jeffcrom

George Shearing - Rare Form! (Capitol)

Ornette Coleman - Who's Crazy (Affinity). Disc two.

Dave Brubeck - My Favorite Things (Columbia 2-eye stereo)

This evening I walked from my house in Atlanta to a park about a third of a mile away to attend a free concert by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. (How cool is that?) The DDBB has gone through a lot of changes over the years, but I was tickled that, out of a seven-piece band, four of the guys on stage tonight were founding members, included Kirk Joseph, my second-favorite tuba player.* For once, I was glad I didn't have a gig on Saturday night. The Dirty Dozen were the cherry on top of a really nice day - barbecue, quality time with my wife, great music, and now some really nice beer. *My favorite is Mr. Joseph's fellow New Orleanian Matt Perrine.

Jack DeJohnette - Special Edition (ECM). An old favorite - made a big impact on me when it came out. I hadn't spun it for awhile - still sounds pretty good.

A kind of minor example, maybe, but based on some recent listening - Jodie Christian.

That's pretty funny. It should be "Mose Allison Plays and Sings Cynical Songs for Lovers Who Are About to Break Up."

Duke Ellington - Happy Reunion (Doctor Jazz). Beautiful small-group Ellington, 1957/58.

Dwight Andrews - Mmotia-The Little People (Otic). Thanks, vinyltim!

Records arrived today - I'm enjoying the Dwight Andrews right now. Thanks!

Pee Wee Russell - Plays Pee Wee (Stere-o-Craft)

Heritage Hall Jazz Band (GNP Crescendo). After thinking about Louis Cottrell, I wanted to hear some of his music that I hadn't heard for awhile. This 1973 album is not tremendously exciting, but Alvin Alcorn, Frog Joseph, and Cottrell make an elegant front line. I didn't visit New Orleans for the first time until 1990, but managed to hear two of these musicians - trombonist Frog Joseph and pianist Walter Lewis. Lewis was just shy of his 82nd birthday when I heard him at Preservation Hall in 2000; he was blind by that point, and his abilities were pretty limited. He sounds pretty good on this album. I'm glad I got to hear him in person.

Jimmie Lunceford Decca - disc 7

Ken Colyer - Club Session With Colyer (London). Sometimes, when I'm thinking about putting on a Ken Colyer album, a little voice in my head asks, "Why are you about to play a Ken Colyer album? Wouldn't you rather hear an album of actual New Orleans musicians?" Then I play the album, and the voice disappears within 30 seconds. Colyer and his bands always sounded so good that I don't care if they didn't invent the style they were playing.

Teo Macero/Bob Prince - What's New (Columbia 6-eye mono). I've had this third stream album for years, but never enjoyed it as much as I did tonight. It's complex, intelligent, and mostly swings. Re: another thread - there are some excellent vintage 1956 Phil Woods solos on the Bob Prince side.

Bill Jennings with Jack McDuff - Glide On (Prestige/Status mono). A typical Prestige hybrid, with a yellow-and-black Prestige labels and a Status cover. Liner notes are by some guy named Chris Alberston. I'd like to know the history of my copy - there's a handwritten notation on the back: "Taped 1.39 Goldblatts." Burt?

Another spin. I'll add that the session was recorded in 1966, that the liner notes recount the bureaucratic and racist bullshit the producer (Leonard Brackett) encountered while trying to find a place to record, and that my album claims to be stereo, but it's not.

Earlier today: Al Grey with Billy Mitchell - Night Song (Argo mono)

Paul Gayten & Annie Laurie - Creole Gal (Route 66) As I was listening to this great New Orleans R & B, 1947-57, I realized, to my amazement, that I have played with one of the guys on some of the 1949 tracks here - the great Crescent City bassist Peter "Chuck" Badie.

Another spin of this great little record.

Great picture. And I don't want to get too maudlin, but thanks to you all for your contributions to our culture.

George Girard - Stompin' at the Famous Door (Vik) I've mentioned my love of George Girard's music here before, but I'll bet that a lot of folks don't know anything about him. He was a fiery New Orleans dixieland trumpeter whose short career was spent entirely in the Crescent City. He first recorded at the age of 19 with drummer Phil Zito's band for Columbia in 1949; Pete Fountain was also in the band. The next year, he and Fountain formed the Basin Street Six, an excellent little group, although they did occasionally venture into corny "novelty" territory. Girard made some very strong recordings in the 1950s, for Imperial, Vik, Southland, and Good Time Jazz, often with the great New Orleans clarinetist Harry Shields in the band. Girard's style was in the New Orleans trumpet tradition, but I also hear a strong Bunny Berigan influence. He had a big fat sound in the low register and flawless technique. Late in his short life he got a weekly CBS radio broadcast from the Famous Door, and he seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough to a larger, national audience. But he became ill, and died of cancer at the age of 26.

Continuing with the Crown label: Coleman Hawkins (Crown mono)

One for chewy: Members of the Count Basie Orchestra with B.B. King, guest vocalist - Music Composed by Count Basie and Others (Crown)

New York Contemporary Five - Consequences (Japanese Fontana)