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SPECIALLY ENGINEERED, HIGH FIDELITY LONG PLAYING ALBUMS, MONOPHONIC & STEREOPHONIC CONTEMPORARY RECORDS 8481 melrose place, los angeles 46, California LETTERS GRAPESHOT are "somewhat calculated" (see page "thunk" is an onomatopoeti invention I should like to point out some of the 92), nor did I say that Monk had never meant to describe a sound otherwise things in Max Harrison's bad-tempered demonstrated a talent as an arranger indescribable—a linguistic process review of my book, The Sound of Sur• before the Monk's Music LP. Louis Arm• that, if outlawed, would soon reduce prise, in your November issue, which strong does miss a lot of notes on his the English language to the level of make the review, it seems to me, a early records, and it is quite clear from Mr. Harrison's prose. notably slipshod and even dishonest its context that my phrase "tea-dance Finally, Mr. Harrison accuses me of piece. One of the fundamentals of any background" does not refer to the ac• being "quite censorious of the mod• kind of reviewing is to tell the reader companiment Armstrong received from erns." There are, nonetheless, sympa• what it is the reviewer is reviewing. In• Hines and Singleton on the Hot Sevens, thetic, if searching, passages in the stead, Mr. Harrison merely opines. In• but to that in the version of Basin book on John Lewis, Mingus, Cecil deed, he attempts to dismantle the Street made five years later for Victor. Taylor, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Art book by flattening my opinions with It seems to me that elsewhere Mr. Farmer, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, his, in such a way that my opinions Harrison is simply playing dumb, and and more. The only out-and-out lumps are often made to appear as factual not very convincingly. He states that are handed to the West Coast boys errors. Thus, I say that Rex Stewart is the "picturesqueness" of my style, and some of the hard boppers. And, a "diminishment" of Cootie Williams, which uses a good deal of metaphor anyway, total approval has nothing to and give the reasons. Mr. Harrison says and in which, God forbid, there are do with good criticism. he isn't, and gives no reason, which even some attempts at humor, is a re• Mr. Harrison closes his review by blank• leaves us where we started. I criticize, sult of having to sugar-coat my ma• ly saying that my "values seem very in considerable detail, some of the as• terials because I am writing for a non- uncertain," which is not the kind of pects of Max Roach's drumming. Mr. jazz audience—a non-jazz audience, I gratuitous statement that a man cer• Harrison simply says my "views on guess, that includes such self-revealed tain of his own values is apt to make. Roach are quite unacceptable"—a readers as Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Whitney Balliett flatulent tone that might have been Pee Wee Russell, John Lewis, Marian New York City telling in a Victorian household be• McPartland, Rex Stewart, Tony Scott, tween an employer and her upstairs and more. Beyond that, my style, I like maid. And, unacceptable to whom? Mr. to think, is—rather than being merely Harrison? Max Roach? Princess Mar• confectionary—a serious attempt to JUST THE FACTS garet? describe the music, to make the reader I am not one of those who maintain Then, passing from fancy to fact, Mr. hear what jazz is, an essential that has that a reviewer must always be 'ob• Harrison goes after my supposed factu• fallen largely into disuse in music criti• jective,' or that his criticism must be al slips. He is right in catching me up cism. Mr. Harrison then qiotes illus• 'constructive.' Criticism without at least for saying that it was only "a few years trations from the book, and, all agape, some subjectivity is worthless. So I ago" that Monk, John Lewis, Mingus, asks what relevance they have to the cannot dispute Paul Oliver's right to re• et al, began their various compositional music. If Mr Harrison does not hear view Jazz: New Orleans, 1885-1957 by experiments. I don't think he's right the "port and velvet" in Gil Evans' Sam Charters (Jazz Review, Sept.) as anywhere else. Sonny Stitt does seem a orchestrations. I can't help him. If he he sees fit. Certainly the repetition of hard bopper—in his tone, attack, and can't see the difference between a anecdotes which he finds irritating has uncompromising fluidity—and one of "crablike" run and a "grapeshot" run, been commented upon by other review• the first at that. Roy Hanes, along with then he doesn't know the difference be• ers. This perhaps could have been Louis Hayes and Elvin Jones, is under tween a crab and a grapeshot, which rectified in my capacity as publisher, the spell of Max Roach. I never said must be a handicap. As to the "curi• but I feel that an author's work is his that polytonaiity and atonality are the ous" verbs I have "devised"—"blat," own and should be interfered with as "exclusive property of straight musi• "whump," and "thunk." "Blat" is, of little as possible. At the risk of 'sour cians." I never wrote that Monk's course, in Webster's "whump" is grapes,' however, I would like to point "compositions" (Mr. Harrison's word) an old American colloquitlism, and out the references to T-Bone Walker in Paul Oliver's 'Blind Lemon Jefferson' and to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 85 miles men. I am sure that if more informa• article (Jazz Review, Aug. 1959), and to the north, along the Lake Michigan tion was available on, for example, wonder whether these will show up shore, as well as Chicago proper and Sidney Vigne, Sam would have included again when and if he dissects Walker its myriad suburbs. It will also include it all. in a similar article. biographies of men like Reuben Reeves This book is certainly the original work My primary concern is that Oliver (from Evansville, Ind.), Junie Cobb of its author and his sources, and not patently misinterprets the premise of (from Hot Springs, Ark.), Harry Dial a synthesis of all the previous literature the book. He devotes a major portion (from Birmingham), Earl Hines (from supplemented by original work. Wheth• of the review to discussing his interpre• Duquesne, Pa.), Doc Cooke (from er this failure to believe or to "inter• tation of this premise, and the impres• Louisville), and Louis Armstrong, Joe pret" the previous literature is good or sion given the reader, whether so in• Oliver, Johnny Dodds, Natty Domi• bad, depends on one's point of view, tended or not, is generally unfavorable nique, Omer Simeon, and others (all but a charge of "ever narrowing lines to the book . from New Orleans). And these bio• of research" is hardly fair to the Paul apparently reads the title and sub• graphies will have to concentrate on author. title as: Jazz: New Orleans Style, 1885- their playing activities in the greater Paul also condemns "the sad failure to 1957; An Index to the Negro Musicians Chicago area. draw conclusions from the facts ob• Playing New Orleans Style. The author's While one may dispute Sam's implied tained." What type of conclusions are intention, by contrast, was: Jazz: as de• contention that New Orleans musicians to be drawn pray tell? The trouble with veloped in New Orleans, 1885-1957; an who migrated to another area were no the literature of jazz now is that there Index to the Negro Musicians who play• longer playing New Orleans style jazz, are too many articles and books "in• ed in New Orleans and surrounding this is certainly an original thought, terpreting" or re-interpreting what were region.