Gheorghe

Nice thoughts and I´m glad to read this impressions on Europe from an american. Well, that was nice those times , Mini Coopers, fancy old buildings, fashion, and for us jazz buffs those jazz cellar clubs in fancy old buidlings. Listening to jazz in fancy old appartments like those you might know from movies. That´s how I grew up, with this mixture of love for the old Europe and passion for jazz. Long evenings with friends in old buildings, listening to the latest records, drinkin wine, smokin Gitanes and discussing the music of Miles, Trane, Ornette, Mingus, Max, Shepp, and our old heroes Bird, Fats, Diz, Bud.....

I think I share the opion some others here on the board have about Bud that they listen more to the later period. I have somehow difficulties to listen to those upper register ultra speed runs that are the trademark of the early Verves, like those ultra fast "Tea for Two" or "Get Happy" from Verve 1950 with an almost unheard Buddy Rich. Those ultrarapid runs and high piano notes may be virtuosity, but a bit too much of it. The latterday Bud had slowed down a little and plays more in the middle register. This record may not be as good as the extraordinary danish "Bouncin´ with Bud" or the top form solos of Bud on "Hawk in Germany", but it still is very much Bud Powell. Only technical purists may be annoyed by some little flubs here and there. But it´s interesting to compare this "Just One of those Things" with the a little bit too fast solo version on an earlier Verve. The best track is "The Best Thing for You (is me)", it´s played almost with the same perfection and conception like on the danish "Bouncin´with". And a really treasure is the Ballads. No one could give us a more lyrical and deeply emotional "Someone to Watch over me" or "If I loved you". My CD also has to bonus tracks, a really solid "I Hear Music", and a moving "Autumn in New York" played on a slower pace than the original 1953 on Amazing Bud Powell Vol. II.

Yes it is. That LP (also later CD) is from the famous british Spotlite Label, a heaven on earth for bop fans. I also heard other AFRS Jubilee shows with that funny MC, also on Spotlite. You hear his "thank youuuuu thank youuuu" also on a Jay McShann show on the second side of "Early Bird", and you hear him on "Bird in Lotusland" where he comments an encounter between Bird, Willie Smith and Benny Carter.........

Vintage bop for big band. Great vocals by Mr. B, Sarah and one by Lena Horne, and top solos by Fats, Gene Ammons, Budd Johnson and very amusing announcements by the legendary Ernie "Bubbles" Whitman. Too bad there are not more of that kind....

I think those "Play Bach" albums were very popular in the 60´s . I think they were quite usual where folks usually listened to classical music but felt the urge to "escape" a bit towards so called "jazz".......

Wes is great and always has fascinated me. And about So What. Wes seemed to love the modal changes, he also did Impressions some years later in Paris I think.

A nice item from the good old Spotlite Days. This was really a label full of treasures for bop fans. This one if most interesting for the playing of Howard McGhee/Brew Moore, but also the rare Bird with latin group. Also Milt Jackson "Boppin´the vibes" and a rare track of young Harry Belafonte. I think I purchased this in the late 70´s and it got a lot of spinning.

Oh this one is great. I bought it when I was still very young and first I found it more difficult to listen than let´s say "Golden Circle" or "Ornette" since it is the first one that completley avoids swing. But I really learned to dig it, and it´s fantastic personnel. This, together with "Ornette at 12". the two Impulse outputs One of my favourits of Bird, this together with "Bird on 52nd Street" where on a Mingus associated label......, but St. Nicks is the better one, and Bird is great one rare standard ballads.

That´s how we did it , I didn´t there is a recorded version too, I was just the piano/keyboard player in the band and one of the guys said if they want it as a request, let´s do it as a reggae. Thanks for sharing, nice to hear it that way

I haven´t mentioned the trumpet player. Somehow I don´t like his sound so much. I think later he had Lonnie Hillyer again. But "last great Mingus Band" .....I wouldn´t agree, the bands with Adams/Pullen and the last frontline Jack Walrath/Ricky Ford also was great.

I´ve listened to this 1970 Mingus album, this together with the twin album "Blue Bird" . Great band, the one with McPherson and Bobby Jones. Danny Richmond and Byard great as ever. The strange title "Love is a dangerous necessity" with it´s a capella blowing section sounds like a precedessor of "Music for Todo Modo".

Must be good. I must admit I didn´t know that label. From the cover pics it must be around the late 70´s . I have some of that period on the Timeless label.

Must be hot ! I remember once at a festival the Timeless Allstars with that personell was scheduled in 1983 but didn´t show up in that formation. Instead it was Jackie McLean, Bobby Hutcherson, Herbie Lewis and Billy Higgins, so I think Bobby and Billy was from the "Timeless" family, but I don´t think McLean was part of it. Anyway, this group also should have been recorded, they were super hot. Harold Land appeared with Dizzy in autumn 1983.

