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I would like to have much more of Billy Eckstine Big Band than I have, but I fear there is not much more CDs or LPs. I think I have the Spotlite LP "Together"and the Savoy double album, since they also have a lot of good instrumental stuff goin´ on, I think there is one more on Savoy titled "Billy Eckstine Sings", which is also from that period, but with less action by the band, more featured the vocal. Does your album have other stuff that I don´t have ?

Thank you for that interesting statement. And because it has a large amount of context to what I just had written before you in my posting. Well, I never got formal training had had to "fly" by myself. Well I got help and encouragement from important musicians, that´s true. But Sun Ra somehow came to me as part of my times. I mentioned the context with Mingus only, since Mingus was the first music I heard, that was not only straight ahead acoustic (old Miles) or early electric (then "new" Miles), and Dolphy became one of those musicians who fascinated me most. So I see a lot of paralels with your favorites Mingus Dolphy. And as I said. Mingus ´views into the past or the future (lookin back to blues and gospel, old time jazz and bop, and lookin forward or better said into the presence then , just was an ideal thing for a modern jazz addict youngster. And Sun Ra had a lot of that too. I didn´t really understand those sun, moon and stars - stuff but dug it and if I looked up on a dark sky with the Moon and the Stars I had Sun Ra in my head 😄, and otherwise it was just the music that fascinated me.......

I just saw the Corner for the first time. I love Sun Ra and he was one of the first things I heard when I was in my early teens and loved avantgarde, and got one of Ra´s ESP recordings, but I also loved the mixture of free jazz, space chants and some older swing tunes, so the Sun Ra from the later 70´s on was like jazz history. As a starter I liked musicians who had made their names in the avantgarde scene but also could play a whole history of styles. Like Mingus with Dolphy and so on, when their concert sets included brandnew stuff like "Meditations" with some Fats Waller inputs from Jakie Byard, and vintage bop enforced with more avantgardistic stuff by Dolphy (Parkeriana). So Sun Ra was very very important for my jazz education. I can´t write more about him, because my listening experiences and diggin´ into his music was about from 1972-80 (with historic recordings from the 60´s only on record).

When was this recorded ? I remember I had the first encounter with Sonny Stitt in the midseventies, when he played a vintage set of bop with Diz (I don´t remember the others, it was a classic bop quintet, but maybe with guitar instead of piano). And my impression was, Dizzy great as ever, but the big surprise was also Sonny Stitt, whose name I hadn´t heard until then. Compared to Diz, he looked like a very very old man and I thought that must be someone who had known Bird, but must be much older (Bird would have been about 55 years at that time and Stitt looked much older than 55 though he was 7 years younger than Diz !) That´s what this foto tells me. I saw Stitt the last time in 1980 but though he still managed to play some good tenor and alto, he was dead drunk and after some good tunes it became tragic comic and we left the concert and the after hour jam session with a bitter taste. I´m not familiar with West Coast players though I have heard Pepper with the drummer Carl Burnett, who is great.

Interesting. This might have been during the years when he did not record. Because the only time he recorded again was later in the 70´s mostly live for Steeple Chase in Danemarca. I love that two records where is is paired with Dex, and his Parker´s Mood is the best slow blues I ever heard on record.

And....how was the gig ???

