Posted by Bill King on February 04, 2001 at 13:40:57:
I've had a few days to allow all of this to sink in and have a few parting
thoughts.
What did the consultants have against the guitar's place in jazz history?
Where was Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, George Bensen , Bill
Frisell, John Scofield, John McLaughlin, Joe Pass, etc...
I agree with Ron Davis, where was Art Tatum. How about Nat Cole and Oscar!
The Bill Evans oversight still perturbs me as does missing Betty Carter,
Carmen McCrae and company.
Mahavishnu, Return To Forever, Weather Report, The Headhunters, Brecker
Brothers, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny were the bands linking the seventies
with the eighties and beyond. I'll never forget getting blown out of my seat
at Convocation Hall by John McLaughlin and his high end fusion squad or the
double bill at Massey Hall with Return To Forever and Weather Report. Jaco
smoked!
Still believe after hearing Miles with Herbie and friends during their free
jazz period that not much has changed with bands since then. Frissell and
Scofield are here and have their own distinguishing sound as does Dave
Douglas, but the majority of recordings that float by my desk still speak to
that era.
Circle, with Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton , Barry Atschul and company was
some of the most riveting free playing of that time.
And the point Scott makes about these 22 recordings being the only ones to
show any significant returns during this period. He may be right about this.
We'll just have to wait and see how the summer shapes up. Sure am hearing a
lot of jazz piping through the city. That's a relief.
The real stars of the series were Burns, Ellington, Armstrong and Gary
Giddons. Giddons was so consistently articulate, knowledgeable, and a
positive presence on screen. He may go on to grab a few rolls next to George
Clooney and Harvey Keitel down the road or in Woody Allen's new film "The
Jazztalker."
I think Wynton's stock suffered. If anyone's going to come out of this with
a half dozen eggs on his face, I think Wynton absorbed them and whipped them
into a soufflé. On the other hand , he's a resourceful dude and will
continue being Wynton. . Brandford is a monster! I love is playing.
In all, I still loved the series for what it told, not for what it omitted.
Burns can only tell what his consultants advise him of. Somewhere in there I
smell a scoundrel or two.