Gheorghe

The Vienna River seen here with floodwaters is very dangerous. Usually small like a brook, it can swell up after a long rain period. I live very near , just 15 minutes to go to that place, but it´s not dangerous because it´s more up the hill. Before the Vienna River enters the City, it´s a naturally flowing small river where I sometimes go flyfishing for browntrout and rainbow trout, I have the angling paper for that river, so it´s legal.....

Incredible ! It was also MY FIRST Gordon album. But then I think what I liked most was the well recorded cymbals of Albert Heath...... But it was not my introduction to jazz. Mine was "'Steamin´" and then was "The Great Concert of Charles Mingus". The latter was of enormous impact on me !!! It opened EVERYTHING for me !

Yep, in mine too. I was still a hi school kid then, but I remember I was a bit disappointed since my point of departure was the band with Dolphy and Jakie Byard, and I had hoped that if 1964 was so many "steps beyond" but still had sections of the grooviest swing I ever had heard, I had hoped that 6 years later Mingus would be even further out. I had not known that 1970 was a very bad time for Mingus, but on a video I saw how he was on "autopilot" on those sessions from 1970. No real fire.....well Bobby Jones is very good, but I think there was a racial problem too and he just was there when Mingus was not really Mingus.... Bobby Jones lived in Germany I think I remember, once met his widow and his stepdaughter, a fine chick than, she used to sing some songs with our band.... I know that you love that record and me too ! Dexter was one of my early heroes. I think at first hearing me and my friend was a bit unnerved by that laid back phrasing and some other points, but after a week or so we became heavy "Dexter Addicts". We even tried to imitate his speaking voice, I think I still can do it, even much easier with my old man´s voice at 65 😄 I love that record because it is a reunion of 3 of the front leaders of the 1940´s bop scene. Each of those three (Dex, Bud, Klook) had "invented" bop on his respective instrument. Who else could play such first hand bop stuff like "Scrapple from the Apple" or "Night in Tunisia" like those men ??? It´s a vintage bop record. And it shows another important thing: You know how Bud had become uneven, Paris and Europe must have bored him, since those "At Home" recordings ar just painful things, but with congenial partners like on this occasion, or with Don Byas, Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Griffin or even Dizzy Gillespie on some European albums was the occasion when Bud was Bud again. He is like in his prime here and on the Dizzy with the Double Six and others....

I remember the French America Label very well, because it was our chance to get for little money some of the greatest music. Actually we called it "the Charles Mingus label" because most issues where Mingus records, as well from the Debut Years as well from the many occasions of the group with Dolphy, and even the then brand new 1970 recordings. On the back cover there always stood: "Other Mingus LPs of interest:......." But they had also Bird, Fats Navarro with Roy Eldrige, Max Roach "Speak Brother Speak" and so, that´s why we thought that Mingus being close to all those geniusses also brought their records out. It was a beautiful time, a wealth of music for cheap money and on the European Market, where US Imports or even Japonia-Imports were almost impossible to find or to purchase.....

I might give it a try. As much as I like 60´s avantgarde I fear that both names "Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons" where lesser known over here in Europe or in my countries. We heard late Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor but I fear those were only the most popular artists. I think I have Prince Lasha or even Sonny Simmons on a very strange Dolphy LP from a totally obscure label "Trip Records" which has an ultra strange tune "Music Matador" which sounds outright melodically for 60´s free jazz..... And I think I read sometimes the name Sonny Simmons on ESP records, but imagine how hard it was to get that semi obscure label (at least in Europe then, where only a part of the American market was brought in). We all had "Town Hall Concert by Ornette Coleman", but very little else.....

It´s interesting how many different styles had Miles in only 5 Years, that always have been called the "electric phase" which is quite superficial. I mean, first in 1970 it was still almost acoustic with the exception of Chick Corea on piano. In 1971 it was a bit more electric with Keith Jarrett on yamaha organ AND Fender Rhodes, and for the first time Mike Henderson on electric bass, and the first attempts of Miles to play wah wah pedal. In 1972 it had a lot of indian elements like electric sitar, tablas and so on, like this "On the Corner" and "Miles in Concert". From 1973 on, when I saw him live, until 1975 it was in general the band with Dave Liebman or Sonny Fortune, Pete Cosey, Reggie Lucas, Mike Henderson, Al Foster and James M´tume. IMHO the greatest of them all..... Sure I had ON THE CORNER as soon as it came out, but I didn´t buy the complete sessions.....

