Royal Oak

Sign in if you love Cook and Morton.

Anthony Burgess autobiog "Little Wilson and Big God"

I never knew the Stooges line-up ever changed.

I feel very ignorant here, but what's a shemp?

Just ordered Max Roach's "It's Time".

Mind if I join in?

James Ellroy meets The Streets (UK garage band for those who haven't heard) - I like it!

I enjoyed this a lot David. I've always had a soft spot for Sonny, especially the "Leapin' and Lopin'" album. Cook & Morton said that on parts of "Cool Struttin" the music "practically levitates", and I absolutely know what they mean, though not necessarily with regard to that record. Some Sonny Clark solos have that effect on me eg on "Voodoo" (Leapin'), "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" (Sonny Clark Trio). Another thing I love about Sonny is his quotations. I'm sure other musicians do them just as often and as well, if not better, but Sonny always makes them sound warm and funny.

Gull Evans Coleman Auk-ins Big Joe Tern-er

Earlier, caught a bit of Jazz Record Requests. Something Scottish and unjazzy, some solo Davey Graham (spelling?), some MJQ and Horace doing "Song For My Father".

Can't get much better than that! Yes, I haven't heard it in so long (had it on vinyl, which was donated to my sister when my turntable died in the mid-90s) it sent shivers down my spine. Is this a new thing for Radio 3, sticking jazz in the middle of their regular programming? Can't keep track of Radio 3's jazz programming; it's always changing. One thing is certain: it's likely at any moment to be peremptorily swept aside by the BBC old guard which is clearly uneasy about anything that doesn't fit with European middle-class cultural dominance. Opera Rules, you know! At the moment I listen to a two-hour block from 4 to 6 on Saturday (available later online, if you prefer.) Jazz Library is first with the excellent Alyn Shipton (last week's subject, Art Farmer; this week's, Gene Krupa), then Jazz Record Requests follows with an intriguing selection of stuff that's likely to run from Jimmy Yancey to Brad Meldhau! I rarely listen to JRR; Saturdays are too busy and I never get around to "listen again". I've listened to a couple "Jazz Library" programmes (Monk and Horace Silver as I recall). I have little knowledge of what I hear at other times. I tend to prefer solo piano or quiet string quartet music, though I enjoyed Bartok's "The Miraculous Mandarin" yesterday lunchtime. Opera, though, I hate. Especially comic opera - who likes that stuff? It's THE stiffest, most upper-middle class, amateur dramatic society, whimsical horseshit.

Can't get much better than that! Yes, I haven't heard it in so long (had it on vinyl, which was donated to my sister when my turntable died in the mid-90s) it sent shivers down my spine. Is this a new thing for Radio 3, sticking jazz in the middle of their regular programming?

Been listening to BBC Radio 3 lately (in the car). I tuned in only because I don't have a CD player, I can't have pop/rock radio at any price, and Classic FM has too many ads and the unspeakable Simon Bates presenting during the morning commute. I've really been enjoying the absence of ads, the distinctly low-key approach of the presenters, and have enjoyed some of the music I've heard, most of which I'd never heard before. Anyway, this morning, out of nowhere, they played a Teddy Wilson trio playing a gorgeous version of "Sweet Lorraine". Then, on my way to the supermarket this evening, I heard Wes Montgomery playing "D Natural Blues" from "The Incredible Jazz Guitar".

Is that Hertz van Rental, the Dutch blues guitarist? (Old joke beloved of my dad's musician friends)

Mah-tin Fowler Rick-aay Butcher Phiw Mitchell

Plastique Bertrand Burt Reynolds Lonesome Cowboy Burt

Not usually where I post, but.... One of these ("with a built-in Leslie") was offered for free on my local Freecycle website the other day. I notice it's the second Hammond organ to be given away in the last few weeks.

Marc Stein Brian Stein Edwin Stein English footballing brothers of the 80s/90s

Fewer than 350 copies in 12 months? Worldwide, or just the US? (not read the article yet) Either way, who'd sell jazz CDs for a living?

A look through the Didsbury branch of Oxfam brought Monk's biography and a book of selected poetry by The Last Poets.

Bill, wasn't that "Saturday Night And Sunday Morning"? I remember seeing it for the first time at some arthouse cinema in Nottingham, when I was a student at (then) Trent Polytechnic. I like the film, but I don't recall there being a Nottingham accent in it. Shirley Ann Field was particularly bad - typical, I suppose, of thespians doing proletarian accents.

Becks Posh Romeo

Frank Butcher Butch Cassidy Butch Wilkins

Any sign of these yet?

In my "smoking" days, it would be more often than not "The Jimmy Giuffre 3" or Joe Henderson's "Page One" or Charlie Haden/Hank Jones's "Steal Away". Fell asleep every time (in a good way).