The Unknowable

Line drawing – 14sept2o18 – Mark Weber

Line drawing – 14sept2o18 – Mark Weber

January 10, 2o19 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)

THE UNKNOWABLE

Influences are so incredibly important
How they tumble within you like a kaleidoscope
How making a list would be insubstantial
Some of it obvious
Some of it only momentary
They certainly exist, best left
To mystery, mysteriousness, a guitar
Solo that reaches far back into
Your memory, a trumpet improvisation
That reminds you of something you
Can’t put your finger on, a rhythm pattern
That matches those running horses
You saw once way out on the grasslands
A trombone interlude that sounds like
A language you once spoke in another life
Arising out of the mist

That’s trumpeter Richard Davis holding mike on Azar Lawrence at John Carter’s Ibedon Festival, May 20-21, 1977 Los Angeles w/ Freddie Redd(piano), and Roberto Miranda(bass) ---- photo by Mark Weber ---- We’ll dip some more into Azar’s latest cd FRONTIERS on this radio show

That’s trumpeter Richard Davis holding mike on Azar Lawrence at John Carter’s Ibedon Festival, May 20-21, 1977 Los Angeles w/ Freddie Redd (piano), and Roberto Miranda (bass) —- photo by Mark Weber —- We’ll dip some more into Azar’s latest cd FRONTIERS on this radio show

John Carter and Oliver Lake – January 3, 1978 @ Century City Playhouse, LA – photo by Mark Weber

John Carter and Oliver Lake – January 3, 1978 @ Century City Playhouse, LA – photo by Mark Weber

Joseph Banks on trumpets on a Saturday night at Dooto’s Music Center (owned by record producer Dootsie Williams) 1900 N. Central, Compton ---- That’s Bill Clark on tenor, and the baadest blues guitarist I ever heard: Evans Walker, who was a hardcore boozer and didn’t survive, both of them long-time members of Pee Wee Crayton’s Ultimates of Soul, who were the backing band this night for a cavalcade of performers, all leading up to Little Milton (who wasn’t too shabby on guitar, either, I found out!) ---- January 14, 1978 – photo by Mark Weber

Joseph Banks on trumpets on a Saturday night at Dooto’s Music Center (owned by record producer Dootsie Williams) 1900 N. Central, Compton —- That’s Bill Clark on tenor, and the baadest blues guitarist I ever heard: Evans Walker, who was a hardcore boozer and didn’t survive, both of them long-time members of Pee Wee Crayton’s Ultimates of Soul, who were the backing band this night for a cavalcade of performers, all leading up to Little Milton (who wasn’t too shabby on guitar, either, I found out!) —- January 14, 1978 – photo by Mark Weber

The Son Seals Blues Band – Holiday Inn, Richfield, Ohio – June 26, 1987 ---- photo by Mark Weber ---- my field notes say that the tenor was John Powell, and the drummer was Louis Hayes, I’d like to know if that’s correct and who else is in this photo

The Son Seals Blues Band – Holiday Inn, Richfield, Ohio – June 26, 1987 —- photo by Mark Weber —- my field notes say that the tenor was John Powell, and the drummer was Louis Hayes, I’d like to know if that’s correct and who else is in this photo

Alligator Records artists Son Seals and Lonnie Brooks out on the road ---- June 26, 1987 – photo by Mark Weber (I think one of those drinks is mine, it’s hard to operate a camera and hold your whisky at the same time, especially if you’re half-looped)

Alligator Records artists Son Seals and Lonnie Brooks out on the road —- June 26, 1987 – photo by Mark Weber (I think one of those drinks is mine, it’s hard to operate a camera and hold your whisky at the same time, especially if you’re half-looped)

