Jim R

Six tracks (sonny's blues,old folks,lax,yesterdays,what's new,four) were released under Sonny Stitt's name on the Jazz Time label. I'm not sure whether the CD is currently in print or not. The title is "Sonny's Blues" (catalog # 8158). I'd try a Google search- you may turn up a copy someplace, even if it's OOP.

I see what Dan is saying, but I also think we're all flexible enough to let the test leaders make these sorts of decisions and do their thing. BTW, no matter how much music is included, some people will have guesses for all (or at least most) of the tracks; some will pick out certain tracks to guess at; and some (for example, 13 out of 34 people who received my disc) will not participate.

According to AMG, he also appears on: Roy Brown Hard Luck and Good Rocking 1947... (2002) Trumpet Roy Brown 1950-1951 (2002) Trumpet, Vocals, Accompaniment Yusef Lateef Cry!/Tender (1957) Flugelhorn Yusef Lateef Gong (1957) Flugelhorn, Balloon Yusef Lateef Quintet Other Sounds (1957) Flugelhorn Yusef Lateef Yusef Lateef Plays for Lovers (1957) Flugelhorn, Balloon Yusef Lateef Prayer to the East (1957) Trumpet, French Horn Yusef Lateef Sounds of Yusef (1957) Flugelhorn, Balloon Yusef Lateef Expressions (1969) Flugelhorn Yusef Lateef Last Savoy Sessions (2000) Flugelhorn, Liner Notes Frank Wess Jazz Is Busting out All over (1957) Flugelhorn

I don't know of a formal discography online. AMG confuses things a bit with reissues and compilations. Here's a selected list from my database: John Coltrane / Wilbur Harden 1958-03-13 "Mainstream 1958" (Savoy 12127) Wilbur Harden 1958-05-13;06-24 "Tanganyika Strut" (Savoy 12136) Wilbur Harden 1958-06-24 "Jazz Way Out" (Savoy 12131) John Coltrane 1958-07-11 "Bahia" (Prestige 7353) (ojc 415) John Coltrane 1958-07-11;12-26 "Stardust" (Prestige 7268) (ojc 920) Wilbur Harden 1958-09-23 "The King And I" (Savoy 13002) Curtis Fuller 1960-06-06, 07 "Images Of Curtis Fuller" (Savoy 12164)

I've mentioned him here and on other boards, often in direct reference to that KING & I quartet album on Savoy with Tommy Flanagan. It's a treasure, IMO. He was also part of Coltrane's BAHIA and STARDUST albums, on Prestige. Too bad he didn't record more...

John, thank you for offering those links to the enlarged versions. Really a lot of fun to see them enlarged as well as avatar sized. Keep up the good work! You could probably make a subscription service out of this! "Yes, I would like to order a Jimmy Smith avatar. His "At the organ" LP's, BN 1551 and 1552, flashing back and forth between them, with Jimmy's hands flying over the keyboard. I'll be using my Visa card..."

Glad to hear that, Ray. Once again, for those who may be interested in checking Eddie out further: Eddie Higgins thread A link is provided to Bill Gallagher's execellent online discography. The CD of duets with Don Wilner is (was?) only available through Eddie, but his work for Sunnyside and Venus is out there. Some of those are also available through Eddie, and if he doesn't have the Venus titles, they can be had through Cadence (much cheaper than ordering from Japan).

Duduka also appears on: Antonio Carlos Jobim- Antonio Brasileiro JOBIM- Sony Gerry Mulligan- Paraiso- Telarc Joyce- Language & Love- Verve

I am in AW (as in: "Aw, I wish I could do that"). Seriously, these are fantastic. Any way of enlarging them? Greedy request, I know...

OUTSTANDING! I'd like to see the whole bunch- maybe you could start an "Animated BN covers" thread. (?)

Love that avatar, couw. Very reminiscent of the BN screen saver.

Marcus, More details about Louis Stewart's work can be found in a recent thread here, started by Bev Stapleton a few days ago. ========= Mike, I just took a look at the booklet (primarily in Japanese) for the Hawes disc, and I see no mention of Schlitten. No formal credit (in english) is given to the producer. "Respects" are given to Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, but the word "producer" is nowhere in the credits... As was mentioned above, Jim Sangrey is going to be leading test #4...

