Without these recordings, all these stories would have been lost, forever flensed from the mind of mankind...like tears in rain. Sleep well, Harlan. You will be missed. Rest In Peace.
I could listen to Harlan Ellison talk about anything. The guys a friggin legend and he knows how to tell stories like these that have you hanging onto every word.
Charles Mingus was a man of strong opinions. I would give my eyeteeth for Mr. Ellison's t-shirt. It wasn't enough that Mr. Ellison be the writer he is; he got to hang out with jazz immortals. The man is an irreplaceable treasure.
Mr. Ellison that is one of the most inspiring things I have listened to on youtube. I just chanced on this piece after watching the latest upload. Just wonderful. Coincidentally the last few days for some reason I picked out a Reinhardt-Grappelli collection CD and have been poring over this thing while I work and drive. This clip is filled with beautiful stories. Really. I am a big Mingus fan. One of my favorite books is "Beneath the Underdog." And admire just as much Dolphy. But Mingus was quite mad, in a violent beautiful way. Listening to your story brought to mind that piece, "What Love," where Mingus and Dolphy "argue" it seems. Mingus was known for his violence towards his players (and I believe he was fired from the Ellington band after pulling a knife in an argument). I would love to hear more of these stories. And would it be crazy to collect some of your reviews? I know music reviews can seem dated. But it seems to me many readers would be interested in reading these reviews. The language of music reviews is a particualr type of magazine writing. And still very much a part of contemporary online writing. Thanks very much. What a delight.
I wonder what Harlan thought of hard rock/heavy metal? Tony Iommi, guitarist of Black Sabbth, lost the tips of two fingers in a work accident. He was heartbroken, because he thought he would never play again. Someone played some Django Reinhardt for him, and was then told of Django's story. It inspired Iommi to try and play again. Today, he is known (in metal circles) as "The King of Riffs" for his playing. I wonder what Harlan thought of hard rock/heavy metal?
Well, I gotta say that it was wonderful to hear Mr. Ellison talk about his deep love for jazz. I became interested in it when I was in high school by a good teacher who made jazz a class subject. I enjoyed it and I became a jazz fan ever since.
I guess the reason I really love Harlan above and beyond all others is that he is/was an example of what one can and should do with one's life when given the freedom and fearlessness to choose. I guess that's all. RIP....or keep kickin ass in Hell man...you were the best of us. Interesting side note; if you listen to Ellison and Rollins, there is a similarity to their cadence and manner of storytelling involving self reference. Burt of course, there is a great level of difference in their cultural style and mannerisms. Still, two people, never did drugs, intense interest in music and literature, and great charisma and talent for spoken word. I still wonder if they ever met up but I gues I could only find out from Rollins now.
Here are some notes to add to this wonderful video: 1. If you like Django Reinhardt, you may like the early work of Birelli Lagrene, who on his "Routes to Django" LP not only plays like Reinhardt, he also learned how to play in the same two-fingered style. By the way, it was only later that Reinhardt played electric guitar, but he was primarily known for playing acoustic guitar. 2. I am very aware that he is reminiscing off the top of this head and I will not do the anorak thing of correcting for correcting's sake, however when he speaks (accurately) of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross were pioneers (pre-dating the Swingle Singers, not "Swinging" if you wish to look them up) of putting lyrics to solos, which is called "vocalese", by the way, he says that they adapted King Pleasure's work. This is not so. King Pleasure (Clarence Beeks) was a fellow traveler in vocalese, having scored a hit with his version of Eddie Jefferson's "Moody's Mood for Love". 3. Not a correction, but Annie Ross was in the dreadful "Superman III". She was also the niece of singer/actor Ella Logan, who sang a great song called, "From Monday On" 4. A clarification: Chitterlings are indeed the worst thing in the world. The funk of them being cleaned is like sunbathing near sewage. Sociologically, African-American slaves ate what massa threw out and some of these recipes got passed down through the generations for better and worse. 5. Should you wish to look up another name he mentions, it's "Cedar Walton". 6. A name that is NOT mentioned is, on its face, a strange choice, but one he absolutely wrote about. He would do a blindfold test for visitors to his house and play a record of a vocalist. To a person, they would say how wonderful the singer was and to a person, they'd be shocked when they found out that they were listening to the first album of...JOHNNY MATHIS! Mathis ran straight to the middle of the road on his second LP. That first record is a killer, though! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hFu6kaeb_rU.html 7. The biggest error has nothing to do with the video or Ellison, but my malfunctioning time machine that keeps me from going to either coast back in the 1950's to see some of this stuff. MORAL: buy the extended warranty when you get your time machine. Thank you, Harlan Ellison, for your erudition and your love of music and for introducing me (through his writing) to Big Miller, Lem Winchester and JM's first LP.
