Two Things

Sitting at work, suddenly the phone rings--it's my old friend Jemilla, calling from New York. "Can you get WKCR on your computer there? They're playing this new recording they found of Monk and Coltrane." Sure enough, in a few clicks, I'm there, wondering how I managed to avoid hearing about this until now.

And GOD DAMN.

As soon as I can buy this, it'll be Subway Tape material for months to come. Interestingly enough it was co-discovered by Lewis Porter, my old jazz history professor, sometime employer, and a nice guy, who also had a hand in finding some of the outtakes for the Atlantic Coltrane box, although they put the alternate take of "Blues to Elvin" on there a half-step too slow. (He'd disagree, of course.)

[UPDATE, 5/9/06: Dr. Porter recently contacted me to voice a concern that what I wrote above ("He'd disagree, of course") implied that he and I had discussed my theory (that one of the two takes has a tape-speed problem) and he had rejected it. To clarify, we never discussed it, and I shouldn't have presumed to know what his response to my thoughts about it would be. Sorry for the confusion.]

[UPDATE 2, 5/15/06: Dr. Porter looked into my theory, and his research team presented some pretty convincing evidence (alternate takes and studio chatter) which now leads me to believe that the original release was correct, and Coltrane really did record the takes in two different keys. So that's that!]

In other news, the recording (my recording, I mean) is officially done and mixed. As soon as I decide how to handle the packaging, it will be available right here for sampling and--perish the thought--purchasing? Stay tuned.