Stereojack

Which I respect, even tho I disagree.

Candy John Carr Otto Preminger Van Heflin

I like the record - perhaps not as much as I like some of Blakey's previous lineups, but there's plenty to recommend this one. This is the only record of this particular edition of the Messengers, featuring young Chuck Mangione long before he had moved into commercial music, and a fine obscure tenor player Frank Mitchell. I saw the band at Varty's in Boston around the time they made this record. Limelight was a subsidiary of Mercury. At the time, Impulse was going strong and Mercury figured they could outdo them with the fancy packaging. As it turned out, Limelight only lasted a couple of years as a deluxe label. Later pressings of many of the titles omitted the gatefold jackets and inserts.

Della Street Sonny Rhodes John Court

1. This starts with the groove from Ahmad Jamal’s “Poinciana”, and the tune is vaguely familiar. In places the trumpet reminds me of Donald Byrd, and tune a little Shorter-esque. As a matter of fact, the tenor sounds very Wayne-like as well. 2. Mid-1960’s. Can’t place the tenor. Trumpet might be Freddie Hubbard, or possibly Woody Shaw. Considering the company, perhaps Bobby Hutcherson on vibes? 3. Gerry Mulligan, from “The Age of Steam”. Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, an instantly recognizeable voice. Nice, relaxed funky groove. 4. Familiar territory. Possibly George Coleman on tenor? Trumpet has a nice big sound, and can certainly get around the horn. Cedar Walton or Ronnie Mathews at the piano? 5. Something’s wrong here. What’s the point? 6. Gimmicky arrangement of “A Train”. This sounds like one of those show-off-your- stereo-system records that were so popular in the early 60’s. There are certainly some fine players on this, but the whole thing is just too over the top. 7. “Black and Tan Fantasy”. Really have no idea who this is, maybe Archie Shepp? 8. Somebody got a new toy for Christmas. Next!! 9. Right away, I recognized Sly’s “Sex Machine”, and figured that this was some aging bandleader attempting to connect with the kids, probably Woody Herman. The clarinet later in the track clinches it. After hearing this, and formulating my thoughts about it, my first thought was how sad it was that Woody had sunk to this level by the early 70’s. But then I started thinking about Woody’s history, starting with “The Band That Plays the Blues” in the late 30’s, and that the revered First Herd had covered R&B tunes like “Caldonia”, “I’ve Got News For You”, “Romance In the Dark”, et al. This is Woody doing what he had always done, yet to my ears this seems so lame. 10. Johnny Hartman – “Summer Wind”. The guitar sounds like Kenny Burrell, can’t place the tenor – he’s a little busy, methinks. 11. Possibly Milt Jackson? It’s funny, a lot of straight ahead jazz sounds timeless to me, yet a bit of jazz-funk like this seems dated, to my ears, anyway. 12. I like the drummer-less ensemble – refreshing. The tenor conjurs up some familiar phrases, but I can’t conjur up a name. 13. Mingus, of course. Jimmy Knepper, Shafi Hadi. I think this comes from the session that produced “The Clown” and half of “Tonight At Noon”, but I can’t come up with a title without looking in my collection, and I won’t cheat. Nevertheless, it is nice to hear. 14. The tune is reminiscent of the old New Orleans tune “Oh Didn’t He Ramble”, done up in a breezy cool-jazz arrangement. Might this be the Dave Pell Octet? That’s be Dave on tenor, and a few familiar west coasters. Maybe Don Fagerquist on trumpet? 15. Continuing in our gospelly bag, here we have a hymn for jazz combo, with recitation. Not a clue, nor do I need to hear this again. Overall, some nice music on this set , and a few barkers.

Quentin "Butter" Jackson Jelly James Virginia Mayo

Brother Theodore Sister Ray Son House

Least interesting? I don't know. If you have an aversion to strings, then you may want to skip this one. Personally, I like it. Zoot's in a mellow mood, for sure, but he plays beautifully, as always.

I like the album. Kenny's singing is pretty good, but not exceptional. Many with lesser gifts have pursued singing careers.

It's your day, my friend!!