A wonderful record, is this the one that has Don Pullen´s "Double Arc Jane" ? And a blues with Adams´ vocal very similar to the "Devil Blues" on a Mingus album ? I heard the band shortly after Mingus´ death. I was still so shocked from the news of Mingus ´ death . But the band was fantastic. But it´s terrible that with the exception of Cameron Brown all three died early, just in their 50´s . Recently I listened to his last Steeplechase album "Bitin´ the Apple" which is the greatest, due to the fantastic rhythm section of Barry Harris, Sam Jones and Al Foster. And I think Dexter´s playing on it is the most enthusiastic. I think that decades ago I also bought two of his mid 70´s Steeplechase albums, one with Horace Parlan on piano, and one with Tete Montoliu on piano. What I remember about Tete is, that otherwise than his dozens of gigs with Dexter in the sixties (Dexter in Radioland) he has a very modal style here, completly different than 10 years earlier. I love modal style, but didn´t expect it from Tete. Bud´s playing on this one, together with the "Blakey in Paris" , "Hawk in Germany" and "Mingus at Antibes" is in my opinion the greatest Bud of the decade, and maybe also among the greatest Bud ever. It seems that if someone had forgotten to dope him with that psychopharmaca "Largathyl" , he felt free from the debilating effect of the medication and got back to his old great form. The only thing why I prefer the other mentioned top Bud performances is the better stuff from the drums. Bud with Blakey, Klook or Richmond just goes better for my ears. But he was such a genius and loner that he somehow went on his own and just burned at the piano. Like on "All God´s Chillun" which I think is the best version I ever heard played by him. Maybe "Evidence" would have needed more gettin inside the rhythmic aspect of the tune. I think, if Bud would have heard it more often on Monks record and would have had a drummer who KNOWS that tune would have done better. Though "Evidence" is based on "Just You Just Me", you just can´t use it as only a blowing vehicle on the "Just You Just Me" chords..... It´s interesting that there is less ballad playing on those two swiss recordings. I think I remember a great version of "Midnight" , and the eternal "I Remember Clifford" which seems to be on each of the later Bud Powell albums.....

Was the Jackie McLean album issued later than usual ? I mean it was somewhere in the late 60´s as I assume due to his permanent team of Lamont Johnson on piano and Scotty Holt on bass ? Like Miles´ "Water Babies" which was from the same time, but got a cover similar to "On the Corner" ?

the cover art reminds me of the Miles Davis double albums from the 70´s . But the music is fantastic. One of my favourite Jackie McLean albums and I am a big fan of him.

That´s a fine record. And together with Dave Liebman´s "Drum Ode" the only ECM I have. But I like Keith most when he was with Miles around the time of "Live Evil". This was just the times where this early kind of electric jazz with Fender Rhodes and Yamaha Organ was invented. I also liked those 2LPs albums of Miles and as being from that generation (from 1972-75 I was a teenager from 13 - 16 years and a Miles freak from the very first moment on (both acoustic and electric). So it´s natural I bought all of them as soon as they came out, Live Evil, Miles in Concert, Get Up with It, Dark Magus, Agharta, Pangheea it was). And those caricatures on the covers, like you have them on "On the Corner", "Big Fun", "Miles in Concert", they aren´t even exagerated. That´s how WE looked like, how we dressed..... On that album is also "Ife". The song I fell in love with when I heard it live : Miles with Dave Liebman, Lieb on flute.....wonderful moments......, very similar to the way it is on "Dark Magus"......

I have the same impressions like @Big Beat Steve . And if I remember right, Fats had a fantastic memory and often he plays a very similar solo on the alternate track of the "Prime Source". Starts with the same phrase, makes the same quotes. I even have read that some critics thought that he memorized his soloes. The worst example of alternate takes I have is on the late 40´s record of Wardell Gray. And yeah, on CD-player at least I can scip them, but that´s not good listening for me, since mostly if I listen to a record I just close my eyes and listen to it without having to worry about anything else but the music. And since I practically USE records to hear them like a live performance if I am too tired to go out and listen to live music , and for learning or more than that get inspiration to play myself . In my beginnings, it was more imitating, now it is completly else. After listening to a record it would happen that I get up and go to the piano and play some, it may be completly else tunes and else moods, but at least the listening to the record made me get up and play myself some good music. I can´t get that feeling from those records which have all alternate takes, including interruptions, studio talk, false starts and so on. If I read a book, I also don´t want pages that repeat the same idea, if I go to a concert or play myself, I also don´t have the same tune played twice.

I love it, Dexter with Woody Shaw´s group.

