jeffcrom

Jack Casady Grace Slick Soapy Sam Wilberforce

No - I know Heartsman's name but I've never heard anything he did. Chicago guitarist, wasn't he? MG No, he was a Californian - part of the Oakland scene. He was bluesman Al King's guitarist in the 1960s - that's west coast Al King, not the Stax artist Albert King. And Heartsman made a nice album for Alligator in 1991. But I just thought you might know "Johnny's House Party" if anyone here would - it was on the R & B charts in 1957, and it's just a really fun record. Oh, then I may have him on an Al King 45 - Think twice before you speak, which came out in the US on Flag. Would Heartsman have done the guitar solo, or King? MG That's a great record - I have the Sahara issue. (King leased his Flag recordings to Sahara.) Check out the composer credit on the flip side, "The Winner," and I think you'll have your answer.* Plus, King was "just" a singer; as far as I know, he didn't play guitar professionally. *For those of you without access to the single, yes, Johnny Heartsman wrote it, and plays guitar on both sides.

No - I know Heartsman's name but I've never heard anything he did. Chicago guitarist, wasn't he? MG No, he was a Californian - part of the Oakland scene. He was bluesman Al King's guitarist in the 1960s - that's west coast Al King, not the Stax artist Albert King. And Heartsman made a nice album for Alligator in 1991. But I just thought you might know "Johnny's House Party" if anyone here would - it was on the R & B charts in 1957, and it's just a really fun record.

Probably not - this has been precipitated because Martin Davidson is moving to Spain. Sales from both labels have been in constant slow decline. Good news: I just got an email from Mr. Davidson, who is already living in Spain. He confirms that psi has stopped production, although he has stock of most titles. But Emanem will continue, although the production of new releases will slow down.

Jim Morrison Diana Dors Marilyn Monroe

I've got some nice early ragtime records, and played a bunch of them today. In some cases I played the non-ragtime flip side to keep the flavor of the release. Victor Military Band - Some Smoke/Leg of Mutton (Victor, 1913) Victor Military Band - Too Much Mustard/Gertrude Hoffman Glide (Victor, 1913) Arthur Pryor's Band - That Flying Rag/Ramshackle Rag (Victor, 1911) Vess Ossman - Creole Belles (Monarch [Victor] one-sided, 1902) ! Hager's Orchestra - Creole Belles (Zonophone one-sided 9", 1900-01) !! Sousa's Band - Creole Belles/Hiawatha Two-Step (Victor, 1912) Fred Van Eps - A Rag-time Episode/Arthur Collins - I'll Lend You Everything I've Got Except My Wife (Victor, 1911) Victor Orchestra - Black and White Rag/Herbert L. Clarke & Darius Lyons - The Land of the Swallows (Victor, 1909) Ossman-Dudley Trio - St. Louis Tickle/Vess Ossman - A Gay Gosson (Victor, 1905/6) The two most interesting records are right in the middle. The Ossman and Hager versions of "Creole Belles" are both introduced by an announcer - a holdover from cylinder records. The Ossman is a slightly later pressing, from around 1905 or so, but the Zonophone is my second-oldest record, pressed in 1900 or 1901, and presumably recorded around that time. It's slightly magical to me that I can hold a record from those early days of recording in my hands, and actually play it.

Sonny Rollins Complete Prestige. Woke up this morning with "Mambo Bounce" running through my head - definitely the first time that's ever happened - so today I spun that session (Rollins' first as leader), along with the Miles session with Rollins and Bird on tenors and the "Movin' Out" session. I thoroughly enjoyed it all, even if Sonny's greatest achievements were still in the future. I was going a little crazy trying to identify the obscure-yet-familiar chord changes on which Rollins based "Movin' Out," but then Sonny played a quote from "Chinatown, My Chinatown" and I got it.

I am requesting sympathy for my oh-so-first-world problem: no LPs for me for seven to ten days. The right channel of my amp went out last night, and that's how long it's going to take to have it repaired. I can listen to CDs (with headphones only), my iPod, and 78s. But I already miss my LPs. Boo-hoo.

Cool! Congrats to your son.

I wish I lived in a city where you could walk into a store and find a mono Fusion, very nice. I have jokingly told the owner of this particular store that, whenever I got the sudden urge to have a particular obscure album, I can walk into his store and there's a 90% chance he'll have it. Even so, I was kind of shocked to find Fusion on the shelves.

