Richard Bock, Pacific Jazz

[brownie]

Outstanding

The only thing missing from the article is an answer to a question 'whatever happened to the young woman on the album cover?'. I have admired the image ever since I purchased the album decades ago.

When William Claxton was in Paris for a presentation of his giant book 'Jazzlife' in 2005, I went there with copies of two albums 'Grand Encounter' and 'Way Out West' to have him sign them, something I had never done before and had not done since. I asked him the question. Claxton smiled and could not answer it.

Any idea?

Edited January 27, 2013 by brownie

[Brad]

Outstanding indeed. Many thanks.

[sidewinder]

I have a UK Vogue 12" pressing of 'Grand Encounter'. Same cover as per the original Pacific Jazz. Alun Morgan's sleeve notes on the back, I think.

Edited January 27, 2013 by sidewinder

[Big Beat Steve]

I have a UK Vogue 12" pressing of 'Grand Encounter'. Same cover as per the original Pacific Jazz. Alun Morgan's sleeve notes on the back, I think.

Well, my Vogue 12" pressing of "Grand Encounter" (Vogue LAE 12065) has Whitney Balliett's sleeve notes on the back, just like the US pressing it seems (see that other thread somewhere around here where these very notes started such flamethrowing about the oh so unforgiving attitudes of certain jazz scribes towards all those "Angry Young Men" in those mid-to late 50s ).

[sidewinder]

Can't find the damn LP to confirm either way and I'm far too lazy today to search high and low in any case !

[JamesAHarrod]

Alun Morgan wrote the sleeve notes for the EP release. I also have the 12" Vogue LP, LAE 12065, and my copy preserved Whitney Balliett's notes. The front cover is the same as the first PJ release with the Pacific Jazz 1217 below Percy Heath's name, and the Vogue release number under it. I have always admired Alun Morgan's sleeve notes, intelligent and spot on.

Jim

[jazztrain]

Jim,

Thanks so much for posting these! I've always loved this session, and now there's more!

[Larry Kart]

Alun Morgan at his best was among the best. I particularly recall his insightful June 1961 Jazz Monthly piece on Warne Marsh, which I believe was the first detailed critical piece on Marsh. It was right on the money.

[Big Beat Steve]

Alun Morgan at his best was among the best. I particularly recall his insightful June 1961 Jazz Monthly piece on Warne Marsh, which I believe was the first detailed critical piece on Marsh. It was right on the money.

Will pull it out to read and see what it's all about the next time I spin a Warne Marsh record.

BTW, anybody any opinion on Alun Morgan's "Modern Jazz - A Survey of Developments since 1939" book published by Gollancz in 1956?

(seen in the context of its times, discounting any "hindsight" effect, i.e. whatever we know better with the benefit of all the later events and of the knowledge that has become more easily accessible since)

The reason I am asking is that I read rather positive reviews of that book before I picked up an antiquarian copy about 15 years ago but (contemporary) reviews I happened to come upon since made it look like some kind of a mixed bag.

[Larry Kart]

If you can find a copy, the best book to emerge from the Jazz Monthly group of writers was IMO:

Max Harrison, Ronald Atkins, Michael James, Jack Cooke Modern Jazz-The Essential Records, Aquarius Books, 1975

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-jazz-essential-critical-selection/dp/090461901X

[jeffcrom]

If you can find a copy, the best book to emerge from the Jazz Monthly group of writers was IMO:

Max Harrison, Ronald Atkins, Michael James, Jack Cooke Modern Jazz-The Essential Records, Aquarius Books, 1975

http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/090461901X

A mainstay of my library. I have John S. Wilson's old copy.

[johnlitweiler]

If you can find a copy, the best book to emerge from the Jazz Monthly group of writers was IMO:

Max Harrison, Ronald Atkins, Michael James, Jack Cooke Modern Jazz-The Essential Records, Aquarius Books, 1975

http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/090461901X

A favorite of mine as well, Cooke and Harrison especially meant a lot to me. Alun Morgan also wrote in that book. "Ten Modern Jazzmen" by Michael James comes highly recommended but it's rare, I've never seen it.

[jlhoots]

If you can find a copy, the best book to emerge from the Jazz Monthly group of writers was IMO:

Max Harrison, Ronald Atkins, Michael James, Jack Cooke Modern Jazz-The Essential Records, Aquarius Books, 1975

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-jazz-essential-critical-selection/dp/090461901X

Great book indeed.

