Ted O'Reilly

I'm glad you liked it, Harold... Sorry, there's no "Manhattan", believe it or not. There could be another track or two, I suppose, but Jim and I decided against them, because: 1) No Vic; 2) technically not good enough; 3) musically not good enough, as in end of the night when Spirits were high; 4) a couple of friends sitting in and detract from the real band -- including a singer who used the house mic, not the recording mic, and so on. We thought this was the best representation of the night, and at a dozen tunes and nearly 68 minutes, it was enough. "Always leave them wanting more" as the saying goes, and I'm happy you do want more... Once again, it's ONLY available from us directly, at http://www.jimgalloway.ca/

Received mine in timely fashion. Now you have me worried! Realize I am on the other side of the pond but would like some confirmation that the disc is on its way here... Brownie, I've sent you a private email that I hope will take care of this...

Surely, that's the pocket book edition...

Gene Puerling had a great connection with Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer of Saba/MPS, who let Gene do whatever he wanted. Gene loved Rob McConnell's harmonic sense, and joined with his Boss Brass to do a project with TSU. Gene and Rob became great friends, musically and personally, and as I recall it, it was Rob who got Gene to do a Hi-Los reunion, so as to work together again. They even performed live at the Monterey Jazz Festival in September 1981. There's an aircheck from NPR floating around that I'd like to hear. I was backstage for that concert and couldn't record it... Anyone have it?

Absolutely. She's on this marvellous 1979 record alongside Norma Winstone: Their voices weave beautifully through the instruments: Eberhard Weber (bass - cello); Norma Winstone, Bonnie Herman (vocals); Bill Frisell (guitar, balalaika); Gary Burton (vibraphone, marimba). I always thought the Beach Boys took their stuff from the Four Freshmen, who in turn could do with four voices what it took Stan Kenton a whole orchestra to do...

Irene Kral.

Thanks for the lead... http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/Main.aspx is a great website.

I went to check this one out, blinked when I saw it, then went to my shelves to see if the original LP also had the picture reversed. It does: Woody's playing a left-handed trumpet (with his left hand) there, too... Maybe that could be a good topic: obviously-reversed cover photos.

Well, they're a bit wrong..."Port Of Rico" was an Illinois Jacquet composition, and was recorded under his name, with Basie sitting in on organ. As a St. Catharines, Ontario kid, hearing Buffalo people Joe and Carroll Hardy (mostly on WEBR as I recall), as well as Toronto people like Dick McDougall got me into jazz and radio. Thanks, guys. (I think ). In about 1959 I went to Offerman Stadium (with the lovely May Hill) for one of Joe's concerts. It was the first time I saw Dizzy Gillespie live. May couldn't get over Dizzy's cheeks, nor could I, though I wouldn't admit it -- wanted to be worldly in May's eyes.

You young punks... Ozzie and Harriet on TV?!? Pah! That was never as good as it was on the radio. (...and stay off my lawn!)

Good catch! The tune's the same, and from the same engagement, but they are different takes. The CD issue states "Track 9 previously unissued". Since both the A&M/Verve and Artist's House releases were produced by John Snyder, I'm sure there wouldn't be a duplication. (But without the AH at hand, I can't prove it...)

now the link is working :-) sorry to hear sales are going so slowly... I guess you don't mind if some of us spread word a little? Oh, and I'd like my copy signed by Vic Please spread the word as widely as you can...it's all appreciated. I don't think "sales are going so slowly", we don't expect it to sell as well as Justin Bieber (as a Canadian, I apologize for that). But we would like fans of Vic to be able to get it... As to the autograph, can you wait until I see him again?

You're sorta right, Stereojack, about those sessions. My friend Don Thompson is the bassist on them, and he recorded them. (Set up a 4-track machine with four mics direct in, mixing them later). But the Telarc release comes from the first tapings, in March of 1975. The A&M 2-lp set (which was put on CD) and the Artists House come from late October and early November 1975. There are other unreleased recordings from Thompson's collection of Desmond tapes done at Bourbon Street in Toronto. For example, there's Desmond with Rob MCConnell on valve trombone, Don on bass and Jerry Fuller on drums. Ed Bickert's father died during the gig, and Ed left for the funeral. Desmond was open to having another horn rather than guitar or piano replace Ed. I think there was a move to have that stuff released, but the deal fell through... If you're a Desmond/Bickert completist, as I am, be aware of an April 1976 recording from the Edmonton Jazz Festival on Gambit. Bootleg? I'd guess so -- it comes from a CBC radio recording I think.

Ditto for me, Ubu. Have to wait until I get back over to the other side of the pond! (I'm on yours, right now!) gregmo Thanks to you all... Don't worry, at this point we still have lots left (even though 500 was all that we made). It ain't easy selling jazz records, you know, especially with no funds for advertising or media promotion. In fact, to this point all we've done is sell it to a few friends and off the bandstand on Jim's gigs, and here on Organissimo. (BTW, to order: http://www.jimgalloway.ca/). I'm a big fan of Vic Dickenson (and that's why I recorded the Daniel's gig in 1973), but I was loaned a rarity the other day, one that I'll put on a CDR for frequent listening: "The Saints and Sinners Catch Fire" recorded at the Sheraton-Jefferson Hotel in St. Louis (Seeco CELP-4540). It's an early (1960) edition of the S&S band that Vic and Red Richards co-led, which was frequently heard in Toronto at the Cav-A-Bob, and at the old Colonial Tavern on Yonge Street. I have three other LPs by them, on 77 Records, Sackville and MPS. I think that's the complete official output of a neat little band -- the kind that doesn't exist any more, and I'm saddened by that...