Stanley Crouch looking at Lester Bowie backstage at Schoenberg Hall, UCLA ------- Stanley had a lot of influence over us in those halcyon days before he moved to NYC Fall of 1976 ---- His exuberance and love of jazz and literature, and how much he loved Sunny Murray’s drum style, which threw us for a loop back in California when the rumor floated in that Stanley and Sunny got into a fist fight (?) man, New York is some strange place, no? ---- I audited his jazz history class at Claremont Colleges 1973-1975, it was an evening class, and the best show in town, Stanley would enter the classroom carrying about a hundred albums and the fireworks would begin ---- My gang would pile into my psychedelic VW van and make it over to Claremont, it was an evening class (we all had day jobs so it couldn’t have been otherwise) ----- This photo is from a return visit to his hometown – October 20, 1979 after the Art Ensemble of Chicago had just performed on a double-bill with Bobby Bradford-John Carter Duo ---- photo by Mark Weber

Stanley Crouch looking at Lester Bowie backstage at Schoenberg Hall, UCLA ——- Stanley had a lot of influence over us in those halcyon days before he moved to NYC Fall of 1976 —- His exuberance and love of jazz and literature, and how much he loved Sunny Murray’s drum style, which threw us for a loop back in California when the rumor floated in that Stanley and Sunny got into a fist fight (?) man, New York is some strange place, no? —- I audited his jazz history class at Claremont Colleges 1973-1975, it was an evening class, and the best show in town, Stanley would enter the classroom carrying about a hundred albums and the fireworks would begin —- My gang would pile into my psychedelic VW van and make it over to Claremont, it was an evening class (we all had day jobs so it couldn’t have been otherwise) —– This photo is from a return visit to his hometown – October 20, 1979 after the Art Ensemble of Chicago had just performed on a double-bill with Bobby Bradford-John Carter Duo —- photo by Mark Weber

Nels Cline – October 21, 1979 Los Angeles ---- photo by Mark Weber

Nels Cline – October 21, 1979 Los Angeles —- photo by Mark Weber

Nick Lyons -- September 24, 2oo9 NYC ---- photo & line drawing by Mark Weber

Nick Lyons — September 24, 2oo9 NYC —- photo & line drawing by Mark Weber

When Nick Brignola visited Albuquerque --- that’s David Parlato on bass, Nick on baritone – September 13, 1999 – photo by Mark Weber

When Nick Brignola visited Albuquerque —  that’s David Parlato on bass, Nick on baritone – September 13, 1999 – photo by Mark Weber

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis Johnny Otis! ----------- remember? That’s how his radio show would begin, with the lady’s voice drenched in reverb and then the real Johnny would come on mike for opening salutations, what a great disk jockey --------------- photo by Mark Weber --- September 29, 1985 Los Angeles

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis Johnny Otis! ———– remember? That’s how his radio show would begin, with the lady’s voice drenched in reverb and then the real Johnny would come on mike for opening salutations, what a great disk jockey ————— photo by Mark Weber — September 29, 1985 Los Angeles

The night they made their inimitable cd LIVE AT THE OUTPOST the KENNY DAVERN QUARTET: Greg Cohen(bass), Kenny(clarinet), Tony DeNicola(drums), James Chirillo(guitar) ---- December 13, 2004 ---- photo by Mark Weber

The night they made their inimitable cd LIVE AT THE OUTPOST the KENNY DAVERN QUARTET: Greg Cohen (bass), Kenny (clarinet), Tony DeNicola (drums), James Chirillo (guitar) —- December 13, 2004 —- photo by Mark Weber

Saxophone section Instant Composer’s Pool: Toby Delius, Ab Baars, Kenny Davern, Michael Moore – March 23, 2006 Albuquerque at Outpost Performance Space ---- photo by Mark Weber

Saxophone section Instant Composer’s Pool: Toby Delius, Ab Baars, Kenny Davern, Michael Moore – March 23, 2006 Albuquerque at Outpost Performance Space —- photo by Mark Weber

