Gheorghe

Very exiting all three volumes "On Stage" at the BIM house in Amsterdam from 1975. This here has a quite exiting version of "Old Devil Moon" though on the start it sounds like if Cliff just had to "learn" the tune, but he really stretches out on solo. Cedar Waltons trio feature "The Maestro" is a beauty. Very fine descending chords on the theme, not unlikely those on Dizzy´s "Con Alma" though it´s completly different. "The Highest Mountain" also very strong.

I think there are not so many combo recordings of Woody, but when he did, it was very nice. Sure I saw him with the Herd, but the last time I saw him in 1985 it was an allstar combo I think with Varren Vaché, Scott Hamilton, Buddy Tate, Joe Bunch on piano, Jake Hanna on drums and a young bass player as a replacement for the scheduled George Duvivier (who died just a few days after this in July 1985).

Dear Bill ! I have not seen the cover of your record yet, but from what you say it´s very possible it´s the one I have here. The Roost Sessions, 1947 on Side A and 1953 on side B. I would not start now a discussion about how great Bud was in the early years and how sad some of his later recordings sound.... but I just want to state that there is still very much worth listening in the best of his later work. Sure, the 1953 Roost sides have some dark, melancholy side, but no one could play a ballad like "Embraceable You" and "My Devotion" in a more moving quality than he did in his unique manner. That´s really deep stuff, those chords, the dynamics....

Here´s another one from late 1949. I love that record ! It´s great to hear Sonny Stitt together with Bud in his prime. And the "cool and relaxed" tunes J.J.Johnson-Stitt-John Lewis is also very fine. Afternoon at Paris , great !

So exiting, such a wonderful set of live music at the Montmatre. My CD copy has a bonus track "Confirmation". About the longest track "Parker´s Mood", that´s really a down home slow blues at it´s best.

This is the one that remained in the shelves for decades, isn´t it ? Well, fine Music, fine compositions, but IMHO not as good as the "Connection" and "Shades of Red". I don´t want to be too harsh, but somehow the Drummer does not really Appeal to me.

Yes, it´s really "Show time". Those Dialogs between Ernie and the musicians : Are you Ready Billy? Ready and Steady ! Then start the beat and give us some heat". Or the one with Sarah Vaughan ! "That´s a nice green Dress you are wearing Sarah" "Thanks Ernie, that´s a nice red tie you are wearin" "Red Tie? Oh that´s my tongue hangin out !

One of my alltime favourites Billy Eckstine .......does he get some love here too ? This one is incredible and other than the National Sides you don´t have "only" the focus on Eckstine´s wonderful baritone voice, but really have a chance to hear the band blowin some hot stuff. And it´s great for Fats Navarro fans since you have some great solos he does, like let´s say "Airmail Special". We spinned this LP very often as soon as it came out.

Count me in as someone who has been in a similar situation. I became a Mingus enthusiast as early as I listened to "The Great Concert of Charles Mingus" (Paris 1964). Many Mingus LPs during that time were available on the French America label, among them your mentioned album , together with "Charles Mingus Quintet + Max Roach". I didn´t know much about how Mingus developed from the 50´s into the 60´s and had thought that "Mingus Quintet + Roach" might be a quite far out thing with two drummers in one group. To my little disappointment it was a quite conservative thing with Max sittin in only on two tunes. But "Drums" and "Percussion Discussion" are quite daring, nevertheless.

A really nice Album with the Tommy Flanagan Trio. I even got it signed by Mr. Eddie Lockjaw Davis himself. He signed it with a dedication for me and seemed to be pleased that I had that Album. It was Long Long time ago, I think in 1978.

Here´s another one, done in 1973 at Montmatre in Copenhagen, with Kenny Drew, Nils Henning Orsted Pederson and Alex Riel. I have a special affinity to Jackie McLean. During my time as a young jazz enthusiast one of my mentors was the famous Fritz Novotny, the great austrian free jazz pioneer (he started to play avantgarde as early as in 1959). We talked a lot and when I told him I saw Jackie McLean live and started to buy his records, he told me I´m on the right pace and I came by to his place and he played some of the BN albums for me (One Step Beyond, Destiantion Out, Old and New Gospel etc.).

Here´s a ´pic of the photo-documents book I have mentioned

Great !