[sidewinder]

Alun Morgan at his best was among the best. I particularly recall his insightful June 1961 Jazz Monthly piece on Warne Marsh, which I believe was the first detailed critical piece on Marsh. It was right on the money.

He used to regularly review jazz LPs for the 'Gramophone' as well, along with Charles Fox. Both of these guys could always be relied on for accurate and insightful reviews.

If you can find a copy, the best book to emerge from the Jazz Monthly group of writers was IMO:

Max Harrison, Ronald Atkins, Michael James, Jack Cooke Modern Jazz-The Essential Records, Aquarius Books, 1975

http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/090461901X

Great book indeed.

Bought that one when it first came out (quite hard to get hold of in regular bookshops, needed a special order) and it has been a key resouce ever since !

Edited January 28, 2013 by sidewinder

[Big Beat Steve]

OK, OK, folks, your avalanche of plugs for that book has convinced me. I'll be on the lookout for that (should complement other jazz record guides i have, ranging from "The Jazz Record Book" to the "Essential listening companions" published by Third Ear).

Not wanting to derail this thread further, just one more question:

I assume this is a record guide compiling the "essentials" from what was IN PRINT in 1975? (i.e. directing the listener to specific records/reissues)

And not a listing of essential recordings/sessions regardless of whether they were long OOP in 1975 or not? (We all know that there may be records that from a musical/historical point of view were essential in their first pressings but shamefully were not reissued for decades).

Not that I would mind working on recommendations current as of 1975 (an awful lot of my vinyl is from that era and I think I am fairly aware of what was in print and/or accessible then).

[Peter Friedman]

If you can find a copy, the best book to emerge from the Jazz Monthly group of writers was IMO:

Max Harrison, Ronald Atkins, Michael James, Jack Cooke Modern Jazz-The Essential Records, Aquarius Books, 1975

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-jazz-essential-critical-selection/dp/090461901X

I have had a copy of this book since it was originally published. Have referred to it many times over the past 42 years.

[jeffcrom]

OK, OK, folks, your avalanche of plugs for that book has convinced me. I'll be on the lookout for that (should complement other jazz record guides i have, ranging from "The Jazz Record Book" to the "Essential listening companions" published by Third Ear).

Not wanting to derail this thread further, just one more question:

I assume this is a record guide compiling the "essentials" from what was IN PRINT in 1975? (i.e. directing the listener to specific records/reissues)

And not a listing of essential recordings/sessions regardless of whether they were long OOP in 1975 or not? (We all know that there may be records that from a musical/historical point of view were essential in their first pressings but shamefully were not reissued for decades).

Not that I would mind working on recommendations current as of 1975 (an awful lot of my vinyl is from that era and I think I am fairly aware of what was in print and/or accessible then).

It's a listing, with reviews, of what "the committee" considered the best/most important 200 jazz albums up to 1970. They didn't worry about whether they were in print at the time or not.

What sets it apart from other such "best"/"essential" guides is:

1. The quality of the writing.

2. The excellent taste of "the committee."

3. Their deep knowledge of recorded jazz. This led to the inclusion of some unusual, obscure albums that were pretty unknown at the time. (The CD era has made some of them better known.)

4. The writers place the albums in historical/musical context, so a larger picture of what was happening in jazz during those years emerges.

I became aware of many of these records through this book, which I borrowed from the library over and over again until I got my copy. It was a goal of mine to get all of the albums listed; 35 years later, I'm pretty close - not sure if I'll ever have the self-produced Don Pullen/Milford Graves record included.

Any "best of" guide is open to dispute, but think of Modern Jazz: The Essential Records as a well-written, intelligent guide to 200 great albums. And it has some of Max Harrison's best writing; that alone is enough for me.

[Larry Kart]

OK, OK, folks, your avalanche of plugs for that book has convinced me. I'll be on the lookout for that (should complement other jazz record guides i have, ranging from "The Jazz Record Book" to the "Essential listening companions" published by Third Ear).

Not wanting to derail this thread further, just one more question:

I assume this is a record guide compiling the "essentials" from what was IN PRINT in 1975? (i.e. directing the listener to specific records/reissues)

And not a listing of essential recordings/sessions regardless of whether they were long OOP in 1975 or not? (We all know that there may be records that from a musical/historical point of view were essential in their first pressings but shamefully were not reissued for decades).