It’s all part of the puzzle, how everything fits together: I see in the discography in Bruce Iglauer’s memoir of Alligator Records BITTEN BY THE BLUES (2o18) that there’s a recent release by a band called “The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling” who only a few months ago introduced himself via email that he was passing through Albuquerque and would like to hang and reminisce about Kenny Davern who he follow’d around the New Jersey clubs when he was a teenager in the 90s (Dennis is pretty sure that “Cross Patch” 1936 Louis Prima is when Kenny first heard Pee Wee Russell ---- one of Kenny’s foundational stories listening to the tiny radio on top of his grandparent’s refrigerator) ---- It’s a small world sometimes ---- photo by Mark Weber at Studio 725 – October 12, 2o18

It’s all part of the puzzle, how everything fits together: I see in the discography in Bruce Iglauer’s memoir of Alligator Records BITTEN BY THE BLUES (2o18) that there’s a recent release by a band called “The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling” who only a few months ago introduced himself via email that he was passing through Albuquerque and would like to hang and reminisce about Kenny Davern who he follow’d around the New Jersey clubs when he was a teenager in the 90s (Dennis is pretty sure that “Cross Patch” 1936 Louis Prima is when Kenny first heard Pee Wee Russell —- one of Kenny’s foundational stories listening to the tiny radio on top of his grandparent’s refrigerator) —- It’s a small world sometimes —- photo by Mark Weber at Studio 725 – October 12, 2o18

Joanne Kyger, the American poet who never jumped outside the immediate moment, visiting us in New Mexico at Salt of the Earth Books, Albuquerque – January 11, 1992 ------ “I am not going to be intimidated/by myself/Outflanked by, upstaged by/this former self of yesterday/which left a pretentious array/of books to read, sources to pull/the western mind into shape” p.63 of her collection AGAIN (La Alameda Press, 2001) and this gem from page 43: “When people say they love me I tell them/Give me a loaf of bread ---- I loaf you” ---- photo by Mark Weber

Joanne Kyger, the American poet who never jumped outside the immediate moment, visiting us in New Mexico at Salt of the Earth Books, Albuquerque – January 11, 1992 —— “I am not going to be intimidated/by myself/Outflanked by, upstaged by/this former self of yesterday/which left a pretentious array/of books to read, sources to pull/the western mind into shape” p.63 of her collection AGAIN (La Alameda Press, 2001) and this gem from page 43: “When people say they love me I tell them/Give me a loaf of bread —- I loaf you” —- photo by Mark Weber

6 Comments

  1. Kevin

    “I loaf you” –

  2. Mark Weber

    My Amazon review of BITTEN BY THE BLUES >

    Soon as I saw this book I had to order it, if only to re-pay a kindness Bruce Iglauer extended to me
    many years ago when he smoothed the way for me to take photos from the stage area at
    the Long Beach Blues Festival (1985)(of which many of these photos are to be seen at my
    website JAZZ FOR MOSTLY)————– What a great memoir and I am only halfway done! (I keep
    having to get up and pull an Alligator record off the shelf to re-visit all the stories he tells)——- Bruce is
    only a half dozen years elder to me, so, besides being extremely jealous of his Chicago days, I can
    certainly relate: Imagine being a white guy from the middleclass suburbs of the sprawling Southern
    California raised on 60s pop & rock music & the Rolling Stones and one night walking into a beer joint
    in South Central (we called it Watts back then) in 1973 and hearing Pee Wee Crayton —- I thought I was
    in heaven, here I was a beer drinker myself, among a whole room of beer drinkers, the odd tone of my
    skin stood out but was irrelevant in the bath of sound coming off this little stage ———– Bruce gets to
    all this, and I also appreciate that he reveals much about the business of being a record company——
    I sure wish he had a camera those years, this guy was no slouch when it comes to going into dangerous
    territory —————- and I also appreciate that he lays out the differences of South Side Chicago from
    West Side from North Side, something I’ve always wonder’d about—————–It hits you soon as
    you get inside the beer joint that these black blues guys could mop the floor with the Rolling Stones, I
    was hooked, and all those years I should have been in collitch, I was in Watts drenched in BLUES music————AND
    I was unaware that Mr Iglauer was one of the founders of LIVING BLUES magazine, of which, I’ve been a
    subscriber since issue #10

  3. Roper

    Mark, I just sent this posting’s url to Richard Davis’ ex-wife and son (1st photo). I am sure they will be excited about that photo. Also related to the photo, played with Roberto last night with the present iteration of the Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra. It is a good iteration.

