Ted O'Reilly

"... we have to make sure we're packaging every single asset as best as possible for the future.", says the last line of the article. Sounds like EMI believes the reason to save the material is Future Profit, not as Art For Generations To Come.

In 37 years of doing 6-day-a-week jazz shows, I never asked for an autograph from any of the 300 or so artists I interviewed, from Duke to Eubie Blake to Mingus to Yank Lawson to... Nor any photos, though I have a few pics from people who took shots of the artist and I was in them. I wish I had more pictures (I love a Polaroid of me with Doc Cheatham), but autographs don't mean much. On the other hand, when the jazz-fan father of a friend died, my pal gave me a signed bar menu from The Silver Grill in Buffalo NY ("Charge -- 10c per person after 9 o'clock"). It has five signatures of the re-formed Original Dixieland Jazz Band: Eddie Edwards, Larry Shields, J. Russel Robinson, Harry K. Barth and Tony Sbarbaro. No Nick LaRocca to fill up the band, unfortunately. From that personnel I'd say it's from around 1936 or so. I'd scan it for sharing here, but I don't know how to add images to a posting.

I have a Toronto radio aircheck from July 16, 1983 featuring Lee Konitz with Sammy Price on piano. Bassist is Neil Swainson with Terry Clarke on drums. Leader and music director is Jim Galloway on soprano sax.

"Police Squad", Neilsen's short-lived TV series which introduced the Frank Drebin character, was a spoof of the earlier Lee Marvin show "M Squad", which also had a great Benny Carter theme, played by the Count Basie band (and released on Roulette). Ira Newborn 'ripped it off' in the same spirit as the whole show. The original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHoisdgnDv8 The spoof:

Interesting...my copy doesn't have that "JazzBluesClub" printing under Duke's chin. Are there different editions of it, I wonder? My spine info is: ORIGINAL MASTERS 88697302362 RCAVictor COLUMBIA The best of Duke Ellington (1932-1939) SONY/BMG I wonder if the pictured version differs, Jazzbo?

They are from March 1930, and the Mosaic is: DUKE ELLINGTON: THE COMPLETE 1932-1940 BRUNSWICK, COLUMBIA AND MASTER RECORDINGS. Whether those titles are, or are not, Columbia masters, they're too early.

Yes, I have that CD: "It Don't Mean A Thing" Classic Recordings, Vol. 2 (Naxos 8.120526) -- it was produced by a good friend, David Lennick. He credits Hit of the Week 1045/1046 as the source. I think Mills (singer on both tracks) had the guys in the studios all the time, for lots of labels -- Brunswick, Columbia, Victor, Banner, Cameo -- and under lots of names. Hit of the Week called them Harlem Hot Chocolates. Timner's 4th edition indicates this came out also on Sterling (Stg) as by The Red Dandies.

But, did Hit Of The Week actually produce sessions, or just buy/lease some alternates and rejected takes? Lord Disco has those tracks, and indicates many issues, including the Columbia number above... Perhaps Columbia didn't put them out at the time, but had them in the vault and eventually released them on collections or such.

I think Columbia did issue that material, eventually. St. James Infirmary and Sing You Sinners, yes? I see Columbia P14302 as release numbers for them (not as Duke but as Harlem hot-something-or-other). Should be in the Mosaic, then...

"Gee, dad, it's a Wurlitzer!" as I remember hearing back in the '50s... For three hundred bucks you got a good deal, as long as the soundboard isn't cracked. Even if it is, it could be worth having some work done on it. A pianist friend of mine used to travel for them, doing demos at music shows, conferences and the like. He called it his "Wurligig"...

Is the left-handed piano Town Hall's, or Nina's own?

Speaking of Frank, does anyone have a take on the James Kaplan book "Frank: The Voice"?

From my experience, "the piano thing" is usually just something like The producer agrees to supply a Steinway (Baldwin/Boesendorfer/Fisher Price) 9 foot concert grand piano tuned to A440. In this case, there was certainly nothing wrong with the supplied instrument, KJ wanted to see if he'd maybe like another one better. He wanted them to bring it over from another hall so he could try it out. He wouldn't take a limo ride to the other hall, they were to bring the piano to him. Not only that, he apparently demanded that the piano bench be exactly 7-and-a-half inches from the edge of the keyboard, so they went out with a tape measure to make it so. At the concert, the first thing he did was move the bench around.

