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Jack Teagarden “Has Anyone Here Seen Jackson?” Jass cd     Standard Transcriptions from 1941, 1942 and 1944

Interesting ... and apparently totally under everyone's radar with all that "Listening" talk about Prestige during recent months ...  But ouch ... what a hefty price.  I'm tempted but am very much on the fence, given how many Prestiges are on my shelves anyway and how many have been shown "for art's sake" in previous books such as "East Coasting" and "Jazzical Moods".  We'll see ...  

Sure, I'm going to imagine that he has been mentioned already in this thread, but I am going to espouse that Art is one of those great alto players that belong here. 

Seems like I have the reissue you are referring to.  Before listening in I'd have said (based on my strictly personal preferences) that I cannot see any real use for a harpsichord (beyond pure gimmickry) anywhere except with Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five. But you made me curious so I had a listen to tracks 9 and 10 first. I agree that Ben Webster pulls it off any time, but I do not find that thing that sounds like an amplified harpsichord here (unusual ...) all that disturbing. Not necessary but not all that unpleasant. However, please note my (and maybe "our") stance on the use of the harpsichord in jazz from that era is clearly a Euro-centric one as we have been treated to that baroque instrument elsewhere in jazz from the late 50s/early 60s (Horst Jankowski - note I am talking about his PRE-"Black Forest" days here! - or George Gruntz, for example). The harpsichord was easily resorted to by those who were out to "thirdstream" European jazz.  So IMO the jazzier licks (at times almost organ-like) that come from the harpsichord here are OK and do not bother me.  So ... just my 2c. Will listen closer to the "rest" later.