mikeweil

AFAIK there is no such thread. Somebody will have to start one ....

This probably was the release that initiated my love for harpsichord music, although the sound disappoints me after so many years. Almost monophonic, and the microphones at too much of a distance, as if it were a grand piano in a concert hall. There are many better sounding recordings from that time (1976). Alan Curtis plays very well, though. The cover, btw, shows the harpschord lid of Balbastre's own instrument, used later by the Pleyel company to build a fortepiano.

Fascinating event. I can recommend this box set, even though it is not in strict performance order: https://www.discogs.com/release/1380607-Various-From-Spirituals-To-Swing-The-Legendary-1938-1939-Carnegie-Hall-Concerts-Produced-By-John-Ham

Very fruity without being sweet - it probably needs to rest for a year or two to develop. Pure Carignan from at least 40 year old vines.

The weekend bottle, simply one of our favourites, from Carignan grapes: Roche de Belanne 2022 Les Producteurs Réunis - Pays d'Herault

Zacapa Ron Centenario Solera 23

So let me continue: Track 2: better players than in track 1, although the conga player and drummer are not really together with their accents on the second beat. But really good players overall. Track 3: Nice blues riff, I have a version with a much simpler arrangement but cannot remember the title. The recording catches the live energy very nicely. Trumpet player sounds very familiar. Track 4: Sounds like a fusion of two tunes I know. I'm no longer listening to this kind of jazz any more, and this shows in my guesses. But I liked the solos in track 3 much better. Track 5. That's a calypso tune Blue Mitchell recorded on one of his Blue Note LPs. It looses a lot of its charm when played that fast. Piano player is a little too busy for my taste. More calypso groove, please. Trumpte is a good player, though. More tomorrow.

R.I.P. I always likd her singing, saw her live when part of this album was recorded:

Definitely not! Doesn't sound like Capers to me, and it's not the Latin Jazz Quintet. That track is not in my collection. Not a Latin band, I'd say. Conga player is not one of the greats, almost looses the groove during one of his fills at the end. Piano and drum set sound is awful.

Many mono tapes probably were dumped as it was generally thought that stereo was superior etc., and the companies wanted to save storage space. Not really logical, as most households still had only mono playback systems until the late sixties or even early seventies. On the occasion of the SACD reissue of "Hohn Coltrane and Johnny Hartman" Rudy Van Gelder wrote that until that time engineers were instructed to take the most care in mixing to mono - the SACD includes both mixes to proove it, the mono mix sounds better. In view of that it was a rather stupid decision to throw away the mono tapes. The only LPs I ever regretted selling are some original Atlantic mono pressings. Those I still have sound great when played back with a mono cartridge.

I love all of his albums that I have, and his book of photos, which I got two years ago. R.I.P.

The bottle to greet the new year: Bouvet "Trésor" Crémant de Loire brut 2019 All the best for 2024 for all members!

With one exception! "This Is The Blues"

In the preface to my Paul Bryant discography I wrote: "Bryant’s discography is an illustration of producer Richard Bock’s almost obsessive use of editing, in this case to release tracks in different formats. Besides the LPs there were shortened versions on 45 rpm singles, and different edits for 33 rpm singles for juke boxes or radio play." Besides that, he used an alternate take without notice!

Same here. When he was called, he delivered. R.I.P.

It helped me a lot to read the interview with Carol Chamberlain: https://www.jazzwax.com/2023/12/interview-carol-p-chamberland.html

Great stuff, I wonder where she got that truckload of photos. It's a shame this cannot be widely available due to prolems with music licensing.