A nice way to treat the big band charts that way: You hear them done by vocals, and as I hear, also the original solos of the tenor are vocalized. The only thing is, the text is outright dumb nonsens, maybe that was a la mode then in Europe and considered as "Art". But only about the music......this is great and a great chance to hear Diz with a Bud in great form with his long years trio with Clark and Michelot. Last week I listened to those two. Dexter is so great on the vintage bop "Second Balcony Jump", with all them quotes that are so hip and quick thought. I think everybody hear will recognize that he quotes "Dinah"... The second was that Allstar Quartet Hutch-Cables-Herbie Lewis-Philly J.J. Great music, I saw Hutch, Cables, Lewis on several occasions in several settings, but never got the chance to see my first hero on drums Philly Joe Joe live. His solo on Salt Peanuts from my first LP "Steamin" (Miles) I think I spinned very very very often, it´s my personal highpoint of the record....

There is one I think one with an obscure drummer and I intentioned to not mention it since I don´t like it at all, with the exception of some Tina Brook, some of the compositions and Freddie Redd´s piano, but the rest is a mess.....

I never had heard something of Freddie Redd after his two BN records or so. I love his compositions, all of them, they are fantastic and on piano he is much better and much more interesting than many from his generation or later generations, they way he plays the piano, wow ! Beautiful and strong. But I never knew that he still lived and made music. Maybe I might purchase this eventually.... I never had seen this record. Did Wayne Shorter come back later to re-join the messengers ? Like his 70´s Birthday CD with all them stars from the old days?

Yes, Miles Davis in Europe was about my second or third Miles Davis LP and I LOVED it and soon was much more interested in the 1960´s Miles than the 50´s Prestige record I had first. That sound of the cymbals by Tony Williams, I think I spun that fast "Walkin´" hundreds of times. Okay, with Sam Rivers......since I was a young modern boy then, Sam Rivers was on my top list of favourites, but then I still didn´t know about a record of Miles using Rivers, it would have been heaven on earth for me as a young guy......

The strange thing is I never ever heard him. I had read his name often in the 80´s or 90´s but not more infos.... Maybe I had a premonition (if wright or wrong Ill never know) that its very quiet a bit ECM like music what he plays....

No commentary who it is ? Okay, tell me if I´m wrong: Is it possible that the hippie is Eden Ahbez, the composer of "Nature Boy". And is the black guy Nat King Cole. Because first I thought: That elegant and clean like a mutha...... must be Miles Davis , but I don´t see the face really.....,

Oh yeah, I have not listened it for a long time, since I had focussed on other things than all the BN records of so called Hard Bop of the fifties, but this one really stands out. If I am right, it has a wonderful "Sophisticated Lady" and some first hand bop on "Anthropology". Clifford Jordan was a supa be-bopper and makes a lot of quotes of bop standards in his solos, like "Cheryl" in "St. Thomas" from "On Stage Vol. III" or "Hot House" in the bridge of the rhythm changes opus "Parkeriana" by Mingus some 10 years earlier...... I like also very much the tenor tandem Jordan-Gilmore on "Blowing Sessions". There is also a rare BN with a larger ensemble, I think it has also an alto player, a trombone maybe Fuller, and sure Lee Morgan, but I think I have it somewhere in a box of those cardboard size mini LPs or CDs from Japonia, but don´t know where right now, they are sealed and got one listening each I think....... an exception may be "One Step Beyond" by McLean..... which reaches a bit more my listening habits...... I don´t know much about Cliff´s BN years, but he was on the second to first jazz LP I had (the 3 LP set "The Great Concert of Charles Mingus", and on "Speak Brother Speak". I think, one of the tunes of that supa obscure BN album with large ensemble is titled "Not Guilty" and "St. John". I don´t remember them, but strange enough I remember the names of those two otherwise unknown tunes....it´s strange how memory has holes and some fix points you remember....

Please tell me if I´m right: John Gilmore with Cliff Jordan, Horace Silver and Curley Russell ? From "Blowin In from Chicago". Don´t know what it means but I like the pantyhose

I think I have the LP in the 1970´s when I wanted to "collect" Parker which is impossible. But to the difference of the Savoy Mastertakes and the Dials and the Live at Birdland or Massey Hall I was completly disappointed by this. See, I was a "student" of playin bop since this is heavy music for a youngster and I took it very seriously to get to master my instrument, and THIS LP with them no name string arrangements sounding like from some kitsch movie score, it´s not my music. And the side B with no strings is not much better: Bombastic big band arrangement, not as I had hoped a band that plays big band jazz as Diz with arrangers Tadd Dameron and Gil Fuller did it.

