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What a great CD! I asked Christian what it was like playing with these two masters and he was almost speechless. He thanked me for reminding him of it. I cringe when I think about how much I had to pay to get this CD. I think it was close to $40 with the shipping.

I was never into Zappa. I suppose it's never too late though. Kinda sad that he didn't take Frank's warnings about prostate cancer to heart. Prostate cancer is one of those cancers that is beatable if caught early enough. Frank was very vocal about how his doctors missed it.

Sometimes I think I'm Sherlock Holmes. But I'm not, and nothing will ever make it so.

I am very fond of Lou's "Blues Walk". I am really glad that i got to see Lou so many times before he retired. He had a great stage presence, even if he repeated a lot of the same stories year after year. That said, I do appreciate the earlier Clifford Brown & Art Blakey dates too. Lou did too. He was not bashful about it.

Distinct personality and musical clarity defines itself.

I agree with Peter. I liked it when he thought he was Charlie Parker. I remember being really impressed by his work with Blakey.

https://www.discogs.com/digs/features/a-jazz-archive-comes-to-discogs A Pittsburgh Collector’s 70,000-Record Jazz Archive Comes to Discogs George spent decades building a 70,000-record jazz archive, and now it’s up for grabs. If you spent any time sifting through records around Pittsburgh in the last several decades, you likely brushed shoulders with George, a quiet fixture of the western Pennsylvania scene. Inside his home, he lived a modest life as a family man with a career, taking the bus everywhere rather than the car, but behind closed doors he curated a 70,000-record archive. George was primarily a jazz collector. During the 1970s and ’80s, when the genre’s popularity waned and Blue Note, Prestige, Strata-East, and Impulse! Records were relegated to the bargain bin, George thrived. He hunted mint copies with relentless dedication, stacking them in his listening room over decades. In his later years… (…continues at link up above, with a few pictures too!)

He realized that he was Lou Donaldson and not Charlie Parker.

Walter Bishop Jr.'s 4th Cycle “Keeper Of My Soul” Black Jazz cd Ronnie Laws, reeds; Woody Murray (Sumtunji), vibes; Walter Bishop Jr., keyboards; Gerald Brown, bass, Fender bass; Bahir Hassan, drums; Shakur M. Abdulla, congas, bongos. Hollywood Spectrum, Los Angeles, CA, released 1973

I am mostly with Lon on this ... and certainly Lou remained in Bird's thrall if the latter 30-40 years of performances are any indication. His setlists included the inevitable soul jazz hits but also copious amounts of Charlie Parker bebop. No Fusion of Con-fusion whatsoever.

Here's a very interesting fact: While the original did not peak on the charts until September and beyond in 1956, by the very beginning of September, the tune had already been covered, on Dot Records, by Rusty Bryant. Haven't tried to find it on youtube yet, it seems like a rarity. But that's a quick new record for something that hadn't even gotten into the top 10.

Dexter Gordon “Dexter Rides Again” Savoy 20 bit lp facsimile cd Baritone Saxophone – Leo Parker Bass – Curly Russell or Gene Ramey Drums – Art Blakey or Eddie Nicholson oe Max Roach Piano – Bud Powell or Sadik Hakim or Tadd Dameron Tenor Saxophone – Dexter Gordon Trumpet – Leonard Hawkins

In my listening I don't think he ever really "abandoned Bird" but moved with the music and market into a harder bop and a more soulful style. I hear bebop foundation still there, with the newer beats and expressiveness. I wonder sometimes where Bird himself would have landed if he could have miraculously been healthier and played on a few decades. . . .

Where, more exactly, would you draw the line between this "earlier" phase and the later period when you feel his playing changed and moved towards Soul Jazz? Just wondering ...

Been waiting for the full album of this batch of microtonal goodness.

Got an email saying these were freshly dropped jazz titles, so you may be interested. HERE

Cherubini String Quartet No.1 and No.2 - Melos Quartet

Was listening this morning to "Clifford Brown - Memorial Album" on Blue Note. This 1953 session has some truly fine alto playing by Lou Donaldson. There is no question (to me) that Lou was playing Bird inspired Bebop on this date. This may be my favorite Lou Donaldson playing on record . Lou also played in that style with Art Blakey, and perhaps as well on some of the early Jimmy Smith albums. But at some point Donaldson's played changed, and that earlier Bebop - Bird influenced style seemed to fade from his alto work. Perhaps (?) he discovered that he could appeal to a broader audience and benefit economically by moving into a Soul Jazz style. While I can enjoy some of his later playing, it is that Bebop oriented playing from that 1953 Blue Note date that stands out for me as the pinnacle of Lou Donaldson's recorded work.

The title says it all - if you have a copy of this LP and a scanner would you be kind enough to scan the liner notes and post the image? I am curious to read them. Thanks! https://www.discogs.com/release/14166225-Stuff-Smith-The-Stuff-Smith-Memorial-Album

Additions: Martino ,Pat Undeniable: Live at Blues Alley $2 former library copy modified packaging E. Alexander Masters ,Mark/Lee Konitz One Day With Lee $7 new, sealed Mendes ,Sergio & Brasil '65 Best of $4 Wanda De Sah Mendes ,Sergio The Swinger From Rio/The Beat of Brazil $3

Such a great set! ❤️❤️❤️