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RogerF

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Posts posted by RogerF

  1. 9 hours ago, mjazzg said:

    To be honest I haven't noticed either way. Disc 6 is I'm pretty sure from listening most recently. 

    I'm sure that if you contact Confront they'll help you out with the details, it's a friendly run concern in my experience. A lot quicker than waiting for me to listen through again!

    Yes I'll contact Mark but thanks anyway. I love Skid's playing (TCB an all-time favourite) but am not keen on mono if there's more than one player.

  2. He was a consummate professional and all-rounder who seemed to fit in with any music and always enhanced it by his presence. Although veering towards the mainstream he was, like his contemporary and colleague Kenny Wheeler always happy to participate in genres in which he was not usually a regular exponent. Ian Carr's Labyrinth is one example. However, he did make one record which is extraordinary in its breadth and compositional imagination. Zeitgeist, which was produced under the aegis of the great British jazz Svengali, Denis Preston is a true one-off but its interesting to note that there are seemingly no reviews of it, or at least none that I can dredge up via Google. Would love to read some. Plus it's surely time for a reissue of this album? RIP Tony

    Zeitgeist.jpg

  3. Just listened to my copy of the sampler Journeys In Modern Jazz: Britain, part of Decca's British Jazz Explosion which includes Storm Warning which is the only track on this double LP to be rendered in mono so either it was intended as a mono only recording or they couldn't locate the (stereo) tape. I think this happened with Tubbs' 100% Proof originally reissued in mono on CD (in the Redial series) but miraculously later released in stereo on the huge Tubbs Fontana box set. 

  4. 28 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

    I’ll have to dig out the ‘Storm Warning’ Fontana LP today. Since the original post I got a nice copy, not an easy one to come across. Maybe it was put out in mono only due to the live location recording? If we are lucky, maybe Decca will unearth a stereo version and put it out in their reissue series.

    Have to say, I’m not a fan of vocal based groups of this vintage in general but that is likely just me. Agree that Terry Smith is excellent - his Philips LP is underrated and undeservedly obscure (with superb big band lineup and Harry South arrangements). Agree also re: Jim Mullen.

    ’If’s’ two sax lineup looks like a forerunner of Average White Band, who are a bit more to my liking (prepares to be flamed..)

    I bought AWB's eponymous debut album with the big hit Pick Up The Pieces but went off them (as with Jamiroquai). Back with Dick Morrissey I have a feeling he was overshadowed by fellow tenorist Tubby Hayes who desevedly basked in the limelight for almost the entire 1960s. But Dick Morrissey was still nevertheless an important figure on the British jazz scene.

  5. 2 hours ago, sidewinder said:

    Great find - never been a fan of ‘If’, nor of Colosseum for that matter, very much of its time but it is great that this film exists. I guess you had to be there.

    As mentioned, the audience shots are priceless and almost out of central casting and stage set decor with obligatory use of brown and orange.

    Inititally I wasn't an If fan and saw them as BS&T copyists but later warmed to them as their sound had a distinct edge and the songs were well-written and often very engaging and memorable. Terry Smith was a hugely underrated guitarist. I have all the If CD reissues (I think). Morrisey Mullen didn't do much for me but having seen Jim Mullen post-MM play live he is a phenomenal guitarist, his comping, using his thumb, not a plectrum, is faster than most guitarist can play single notes.  Storm Warning is alway a disappointment for me, not for the music which is obviously great, but for the lack of stereo. Surely Mercury must have recorded it with two mics but then only released a mono album? If so it's overdue a proper stereo release as happened with the RCQ's Dusk Fire.  Both the Morrissey and RCQ dated from 1966.

  6. I realise there's another thread about Mick elsewhere however I think this is probably the place to post this information. It's unfortunately true that jazz guitar legend and ex-Berklee tutor Mick Goodrick is ill with a particularly aggressive strain of Parkinson's which is rendering him increasingly reliant on aids which are beyond the scope of his medical insurance (he has revealed this information on his Go Fund Me page). I only learned about Mick's predicament from a posting on Instagram by Bill Frisell. It's terrible that artists such as Mick, so influential in jazz, have to resort to this mechanism for help, but sadly he is not alone in these matters (I can think of another legendary jazz guitarist who has solicited help in this way). Please consider donating something to Mick's Go Fund Me appeal which you can find here: Mick Goodrick Go Fund Me page

  7. 5 hours ago, bresna said:

    It is done mainly for 5.1 (surround) audio but it is also considered "high resolution" as they can encode the audio uncompressed at 24 bit/192 kHz. If done right, it can sound really good. I've been buying some rock releases that include a BlueRay audio disc, like John Lennon's "Imagine", Pink Floyd's "Animals 2018 Remix" and The Beatles "Abbey Road", and they sound really good, particularly in my surround system. Your mileage may vary.

