Royal Oak

With all due respect, my problem is definitely with Charlie Shavers.

Shavers really hurt my ears on that Hal Singer record, I've never really enjoyed that fiery trumpet sound. Re your comments on Afrique, I think that's what I meant when I feel it's more a Nelson record than a Basie record. I like almost anything Nelson did - compositions, arrangements and his own sound on sax, which sounds (to my ears anyway) like he's physically squeezing the notes out. I get that vibe from Sonny Criss sometimes. I also like Hubert Laws on Afrique.

But where do you stand on Charlie Shavers? Now listening to Count Basie - Afrique. This also recently new to me, and I like it very much. Is this not an Oliver Nelson record though?

Hal Singer - Blue Stompin' on Prestige / Swingville Bought this in a lot ages ago, and only played it for the first time today. Hal and Ray Bryant are just fine but Charlie Shavers I can't have - too loud, too shrill, too extra for me.

Haha, I have that Moody with the colour cover, but my Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing Vol 2 is a crappy black and white (and limp) cover.

Oh yes, I like all the Horace Silver Blue Notes, though the 3 United States of Mind albums I rarely listen to. Perhaps subconsciously I was expecting something extra from Jody Grind, given the Cook & Morton recommendation - "zenith of finger-snapping intensity" or thereabouts, as I recall. In my jazz salad days, with limited disposable income, no internet, and CDs being £15, there was a certain amount of agonising over what to buy. I seem to recall having to order the Jody Grind specially, and waiting for a few weeks, with a trip into Manchester to pick it up. It was good, but didn't live up the (perhaps self-inflicted) hype.

I seem to recall that Cook & Morton singled this out (with "Song For My Father") as one of Horace's best, in a catalogue of pretty solidly great LPs, I duly bought it based on that recommendation. I like it well enough, but it's no "Cape Verdean Blues" IMO.

I like the Disco-Antistat too. I've had it over 10 years now, been worth every penny and more. I must have cleaned 1000 LPs with it

I am listening to the Sonny Clark / Kenny Dorham sides of the Jackie McLean "Hipnosis" two-fer. Sonny Clark interpolates a phrase from Carmen into his solo, something I have heard him do on many of his recordings; well, at least enough of them for me to have noticed it before. I'm pretty sure he uses it as the opening phrase of a chorus of blues. I had actually forgotten about this until listening tonight, and there it was, in "Blues In A Jiff" I laughed out loud when I heard it, a bit like the Leonardo DiCaprio meme where he points at the TV. Do any of the historians / musicians know anything about this? Is it significant or just a lick that he liked? It feels like he plays it for fun. Anyway, excuse the ramblings.

I concur

I remember, in late 2019, resolving to go along to a Manchester Jazz Society meeting in the new year to follow, then COVID happened. I see that the Society is still going, now to be held virtually, indefinitely. Sod that.

Grover Washington Jr - Live At The Bijou. Sneer all you like, this album grooves like mad.

I was reminded of this joke yesterday, 30-odd years after I first heard it, and found it online (isn't everything?) I'm afraid it will probably be meaningless to all non-Brits, unless Fairy Liquid ever made it out of the UK. A guy walks into a restaurant and wants to eat squid. He calls the waiter over, whose name is Yervaise, and says 'I want that squid there', pointing at a little green squid with a hairy moustache on its top lip. Yervaise says, 'but that's my favourite, I don't want to kill it, it's so mild and friendly'. But the customer is insistent, so Yervaise goes over to the tank, pulls out the squid and lays it on the worktop. He raises a knife and is about to chop it up, but he can't. Yervaise goes back to the customer, and says he can't kill it, but the customer still insists that he wants to eat it. Yervaise has an idea, and says 'OK, I'll go and get Hans, our dishwasher, he's a tough guy, he'll be able to kill it'. He goes and gets Hans, and Hans takes the knife and is about to chop the squid up, when it looks up. Hans sees its mild little face and its hairy lip and he can't kill it either, so they both go and tell the customer that they're really sorry and he can't eat it. The moral of the story?... .. Hans that does dishes is as soft as Yervaise, with mild green hairy lip squid.

Thanks Bill, I trust all is well at your end. I must dust that off the shelf again

I've never heard of Palin, but I see from that Guardian obit that he attended Chorlton Grammar School, as did my father and my father's brother. Indeed, my uncle ran a Chorlton Grammar School Old Boys website for may years before he became unwell 5 years ago. I calculate that Palin would be 4 years older than my dad, so doubt they crossed paths much (my uncle was younger still). It's a shame that my dad and uncle are both dead now, so I'll never find out.

That Jazz 635 clip ^ Howard McGhee is buzzing (ha) until Sonny shuts him up. I have seen clips from that gig on Youtube. One tune (can't pinpoint it off the top of my head) you see J J Johnson soloing for what looks like a little too long for Sonny's liking. Sonny looks at JJ and then down at his horn, as if to say "my turn now".

I surf the net on my PC, in silence, as it has no speakers. If I want to hear something, I have to dig out headphones, or switch to my phone and that's usually too hard and I get distracted. Anyway, to get people off my case, I listened to the above, and you are right, I evidently have heard some Lou Rawls in my lifetime. Whether I will hear any more is anyone's guess.

Ha, well I figured if "beatboxin' for Lou Rawls" was a way of dissing ya mama, I didn't need to hear him.

"But I remember Seeing her at the Palladium way back in September She was beatboxin' for Lou Rawls In some bright red boxer drawers" Never heard Lou Rawls, but his name will forever be associated (for me) with the above lyric from the Phardcyde's "Ya mama"

First car boot sale of 2021 yesterday, found a couple of decent (great might be a stretch) things: Benny Carter - Jazz Giant (Vogue issue) for 50p (!) Chet Baker - Swings Pretty, and George Wallington - Live at the Cafe Bohemia for £2 each

Not really loving it, I must say

Ha ha, it was the only jazz LP in the box, unless you count Deodato, and Roberta Flack, presented by Les McCann (I also bought those). I was all set to pay £1 each, but he let me have the 4 LPs I chose for £3.

First car boot sale of the year today, and bought a copy Kenneth Terroade's "Love Rejoice" for 75p. I had never heard of Kenneth or any of the other players, so figured it would be free jazz - I can see that it is. As ever, surprised to find something so out at an English car boot sale.

A couple of threads by (I think) Clem or Moms Mobley stick in my memory, but they may have been taken down. They were savage polemics, one about Kenny Burrell, the other was Paul Simon. Plus one where Cliff Englewood fell out with Allen Lowe, I think Allen uses a line from that exchange on his sig Finally - I think it was a thread titled "Rejected Blue Note Album titles", and someone came up with "That's Where It Is" by Stanley Turrentine. Sorry, can't find the thread so can't credit the poster

Oh my gosh, you're right again! I actually wondered if I'd heard it by the Clarke-Boland band. I can see it wasn't but there are at least 2 of them in that clip (I only recognise Ronnie Scott and Johnny Griffin)