Since reading this thread and finding out about the track missing from the ECM issue, I've had a case of Record Collectors' Discontent. I was cured when I found an original mono copy of Fusion in an Atlanta record store a couple of days ago. Since this version of the Giuffre 3 is one of my favorite ensembles, I'm glad to have "Used to Be" - just listened and digitized.

Cool! The Ellington album is one of my favorites; The Queen's Suite, from 1959, has some of Ellington's best writing. The Uwis Suite is an excellent late work, from 1972. The Goutelas Suite is more of a sketch than a fully finished work, but it has its moments.

The 1954 Helen Merrill album (the one with Clifford Brown) from the complete Mercury box set. Am I the only one who forgot that there's a full-chorus Oscar Pettiford cello solo on "Falling in Love With Love?" Pretty cool.

Happy Birthday!

Wasn't quite ready to put the old dust cover on the 78 turntable, so I spun a couple of late 78 issues, both great R & B instrumentals from 1957: Lee Allen - Walkin' with Mr. Lee/Promenade (Ember). What a great New Orleans band, with Allen Toussaint, Edgar Blanchard, and Charles "Hungry" Williams. Johnny Heartsman - Johnny's House Party, parts 1 & 2 (Music City). A blast, by the incredibly talented Mr. Heartsman, who played organ and flute as well as he did guitar. Do you know this record, Magnificent Goldberg?

I found seven Hank Williams 78s for a buck apiece at an estate sale this past weekend. That led me to play some post-war country; I won't list all the Hanks, but I also played: Jimmy Swan and His Range Riders - I Love You Too Much/Triflin' on Me (Trumpet, 1951) Tag Williams - One-Sided Love/Sweetheart I Wouldn't Change a Thing (Trumpet, 1952) Delmore Brothers - Pan American Boogie/Troubles Ain't Nothing But the Blues (King, 1949) Merle Travis - Sweet Temptation/So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed (Capitol, 1946 or so) All of Trumpet's blues and gospel recordings have been reissued, but the country sides are harder to find. Jimmy Swan is excellent; Tag Williams less so. Trumpet owner Lillian McMurry was pretty tough and knew what she wanted. (I saw/heard her speak at an informational session about the Trumpet label back in the 1990s.) I can't resist quoting one of her letters to Lucky Joe Almond, another of her country artists, after she listened to his latest recordings: "We are very disappointed in your slow tunes.... Instead of blasting so loud on the high notes, why don't you soften up on your voice? Try singing your slow tunes soft, like your girl was standing right beside you, instead of shouting at her across the cow pasture."

Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 9 (Verve). Found a nice copy of this three-record box, from the 1953 Carnegie Hall show, a few days ago.

That is amazing - and sad. I don't think I ever realized that the earthquake destroyed so much of the city.

Bunky Green - Testifyin' Time (Argo mono)

Five sides by the Original Indiana Five, all from late 1926 or 1927: The Chant/Stockholm Stomp (Harmony) One Sweet Letter From You/Play It Red (Harmony) My Melancholy Baby (Banner) (Flip side is by Mike Markel's dance band.) I really enjoyed these. The Original Indiana Five (who were from New York, not Indiana) stylistically resemble the Original Memphis Five. They weren't the equal of the OM5, but they were good.

Again with the 10" LPs! Jamming at Rudi's, Vol. 2 (Circle 10"). Not the greatest jazz album ever recorded, but still kind of miraculous. 25 minutes or so of "mainstream" jazz recorded in Rudi Blesh's apartment in 1951, with Hot Lips Page, Tyree Glenn, Paul Quinichette, Kenny Kersey, Walter Page, Sonny Greer, and some rare electric guitar work by Danny Barker.

Charlie Mariano - Modern Saxaphone Stylings (sic) (Imperial 10"). In a 10" LP mood, i guess. This is pretty wonderful, with Herb Pomeroy and Jaki Byard, circa 1950-51.

I haven't been to New York in years, but I've had the urge recently. I'll let you know when it happens, and you can feed me!

Duke of Iron - Trinidad's Greatest Calypso Singer (Monogram 10"). My Monogram record has the same cover art as this Virgin isle issue.

Webbcity, it looks like it was a great BFT, and I apologize for not participating. The past two months have busy - by my standards, anyway. And I think maybe I just needed a break from the BFT for a couple of months. Unusually, I have over half of your BFT tracks on my shelves - it would have been interesting to see how many of them I could have figured out.