Is it possible that he once was with Ella Fitzgerald on TV, kind of hosted a show with Ella, with music, with interviews etc. ?

Fantastic ! Cant say musically about that genre, but that six string instrument sure looks great.

The Great Concert of Charles Mingus (Paris 1964) has a special meaning to me. It was my first deep listening experience of Mingus and turned me to open up to listen to things beyond the usual be- and hardbop. Dolphy is a great help in that sense, and Jaky Byard I think could play every style from stride to Cecil Taylor like clusters....

And I got mine signed by Dave Liebman ! Long time ago, the occasion was when I heard his band with Terumaso Hino, John Scofield, Ron McLure and Adam Nussbaum and imagine: JOHN SCOFIELD led me to Dave so I could meet him.

Great picture of those genius musicians in action !

Must have this. Especially to compare it to "Drum Ode", which I always have loved so much. And yes, in my case it was the same back then. It was very much due to Liebman that I took more and more interest in the Miles´ band of that time 73/74 and Liebman´s flute on "Ife" was a highlight of the evenings. And to have Liebman in town, he seemed to enjoy playing in Vienna and came quite often to play in our city that time and late 70´s . I remember one occasion he brought an allstar band with Terumaso Hino, John Scofield, Ron Mc Lure and Jeff Ballard and they really blew. Imagine, Scofield still as a sideman. He allready had a name since he played with Cobham/Duke, and recorded with Mingus, but still was not as famous as he got later. And IMAGINE: When I (still a shy young longhaired guy) wanted to "meet Dave Liebman" so he ´d sign "Drum Ode" for me, it was JOHN SCOFIELD who led me to Dave ! INCREDIBLE. This Dave-signed "DrumOde" is a treasure ("Peace ! Dave Liebman"). So I ´m really lookin forward hearing this album. And needless to say great stars, I heard Hamid live with Henry Grimes and David Murray one time....

Great, Mark ! And usually I also remember tunes from concerts decades ago. "Strode Rode" if I remember right, is a tune with a kind of straight ahead in it. I think the 1979 Rollins as many many musicians of his generation did all they could to avoid 4/4 tunes, the nearest thing to straight ahead was the kind of shuffle-swing of "Isn´t She Lovely". The other tunes as much as I remember was more on backbeat rhythms. Anyway on "Road Shows" Vol 4 you hear a live version of the 1979 "Disco Monk". I think as the 80´s started, some of the musicians got back into a little straight ahead swing again, same with Diz, the Diz of 1979 was much funky, disco kind of sets, and then one or two years later he eventually got back to older bop tunes.......

Imagine, Dave Liebman was one of the first musicians I heard in the 70. Since then he fascinates me. This record has a special meaning for me. Dave signed it for me. Wonderful tunes Goli Dance, Loft Dance, and a really fantastic version of Coltrane´s "Your Lady". ....... And topnotch musicians, almost an allstar band of the 70´s

I saw Sonny Rollins live only one time, it was in 1979 and I´ll never forget that event. He had one of his best quartets with Mark Soskin, Jerome Harris and my alltime favourit drummer Al Foster. I don´t remember all the tunes they played, but one item was "Isn´t She Lovely" , which he had recorded only 2 years earlier. I think, shortly before the concert I saw, he had recoeded with Larry Coryell, the famous album "Don´t Ask". It was a festival, Coryell was also on schedule, but they didn´t perform together. I´ll never forget those great festivals with all them musicians they wrote books about them, living legends. Imagine, Sonny wasn´t even 50 at that time, really a quite young man.

Wow, didn´t know she also recorded for Debut. If you hear about Debut today, it´s mostly about Mingus´ own dates and a few others like Thad Jones, Paul Bley, Miles Davis Blue Moods. I think Hazel Scott lived in Paris for some time in the early 60´s. I think there is one short take of "Spring is Here" recorded in her appartment, where Bud Powell sit´s in, somehow they both play Spring is Here ...

oh this one ! I remember well when I purchased it in the late 70´s , I think it´s the logic following of "Giants of Jazz" , having Diz and Stitt together in an allstar Group. This is first rate bebop with some of the most outstanding bop tunes. I think each of the men involved during that time did other projects and played more modern music, but for this special event they all came together to dig back into their roots. But bringing all them together must have costed a fortune.

Thank you very much, Brad ! I think they have wonderful cover photos, also the photos from the inside sleeve, and nice liner notes. Right now I listen to the second CD "Four in One", with David Williams replacing Buster Williams. David Williams also wrote a nice little waltz for that album "Keep the Master in Mind" , maybe he´s referring to Cedar Walton. Gary Bartz is one of the most versatile musicians around, he has done everything from bop to avantgarde, world music , but here he shows that he never forgot his bop roots. Somehow like Jackie McLean, but he could not be confused with Jackie McLean, he has a softer sound and more subtile phrasing.