Sunflower Somewhere Last Summer

Sunflower Somewhere Last Summer
originally uploaded by anyjazz65

My Own Wordless Wednesday

Art Pepper

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Curl-up-and-dye Marilyn Art Pepper Gnat Trap Resident Alien Ginger Panda Barney Kessel Sunday Funnies Little Annie Fannie Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops. Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

I was a big band enthusiast a long time before I stumbled upon the Stan Kenton band. There was something about the complexity, the inventiveness, the originality that appealed to me. In about 1954 I heard the 1950 album “Stan Kenton Presents.” It featured artists from his huge band at the time. The first cut on the first side was called simply “Art Pepper” and that hook was all it took for me. I was a fan. Much of the album was written and arranged by Shorty Rogers. About 1951 Art Pepper left Kenton to do some recording with Shorty Rogers. On some of the RCA recordings with Shorty Rogers, Pepper was listed as “Art Salt” because of contractual obligations probably. As a side note,Shorty Rogers also recorded as "Roger Short" on a Decca album with Leith Stevens “All Stars” based on the “Wild One” Brando movie sound track. Shorty and Shelly Mann and several others in Roger's band, the Giants, appeared in the movie "Man with the Golden Arm" too but I could never tell if Art Pepper was there or not. But I digress…my best talent. So over the years a few Art Pepper recordings have accumulated. In addition to the few appearances as soloist on the prolific Kenton big band recordings, there are also these in “the collection” under his own name: One September Afternoon – Galaxy GXY 5141 Art Pepper meets the Rhythm Section – Contemporary C3532 The Art Pepper Quartet – Tampa TP20 And one CD that is probably some kind of public domain thing. Laser Light label seems to specialize in the off-beat, alternate take and/or reject recordings. Laurie's Choice – Laser Light 17 012 There’s a single cut “Old Croix” on an album called Jazz West Coast Vol. III from Jazztone J1274. (A rather scarce album probably.) And there’s more than a few appearances with groups headed by other musicians. Alto saxophonists have always appealed to me. The tone and flexibility of the instrument and the individuality it can have depending on who plays, are factors. Another blog about him here... and Here.... I never got to see Art Pepper in person. But there have been others. There’s the time I wandered into a restaurant in center town Nanaimo, BC. I was seated at a table next to a microphone where midway through my meal an alto saxophonist began to play with a small group. It was a treat. It was Christine Jensen. I stayed for the whole show and the next set. Her mother sat at the next table and we chatted a bit. She is very proud of her two daughters, Christine and Ingrid. And then there was the time that I clung to the edge of a stage in a large Kansas dance hall, looking up at the Ellington band. I watched Johnny Hodges sleep through the section parts of an Ellington classic. Then suddenly he was wide awake. He rose to the microphone to glide through a couple solo choruses, sat down again and drifted off again. He had been doing it for more than 30 years. The only basketball game I ever went to was a professional team, Phillips 66’rs. The half-time entertainment was Dave Brubeck and his quartet. Up to then they had done only a scant few recordings for Fantasy: “Jazz at the Blackhawk” and another one or two. And they had recently released one for Columbia called “Jazz goes to College.” It was shortly after that I did the small sketch of Desmond shown on a previous page. Allison Neale is on that page too. She is highly recommended. And speaking of Allison... There was another Alison but I don't remember her last name right now. Oh yes, Alison Young. She was about 17 years old and played occasionally at the late night Jam Night at the Ottawa Jazz Festival. 2000 through 2003. She was fabulous. Maybe someone will tell me where she is. Where ever she is, I bet the saxophone is near-by. I wonder what became of her. That's her, isn't it?... 2007 July 10 Update: Her name has been Googled to this site several times lately...Back Tracking I found this site on MySpace. Do you want to hear her? Go to the Sarah Jerrom site and listen to the solo near the end of "Oh Lonesome Me" I was right wasn't I....She really is fabulous.