Some months ago, I caught some sort of pop/jazz concert/gala on PBS. Just stumbled onto it, watched a few minutes, and surfed on to something else (which is why I don't recall what it was). The part I saw was the tail end of a Krall trio performance, which was okay... one of those Nat Cole tunes she does which make you want to hear Nat instead; which was followed by Natalie Cole walking out and doing a number with the trio. I think it was "Route 66". Natalie and Diana traded off on the vocals, and I found it very interesting that Diana came very close to rolling over and playing dead. I mean, it was obvious that she was singing the tune in as MUNDANE a fashion as possible, with absolutely no attempt to reach even her own level of flair. Natalie sang very well, perhaps better than I've ever heard from her. Krall was obviously letting Cole have the spotlight, which I thought was cool, but I think she almost went overboard in terms of making herself sound bad.

Thanks for clarifying, Hans. That must be the one I'd heard about. Kevin Bresnahan had it, as I recall, and I thought he referred to it as a TOCJ (which it almost was, technically speaking). Anyway, I used to buy those CJ's at one of the local Tower stores. That series was not often in stock, and when they were, you had to grab them quickly because you wouldn't likely see another copy.

I never saw a copy myself, but It's my understanding that the Mobley was in fact released as a TOCJ, in the early years of that series.

Cool thread! I made covers for the tests too, but nothing too exciting. I copied the Organissimo logo (with the orange and purple rings to the left of "Organissimo Forums") and made kind of a fade/blend background of orange and purple. I'd share it here if I knew how to use my scanner... but let's just say you guys are lucky I don't. After seeing the creative ideas here, I may just trash mine and start over. I think it's a lot of fun to see everybody's artistic designs (of all types- avatars, art, CD covers, etc). Keep 'em coming!

Bev, thank you for starting this. Maybe I won't have to talk to myself on this one! First of all, let me offer a selected discography, from my database. This is easy to do, and so I'm just providing it for reference, for whatever it may be worth. There are some early things missing, such as the recordings with Benny Goodman (on the London label, if memory serves); and a few with Tubby Hayes. Leader / Date / Title / Label / Format ____________________ Louis Stewart 1975 Louis The First Hawk Jazz LP Louis Stewart / Peter Ind 1975 Baubles, Bangles And Beads Wave LP/CD Louis Stewart 1976-11;1977-01 Out On His Own Jardis (orig on Livia) CD George Shearing 1977 to 1979 Compact Jazz MPS CD (compilation including several tracks from MPS LP's) George Shearing 1977-06 500 Miles High MPS / Pausa LP George Shearing 1977-06 Windows MPS / Pausa LP Ronnie Scott 1977-10-18 Serious Gold Pye LP Louis Stewart 1977-12-21 Milesian Source Pye LP Louis Stewart 1978 Drums And Friends Livia LP Louis Stewart 1978 Live / In Denmark, 1978 Private Rec. Louis Stewart 1978;1979-06-13 Live / Bangor Jazz Club Private Rec. Louis Stewart 1979 Live / Wales Private Rec. Louis Stewart 1979 I Thought About You Livia/ Lee Lambert LP Louis Stewart 1979-08-15,16,17 Alone Together Livia LP George Shearing 1979-09-19,20,21 Getting In The Swing Of Things MPS / Pausa LP Louis Stewart 1980-06-12 Live / Conway's,Dublin Private Rec. Louis Stewart / George Coleman 1984-04-07 Live / Dublin, 1984 Private Rec. Laila Dalseth 1984-08-06,07 Daydreams Gemini CD Louis Stewart / Martin Taylor 1985-03-24/ 12-01 On B B C Radio Private Rec. Louis Stewart / Martin Taylor 1985-07 Acoustic Guitar Duets (Super Session) Jardis CD Len McCarthy 1986 Len McCarthy & The Guiness All Stars Livia LP Jim Doherty 1986 Spondance Livia LP Louis Stewart /M. Meunier /M. Gaudry 1986-04 Paris / Dublin Bloomdido LP Louis Stewart 1986-05-27,28,30 Good News Villa CD Louis Stewart / Mundell Lowe 1988 "The Session" TV Show, Dublin,1988 Private Rec. Louis Stewart 1988-08-06, 1990-02-12 String Time Villa CD Spike Robinson 1989-07-15 Three For The Road Hep CD Louis Stewart 1989-11-1 Serious Jazz Livia LP Louis Stewart / Heiner Franz 1990 Winter Song Jardis CD Louis Stewart 1990-06 Quintet Live on B B C, June 1990 Private Rec. Spike Robinson 1991-10-26 A Real Corker Capri CD Louis Stewart 1992-04-14 Louis Stewart Quartet (Feat. Michael Moore) Cecilia CD Louis Stewart / Heiner Franz 1992-06 In a Mellow Tone Jardis CD George Shearing 1992-09-17 How Beautiful Is Night Telarc CD European Jazz Guitar Orchestra 1993-01 European Jazz Guitar Orchestra Jardis CD Louis Stewart 1993-02-10 Overdrive Hep CD Joe Williams 1993-08-16,17,18 Here's To Life Telarc CD George Shearing 1994-02-14 That Shearing Sound Telarc CD J. J. Johnson 1994-07-13 Tangence Verve CD (only a solo or two for Louis) George Shearing Trio 1995-03-01 to 03 Paper Moon Telarc CD Kevin Dean 1998-07-27,28 Venous Lake Gemini CD Louis Stewart / Heiner Franz 1999-11-23, 24 I Wished On The Moon Jardis CD Louis Stewart / Bill Charlap 2000 GIFT Ashbrown CD Louis Stewart / Heiner Franz 2001-10-21 Street Of Dreams Jardis CD I wasn't aware that Livia was still in existence, let alone reissuing old recordings on CD. I may have to look into that! The Villa CD's are among my favorites, but I believe they're long OOP. I can recommend anything on Jardis without hesitation. My personal favorite among the two-guitar recordings with Heiner Franz (the label owner) is probably WINTER SONG, but they're all excellent. The SUPER SESSION with Martin Taylor is for fans of fiery acoustic duets (the Heiner Franz collaberations are mostly amplified archtops, and a bit more relaxed, in general). I order my Jardis CD's through Cadence, in New York. The Cecilia CD is a very nice quartet date, but I have a feeling this might be difficult to find (a friend who took a trip to Ireland brought this one back for me some years ago). GIFT, the quartet session with Bill Charlap is also wonderful. That ought to be available through the label (in Ireland) directly, although I got mine from Hiroshi Tanno. I almost forgot- OVERDRIVE is quintessential Louis! Good choice there, Bev...

