VIII: Gooey Butter Cake

2007-07-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for this little St. Louis sweet for about three weeks to no avail. Today I came home from the A-B brewery and Mark from New York had a special treat waiting for me. Sweeeeeet and gooey, it didn't disappoint. Man, I could eat this every day.

Would Anyone Care for an "A-B Product"?

2007-07-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

As part of my research for Dan Steffens, I scouted out the Anheuser-Busch plant and found out probably more than I ever needed to know about "beechwood aging."

People in St. Louis always use the strange expression "A-B products." Consider the following conversation:
"Are the 'A-B products' popular in Philadelphia?"
"Why yes, I have had a Budweiser before."
I thought this was akin to someone from Atlanta asking if I've ever heard of a little soft drink called Coca-Cola. Especially since I heard today that one out of every two beers consumed in America is, all together now, an "A-B product."

Of course they make more than just Bud and Busch. Michelob, Natty Light (and Ice), Rolling Rock, King Cobra Malt Liquor (not available for tasting), Bicardi Silver, Tequiza (yuck), something called Hurricane and Hurricane High Gravity. I tried a Michelob Pomagranate and something called Tilt, a neon green energy malt beverage that promises incredibly unhealthy amounts of caffeine to balance out its 8.8% alcohol content. I then exceeded my "two tastes" by having a Budweiser Select. The only difference being: no beechwood aging! George Clooney never mentioned that little fact. I also had a Grolsch, a beer that they don't actually brew but do somehow make money from.

This little fox is called Bevo (actually Reynard the Fox) and he is enjoying an ice cold mug of Bevo, a non alcoholic drink that was popular during Prohibition.

Missouri Botantical Gardens

2007-07-22T20:23:00.001-07:00

[Editor's Note: This post is, of course, dedicated to my mom, the finest photographer of flowers I know.]

Sorry if anyone found the pictures of the zoo boring. I know we have animals in Philadelphia. Anyway, here is something a lot more exciting! Flowers!

Missouri Botantical Gardens:

The Climatron!

A kind of pineapple!

Missouri Wine Country

2007-07-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Did you know that America's first officially recognized wine district was in Missouri?
Ok, the Augusta apellation was first approved in 1980, but it still beat Napa by at least eight months.

In actuality, Missouri has a long history of wine production and still has a number of beautiful country spots. The wine itself is a bit sweet, but the setting was perfect.

The Norton is the official grape of Missouri and they also have a lot of unusual varieties that I haven't seen before, namely the Cythiana and Vignoles.

Rob "San Diego" and I enjoy some tasting.

Zoo Station

2007-07-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Laurie who kept urging me to see the zoo. I imagined it was because she read how impressive the grounds are and how innovative the lay-out is. In actuality, I suspect it has something to do with the overwhelming numbers of babies in strollers.

In any case, the zoo was quite remarkable; you can really get quite close to some of the animals. A particular highlight was the penguin exhibit where one friendly Humboldt penguin came right up to me and posed for pictures.

http://www.stlzoo.org/yourvisit/thingstoseeanddo

For more on my thoughts about giraffes in zoos, see: "The Communist Secrets of Animal Husbandry" on Roxborough Lyric Poetry Association.

Jazz in Japan: Music used in the novels of Murakami

2007-07-20T11:51:00.001-07:00

Here is a abridged sampling of jazz titles that appear in his fiction: Please note: Page numbers refer to Vintage Paperback editions, except Kafka on the Shore, in which case the page numbers refer to the Knopf hardcover edition.

Kenneth Alford
"Colonel Bogey March"
The Elephant Vanishes, p. 56

Kenny Burrell
"Stormy Sunday"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 344

Frank Chacksfield Orchestra
"Autumn In New York"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 376

Nat King Cole
"Pretend"
South of the Border, West of the Sun, pp. 12, 177

"South Of The Border"
South of the Border, West of the Sun, pp. 15, 175, also pp. 93, 171

John Coltrane
"My Favorite Things"
Kafka on the Shore, pp. 339, 357

Miles Davis
"Bags' Groove"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 362

"Airegin"
The Elephant Vanishes, p. 138

"Kind Of Blue" (Album)
Norwegian Wood, p. 218

Duke Ellington
"Popular Ellington"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 344

"Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 387

"Sophisticated Lady"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 387

"Star-Crossed Lovers"
South of the Border, West of the Sun, p. 94, 168, 205

"Embraceable You"
South of the Border, West of the Sun, p. 107

Stan Getz
"Getz/Gilberto" (Album)
Kafka on the Shore, p. 232

Woody Herman
"Early Autumn"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 376

Antonio Carlos Jobim
"Corcovado"
South of the Border, West of the Sun, p. 89

"Desafinado"
Norwegian Wood, pp. 162, 280

"The Girl From Ipanema"
Norwegian Wood, p. 162

Thelonius Monk
Honeysuckle Rose
Norwegian Wood, p. 171

Roger Williams
"Autumn Leaves"
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, p. 376

