Fer Urbina

Going back to the Sextet, one thing that sets it apart from the quartets and the CJB is the leaning towards Basie-ish swing. With a natural swinger like Sims in a very lesterian mood and a huge Basie devotee like Brookmeyer on board, you get things like "Igloo", "Elevation" or "Mud Bug" (YouTube), that don't really happen with the other bands. F

Agreed. In my mind I always think of this as a different unit (I came across at a different time than the quartet), even though this happened during the short lifespan of the first quartet. F

On CD, non-PD, these: Pacific Jazz recordings, 2-CD set. https://www.discogs.com/Gerry-Mulligan-Quartet-The-Original-Quartet-With-Chet-Baker/release/7569229 Fantasy recordings (including the classic 1952 instrumental "My Funny Valentine"): https://www.discogs.com/Gerry-Mulligan-Quartet-Chubby-Jackson-Big-Band-Gerry-Mulligan-Quartet-Chubby-Jackson-Big-Band/release/10542306 GNP-Crescendo: https://www.discogs.com/Gerry-Mulligan-Tentet-And-Quartet-Featuring-Chet-Baker-Gene-Norman-Presents-The-Original-Gerry-Mulli/release/7251490 The Fantasy and the GNP include some non-quartet things, but with those three, you have everything, studio and live, from 1952-1953. F

Second this. I've done the same—listening to the whole output of the first pianoless quartet—and it's outstanding music, and I agree that anyone avoiding it because of "Chet Baker" "Cool Jazz" or "West Coast" is missing out (if memory serves, Max Harrison was very fond of that first quartet too). As for the instrumental limitations, there are a few tracks where either the drummer or the bass player sing a wordless line. From first to last recordings in that first run, they lasted nine months, but what they created is monumental, at ages 25 (Mulligan) and 22 (Baker). Some time ago I put this together: https://jazzofftherecord.blogspot.com/2010/11/spotify-playlist-ii-gerry-mulligan-chet.html Having said that, I was listening to the live recordings with Jon Eardley the other day, and they're well worth a listen. Mulligan sounds somewhat freer (he was slightly older, out of jail, and it's a concert anyway). F

Hi Ed Thanks for that, much appreciated, and glad I helped you open the set. F

I need a favour from any of you lucky owners of the Mulligan-Emarcy Mosaic set. There are two takes of a "Blues" recorded on September 22, 1955 (12061-2 and -3). One is track 3 on LP 3, side B. The other is track 4 on LP4, side B. One begins with one piano chorus, then Zoot; the other with three piano choruses, then Zoot. My question: which one is which? Thanks in advance. F

I was looking for a decent-looking version of "Caravan" from the 1964 Coleman Hawkins gig included in the Jazz Icons DVD (for the Jo Jones solo, obviously), I found a rip from said DVD, and I noticed that it's missing a bit from Jimmy Woode's solo right before Jones's, This is probably taken from the old Pearson VHS from the 1990s. Check out Woode at 0:58-1:12 Try to find it in the DVD, or this YouTube rip. It's not there. Given the high standards of the Jazz Icons series, which make it a benchmark for this material, I can't see how this happened. Did they edit it out for some reason? Was it already edited in the source they used? Minor staff in the big scheme of things, I know, but still. F

Bruce Epperton's history of jazz discography is quite detailed about that. Far more entertaining read than I expected. F

The set doesn't give any personnel for those tracks, and The John Coltrane Reference only gives Coltrane, Dolphy, Massey, and Joe Farrell as definitely present. It also calls this a demo to show the idea to Impulse rather than a rehearsal. F

On first impressions, I don't think the first track is Confirmation or a contrafact. The first four bars follow Confirmation (cycle of fifths), but the rest of the tune doesn't. Had a quick listen to some of Kelly's recordings from the 60s and haven't found it there either. F

Haven't heard the track, is it just impro or does it have a head? There are several Confirmation contrafacts (see this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_jazz_contrafacts). I had the idea that Confirmation was Bird's only original, but having followed the rabbit hole, I was surprised to learn the link with Twilight Time. The relevant bit on Henry Martin's latest book can be read here: https://books.google.com/books?id=6gfZDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA96#v=onepage&q=Confirmation&f=false F

Re: what @king ubu and @david weiss were discussing about contents having to be equivalent regardless of format, FWIW, the latest Elemental release, Barney Wilen with Tete Montoliu is 11-tracks on double CD, 6 on single vinyl. Incidentally, I don't know whether Zev Feldman is involved in Elemental any more, but he's been in the past. F