Oops, my bad. I turned the awesome power over to Mr. Sangrey about a week ago, and should have announced that, I guess. Thanks for reminding me, Ray. You deserve a shot at it soon too, IMO. Jim, use the power wisely... don't let it turn you to the DARK side!

Tony, First of all, thank you for responding so calmly to my post. Remaining calm is something I've gotten better at over the years on bulletin boards, but I failed to do that yesterday. I was having a bad morning to begin with, tried to tell myself not to post angry... and failed to stifle myself. So, I apologize for that. I'm still a trifle frustrated about a few things, but some of that is based on misunderstandings in the way we interpret each others' statements. I think we were both guilty of that. At any rate, I think it's probably best to agree that we see things differently in some ways regarding guitar-related topics, and not try to hash it out any further. Bottom line is that I'm still hoping to get more folks (including you) interested in some artists I've enjoyed, and I'm glad to know that you're interested in checking out more Breakstone, for example. ============= Dan, Louis has not done an all-Brazilian session, but he has recorded a fair number of Brazilian tunes (mostly Jobim) over the years. Anyway, good idea- I've thought about that possibility myself a number of times. I met Louis once (in SF in '95, while he was on tour with George Shearing), but wasn't able to spend much time talking that night. If I'd had more time, this is something I probably would have suggested to him.

Bev, I can't really explain the disappearance of Bickert's recordings. I've seen it happen with other artists, though (pretty tough to find many Jimmy Raney discs these days... at least where I shop). I can tell you, however, that Bickert has apparently retired from performing (not sure about recording, but my impression was that he was ceasing that too... could be wrong). GUITAR MASTERY is pretty nice. Not the best sound quality, to my ears, and not necessarily his best work, but quite good.