Lester Young
"I Can't Get Started"
After the Quake, p. 74

Annotated Reading: Jay Rubin and Haruki Murakami

2007-07-20T11:45:00.001-07:00

Rubin, Jay. Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words. London, UK: The Haverhill Press, 2002. Author and professor Jay Rubin has had a long relationship with the works of Haruki Murakami, having translated the very popular Norwegian Wood, the masterpiece Wind-up Bird Chronicle and the most recent release After Dark. In this scholarly work that resembles both the insights of literary critic and the praise of an impassioned fan, Rubin points out a number of interesting observations that may be useful to those who are interested in jazz abroad, particularly in Japan, and how jazz influences the writing of fiction. Haruki Murakami first encountered American jazz as a teenager when he attended a concert featuring Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers. Later, before embarking on his writing career, he owned a popular jazz club called Peter Cat in a western suburb of Tokyo. As one of the most popular Japanese writers in the world, he continues to use jazz in nearly all of his work. Whether it is using a particular song to evoke a mood—essays have been written that attempt to offer a complete discography of works referenced in his stories, mix CDs have been compiled by fans, even his publisher’s web site streams clips of songs alluded to in his work—or using jazz clubs as a setting, as he does in South of the Border, West of the Sun and A Wild Sleep Chase among others, or actual musicians as characters as he does in the short story “Tony Takatani,” Muraki infuses all his writing with jazz music. Rubin opens his introduction with a quotation from a speech Murakami delivered at the University of California at Berkeley where he examined the relationship between his prose style and the beat of jazz: “[T]he sentences have to have rhythm. This is something I learned from music, especially jazz. In jazz, great rhythm is what makes great improvising possible. It’s all in the footwork. To maintain that rhythm, there must be no extra weight. That doesn’t mean that there should be no weight at all—just no weight that isn’t absolutely necessary” (2). For those who are unfamiliar with Murakami or uninterested in reading literary criticism, the book does have an appealing feature. It contains, to my knowledge, the only English version of his short story “The 1963/1982 Girl from Ipanema.” This early, slim (only five pages) story contains many of the themes—“loss and ageing, memory and music, time and timelessness, reality and the wells of the unconscious, and melancholy longing for a special time and place”—that mark the best of Murakami’s more mature work. Recommended Titles (in order of my own preference): Wind Up Bird Chronicle Norwegian Wood Kafka on the Shore After the Quake (Short stories) South of the Border, West of the Sun Sputnik Sweetheart

Battle of the Bands: Japan vs. the Republic of Georgia

2007-07-19T17:37:00.001-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Natsuki Tamura on trumpet!
Satoko Fujii on the piano!

(not pictured: Satoko Fujii's piano solo featuring a glass and hammer played strings)

Zurab Ramishvili on piano!

And keepin' the beat on the stick bass, the one and only Tamaz Kurashvili!

Special thanks to Zurab Karumidze, Director of the U.S.-Caucus Institute in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia (who appeared in earlier entries concerning the Georgians).

The Old Courthouse and Dred Scott

2007-07-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Dred Scott is one of those names I hear and remembers vaguely from high school history but I can't conjur up any specific details. It came up again during the last presidential debates as some kind of inside code for the abortion issue. At any rate, the trial had its origins in the Old Courthouse in St. Louis.

From the PBS site: "Dred Scott first went to trial to sue for his freedom in 1847. Ten years later, after a decade of appeals and court reversals, his case was finally brought before the United States Supreme Court. In what is perhaps the most infamous case in its history, the court decided that all people of African ancestry -- slaves as well as those who were free -- could never become citizens of the United States and therefore could not sue in federal court. The court also ruled that the federal government did not have the power to prohibit slavery in its territories. Scott, needless to say, remained a slave."

Resuming the Search for T.S. Eliot in St. Louis

2007-07-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

This post is, like its predecessor, dedicated to Tom McGlaughlin, Jr., who asked me to see how St. Louis honors its poetic son T.S. Eliot.

I took a trip down to the central STL library and I was greeted by an impressive statue of German poet Friedrich Schiller. I can't think of any immediate connection he has with the City of St. Louis, but I am reminded of a similar statue of Robert Burns located near Forest Park.

When I arrived at the central library, above, it was 94 degrees. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw a bust of another famous Missourian, Mark Twain, who seems to show up in the unlikeliest places. (Hannibal, Twain's hometown, is at least two and a half hours from downtown St. Louis.)

When I asked the circulation desk if there was a special display for T.S. Eliot, I don't think he really knew what I was talking about. I explained that I had read about a plaque that was dedicated to Eliot. He was quite certain that nothing like that existed anywhere in the library, but I persuaded him to call around. After three phone calls, he discovered that there was in fact a plaque but it was locked in an area of the library used for rare books and special collections. He called again and found someone who would let me in to see it.

I went downstairs to the Special Collections Reading Room and was led to a the back area. "Sorry about the lighting, but we don't get too many people asking for this," I was told. In the corner I saw this:
I asked if they had anything else, but all he really wanted to show me was the personal collection of William Marion Reedy, someone I had never heard of before. I made the mistake of showing interest, saying I saw a large statue of Reedy next to the Twain bust. "Yes, yes, that's Reedy upstairs. We really take pride in writers from St. Louis and Reedy is one of the best. He really is quite popular here in the city. It's a shame he didn't receive the recognition he deserves. Everybody talks about Mencken, but he couldn't hold a candle to Reedy."
Indeed.

So, to recap:
Scottish poets
German poets
writers from Hannibal, Mo.
and second rate literary critics

All seem to rate slightly higher than Eliot.

Laurie and I take a trip to the Hill

2007-07-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have already mentioned the culinary highlight of this trip--Laurie and I ate at a place called Gian-Tony's and Tony, the owner and chef, came out and offered to move his car so we could get out more easily.

There are some seriously nice people in this neighborhood. We were walking around aimlessly and we passed by the church, St. Ambrose's, and this guy comes running out to see if he could help us.
When he found out we were from Philadelphia, he says, "How's Regali? He used to be here. You guys gotta check out the church. Come on, I got the keys."
When he asked if we were Italian all I could do was say, "My name is Tony."

St. Ambrose. Home of the nicest parishners we've ever met. Tell 'em old Justin Regali sent you.

Another Bocce Club, because you can never have too many,

The Japanese are Coming!