    Ah, 5.1 yes, that’s interesting and yet a other technology too sophisticated for me unless I move to a bigger house - my stereo is primitive - thanks. 

  8. Apologies if this has been covered in another thread but as a relatively technophobic listener I am really mystified as to why there seems to be a tendency to include Blu Ray and even DVD audio discs in eg box sets such as various King Crimson (mainly) CD albums and I just noticed the forthcoming Zappa WakaWazoo box. I can only play Blu Ray and DVD on the gear I use to watch movies so it's not hi fi, per se. Why do they do this? Do people own separate Blu Ray/DVD audio equipment or are there integrated audio systems? I am genuinely perplexed and would love to bear some explanations.

  9. Slide Hampton recorded one of my all time favourite albums: Slide Hampton & Vaclav Zahradnik Big Band : B&S. Released in 1971 it also features The Trio (Surman, Phillips, Martin)! RIP Slide and thank you for that.

    Slide Hampton_Rsd.jpg

  10. On 10/14/2021 at 9:39 PM, sidewinder said:

    I thought 12 CDs of the Barbara Thompson material would be too much but the box has been on very regular repeat play on my player, all of it. Musical quality and sonics very impressive so if the Nucleus is comparable it will be a no-brainier. If, like the Thompson the sources are good reel to reel from BBC stereo FM then it should be great.

    Not to mention that Roger F. Is doing the notes !

    Guilty as charged! However, the 12CD box is now actually 13CDs and will retail for £70. Having listened to all the CDs I can attest that this material, which has been painstakingly remastered by Eroc is really quite stunning. In addition to the "usual" Nucleus fare - and frankly there was nothing usual about Nucleus - there are some extremely rare, never before heard programmes such as Gordon Beck's suite The Dream with Norma Winstone and Nucleus. Then there's the hour long Radio 3 Music In Our Time broadcast in which varying permutations of Nucleus members play entirely improvised pieces. There's more of course, but another nice feature (also heard on the Barbara Thompson box) is the inclusion of announcements by some of the best comperes of the day, not least the late, great Peter Clayton whose witty intros added piquancy to the sets. The same can also be said for John Peel whose voice opens CD1 with some very amusing banter. Voices also heard include Brian Priestley, Digby Fairweather and Ian Carr himself (coincidentally all co-authors of the Rough Guide To Jazz). Whilst the intros aren't as crucial as the music they do add some perspective and sense of place and sometimes explain the pieces in detail which is a useful adjunct. By the way, the 13th CD is comprised of two sets, the tapes of which were produced at the very last minute and contain some truly fabulous stuff. If I could rate this box obectively (which I can't) I would wager, quite seriously, that it's going to be British jazz archival release of the year. 

    nucleus-BBC Live cover_small.jpg

  11. 1 hour ago, mjazzg said:

    That's a shame.  Both of my codes from this series have worked perfectly so not anticipating any issues with this one 

    Does anyone know which titles are due next?  I have only seen listings up to 'Dejeuner...'

    Tony H is keeping his counsel on this, but looks like there will be others of this ilk; who knows? Hum Dono? Westbrooks? Dankworth? BTW my download codes all worked but I just wish they would yield MP3s rather than WAVS (I realise that rather defeats the purpose of high res digital, but I still listen on iPod/iPhone).

  12. Am currently listening to the just-released Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe by The New Jazz Orchestra lovingly remastered and cut by Gearbox Records for Universal/Decca's British jazz reissue series. The audio quality on 180grm vinyl is staggeringly good. The previous two reissues in this series, Don Rendell's Space Walk and Kenny Wheeler's Windmill Tilter, were again both superbly produced. Despite the slightly high purchase price, I cannot recommend these three albums enough. The quality is such that it would easily convert vinyl skeptics. I've now been convinced by these (and other recent reissues) that the much-vaunted resurgence of vinyl is not just hype or hip. They also come with an audio download code and an insert with new liner notes by the series' executive producer Tony Higgins.