  4. Lawrence Martin Seidler

    Mark
    This is really fahntastic.Thank you for sharing your photos and memories. I wisht that I owned a camera iin the 1970s Please give me a call next weekend,

    Larry Seidler

  5. Mark Weber

    ———————————-playlist————————————-
    The Quantum Entanglement Jazz Radio Show
    January 10, 2o19 ————-KUNM Albuquerque
    Host MARK WEBER
    *URBIE GREEN got away from us Dec. 31 age 92
    1. Sal Salvador – Eddie Costa Quartet “Salaman” – Feb.1956 w/ Sal(guitar), Eddie(vibes), George Roumanis(bass), Jimmy Campbell(d)
    2. Urbie Green Sextet “No Moon at All” w/ Doc Severinsen(trpt), Urbie Green(trombone), Milt Hinton(bass), Don Lamond(drums), Walt Levinsky(alto), Eddie Costa(piano) —– cd COMPLETE PERSUASIVE TROMBONE (Lonehill) – 1961 or 62 ————-
    3. Nat Pierce Nonet “Stomp it Off” – 28aug50 w/ solo all around: Med Flory(alto), Dong Mettome(trpt), Urbie Green(trombone), Richie Kamuca(tenor), Jack Nimitz(bari), Nat(p), Freddie Green(g), Walter Page(b), Jo Jones(d) cd KANSAS CITY MEMORIES (Fresh Sound)
    4. Urbie Green Big Band “At Last” unbelievable assemblage of NYC session men with Hal McKusick lead alto – Beb.1960
    *pianist Chris Ishee pops in for a surprise visit and we sing “At Last”
    5. “Prisoner of Love” as previous
    6. Oscar Pettiford Manhattan Jazz Septette “King Porter Stomp” w/ Hal McKusick(alto), Urbie(trombone), Herbie Mann(tenor or flute), Barry Galbraith(g), Osie Johnson(d), Eddie Costa (piano or vibes), Manny Albam(arranger), Oscar(bass) – 7june56
    7. “Never Never Land” as previous
    8. “Like Listen” as previous
    9. Jimmy Rushing “It’s a Sin to tell a Lie” big band w/ Urbie, Frank Rehak, Buddy Tate, Danny Barker, Milt Hinton, Nat Pierce, Osie Johnson, Earle Warren w/ soloists Dicky Wells & Coleman Hawkins – cd RUSHING LULLABIES (Columbia)
    10. Joe Wilder Octet cd THE PRETTY SOUND w/ Urbie(trombone, as always), Joe(trumpet), Phil Bodner(b-cl.) “Harbor Lights” – 1dec58
    11. Jimmy Rushing “Travelin’ Light” ibid.
    12. Urbie Green Octet “Med’s Tune” –17aug54 w/ Ruby Braff(trpt), Med Flory(alto), Frank Wess(tenor) Sir Charles Thompson(p), Freddie Greene(g), Aaron Bell(b), Bobby Donaldson(d), Urbie(trombone)—cd SEPTET & OCTET
    13. Supersax “Parker’s Mood” their first album, 1973
    14. Urbie Green Quintet “You are too beautiful” —12oct55 w/ Jimmy Raney(g), Dave McKenna(p), Percy Heath(b), Kenny Clarke(d) —cd ALL ABOUT URBIE GREEN (Fresh Sound)
    15. Urbie Green Septet “Green Dolphin Street” w/ Doug Mettome(trpt), Al Cohn(tenor), Danny Bank (flute & bari), Jimmy Lyon(p), Oscar Pettiford(b), Jimmy Capbell(d) —15jan55
    16. Dave McKenna solo “Limehouse Blues” on Urbie’s album ALL ABOUT URBIE
    17. Urbie Green Octet “Lullaby of Birdland” —–17aug54