2007-07-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you've thought, Gee, I'd like to get into jazz, but I just wish it were more challenging to listen to. Maybe you've listend to John Lennon's solo work and thought, Sure, Imagine is a nice tune but I wish he'd feature Yoko more. I really enjoy her screaming. Then, my friends, may I suggest a little avan-garde Japanse jazz. Out there, man.

Trip to Soulard

2007-07-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 14--Bastille Day-- Laurie and I headed to Soulard, the old original French neighborhood south of downtown. Mardi Gras is really their big holiday, but they apparently have a pretty big Bastille Day celebration. Except we missed it. Still, we had a good time walking the streets, checking out the farmer's market, listening to music, and talking with some very hospitablie St. Louisans.

Can you tell that we are nearing the Budweiser brewery? People asked us if "A-B products" were popular at home. Isn't that like asking, Do people drink Coca-Cola?

This place was terrible actually.

Annotated Reading: Jack Kerouac

2007-07-17T20:23:00.001-07:00

Kerouac, Jack. “Part III, Chapters 4 and 10.” On the Road. New York: Penguin Books, 1985.

While the entirety of Kerouac’s 1957 novel has been described as being written with the spontaneity and spirit of jazz musicians, those who don’t have the time or interest in (re)reading the whole work, may be served by focusing on just these two chapters, both of which focus narrowly on jazz performance and feature some of Kerouac’s most stylized prose. As a general introduction, the story, written in long stream-of consciousness passages, is the fictionalized account of Kerouac’s travel adventures as he and partner in mischief Neal Cassady crisscross the country looking for kicks. Transformed into the characters of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, Kerouac and Cassady, seeking the elusive IT, embody the restlessness and rebelliousness of a generation of youth that would come to be known as the Beats. As the young men continually reject contemporary American culture as vacuous and stifling, they find pleasure and freedom and energy in the music of black bop musicians. While Kerouac’s description of the players is filled with awe and reverence, the whole picture may be more complex as it once again raises questions about the relationship between black artists and white audiences.

Chapter Four of Book Three is set in a saw-dust saloon in San Francisco where Dean, Sal, and a group of women watch a small combo on stage giving an uproarious, wild, frenetic performance. The audience, rocking and standing on chairs, is ushered into a kind of ecstatic trance and Kerouac’s prose races along: “Boom, kick, that drummer was kicking his drums down the cellar and rolling the beat upstairs with his murderous sticks, rattlety-boom!...everything came out of the horn, no more phrases, just cries, cries, ‘Baugh’ and down to ‘Beep!’ and up to ‘EEEEE!’ and down to clinkers and over to sideways-echoing horn-sounds”(187). In passages like this, readers might be able to see how Kerouac adjusts his writing to mimic the sounds he hears at the club. Kerouac continues descriptions like this and even offers and abbreviated history of jazz in Chapter Ten of Book Three, when Sal and Dean are in Chicago. Obvious questions arise, particularly about what Kerouac and his compatriots find so appealing about jazz music and the musicians in the first place. What attitudes do bebop jazz artists espouse? Why might white Beat poets find inspiriting in black jazz music?

Another interesting point to address is how the Beats treat the jazz musicians themselves. Bebop historian and University of Virginia professor Scott DeVeaux, author of The Birth of Bebop: A Social and Musical History, has claimed that the Beats, and Kerouac in particular, have a distorted and perhaps even racist view of jazz musicians. In claiming that the musicians “blow” by instinct rather than play by intellect, Kerouac is perpetuating the myth of primitivism and reinforcing stereotypes about black musicality. In Chicago, listening to an alto sax solo, Sal says, “[I]t came from angelical smiling lips upon the mouthpiece and it was a soft, sweet, fairy-tale solo on alto. Lonely as America, a throat-pierced sound in the night” (228). Is this depiction laudatory or is there an undercurrent of prejudice? Is Kerouac unconsciously reflecting the values of his era even as he tries to run away from them? Questions about jazz and race, music and social rebellion, the relationship between artist and audience can all be illuminated through a close reading and a careful discussion.

Eating St. Louis VII: The Slinger

2007-07-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

Good Lord, I am still full.

Laurie and I started out Saturday morning at a place called the City Diner, located by the Tower Grove Park. (These food postings are a little out of chronological order, I apologize.)

They feature an item called the Slinger. You can't tell from the picture just how mind blowing this breafast is, so here is the blue print: The bottom of a bowl is filled with hashbrowns on to which is piled sausage patties. Then come two fried eggs, sunny side up. On top of all that is poured hot chilli and then melted cheese. So, if you get your fork to cooperate, you can have five or six strangely rich flavors going on in your mouth all at once.

And surprisingly, it is delicious.

Eatin St. Louis VI: Toasted Ravioli

2007-07-17T16:17:00.001-07:00

Like cheesesteaks in Philly, pizza in New York, crab in Baltimore, toasted ravioli is sort of the go-to food. Usually filled with meat although you can find cheese-only variety, these babies are so ubiquitous that quality varies. I've had good, bad, hard, cold, and free. The best deal in the city is a place called the Nadoz cafe in the lobby of a fancy hotel that gives free ravioli every friday from 5-8.
These are from a place called The Hard Shell Courtyard in the old French neighborhood Soulard. Laurie ordered the ravioli and I ordered mussels (in a landlocked statee!) and Laurie clearly got the better deal.

As a side note:We were watching the Phillies beat the Cards for the second game in a row and we thought they might give us a hard time, but then the bartender and the guy sitting next to us pulled out their cell phones. Both were emblazoned with a Chicago Cubs "C." "We're taking over," they told us.