Absolutely!! Zoot always came to play. I can't think of a bad album. As wonderful as his 1950's stuff is, and I have it all, I think he actually kept getting better as he got older. The breeziness of his earlier style is enhanced as his tone deepened. Most of my favorites have already been named. I especially like: All the the Pablo albums, especially the ones with Jimmy Rowles "Zoot Sims' Party" (Choice) "Zoot" (Argo), with the fantastic Gus Johnson on drums. It was included on the Chess CD "That Old Feeling" "Zoot at Ease" (Famous Door) reissued on Mobile Fidelity CD "Nirvana" with Buddy Rich (Groove Merchant) reissued on a multitude of labels, including Denon. This is a superb session. "Elegiac" (Storyville) with Bucky Pizzarelli. Why don't I just list them all?

1. I wonder if this may have been recorded around the time of Monk’s death in the early 1980’s. Don’t know the tenor player, I find his sound a little strident. Mal Waldron on piano, maybe? 2. I like this. The tune is familiar, I’m sure I’ve heard it before. Richie Beirach, possibly? 3. Gary Burton, for sure. Might this be a Mike Gibbs tune? It sounds like early Burton, probably on RCA. There was a compilation called “3 In Jazz” that, if I recall correctly, had a few tracks with Jack Sheldon. Perhaps this is from that LP? 4. My first thought was Sonny Rollins, and this tenor player certainly owes a lot to Sonny. Possibly Lou Tabackin or Bennie Wallace? The tune is “I Remember Clifford”, of course. 5. “The Nearness of You”, a lovely tune. Can’t say much for the trombone player, a little gruff where tenderness is called for. 6. I’m sorry, this just leaves me cold. 7. I’m pretty sure the alto is Phil Woods, and this may be his composition. Can’t name any of the other players. The bari player has got a little Gerry Mulligan in him – Gene Allen, possibly? Eddie Costa on vibes? Can’t get a handle on the trumpet, in places the bone recalls Willie Dennis. A nice, lightly swinging track. 8. The weird stereo on this suggests it was recorded in the late 50’s or early 60’s, possibly for Riverside. The label recorded a few obscure pianists (Dick Morgan, Evans Bradshaw, Roosevelt Wardell, etc). Am I on the right track? Nice drummer. 9. At first I thought Jimmy Raney, but this seems a little “out” for Jimmy, although this guitarist has certainly listened to a lot of Jimmy. Atilla Zoller maybe, with Don Friedman on piano? Very nice. 10. “Brotherhood of Man”. Clark Terry, unmistakeable! This is, I think, from a jazz version of a broadway show, but I can’t remember which show this comes from. Probably Kenny Burrell on guitar. Some nice solo work – not crazy about the arrangement. 11. Nice trombones, would like to have heard more from them. Pianist seems to be featured here – might he be the leader? Awfully short. 12. Good playing from everybody here. I’m gonna guess the two most likely candidates for accordion – Art Van Damme or Mat Mathews. The first time I heard this, I thought the bari player sounded like Al Cohn – is that possible? I’m sure the trumpet is a name I know, but nobody comes to mind. Likewise the guitar. 13. Pure shlock, played by some fine musicians. The tune is “Petite Fleur”, I’m pretty sure. Bud Shank made a series of records like this in the 60’s; this could be him. And might this be Chet Baker on trumpet? 14. Modern big band – Gerald Wilson, possibly? Kind of a tinny recording. The tenor runs out of ideas some time before his solo ends. 15. This more like it – a ballsy big band, a nice punchy recording! Solid alto! The alto is good, but it’s the drummer who grabs my attention all through. The tenor is OK, not outstanding. Again, I’m reminded of Lou Tabackin, for some reason. 16. This woman can’t sing. Take it off!

Both Tatum Pablo boxes are rechanneled (fake) stereo. When these sessions were first reissued on Pablo in the mid-70's, they were rechanneled, which was not uncommon at the time, but it surprises me that Fantasy would have perpetuated this travesty when they put together the CD sets years later. I wonder if the original mono tapes are lost?

This seller is a f**king dreamer! And the jacket looks pretty hacked.

Barack Obama Alabama Watson Mississippi Fred McDowell

Solomon Ilori Laurie Anderson Anderson Cooper

Rolf Harris Captain Kangaroo Eyvind Kang

I was a little daunted by the technology, but I now have both discs downloaded and burned to CD. Will begin listening tomorrow morning and hope to check in with some comments in a few days.

A happy one and many more, Marty!!

Diane Keaton Keter Betts Carl Betz

Rutherford B. Hayes Hayes Alvis Alvis Edwards

Totie Fields Tutti Camarata Toots Mondello

Andrew "Goon" Gardner Hy Gardner Hy Lit

Here's looking at you, kid.

Pappy Daily Tyne Daly Tiny Bradshaw