jeffcrom

Okay, since we're being serious - the A Day With Satchmo session appears to be previously unissued, and only available as an iTunes download. Check out Ricky Riccardi's blog entry about it. I'm about to download it myself. Edit - I should have said that this session is mostly previously unissued. A few of the master takes appeared on Ella and Louis Again.

And, it's a picture of an alto when Shaw (usuall, always?) played tenor... My main problem with this cover design is that's it's, well, awful. I will say in its defense that it sounds like Shaw is playing alto on a couple of tracks here. Now playing: Tom Stewart - Sextette/Quintette (ABC Paramount). A young Steve Lacy is the standout musician here - but of course I would think that. This is Mr. Lacy's third appearance on records - only the two Dick Sutton albums were earlier.

Well, with the economic downturn, the management has had to lay off a bunch of the reporters. I think Dale, the traffic reporter, is now also supposed to cover Louis Armstrong releases, but you know what a dimwit Dale is. He can barely distinguish between the West Side Highway and Grand Avenue. Carol, the weather girl, is doing the best she can with the tenor saxophone beat, but also doesn't really know what she's doing.

Tony Aless - Long Island Suite (Roost)

Any idea who released this, and to who? No, and my Alec Wilder reference books are no help. David Dempsey and Ronald Prather, the authors of Alec Wilder: A Bio-Bibliography, seem to have only a little, and incomplete, knowledge of this album, and it's not mentioned in Desmond Stone's biography, as far as I can tell. When I got the album, I assumed that JJA was one of Wilder's publishers, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I have figured out that most of these recordings came from Wilder's NPR radio series American Popular Song, which ran from 1976 to 1980. But who, and to whom, I'm not sure. I'm glad to have it, though.

Eddie Shaw - King of the Road (Rooster Blues). A never-reissued collection by the Chicago-by-way-of Mississippi blues saxophonist and singer, with tracks from 1966 to 1984. "It ain't no fun when the rabbit's got the gun."

Sun Ra - The Soul Vibrations of Man (Saturn). Recorded at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago in the mid1970s. My copy is in a plain sleeve.

Blues Rockers - Calling All Cows/Johnny Mae (Excello, 1955). I had been looking for a copy of this - I have the A side on a CD complition - and found a decent copy for four dollars in an antique store south of Atlanta on Saturday. It's bizarrely wonderful - crude urban downhome blues, if that makes any sense. Jo Jo Williams and Lazy Bill Lucas are among the Blues Rockers. "Calling All Cows" defies description, but "Johnny Mae" is a straight blues, sung by Lucas. Apparently the young lady had a taste for other bluesmen: "I saw you talking to Wolf; I saw you talking to Floyd; last night I even saw you talking to Eddie Boyd."

Alvin Alcorn - New Orleans Jazz Brunch (Sandcastle)

The Songs of Alec Wilder (JJA). A non-commercial promotional LP with a plain white sleeve, designed to demonstrate Wilder's songs. The performances, and the songs themselves, vary in quality - "Love All the Quiet Flower People" doesn't exactly rank with Mr. Wilder's best work, for example. But some of his best songs are here: "I'll Be Around," "The Winter of My Discontent," "Who Can I Turn To?," as well several good songs I haven't found anywhere else. Johnny Hartman is fabulous (of course) on "Gonna Be a Cold, Cold Day," Woody Herman contributes a wry "Baggage Room Blues," and I really like Mark Murphy's two songs, "Walkin' Sad" and especially "When Yesterday I Loved You." (Sorry, Larry.) I found this on Ebay about a decade ago, and it really increased my understanding of Wilder's music. And you know what - "Love All the Quiet Flower People" has an excellent, unusual melody and interesting changes. If only the lyrics weren't so painful....

Nice summary of his career in his Offbeat obit.

Atlanta is blessed with several good record and/or CD stores. I buy new CDs from Decatur CD, but the owner can't get some of the more esoteric stuff, so I also use various online sources - mostly Amazon, because it's easy. I tend to buy smaller labels like Emanem, Roaratorio, and Nessa directly from the owners. I make the rounds of the used stores and end up buying lots of stuff. I will buy downloads if I can't get the music any other way, but downloaded music still doesn't quite seem "real" to me.

Have a Magnificent birthday!