Eating St. Louis V: The Missouri Steak Sandwich

2007-07-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Located just around the corner from Jazz at the Bistro is a little shop called "The Best Steak House," but don't let that fool you. This is not a steak house, unless you consider Pat's and Gino's on par with Morton's. You stand in line, order in front of the grill, and take your food away on a plastic cafeteria tray. So, in other words, it is great.

Below is a picture of their steak sandwich, which lives up to its name. Nothing is chopped. No whiz. No wit' onions. Just a steak on two pieces of white bread. Fatty and delicious.

Great names in Georgian Jazz History!

2007-07-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Valentin Pavnakh (played a proto-jazz as early as 1922!)

Givi Gachechiladze

Guram Bzaneli (played with Georgian Technical University Festival Orchestra)

Ghia Kancheli

Grigol Robakidze

Tamaz Kurashvili

Jano Kahkhidze

Vagif Mustafa-Zadeh (fantastic piano player)

Becka Gochiashvili (11 year old prodigy!)

The Georgians Are Coming!

2007-07-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Who knew that nestled in between the Caspian and Black Seas, just below the Caucus Mountains, there was a tiny, former Soviet republic of mad-crazy jazzophiles? Not just the home of Joseph "I'm changing my last name to Steel" Stalin, Georgia has a long history of musical composition, Christianity, and being invaded by neighbors.

Their history with jazz goes back a long way (though not quite as far back as their history with Christianity; converted as early as 319 AD, one of the earliest in the world). Valentin Panakh first played some jazz back in 1922--this is the year of the Moderns as Joyce publishes Ulysses and King Oliver calls up a young Louis Armstrong to play with him in Chicago. This is old people!

(The flag of the Republic of Georgia)

In any case, the jazz craze goes mainstream when Glen Miller's movie Sun Valley Serenade becomes the Titanic/Star Wars of 1945-6 Georgia. People copied the fashions, got the haircuts, learned to play the tunes and generally go ga-ga. In particular, they love "Chatanooga Choo-Choo." Heck even Stalin loves jazz and the Pravda encourages everyone to listen to it. Afterall, the Nazis hate it and it is the music of the Allies.

But then..

In the little town of Fenton, Missouri--that's right, Missouri--a guy by the name of Winston Churchill made a little speach called the "Sinews of Peace" Address. You might know it because it contained one of the most powerful metaphors of the Cold War:

"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. "

Boom! Jazz is banned. All American cultural products are contraband until 1953--the year of Stalin's death.

Except, that Georgia hates the Soviet Union. They think of themselves as being occupied by a foreign power. And they love jazz.

1962--Benny Goodman tours Moscow, Tashkent, and Tbilisi.
The Moscow audience (reportedly half of which is made up of KGB agents spying on the other half) sits cowering nervously.

The Tashkent (Uzbekistan) crowd is a bunch of exhausted cotton farmers who were forced to attend. They sleep through the show.

The Georgians are rushing the stage, dancing in the aisles, going absolutely nuts. Georgian nationalism is wrapped up in the music. They called themselves aesthetic dissidents.

If you are interested in Georgia's take on jazz, check out:
http://www.radiosyndicate.ge/

We were lectured by a Georgian professor and then listened to a peformance by travelling Georgian musicians.

And, yes, they did play "Georgia on My Mind."

Eating St. Louis IV: Eat-Rite Diner

2007-07-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'll take the fall for this one. We passed this little hamburger joint on the road and I saw a sign that advertised 6 hamburgers for $4.80. I had to investigate. Originally opened in 1947 on Route 66, things haven't changed much in sixty years. Still, what could be charming, instead has a vague Bates' Motel/Deliverence kind of vibe. Laurie, perhaps the greatest hamburger gourmand that I know, couldn't finish hers. I could and did. Delicious. They fry it up on a grill with onions and pickles. A surreal but tasty experience.

Eating in St. Louis III: Crown Candy Shop

2007-07-16T19:43:00.001-07:00

This place has Andrew Gillespie written all over it. Located in a crazy part of town--there are a lot of boarded up places and nobody, I mean nobody, on the street--Crown Candy does, in fact sell candy, but it's claim to fame are gigantic milkshakes and an enormous BLT. Walking in is like stepping back in time, although I can't be sure when exactly. Parts of it are 1955: a jukebox, rock and roll memorabilia, Marilyn Monroe. Parts of it are 1905.

Eating St. Louis II: Gian-Tony's in the Hill

2007-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Laurie and I had dinner at a little place in the Italian section of the city called The Hill (more to follow). We just had some appetizers and relaxed after a long day.

This particular dish, the involtini is spinach ricotta folded in thin eggplant.

Hey, that's Tony! The owner and head chef came out and offered to move his car so that Laurie could pull out. When he heard that we were from Philadelphia he and the people outside started giving us a hard time about the Phillies clobbering the Cardinals for two days in a row. (This is the neighborhood where Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up. In fact the restaurant is next to Berra Park.)

Eating St. Louis I: Ted Drewes' Frozen Custard

2007-07-16T19:21:00.001-07:00

Laurie and I love to spend a good part of our trips looking for things to eat. Usually our eyes are bigger than our actual stomachs, but we've been pretty good about just getting enought to nibble on so that we can eat more later.

Our tastes run more to the paper napkin than the fancy linen variety. We are more Hollyeats than Michelin Guide. If you haven't read Holly's food website, then do yourself a favor:
http://www.hollyeats.com/

Here is one of the most famous St. Louis landmarks: Ted Drewe's. Located on Route 66, it is an institution--reknowned for its "Concretes," custards so thick you can turn them upside downn and they don't spill. There is always a line, but particularly during hot July nights.

