Keeping it real

How could there be anything but the hard blues for us in this fallen world, this vale of tears? Julius Hemphill Trio -- September 11, 1977 in Los Angeles -- Alex Cline, drums; Baikida EJ Carroll, trumpet ---- photo by Mark Weber -------- When the Lp COON BID'NESS (Arista, 1975) hit the streets it knocked us for a loop, it was Hemphill's first album, and contains one entire side of "The Hard Blues," a giant snarling, whiplash of a blues driving along in an old pickup truck with one flat tire, jolting, spitting, wailing, a blues of disaffection and pity, pitiful, pitiless, a stomping pastiche of roadhouse dishonor, the southwest blues down to the core, nasty, salty, unredeemed. Our beloved blues, it fit the times, maybe still does, the dignity of the blues, honest and forthwith, we'll be giving it a spin, the same Lp I've had since 1975, however many years that is? It's one of those records I can hear in my head, having listen'd to it so much back then, like a west Texas sirocco, it's always in your ear.

How could there be anything but the hard blues for us in this fallen world, this vale of tears? Julius Hemphill Trio — September 11, 1977 in Los Angeles — Alex Cline, drums; Baikida EJ Carroll, trumpet —- photo by Mark Weber ——– When the Lp COON BID’NESS (Arista, 1975) hit the streets it knocked us for a loop, it was Hemphill’s first album, and contains one entire side of “The Hard Blues,” a giant snarling, whiplash of a blues driving along in an old pickup truck with one flat tire, jolting, spitting, wailing, a blues of disaffection and pity, pitiful, pitiless, a stomping pastiche of roadhouse dishonor, the southwest blues down to the core, nasty, salty, unredeemed. Our beloved blues, it fit the times, maybe still does, the dignity of the blues, honest and forthwith, we’ll be giving it a spin, the same Lp I’ve had since 1975, however many years that is? It’s one of those records I can hear in my head, having listen’d to it so much back then, like a west Texas sirocco, it’s always in your ear.

THE THURSDAY JAZZ RADIO SHOW

March 12, 2o15 – Jazz @ Noon every Thursday (starts at 12:07 after the satellite news) Host MARK WEBER – KUNM Albuquerque, USA – 89.9 FM (Mountain Standard Time) also streaming on the web > KUNM.org – Current time zone offset: UTC*/GMT -6 hours (*Coordinated Universal Time)/Greenwich Mean Time)

KEEPING IT REAL

Interesting notion my yoga teacher
put out there this morning: That the
universe expands and contracts and
like a bellows is breathes you

Joshua Breakstone Trio ---- Outpost Performance Space -- December 17, 2oo9 -- Earl Sauls, bass; John Trentacosta, drums -- photo by Mark Weber ---- Joshua is a true improviser, playing the changes, and taking the lyric line way out to the farthest limits of stretch-a-bility.

Joshua Breakstone Trio —- Outpost Performance Space — December 17, 2oo9 — Earl Sauls, bass; John Trentacosta, drums — photo by Mark Weber —- Joshua is a true improviser, playing the changes, and taking the lyric line way out to the farthest limits of stretch-a-bility.

Kazzrie Jaxen's piano -- early morning August 8, 2o11 ---- her home up on a hillside  in a forest with a river nearby -- Callicoon, New York -- photo by Mark Weber

Kazzrie Jaxen’s piano — early morning August 8, 2o11 —- her home up on a hillside in a forest with a river nearby — Callicoon, New York — photo by Mark Weber

Two alto saxophonists leaning against a wall ---- Gary Foster & Lee Konitz ---- Donte's, North  Hollywood -- January 15, 1982 -- photo by Mark Weber

Two alto saxophonists leaning against a wall —- Gary Foster & Lee Konitz —- Donte’s, North Hollywood — January 15, 1982 — photo by Mark Weber

Bobby Bradford with class at Pasadena City College -- September 17, 1976 ---- the thing with  Bradford is that when he's dealing with a classroom or with an individual he always looks for  common ground so that he understands where to start teaching you, he's walked me through  so many concepts over the years and he's always used this technique ---- photo by Mark Weber

