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Thanks for mentioning the "Baby Grand" live date. I´ve almost forgotten about it and spinned it yesterday. Jimmy Smith always brings a big smile to my face. What a wealth of music, that incredible latin section of "Caravan", that heavy sound on the ballads, the fingerbusting uptempos and that cute medium-tempo tunes with a bit of Errol Garner-fealing.....

I remember I saw Arnett Cobb once, it might have been in the 80´s and he was still playing very very strong. On that ocasion there it was a group with two other horns, one of them was Jimmy Ford, a quite obscure player who once played with the Tadd Dameron-Fats Navarro band in 1948 (no recordings, but a foto exists). Both Cobb and Ford were great, but another really obscure trumpet player was quite weak. But I´m glad I saw Cobb life. Anyway he was still traveling very much in his late years....

Very interesting issue about Garner´s talent as a composer . I have a video of Garner which was done probably in Paris in 1970 maybe 1971 where he plays one tune that might be his own, and it´s called something like "Errol´s tune". That tune is a medium tempo B-flat minor stuff, and from the melody and the chords it´s very similar to a strange Bud Powell tune called "Ups ´n Downs" from his last recording date for ESP a few months before he died, and which was reissued on Mainstream Records in the early 70´s (another take of it is titled "Caravan Riffs") . Since there is also some Garner on Mainstream, it´s possible Garner "borrowed" some ingredients of that strange and forgotten Bud Powell tune. While Bud plays the theme in an attempt to do it "latin", Errol plays it with his trademark "Garner beat".

Yes, this one is great, it´s even better than the live date from Small´s Paradise, just incredible. Those early Jimmy Smith albums from the historical 1500 Series is the greatest. I only have the japanes cardboard reissue of this album, and as I noticed then, it seemed that they didn´t release alternate tracks or unissued material , they kept strictly to keep it as a CD version of the historical original LP....

Oh yeah ! I love this great little record. It has a very very special and personal meaning to me, because I purchased it in september 1978 after I have heard the great Max Roach Quartet (with Bridgewater, Harper, Workman) at "Kongresshaus" (that ugly hall on Margarethengurtel, I think now there´s a BILLA ....) and I went to the then famous record dealer "Radio Kratz" in Delka Hof Mariahilferstrasse and asked Mr Kratz if he has some Max Roach and this it was. But it was a different cover, a colour foto of Roach in profil , well this was the period of the french "America" Label, they had many Debut and Fantasy records in their cataloque. I even played that record at school as a listening example when our music professor asked if someone has a recorded drum solo.

A title "Life at Birdland" always sounds great , all those great records that were made there. But I never could have imagined that a label like ECM would make records titled "Life at Birdland". I always thought they focussed on such very western sounding chamber-music like kind of stuff.....

Sonny Stitt is always a pleasure to hear. Recently I listend to his album "Nightwork", where he plays with Howard McGhee, Walter Bishop, Tommy Potter and Kenny Clarke.....

must admit I never heard the name. Only know about a Clarence "C" Sharp, and (not from my musical tastes..... a Pete Fountain......)

Thank you Brad for mentioning "Long Dring" and "4,5,6" since they are also my favourites from those Prestige albums of Jackie. The most interesting thing is really that "rough" but relaxed "Long Drink" with the really unusual tenor sax played by McLean. It has a quite "hollow" sound but is pure McLean from his phrasing. Curtis Fuller is also great. And on "4,5,6" the rare choice of "Sentimental Journey" a tune rarely picked by post war musicians, and the faster version of "When I fall in love".....

Those early Prestige sessions of Jackie McLean are quite interesting, though they still sound a bit "rough". I remember when I bought this album I couldn´t believe the man on the coverfoto is Jackie, I wouldn´t have recognized him. There are still a lot of standards and ballads on those albums. I think one track is called "Outburst" and it´s an ultra fast improvised line of the "Salt Peanuts" changes.

Really sad news. He was a remarcable musician and one of the key figures for 70´s rockjazz. The Miles Bands with Reggie Lucas-Pete Cosey were great.

Besides the occasions where I saw George Adams in top form (for example in 1980 with Don Pullen, Cameron Brown and Danny Richmond) I also saw him shortly before he died in one of those "Mingus Memorial Bands" conducted by Jimmy Knepper. This one was weak IMHO, it seemed that Jimmy Knepper wasn´t really interested in that project and he looked tired and bored, and George Adams was very subdued.

The Machito session is really a treasure. I have it on a Spotlite LP from the late 70´s . Great Howard McGhee and Brew Moore also and a rare early vocal of Harry Belafonte.

Must have that ! Woody Shaw and that band, they were the greatest, each of them a topnotch musician. I was lucky I saw that band. Was quite astonished when I saw the fotos: He looks much heavier here than I remember him, I remember him really skinny.......

The Band with George Adams and Don Pullen sure was fantastic, because at least for me and my friends it was something like the resurrection of Mingus. We all had associated him with Dolphy, Jakie Byard and now here was that new band, which had it all, I mean the Mingus I always loved, with tensions alternating with tender moments, like the then brand new composition "Sue´s Changes". So, the way how they played "Adams/Pullen" marked the real comeback of Mingus. And I´d say Mingus was the artist who was one of my first very very early associations with "jazz". I heard Mingus before I even had heard about Bird and Diz, dig that ! And Mingus´ music "helped" me to get into more advanced forms and so called New Thing (Free Jazz), because even the music went far out it still went back to moments where it would "groove" just to be helpful for lesser advanced listeners, that´s how I see Mingus, fantastic, a teacher, a mentor........ George Adams and Don Pullen had that quality, they took it into more avantgardistic directions, but had those roots, when they got back into some blues-gospel influenced chords and phrases....... It was harder for the next band, such as it was harder for the men who followed after Dolphy/Byard. But Mingus got back into composing new stuff for that last band too. About "Bruce Springsteen": Let me tell it as the hard core jazz fan I am: About the time I got to dig Mingus (mid 70´s ) I haven´t even heard about Springsteen. I first heard that name when about in 1984 Artie Shaw (who came back to the scene for a short period) mentioned him in an interview as something "today you must be Bruce Springsteen to get famous". Imagine: I had to hear that name for the first time from an old musician who could have been my grandpa.....

