bertrand

Hank Mobley meeting Wednesday 6/16: Meeting Registration - Zoom

See the Live shows thread for info about a Zoom meeting at 3PM EST today featuring an unissued Archie Shepp duo gig with Charli Persip.

For a few weeks now, Ben Young has been hosting these sessions, which often feature some unknown recordings. Last week, they played two different dates featuring Mal Waldron and either Ted Curson or Charie Rouse. This week, an Archie Shepp/Charli Persip duo provided by Archie himself. I will share these as I find out about them. I apologize for the inevitable formatting issues. I can forward the email on demand. WPI’s Jazz History Database kicks off a hot listening session Thursday, June 10 3pm to 5pm Charli Persip and Archie Shepp (JHDB From the Lab) 5pm to 6:30 Bobby Tucker as Billie Holiday’s accompanist 6:30 to 8pm Tony Scott pre-centennial fantasia (Worcester Hot Club) https://wpi.zoom.us/j/97495476280 [more options below] All are welcome to join any time. Notice also: Hot Zoom action from Lakeview TONIGHT (6/9)—scroll all the way down for details. * The late Melissa Jones, who kicked off much of the Hot Club activity we enjoy today, based her operations in Morristown, New Jersey. Melissa’s HQ for the Unilateral Hot Club of Morristown and launching pad for related initiatives, was also immortalized in the phrase “Goin’ to Morristown” to connote and denote the act of hot listening. For this Thursday’s extravaganza, we surely will be going to Morristown—following through on a plan that was only incubated in MJ’s last months to spotlight a group of Jazz musicians with Morristown roots. We first honor drummer Charli Persip (born in Morristown in 1929), a choice percussionist in the hard-bop era for Dizzy Gillespie and other notables… which makes it especially noteworthy that our featured music from the Jazz History Database lab comes from a duo concert with tenor man Archie Shepp, who has kindly shared this music. The middle set belongs to Billie Holiday. Some of you sharpshooters know that she was a Morristown resident for a few weeks in 1947. While in town she stayed at the family home of her accompanist Bobby Tucker—who really is our Morristown connection here. We’ll hear an hour and more of Holiday recordings with Tucker on piano. Like Persip, clarinetist Tony Scott started his days in Morristown. Scott was a major stylist of the modern clarinet—i.e., the small-band world of Bebop and beyond. Tony Scott centennial of birth is next Thursday but we’ll get a jump on it with an evening’s features of Tony Scott’s 1950s recordings for Brunswick and RCA Victor. As always, all are welcome—bring a friend and/or tell one. More Zoom connections: Ben Young is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: JHDB From the Lab session Time: This is a recurring meeting; meet any Thursday afternoon Join Zoom Meeting https://wpi.zoom.us/j/97495476280 Meeting ID: 974 9547 6280 One tap mobile +16468769923,,97495476280# US (New York) +13017158592,,97495476280# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 974 9547 6280 Find your local number: https://wpi.zoom.us/u/acoQBMFqTR Join by SIP 97495476280@zoomcrc.com Join by H.323 162.255.37.11 (US West) 162.255.36.11 (US East) 213.19.144.110 (Amsterdam Netherlands) 213.244.140.110 (Germany) 103.122.166.55 (Australia Sydney) 103.122.167.55 (Australia Melbourne) 69.174.57.160 (Canada Toronto) 65.39.152.160 (Canada Vancouver) 207.226.132.110 (Japan Tokyo) 149.137.24.110 (Japan Osaka) Meeting ID: 974 9547 6280 Join by Skype for Business https://wpi.zoom.us/skype/97495476280

I miss the days when Concord would reissue titles from the Fantasy Catalog.

What else was on this label?

And Resonance!

I still don't get Concord's angle.

Thanks for digging this up. So one the one hand, we know that Feather pursued her and she rejected him. Did he then proceed to sabotage her career as a revenge? Not sure, but we do know that he started bad-mouthing her playing, accusing her of being a Horace Silver clone. Such statements from him could not help her career, he was a tastemaker, for better or for worse. Would he have made these statements regardless? Maybe. Her personality made it hard for her to pursue a career in jazz anyway, and it looks like she was told to 'get a real job' but the fact is, whatever passion she may have had for jazz was sucked out of her, and we cannot discount the possibility that Feather's behavior may have been part of it. Yes, there were other factors, but maybe she could have otherwise overcome them. At some point, she was passionate. The anecdote with the radio proves it. Still does not explain why Feather briefly championed a number of female artists but then did not follow up. Maybe he saw no reason to in terms of what was in it for him, that is possible. But other scenarios are possible as well. We will probably never know the truth unless there is substantial documentation as there is for Jutta.

And it is not a needle drop?

The LP is limited. The CD will also be ultimately, nothing Blue Note stays in print that long.