He's sorta like that off-stage too, though. A couple of years back he made the producers of the Toronto Jazz Festival buy him a suitable mattress to replace the one in the 5 Star hotel for his overnight stay the day of his Opera House concert. Don't even mention what they had to go through to get him to agree to play the brand-new 9 foot concert Hamburg Steinway -- he wasn't sure he liked it, and wanted them to bring another one over from Massey Hall to see if he might like it better. I remember him from his early days as a very young guy with Charles Lloyd, and he was a bit spacey even then. I wrote an article about him for a stereo-type magazine in the late '60s -- I don't know if I still have it (I'm no Christiern )

Good attitude, Don... Makes 78 sound better than 45, and more than twice as good as 33-and-a-third! Happy Birthday (again)!

Here's an option I'd take, submitted by "Andyman" as a comment on an Atlantic site: Market solution: let people opt out of all of it. When you’re booking beforehand, make sure you book a “non-secure” flight. Along with all your co-travelers, pilots, and crew, sign a waiver at the airport instead of going through security. Those of us who prefer to keep our dignity intact and are happy to take our chances with underwear bombers will be much better served.

I've always loved Vic Dickenson Septet on Vanguard for real, true, natural acoustic (mono) sound. John Hammond was the producer, and reported in the original 1954 release "Instead of the over-engineering and hectic atmosphere of the customary recording session, a single full-range microphone was set up to capture the sound of a live performance and the acoustics of jazz in a real hall. The engineers were in another room, out of sight." I think it was the ballroom of a NYC hotel, and Vanguard made a lot of sessions there.

Is that Lew Futterman with the helmet?

I worked as the morning show DJ at a radio station in a small city just north-west of Toronto (Brampton, ON), in the summer of 1964. It was the first year Sparky Anderson ever managed a ball team -- the triple A Toronto Maple Leafs. Yup, same name as the hockey team, but unrelated. (In fact, the ball team had the name before the puck boys: 1911 Eastern League, 1912-1967 International League). Anyway, my station got the rights to do the recreated away games of the Leafs. (To be honest, I don't think anyone else wanted them, the ball interest was so slight in those days). As a promotion one time, before the game the club mounted a three-inning tilt between Media and some of the coaches -- coulda been 5 per team. I was drafted for Media, squibbed a puny grounder and was tagged out between home plate and first by Sparky, who was playing sorta first AND second base, but still way up on the grass. One of my great sports moments...

Doesn't seem to be a recording other than the video. IAJRC issued a couple of tracks from that show on one of their own items.

John I think you might have heard Joe say that to me, in an interview on my show years ago. Just to add to the "mad" -- the band had already been paid for the session weeks before, and had spent the bread. You're right, Ted, I got it from your program (which is why we miss it so much!) But I'd honestly forgotten that it came from your Joe Williams interview. I thought you may have said it in introducing a record. It was probably in reference to the Basie/Williams Roulette studio version of "Every Day" (recorded in Chicago 1959.09.24). I recall telling Joe I thought it was a far better version than the original Verve, and he agreed, telling the "mad" story. He also added that they had played it so many times (at least once a night for five years) and were so familiar with it they could just PLAY it. Being "mad" was that recording's bonus.

For all the vinyl addicts: convert CDs to LPs!

You remind me of a Basie Roulette that wasn't included in the Mosaics -- "String Along With Basie" (Roulette 500013, from '59/'60). It was 'kind' without being weak in any way. Can't be weak with Ben Webster on one of the sessions! Admittedly, it wasn't with the band, but it WAS a Basie record, and a darn good one, that to my knowledge has never been on CD. Or has it? Anyone here know? Amazon Gotcha! Thanks. I'll likely pick up that twofer, though I have Jones stuff on the Mosaic, as well as a single CD. I have the "String Along..." on a CD-R transferred from an excellent French Roulette pressing. I'd guess they put these two together because Quincy arranged one of the string sessions (1959.07.20). The others are by the under-recognized George Williams (1960.05.10 & 11).

You remind me of a Basie Roulette that wasn't included in the Mosaics -- "String Along With Basie" (Roulette 500013, from '59/'60). It was 'kind' without being weak in any way. Can't be weak with Ben Webster on one of the sessions! Admittedly, it wasn't with the band, but it WAS a Basie record, and a darn good one, that to my knowledge has never been on CD. Or has it? Anyone here know?

John I think you might have heard Joe say that to me, in an interview on my show years ago. Just to add to the "mad" -- the band had already been paid for the session weeks before, and had spent the bread.