Is it possible that he is the pianist on "Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird"? I doubt I have other sources. I saw a pic of him I think in a Dizzy book, it seems that he was in one of those kind of reunion bands, I mean in the 50´s . Maybe those ONU world tours in the mid fifties. I must admit that my Diz-Discography, like other discographies has complete holes in it. Diz in the 50´s after Massey is missing, I may have one Diz CD from the 60´s with Lalo Schifrin, that my wife bought for me, so I have much 40´s Diz and some late 70/s early 80´s Diz.

I might not say that I am a mainstream big band fan in general, but it was always nice to see the Herd on them usual festival in the late 70´s - early 80´s. It was music just for the power of sound, not for figuring out much.... those festivals where times where at some moment you had the mood for that kind of music, really fine....

Never saw him live. And still have to hear him for the first time on record. He looks very similar to Jackie McLean only that I think Lovano is white.... The album with Liebman (my favourite, Brecker and Lovano might be interesting, with a good rhythm section.....

hey, I didn´t suppose that you´d mean that. Of course, as a musician or a musician thinkin listener I´d prefer Rufus Reid on any occasions. Not only from sound and solos, but also on stage or backstage. I´ve heard Charlie Haden was quite a complaining and whining guy, that´s difficult and not amusing .......

oh that´s not my luck. I remember how you posted much in the thread I had opended when the record was just done in the studio and I couldn´t wait to show you in reality, what we are doing. 😒 Wonderful, Paris and the heroes of jazz.

Rufus Reid is very fine and of course we heard him on dozens occasions with Dex.... The only thing is on studio records the drums are not as well heard, I can listen to them only with headphonse to get a glimpse of the ride cymbal....., I like it ringing really strong !

Hai Mike ! I never saw youth pics of them. I think I saw Stitt first in the mid 70´s in a quintet with Diz, it was the then modern pianoless Diz quintet or quartet with g, el-b., dr., and they played some fast bop tunes, heaven on earth for me to learn more about this more difficult to play style. I had one or two Bird and same as much Diz records , Bird was a kind of James Dean for us youngsters then and while Dizzy still looked much younger then he was, we didn´t know who is that old old and gray man who plays like if all the facts that Bird died in 1955 are wrong and this is Bird 😄 By the way: Did you get my pn ?

I like those hip photos of musicians in the 40´s or so. Didn´t know that Gene Ammons was so slim. I always had thought he was a very very heavy man, a bit Mingus-Like. I had heard he was on drugs, but how you can be on drugs if you have such a nice lady with you ? Sonny Stitt.....I would not have recognized him, he looks more like Monk....

Wonderfully described ! Really ! Wasn´t Henry Renault the guy who was so crazy about first hand bop players he went to NY to hear them all and also be photographed together with them. There is a famous picture of him with Bud, another with Monk, another with Duke Jordan and so on....isn´t he the guy who had invited Monk to his first trip to Paris ? And was´n he the one who interviwed Bud, and produced a sample of surviving bop pianists somewhere in the 70´s "I remember Bebop?"

I heard different things about that CD: Some complained about I don´t know what...., but at first sight at least Henderson and Al Foster must be THE Dream theme. If Haden plays a strong and driving bass and does not those diatonic solos that sometimes get on my nerves, it might be greatest. But I doubt Al Foster would have played with a too laid back and to diatonic sounding bass player. He was the first drummer I saw in my live (with Miles and Dave Liebman in the mid seventies) and until now one of my favourites.... And Henderson I liked from the first hearing in 1977 or so..... I had thought the tunes on that album are on the first Miles Davis Prestige LP "Dig" ?. Conception as played by Miles is strange anyway. Its a semitone up than the original (in C and not in Db, and with only the A section like the original compositon, while the B section is completly else, obviously written by Miles himself. It´s unsymmetric and even the music teachers and analysists are not in agreement about the number of bars....maybe not even Miles himself....) The strange thing is that I have it on the back cover of a Howard McGhee CD from BN, where you have an allstar band with Howard, J.J.Johnson, Brew Moore, Kenny Drew, aaaaah .....on bass, and Max Roach on drums. And then after the tracks with Maggie follows some trio tracks, very well done by Kenny Drew who was very good then, also with early Miles at Birdland and so......, he sounds like a younger brother of Bud Powell ......