Laurie Arrives! We see Arch!

2007-07-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Walking around before the show; Waiting for Laurie

2007-07-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures from when I was walking around in between Red's afternoon sound check and his evening peformance. Laurie doesn't arrive until later.

First, the "Fabulous Fox," a great old theatre, and The Sun, a faded theatre with hints of a great past:

This is a weird structure that I thought was a temple or a mosque or maybe some Mason headquarters or something, but then I noticed it might actually be...a bowling alley!?

The "New Cathedral," and the seat of the Catholic diocese. I met a very nice woman from D.C. who urged to watch more EWTN.

Strange sculptures from SLU.

Just before I went in to check out Red's concert, I stopped in the Creepy Crawl, a local rock club. It was free. I stayed for one song. The operate by the old rule that says if you can't play well, play loud. They turned it up to eleven.

Red Holloway: The Greatest Entertainer

2007-07-16T18:24:00.001-07:00

On Friday, July 13, we had our second concert at the Bistro and it was certainly a highlight of the time here so far. Halloway, an 80 year old saxophonist, plays both jazz and the blues with equal skill, but he is also one of the most talented story tellers I've ever heard. Armed with quick, sharp, and often slightly risque sense of humor, he told us about growing up in Arkansas picking cotton, moving to Chicago, running a club in Los Angeles, eating catfish, buying tailored pants in Switzerland, being married three times, and of course, playing music.

He has had a trulyl incredibly career playing with Dexter Gordon, Lionel Hampton, Jack McDuff, Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, and Lester Young. Best music I've heard so far!

A bit informal during our Q&A session after the afternoon sound check. I'd buy a ticket just to listen to him talk.

Laurie Arrives in St. Louis Tonight!

2007-07-13T11:53:00.001-07:00

Annotated Reading Two

2007-07-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hughes, Langston. “The Blues I’m Playing.” The Ways of White Folks. New York:

Vintage Classic Books, 1990. 99-125.

One could very easily read all of the stories included in Langston Hughes’ 1933 collection The Ways of White Folks as an exploration of the relationship between jazz and the fictional narrative. From the tragic homecoming of ailing musician Roy Williams returning from Europe only to find brutal prejudice in “Home to the dissipated Mr. Lloyd, the wealthy white socialite in “A Good Job Gone” who goes slumming in Harlem for drink and women, Hughes writes movingly and convincingly of whites and blacks negotiating their place in a changing American culture. In “The Blues I’m Playing,” Hughes explores several issues central to the understanding of jazz in American life, namely the complexities inherent in a relationship between blacks artists and white audiences, the misreading of European classical traditions as a musical standard, and the unique conflicts that exist for female artists.

The story’s principal characters are Oceola Jones, a church choir director and music teacher from Harlem, and Mrs. Dora Ellsworth, an incredibly wealthy white woman whose only hobby seems to be acting as a generous benefactor to needy artistic protégées. Despite her passion for “beauty,” Mrs. Ellsworth had never acted as a patron for a black artist before, but Oceola’s piano playing—she had performed Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and “The St. Louis Blues” at their first meeting—had been so striking that the old woman took an immediate interest in her life. Very quickly, Mrs. Ellsworth takes inventory of Oceola’s whole life—from where works, where she lives, and with whom she associates—and begins to institute changes, all in the name of art’s sake. Things become even more conflicted when Pete, a prospective suitor of Oceola, makes his romantic intentions known.

One of the themes that readers may find most interesting is the exploring the underlying significance behind the obvious differences between the two women’s views on music. For Oceola, music demands “movement and expression, dancing and living to go with it” (114). In Harlem, she visits house parties and, later, in Paris she prefers West Indian ball rooms and Bricktop’s nightclub; she loves spirituals and blues and jazz. Mrs. Ellsworth, however, prefers symphonies and string quartets, Schubert and Beethoven; she “Still believed in the art of the old school, portraits that really looked liked people, poems about nature, music that had soul in it, not syncopation” (110). Here then we see an illustration of one of the first great truths concerning jazz: African-Americans are creating their own virtuosic compositions independent of the Western classical authority. One can examine this further be exploring notions of modernism vs. primitivism, experimentalism vs. traditionalism, popular music vs. high art, and seeking to identify the criteria that establish an artistic standard. Other areas worthy of discussion may include an examination of Mrs. Ellsworth’s aesthetic philosophy as opposed to Oceola’s more practical considerations, the romantic complications involved in the artist’s life (as seen with the conflict involving Pete), and finally the role of emotion and personal expression play in the performance of music.

Willie Akins

2007-07-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

I saw a free concert last night featuring St. Louis' sax institution Willie Akins. I don't have any pictures or much to say about it, except that he can really play.

Attending another show tonight at Jazz at the Bistro.

Speaking of Miles: Film Recommendation Two

2007-07-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Malle, Louis. Elevator to the Gallows (Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud). France: The
Criterion Collection DVD, 2006.

It may seem strange to suggest a black and white, subtitled French noir film that features no jazz musicians as characters, no nightclubs as settings, no Black characters, no American characters, and nary an instrument in sight as a fitting tool for the discussion of jazz and the literary narrative. This problem can be answered very quickly, if only superficially, by pointing out the legendary score, the atmospheric compositions created by Miles Davis. Davis, who worked with bop drummer Kenny Clark and three French musicians picked up in the studio, improvised all of the music in an attempt to play with the relationship between sound to image. Jazz historians and music students may be interested to learn that it was during these soundtrack sessions, according to the supplemental information booklet issued with the Criterion Collection DVD, that Davis began to develop his interest in the modal approach to composition—the same style that he would famously employ on his landmark album Kind of Blue. However, for those interested in narrative alone, the music operates as both a mechanism for conveying a tone and as a very real presence itself, almost as if it were a character on screen.

