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RogerF

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Everything posted by RogerF

  1. The Annie Ross first twelve tracks (which I originally had on a Transatlantic Xtra vinyl copy and which was pretty scratched probably from overplaying it) are the best - I consider the rest to be "bonus tracks" although the Logue/Kinsey seven tracks are an interesting curio and do compare well with the Garrick poetry and jazz and also the Stan Tracey / Michael Horowitz ones. The twelve Annie Ross tracks, the actual "Loguerhythms" are possibly not to everyone's taste because they are (necessarily) in a cabaret style or even relatively similar to some of the wittier lyrics of the 60s Sondheim musicals. But the lyrics are extremely engaging and retain a political currency even now and the music is both sensitive and often exhilarating. There aren't many singers who could pull of this kind of thing successfully and Annie Ross was definitely one of them. I'd been waiting for this reissue for years and had pretty much given up - so this was a really unexpected and welcome present.
  2. Perhaps the bargain of the year so far, this excellent reissue is dominated by the truly wonderful vocals of the great Annie Ross. The main item in this bundle of archive recordings is the long out of print “Loguerhythms” on which Ross is accompanied by an augmented Tony Kinsey Quintet (which includes the likes of Gordon Beck on piano, Johnny Scott on alto sax and flute and Bill Le Sage on vibes). The lyrics are by Christopher Logue (a long-standing contributor to the British satirical magazine Private Eye) and are inventive and instantly engaging and occasionally, achingly poignant. Perhaps the reason for this lyrical success is that the subtitle of the album is “Songs from the Establishment” and the underlying ethos running through these twelve numbers is patently acidic satire and also, not surprisingly, these songs were performed at Peter Cook’s Establishment Club in London’s Soho. However, crucially, the lyrics are matched by the music, here arranged by Tony Kinsey, Stanley Myers and Reg Tilsley. First released in 1962 on the Transatlantic label this album was a unique marriage of modern British jazz and – to all intents and purposes – poetry. Some of the songs here, once heard, will stay in the memory for years – easily the jazz equivalent of all those sixties Beatles hits. But there’s more. Christopher Logue performs seven of is his own poems accompanied by the Tony Kinsey Quintet which first appeared as the EP “Red Bird” recorded in 1959. Here though the lyrics are spoken not sung, so this may be the first poetry and jazz recording from Britain. After this poetic interlude, Annie Ross returns with eight more numbers recorded between 1952 and 1955 and which are mainly standards. Here Ross is accompanied on the first four of these by Milt Jackson, Percy heath and Kenny Clarke plus Blossom Dearie on piano, the next two are with the Gigi Gryce Orchestra (which includes Quincy Jones on piano). The penultimate number “The times was right” by Annie Ross includes Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums. The final number “I want you to be my baby” by her erstwhile trio partner Jon Hendricks is performed by Ross accompanied by Tony Crombie and his Orchestra; recorded in 1955 this may have been one of Ross’s few or only attempts to infiltrate the nascent Rock and Roll market. Powerful though this finale is, it’s arguably better for jazz fans that she didn’t pursue this genre. Rock and Roll didn’t last too long, but Annie Ross, now in her eighties is thankfully still going strong.
  3. Yes they certainly are. But do we have to evolve with them? I prefer to listen to their earlier music but I wouldn't criticise (publicly) their later works.
  4. I think these YouTube clips illustrate perfectly why I prefer early over middle/late Floyd - that doesn't mean that after Wish You Were Here or Animals they weren't great, it's just when I lost interest. Basically by the mid seventies they had morphed into a different group (IMO). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSsjxbRxgqY Saucerful of Secrets Secrets Live at Pompeii (1972) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMpGdG27K9o Careful with that axe Eugene (1973) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTfDUyUkVYE Astronomy Domine (1967) (the talking/interview bits are so ludicrously funny)
  5. Indeed she was - a mainstay of British jazz for several decades. She will be sadly missed.
  6. This is so true! I was an early Floyd fan so for me the quintessential PF album is A Saucerful of Secrets. However, yes I can appreciate that for anyone discovering them say around Wish You Were Here or The Wall might hear them quite differently. I can see this because I discovered Miles late on in his career, so for me it was In a Silent Way or Bitches Brew but for anyone who heard him much earlier it would be Kind of Blue or Birth of the Cool.