  6. Mark Weber

    —————————-playlist—————————-
    The Grazing in the Grass Jazz Radio Show
    January 17, 2o19 ——– KUNM Albuquerque
    Host MARK WEBER
    • THE through-line on this show: All bass on all tracks by California bassist HENRY FRANKLIN
    1. Henry Franklin “Under Tanzanian Skies” cd HOME COOKIN’ (SP Records) – 19march2oo9 w/Azar Lawrence(soprano saxophone), Ramon Banda(drums), Theo Saunders(piano), Henry(bass & composition)
    2. LA JAZZ MACHINE “3/4 for Cee Bee” – 14nov2o17 w/ Yayo Morales(drums), Benn Clatworthy(alto flute), Sam Hirsh(piano), Henry the Skipper Franklin(bass), Nolan Shaheed(engineer) —-cd BOLIVIAN ODYSSEY (SP Records) > http://www.skipperproductions.com
    3. Ray Crawford Quartet “It Ain’t Necessarily So” – 1978 w/ Henry Franklin(bass), Ronnell Bright(piano), Donald Dean(drums), Ray(guitar) —Lp
    ONE STEP AT A TIME (Dobre Records)
    4. Hugh Masekela “Grazing in the Grass” — 1968 w/ Henry Franklin
    5. Henry Franklin Quintet “Open Spaces”(Theo Saunders) boppish w/ Gilbert Castellanos(trpt), Henry(bass), Theo(piano), Ramon Banda(drums), Chuck Manning(tenor) — cd THE SOUL OF THE WORLD (SP Records) –22nov2o10
    6. Hampton Hawes Trio “Little Miss Laurie”(HF) LIVE AT THE MONTMARTRE, Copenhagen – 2sept71 w/ Henry Franklin(bass), Hawes(piano), Michael Carvin(drums)
    7. Henry Franklin “The Magic Boy”(Al Hall Jr) – 1972 recorded at Sage & Sound, Hollywood w/ Henry(bass, way up in the mix the way I like it), Charles Owens(fiery tenor solo), Oscar Brashear(smoking trumpet solo), Kirk Lightsey(elec-piano), Ndugu(drums)—-cd THE SKIPPER AT HOME (Black Jazz Records) produced by Gene Russell (is Al Hall Jr playing trombone in the horn section? If so, he’s quite buried in the mix)
    8. Bobby Bradford – John Carter Quartet — outtake from SECRETS sessions “Woodmen Hall Blues”(JC) – 9nov71 w/ BB(trpt), JC(tenor), Henry Franklin(bass), Bruz Freeman(drums) — 3-cd box COMPLETE REVELATIONS SESSIONS (Mosaic)
    9. Freddie Redd Trio “On Time”(FR) – 3dec77 w/ Carl Burnett(drums), Freddie Redd(piano), Henry Franklin(demonstrating his mastery of walking bass)—Lp STRAIGHT AHEAD! (Interplay Records)
    10. Phil Ranelin cd PERSEVERANCE w/ Big Black(conga), Henry Franklin(bass), Kamasi Washington(tenor), Tony Austin(drums), Phil Ranelin(trombone & composer), Don Littletone(percussion), Mahesh Balasooriya(piano) –2o11
    11. 3 More Sounds “Little Miss Laurie”(HF) *This trio reflects the time Henry and Carl were in the renowned 60s band The Three Sounds ——- cd THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT (SP Records) – 5dec2o14 w/ Bill Heid(piano), Henry(bass and a fantastic gorgeous solo!), Carl Burnett(drums)

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