Tonight, for the 600th album added to The Jazz Tome, I've selected a crowd pleaser. Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil (1966) is one of the crown jewels of the Blue Note catalog. This is an album themed around legends, folklore, and black magic. thejazztome.info/wayne-shorte... #jazzsky #musicsky

On May 15, 1953, when Rocky Marciano defeated Jersey Joe Walcott to defend his title, Bird threw the night's biggest punch by calling Dizzy his "worthy constituent." Tonite's Jazz Tome entry is Jazz at Massey Hall, history's greatest jazz concert. thejazztome.info/the-quintet-... #jazzsky #musicsky

I would like to thank the kind people of Toronto for buying half the tickets before May 1, 1953, ensuring that I could listen to the Jazz at Massey Hall album 72 years later. #jazzsky #musicsky

A Coltrane-played alto with impeccable provenance! This is outstanding.

These things go in cycles, but I sprained my ankle Saturday and forced myself to take a couple of days off from jazz stuff. I've listened to three Mingus albums in the last 24 hours, though, including the underrated Blue Moods from 1955 (with Miles and Teddy Charles), and I'm back to being fired up.

Mingus' Town Hall Concert from 1964 is now up on The Jazz Tome. Fascinating title, where I've covered the OG 1966 Jazz Workshop LP, the 1971 Fantasy reissue, and the 1983 OJC. Lots to read about while listening to Eric Dolphy do Dolphy things. thejazztome.info/charles-ming... #jazzsky #musicsky

As of 7:19 am today my top 5 jazz pianists list is I’m pretty sure this: Herbie Hancock Art Tatum Earl Hines Bud Powell McCoy Tyner bubbling under: Chick Corea and Monk. I’ll keep you posted

Recorded this day, 1956: The second of two marathon Prestige sessions that produced four albums. First piece was a version of 𝗜𝗳 𝗜 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗔 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹. With John Coltrane- ts, Red Garland- p, Paul Chambers- b, Philly Joe Jones- d. From the LP 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙣' (PRLP 7129) #jazz #jazzsky #milesdavis

Just learned some wild facts. Charles Mingus, who (correctly) felt that recording labels were stealing his money, set up a mail order business to under the Jazz Workshop label to distribute his records himself. A couple of years later he'd ran out of money and ended up signing with Debut Records.

Tonight at The Jazz Tome I have Charlie Parker - Bird at St. Nick's, a Feb. 1950 live recording of just Bird's solos. The tape's choppiness & din of the crowd make it almost unlistenable, but considering the context it's a wonder this exists at all #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/charlie-park...

Also: Miles Davis. Story from a bass player subbing in his band.

I want to point out that Presenting Red Mitchell has a cat on the cover. Don't think I'd noticed that, in all the times I've looked at this album, until just now. #jazzsky #musicsky

A wonderful record that should be more widely celebrated.

🧵Time Capsule This page from the Michigan Chronicle, the leading African American newspaper in Detroit, offers a snapshot of highlights on the Detroit jazz scene the week of Feb. 27, 1954.

If you think Electric Miles is an acquired taste, then you simply haven't acquired enough yet. My current favorite is Get Up With It (1974).

Found a cool BBC video, about 1959 in Jazz. Starts off with the usual KoB facts, but quickly shifts into some into some Mingus, Brubeck and Ornette Coleman stuff I'd never heard, including interviews with Ornette and Brubeck. Worth putting on in the background. #jazzsky youtu.be/dou3aSZmEg0?...

Tonight's Jazz Tome addition: one of my favorite albums from one of my favorite saxophonists, Gerry Mulligan's What is There to Say? (1959). Included here is the New Yorker profile from March, 1959. At 21,000 words... it's fairly in-depth. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/gerry-mullig...

Good news to report: @kmhd.bsky.social here in Portland is having me as an in-studio guest in October to talk about the website. I get to pick what music will air during my interview, too. KMHD is a big deal in the jazz world; I'm ecstatic and also already nervous as hell. #jazzsky #musicsky

Dollar Country works diligently to celebrate and preserve classic country music. He recognizes that there are real people behind the music and strives to tell their stories. Highly recommend supporting him however you can.

Didn’t know this! Do you know how many years I pined for jstor access! Yes I am a giant nerd who pines for academe leave me alone with my papers and books

Tonight's addition to The Jazz Tome is Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959). "Music is for our feelings," Coleman says. "I think jazz should try to express more kinds of feeling than it has up to now." #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/ornette-cole...

@ctproduced.com just found your website while going down a rabbit hole about Van Lingle Mungo. Look forward to digging into it more, but in the meantime I wanted to drop a note saying well done!

Talk about a prophetic album title. Alongside Free Jazz and This Is Our Music (heavy emphasis on “OUR”), he kept no secrets about his intentions.

Working on a little album for tonight called The Shape of Jazz to Come, which seems like has gotten lost a bit in the 1959 "best jazz year of all time" discourse over the years. Ornette Coleman's plastic saxophone made people question their assumptions about the upcoming decade. #jazzsky #musicsky

Of the albums I added this week my favorite is Lee Konitz - The Real Lee Konitz (1958), a live date recorded in Pittsburgh. Particularly insightful are the informal liner notes by Lee himself that describe the recording process and his philosophy. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/lee-konitz-t...

I’ve been working on this for a while. (I tried to find Bobbie more than a decade ago and failed.) Please do give it a read.

