Gheorghe

ha ha ! This was (after some Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner heard at some friends house) actually the FIRST Real jazz album I heard and with that album everything started: I could not get enough of that stuff and each of the musicians involved became a "hero" of mine, That´s how my life long love affair with jazz started. But then around 1977 it has this cover (not the original cover) Unfortunatly I don´t have this album, but I saw one Jackie McLean sextet in summer 1985 with Jackie McLean, Rene McLean, Hotep Galeta I think was on piano, David Eubanks (former with Dex) was on bass, it could have been Ronnie Burrage on drums and it was Kemati Dinizulu on percussions. Very very exiting music.

One of the best line-ups that I saw live was the "Wiesen Jazz Festival 1983". Art Blakey Dizzy Gillespie Jackie Mc Lean-Bobby Hutcherson-Herbie Lewis-Billy Higgins Charles Lloyd Richie Cole Gateway (Abercrombie, Dave Holland, Jack De Johnette) VSOP II (Marsalis Brothers, Hancock,Carter,Williams) Machito Lionel Hampton Ella Fitzgerald Oscar Peterson Oregon (Ralph Towner) Also very fine was "Hollabrunn 1985" which I also saw live: Miles Davis Astrud Gilberto Tommy Flanagan Trio Woody Herman All Stars Jackie McLean Lou Donaldson Pharoah Sanders Joe Zawinul solo Modern Jazz Quartet Charlie Haden Libration Music Orchestra

I have that record "Four Generations of Miles" with George Coleman-Mike Stern-Ron Carter-Jimmy Cobb from the early 2000s. Somewhere I have read that George Coleman was not too happy with the setting without piano and with Mike Stern. So it´s interesting that they continued to work together later.

Yes, the stuff with young Freddie Hubbard is also on my BN reissue. Wasn´t this Freddie´s first recording session ?

Very nice, maybe not the very best of Miles´ Prestige sessions, but especially the Al Cohn Zoot Sims session is a very relaxed date, well the tunes are catchy and for easy listening after a day of hard work.... Collector´s items also very fine.

I saw exactly this group in july 1983 at Wiesen Jazz Festival and have this Elektra Musician Album also.

A wonderful encounter between Milt Jackson and Trane.

Yes, Hilton Ruiz was on piano, Ray Drummond on bass and Billy Higgins on drums.

Great musician. I saw him live around the time when he recorded "Amsterdam After Dark".

Great stuff, I purchased this on those BN LA Series (double albums with brown paper bag cover). Very fine and swinging stuff.

I have this also, but sad to say the saxophone is quite underrecorded for most of the album Yes, in 1981 Dexter was still on power. I saw him in july 1981 at Velden, but......as I stated somewhere, I saw him on more occasions.

Great Kai Winding. I saw him live in September 1978 at Jazzland.

I still remember very well when this was brand new in the record store. I think it must have been early in 1978. At first I found it strange with that bird sounds for some minutes , but started to like it very much. In 1977 Mingus played "Cumbia" almost on all live occasions and they did it with a lot of power and very extended versions that went more than 20 minutes, maybe 25. And the shout song of Mingus in the middle of the composition with "Who said mama´s little baby likes shortnin´bread? That´s some lie some white man of her said....." This in my opinion is a forerunner of the Rap-Movement, really !!! And the 1976 "Music for Todo Modo" is also great , the italian studio musicians are fine, and it has many moods, and one of the highlights is the flute-bowed bass duet by George Adams and Mingus at the end. My copy has also to short pieces of Mingus on Piano on a thing titled "Slow Waltz" which is what is included with Jimmy Rowles on "Three Or Four Shades of Blues".

Yes, at that age I think you mangage to get through the day. Anyway, Sonny Rollins still was playing great when he was already 80. As for Dexter, I don´t know. I saw him several times in the 70´s and early 80´s and tall and strong as he was I thought he might live "forever". But it went fast. As I said, I saw him around february 1983 and it was hard for him to get through the set, that anyway was cut short. The Trio Kirk Leightsey-David Eubanks-Eddie Gladden played three tunes until Dexter came on stage and he took his sweet time to get on stage. I still remember what they played: 1) Secret Love 2) More than you know, 3) Good Bait, 4) Jelly Jelly Jelly into Long Tall Dexter.

I´m no doctor, but is this some desease you can get after a live long blowing the horn ? Sonny Rollins also had to give up playing due to a pulmonary ailment I think. About Dexter around his 60´s birthday in 1983. I saw him live in Vienna just before that event, it must have been in january or february 1983 and my main impression was, that he seemed to be stone drunk. And he had an outright hoarse voice, it was almost impossible to understand his announcements. He even tried to "sing" "Jelly Jelly Jelly"....., well that performance left me quite in embarassment. But I admire Dexter for all the great things he did, he is one of my favourite artists.

I was there and a big jazz fan already in the 70´s and the great thing was, each year came a new Mingus album on Atlantic, where he had the recording contract. When I saw it first at my record dealer it was a bit strange with fusion guitarists on it, but naturally I purchased it. It´s great and the long track "Three Or Four Shades of Blues" was played on almost all live performances......

Great Article. I´m glad there are people who help Marshall Allen with the repairing of the house. I´ve never been there, but Germantown looks like quite a nice place with quiet streets and a lot of trees.

On February 27th was Dexter´s Birthday. This Double CD was recorded on February 27th, Dexter´s 60th Birthday. But Maxine Gordon writes in her book that this was the gig were he said "it´s over". Actually, his playing on those two sets is far from his peak. I listened to it once or twice, but perfer listening to better albums, like "Manhattan Symphony" which I love most of all from Dexter´s discography

Great. And that incredible composition "No Smokin´". Horace stated that he wrote that as something being influenced by Bud Powell. And in 1964 Horace gave Bud the sheet of the tune and Bud performed it at Birdland.

a wonderful album of mostly ballads.....

Thank you very much for your answer. Yes, I also noticed that kind of loose "crash-bang" aspect to Nick, especially on those tracks from Descent to Maelstroem. I think "Stretch" is the title of the faster tune, that seems to be based on "You Stepped Out of A Dream".....

I head Chet Baker on several occasions from the late 70´s until the very last time in 1987 . I must admit I never really listened much to his stuff from the 50´s and 60´s . I like De Walk´s biography on Baker, and also another book written by a German author about baker. The Name of the author I think is Lothar Lewien. Very good book. The last time I saw Chet was at the end of 1987, that might be only a few months before he died. After all those stories and the occasions when I had a ticked but Chet Baker was missing, I was surprised that on that very very last occasion, though he looked like death, he was very very articulate, was on time for the first set, played beautiful stuff and didn´t disappear during intermissions. He said "we´ll be back in 15 minutes" and that it was, he was back on time and the second set was also beautiful. If I remember right, he had Nicola de Stilo on flute and guitar, that pianist from Belgia he played often with, and Austrian bassist Hans Strasser (very very fine).....

Yeah, that´s a great Pharoah Sanders album Oh yes, this is the "Last Mingus Band". About 1977, when Mingus still was alive and could play, they toured Europe and played live versions of "Three Shades of Blues" and "Cumbia&Jazz Fusion". Very exiting.

Why did Tristano play so much with the quite obscure Sonny Dallas and Nick Stabulas ? Who were they and has someone any idea why Lennie Tristano choose them so often in the 60´s. I have a quite rare album of Tristano "Descent into the Maelstrom" and the last two tracks from 1966 are with those two on bass and drums, I must admit I heard much better drummers

Very fine , a lot of Monk tunes here, and Geri Allen sounds very "monkish".....