Bobby Bradford with class at Pasadena City College — September 17, 1976 —- the thing with Bradford is that when he’s dealing with a classroom or with an individual he always looks for common ground so that he understands where to start teaching you, he’s walked me through so many concepts over the years and he’s always used this technique —- photo by Mark Weber

Patience Higgins Sugar Hill Quartet -- September 6, 2oo6 -- Minton's Playhouse, 208 W. 118th Street,  Harlem NYC -- Marcus Persiani, piano; Dave Gibson, drums; Andy McLeod III, bass; Patience Higgins,  tenor saxophone ---- photo by Mark Weber ---- original 1948 mural by Charles Graham

Patience Higgins Sugar Hill Quartet — September 6, 2oo6 — Minton’s Playhouse, 208 W. 118th Street, Harlem NYC — Marcus Persiani, piano; Dave Gibson, drums; Andy McLeod III, bass; Patience Higgins, tenor saxophone —- photo by Mark Weber —- original 1948 mural by Charles Graham

I don't remember which Kerouac book it was where he says the "Negro is the essential American" (maybe it was his poem "October in the Railroad Earth"?) -- I was a teenager growing up in mostly white suburbs of Los Angeles and that statement was hard to grasp at first, it really made me think, and it took a few years to realize what he meant and how true it is -- Kerouac, as ever, right on the money ------ America is an experiment in representative government, a social experiment, a melting pot of cultural influences is  America, good or bad, a train-wreck sometimes, but the human spirit has found some elbow room here, and  jazz in a lot of ways is the ultimate democracy ----------     Art Tatum -- Rosedale Cemetery, 1831 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles -- April 26, 1981 --  photo & line drawing by Mark WeberI don't remember which Kerouac book it was where he says the "Negro is the essential American" (maybe it was his poem "October in the Railroad Earth"?) -- I was a teenager growing up in mostly white suburbs of Los Angeles and that statement was hard to grasp at first, it really made me think, and it took a few years to realize what he meant and how true it is -- Kerouac, as ever, right on the money ------ America is an experiment in representative government, a social experiment, a melting pot of cultural influences is  America, good or bad, a train-wreck sometimes, but the human spirit has found some elbow room here, and  jazz in a lot of ways is the ultimate democracy ----------     Art Tatum -- Rosedale Cemetery, 1831 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles -- April 26, 1981 --  photo & line drawing by Mark Weber

I don’t remember which Kerouac book it was where he says the “Negro is the essential American” (maybe it was his poem “October in the Railroad Earth”?) — I was a teenager growing up in mostly white suburbs of Los Angeles and that statement was hard to grasp at first, it really made me think, and it took a few years to realize what he meant and how true it is — Kerouac, as ever, right on the money —— America is an experiment in representative government, a social experiment, a melting pot of cultural influences is America, good or bad, a train-wreck sometimes, but the human spirit has found some elbow room here, and jazz in a lot of ways is the ultimate democracy ———- Art Tatum — Rosedale Cemetery, 1831 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles — April 26, 1981 — photo & line drawing by Mark Weber

Mark Weber, Horace Tapscott, Henry Franklin -- May 16, 1981, UCLA -- I believe this was  snapped by Linda Hill, she was always grabbing my camera and taking pictures (which I  approved whole-heartedly) -- Horace and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra was getting  ready to play outdoors -- Henry has a new release TWO VIEWS (SP Records) that we've been  spinning and will spin again this day

Mark Weber, Horace Tapscott, Henry Franklin — May 16, 1981, UCLA — I believe this was snapped by Linda Hill, she was always grabbing my camera and taking pictures (which I approved whole-heartedly) — Horace and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra was getting ready to play outdoors — Henry has a new release TWO VIEWS (SP Records) that we’ve been spinning and will spin again this day.