Tony posted: Yes, I was fooled at first. For me, the "singular voice" of Grant is his 60's style/sound, not the funkier style of the 70's, which for me was less uniquely Grant and featured a broader style of playing. I don't listen to that as much, thus my initial failure to recognize it. I did decide it was Grant (with some help from you and perhaps others) before Dan revealed the answers. So... you're proud of yourself for being lucky... ??? I'm not convinced I could do that either. I didn't say that I could. Go back and read what I said. I didn't say anything about how well I could do in a blindfold test identifying guitarists. It may have come across as bragging, but I was simply stating a fact (that I can identify many jazz guitarists who don't use effects). Some I can recognize more quickly than others, some after a few notes, some after a few songs. Look, I'm trying to be positive here, Tony. When I said I thought you could recognize Breakstone with more exposure, I meant that in an encouraging way. I wasn't "guaranteeing" it. You can doubt me (and yourself) on the likelihood, if that's your preference. So, I shouldn't be insulted when being told to "get real" by someone who distorts what I say and misses the point? I know you probably didn't intend to insult me, Tony, but I think the "grounding in reality" part was a cheap shot, and uncalled for (and frankly, colored my mood as I assembled this post).

Tony, this is fun, and I know I can argue with you without any fear of hard feelings developing. First about the Bickert - my intention was not to say his playing is always like Hall's, but here, darn it, he sounds a heck of a lot like him. Sounds like Hall from what session? What year? When I think of Hall these days, I think of a much different sound- and more importantly, approach. Hall, as you said, is more "adventurous". Bickert does do some interesting things on this in terms of harmony, but he doesn't get dissonant and play "out" the way Hall does. So, again, I think it's more of an apt comparison if you're talking about Hall at some point in the distant past. My hunch is that on the blindfold cut, given the setting, he either consciously or unconsciously adopted some of the mannerisms of the Hall/Evans collaboration. Pretty bold hunch, IMO. Bickert plays on this track pretty much in the same style he always plays in (or at least a high percentage of the time... I've probably heard most of Bickert's recordings, but not all). He hasn't altered his sound in ages, either, the way Hall has. Compounding the problem, many of these guitarists also use pretty "orthodox" bop guitar phrasing. Oh come on, Tony. That's the kind of stereotype that I was talking about. Tell me there aren't an equivalent percentage of saxophonists or trumpeters who employ "orthodox" bop phrasing. John Scofield- I'm not a fan (never dug his sound), but I'm one who has stood up for his (and others') right (duh- to those who would disagree on this!) to color his sound. My point is NOT that guitarists "should" plug an archtop into an amp and start playing. My point is that I CAN hear subtle differences between many (not all) guitarists who do, and I wish more people could/would pay attention enough to appreciate that for themselves. It goes beyond a distinction between different players- it manifests itself when a player changes guitars as well. Kenny Burrell is an example I've used. He played different guitars throughout his career- all archtops- and got distinctly different sounds with them. I stand firm by my comment that there are only a relative handful of truly distinctive sounds out there for jazz guitarists that can be identified with a blindfold type setting (especially those with a more or less traditional approach and tone) when compared against saxophonists and trumpeters (not all of those folks are distinctive either, but there is a much greater relative number of unique voices to me). Fair enough, but really Tony- if you can't pick Joshua Breakstone out of a crowd, it's probably because you haven't listened to him long enough (not that you necessarily should, but no other guitarist sounds just like him). I feel strongly about his distinctive sound (not just tone, but the whole deal). I think he's way above the crowd in that regard, and I think he deserves a lot of credit for having honed a unique sound. It may be partly due to differences in our hearing, but I'm going to insist that it's a lack of exposure on your part (again, that's not a put-down). I think we just fundamentally (and hopefully amiably) disagree on many issues here, Jim. As one example, for my money Hall is not only one of the singularly unique voices on the guitar in the "legit sound" school - his playing has also become far more adventurous over the years. If anything, he's an even greater musician now than he was in the past Bad example, Tony. I don't disagree with anything you just said about Hall. I was the one who pointed out that Hall has become more adventurous over the years. He IS a great musician. I said I've never cared much for him (just personal taste), but I DO respect him a great deal. The proof is in the pudding - most people here did very poorly in identifying the guitarists in your blindfold disc and did relatively better with the horn players. Tony, this may prove that we have relatively few jazz guitar fans here on the board, not necessarily that guitarists are inherently less recognizeable. That's sort of the whole point- I'm trying to create MORE interest, and do my best to combat some annoying stereotypes. Thanks for the dialog!