It's 4am and I'm wide awake in a hotel room, so it feels like a good time to ask if you've been to thejazztome.info lately? I've added liner notes and reviews for 19 albums in the past month; maybe you'll find a new favorite. #jazzsky #musicsky

Remembering Chico Hamilton on his birthday 🎂 📷 Jerry Schatzberg, 1965 "Hamilton had a subtle and melodic approach that made him ideally suited for the understated style that came to be known as cool jazz, of which his hometown, Los Angeles, was the epicenter." - Peter Keepnews

Found a cool 40 year old science fiction photography book in my collection tonight.

Playing an old favorite today. Dave Brubeck with both Mulligan and Desmond from the fall of 1972. #jazzsky

Today is a great day to listen to Cannonball! Might I suggest starting with Somethin’ Else (1957), In the Land of Hi-Fi (1955), or Know What I Mean? (1960, with Bill Evans), or Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley (1961)?

Tonight's Jazz Tome addition is Dave Brubeck at Storyville (1954) featuring three recordings of the Quartet from the famous Boston night club. The funny thing here is that Columbia acknowledges the "dubious fidelity" of one of the tracks. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/dave-brubeck...

Had to take a second and share this neat early Columbia records ad from the 11/19/1954 issue of the Hammond Times (Hammond, Indiana). #jazzsky #musicsky

Tonight's new Jazz Tome album is Benny Bailey - Big Brass (1961) on Candid. Benny, who expatriated to Europe for a better quality of life, was called "a real trumpet player" by Quincy Jones in the liner notes. Hard to beat that as an endorsement. thejazztome.info/benny-bailey... #jazzsky #musicsky

Happy birthday to director extraordinaire, Werner Herzog. Aside from David Lynch, I can't think of another director who could just reach out and make friends with a little fox that wandered onto his movie set. It's something we can all aspire to.

Stayed up late to add Freddie Redd's Music from The Connection (1960) to The Jazz Tome. This is modern jazz that was used in an Off-Broadway play to "organically and dynamically further dramatic action rather than merely decorate or sabotage it." #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/freddie-redd...

Tonight's Jazz Tome addition is Donald Byrd's Fuego from 1960. The critical consensus hails it as a major stepping stone for both Byrd and Jackie McLean. I can't speak to that, but I can tell you that the title track cooks. thejazztome.info/donald-byrd-... #jazzsky #musicsky

Posted a second album, Lou Donaldson's The Time is Right (1960). This features a young Blue Mitchell on trumpet. From all accounts, his solo on The Nearness of You is the highlight of the album & you'll want to avoid the overcooked Mack the Knife. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/lou-donaldso...

Record Rescue (Timely Bargyn Bin Edition) - Pleased to find this 1960 reissue of Kenny Drew's 1956 trio album on Riverside. Two layers of ugly tape on the bottom came off easily with a hair dryer. Residue cleaned off easily with lighter fluid and cotton pads. (Cont') #musicsky #jazzsky #jazz

Tonight's Jazz Tome addition is Count Basie & Duke Ellington's 1962 album First Time! This summit, though less than the sum of its parts, is a fun early-stereo LP as someone had the idea to put one ork. in the left channel and another in the right. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/basie-elling...

Tonight's Jazz Tome entry is Lionel Hampton's You Better Know It!!! (1965). A sentimental album, pairing Hamp with Ben Webster, and letting them riff on '30s Goodman numbers and newer stuff like A Taste of Honey. If you like vibes this is a winner. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/lionel-hampt...

New at The Jazz Tome is Lester Young & Teddy Wilson - Pres and Teddy (1959). These 1956 tracks were released shortly before Lester's death & ended up being a strong memorial album. Also included here is extra info on Young's place in jazz history. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/lester-young...

Moving from singles to 10" and then to 12" LPs in the span of three or four years was both a boon and a detriment to 1950s jazz musicians. Suddenly they had plenty of room to improvise, but composing music to fill those sides at the pace labels were cashing in caused a noticeable dip in quality.

always thinking about this

New at The Jazz Tome is Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (1961). This contains the only three recorded tracks from the Monk/Coltrane group that took NYC's Five Spot Cafe by storm in 1957. From all accounts it was a pivotal time in Trane's career. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/thelonious-m...

Latest pickups for me. 1. McCoy Tyner - Together (1979) 2. Clifford Brown All-Stars (1957) 3. Horace Silver - You Gotta Take a Little Love (1969) 4. Joe Zawinul - Zawinul (1971) #jazzsky #vinylsky #musicsky

Tonight's addition to The Jazz Tome is Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' debut on Riverside from 1963, Caravan. Favorite bits here are stories about how Erroll Garner and Chick Webb made Blakey look bad early on, setting him up for later success. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/art-blakey-j...

Added a new set of liner notes to Gerry Mulligan & Paul Desmond's Two of a Mind from Will Thornbury and it pushed me past a milestone. After 9 years of compiling info, there's no longer "nearly a million words" - now there's "over a million words." thejazztome.info/paul-desmond... #jazzsky #musicsky

I've been productive lately. The Jazz Tome has added five new albums in the last nine days including 6600 words on John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. Turns out some folks liked the greatest album of all time and some folks didn't. #jazzsky #musicsky thejazztome.info/whats-new/

Still mad about this 12 hours later.