bruce talbot

Dick Oatts Tricky Dick Sam Nanton

marcello mastroianni mary elizabeth mastrantonio mary queen of scots

bruce johnstone lenny bruce dustin hoffman

Graham Greene Kenny Graham Nick Kenny

Bud once told me that while it was a great thrill to work with Duke and his men, Ellington didn't exactly arrive at the sessions well prepared. And Duke's guys had a certain amount of trouble with what was written.

Does anyone know if 'Saxes in Hi-Fi' by 'The Jazz Workshop under the direction of Al Cohn' recorded, I think, for Epic, with Al, Zoot, Eddie Wasserman, Peanuts HUcko, Sol Schlinger among others, has found its way to CD? Bruce

'Webster & Associates' disappointing? That's not a commonly held opinion around here. I was disappointed when I first heard it and I've always felt that everyone on this date can be heard to better advantage elsewhere. The guys seem bored with the material, which is hardly challenging, and the rhythm section is fairly lifeless (at least as far as these players are concerned). Maybe it was a case of just one too many 'blowing sessions' with little or no preparation, that relied on the chemistry of the participants - which turned out to be absent this time. This one seems uninspired, compared to sessions recorded over those years. Compare Ben & Roy on 'Side by Side' Lord lists most of the issued tracks as being take 3 - sounds like it might have been a long night.

some of us, who were around at the time the albums by Ben, Roy, Tatum, Carter, Hodges etc came out, were immensely grateful to Granz for recording these guys at a time when they were at their most mature, artistically. There were occasional sets that were disappointing like 'Ben Webster and Associates' but the Hawk/Ben, Roy/Tatum, Diz Afro Suite, Hodges Side by Side and Back to Back to name just a few, are musical treasures that would never have seen the light of day if not for Granz. Re John Hammond and Vanguard - some of the early Vanguards, particularly the first Jimmy Rushing have very poor sound quality and a friend who worked with Jon Hammond said that the latter's contribution to any record session he 'produced' was to sit in the booth reading the racing pages.

I was asked by SONY to write a short overview of the material, and I wrote assuming that they would be printing the personnel, as they had supplied me with all recording details including matrix and issue numbers in a neatly formatted state. Obviously the personnel details are readily available but it would have improved the listening experience if the details had been in the booklet. Bruce Recording dates would have been more useful than personnel since EKE often recorded the same tune for different labels. You're right that once you know which version we're hearing the personnel is fairly easy to find. BTW Your notes are a fine introduction to the '30s band. Thanks - this Ellington period has always been a special favorite of mine.

I was asked by SONY to write a short overview of the material, and I wrote assuming that they would be printing the personnel, as they had supplied me with all recording details including matrix and issue numbers in a neatly formatted state. Obviously the personnel details are readily available but it would have improved the listening experience if the details had been in the booklet. Bruce

Buck Clayton Jam Session - 'How High the Fi' great rhythm section and many good solos - particularly Joe Thomas