[HornyMolly]

Hi John,

Thought I'd respond to your rant, since I'm leaving town in August and don't know if I'll see you before I go. Maybe at a festival event?

Personally it's not the lack of formal "be-bop" at jazzfest that sometimes drags me, it's the relentless European focus. I'm not some narrowminded guy who sits around listening to "Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet" over and over again. I like all kinds of stuff. Funk, Blues, Acadian fiddle music, old Hank Williams stuff, Johnny Cash, Mexican conjunto stuff like Flaco Jimenez,Gospel, Soul Music...

But I think there's music that speaks to your heart, and music that doesn't. I was turned on to a lot of interesting stuff at UBC.Schoenberg, Messien, Babbitt, Terry Riley and those guys, as you were, and probably by some of the same people. I even still listen to these people occasionally, so it's not like I don't give the stuff a chance. But it simply doesn't move me the way North American music does.

I don't think I should have to defend myself against charges of close-mindedness because I don't love absolutely EVERYTHING , or am not up front applauding at every single Eyvand Kang concert.

In terms of what I play, well...that's what I play,man. You play who you are, everybody does. At least to the extent that you know who you are. I've tried a lot of different stuff on for size over the last 30 years or so, and I feel like I'm just now starting to find my own voice. The fact that this voice does not speak like a European high art, conservatory trained avante guarde proponent of "Musique Actuelle" doesn't surprise me all that much, since I grew up in Seattle listening to the blues.


Here's my wish list:


Astral Project- The Greatful Dead of jazz. Been playing together for over twenty years.

Alvin Batiste-Monster clarinet player.Great composer,educator,South Louisiana jazz guru.


Edward "Kidd" Jordan- If this festival is so "Outski", how come Kidd never gets to play it? He's so out he makes John Surman sound like Tex Beneke. And I've seen William Parker play with him in New Orleans more than I've seen him up here.

Gospel Music: How come there's hardly ever any Gospel music? If you can have the Cowboy Junkies at the Commodore you can have Andre Crouch at the Center fer chrissakes.

Kenny Werner- Yeah I know he was here last year. And the year before. But I love that MF.

Terence Blanchard-Ditto.

The Meters- Yes the original Meters (Art Neville, George Porter Jr., Leo Nonteccelli and Joseph 'Zigaboo' Modeliste) have re-united for select concerts. This was front page news in New Orleans a few years ago. The Beatles reforming would have only made the entertainment section.

Horace Silver-As Guy pointed out,he plays Jazz Alley, why not come that little extra jog and play here (probly a little thing called "insane border beauracracy).

I could go on, but what's the point. It's just wishfull thinking. Vancouver, in spite of the many great players who live here, just isn't a jazz town.