My real point in posting was to remind folks to watch/tape/Tivo American Masters on PBS tonight to catch the two-hour Scorcese-directed Bob Dylan documentary (which finishes up with another two hours tomorrow night).

Oh, I didn't know this was going to be on PBS so I bought the DVD as a present for my husband.

It's quite good, though I would have liked to see more live footage.

It's quite good, though I would have liked to see more live footage.

I think there's actually less in the version that's airing on PBS, so you may have made the right call.

I think there's actually less in the version that's airing on PBS, so you may have made the right call.

This plus - due to corporate sponsorship from Apple (pt. 1) and Starbucks (pt. 2) they are bleeping the dreaded curse words. So def. good call on the DVDs.

I loved it though. I can't wait for tonight's conclusion.

I forgot about it & spent last night working on the family finances. I would have preferred Dylan, natch.

Most PBS stations are replaying it through the week and then playing all four hours together this Sunday. As they say, check your local listings.

It is worth the time. I had chills for the first 8 minutes or so.

OK, will do.

Note to self: There is no record quite like Stan Freberg's parody of "Cry."

I think this is a good thing. The world isn't ready for 2 records like that.

Interesting Soundcheck today. The first story was about the release today of Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. I saw an ad for it in last month's Jazz Times but had forgotten about it. The Library of Congress researcher who found the tape and a Coltrane scholar were interviewed. This recording was made shortly after (I think) the group's legendary months-long stand at the Five Spot, which was a key episode in both men's careers, particularly for Coltrane. Until now there were only a handful of studio recordings and a Five Spot bootleg that was officially released a few years ago, the latter "recording sounds like it was recorded at the wrong end of a mine shaft." The Carnegie Hall recording, on the other hand, sounds great. The tape was still in really good shape and Blue Note has done a terrific job with it.

The second part of the show featured Tim Riley, author of the in-depth Beatles examination Tell Me Why: The Beatles: Album by Album, Song by Song, the Sixties and After. I actually liked this interview more than I liked the book, but the book is certainly worth checking out. Riley will be at Housing Works tonight (site of one of the Lost In The Grooves events) discussing his new book.

Excellent news about the Monk & Coltrane album! I just saw that the Complete Bill Evans Live At The Village Vanguard just came out on disc today, too.

I'm reading a biography of Monk right now that's very poorly written. It reminds me of this Coltrane biography I read a dozen years ago that was so condescending - it kept referring to Coltrane's weakness for sweet potato pie and his "fat suits" in this way that seemed straight out of minstrelsy. Bad jazz biographies can suck it.

Which one, Corwood? For a long time there were no bios, at least not in print in English -- I know because I looked and looked. Then this one and this one came out around the same time. I bought & read both but don't remember much about either. The former's forward by Steve Lacy is a pretty strong recommendation. I can't remember if the book is a translation. The latter definitely is, & I remember it being rather eccentric; don't remember if I found it pleasingly or distractingly eccentric, though. Missed this one completely. Orrin Keepnews, co-founder of Riverside Records and Monk's producer there, wrote near-booklength liner notes for the Monk Riverside box set which he adapted for this collection. I saw it once, but didn't buy it (it was back in the unemployed days) and of course it's now OOP, too. I should probably grab one of the used copies. Weird that a major figure like Monk -- he's a big seller by jazz standards in addition to being one of the music's giants -- has so few critical studies extant (much less in print and in English.)