paul secor

Today: Charlie Parker: Bird's Eyes Vol. 8 - Kenton sides Eric Dolphy: Here and There Sir Douglas Quintet: Mendocino Von Freeman: Live at the Dakota

Doc Cheatham: Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham (Jezebel) Leo Smith has recorded with some different kinds of quartets. Three that are in my collection: Leo Smith with Irene Emanuel, Carol Emanuel, and Ruth Emanuel all playing harps on "The Burning of Stones" - Spirit Catcher (Nessa) Leo Smith with Dwight Andrews: alto flute, bass clarinet, triangles; Bobby Naughton: vibes, marimba; and Charlie Haden: bass on "Spirituals: The Language of Love" - Divine Love (ECM) Leo Smith with Dwight Andrews, Bobby Naughton, and Wes Brown: bass and flute on Go In Numbers (Black Saint)

Last night on Jeopardy: The category was Musical Nicknames. The answer was Charlie Parker. One contestant answered: "What is Birdman?" They rang her up as wrong, but shortly thereafter credited her with an extra $2000 because their "panel of experts" had found that he had been called "Birdman". I disagreed - Perhaps someone might have said, "Hey, Bird, man!" (and that's stretching it) at some time, but never "Birdman". What say our panel of experts?

Somewhat off the beaten track but a good one: Tenors of Yusef Lateef and Archie Shepp - YAL 977. Fine blowing by both Yusef and Archie from 1992. The best later Shepp I've heard.

Currently reading Dickens' GREAT EXPECTATIONS for the first time. (Don't know what took me so long to get to it, but as I get older I'm learning that there's a right time for everything.) I'm a slow reader and am savoring every page. For in between times, I'm reading 52 McG.s, a collection of obituaries written for the New York Times by Robert McG. Thomas Jr. As Thomas Mallon's forward notes, Thomas was "a lover of the farfetched and overlooked." Among the people whose lives and passings he honored were Toots Barger, 13 time world duckpin champion (I had never heard of duckpins until I read her obit.) and John Fulton, Spain's first U.S. matador. From 52 McG.s: "Anton Rosenberg, a storied sometime artist and occasional musician who embodied the Greenwich Village hipster ideal of 1950's cool to such a laid back degree and with such determined detachment that he never amounted to much of anything, died on Feb. 14 at a hospital near his Woodstock home." "The Rev. Louis A. Saunders, who spent a half century as such a quietly dedicated minister, missionary and religious official that he became known chiefly for a single, instinctive act of Christian duty, died on April 5 at his home in suburban Dallas. He was 88 and the man who gave Lee Harvey Oswald a Christian burial." Robert McG. Thomas Jr. knew how to write a lead. Highly recommended.

Jimmy Smith - Bashin' (Guess that's an obvious choice.) Ray Charles - Genius + Soul = Jazz (One of the first LPs I ever bought, and it still sounds great.)

I'm not sure, but I seem to recall a review in Cadence some years ago. I'll try and see what I can find, but I dont have the indexes, so it may be tough. Perhaps someone else can take it from here.

"Jail Bait" "Bacon Fat" "The Greasy Chicken" "Going Down to Tijuana" "Pulling Time" "Andre Williams Is Moving" "Is It True?" "Pass the Biscuits Please" "Don't Touch" "You Know I Can't Refuse" and many more... "Seventeen and a half is still jail bait."

Here are a few of my favorite Bear Family boxes that I don't think have been mentioned: Darby & Tarlton: Complete Recordings - Beautiful guitar & acoustic steel guitar duets (with vocals) from the late 20's to the early 30's. Webb the Wondering "Boy" Pierce 1951-1958 - Webb Pierce, with his Nudie suits, silver-dollar studded automobiles, and guitar-shaped swimming pool, can be seen as a classic example of Nashville country "flash", but he was a great honky tonk singer, and most of his best stuff can be found here. Classic Everly Brothers - Probably everyone over a certain age has some of their recordings, but if you want all of their classic early stuff, including their first four sides recorded for Columbia, and alternate takes of their Cadence material, you'll find it all here in fine sound. I would like to mention that the Bear Family boxes I own spend much more time adorning my shelves than they do on my turntable or CD player. Probably that's my fault rather than any fault of the boxes, but it is a fact.

If the Cherry and Lacy recordings were released, I'd order a couple of copies in advance.

I'm not completely sure of the time frame, but I seem to remember reading that Haden had lost his cabaret card around this time. Don't know if that would have anything to do with recordings - actually not, as I understand it - but it might explain someone playing in coffee houses as opposed to clubs where alchohol was served - see the liner note quote.

I was listening to a CD called Itty Bitty Treasure Chest Vol. 1 (Regency RR-CD-116) a bootleg compilation of vocal group recordings released by the Deroit-based Fortune label. One of the tracks, "September in the Rain", by the Royal Jokers, includes a great bop tenor sax solo (including a reed squeak - either Fortune thought it was a great solo (which it is) or they didn't want to spend the money doing another take. ) Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone here has heard this and might have an idea of the tenorist's identity. The only guess I would have would be Billy Mitchell, but I haven't heard enough of his playing to make any sort of educated guess. The tune also has a fine jazz drummer on it. Just a quick addendum. I was listening to this at home - previous listens were in my car - and what I took for a reed squeak actually seems to be a high pitched sound coming from the studio.

I recently listened to Lucky's Body & Soul (Nessa n-13) and it's an even better record than I remembered. I don't know if it's currently in print - Chuck Nessa no longer has the reissue rights - but grab a copy if you come across it. It's a very fine record.

I posted this question when I had just joined the Blue Note Board and didn't get any responses. Thought I'd try it again here. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether the bassist identified as Carl Brown on Steve Lacy's Evidence album (New Jazz 8271/OJC 1755) might be Charlie Haden? His playing doesn't sound exactly like Haden's with Ornette, but there is a similarity to my ears. From Nat Hentoff's liner notes: "Bassist Carl Brown, originally from the west coast, was introduced to Lacy by Billy Higgins, and Steve has worked with Brown on the coffee house circuit. 'He's got a great big sound," adds Lacy, 'plenty of swing, and he and Billy are real tight.'" Any thoughts or opinions?

Cecil, Cecil, Cecil, Cecil, and Cecil! If I had to choose four more - maybe Jay McShann, Duke Jordan, Randy Weston, and Dick Katz. I'm sure I'm leaving out someone whose playing I love, but this is off the top of my head.

I looked over AAJ a couple of days ago and was undecided about registering. When I looked here it seemed like home. I guess I was naive, but I had some notion that the BN Board could be rebuilt if the members started posting again. When my first post was ridiculously censored, it was sayonara. I'm glad to be here.

Another refugee finds a home. Yesterday and today: The Very Best of the Manhattan Brothers Blind Boy Fuller: Untrue Blues Chico Freeman & Mal Waldron: Up and Down Various artists: The 1968 Memphis Country Blues Festival Various Artists: Cafe Brasil It feels good to be able to do this again!