mjzee

Perhaps Lion & Wolff's perspective was: Most BN albums lost money (only a small percentage were hits), they needed the publishing revenue to make a profit, and Herbie Hancock was a literal nobody at that time. While "Watermelon Man" sounded like it could be a hit, nobody could really know in advance. So in the negotiations with Hancock, Lion & Wolff saw their potential to make money decrease with Hancock's insistence on retaining publishing, and L & W would still bear the entire loss if the record flopped. In the end, they decided to give the cocky new kid a chance, and it turned out well for everyone. Herbie stayed with BN through 1969, so I don't think he bore any grudges.

There were other Dodo Greene BN sessions, fully documented on the CD release of her album.

But here's the thing: they're only pressing 3,500 copies. Even if they sell out, is that enough to keep them as a going concern?

This is one of those glib statements that, if Porter reflected upon it, he'd probably rephrase or withdraw it. Looking at the table of contents of his Soul Jazz book, he extols Illinois Jacquet, Hank Crawford, Jimmy McGriff, and Groove Holmes (to name just a few). For all of these musicians, the bulk of their catalog has been and still is very difficult to find.

This made my day.

Another pet peeve: On most CDs I buy, I cannot get the booklet out of the CD case without bending the paper. A minor problem, perhaps, but incredibly annoying.

Dusty Groove is offering (but just sold out) a fascinating Japanese version of this album. Original cover: Alternate Japanese cover: https://www.dustygroove.com/item/882217?format=lp&new_status=used&sort_order=date_added&page=1

I thought I'd start keeping a running list of the locations shown on my phone screen from obviously spammy calls. Walnut Cove, NC (sounds really nice, doesn't it?)

Jazz Messengers has it, apparently in stock: https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/58308/dr-lonnie-smith/lenox-and-seventh

I hear ya, Ken!

There should probably be a Louis Armstrong Corner here under Artists. Anyway... Apple Original Films announces definitive Louis Armstrong documentary “Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong” Imagine-produced documentary feature tells Armstrong’s story entirely through the revolutionary musician’s own words See: https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2021/04/apple-original-films-announce-definitive-louis-armstrong-documentary-black-and-blues-the-colorful-ballad-of-louis-armstrong/

Y'know what I hate? When personnel listings use the "As" "except" and "replaces" conventions. Example: from "All Star Swing Groups: The Savoy Sessions" (Savoy LP): Side A 6-7, B 1-2: Emmett Berry: trumpet, Walter "Foots" Thomas: alto sax, tenor sax, Budd Johnson: Coleman Hawkins: tenor sax, Johnny Guarnieri: piano, Max Shopnick: bass, Cozy Cole: drums. May 1, 1944 Side B 3-6: As May 1, except Eddie Barefield: alto sax, replaces Johnson and Sid Weiss: bass, replaces Shopnick. New York, June 14, 1944 I would much prefer they list the entire personnel on the 6/14/44 session, even though it means repeating the names of Berry, Thomas, et al. Just really bugs me.

Great news! But why oh why didn't they also reissue the BN album Freedom? I've never seen that one in the wild. And this is weird: they're adding two additional tracks to the Argo Village Vanguard set: I Can't See For Lookin' and Cheek To Cheek. But what about Afternoon In Paris and Tricotism? I have those on a Chess compilation called Recapitulation. They should have been added here.

RIP. He brought us some great music. I also liked his book.

There's a nice review of this album in today's Wall St Journal.