Not that I would mind working on recommendations current as of 1975 (an awful lot of my vinyl is from that era and I think I am fairly aware of what was in print and/or accessible then).

It refers to notable recordings that were available then and that I would think in every case are available now in some format. The value of the book lies not in the quality of the recommendations per se -- though I recall have no quarrel with any of them, and some are IMO instances of real connoisseurship -- but with the various writers' typically acute critical remarks about the music. For example, Jack Cooke's remarks on the Clifford Brown-Art Blakey "Monday Night at Birdland" discs are the best account I know of what makes hard bop what it is/was.

[sidewinder]

Lots of the selections in the book were really problematic in terms of being able to get hold of them in the UK in 1975 - original Blue Notes never issued and rarely seen by mere mortals over here; JR Monterose on Jaro, Carl Perkins on Dootone etc. In some cases UK alternate pressings on the likes of Vocalion and Transatlantic were listed - which by then were pretty well long-since deleted in any case. Over the years it has been a real pleasure to pick up and check out this material as it re-emerged, especially in the CD era.

There was an up-issue some years ago to 'Essential Jazz Records - Vol 2 with slight changes to the list of authors - Stuart Nicholson and Eric Thacker added (Charles Fox had since sadly passed away) and the original content extended with selections of post-75 material.

I hear what Chuck is saying re: cost of the book. I saved up months of paper-round money at the time to afford it !

Edited January 29, 2013 by sidewinder

[Big Beat Steve]

Lots of the selections in the book were really problematic in terms of being able to get hold of them in the UK in 1975 - original Blue Notes never issued and rarely seen by mere mortals over here; JR Monterose on Jaro, Carl Perkins on Dootone etc.

That's what I imagined if the book focused on the recordings rather than on the (not totally inaccessible) record releases...

JR Monterose on Jaro ... before the Xanadu reissue (wait ... was that Xanadu released before or after 75? ) or the facsimile reissue ... originals really must have been "rare as rocking horse manure" (a they said in the basement dept. at Ray's ) even in the 70s.

So it seems that in a way, that book is almost more useful today with the wider availability of many reissues on CD.

Edited January 29, 2013 by Big Beat Steve

[Clunky]

There was an up-issue some years ago to 'Essential Jazz Records - Vol 2 with slight changes to the list of authors - Stuart Nicholson and Eric Thacker added (Charles Fox had since sadly passed away) and the original content extended with selections of post-75 material.

That's the one I have - sub titled Vol 2 : Modernism to Postmodernism. (Man sell) 2000,

[jeffcrom]

There was an up-issue some years ago to 'Essential Jazz Records - Vol 2 with slight changes to the list of authors - Stuart Nicholson and Eric Thacker added (Charles Fox had since sadly passed away) and the original content extended with selections of post-75 material.

That's the one I have - sub titled Vol 2 : Modernism to Postmodernism. (Man sell) 2000,

I have found that to be a valuable book, but less consistently excellent than the earlier one. Stuart Nicholson, in my opinion, brings down the average - his writing is just not up to the level of the others, I'm sorry to say, and some of the odd album choices seem to be his doing. (Does Michael Brecker's first solo album really belong in the pantheon?)

But, of course, there are Max Harrison's comments on albums he didn't write about in the first book. With all due respect to a couple of people here, his section on Albert Ayler's The Village Concerts is the best thing ever written about Ayler. The first and last paragraphs give me chills and a lump in my throat - something that doesn't often happen with critical writing.

[hopkins]

Available on the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/modernjazzessent00harr

[Stompin at the Savoy]

5 hours ago, hopkins said:

Available on the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/modernjazzessent00harr

It's a limited preview - only the introduction - unless you create an account. 

I never knew of this book til now.  It's pretty interesting.  A surprising number of the entries are compilation albums with various groups.  It's way out of date from a discographical point of view and a lot of this material is available now in different formats and combinations.  It's gratifying to see that I actually know most of the music recommended!

Edited December 19, 2023 by Stompin at the Savoy

[hopkins]

40 minutes ago, Stompin at the Savoy said:

It's a limited preview - only the introduction - unless you create an account. 

Yes, but creating an account is free, and then you can read it for an hour at a time (renewable infinitely), if you don't mind doing so on a computer or tablet/phone. 

I have not read it yet.