  7. BTW, for some reason I forgot to address this earlier, but count me in as another fan of the brilliant Broken China. "Quite lovely" may even be an understatement. Wright may not have been a top shelf musician, but he knew what to play, how to play it, and when. This has got to be the quintessential "forgotten" or "overlooked" album. You keep posting the same thing. Yawn. Sorry, but I have to agree with this. C'mon, Head Man. You're better than this. If you don't wish to add anything to the conversation, then why keep clicking on the thread? I can appreciate your apathy, but is there really a need to restate it? You're right...sorry. I'll go back to sleep. It's just that I have a blind spot regarding the Pink Floyd, even though they were everywhere when I was watching live music in the 1960s. In fact Roger Waters lived just round the corner from where I worked in North London. His house was the only one in the street with an E-Type Jaguar outside. I just think they've had their time and should retire gracefully.....like a few other groups of the same vintage I might add. In defence of Head Man's proposition that bands should retire gracefully, and speaking as a very early Floyd fan (I saw them play at a college gig before they were famous, albeit just after Syd had departed, and yes they were amazing) I went off them at the time of The Wall and although I bought the album virtually never played it and then sold it. I now only ever listen - very occasionally - to pre-Wall Floyd. I just don't find any of these superannuated rock stars very interesting any more (this is down to my taste not their respective abilities). The possible exception to this might be King Crimson but only because I find Fripp (and yes Fripp IS King Crimson - read Sid Smith's OOP book In the Court of King Crimson if you can find a copy) endlessly fascinating. But then I tend to listen to mainly jazz now.
  8. This is really "curate's egg" stuff or maybe just an acquired taste but made more fraustrating by lack of any credits. I have researched a bit and think the drummers were Kenny Clare and Ronnie Verrell, bass was probably Johnny Hawksworth and percussion may have been played by Edmundo Ros and Tony Corona. Who knows who else? I suspect Keith Christie on trombone and also possibly Ike Isaacs on guitar. The idea of this album was to demonstrate the amazing new sound of stereo (recorded 1961) so there are a lot of irritating cute effects but some of it isn't bad at all. Definitely worth the £1.99 I paid for it in pristine condition (not too surprised by that)!
  9. Jaipur appeared on the officially sanctioned compilation CD by Giles Peterson Impressed Vol 1 so I believe the tapes do exist (as with Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe) Both of which have been studiously overlooked for reissue by the license owners. I'll find it later, but there's an article on that very compilation which stated that Peterson couldn't locate the tapes and used a needledrop for that track. Here we go: http://www.jazzinternationale.com/impressed-oh-yes-we-are/ Interesting, that interview does now ring a bell and I stand corrected! As has already been stated, the quality of this download isn't bad. I haven't yet heard tell-tale scratches and clicks, so I guess there must be some good vinyl copies still around, albeit very few. Thanks for that.
  10. Jaipur appeared on the officially sanctioned compilation CD by Giles Peterson Impressed Vol 1 so I believe the tapes do exist (as with Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe) Both of which have been studiously overlooked for reissue by the license owners.
  11. Not sure, possibly the former, haven't listened closely enough yet
  12. Yes on iTunes and Amazon! I would like to learn more about this reissue. Seemingly it happened in May. In terms of OOP UK-recorded jazz albums this one has been at the top of most people's wants list for many years. Yes on iTunes and Amazon! I would like to learn more about this reissue. Seemingly it happened in May. In terms of OOP UK-recorded jazz albums this one has been at the top of most people's wants list for many years. I should add that the correct group name was the Joe Harriott - Amancio D'Silva Quartet and featuring Ian Carr and Norma Winstone (but not on all tracks).
  13. and for the full details check out this previous thread on this reissue from November here:
  14. The usual suspects which are all long overdue for reissue... Joe Harriott - Hum Dono New Jazz Orchestra - Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe Guy Warren - Afro-Jazz Stan Tracey - Seven Ages of Man Stan Tracey - We Love You Madly Ronnie Scott - Serious Gold Mike Gibbs - In the Public Interest Tony Oxley - Ichnos Ian Carr - Jeff Clyne Quartet - Springboard Spontenous Music Ensemble - Oliv John Stevens Away - All the Vertigo albums just one of the above reissued would make my year!
  15. I couldn't agree more with the above. I would also add that EOTH is probably one of my top ten or fifteen most favourite albums - the whole thing is just brilliant.
  16. I don't understand why they said this (delay) unless there's a different distributor for the UK and there's a hold up in the supply there.