Harlan's friend Ted White (yes, the well-known SF editor/writer) also started as a jazz critic. I learned of his existence when listening to WGTB-FM four decades ago and hearing this older gentleman calling himself Dr. Progresso talking about British and German progressive rock.
I loved hearing about Lambert Hendricks and Ross, especially. I discovered their music through Jon Hendricks' Manhattan Transfer connection. Very cool that my favorite writer knew them! Thanks for sharing Mr. Ellison.
Harlan, please, before you pass, PLEASE publish some of your jazz commentaries and criticism. The first work of yours that I read was the liner notes for the Benny Goodman album "Let's Dance. IIRC that was one of his last live recordings as well.
@@LfunkeyA I'm not disagreeing with you, sir, but I would like you to elaborate. I have no vocabulary when it comes to jazz. I enjoy what I've heard of it, but I don't understand it. Can you help? Also, I've always thought Harlan Ellison's writing felt more like punk rock to me. Kind of like Lovecraft was to horror. Please respond! This could be a fun conversation! ^_^
They were two different music scenes. Of course, I'm a young man. Wasn't there for either. It is certainly possible (and my oppinion) that without jazz we wouldn't have most of the genres now, or the scenes. I definitely think we've lost something with modern jazz discourse. Oh well. I hope jazz is still being made, so hip-hop keeps sampling it. I was always more fond of 99s hip-hop's more acoustic sounds.
Wonderful recommendations, HE. -- What did you think of fusion when it came along? When jazz began to electrify (electric bass, then Rhodes piano, electric guitar, early synthesizers, etc.) and combine with world music, rock, r&b, etc. --Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, Miles and Bitches Brew, and so on.
I read in Dave Van Ronk's autobiography that there was a lot of crossover between folk music and science fiction back during the early 60s in what Van Ronk called "The Great Folk Scare." I'd like to know if Mr. E has any recollections of folk music in the Village in the late 50s/early 60s that he might wish to share. Oh, and by the way, the jazz stuff is wonderful, and much appreciated.
Hey Harlan, I understand that your preferred writing form is the short story, so I have two questions. What is it about the short story that you like so much that you've made it your signature writing form? Also, for you, what characteristics make a good short story?
@9:30 Whoa whoa WHOA, hold the PHONE Harlan has a collection of jumbo machinder vinyls? Raideen, Getter G, and Great Mazinger just sitting RIGHT there LOL Is he a fan of the classic robot animes?
Mingus was a nasty piece of work. Spent some time in Bellevue with Bobby Fischer. Broke his trombone player's jaw (it's hard to play trombone with a broken jaw).
Dear Josh, Cinematographer to Mr. Ellison: tell me where to send you a simple, elegant tripod to set your camcorder on. It's the little things that make a difference. It won't turn you into Kubrick but those things make the difference between a camera shot that knows its worth and that crappy, shaky camera, "CSI" look. I ask for nothing in return; these things just drive me nuts. No - thank YOU!
for mingus, big as he was, to wap dolphy upside his forehead was pretty effing stupid. his hands playing that bass were how he made his money. if mingus had broke that hand...anyway great story and i always wondered about dolphys headknot, but never expected such a colorful reason for it. ha.
6:07 So that's what Dave Chapelle meant by 'chicken and chitlens'. The crap left over from the pig, now I know. Worse, according to Harlan, than having a marlin spike driven through the left side of his head.
