jeffcrom

Thanks for the recommendations. I just ordered several Sutton items, including the St. George Church recital mentioned by John Tapscott and Sutton's early 10" Piano Moods LP. And I should mention that his recordings of Bix Beiderbecke's piano compositions (In a Mist, Candlelight, Flashes, In the Dark), recorded in 1950 for Commodore, are just beautiful.

Edmond Hall with the Ralph Sutton Quartet - At Club Hangover (Storyville). Really excellent 1954 performances. Then Volume 2 of this: Birdland Stars on Tour (RCA Victor mono)

Which I enjoyed.

I've been familiar with Ralph Sutton for years, but somehow had him pegged as nothing that special - just a good, competent trad jazz/stride piano player. About a month ago I saw a 1975 biography of Sutton, Piano Man by James Shacter, in a used bookstore. I picked it up and started reading it a few days ago. I was struck by the high praise, bordering on awe, that musician after musician gave Sutton's playing. So I decided I'd better listen a little more carefully. I've been listening to lots of Sutton over the past few days, and I'm pretty impressed. He certainly wasn't an innovator - he's basically a follower of Fats Waller, but he definitely had his own voice. His playing seems more lyrical that Waller's, but far more muscular than Jess Stacy's, for example. His technical command of the keyboard is extremely impressive, although it's never expressed through Tatum-like runs. I was floored by his solo on "Shine," from the June 28, 1947 "This is Jazz" radio show. (It's on Volume 6 of the Jazzology "This is Jazz" series.) It's the first tune of what must have been his first-ever national radio broadcast, and he comes up with a stunning solo. Toward the end of the first 16 bars, Sutton goes into a hemiola (displaced rhythm) pattern that he carries over into the second half of the chorus. I got lost listening to it the first time, but Sutton knew right where he was, and resolves it perfectly. Sutton lived until 2001 (he was 79 when he died), and Shacter wrote an updated bio in 1994 called Loose Shooes. I have very little of Sotton's later work, but I'll certainly be checking it out.

Bob Scobey - Swingin' on the Golden Gate (RCA Victor mono). This is far from being a great jazz album, and a few of the tracks are so corny that they're downright painful. But I'm on something of a Ralph Sutton kick lately, and am going through various obscure albums Sutton plays on - unfortunately he doesn't get a lot of solo space here. But this album holds a special place in my heart - this is the record from which I learned that great Hoagy Carmichael song "New Orleans."

Happy birthday - thanks for you contributions to the jazz world.

Shit! I ordered it today. Part 2 of Sweet Earth Flying has never been released - it was not on the original LP, although presumably it was recorded.

Paying tribute to a talented writer: Pete Rugolo - Reeds in Hi-Fi (Mercury mono). I've liked this one since I found a copy seven or eight years ago. There's some beautiful writing for ten woodwind players - sometimes all ten are on saxophones. Bud Shank gets lots of solo space, and Barney Kessel and Shelly Manne are in the rhythm section.

Explain y'self! I have the album that was released in Japan way back when. It has seven cuts - I believe that the CD version that was released in the U.S. about twenty years later has twice as many tracks. Half of the LP is comprised of songs that I heard over and over and came to detest in the late 60's -"Hummingbird", "Chains and Things", "The Thrill Is Gone" (Yeah, even that one was done to death for me.) The LP version I have is way too rock oriented for my ears. The sound is nothing great and the band doesn't sound that inspired. And, in general, B.B. means less to me than he once did. That's explanation enough for me. Too bad - I'm not familiar with the album, but I've always been curious about it, since it seems to have the only recorded evidence of saxophonist Earl Turbington's tenure with King's band. Does Earl T. at least get a solo or two?

Explain y'self!

Have a good one.

I'm listening to a CD I found today, by Kokanko Sata on the Dutch Honest Jons label. It's really wonderful - traditional Malian music by a woman who plays the kamelen n'goni and sings with a rich alto voice. The CD is from 2005; she's accompanied on most tracks by various combinations of balafon, wooden flute, n'goni, guitar, and percussion. Excellent stuff!

And again.

Sonny Rollins - Stuttgart 1963 (Musicisc)

The Georgians, Vol. 2 (VJM). 1923 recordings by an interesting early jazz band. I'm particularly fascinated by the trumpeter, Frank Guarente, who was maybe the first significant jazz musician not born in the U.S. He was Italian, but moved to New Orleans as a young man. He and King Oliver became friends and exchanged trumpet lessons, and Oliver's band played Guarente's 21st birthday party in 1914. Edit: This band is not anywhere as hip as Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, but it's obvious on several tracks that part of the old man's tutelage of Guarente involved the use of the mute.

