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Re: the only BL there is is...

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Craig

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In Reply to: Re: the only BL there is is... posted by opinionated on November 8, 2005 at 19:52:38:

Wasn't really familiar with this guy except on this forum, I guess because he died so incredibly young. But based on the recording on your web page, what an exciting talent! Can you or anybody recommend a CD or two?

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Out Front and Far Cry! - D Harvey 03:01:11 11/09/05 (7)
Booker Little is a favorite of mine. He's usually more technically on the ball than in the recording in question here, which is why I was a little thrown, though the tone and incredible flow of ideas ultimately gave it away. His writing is every bit as good as his playing, and his album Out Front for Candid is a prime example of this (search the archives for my review of this classic). Another fave of mine is Far Cry which he co-led with Eric Dolphy on Prestige. They also made three legendary sides live at the Five Spot on the same label. There are others, and I personally grab everything I can find with him on it.
Booker died at age 23 of uremia, cutting short one of the most promising jazz careers of the 1960s. When I say "young BL" I mean about 19 years old.
dh
- yeah. - jazztrumpet 11:18:08 11/09/05 (5)
  yeah, it just never ceases to affect me to think about the brevity of his career.
  If you are lucky enough to find it, one of his first ones in only available on vinly and it's simply titled "Booker Little." It's on Time records, and is a simply white, black, and red cover. Sick.
  But Mrs. Parker of K.C. still wrecks my world everytime I hear it. Which is probably approaching obsessive amounts. I guess the first step is admitting you have a problem...
  ;-)
  JT
  - Re: yeah. - D Harvey 17:30:27 11/09/05 (4)
    "yeah, it just never ceases to affect me to think about the brevity of his career."
    Me too. It's upsetting. I get bothered the same way thinking about Jaco and to a little lesser extent, Woody Shaw.
    "If you are lucky enough to find it, one of his first ones in only available on vinly and it's simply titled "Booker Little." It's on Time records, and is a simply white, black, and red cover. Sick."
    I think you're referring to the one with Haynes, Flanagan/Kelly, and LaFaro. I was housing some LPs for a friend for a while and that one was in there, though with a different cover. Great stuff. Let me know if that's the same one--if it's not, you're talking about a disc I've been previously unaware of. I think it has been made available on CD, but I don't have it--yet. It took me years to find Out Front on CD, though it's not too hard to get right now. Great as that one is, I said in my review here that I wish Roy had been the drummer on Out Front. I think he was more in tune with what Booker and Dolphy were doing than Max. That period includes some of Max's best and worst work (for me), and what he does on Out Front falls somewhere in between IMO.
    Mrs Parker is a great tune, but the one on Far Cry that tears me up the most is Ode To Charlie Parker. Dolphy's flute and Booker's trumpet are a match made in heaven. Gorgeous.
    Do you happen to know any details about his death? Was his condition exacerbated by sickle-cell? Was it treatable? Did he even see a doctor about it? Someone should write a biography before all those who knew him pass on.
    
    dh
    - Of those jazz musicians who died young ... - Craig 23:21:18 11/09/05 (3)
      most had drug/alcohol or mental problems. (True in other creative fields, too - Janis Joplin, Hendrix, John Belushi, etc.) Booker's illness was just bad luck, far as I know. Clifford Brown was a clean liver who died in a car crash. Any others who died really young where the cause of death was unrelated to substance abuse or mental illness?
      - Jimmy Blanton. N/T - musetap 13:00:34 11/13/05 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Of those jazz musicians who died young ... posted by Craig on November 9, 2005 at 23:21:18:
        
        N/T
        
        *** This hear hobby is one fine hobby indeed...a passion ***
      - Re: Of those jazz musicians who died young ... - D Harvey 03:08:33 11/10/05 (1)
        
        In Reply to: Of those jazz musicians who died young ... posted by Craig on November 9, 2005 at 23:21:18:
        
        Eric Dolphy (a bit mysterious--the two most common reasons given are a brain tumor or undiagnosed diabetes), Charlie Christian (TB), Frank Teschmacher (car crash), stretching it a bit, Coltrane's liver cancer may or may not have been related to earlier drug problems.
        
        dh
        
        Re: Of those jazz musicians who died young ... - opinionated 06:05:14 11/10/05 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Of those jazz musicians who died young ... posted by D Harvey on November 10, 2005 at 03:08:33:
        
        Joe Gordon (fire), Wardell Gray (murdered -- mysteriouly) many conjectures, Albert Aylers (floating in the river) to name a few more.
        
        bgs
- Re: Out Front and Far Cry! All great recordings - opinionated 07:13:33 11/09/05 (0)
  He was one of those that had genius credentials.

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