jeep, rabbit, and squatty roo

i don't listen to a lot of saxophone.  well, let me rephrase this - i listen to a bunch of people play the saxophone all of the time, but i don't come home from work and put on a recording of somebody playing the saxophone.  in our house these days, i hear a lot of marina piccinini, taio cruz, chris potter, bruno mars, dan patrick, and recordings of current projects that the wife and i are tackling.

i check out a bunch of new music too.  some of my friends (bart, russ, joel & abe in particular) and several students keep my inbox full with cdrs of stuff they either bet i'll like or think i should hear.  recent additions include tom rainey, michael formanek, dawes, and flying lotus.  i'm doing everything i can to keep up with what my friends are digging, let alone what's pumping through my kids' stereos or who is making noise on the late night talk shows.  i attempt to read tweets and reviews and updates and blogs from jazz artists, but struggle to stay on the horse with all of that new music. it's stressful too, knowing that so many great things blossoming everywhere are flying under my radar.

last night i gave a lecture on the legacy of alto saxophonist johnny hodges.  i intended to put modest effort into the research, but ended up with a stack of books at my bar (that's right, i've got a bar in my house, and it's actually the best place to do any studying or writing) (or getting my drink on).

hodges is an interesting character.  he was with ellington through four decades, was reluctant to talk with fans because he had a limited vocabulary, and was a unique voice amongst virile saxophonists.  man, he sounds amazing.  his tone and pitch and nuance are all on point.  hearing him play hit me with the epiphany that, while i'm scrambling to stay current with new music, i'm ignoring a bunch of gems from yesteryear.

hodges on the 1956 ellington at newport live album is incredible.  gonsalves steals the show, both in lore and actuality, but hodges stays so poignant as he delivers an amazing version of i got it bad and that ain't good.  i had forgotten how good the small group stuff sounds, how true his understanding of the blues is, and how genuine his improvisations come across.

and then there's this...