  17. Update from Roundtable in Australia - this release has been delayed until early next year.
  18. Sadly not Hum Dono however here's another of his which I never heard of until this week and is apprently due for re-issue later this month... ...out on an Australian label (The Round Table) and originally recorded in 1972 and included in the line-up Alan Branscombe, John Mayer (of Indo Jazz Fusions) and Ray Swinfield among others. On the vinyl it was just two tracks, one per side, but apparently worked very well. Looking forward to hearing this one.
  19. Reissued for January 2014! - NORMA WINSTONE – ‘EDGE OF TIME’ (Dusk Fire Records; DUSKCD108) "One of the most individual releases from the heyday of modern British jazz is reissued on the Dusk Fire label this January (2014) in the shape of Norma Winstone’s 1972 solo debut ‘Edge of Time’. Although she began her career in 1965 singing jazz standards, her exploration of the use of voice took Norma to experimentalism and the evolvement of a wordless approach to improvisation that she was to make distinctively her own. Voted top singer in Melody Maker’s 1971 Jazz Poll, Norma recorded this, her first album, for release the following year on Decca’s Argo label. Featuring the cream of modern British jazz talent including Kenny Wheeler, Paul Rutherford, Frank Ricotti, Tony Levin, Alan Skidmore, Henry Lowther, Art Themen, Gary Boyle, Chris Pyne, Chris Laurence, John Surman and John Taylor, ‘Edge of Time’ is to this day a startlingly original work not least in its deployment of her extraordinary vocal styling". This was available for a while as a CD reissue on the Spanish Disconforme label but will now be getting the excellent Dusk Fire treatment with photos and extra notes and is a terrific album.
  20. RogerF

    More Tubbs

    Just checked Simon Spillett on Amazon under Books and got I Blew It My Way by Simon Spillett and Vic and Helen Ash. Know anything about this one? Yes it's the biography of Vic Ash, co-written by Simon S.
  21. I didn't actually know this! Well these tracks must have been from a session from the early 1970s with Isipingo - great set. Haven't received my copy yet - hopefully will get it this week. Edit: Yep they are and yes I did but had forgotten - and Mike King's done a great job with these tracks. Just received my copy in the post.
  22. This is not a reissue but a rare archival find! An extremely important previously unreleased set from The Tubby Hayes Quartet is out on 18 November 2013 from Gearbox. "Seven Steps To Heaven: Live At The Hopbine 1972" (Gearbox GB1523) is a 12” 180gm Vinyl LP which includes a free download code - This is "The first commercial release of an historic Tubby Hayes performance that fully captures the more restrained and subtler side of his robust talent. Recorded at the Hopbine, London on May 2nd 1972." Tracklisting: A1. Someday My Prince Will Come (12:32); A2. Seven Steps To Heaven (5:40); B1. Alone Together (14:23). Personnel: Tubby Hayes - tenor saxophone, flute; Mike Pyne - piano; Daryl Runswick - bass; Tony Oxley - drums. Significantly it is in stereo and in addition to Mike Pyne, Tubby's regular pianist also features virtuoso players Tony Oxley and Daryl Runswick - possibly the only recording with this line-up. Note for vinyl-phobes there is a free download code with this LP! The quality, as ever with Gearbox is absolutely top notch.
  23. Just picked up CBBB's "Jazz in Universal" (1966) in Fopp (London) which is part of the Japanese Atlantic Jazz Best Collection 1000 (import) but all selling for £5 ($10) - very, very good value indeed and akin to MPS the sound quality is pretty much most perfect.
  24. I seem to remember that the major feature on Derek Bailey in The Wire issue 247 (2004) had a section which dealt with this falling out. From memory, Bailey appeared to be very bitter even then about his erstwhile colleague. A great shame because Evan Parker and Derek Bailey epitomised the vanguard of the free/improv movement of the 60s and 70s. Topography of the Lungs has just been reissued on the psi label.
  25. That one definitely gets my vote for the most unattractive cover ever, though there may be other competitors. Maybe someone should start a new thread?! Or do we have one already?! gregmo The above is a link to the thread "Album covers that make you go uhhhh" but has some topless nudity (albeit vile/stupid). The Herbie Mann one - and I assume he has been included in this thread because of the name ambiguity - is one of the least attractive ones I have seen. Although Nucleus, I'm afraid did have a back cover on Snakehips Etcetera that was, In Ian's own words "disgusting" (I think he was joking, but even so)...http://www.israbox.com/uploads/posts/2011-09/1314889063_back.jpeg Thanks Jazzbo for the info re: the Hancock estra session. I think this was probably Byrd/Adams then.
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