BillF

Best live jazz heard in 2007: Bobby Wellins at the Wigan Jazz Festival Best jazz record bought in 2007: Jimmy Heath, The Quota Best jazz radio show heard in 2007: "Emily Remler: a Musical Remembrance" on Night Lights (WFIU) Best jazz book read in 2007: James Gavin, Deep in a Dream: the Long Night of Chet Baker

Road to Morocco is just about OK since Bing was slightly a bit jazzy - but we ARE looking for tunes at least done by jazz bands (What about "Ahab the Arab"?) Little Niles - Randy Weston MG Little Niles was Randy Weston's son. It's nothing to do with the river!

"Hymn of the Orient" (Gigi Gryce)

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Drum Suite (Philips)

India (John Coltrane)

And now: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Hard Drive (Bethlehem)

Art Blakey with the Jazz Messengers (1956) (CBS twofer)

Victor Feldman, "New Delhi" and, of course, "Nagasaki"!

From Nat Hentoff's liner note to Donald Byrd/Gigi Gryce Jazz Lab: "Bangoon by Hank Jones combines parts of two place-names, Bangkok and Rangoon, both visited and enjoyed by him several months ago when he journeyed to the Far East with Benny Goodman under the auspices of the State department."

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, New York 1957 (Musidisc)

He's all over the horn - has complete control. Do you mean he's playing out of tune? Not to my ears, although his vibrato is wide at times... No offence, but if Ornette or (early) Archie is your standard, we may hear things differently ... Q Thanks for your response. I shall have to consider the wide vibrato issue. As to my standard, I guess you could say Bird/Lester/Marsh/Wardell/Fats/Bud/Tristano, etc. Perhaps it's my ear. Gigi Gryce always sounds sharp to me. But that's another thread ...

Fascinating to read this. I recently read William D. Clancy's Woody Herman: Chronicles of the Herds which dwells on the tensions/problems of Woody's "rock period".

Stan Britt, Long Tall Dexter: A Critical Musical Biography of Dexter Gordon

To turn to Serge the musician, having read that Blue Serge was a classic, I rushed out and bought it, but was very disappointed. I found it very difficult to listen to because of what I thought were intonation problems in Serge's playing. Was it that my non-musician's ear wasn't hearing things properly, or was this a deliberate stylistic thing that I would happily accept from Ornette Coleman or Archie Shepp, or did Serge's deteriorating physical state mean that he could no longer control the horn properly? Your views would be appreciated!

Yes, I agree. Read it about a month ago. My only grumble is about the quoting in full of some of Gil's incomprehensible, eccentric letters!

Hampton Hawes, Four! (Contemporary) has a cover photo showing Hawes, Barney Kessel, Red Mitchell and Shelly Manne on a golf course.

The Magnificent Charlie Parker (Columbia Clef EP) Howard McGhee Sextet avec James Moody, Moods by McGhee (Guilde du Jazz 10" LP)

The Parlan-Tucker-Harewood trio is one of the great unsung "in the pocket" rhythm sections, whether they are backing Booker or Turrentine, or are by themselves. Don't miss 'em on Dexter Gordon, Doin' Allright!

Tom, you've picked the best three. As TD says, Sonority is less impressive and I agree with Ted Gioia's poor opinion of Exploring the Future.

Thanks, Bill, for making me aware of jazz on KBCS. Bebop Spoken Here is a tremendous show! Although this is my preferred area, I'm hearing lots of great things for the first time on this show. I'd love to listen to Bright Moments, but the eight-hour time difference rules out so much of KBCS's material. So perhaps I should refine what I wrote about the joys of internet radio and say that archived material is pretty essential for the intercontinental listener!

Cool! I'd like to check that out. I'm finding it very readable, though that may because I knew a lot of the people - including Joe - and went to a lot of the gigs described. It certainly gives an accurate picture of the very distinctive British jazz scene of those days

Alan Robertson, Joe Harriott: Fire in his Soul

My favourite Jaws is Trane Whistle - Eddie Lockjaw Davis Big Band, arrangements by Oliver Nelson and Ernie Wilkins (Prestige)

Tadd Dameron, Dameronia (Prestige LP) Tadd Dameron and his Band, A Study in Dameronia (Esquire 10" LP) Fats Navarro Quintet (with Don Lanphere, Al Haig and Max Roach) (Esquire EP)

Best wishes on your birthday, David.