MARIETTA, OH, USA - Sometimes you get it right and nobody cares. The silence from the masses can be deafening. But when you get it wrong, prepare for readers' diligence in letting you know.

It's humiliating how a presumption took a wrong turn and sent me careening and bouncing down a steep hill. Writing "Powerssound" on a weekly basis occasionally becomes more of a duty that I would have imagined. Such was the case with last week's column. I made assumptions based on a faulty memory, thereby making me a likely candidate for the nearest rest home.

I wrote a long sentence in which I started to say one thing, veered in nearly the opposite direction, backed up, and ended by demonstrating my complete ignorance about tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander.

Although the majority of my readers probably rolled over the offending sentences connecting Part A with Part B, true jazz fans couldn't have endorsed my placing Alexander as a member of the "dreaded" smooth jazz school.

I could go on for many more paragraphs than my esteemed publisher would allow, citing the evils of smooth jazz and how it has served to strike hurtful blows toward authentic jazz.

My grievous error sent Marc Edelman to his computer, where he composed a complaint about my review. Edelman describes himself as "president and chief bottle washer" for Sharp Nine Records, which released "The Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander.

My review, incorrect in placing Alexander in the smooth jazz school, also reaches close to the edge of incoherence. Having read it again, I'm not able to tell you what I should have said, save that this CD contains some excellent music played with passion by pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Louis Hayes.

Edelman wrote,

"(One) sentence left ME scratching my head. First I doubt very seriously that Eric Alexander enjoys any popularity whatsoever among proponents of smooth jazz. (He really is the antithesis of smooth jazz and he receives no airplay on smooth jazz stations.) Second, the phrase Œmy ears told me that Alexander' never seems to have been completed. Your ears told you what, exactly?"

Easy answer, Marc. My brain told me that I should never write another sentence containing so many dependent clauses. I suspect my high school English teacher is making that whirring sound in her grave.

Bob Powers

The Sharp Nine president also objected to my statement that Alexander and Hazeltine seem to be working at cross-purposes in this album. He calls the album a "straight-ahead quartet record date."

In a subsequent e-mail, I confessed that Edelman has valid points. "I have confused Alexander with another player who achieved popularity in the smooth jazz category. I thought it was Alexander, but it has to be someone else."

Any reader who has an idea of the sax player I misidentified, please pitch an e-mail in my direction. (rpow123@charter.net).

Ella Was Special

What do you get when you combine the voice of Ella Fitzgerald with the songs of Cole Porter?

I know. Stupid question. You get a little bit of paradise, of course.

"Dream Dancing" (Pablo Records) catches Ella in good form. The album includes a session done in 1978 with Nelson Riddle in great form as conductor and arranger. The remaining songs were captured on tape in 1972.

This album marks Fitzgerald's second collection of Porter songs. She has the right voice ­ after all, it was one of the best we ever heard ­ and shows once more how much Riddle added to almost every session.

The Fitzgerald voice is one for the ages. Her phrasing never was anything but special and often reached into that rare group of singers who just didn't know how to make a bad album.

The first four songs on the album are "Dream Dancing," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "I Concentrate on You," and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." The remaining titles are just as worthy.

Let's hope that Ella and Nelson are performing celestial concerts as often as they'd like. Perhaps Gabriel grabs his horn and joins the brass section as time permits.

Johnny Frigo: Wow!

This fantastic album by jazz violinist Johnny Frigo deserves space in any jazz fan's collection. "DNA Exposed" (Arbors Records) contains some of the best jazz violin I've ever heard. This fantastic musician, who turned 85 years old last December, ranks right up there with the big names in the field.

For decades, Frigo made his professional living as a bass player, working with the elite of the music business, including Billie Holiday, Jimmy Dorsey, Sarah Vaughan, and Frank Sinatra.  Finally, in the 'eighties, he began to study and perform the violin. After he played violin on the Johnny Carson Show in 1988, he suddenly became well-known.

In excellent health, Frigo stays busy as a performer, but also is a published poet and talented painter, designer and artist.

On that Carson Show appearance, Johnny asked Frigo why it took so long to launch his violin career. "I probably waited as long as I could so I wouldn't have any time left to become a has-been."

Over the years, Frigo has performed on the French horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as well as the Miles Davis "Birth of Cool" nonet.

"DNA Exposed" is one of those rare releases that you'll keep in your CD player for a long time. It's a delight.

Bob Powers always is interested in hearing from record distributors who deal in jazz, rock, folk, and anything that's good. For instructions on getting your album reviewed, contact him at rpow123@charter.net.

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