Housewarming Party at 725 ---- October 27, 1996 Albuquerque -- Janet & I still live here, and by  the time of this party we'd been living there ten months, so it was kind of a belated party(?) --  Jam session: Tim Zannes, violin; Michael Anthony, guitar; David Parlato, bass; and the late John  Lewis Kilpatrick, tenor saxophone -- photo by Mark Weber

Housewarming Party at 725 —- October 27, 1996 Albuquerque — Janet & I still live here, and by the time of this party we’d been living there ten months, so it was kind of a belated party(?) — Jam session: Tim Zannes, violin; Michael Anthony, guitar; David Parlato, bass; and the late John Lewis Kilpatrick, tenor saxophone — photo by Mark Weber

We called ourselves the Warne Marsh Appreciation Society that night ---- the Connie Crothers  Quartet was in town to play the Outpost ---- this dinner the night before at 725 (Janet & my house) -- March 25, 2001 Albuquerque ---- Richard Tabnik, Roger Mancuso, Connie, David Parlato,  Janet Simon, who cooked us something delicious ---- photo by Mark Weber (how do you like my  tile work?)

We called ourselves the Warne Marsh Appreciation Society that night —- the Connie Crothers Quartet was in town to play the Outpost —- this dinner the night before at 725 (Janet & my house) — March 25, 2001 Albuquerque —- Richard Tabnik, Roger Mancuso, Connie, David Parlato, Janet Simon, who cooked us something delicious —- photo by Mark Weber (how do you like my tile work?)

Two tenor saxophonists lean on a piano ---- James Moody showing Tim Zannes the changes  on the Outpost Steinway ---- April 21, 1997 ---- photo by Mark Weber  (Zannes plays both violin  and tenor saxophone and lives in Albuquerque and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio)

Two tenor saxophonists lean on a piano —- James Moody showing Tim Zannes the changes on the Outpost Steinway —- April 21, 1997 —- photo by Mark Weber (Zannes plays both violin and tenor saxophone and lives in Albuquerque and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio)

John Abercrombie ---- February  26, 2oo1 ---- it was during soundcheck that I realized  that Abercrombie's musicianship is on a whole other level of mastery ---- I know I should  have known that from his records, but sometimes, watching someone work, something else  squeaks through and your understanding is magnified ---- he was using a stereo set-up of  amplifiers on this performance at the Outpost ---- photo by Mark Weber

John Abercrombie —- February 26, 2oo1 —- it was during soundcheck that I realized that Abercrombie’s musicianship is on a whole other level of mastery —- I know I should have known that from his records, but sometimes, watching someone work, something else squeaks through and your understanding is magnified —- he was using a stereo set-up of amplifiers on this performance at the Outpost —- photo by Mark Weber

Has there ever been a time when irony did not exist? Way back in the prelapsarian greenwood,  hazy mists of pure innocence?  Think about it: Irony is a turn of mind, an artifact of mind turning its  wheels, a remnant of the over-active opinionated "thinking" --------     You could call this pair of exposures: Juxtapositions -- Anasazi petroglyphs & V8 engine, Moab, Utah, January 1, 1994 and Rainbird & California Poppies, May 1978, Upland, California ---- photos by Mark WeberHas there ever been a time when irony did not exist? Way back in the prelapsarian greenwood,  hazy mists of pure innocence?  Think about it: Irony is a turn of mind, an artifact of mind turning its  wheels, a remnant of the over-active opinionated "thinking" --------     You could call this pair of exposures: Juxtapositions -- Anasazi petroglyphs & V8 engine, Moab, Utah, January 1, 1994 and Rainbird & California Poppies, May 1978, Upland, California ---- photos by Mark Weber

Has there ever been a time when irony did not exist? Way back in the prelapsarian greenwood, hazy mists of pure innocence? Think about it: Irony is a turn of mind, an artifact of mind turning its wheels, a remnant of the over-active opinionated “thinking” ——– You could call this pair of exposures: Juxtapositions — Anasazi petroglyphs & V8 engine, Moab, Utah, January 1, 1994 and Rainbird & California Poppies, May 1978, Upland, California —- photos by Mark Weber

7 Comments

  1. Mark Weber

    5) I heard that the universe is accelerating as it expands — that it was
    contracting added a new dimension to the idea