45 RPM jazz EPs: Illinois Jacquet and his Orchestra (Clef). 1951 recordings. Duke Ellington - The Duke's D.J. Special (Sesac Repertory). A little anonymous sounding - all the tunes had to be licensed through SESAC, so Ellington didn't write any of the material. The soloists are in great form, though. Edmond Hall (Argentinian Columbia). A fabulous little record, recorded while Hall was on a South American tour with Louis Armstrong. The Argentinian rhythm section is good, and Hall is smoking. My copy is inscribed (in pencil) by Hall to his doctor. Edmond Hall with Gustav Brom Orchestra (Supraphon). Recorded in Prague in 1960; Hall is again in excellent form. The picture I once found online seems to have disappeared.

A record I've loved since the day it was issued. Great lp. I saw them around '75. DeJohnette, Abercrombie and Holland, but I'm not sure if it was Bowie on Trumpet or not. Here's my scanned ticket. The show ended with Abercrombie's "Timeless". An incredible finale. It's hard to believe it was only three dollars. That's pretty cool! 1975 is a little early for Lester to be in the band - Alex Foster on tenor, maybe?

Curtis Fuller - Sliding Easy (United Artists). I didn't know that this album existed until this afternoon, when I found a nice promo copy. (No, my copy is not signed by Mr. Fuller, like the one in the picture.)

Around 1980 Nils Winther and his wife Mihoko were among the guests at our apartment and this session came up in discussion. Nils insisted Blakey was the drummer and I said it was Max. He challenged me to a bet and I said I would bet one of each record in my catalog against one of each in the SteepleChase catalog. He took the bet and after losing complained about the comparative size of our holdings. Mihoko made him live up the his offer and I soon had lots of SteepleChase records in house Don't believe I'da bet against Nessa.

The Birdland Stars on Tour, Vol. 1 (RCA VIctor)

My wife's out of town, and that often means a 45 RPM night. I didn't mind getting up every three minutes to change the record - as I said here before, I need the exercise. And I'll probably do it again tomorrow night, since I didn't get to any of my hardcore blues 45s. I won't otherwise try to categorize these, but everything from Willie West on is from New Orleans; all of that is produced by Allen Toussaint and features him on piano except for the last one - a game-changing New Orleans single with Milton Batiste on trumpet and Ellis Marsalis on piano. Willis Jackson - Come Back to Sorrento/On the Sunny Side of the Street (Prestige) Sonny Stitt - 'Nother Fu'ther, parts 1 & 2 (Prestige) Freddie Roach - I Know/Googa Mooga (Blue Note) Hank Marr - Easy Talk/I Remember New York (Federal) Big Al Sears - Desert Inn/Peacock Strut (Jubilee) Sonny Thompson - Juke Joint, parts 1 & 2 (Chart) Roosevelt Fountain and Pens of Rhythm - Red Pepper, parts 1 & 2 (Prince-Adams) Percy Mayfield - Memory Pain/You Don't Exist Anymore (Tangerine) Percy Mayfield - River's Invitation/Baby Please (Tangerine) James Carr - Pouring Water on a Drowning Man/Forgetting You (Goldwax) James Carr - You've Got My Mind Messed Up/That's What I Want to Know (Goldwax) Syl Johnson - Take Me to the River/Could I Be Falling in Love (Hi) Willie West - Hello Mama/Greatest Love (Deesu) Lee Dorsey - Ya Ya/Give Me You (Fury) Lee Dorsey - Get Out of My Life, Woman/So Long (Amy) Lee Dorsey - Rain Rain Go Away/Gotta Find a Job (Amy) Jesse Hill - I Got Mine/Oh Me Oh My (Minit) Bill Sinigal and the Skyliners - Second Line, parts 1 & 2 (White Cliffs)

A record I've loved since the day it was issued.

Friedrich Gulda at Birdland (RCA Victor). With a price tag from Davison-Paxon department store in downtown Atlanta. The original price was $1.98, then it was marked down to $1, later to 59 cents.

Dude's hard-core: a burning cigarette in his hand (partially cut off in this picture), one still burning in the ashtray, and three packs of Luckies on the piano.

Red Garland - Solar (Jazzland mono). I'm particular enjoying bassist Sam Jones' contributions this morning.

According to Nat Hentoff's liner notes, it's his then-fiance Betty.

Another thumbs-up for Grantstand. I foolishly sold my LP when I picked up the CD with a bonus track.