BillF

Prejudice! John has gathered around him some of the most outstanding players in today's (well 2007 anyway) music. All this IMHO of course.

John Swana's Bright Moments is a wonderful album.

My favourite Mingus! Now playing:

Yes, indeed! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjY1NPUUp9U The last two times I saw him were at Wigan and Southport respectively, the first about 12 years ago in a scorching quintet with Alan Skidmore, the second about 4 years later with the Tubby Hayes Memorial Big Band, again with Skidmore. The second was one of the most swinging gigs I've ever attended, which is saying something!

Yes, thanks for the interview which helps explain what the piano clip is all about and answers most of the questions I have about it. (Start at 41 mins in and go on to hear Philly's eulogy of Dameron.)

Last of the gang - Ronnie, Tubby, Deuchar, Seamen - to go, but then he was their junior by a few years.

Thanks Brownie. I knew the album but didn't realise that PJJ was on piano on that track. Yes, "arranger's piano" as per Mulligan and Dameron himself. IIRC Dizzy and Milt Jackson also played this sort of piano.

This is a very sad one for me. Followed his career from Scott's "old place" c.1960 to Wigan and Southport in the 2000s. Sensational alto player - world class! Strongly recommend his autobiography, Flying High.

Would be interesting to know what Michael Weiss thinks of his piano playing.

Very sad. He was a big buddy of Lee Morgan's in their early days. A great deal was said about him in this which I read recently:

Ah yes. Farty Hartounian - one of Boston's best.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Barris A interesting character! (Of course, I knew all about the other one) :-)

Hope you dig it Peter. I think their other album The Devil's Interval just has the edge on this one. Saw the band on one of their British tours. Eric's playing constantly drew admiring looks from Dave. At a Dave O'Higgins masterclass that I went to on another occasion Dave listed Eric and Canadian Phil Dwyer among his favourite tenormen.

Ah yes. George Lewis.

Courtesy Ferris Benda Appreciation Society!

Have been listening to a number of Doug Webb albums recently. This one is very good indeed.

Any views on PJJ's piano playing? This thread seems to have been hijacked by Charles Mingus.

Great! Melodically and harmonically rich in the manner of those Dameron compositions Philly loved so well. Pity they didn't give him a better piano and better recording. Was his piano playing ever caught in the recording studio? P.S. Unexpected piano player I once came across - Joe Harriott! Told me he loved Bud Powell.

Lovely album from someone lost all too recently. Brilliant and massively underrated trumpeter. Saw him twice around 1990. First at Wigan with Paquito D'Rivera and a Latin rhythm section - one of the most sizzling of all gigs I've attended! Then in Manchester with the Dizzy Gillespie United Nations Orchestra with his sparring partner Arturo SandovaL