    6) That hat that Patience is wearing reminds me of the hat Wardell Gray is wearing
    in 1947 photo with Dexter to depict “The Chase”

    7) “The Hard Blues” is a blues in the abstract: the 1-4-5 chords are utilized but not in
    the conventional 12-bar configuration (1-4-1-4-1-2-5-1 is Julius), that’s in the bluesy slow 4/4 eleven-bar written A section
    that you hear at the head and the end of the long track. The B section is the fast notey
    boppish item that goes by very quick. The remainder of the tune is wide-open blowing. The
    tune is in Eb and opens with a short 8-bar R&B-ish riff before the head.

  2. Mark Weber

    4 THINGS with a 5th coming later

    1) Customarily, a housewarming party happens quite soon after moving in. Our housewarming took place ten months after we took possession of 725. (Janet’s sisters from NYC even came to the party — it is
    our first house we ever owned.) Previous to owning 725 we had been renting in Albuquerque since August 1991.

    2) Ratzo Harris was the 4th member of Connie Crothers Quartet who hadn’t arrived in town, yet, (at the time of that photo).

    3) I love that breathing thing with the universe — came from Supriti at High Desert Yoga on Tuesday morning

    4) We’ll listen to Lee Konitz & Gary Foster cd Dedicated to the Memory of Warne Marsh BODY AND SOUL (Insights 25CJ-12,Tokyo, 1995) where they have transcribed Warne solos and use them for vehicles to launch into further solos thereupon.

  3. Alex

    Once again, thank you for totally freaking me out, Mark! Being part of that thing called “history” is still mighty strange and sobering, but . . . it is what it is! A deep bow to you.

    _()_

  4. Mark Weber

    Alex Cline—————– of that batch of Hemphill Trio shots there were individual exposures of you on drumset, but no B&W shots with all 3 together ———- at least, not in that batch (I seem to recall there are more B&W somewhere) —————we’re still in the midst of digitizing and cataloging the negatives————- NOT that I took that many shots on any one concert (I’m more into the “zen photography” thing, just a few, is enough)———- BUT I know the UCLA collection has my color shots from that evening, so, I need get out there and search the archive

  5. Joe Somoza

    cool photos, Mark. I like that grand piano in the dark especially, and Kerouac’s comment about the the essential American. “October In The Railroad Earth” is prose, I think, not poetry. I have Kerouac reciting it to Steve Allen’s jazz piano.

  6. fred voss

    Mark,
    Enjoyed your remark regarding Kerouac’s take on the black man, and I agree with the big K
    — Fred

  7. Mark Weber

    ———–playlist——————–
    Keepint It Real jazz radio show
    March 12, 2o15 — KUNM Albuquerque

    1. Joshua Breakstone “Tempus Fugit” — June 2000
    cd PLAYS THE MUSIC OF BUD POWELL
    2. Julius Hemphill “The Hard Blues” — Feb.1972
    3. Warne Marsh-Ted Brown-Art Pepper “Broadway”
    excerpt: Head + Warne’s first 32 bars of solo to
    illustrate the following track
    4. Gary Foster & Lee Konitz “Youngin'” (Warne’s solo
    on “Broadway” of which he was modeling Lester Young
    in the Basie band’s version of 1940) — November 1995 Tokyo — cd BODY & SOUL Dedicated to the Memory of
    Warne Marsh
    5. Count Basie Orchestra w/Lester Young “Broadway” –19nov40
    6. Lester Young w/ Glenn Hardmann “Exactly Like You” –26june39
    7. Connie Crothers Quartet “Carol’s Dream” –Sept.2005 cd MUSIC IS A PLACE
    8. Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet “S’Wonderful” –11oct2o10 cd THE CALLICOON SESSIONS
    9. Henry Franklin “Frank’s Tune” (Frank Strozier) –12oct2o14 cd TWO VIEWS
    10. Art Tatum solo “Stompin’ at the Savoy” –19jan55
    11. Steve Cromity “All My Tomorrows” — June 2014
    w/tenor solo by Patience Higgins

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