As long as I'm "sparring" with Tony here I might as well post something I'd saved since last week... I think the following grew out of a comment about Joshua Breakstone's sound. I'll preface by saying that Breakstone is easily one of the most recognizable guitarists in jazz today (to my ears). I can recognize him as instantly as Grant Green, or Wes, or Kenny Burrell. Of course, I've been a big fan of his (and seen him live several times) since the mid-80's... Tony Jerant posted on the "guesses" thread: “I find very few guitarists have a unique, easily identifiable sound.” I don’t mean to pick on Tony here, and he may have meant this as a personal opinion (speakiing only of his own experiences in listening to guitarists, which I wouldn’t necessarily “challenge” him on), but in a way, think that this is a general misconception. Over the years, I have frequently heard people (in derogatory fashion) lump “jazz guitar” into a single sound category, as if it all sounds the same. Of course, everyone’s ears function in different ways, both in terms of taste as well as sensitivity to (and appreciation for) certain sounds. In addition, some people have spent more time than others in listening carefully to different guitarists. This is the key, IMO. I realize that I'm abnormal in terms of my attraction to jazz guitar music, but I feel a need to speak on topics like this. My experience with this subgenre has given me more confidence to express myself than in any other area of jazz. So, that's where the 'tude is coming from. I think this is a fascinating topic- the subject of tone creation and differentiation in jazz (with regard to all instruments), and how it is possible to create (from the players’ standpoint) and distinguish (from the listeners’ standpoint) these sounds. Analyzing this phenomenon within the category of any particular instrument is both scientifically interesting as well as mysterious, I think. In terms of the guitar, there is probably an above-average range of possible sounds as compared to other instruments (or so it would seem to me). In other words, there are a greater variety of instrument designs and variations within the guitar family than most of the other major instruments used in jazz. Now I know that all brass instruments (and mouthpieces), all saxophones (and reeds), all pianos (etc, etc) are not created equal, but there is less natural tonal variation in most of these instruments compared to that of the guitar family (and amps enter the picture as well) and probably less options for altering the sound. For example, how many instruments have a "tone" control? edit: BTW, my area of interest doesn't even include the world of "effects" in jazz guitar. I think I pointed this out in a guitar thread a few months ago... to me, there are discernable differences in the personal tonal stamps of most (not all) guitarists who simply plug an archtop into an amp and play clean. Subtle sometimes, but definitely noticeable the more time you spend listening.

I've not heard DAYS GONE BY. As I've already said, I think Bickert has some distinct differences from Hall, so I'm a tad uncomfortable with the "ringer for Hall" comment. Bickert is a contemporary of Hall's (born only two years after him), and as far as I know was not significantly influenced by Hall. I gather that they developed their similarities independently. Most everybody is more familiar with Hall (which is understandable), and thus I think it's assumed (especially since they both were associated with Desmond, and Hall had that gig ten years earlier) that Hall was a big influence. At any rate, to my ears Bickert has an individual voice- different tone, different feel, different chordal style from Hall. Bickert is one of my all-time favorites, and I've never really warmed much to Hall, so they can't be that similar. I would have to hear DAYS GONE BY to be sure, but I suspect that Bickert's playing on that is more of an excursion/experiment, as opposed to his "normal" voice (IOW, it may be an "individual" voice, but perhaps not his "normal" voice). BTW, I think the "ringer for Hall" comment might make more sense to me if Jim Hall was still the same musician he was, say in1964. Nowadays (and for many years past), he reminds me very little of Bickert.

You wanna see EVIL? If I ever get to do another test, you're not getting your disc for at least a MONTH after everybody else, Sangrey!! (Of course, with YOUR intuitive powers, you probably already know what pieces I would select, and possibly the sequence I would record them in! ) Don Wilner- Musical director at Miami's Van Dyke Cafe; Native of NY (C?); Came to Florida to study classical music at the U. of Miami (holds a doctorate); Performs with local orchestras, but is developing as a jazz bassist. Not sure about any connection with Hal W. My recommendation to anyone who's curious to know more- ask Eddie when you write to him to order this private CD (yeah, yeah, I know that was evil to sample a private CD). Seriously, as I've mentioned on the board previously, I have both of Eddie's addresses (Cape Cod and Florida). He sells all of his CD's via the mail, and enjoys correspondence... and is an EXTREMELY nice gentleman.