Grady Tate is the man! I just bought “Svengali” by Gil Evans last week. Another fine album. I’m not crazy about him as a straight pianist but he’s certainly one hell of an arranger/composer.

Wait, what? Are we leaving Miles Davis AND John Coltrane AND Charlie Parker AND Bill Evans AND Ornette Coleman AND Herbie Hancock AND Coleman Hawkins AND Ben Webster AND Milt Jackson AND Freddie Hubbard AND Chick Corea AND Charles Mingus AND Eric Dolphy AND Duke Ellington AND Johnny Hodges AND and and and… even then, this is a contentious list. Where’s Stanley Turrentine and Freddie Hubbard? Horace Silver and Dizzy Gillespie? Ike Quebec topping a list of all jazz musicians minus Miles? I protest.

As I was saying… I wish to register a protest and will be reporting this list forthwith to the Society of Elitist Bloody Jazz Bores, of which I am a life member.

…thankfully it’s not a “best of” list, otherwise hancock and coltrane would be duking it out for top position with hugh masekela…

Am I the only person who HAS to have Herbie Hancock written as Herbie Hancock, because Hancock is somebody entirely different?