I finally bought a turntable so I can listen to Evolution by Grachan Moncur III. Moncur and Jackie McLean chase each other on this album and listening to it confirms why McLean has always been one of my favorite sax players. He has a hard edge and honks and squeaks through solos with an off-kilter sense of rhythm that reminds me of the great eccentrics of jazz--namely Monk and Dolphy. Dolphy, Monk, McLean, Mingus, and possibly Tony Williams on drums would be a dream lineup.

Someone made the argument to me the other day that having an interest in, and knowledge of, jazz is similar to having a knowledge of baseball. The analogy works for me because great concerts, like great games, and dream lineups are what the fans talk about. I know the night that made a big impression on me was the night I saw Gary Bartz. At the time I hadn't heard of Bartz, but he blew the roof off the room that night and played a rendition of My Favorite Things on soprano sax that started as a whisper and ended up sounding like a volcano erupting--very Pharoah Sanders. Karma by Sanders is the one album I still haven't really learned to appreciate ... a friend of mine with impeccable musical taste used to listen to The Creator Has a Master Plan continuously, but I never really could perceive its virtues. It just seems like it has so many different sidemen all jamming. The result is a jazz puddle. Unlike Ornette's great Free Jazz that improves with repeated listenings, Karma sounds more mediocre with each listening. Maybe it's me.