Wow, thanks for that @king ubu. F

Hopefully close enough for jazz, but Jack Teagarden's Think Well of Me is beautiful. All songs by Willard Robison, at least some of the arrangements by Bob Brookmeyer. Top non-Xmas-yet-Xmasy music. F

Credit where it's due. Just got wind that Phil Schaap (who else?) aired this two years ago, on September 20, 2018. It's the show "Early Bird Recordings" here. He played the excerpt four times, at 6:40, 9:42, 17:56, and 1:09:44. By the way, clip seems to be half-step higher/faster than it should. F

And Wynton https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158479748127976&id=10058392975 F

Facebook posts can be read without an account as long as they're public and you have the right link. Both Matthew Shipp's and Greg Tate's posts are public. Links Matthew Shipp https://www.facebook.com/matt.shipp.56/posts/3650616768304921 https://www.facebook.com/matt.shipp.56/posts/3651466211553310 https://www.facebook.com/matt.shipp.56/posts/3651662071533724 https://www.facebook.com/matt.shipp.56/posts/3651726118193986 https://www.facebook.com/matt.shipp.56/posts/3657475257619072 Greg Tate https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160379888876038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160379897116038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160379915891038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160380518036038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160380532991038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160380554096038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160381005611038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160381016351038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160382182681038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160382354911038 https://www.facebook.com/Congoblondie/posts/10160382573686038 F

As a non-American living across the pond, I find the comments on Facebook extremely interesting. Given Crouch's homophobic writings (which I haven't read and take at face value given multiple sources) and threats and acts of physical violence, it is interesting to see who are willing to forgive/forget and why--I'm not being ironic, I find it fascinating that aesthetic agreement seems to carry so much weight. As a writer, he was too baroque for my taste, but I guess it doesn't help that the first thing I read of his were all his liner notes for Wynton Marsalis in one go (for a thing I did on Wynton). F PS: As for Iverson's article, for what it's worth his comment about Berklee ignoring Ellington for Kenton has been firmly rebutted on FB (it's a public post, so it can be read without an account:https://www.facebook.com/darcyjamesargue/posts/10164381949335105).

Finally coming out on September 18. Universal will do the physical release, Sony the digital. https://pitchfork.com/news/thelonious-monk-concert-album-palo-alto-coming-out-this-month/ F

HMV in Oxford Street shut down some time ago (the last remaining shop on that street, in the historical site of their original shop). https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/hmv-confirms-oxford-street-store-closure/075213 F

From Danny Scher, the provider of the tapes: "I received word that there was a dispute between the estate and Monk's previous label". Source: https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2020/07/28/when-jazz-royalty-came-to-paly-monks-long-lost-record-nearly-goes-public It looks like Sony has blocked the release, which at the very least means that clearances (if any?) were not tight enough. Given that Sony has pretty much abandoned physical product (at least in jazz), it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. F

The removal of downloads and from streaming services looks like the job of a proper legal department. Plausible(?) scenario about this Monk release: Sony "product" were told about the project, but they're not doing physical product any more (at least jazz), so they were not interested. Universal were told, they were interested, they did the thing, they announced it. Sony "legal" got wind of it, and has stopped the release. Yet more speculation, but having this stopped so close to the original release date (July 31), with all the physical product ready to go (and I presume some of it already out), would give more leverage in a negotiation to whomever has stopped it. F

Some background from Robin DG Kelley's biography: https://books.google.com/books?id=Tz9xDQAAQBAJ&lpg=PA1&dq=robin%20kelley%20thelonious%20monk&pg=PA398#v=onepage&q&f=false F

Same scene, not exactly the same bit, from The Jazz Baroness: https://youtu.be/2TX6Z7NiF0E?t=5m16s F

Thanks everyone, glad you enjoyed the clip. I noticed it while having lunch and watching the Monk documentary (it's on Vimeo, although a lot of it appears on Straight, No Chaser). I had to "rewind" it several times because I couldn't believe it. That's why I asked Cuscuna, who knew Mobley, and also checked with Bertrand Uberall what footage there was of Mobley. Among other things, I also checked this thread. Glad to see it on JazzWax too, although about the clip being too short, as I say in the blog, the whole sequence with those four in the kitchen at the Vanguard (dated, almost certainly, June 19-25, 1967) lasts 2:35. Some of it can be seen on The Jazz Baroness too (it's on YouTube). The best bit with Mobley on is what you see in the clip, which again, I had to give it all the light I could in order to distinguish Mobley's face. Stay safe! F PS: You can delete the duplicated text by editing after posting.