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Lateef/Knepper TRACKS IN THE SAND


The Mule

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Came across this long OOP cd in the used bins a couple of weeks back and I can't find any information about it other than what appears in the scant liner notes.

It's a soundtrack for a very obscure independent film from 1962 called TRACKS IN THE SAND. The musicians are Yusef Lateef, Jimmy Knepper, Richard Williams, Tommy Flanagan, and Max Roach. Most of the cues are very short (some of them 15 seconds), but there a few lengthier cues where the players get to stretch out a little. All in all not uninteresting music.

Problem is I can find NOTHING about this movie or the recording session (and I have quite a few film reference books at my disposal). Most frustrating is that the liners contains the intriguing line: "send $12.95 for a deluxe 544 book containing the screenplay and 270 photos from (the film)." Little chance that's still valid.....

Anybody know anything about this mysterious session?

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Well, I appreciate the tip, Paul. When you say you saw it in Cadence "some years ago" would that be the early 90s? I think that's about the time the cd was released.

J, as to it being odd that the film reels could have been lost, I don't find it that unusual. If it was a truly independent film back in the early 60s it wouldn't surprise me that there'd only be one print and the filmmakers might not have been able to afford to strike another one from the negative if they didn't have any kind of distributor.

Some good clues here, but this one continues to be a real mystery...

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Got this CD a couple of years ago (a French Virgin release). Played it once.

Found the music intriguing and forgot all about it until this thread came up.

The liner notes also lists bass player Arthur Phipps.

Phipps' name does not appear in the Tom Lord discography where the

session is not listed under a musicians' name but simply under 'Track in

the Sands'. The session was recorded in March 1962 in New York (at

RKO Pathe Studios according to the liner notes).

This ia quite an intriguing date. I may be offtrack (in the sands ;) but I have

a strong feeling that Charles Mingus had something to do with this music.

The lineup is very Mingus Workshop-like. The music is quite Minguish.

There is even an unlisted alto player who sounds very much like Charles McPherson,

who played with Mingus at the time.

I even hear Mingus bass lines on several of the tracks.

The music composer is listed as one Charles Mills who left no trace anywhere.

Charles Mingus was the one who found the Charlie Chan alias for the Debut

release of the Jazz at Massey Hall Quintet of the Year LP.

Charlie Chan Parker. Charles Mills Mingus.

There is no mention of this music in the Mingus bios I have read. Brian Prestley's

book was written before the release of the music. Gene Santoro's 'Myself When

I'm Real' ignores this but the Santoro book is far from perfect as an accurate

biography (he even confuses Oscar Pettiford and Oscar Peterson).

Might be worth checking with someone like Max Roach on this soundtrack.

Also the liner notes list Albert and David Maysles as having taken part in the

film photography. The 'Tracks in the Sand' film does not appear in their filmography.

Talk about a mystery film.

I'll file the CD under Charles Mingus now unless proven wrong.

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  • 1 year later...

Problem is I can find NOTHING about this movie or the recording session (and I have quite a few film reference books at my disposal). Most frustrating is that the liners contains the intriguing line: "send $12.95 for a deluxe 544 book containing the screenplay and 270 photos from (the film)." Little chance that's still valid.....

Has anybody ever seen the book?? I used to have this CD, years ago, but don't seem to anymore. (Guess I traded it, though I don't remember specifically doing so.)

I'm guessing the movie would have been pretty interesting -- shame that it was lost.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Problem is I can find NOTHING about this movie or the recording session (and I have quite a few film reference books at my disposal). Most frustrating is that the liners contains the intriguing line: "send $12.95 for a deluxe 544 book containing the screenplay and 270 photos from (the film)." Little chance that's still valid.....

Has anybody ever seen the book?? I used to have this CD, years ago, but don't seem to anymore. (Guess I traded it, though I don't remember specifically doing so.)

I'm guessing the movie would have been pretty interesting -- shame that it was lost.

Thread came up searching for something else.

Has anybody ever seen the book??

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  • 8 years later...

I have a copy on the way (via priceminister.com - european a-sites don't have such good offers and transatlantic shipping costs exploded).

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Here's info on Charles MIlls:

http://www.discogs.com/artist/1500077-Charles-Mills and http://composers.com/charles-mills

and according to IMDB he did the music for the early indie film (documentary?) On the Bowery. However there is no bassist listed on the cd, soo.....

BTW The "orchestral direction" is by Seiji Ozawa.

Edited by medjuck
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CCI31032015.jpg

No bassist on which CD? On the "Tracks in the Sand" one, bassist ist listed as Arthur Phipps - and just in case, it surely does not sound like Mingus at all. Great to hear some more Richard Williams though! Enjoying my first spin right now.

Not on my copy.

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I no longer have the LP so I'm unable to check but I seem to recall that the title track on Yusef Lateef's Riverside album, The Centaur and the Phoenix, was written by Charles Mills and adapted from his Crazy Horse Symphony.

Yes, true. This is quite an astonishing piece, a quasi 3rd stream work. The liner notes (by Chris Albertson) say that Mills, who studied with Copland and Sessions, based the piece in part on his "Crazy Horse Symphony" of 1957 and in part on a "Charlie Parker Symphony" described as a work-in-progress. The Parker symphony never seems to have been completed -- at least I couldn't find anything about it. Maybe it was eventually given a different name. I read somewhere that Mills taught at the Manhattan School. Since Yusef studied there I'm guessing that's where the connection came from.

Edited by Mark Stryker
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