rdavenport

The British heatwave has passed - too hot not to cool down, as the old song goes.

The latter! For balance, I guess one only remembers the times when things go wrong, subconsciously (or consciously) forgetting the thousands of letters / packages one has sent over a lifetime which arrived on time and without incident.

Royal Mail have twice delivered packages, that I have sent, to the wrong country. The first, bound for China, went to Italy. The second, bound for Japan, was flown to China. Both packages duly arrived at the correct destination eventually. I do wonder whether, if they had been sent untracked, they would simply have been binned or "liberated" in the first destination countries.

With all due respect, my problem is definitely with Charlie Shavers.

Shavers really hurt my ears on that Hal Singer record, I've never really enjoyed that fiery trumpet sound. Re your comments on Afrique, I think that's what I meant when I feel it's more a Nelson record than a Basie record. I like almost anything Nelson did - compositions, arrangements and his own sound on sax, which sounds (to my ears anyway) like he's physically squeezing the notes out. I get that vibe from Sonny Criss sometimes. I also like Hubert Laws on Afrique.

But where do you stand on Charlie Shavers? Now listening to Count Basie - Afrique. This also recently new to me, and I like it very much. Is this not an Oliver Nelson record though?

Hal Singer - Blue Stompin' on Prestige / Swingville Bought this in a lot ages ago, and only played it for the first time today. Hal and Ray Bryant are just fine but Charlie Shavers I can't have - too loud, too shrill, too extra for me.

Haha, I have that Moody with the colour cover, but my Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing Vol 2 is a crappy black and white (and limp) cover.

Oh yes, I like all the Horace Silver Blue Notes, though the 3 United States of Mind albums I rarely listen to. Perhaps subconsciously I was expecting something extra from Jody Grind, given the Cook & Morton recommendation - "zenith of finger-snapping intensity" or thereabouts, as I recall. In my jazz salad days, with limited disposable income, no internet, and CDs being £15, there was a certain amount of agonising over what to buy. I seem to recall having to order the Jody Grind specially, and waiting for a few weeks, with a trip into Manchester to pick it up. It was good, but didn't live up the (perhaps self-inflicted) hype.

I seem to recall that Cook & Morton singled this out (with "Song For My Father") as one of Horace's best, in a catalogue of pretty solidly great LPs, I duly bought it based on that recommendation. I like it well enough, but it's no "Cape Verdean Blues" IMO.

I like the Disco-Antistat too. I've had it over 10 years now, been worth every penny and more. I must have cleaned 1000 LPs with it

I am listening to the Sonny Clark / Kenny Dorham sides of the Jackie McLean "Hipnosis" two-fer. Sonny Clark interpolates a phrase from Carmen into his solo, something I have heard him do on many of his recordings; well, at least enough of them for me to have noticed it before. I'm pretty sure he uses it as the opening phrase of a chorus of blues. I had actually forgotten about this until listening tonight, and there it was, in "Blues In A Jiff" I laughed out loud when I heard it, a bit like the Leonardo DiCaprio meme where he points at the TV. Do any of the historians / musicians know anything about this? Is it significant or just a lick that he liked? It feels like he plays it for fun. Anyway, excuse the ramblings.

I concur

I remember, in late 2019, resolving to go along to a Manchester Jazz Society meeting in the new year to follow, then COVID happened. I see that the Society is still going, now to be held virtually, indefinitely. Sod that.

Grover Washington Jr - Live At The Bijou. Sneer all you like, this album grooves like mad.