Jazz - An Asterisk Enclosed in Parentheses

I've attempted to be disciplined in writing (blogging on) about certain definite subjects - George Braith, "Big" John Patton, Grant Green, Harold Vick (musicians all). So, I have a number of unfinished blog-posts concerning Messrs. Braith et al.. The flow of each blogging occasion, of each occasional piece, was jammed back in this blogger's face by parentheses' worries. The philosopher G. E. Moore had a dream wherein he conflated his Moorean-self with that of a proposition! I can certainly reckon myself as an asterisk (a star-shaped symbol used as a mark of reference) even while awake (or believing myself to be awake). Richard Cook & Brian Morton in their Guide To Jazz On CD, Fifth Edition (p. vii), in a section explaining their ideas about aesthetic-evaluation criteria and marks write,

***(*) A fine record, with some exceptional music. Only kept out of the front rank by some minor reservations. 

The "front rank" is denoted by "****"; whilst the ga-ga rank is denoted by "♛****" If I were measuring my efforts in living (life) with asterisks and parentheses in pairs, I'd rather have a grade of *** verses ***(*). "(*)" signals a defect, a manifest deficiency - no matter how minor. One is, no doubt, aware of this title, Jazz: The Imperfect Art. Cook & Morton do confuse imperfect recordings with imperfect recorded performances. Allow me to reveal my own prejudices regarding jazz, jazz journalists, jazz recordings, and the Down Beat, American Bandstand, Guide To Jazz On CD star or asterisk systems of grading recordings.
   One of the great, practical attributes of Blue Note vinyl recordings was their resistance to wear and tear, to the wear of basement parties and teenage transport to and from parties - even the scratches sounded good! Musically Blue Note recordings have held up very well. Admittedly the first Blue Note CDs sounded awful, but Blue Note and Dr. Rudy van Gelder fixed subsequent reissues (20 and 24 bits).
   As Bob Marley says, let me put my cards on the table. Some aestheticians and critics regard recorded music as an art-form - recorded performances involving musicians and sound-engineers. David Murray who has made over 100 recordings told me some time ago that he had never made a request of a record company or record producer to record himself or his music. I've often reckoned recordings to be advertisements for working musicians and/or groups. Back in the days when performance opportunities were more plentiful and when groups such as Miles Davis's quintets where performing on a regular basis, rehearsals took place on the bandstand; not in the recording studio. Today many recordings sound to my ears like they have been over-rehearsed in the recording studio - there's no snap in the recorded performances. This criticism doesn't even take into account recordings that are over-produced - too many microphones and too few creative musicians. Etta James (R.I.P.) made a couple of wonderful recordings of standards in which the music was arranged Cedar Walton and performed by groups of musicians led by him. The third recording of standards by Etta James was an absolute disaster. I couldn't understand how the superb Miss James and her superb musicians could have made such a mess of things after the previous two superb recordings. When I finally got around to reading the liner notes to the third terrible recording, I found out why. Etta James and the supporting cast of musicians were not even in the same neighborhood. She was ill and there was a hell of a lot of overdubbing going on.
   Igor Stravinsky remarked when he was asked what he thought of Hi-Fidelity recordings, Isn't fidelity enough? Fidelity to the music, would be my interpretation of Igor's response.
   Back to Messrs. Cook & Morton. Sonny Stitt! No ****s or ♛****s out of 21 CDs reviewed! Case closed a la Perry Mason. Kenny Wheeler! Four ****s out of eleven discs reviewed! Four ***(*)s. One ***. This psudo-statistical stuff is really tiresome and unnecessary. Stitt is one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. Stitt burns and takes no prisoners. Wheeler? ECM movie music. Nice, over-thoughtful. Jackie Gleason with Bobby Hackett, Charlie Ventura, Buster Bailey, Lawrence Brown - that's a soundtrack for the soul!
   Gotta bounce. Later. There may be more.