Really ? But since his move to Europe (first Germany, since it was Gunter Hampel who brought him to Europe) he has been one of the most busy jazzmen over here, with enthusiastic write ups in Jazz Podium and other press. It would be almost impossible to not have heard his name and seen him play in the most famous jazz venues of Germany, Austria and many many other European countries. He was our hero here in Vienna, when he played with the best guys, no one could play bop as well as avantgarde with such dexterity and musical enthusiasm like him. And last not least he was the first important jazz man, with whom I had the honour to play and still do on several occasions. And he was one of the best educators, teachin´ jazz at Bruckner conservatorium in Linz.... look out for him he really burns...... look at least at some video stuff on youtube or whereever...... b) I like that you say CSSR. Those were the days when I still could know which country where is, I performed at some jazz festival still in CSSR and other Eastern European countries as well. But I didn´t know that Allan played there.

Maybe this might be quite interesting, the bassist and the alto saxophonist says something to me. I didn´t know Dollar Brand also played soprano sax. My only encounter with him was at some festival, where he led a kind of big band. But as you know, those festivals can get somehow tedious and after hearing the guys I was looking for most (Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter the only thing I remember is that he had some strange robe, stood with the back to the audience and somehow "conducted" that orchestra, which played a quite repetive thing, maybe later something would have happened, but.....I had fallen asleep......

Very interesting article. Somehow, shame on me I never got acquainted to her music. I have Paul Bley as leader on the mentioned Hillcrest Club gig but as many others I had purchased it because of Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. The next Paul Bley participation I have on Jimmy Giuffree live in Graz. But from the 60´s avantgarde it seems that I never got beyond Ornette, Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Pharoah Sanders and of course Sun Ra. The mentioned "Song for Che" is on an Ornette Coleman album "Crisis" on the Impulse label. Great music ! I think I heard one or two Carla Bley compositions but somehow it didn´t really reach me. Some friend who had the same musical tastes like me had a Carla Bley-Steve Swallow Duo CD that he had got for his wedding and we spinned it but I wouldn´t have bought it for my own use. I think it was quite nice, but without drums doesn´t really work for me......

such a great musician !

Yes they had painted portraits on the covers. I also think that those painted portraits were on the walls of the old Birdland from the late 40´s/50´s . It seems that you bought records much earlier than me. And more of them. Usually I bought something if I had heard a musician live, or if it was for learning how good musicians sound and phrase.... I didn´t know about twofers (is this the right name for double album ? ) that is called "Jazz History" but can imagine horror covers with strange obiect. The only European pressings of jazz records I have is the french Musidisk, "America" and the Italian "Kings of Jazz" and "Lineatre" , maybe other imports were harder to find around here. The things about covers that I hated most was that they somethimes reissued albums with other coverfotos of the artist, coverfotos that was from later stages of their live. For example: A mid fifties Davis Release of Prestige recordings had Miles in the 70´s when he played wah wah trumpet. And a mid fifties Bud Powell record for Victor shows an extremly fat, actually bloated Bud from his last days. Same thing happend with Mingus records and Dexter records...... I´m also no Bird Verve completist, or maybe involuntarly, since I got those 8 Volumes of Japanese Import as a birthday present or something......, so I have all 8 of ´em . Or do you refer to not releaste alternate tracks ? This I don´t have or know....., I´m annyoed enough if you have the same tracks repeated on albums, like on that Fats Navarro Blue Note. I always was pissed of by it since you pay for the hole album and "get" only half of it, since each tune is played twice..... or worse even......

Love it and saw it played live by Mingus with Bob Neloms, Jack Walrath , Ricky Ford and Danny Richmond. Wonderful event. It was played a bit faster than the studio recording and I think that the record wasn´t out for sale. It came out a bit later, but Mingus announced the tune as "something they just had recorded ", and that´s from a Movie Score. The second side "Todo Modo" I think was never played live.

I would like to add to your collection this one : Spontanuity | Allan Praskin Quintet | Allan Praskin (bandcamp.com) It´s a wonderful version of that ballad and I also have played it with Allan Praskin earlier this year. Here it is in Db as I told you. Allan is my favourite alto saxophonist, my idol since 1978 and though I never was a student, his musical advices or just listenig to him on the bandstand is my most beautiful experiences.....