What would happen to Impulse and Blue Note? I am worried this can be another Concord type of fiasco. Did we ever figure out what their game was? Obviously, they have no respect for the music.

Yes, all this is true. We are speculating as to what went on in her head, so let me throw out another theory. Perhaps she did not listen to that kind of music anymore because it made her depressed every time she thought of why she quit music. In general terms, imagine this scenario for any female artist. You work hard to learn and perfect your craft, you think you get a break and then everything goes to pieces because you did not agree to sleep with some producer. Not only does he stop championing you, but he goes out of his way to bad mouth you and blacklist you. All he has to do is get the word out to other movers and shakers in the business that you are trouble, and your career is ruined. No one is told that 'you are trouble' is codespeak for 'won't put out'. This shit has been going on for thousands of years. You can't make it right. But understanding how far reaching the implications of this behavior has been is a good first step. It is exactly what happened with Harvey Weinstein. And they did not get their careers back, did they? When was the last time Annabella Sciorra had a leading role?

So I may not find too many who knew him who will root for him? The first thing I knew about him is that he always pushed his own originals onto artists whose sessions he produced. Highly unethical right there. But if he harassed female artists, that is much worse.

Theoretically, the reels would be lost in the fire or even tossed out years ago. Our only hope is those backup tapes Rudy made for Coltrane on a separate machine. I will never understand why Coltrane was the only one who got backup copies to take home. Archie Shepp told me he did not.

Yes, I am thinking of Jutta. Was the anecdote in question mentioned on Jazzwax? I wasn't sure if the person, who is Hipp's biographer and a good friend of mine, had told the story to many people. On the other hand, she told the story in a Public Forum, it was not in a private conversation. Jutta certainly had other things going on, but would she have stayed in music had Feather not abused his position and destroyed her reputation? Perhaps. Father's actions did not help her life or career. Assuming there is more ugliness on Feather that could surface, I am not convinced that his being deceased changes anything. He is not there to defend himself, granted, but if it turns out there was a systematic pattern which resulted in many careers being ruined, I think it is fair that it be known. But I have no information beyond the Jutta incident, so I will sit back and wait.

They are definitely starting to stand up against the BS. I already know of one documented case of harassment which essentially ended the artist's career after he turned his back on her. Sounds like there is more to the story. Is it not time to get the record straight? The Harvey Weinstein anology may be more applicable here. Further research is needed...

I want to find out more about Leonard Feather's interaction with all those female artists who he briefly promoted before moving on...

Oh, we are making a list of rock songs about underage girls now? There are many.

Some of the very last Coltrane studio dates are unissued and presumed lost, I guess in the Universal Fire. But did Coltrane take copies home that Ravi might have? That is how the extra Love Supreme material was found. If I understand the story correctly, Blue World was a rogue session neither Impulse nor Bob Thiele knew about, but Rudy was in on the secret. That is why the tapes were being safely preserved in the Canadian cold rather than tossed with the others into the Universal bonfire. Could other artists have also done secret sessions for other labels? Several clues point to the possibility that Lee Morgan may have made some rogue sessions for Roulette in the 60s. My first attempt at looking into this did not pan out - the vault most likely to have Lee Morgan Roulette dates only had the half session that was released. This does not mean the sessions do not exist, just that if tapes survived, they are not where they should be.

I was waiting for Zev to try to take credit for 'discovering' the Blakey session, but he stopped short of doing that. It came pretty close on one blog though...

Remember that Michael played the session for Wayne in 1995, and he stopped it after two minutes. This means that he does not want it out but also that the tape still existed in 1995. I doubt Michael gave it to Wayne that day. When I worked on the inventory of compositions for the Wayne biography, the answer I got regarding this session was that Wayne did not remember it at all. A little different from his reaction in 1995. The Blakey session was different in that the leader was not around to object to its release. From what I have heard, the Shorter session is probably too weird for a single release, but boxed with the other three as The Road to Weather Report would make sense.

Andra Day is dreadful.

The last 4 sessions are so different from the other 8 that it would make sense to do two sets. The last 4 could be thought of as pre-Weather Report. Wayne still has to consent to the unissued session being released. If it is ever to come out, it would be in a box with the other three.

Jordi Pujol is doing the work that US labels should be doing but are not.

How old she was when they fucked for the first time is a key point here, and I am not sure it has been established that she was 18. I am not saying she wasn't. A friend of mine booked Coleman for a gig and she was there. This was in the early days, no one knew who she was. He figured they were an item and wondered if she was 18 yet. Even if she was 19, even if she initiated it, and even though one is supposed to know what one is doing at 19, he was in a position to stop it and it was morally his duty, even if she was not officially his student. Times have changed, you just don't do that shit, period.