The story centers around two pairs of lovers, Florence and Julien who are planning to murder Mr. Carala (who just happens to be Florence’s husband and Julien’s boss), and the juvenile delinquent Louis and his romantic girlfriend Veronique. Trough a series of mistaken identities, incredible strings of bad luck, misunderstandings each couple finds itself in increasingly dire situations. With the backdrop of noir conventions and the attendant suspense, Malle was primarily focused on presenting a vision of Paris that was, above all, Modern. It in this regard that we may ask: what is modernism? What are the conventions of modernism? How is the film’s story modern? How does the musical score accomplish Malle’s aims and expand upon the image on the screen? Students may wish to consider how the characters—world-weary, alienated, tired by war and politics—are introduced.

As Malle said in an interview with Philip French (reprinted in the Criterion Collection booklet), the use of Miles Davis’ score “was not like a lot of film music, emphasizing or ting to add the emotion that is implic in the images and the rest of the soundtrack. It was a couterpoint, it was elegiac—and it was somewhat detached…the Miles Davis trumpet gave it a tone that added tremendously to the first images.” It is this idea—that the trumpet adds something tremendous to the images—that is definitely work investigating. There is perhaps no better example of Davis’ evocative playing and Malle’s conceptualization of the modern than in the scene when Florence (played by French film icon Jeanne Morreau) wanders through the lonely, late night streets of Paris searching for her lover. The stark beauty of the Parisian nighttime, Morreau’s expressive look, and, of course, Davis’ cool trumpet combine to create a lasting moment of desperation, fear, longing, and heartbreak.

This is a fantastically entertaining film. A stylish thriller filled with tension, suspense, and style.

This is about jazz, right?

2007-07-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Then let's not forget Miles, the King of Cool.

More Literary Stars!

2007-07-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Looking for T.S. Eliot in St. Louis... A Quest in Futility

2007-07-11T18:37:00.001-07:00

This sad posting is dedicated to Tom McGlaughlin who once wrote:

"It just occurred to me that you are in the birthplace of T.S. Eliot.
Eliot, born in St. Louis, Missouri, was educated there until I think
about halfway through high school...

TJ, my plea to you is to find something Eliot-esque in St. Louis [...] and visit it, and bring me something back..."

Well, Tom, and anyeveryone else who may be interested in how Mound City recognizes arguably the most important poet of the 20th century, here's what I found so far:

First, I noticed we had a group meeting in a building called Eliot Hall. While technically named for the family and not T.S. himself (his grandfather William Greenleaf Eliot actually founded Washington University and it was originally called Eliot Seminary), I thought close enough. Eliot Hall.

Interestingly, it is famous for being the ugliest building on campus. The only one not in the Gothic style, it is more...Stalin-esque. A slab of concrete. Poor T.S.!

Perhaps off campus would be better. After all, the Loop recognizes many famous native St. Lou-natics with its Walk of Fame.

Unfortunately, Phyllis Dyler and Dan Dierdorf get better treatment than T.S. I found his star (6500 block of Delmar) but a restaurant has placed its outdoor seating on top of his star. I asked a guy if I could move his table for a second so I could photograph the star and he looked at me like I was crazy. You can still see the table leg in the picture.

Beneath the star is this little box, a nice summation of the poet's career, don't you think:

In case you can't read it, I think you can click on it to make it bigger. Don't mind the gum stains.

Film Recommendation: Kansas City

2007-07-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Robert Altman, the acclaimed director of films such as M*A*S*H*, Short Cuts, Nashville, and The Player, returned to the city of his youth to recreate a city teeming with vice, music, excitement, and danger. Kansas City in 1934, ruled by “Boss Tom” Pendergast’s Democratic political machine and John Lazia’s criminal syndicate, is a world of gambling, prostitution, hard drinking, political machinations, crime, and of course, jazz. The plot is set off when Johnny O’Hara a petty thief colludes with a Black cab driver to rip off a high-rolling gambler named Sheepshan. O’Hara disguises himself in blackface, but fails to consider Sheepshan’s close ties with the notorious and powerful Seldom Seen, the owner of the Hey-Hey Club, a jazz joint and gambling haven. Desperate to rescue Johnny, his wife Blondie kidnaps Carolyn Stilton, the laudanum-addicted wife of a powerful local politician, and plans to negotiate her husband’s release. While the melodramatic plot and the presense of Jennifer Jason Leigh may bug some of you, the suspenseful threat of violence and a real sense of tension are enough to hook you long enought to enjoy the film’s greatest asset: a vivid recreation of the period, accurate replication of the jazz sounds of the day, and its superb casting of contemporary musicians such as Joshua Redman and Craig Handy and James Carter to play the parts of Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Ben Webster respectively.

While much of the plot does center on the tough-talking Jean Harlow-idolizing Blondie and her attempts to bargain with Seldom, the most appealing scenes of the film are those that take place in the Hey-Hey Club. Altman makes use of many of the most significant figures of Kansas City’s golden age of jazz from Young and Hawkins to a piano player named Bill Basie, who of course later adopted the title of Count. An amusing small subplot involves a teenage saxophone player named Charlie who rescues a pregnant teenager and helps her find her way to a rest home for unwed girls. That young musician, we discover, is none other than Charlie “Bird” Parker, the great Bop revolutionary. While there are other elements that make the film worth recommending—the allusions to important historical figures like Marcus Garvey and President Roosevelt, the depiction of city politics and corruption, the dangers of drug use—there is one episode in particular that could be shown in isolation for those most interested in the music of the day. Identified as “Scene 12—Dueling Saxes,” this single scene presents an exciting jazz session complete rousing competition of soloists and is surely a highlight of the film.