Steve, do you remember those Verve double albums. In our youth they where quite cheap and were not samplers, and usually united to original LPs. I think there were two of them of Bird, one of the earlier stuff from the 40´s to early 50´s, and one of the midfifties. Like Bud Powell: There was one Double album which united the first Verve LP with "Tempus Fugit, and the second with the solo tracks, and two trio tracks. And the second double album was the mid fifties sessions, where a small portion may have been a bit uneven...... I think it was a mode of the 70´s both for Verve and Blue Note to release them double albums. And for kid with pocket money or student with need of beer and cigarettes, they where not to expensive and had more hours of music.

"Crazy he Calls me" is a wonderful ballad like all ballads originally sung by Billie Holiday. We play it quite often and it is fine in D-flat, the key Lady Day sung it. It seams that it is not played very often. I heard Gary Bartz-Buster Williams-Al Foster do it, but I think they did it in F .

Well yes, I had or still have those 8 Volumes of individual Verve LPs, I think they were Japanese Pressing where the cover is a bit harder than on most national editions of LPs. But the strange thing is that they was not in chronological order. Vol. 1 was not the earliest studio date and Vol. 8 was not the last studio date. I think the first mentioned "Now´s the Time" and "Swedisch Schnapps" are the most autentic vintage bop recordings. Those together with maybe "Charlie Parker Plays Cole Porter" are the ones where Norman Grantz didn´t interfere with the personnel and it seems to be Bird´s personal choice of musicians, who knew his music. On "Bird ´n Diz" , though I love it to have Monk on it, there are two faults on it: Norman Grantz choose Buddy Rich on drums. Why not Max or Art Taylor or Roy Haynes ??? And the tunes are not so interesting like vintage bop standards, it seems that they just were penned down in the studio or didn´t even have a "head" . "Relaxin´ with Lee" sounds like a good old blues in Db, but it doesn´t really have a theme. "Jazz Perennial" is also small group, but what drove Norman Grantz to add this "Tommy Turk" on trombone. From the few stuff I heard, he had a helluva tehnique, but musically it just doesnt make me feel good. Why didn´t he take J.J. or Kai Winding ???? If I must listen to Bird with Strings, okay then the earlier things like "Just Friends" etc., but one 1952 string date with "Temptation" , good as the tune is, it sounds like a movie score of some old black white kitschy early 1950´s film, and the "big band" just sounds like a square studio band", no musical tension like charts written by Tadd or Gil Fuller would be...... Facit: To really learn from Bird what I have to know about him, other labels like Savoy and Dial were much more helpful to me.

I agree with you on more than one point, even if I am not a Peterson fan and never was. But I don´t like drumless trios since I´m a drum addict and the first thing I consider if I play or go out to listen is about who plays the drums. But Peterson as one thing and no drums as the other thing is double punishment for me 😄, though I must admit I heard some stuff where he is not so selfih as usual and leaves more space for the others. That´s why strange to say my favourite Peterson record is the one with the Singers Unlimited which is strange for me since I m no Peterson fan and vocal jazz also is not my most secret love. From the Pablo records I like mostly the Eddie Lockjaw Davis with the OP-Trio, that´s a fine little record. I don´t have others. Okay I heard a Montreux Jam once but listened to it mostly because it had Diz, Clark Terry and I think also Jaws, but one thing about Pablo often is the choice of the drummers. They just didn´t use drummers that I like, for example Klook, Max, Philly J.J,., Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Tony Williams, Al Foster etc........

Maybe one of the last public performances of Kenny Dorham. His recording career ended much earlier and I think his last album was "Trompeta Toccata" Nickelsdorf is not far away from Vienna. I think the Sun Ra presentations from the late 70´s and the 80´s where more straight ahead stuff including and as that it might have been the more conservative performances on the mainly freejazz and post avantgarde festival Nickelsdorf. This one, and once the Max Roach Double Quartet. Joe Newman may have been a quite nice sounding pre bop trumpet player, but at least for us musicians in Vienna his unpleasant stage appearance, where he tried to lecture the local rhythm sections about how to play jazz was annoying and it came that nobody here in town would like to play with him anymore. There were other musicians of much more fame with whom it was a pleasure to play.

Great photo. Never saw a colour photo of Art Tatum !