Three Wishes

Pannonica inquired what his three wishes would be if they could be granted and Frank Wess responded by telling her the following:

1. 1. “I don’t know. I don’t know. You’d think I was crazy if I told you. Well, I’d like to have a crazy pad with horses and some crazy dogs! And to play good music with a lot of people all of my life. And I’ll leave the third wish to the fairy godmother, because she’s been so nice.”

*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter

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Three Wishes

Jaki Byard was given the opportunity by Nica to express his three wishes  and his response was:

1. “If I could be financially able to do anything I wanted to, I’d have two or three clubs. I wouldn’t want three wishes, I’d only need one. Gee, that’s the only wish I ever had! To have three or four clubs, in the same New York vicinity, and let the clubs run themselves. That’d take care of all the different types of music. Does that make sense? That’s my only wish and I think that’s good enough.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

William Thornton Blue was born on January 31, 1902 in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up playing in local bands in his hometown, where his father was a part-time music instructor.

He played with Wilson Robinson’s Bostonians, a territory band, where he was introduced to the rigors of the road. In 1924 he worked with Charlie Creath, then went to New Orleans, Louisiana and joined Dewey Jackson in the middle of the 1920s. This association eventually took Blue back to St. Louis as part of the touring schedule but Blue didn’t stay long. Heading to New York City later that decade he had an extended stint working with Andrew Preer’s Cotton Club Orchestra. This led to a European tour as a member of Noble Sissle’s ensemble.

Remaining for a brief time in Paris, France he collaborated with bassist John Ricks. When Bill returned to New York City, he joined The Missourians, led by Cab Calloway, then worked with pianist Luis Russell.

Due to failing health he played very little in the late Thirties and afterwards. Clarinetist and alto saxophonist William Thornton Blue, sometimes credited as Bill Blue, transitioned in 1968 after spending the last several years of his life in a New York sanatorium.

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Requisites

Coltrane Plays The Blues ~ John Coltrane | By Eddie Carter

The weather outside is cold, dreary, and rainy, with a thick and impenetrable fog enveloping the area, making it a perfect day to enjoy the blues. Submitted for your consideration from the library is Coltrane Plays The Blues (Atlantic 1382/SD 1382) by John Coltrane. It’s a quartet date that hit the stores in 1962 but was initially recorded at the 1960 session that produced My Favorite Things and perfectly fit the bill for this morning’s discussion. The ensemble is John Coltrane on soprano sax (tracks: A2, B2) and tenor sax (A1, A3, B1, B3), McCoy Tyner on piano (A1, B1 to B3), Steve Davis on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. My copy is the 1972 Japanese Stereo reissue (Atlantic P-7504A) by Warner-Pioneer Corporation.

Side One starts with Blues To Elvin by Elvin Jones, a tasty dish of soul food that McCoy and the rhythm section begin making the listener feel at home in the introduction. John serves the song’s appetizing melody and prepares a luscious main meal in the opening statement. McCoy enters next with a delicious interpretation, then John’s final course is a succulent dessert made all the more delectable by the trio’s supplement. Blues To Bechet, written for Sidney Bechet, is the first of five by John Coltrane, placing the leader on soprano sax, backed by just Davis and Jones. The threesome opens with a relaxing melody. Coltrane begins the song’s only solo with an easy swing that blossoms into one of his most innovative improvisations preceding a soft climax.

The pace quickens for the first side finale, Blues To You. John’s back on tenor and backed again by Steve and Elvin for this fast-paced tune. Coltrane grabs you from the get-go and doesn’t let go until his brief exchange with Elvin leads the listener into the climax. Side Two begins with the quartet back in complete form for his third original, Mr. Day. Davis and Jones set the groove in motion, segueing into Coltrane leading the charge on the melody. The leader continues to wail on an energetic opening statement. Tyner takes the listener on an exuberant joyride in the second interpretation. Coltrane adds an incredibly satisfying exclamation ahead of the theme’s reprise, and Davis closes the song as he began.

Mr. Syms slows the pace down for the quartet to take it easy during the opening and ending theme with John back on soprano sax. In between, McCoy has the solo spotlight and finds a comfortable groove that builds to a perfect climax. The foursome closes the album with Mr. Knight, an easy-flowing tune that displays an interesting mixture of African and West Indian music in its structure. After the group establishes the melody, Coltrane draws the listener to a few fascinating elements in the first reading. Tyner takes the reins next and makes a compelling point that paces well against the rhythm section preceding Coltrane’s reprise of the theme and the rhythm section’s slow disappearance into nothingness.

Nesuhi Ertegün supervised Coltrane Plays The Blues, and Tom Dowd was the recording engineer. The sound quality is splendid, with a clean, crisp, well-balanced soundstage. If you’re a fan of John Coltrane and in the mood, for an album to enjoy at the end of a long day or week, I invite you to check out Coltrane Plays The Blues on your next vinyl shopping trip. It’s an enticing invitation to explore and enjoy an overlooked but fascinating album that shows his lyrical side and is well worth the price of admission for a spot in your library!

~ My Favorite Things (Atlantic 1361/SD 1361) – Source: Discogs.com © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter

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RAVI COLTRANE QUARTET

Ravi Coltrane is a critically acclaimed Grammy™ nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. In the course of a twenty plus year career, Mr. Coltrane has worked as a sideman to many, recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others and founded a prominent independent record label, RKM.

Born in Long Island, the second son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, Ravi was named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. He was raised in Los Angeles where his family moved after his father’s death in 1967. His mother, Alice Coltrane, was a significant influence on Ravi and it was he who encouraged Alice to return to performance and the recording studio after a long absence. Subsequently, Ravi produced and played on Alice Coltrane’s powerful, ‘Translinear Light’, which was released in 2004.

Ravi has released six albums as a leader. His latest, ‘Spirit Fiction’, was released in June of 2012 for the Blue Note label. Additional credits include performances as well as recordings with Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Baron, Steve Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Geri Allen, Joanne Brackeem, The Blue Note 7, among others. He is a co-leader of the Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman.

Ravi lives in Brooklyn, NY and maintains a fast paced touring, recording, composing and performance schedule. He leads the effort to restore the John Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, Long Island thecoltranehome.org and presides over important reissues of his parent’s recordings.

Friday 3/3 ~ 7:00 pm  & 9:30 pm | $35~$45 + fee

Saturday 3/4 ~ 7:00 pm  & 9:30 pm | $35~$45 + fee
Sunday 3/5 ~ 5:00 pm & 7:30 pm  | $35~$45 + fee

Streaming Pass: 5:00pm & 7:00pm only | $10.00 + fee

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