@Big Beat Steve: Thanks for sharing those Wonderful pictures with us ! I Always thought I have a lot of Parker pics, since I have the very rare "Chan Parker-Francis Paudras" book "To Bird with Love", but those photos were completely unknown to me. About Rolf Ericson and his hard Job playing the fast tempos: He really mastered it very well. I remember how this feeling is , since when I was 18 and attended a live Show at some fine club, I asked to "sit in" with some really fast company (or someone joked and said "want to sit in, kid?" ) and oh Boy, they did "Move" at the really fast tempo and I was afraid that I might get lost, but somehow I got thru……. some of my first memories on stage…...

Great, I have this also. Right now, here´s listening to the Johnny Griffin "Blues for Harvey" , also on Steeple Chase. Brings wonderful memories back. Johnny Griffin was the first US musician I heard "live", it was in spring 1978 at the old "Jazz Freddie" in Schottenfeldgasse, 1070 Viena, and he really played with a superb trio , with great austrian piano star Fritz Pauer, with two US expatriates Jimmy Woode on bass and Tony Inzalaco on drums. The next day I bought this album "Blues For Harvey", since they also spinned it down at "Freddy´s". Needless to say I was "a wanted man" among our high school jazz buddies, they came by and we listened together to that groovy blues "That Party Downstairs" and "Soft and Furry".....

..great picture

One interesting thing about Agharta is that they play a different program than the usual set list. On Pangaea it starts with that fast funk riff in Eb like on the 1974 Dark Magus and all the 1973 performances that I have heard from some sources (Vienna, Berlin, Montreux). On Aghartha they start with a medium funk in Bb and they also feature the bossa "Maisha" which is from the studio take from "Get Up with it". And one unexpected thing on Agharta is the straight ahead walking section on side C, I think......

If I remember right, the regular record shops didn´t have it, they only had Agharta, as you said. There were some hard core jazz buffs at that time. i was just a young kid and tried to get as much infos as I could and when some older, weird looking "electric Miles nerds" were tellin me things like "Aghartha....yeah you on the right trip, kid, BUT HAVE YOU LISTENED TO PANGAEA (or Dark Magus) that was a completley unknown land for me. Then I discovered we had a very small and fancy jazz records shop "Red Octopus" and they had all those Japan Imports at high prices. I had to work hard to be good at school to get more pocket money from my dad so I could purchase those two Japan imports. By the way, my "In Concert" 1972 is also a japan import from that time. Needless to say I got some "upgrade" among school buddys , we made parties were they came by to my place to listen together to Pangeaa, it was such a beautiful time....

I have the Spotlite double LP. About my opinion that the Body & Soul is a mess, other opinions ? At least I have the impression that they are not together rhythmically at all. It´s the longest track on the album, the first side with the quintet with Rolf Ericson sounds good, Ericson somehow sounds similar to Red Rodney.....

In my case it´s contrary. Well in the 60´s I was a kid, but from the 70´s on I remember very well almost each concert and who played and sometimes what tunes they played, but if you ask me About those Things from 2000 on, it is harder for me to remember them…..

That´s why I like the "Bird at Savoy" material , and the CBS Albums "A Night at Birdland" "Summit at Birdland" and "Bird with Strings" so much….because they have the whole Thing, all the solos by so fanstastic musicians like Miles, Kenny Dorham, Fats, Al Haig, Bud and so on. And Maybe that´s why I didn´t buy that Dean Benedetti Mosaic set. Sometimes I regret I didn´t buy it since I have not seen it any more on the Mosaic catalog, but Maybe I would have listened to it one time and no more after that. About "Bird in Sweden". I have the Spotlite Double LP, I have not listened to it for a Long time. But @Big Beat Steve mentioned Body and Soul. I remember in the liner notes this is praised as being particularly fine, but as much as I remember it is one of the weakest and lousiest Things, I don´t know which local musicians they picked up, (since those on the other concert tracks Sound really fine), but here on Body and Soul I have the Impression that from the beginning to the end they can´t decide what tempo to Play. Everybody is somewhere else…….at some Point they try double time but it doesn´t help it makes Things worse…….

I also have this, but the Benedetti thing of cutting out the other soloists was done also by others, like Jimmy Knepper on "Bird at St Nick´s "

oh yes, I have the same. I remember I was the first in school who purchased it. All have listened to "Aghartha" and were "imitating" Miles´ wah wah trumpet sound. And after I had purchased Pangeea some insider told me that "Dark Magus" ist the best. I eventually bought Dark Magus also.

I saw him once with his quartet, and of course love all his work as a sideman too.

me to, with the Arkestra with Marshall Allen