    NJO.jpg

  13. Excuse the slight topic diversion but on Tapscott's 1969 debut Flying Dutchman LP The Giant Has Awakened.....[Edit: I’ve deleted the rest of this post because I was confusing one Tapscott album with another. The next post helpfully steered me to the correct album! Apologies]

  14. Ian Carr's seminal 1972 album Belladonna has just been reissued by Mr Bongo. This is an official reissue licensed by UMG and there are two versions, CD and LP. It has been remastered at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road. The vinyl version (currently playing on the turntable) sounds fabulous and within its gatefold sleeve, the record sports the original Vertigo swirl logo on the labels. I always considered (and still do) that Allan Holdsworth guitar contribution on the closer, Hector's House is one of the most exciting solos I've ever heard, and the fastest. I believe that this is the first time this record has been reissued on vinyl although it has been reissued at least twice before on CD. Update: BTW listening to it now I'm hearing stuff I never heard before!

     

    Belladonna.jpg

  15. 2 hours ago, sidewinder said:

    Roger - ‘Afro Jazz’ was quite recently reissued on vinyl. I don’t think ‘Emergent Drums’ has been though.

    I agree with the Polygram ‘Redial’ reissues on CD co- ordinated by Richard Cook - sound has been very good. I recently picked up the ‘Indo Jazz Fusions 1 and 2’ on that series, even though I have both on vinyl. A welcome addition.

    Your post reminds me to dig out the vinyl of ‘Springboard’ this weekend !

    I’m looking forward to this initial intro 2LP/2CD set. Suspect it will be a bit like the ‘Impressed’ compilations and I really like Tony Higgins very informative sleeve notes.

    Yes, you’re correct re: the Afro Jazz vinyl reissue and I bought a copy of that. I was thinking more of a domestic reissue (that one was Canadian I think) and also a CD reissue. But there are so many other potential candidates. Pity Vocalion gave up on the British jazz reissues. 

     

  16. Re: Spacewalk, I can’t comment on the 2018 Italian vinyl reissue but there was a legitimate reissue on CD by Polygram in 1999 courtesy of the late Richard Cook’s excellent Redial series. To my ears this CD version seems flawless both technically and musically. There have been CD reissues of both Windmill Tilter (BGO) and Le Dejeuner (Dusk Fire) but a hitherto dearth of Universal British jazz reissues save for the superb Tubby Hayes box set. So this is very welcome and the vinyl is very tempting. I only hope that Tony Higgins might persuade Universal to reissue some of the less known British jazz recordings such as the Carr/Clyne/Watts/Stevens little masterpiece Springboard or Guy Warren’s idiosyncratically brilliant Afro Jazz. But there are plenty more to choose from.

  17. I received an email from Clark Tracey's Resteamed Records with the following tantalising info: 

    We at Resteamed remain dedicated to ensuring Stan’s music is made as widely available as possible. And to this end, our next new release from the Archive – available from the end of May - will be a double CD of Stan’s Quartet (featuring Bobby Wellins) and their 1968 recording With Love From Jazz, coupled with the ST Big Brass arrangements of Ellington tunes on We Love You Madly, which Stan played for many years on his big band dates. The latter dates from 1969 with a line-up including Joe Harriott, Don Rendell, Ian Carr, Acker Bilk and Tony Coe. And with so much love in the air, we’re calling this latest double CD release With Love From Stan.

     

  18. 18 hours ago, romualdo said:

    listening to the latest Jazz In Britain full download ie The second Ray Russell release ie Live Vol. 2: 1970 - Forget To Remember (Sextet this time)

    Recorded for the BBC (London) in Jan 1970 & broadcast (4 titles) soon after.

    This is wonderful stuff - fantastic SQ & the playing is superb from a lineup including

    Harry Beckett, Nick Evans, Tony Roberts, Daryl Runswick, Alan Rushton

    The download/CD has significantly more material than the LP - again, I've burn't my download to a CDr (AIFF files) for better sound

    This £24 yearly subscription with a year of downloads of any new releases plus 4 previous releases is a no brainer IMHO

    Have looked into getting some of the LPs but once shipping costs to Australia are added, i'll be paying approx $75Aus per LP - not worth it IMHO plus the downloads/CDs often have more recorded material than the LPs

    Totally agree, the latest RR archival release from JiB is really fantastic and despite being in mono (but may have been originally broadcast in stereo at that time) is undeniably both crystal clear and extremely innovative. I love RR's guitar work then as he was really pushing the boundaries. His compositions and arrangements are excellent too. Highly recommended.

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