Dora at the Well #2

Thanks so much for reposting this. You know there is something special about this one. I was hoping that a higher resolution scan would produce more details. There are some. There is a dead tree in the background directly behind the well. And are those Yuccas or Cannas growing along the dirt road leading off to the right? I still don't see any utility poles on the horizon. The larger scan helped some but it appears that the camera was a limiting factor too. There are blurs in the print that might indicate a thumbprint on the lens or maybe just a little operator motion. There is an interesting shadow between the porch post and the edge of the print. Could it be the blades of a windmill? Or is it another plant, out of focus in the blurry spot? The downspout from the eave trough is directed into the well in a kind of make-do way. And the well opening has a lid to keep the well cool in those 100 degree days (and nights!) of the Texas summer. Also it kept some of the dust and the bugs and birds out... Yes, they are conserving water. I agree that it is an older well too. The earth around the base has blown away. Depending on the location and date, it could be an effect of the infamous “dust bowl” of the thirties. Oh yes, there are parts of Texas that look like this today too. But I think you know, these details are not really the heart of this photo. It’s Dora. Dora is dressed up for an occasion, maybe only the photograph, but I bet it’s more to do with the photographer. Dora at the Well #2, originally uploaded by meagain625. There is a hot, summer breeze blowing into her face. Her skirt and hair and the leaves on the trees and plants are affected. It’s a sundress and two-tone high heels. Her shoulder-length hair is carefully brushed into shape. Look at that big lipstick smile. This is the part of the photo that is really the story. There was something happy going on in that stark, hardworking life, out in the sun of the Texas southwest desert. It is good to know there was a time like this in their lives: A time to dress up and act silly, coquet and coquette, to giggle and laugh and be human. When Dora was born, people were still discussing that new state up north: Oklahoma. Her parents probably grew up in a “territory.” It is good to remember that although it seems stark and rustic to us now, that it was all they had back then and they were quite happy with it. Thanks for posting this one. It’s not just a picture, it’s a chance to feel good about people and know there were warm and juicy parts to their lives. An old philosopher I met once said it best, “It’s the same circles, just different people going around in them.” meagain625 says: None of my little tabs are working (all sizes, for instance), and even I wanted to take a closer look at this one. It looks like that plant might be yucca, judging from the slim length of flower stalk at the top. I think the shadow next to the porch is a plant, since it is in shadow anyway... Looks like a cactus growing at the base of the well. Dora does look happy as she can be. My aunt Jessie told me that Dora had a childish quality about her, but would not be more specific than that. That could be a good thing, as children delight in the smallest things, and don't think too far into the future. I almost want to have that same quality about myself. Dora does look great, at the prime of her time, and I love those shoes! Her dress reminds me a little of Mrs Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver", I think it might just be the stripes, since "June Cleaver" wore a fuller skirt on her dresses. I'm a little proud of this picture. The whole scenario just appeals to me, and I think you hit it, anyjazz... I think she dressed up for the photographer. I can just hear it: "Come on, honey. Let me get one of you in that pretty dress. We can start at the well, and end up...well...somewhere more private..." :) And some of the previous conversation: bunaen says: Cute: Both Dora and the well. That looks one of them portable jobs (not Dora, the well). meagain625 says: Yep, you can tell that rain water was being saved. I have no idea where this could have been, except somewhere in Wilson County, Texas. The time that most of these photos were taken, Mom and her friends never travelled far from home. The world didn't exist too far beyond the county line, except boys went off and died halfway around the world, and sometimes came back, changed forever. My Uncle Carroll died a couple of years ago, he was in his 80s, and he never forgot the horrors he saw/endured back then. anyjazz65 says: Chores? In heels? Hm. Yes, a larger size might be fun. Good find. meagain625 says: *digs back through a stack of black and white photos while they slip this way and that* I can probably find it, and I am training on me to learn more about that scanner I had to have... I couldn't stand it once MikeyG told me he got a scanner. You know how it is... Trying to keep up with the flickr crowd ;) I might just be able to rescan and repost. I haven't learned how to add the pictures or text from one post to another. Probably because I would show everyone my goof ups on line instead of working it out in private. Vanity, I suppose, is difficult to hide. cornerofthefield says: I like Dora. I've seen her before somewhere, haven't I? The well is a pretty cool number also. meagain625 says: She is in *so many* of the pictures Mom had! I have searched and searched for this one, to rescan it at a larger size, and can't seem to find it. But boy, when I do find it, I will scan it again for sure! Even *I* would like to see this one larger. cornerofthefield says: I'm still marveling over those heels. I guess the picture was posed. I wouldn't be able to walk in those over that dirt with a full bucket of water let alone without one. meagain625 says: My thoughts, too. I like this one just because of the well, and the obvious fact that the whole set-up on the well was not professional. Texas ranchers, in a drought, will do some strange things to conserve water. The well has been there for a while, the ground has been washed or blown away over the years, but the bucket looks a lot newer. I think I have a picture or two taken at the corner of the porch, but a slide show shows I don't have any of them posted to flickr. *mental note to check on that* I did learn from going through the slide show that the pictures show large even if you can't view them large on the post page. I'm learning more about this flickr thing everyday :) Can anyone identify this painting? Click for larger version. A very,merry unbushday to you! Go HERE! It's a hoot! Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops.

Come in

Come in, originally uploaded by anyjazz65. Crowell, Texas is actually a thriving small town over near the panhandle on state highway 70. This abandoned building is not typical of the town as so often is the case in Oklahoma and Texas. The trusty camera got a few shots of this and a couple other buildings on the same street while passing through there on a trip in the southeast corner of New Mexico trip last year.

This tiny tintype portrait was found in a drawer in Purcell, Oklahoma and seemed a bit haunting. The vacant but knowing expression and the piercing eyes melt into a memory easily. The building has a haunting quality too, so it was no stretch to put them together. It was a bit of level adjustment, a few layers, colors and some freehand shading. Now the building is occupied. Is my hair on straight?, originally uploaded by anyjazz65.

Apartment Crowell, TX, originally uploaded by Seth Gaines.

Bookshelf Auto-biography

Some time ago it struck me (ideas are seldom subtle discoveries for me) that a bookshelf or two tells a lot about a person; a mini-biography, a little portrait on the self. People treat books in various manners. There are a precious few who have no books around the home. They read only those they co-own with the public library system. The only thing we know about this group of people is that they are not ordinary. The bulk of us keep all the books we have ever read, all the books we intend to read or all the books that have been given to us (often by the extraordinary people in the first group.) and have no intention of reading, ever. Those books are in shellacked shelves, in shopworn shoeboxes behind the wardrobe shoe-racks, in supermarket sacks in the cellar and in stashes under the sofa minded by well-read but senile dust bunnies. Bookshelf Auto-biography originally uploaded by anyjazz65 Books, originally uploaded bysoozika There is a third group of readers who retain only the books that the felt were the best; the most moving, meaningful and memorial, to be memorized through continued future perusals. Most people have at least an armload of books on a shelf somewhere. These tell a lot about a person perhaps. So here are a few bookshelf biographies that I have found lately. The only criterion for these photographs is that one must be able to read the titles on the spines. opie jeanne has several shots of her bookshelf but I liked these two. IMG_8882, originally uploaded by opie_jeanne. IMG_8881, originally uploaded by opie_jeanne. And ed ed had several photographs of books so I picked three. the snowman's bookshelf, originally uploaded by ed ed. food and drink, originally uploaded by ed ed. zoology, originally uploaded by ed ed. Books piling up, originally uploaded by mafleen.