Is there any possibiity of a relationship of Princess Benskina and swing pianist Sammy Benskin? Could the 'a' have been added for some reason? Sammy worked with a lot of singers...

...and let me join in: Happy Birthday, Nate!

I don't think you can blame Mosaic itself -- they don't manufacture/package the discs. In this case, the manufacturer is Sony. (EMI for Capitols, Universal for Verves, etc.) It's definitely a careful operation to remove them first thing. I'm listening right now to Disc 5 (Reminiscing In Tempo) on my computer (quite reasonable sound, no complaints) but the Windows Media Player doesn't show any artist or track titles, just track numbers and lengths. I wonder is other players would show it? (This is Windows 7).

Not musicians per se, but writer Gene Lees died this year, too, as did John Norris of Coda Magazine and Sackville Records...

In Toronto this year, we lost Rob McConnell Eugene Amaro

Great response, thanks. I'll get over to Jim Galloway's place later today to help him in the mail room (a.k.a. kitchen table) to handle the rush! Once you get it, I'd appreciate hearing any responses to the music. I think Vic Dickenson was the shaggy dog of jazz, and he's at his relaxed and casual best here.

Marcello...nice shot--from the Statler-Hilton in Buffalo, I'd guess. There was a businessman there named Bill Hassett who owned (I think) that property and presented lots of jazz in the main showroom. Tony Bennett, too, and he started the Improv label with Bennett. I think Concord owns those masters now. Herb Hall had a lovely toupee there, didn't he? Or was it chilly and he wore a wool cap? BTW, have you ordered the Vic CD? I hope...

Larry, I timed The Sergeant Was Shy at 2:46, not 2:36 as you say in each item. Have I been getting 10 seconds more enjoyment than you for all these years?

Sorry, John...that wasn't intended as a link mainly because I don't know how to create one. :blush2: I put Jim's website address in there (as you note, www.jimgalloway.ca) in the hopes one would copy/paste it into a browser. And thanks for the order...it's not a blockbuster release, but it's a good document of an evening in the life of a great jazz musician. The man who wrote the book on Vic (literally: "Ding! Ding!" by Manfred Selchow) loved the release...

Sorry, but I notice these things: in the long shot, as Chico ("Chick-o", NOT "Cheek-o") starts to play at :17 secs, you can see the piano maker's name (Mason and Risch, I think), but when they get to closeups at :38 secs it has been erased... No Product Placement in those days. Now, Yamaha or Korg or Fisher Price would pay a fortune for that to be seen.

I always knew I had an evening of Vic Dickenson's life on tape, I just couldn't find a machine to play it back. I had borrowed a tape recorder (half inch, four tracks) for a weekend, to record the music, but then didn't have access to it for playback. So, the tapes sat on a shelf for the next 37 years, unheard. Well, I finally got them digitized and mixed, and they turned out to be damned good! Jim Galloway (Toronto soprano saxist who's on the recording) and I decided to make it available, though in a limited edition of only 500 CDs. (All legit, by the way: pre-paid royalties, etc.) We're definitely not business types, so we're not going to buy ads, or put it in any stores or on the internet except on Jim's website, where you can order it with PayPal: www.jimgalloway.ca If we can sell all 500 copies for full price ($20 bucks US or Canadian, plus minimum postage) we'll have a couple of bucks left over for release of some other artists. The website has the only review there'll ever be (we're not sending out free review copies!) and directions for ordering it, and here are the details: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Previously Unissued Historical Performances Vic Dickenson /Jim Galloway Quintet "Live at Daniel's, Toronto" June 8 & 9, 1973 Vic Dickenson, trombone Jim Galloway, soprano* and baritone** saxes Ron Sorley, piano Dan Mastri, bass George Reed, drums (Paul Rimstead on #4, 9, 11) 01. Sonny Boy * 4:49 02. Basin Street Blues */** 6:28 03. Zing, Went The Strings Of My Heart (Vic + trio) 5:45 04. Creole Love Call * 4:59 05. (Back Home Again In) Indiana * 3:59 06. Just A Closer Walk With Thee * 6:33 07. Manha De Carnaval (Vic + trio) 3:55 08. Struttin' With Some Barbecue * 5:53 09. Solitude (Jim ** + trio) 6:06 10. My Gal Sal * 4:49 11. Tin Roof Blues * 6:22 12. Just You, Just Me * 6:05 "Daniel’s, where this music was recorded in 1973, was a short-lived jazz club in Toronto. Vic and I had played together on a number of gigs, but on this occasion it was also something of a reunion for Vic with two members of the old Saints And Sinners band, bassist Dan Mastri and drummer George Reed. The piano player, Ron Sorley, played with me regularly. Journalist Paul Rimstead, well known to Toronto audiences in the 70s and 80s, plays drums on three of the tracks. "It’s mainly a programme of traditional jazz standards and a few lesser-known songs, Sonny Boy and a couple of features for Vic, Zing, Went The Strings Of My Heart and Manha De Carnaval. Vic’s sly sense of humour is much in evidence as he slurs and growls his way through his solos and proves yet again why he was my favourite trombone player. "Those of you who are familiar with my playing on curved soprano should note that on this session I’m on the straight and narrow." Jim Galloway