I always liked those strong bass players who are best known for their hard work in the 40´s and 50´s. Their were no amplifiers and underwood pickups or low and soft strings. They had to cut through the band for entire nights. Hard work. Mingus once stated that "the young bass players don´t have no chops, and he pointed to his bass and said it went through Bird, Bud, Duke....." Teddy Kotick sounds wonderful and steady, besides his studio work I love to hear his strong sound on serveral live sessions of Bird. And sure: "Further Explorations" is great and has there is a rare session photo of Teddy Kotick on it, where he looks a bit like an unmade bed. On some photos from the book "To Bird with Love" he´s dressed very formal with suit and tie and looks almost like a waiter from a restaurant. Tommy Potter at least was still playing sporadically in the mid 60´s on Bird Memorial events, and he made a remarcable album of his own "Hard Funk in Sweden"....

I think I remember I saw him live many many years ago at Jazz Festival Sibiu, România. I think he played with some musicians from Rep. Moldova, which is the territory of Basarabia, the region where Misha grew up. The only thing I remember is that it was a quite unorthodox group, I mean not with the usual setting of horns and regular rhythm section, so maybe it was a bit hard to follow...... This was quite a few years before he moved to Norvegia and became an ECM artist.

I remember I saw him on stage in 1983 at Wiesen, also Austria. I think it was with the Jan Garbarek Group. Now I don´t remember if he played a regular acoustic bass or if he had switched to that electric upright you see on some pics. Not to be able to play anymore must be a terrible blow for someone who´s life was and is music.

Those album covers of the early BN´s really are funny. We all are used to the fantastic fotos of the artists, done by Francis Wolff, things like the picture of Coltrane on "Blue Trane", the profile picture of Bud on the "Amazing Vol 1 and 2", etc etc.., so the early covers look like from another world. Especially this Blakey cover. But also the covers from the early 50´s still have something of that old style in them, let´s say the J.J. Johnson Vol. 1 and 2, they already have a picture of the artist, but a small one, and the rest is those strange garlands and stuff, where you don´t know what it should be. They seemed to keep some of that strange cover art even as late as 1957, if you look at Cliff Jordan Vol. II... On some of those strange covers there is a name written "Hermansader". Was this "Hermansader" the album cover artist?

I remember around 1980 (about the same time Bob Brookmeyer joined the Mel Lewis Big Band as composer/arranger and sometimes soloing) there was a long interview with him in the german magazine Jazz Podium and he talked about that period. I remember he said he was unhappy though he had things that others would dream about: A beautiful wife, a beautiful house, lot of money from studio jobs, but it was depressing to work in the studios and that he would die as a musician, and that he started to drink heavily, but later after he went back to the music he loved, but minus a wife and a luxury house, he could stop drinking..... Maybe the beautiful wife and the beautiful place to live (with swimming pool and all that stuff) he referred to was that Margo Guryan (I haven´t heard about her before, sure)

Yes I preordered it already. Will be out in november......

I love those two records. They are beautiful. The Garden of Souls...... and you know I´m more the kind of be-bop boy..... but this one really moves me, it´s like a lotus blossoms or some wonderful flowers...... I love all of it, there are more straight ahead things with straight ahead sections, but this was part of the game if you recorded for BN (even if I think Alfred Lion already had left and maybe it was only Francis Wolff who remained). I alway called those two LPs as something like "Free Jazz light" since it´s easier for non free jazz guys to follow. I really can enjoy the trumpet on "Love Call".....see that´s Ornette, if I listen to Ornette playing trumpet or violin I listen to Ornette, if I wan´t to listen to a trumpet player I listen to all those from Diz to Miles to Freddie, to Don Cherry . From all the BN outputs of Ornette (the 2 Golden Circles, the Empty Foxhole, the trumpet parts on Jackies "Old and New Gospel".....) those last 1968 albums are those for easier listenin, as I told you "free jazz light".....

First I didn´t understand the title , thought it means "Don" (Cherry ?) was (part of the BN artists, of those who recorded for BN, as he sure did, which I love most). Well, I must admit, I also have most of the classic material, I have periods when I need the BN groove and spin some of them, then months where I spin other stuff. About who´s actually recording for the label, I don´t really know them. I still know a lot of hardcore jazzmusicians of the younger generation, who can play like hell, but if it´s not something I would understand as jazz (from bop to free to maybe a bit more funky), it´s very difficult for me to feel well while listening to music.

When I got into Archie Shepp the first time, I also would have asked that question. Saw him life on several occasions, the first time in 1979 with a fantastic quartet with the dream team of Siegfried Kessler (p), Bob Cunningham (b) and Clifford Jarvis (dr) and there was no smile, but who cares, the music was one of the greatest experiences in my live. Later with Ken Werner, Santi Debriano and John Betsch, no smiling, and much later together with my wife with another trio, I don´t remember the personnel.......standing ovations, and my wife who never had heard about him before said: Look, he has that beautiful warm smile, such a symphatic person.

Monk admired him very much and Chittison was a strong influence in Monk´s developement as a pianist when he was young. Monk was very much into stride and it´s very possible he was much more influenced by Herman Chittison than by Art Tatum or Fats Waller.......