BillF

That looks interesting! A few years ago I did a taxi tour of the scenes of the Troubles in Belfast. I was amazed to see 40 foot high steel barriers separating the sectarian areas of the city. Most Brits have no idea of this and fondly imagine you have to go Israel to see such things!

If only!

Miles Davis Quintet - Milan 1964 Poor visual and audio quality offset by the magic of seeing this band in action. Tremendous rapport between its members and rapt atmosphere of quiet concentration which must have been unusual at the time outside the realms of classical music. All sorts of visual interest - e.g. that the top of Miles's head doesn't reach Ron Carter's shoulder and that Miles has a strange mannerism of dropping the horn and jabbing the side of his head wth his right index finger between phrases (just as in this photo). He's also seen adding some treble notes to Herbie Hancock's playing - with his left hand! - while reaching with his right hand for his mute on the piano top!

Badass Budutsky Rogue Male Wiley Post

I took delivery a week or so ago of the Amercan Jazz Classics item and am very pleased with it. I was induced to buy it from my memories of the Stitt/Giuffre session on vinyl in my youth and I still like it. Admittedly, Giuffre's four-man all-brass "backing band" (2 trumpets, trombone, tuba) is pretty unconventional, but Stitt fits well with it and plays at top form. Some tracks from this session are in blowing quintet format, with just the two leaders and rhythm section. Giuffe's tenor (Pres-influenced) and Stitt's (Bird and Pres) work surprisingly well together and my only grumble is that the recording quality leaves the rhythm section sounding a bit muffled. If that weren't enough, there then follows a whole album by a Stitt quartet with Jimmy Jones, where the recording quality is as excellent as Stitt's form. Recommended! P.S. 20 tracks and 78 minutes playing time.

Yes, I saw the Steve Fishwick/Osian Roberts Quintet at the Wigan Jazz Festival a couple of years ago. It took me back to listening to the Morgan/Timmons Jazz Messengers in my youth, which is a compliment indeed! Looking at their pianist gave me a real insight into what Timmons had been doing. Was never too sure about him! Great that Fishwick has risen to the heights of recording with Cedar Walton!

Hu Flung Dung Lobsang Rampa Joy Pitcher

Julian Cannonball Adderley (Spotify)

John McCain Spanky DeBrest Buster Williams

Charley's Aunt Cousin Mary Hardbop Grandpop

Sheila Rowbotham Johnny Butts R Slicker

King C Gillette Brian Blades Charlie Shavers

Buckshot LeFonque Jackson Pelletier Shogun Gekomon

The Manic Street Preachers Horace Silver Harry Gold and his Pieces of Eight

Hamish Rosser Hot Fuzz Bucks Fizz

Bomber Dudley (The Art Blakey of the Black Country) Klook Stix Hooper

I'm sure it sounds better than the poetry and jazz attempts over here. As Bev and I commented after hearing a Christopher Logue record, those upper-class English voices just didn't sound right with jazz!

And to think that bebop and boogie woogie were once banned by the BBC! P.S. Why haven't they got Ken Clarke on? Too busy preparing for office?

Billericay Dickie Harold Hill of Harold Hill Spasticus Autisticus

PM sent, David.

Edmund Burke Pratt & Whitney Fred Quimby

Joe Lovano Nonet, On This Day at the Vanguard (Spotify)

Acker Bilk Kenny Ball Terry Major-Ball

Jazz Record Requests from BBC Radio 3 Now playing: Bud Powell and Sonny Stitt, "Fine and Dandy" (both takes!) (Late post - lost internet connection during show)

Jim Hawkins Coleman Hawkins Erskine Hawkins