Royal Oak

Tiny Tim

Charles Earland - Black Drops (OJC) 99p new from an Amazon marketplace seller - criminal.

Friggin' freezin' for a few days now. Sick of having to scrape the windscreen in the mornings. Edit - just seen the gritter drive down our street. I've never known the gritters come down here (very small road) - it must be a bad night ahead, else the driver's lost.

Given MG's identification of the album, I take it that the pianist is Richard Wyands? After I got it wrong, I looked up Ammons in my Penguin guide to see who the pianist mights be. After a fair amount of listening I ruled out Mal Waldron, Tommy Flanagan and Duke Jordan. I did listen to some Wyands (Gigi Gryce albums) but obviously not hard enough!

As a fairly recent parent, I've discovered that "Twinkle" has the same changes as those two other end-of-playgroup singalong favourites "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Sleeping Bunnies". Don't forget that all time kid's classic, the ABC song. Edit - beat to the draw! Fifteen years after listening to my dad talk about "the changes", I think I finally understand what he meant. Now, if he'd only played me a selection of nursery rhymes, I may have carried on playing my alto saxophone!

As a fairly recent parent, I've discovered that "Twinkle" has the same changes as those two other end-of-playgroup singalong favourites "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Sleeping Bunnies".

Clarence Frogman Henry Toadfish Rebecchi Gordon Gecko (not an amphibian I know, but you get my drift)

Oh dear, here goes: The Andrew Gold songs "Lonely Boy" and "Never Let Her Slip Away" Neil Sedaka's "The Immigrant" - think that's what it's called. Actually, I don't know if he wrote it, but I remember hearing it on a tape of a Sedaka album I found in my parents's house.

Eric Dolphy on alto - I can't stand it - that horrible yelping sound. "Plays like someone is standing on his foot" as Miles said.

I was quite a big reader as a kid, but other than Marvel comics (generally Hulk and Fantastic Four), all I can remember was "Carrie's War" by Nina Bawden, "Our John Willie" by Catherine Cookson (!) and "The Machine Gunners". The last named was made into a children's TV serial, which created a short-lived and very un-PC craze of my schoolmates shouting "Where You Going Now?"

To my shame, not me!

Candy Andy Pandy Ghandi

Virginia Wade Martina Navratilova Steffi Graf

This is a bit of a blowout for me, but here's my two penn'orth: Track 2 - No clue. I was struck by the busyness of the drums. With the shout just before the applause at the end, I thought maybe Buddy Rich, but the rest of it doesn't fit with what I've heard of him. It gets a bit "Grand Wazoo" in places. Track 3 - Is it Warne Marsh? It's been a long time since I heard any Warne Marsh, and I have all of the other tenors wrong so far, so I'm not at all confident! It's not quite as "icy" as I remember Marsh.

Okay, here goes. It goes without saying that I don't have a clue about most of these, so I may as well just go with the ones I have some opinion. Track 6 - I'm certain this is Gene Ammons. I think the pianist is Wynton Kelly? No idea what the tune is though. I'll leave the details to MG. Track 9 - This sounds very mid-60s Blue Note. At first I thought the tenor was Joe Henderson, but he's not quite cocksure enough. Is it Sam Rivers? I'm unfamiliar with his work, but I remember listening to a Grant Green compilation a few months ago, which featured a very similar tenor who I initially misidentified as Joe. The trumpet sounds like Woody Shaw. I'm probably wrong though. Track 10 - I was first struck by the flute. I'm sure I've heard this "shouting" flute before, but don't know who it is. The more I listened to this, I thought the arrangement Oliver Nelson-esque. The tenor also sounds like him to me - especially the first few bars - am I anywhere near? Track 13 - this one's driven me mad. Is this Jimmy Heath on tenor? Whoever it is, this cooks! The others: Track 1 - not a clue Track 2 - A "Flamenco Sketches" vibe. Tenor sounds George Coleman-ish. Track 3 - No idea. Very nice though. Track 4 - No idea, but I hear 70s TV show theme! Track 5 - No idea. Track 7 - No idea. Track 8 - No idea, but I like it. Track 11 - Again, no idea, but I'm intrigued. About 10 years ago, my sister was into this kind of thing - you used to hear it played in the hipper nightclubs in Manchester. I think there was an outfit called "Masters At Work" who sounded kind of like this. Track 12 - Again, no idea, but again, I'm intrigued. It certainly runs through a few musical styles! I really have enjoyed this Bob - excellent.

Annie Ross Jonathan Ross Russell Brand

I've played competitive cricket for the past 3 years. I played at school, with a complete lack of success. I started again partly to see if I could actually play, and partly to get out of the house on Sundays (I'm MWC). I've developed into a very mediocre player, playing for a poor team (3 wins from 40-odd games in the last 3 years), but I can't think of anything better to do on a hot sunny day. Grey, cool and damp days are a different matter.... I'll tell you what though, I very rarely watch cricket on TV any more, and I used to be glued to it.

Shilpa Shetty Leo Sayer Jade Goody

Euro 2008? About 5 months late...can I back Spain to win?

Stephen Gately Joe Temperley Alexei Sayle Bit of poetic licence there with the spelling, and definitely one for the people of South Manchester

Just ordered Black, Brown and Beige - Duke Ellington Tune Up/Constellation - Sonny Stitt & Barry Harris

Think so Bill - Delboy Trigger Boycie

DAMN !! It may even be 2 Bob - out of 27!

My discs arrived yesterday - thanks Bob. I'm liking it already - I think I may even have one right!

I haven't heard those records for many years, but I remember "Billy The Mountain" blowing my mind as a 16 year-old. That said, I have a weakness for Flo and Eddie (even their "Moving Targets" record)