Oh, and Harry Belafonte as Seldom Seen is pretty bad ass.

Glossary of Harlem Slang, excerpted from Zora Neale Hurston's Spunk: A Collection of Short Stories

2007-07-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is an abridged list of terms featured in "Story in Harlem Slang."

Air out: leave, flee, stroll
Astorperious: haughty, biggity

Bailing: having fun
Bam & down in Bam: down South
Beating up your gums: talking to no purpose
Beluthahatchie: next station beyond Hell
Big boy: stout fellow, in South it means fool
Blowing your top: getting very angry; occasionally used to mean, He's doing fine
Boogie-woogie: type of dancing and rhythm. For years, in South, it meant secondary syphilis
Bull-skating: bragging
Butt sprung: a suit or a skirt out of shape in the rear

Cold: exceeding, well, etc., as in "He was cold on that trumpet."
Collar a nod: sleep
Collor a hot: eat a meal
Conk buster: cheap liquor; also an intellectual Negro
Cruising: parading down the avenue. Variations include oozing, percolating, and free-wheeling.
Cut: doing something well

Diddy-Wah-Diddy: a far place, a measure of distance or a suburb of hell
Dig: understand as in "Do you get me? Do you collar the jiver?"
Draped down: dressed in the height of Harlem fashion
Dumb to the fact: you don't know what you are talking about
Dusty butt: cheap prostitute

First thing smoking: a train
Frail eel: a pretty girl

Getting on some stiff time: really doing well with your racket
Ginny Gall: a suburb of Helll
Go when the wagon comes: You may be acting biggity now, but you'll cool down when enough power gets behind you
Granny Grunt: a mythical character to whom most questions may be referred
Ground rations: sex, also under rations
Gum beater: a blowhard, a braggart
Gut-bucket: low dive, type of music

I'm cracking but I'm facking: I'm wisecracking, but I'm telling the truth
I shot him lightly and he died politely: I completely outdid him

Jelly: sex

Jook: a pleasure house, in the class of gut-bucket
Jooking: playing a musical instrument or dancing in the manner of the jooks (pronounced like tookl)
Juice: liquor
July jam: something very hot
Jump salty: get angry

Kitchen mechanic: a domestic
Knock yourself out: have a good time
Lightly, slightly, and politely: doing things perfectly
Little sister: measures of hotness

Miss Anne: a white woman
Mister Charlie: a white man
Monkey chaser: a West Indian
Mug Man: a small time thug

Nothing to the bear but his curly hair: I call your bluff

Palmer House: walking flat-footed
Peckerwood: poor and unloved class of Southern whites
Peeping through my likkers: carrying on even though drunk
Piano: spare ribs
Pig meat: young girl
Pilch: house or apartment
Pitch toes: yellow girl
Playing the dozens: low-rating the ancestors of your opponent

Righteous mass or grass: good hair
Righteous rags: the components of a Harlem-style suit
Rug-cutter: originally a person frequenting house-rent parties, became a good dancer
Russian: a Southern Negro up north, "Rushed up here"
Scrap iron: cheap liquor
Sell out: run in fear
Sender: he or she who can get you to go, i.e., has what it takes
Smoking: looking someone over
Sooner: anything cheap and mongrel
Stanch: to begin
Stomp: low dance
Stormbuzzard: shiftless, homeless character
Stroll: doing something well
Sugar Hill: northwest sector of Harlem, near Washington Heights, many professionals

The bear: confession of poverty
The man: the law or powerful boss
Thousand on a plate: beans

V and X: five-and-ten-cent store
West Hell: another suburb of Hell, worse than the original
What's on the rail for the lizard?: suggestion for moral turpitude
Whip it to the red: beat your head until it is bloody
Woofing: aimless talk

Young suit: ill-fitting, too small
Your likker told you: misguided behavior

Zoot suit with the reet pleat: Harlem style suit, padded shoulders, 43-inch trousers at the knee with small cuffs, high waistline

Annotated Jazz Reading

2007-07-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

A Brief Response to Toni Cade Bambara's "Medley"

Some readers may be familiar with Toni Cade Bambara’s frequently anthologized short story “Gorilla, My Love,” but in her 1974 short story “Medley,” Bambara uses the story of a young manicurist as a way to express some of the most important themes that dominate her oeuvre: Black female consciousness, the role of women in African-American culture, and their place in larger society. What makes this story worth recommending is Bambara’s central contention, namely, that jazz is an important part of Black women’s lives and it carries a unique position for reclaiming strength and individuality in both personal relationships and the world at large.

The narrator, Sweet Pea, is not a musician herself, but rather the inamorata of a dynamic but not very successful bass player named Larry Landers. Despite his lack of real musicianship, he has “these long arms that drape down over the bass like they were grown for that purpose” and he’s got a special talent: “Larry Landers was baad [sic] in the shower”(105). This passionate sexuality, then, is at the heart of the relationship. Larry and Sweet Pea never feels so close as when they sing in the shower. “My Funny Valentine,” “Green Dolphin Street,” Jelly Roll Morton’s “Deep Creek Blues,” Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Betty Roche, and others all are sung with love and desire and longing. However exciting and pleasurable the relationship is, Sweet Pea begins to see that Larry’s magnetism hides a suspicious and possessive side. After establishing a very lucrative professional relationship with a gambler named Moody, Sweet Pea asserts her true aim: “My agenda is still to make a home for my girl”(119). In the final climactic scene, Sweet Pea and Larry, singing in shower for one last time, begin to move through their repertoire improvising and changing the melody line, adding scat and a vocal pattern described as “Swahili Wailing”(123). Finally, Sweat Pea is soloing, singing on her own, not dependent on Larry’s supporting line, singing for her little girl, singing for herself.

Busch Stadium II

2007-07-08T10:43:00.001-07:00

In addition to my wife Laurie, a devoted baseball fan, this post is dedicated to all those interested in baseball, in particular, pops, Tim, and Andrew, and Steffs--who is planning a trip out to St. Louis in part to see the Cards play in their new home. It is a great ballpark--they won the World Series in their inaugural season.

However, they wound up losing to the San Francisco Giants (7-6) but it was a very entertaining game with a lot of runs, errors and boos directed to a certain out fielder.

This memorial to announcer Jack Buck plays his voice making historic calls. His presence is still deeply felt in the city as evidenced by the notes and flowers left nearby.

I found it interesting that the Cards fans were quite vocal in their disapproval of Barry Bonds while the cannonized Mark McGuire is still lauded. There are pictures of Mark in nearly every corner with a big 70.

The author makes his first appearance.

Busch Stadium I

2007-07-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Along the exterior wall are a series of details, bas relief sculptures of angry little redbirds.

Museum of Fine Art

2007-07-08T10:29:00.001-07:00

In the heart of Forest Park is the Musuem of Fine Art whose general collection is free and open to the public. While the following don't all explicitly connect to jazz, they all seem to share the modernist aesthetic and some definitely have that inexpressible jazz-feel.

More of Forest Park

2007-07-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Jazz at the Bistro

2007-07-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Our first show at Jazz at the Bistro was a performance by the Greg Osby Quartet. We got to sit in on a rehearsal, listen to him talk a little about jazz and his hometown of St. Louis, and then watch him play his sax. He ended the first set with a version of Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodeloo."

Around Mid Town and St. Lou U

2007-07-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

St. Fancis Xavier and the neighboring St. Louis Univeristy, another Jesuit school!

This little guy is the Billiken, a strange elf like creature whose tummy brings good luck. Invented by an art teacher in Kansas City, it was the first copywrighted doll. Named after William Taft, it was incredibly popular toy in 1909 and set the stage for Cabbage Patch Kids and Tickle Me Elmo ninety years later. Of course, he has faded into obscurity everywhere but in Japan and on the Campus of St. Louis University.

Here's the Jazz at the Bistro. More on this later.

Rabbits are running amok

2007-07-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

In 1859 a young settler in Vandeimansland named Thomas Austin wanted to engage in his favorite hobby: rabbit shooting. So he imported 24 English rabbits which quickly turned into 48 which then became 96 which then became 95,000,000.

This is all in order to make the point that rabbits are all over St. Louis and Wash U. in particular.

More from Pigmeat Markham

2007-07-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

"I am sweet Papa Pigmeat. I got the Jordan River in my hips and all the women raving to be baptized."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigmeat_Markham

Forrest Park

2007-07-05T21:42:00.001-07:00

At the top of the hill is the St. Louis art museum and a statue of the actual Saint Louis, Louis IX and not the Sun King, Louis XIV, as I had previously thought. This king lived from 1215 to 1270 and fought in the seventh and eighth crusades.

Best Names in the History of Jazz, Part One

2007-07-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Buzzin' Sparrow Harris and His Hits and Bits Revue
Oscar Celestin's Original Tuxedo Orchestra
Rock "Pigmeat" Markham
Sugar Foot Snowball
Ferdinand Joseph La Mothe (aka Jelly Roll Morton. "Jelly Roll" being slang for male or female genitalia and thus an early marketing decision)

And the winner:

Stalebread Lacoume's Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band (featuring a player called "Family Haircut")

These are all absolutely 100% real.

Fourth of July, St. Louis Style

2007-07-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Look how many people came to see Cyndi Lauper sing:
My first glimpse of the arch and probably the first of many photographs:

Philadelphia Sighting

2007-07-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Inexplicably, I saw a guy wearing a Vote for Sam Katz t-shirt.

I promptly greeted him the only way I knew how: "E-A-G-"

To which he responded: "-L-E-S! EAGLES!"

New Orleans Jazz

2007-07-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

Listened to:

Kid Ory

Jelly Roll Morton

Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Sidney Bechet

Louis Armstrong

We also watched the film New Orleans starring Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday. While the plot is a bit dated, the music is great.

The Loop

2007-07-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from the Loop, the nearby spot for food, bars, shops, etc. Named for an old streetcar turnaround, it is the closest area to Wash U. and it's where I've been going for dinner each night.

It is also home to the Blueberry Hill, a landmark restaraunt that is home to the best burgers in St. Louis. Chuck Berry plays here once a month--July 6th is this month, but it is already sold oout.

Wash U.'s Gargoyle/Bas Sculptures

2007-07-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Throughout the buildings on campus, hidden in little nooks and in unexpected corners, are these little faces peeking out. Some of them are quite surprising:

Wash U.

2007-07-04T08:20:00.001-07:00

While much of the campus is under summer construction, the main buildings and squares are really beautiful. It is one of the most impressive campus spaces I have ever seen. The main quad is very reminiscent of what I remember of Cambridge. This is the iconic Brookings Hall.

My Room

2007-07-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Spartan but comfortable.

I made the bed--sort of.

The Program

2007-07-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Jazz as American Culture

NEH Summer Insitute

The Center for the Humanities

Campus Box 1071, Old McMillan Hall, Rm S101

One Brookings Drive

Washington University in Saint Louis

http://cenhum.artsci.wustl.edu/Programs/NEH.html