I'll echo what everyone has said about the quick delivery, and about how amazing the previously-unissued early Roscoe Mitchell CD is. But the item from my last order that floored me is Charles Tyler's Saga of the Outlaws - in part because I have been less than totally enthusiastic about Mr. Tyler's work in the past. Saga is by far the best thing I've ever heard from Tyler - thanks for issuing it and reissuing, Chuck.

One of those Okeh/Parlophone sides (I don't remember which one) has a killer trumpet solo by the underrated Joe Guy. And Fats Navarro is on "Bean and the Boys!"

Frog Joseph - Old New Orleans Dixieland (Dulai). Hate the title; love the music on this 1960's album. The front line is Jack Willis, Frog Joseph, and Louis Cottrell, and the music really flows.

Philly Joe Jones - Trailways Express (Black Lion)

Julius Hemphill - Roi Boye and the Gotham Minstrels (Sackville); record two.

Caught that band live in Chicago some 56 years ago. Cool! Now playing: Eddie Lockjaw Davis - Goin' the the Meeting (Prestige mono)

earlier today: Birdland Stars on Tour Vol. 1 (RCA Victor mono)

I've listened to this music several times now, so it's time to weigh in. As usual, I haven't read anything in this thread. 1. That’s a beautiful sound at the beginning – saxophone section with soprano voice. As American presidential candidate Herman Cain would say, "I’ve got no facts to back this up," but this sounds like a movement from a longer piece. Nice writing, in any case. 2. The tenor player’s somewhat hollow sound seems very familiar to me, but I can’t come up with who it is. The guitar playing reminds me of John Scofield’s early style. In any case, this has good post-Coltrane playing all around. And the audience really appreciates it. 3. This is the title track from the album Something More by Buster Williams. I recognized Wayne Shorter right away, but it didn’t sound like a Shorter composition, and I pretty quickly figured out where it was from. Herbie Hancock’s occasional overly pretty synth sounds annoy me, but except for that, this is excellent music. 4. Wow – nice preaching! I feel like I should know who/what this is, but I don’t. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though. 5. Two very accomplished and imaginative players, whoever they are. I like the fact that they used this take, even though the soprano player stumbled a little when he went into the upper register. Jazz ain't supposed to be perfect. 6. This is from one of my favorite Gil Evans albums – Masabumi Kikuchi and Gil Evans, recorded in Tokyo in 1972. Evans brought over two of his soloists, Hannibal Peterson and Billy Harper, and made a record with a great Japanese band. The tune is Billy Harper’s “Priestess,” featuring the composer. I love the flute writing here; there’s a passage with alto flutes, later a piccolo section, then a section with bass flutes. Presumably that’s Kikuchi playing the piano solo; I don’t know which of the two Japanese alto players contributes the excellent alto solo. The great Masahiko Togashi is one of the drummers, I believe. Great, great, great! 7. Well, the soprano sax and trumpet are never heard at the same time, which makes me think that they’re played by the same person. And that makes me think of Ira Sullivan, who is accomplished on those instruments (and more), and who seems to have an affinity for ¾ time. This is good, although I wish he would have stretched out on the saxophone a little bit. 8. One of my favorite Carla Bley tunes, “Ida Lupino.” I don’t know this recording, but it sounds like it might be Enrico Rava on trumpet and Steve Swallow on one of the basses. Don’t know the accordionist. This is a good one. 9. What an odd-sounding recording job. A slightly odd piece, too. I like the fiery trumpet solo, even if the player sounds like his in the next room. The guitar and bass solos didn’t do as much for me. Or is that second solo played a six-string bass guitar or something like that? Anyway, this was probably my least favorite selection in the BFT, although it wasn’t bad. 10. John Surman in his “English countryside” mode, it sounds like. Beautiful soprano tone, and individual, too, on an instrument on which it is difficult to get an personal sound. 11. This develops in a very interesting way. It made a lot more sense to me when I listened a second time. I’ve got no idea who it is, but I’m looking forward to finding out more about it. Good stuff - thanks for putting together this BFT.

Yet another of today's (well, yesterday's by now) LP purchases: Ruby Braff/Ellis Larkins - 2 Part Inventions in Jazz (Vanguard 10"). The cover is a little beat, but damn! The vinyl is stone mint - one of the best-sounding 10" LP's I've ever heard. Couldn't find a picture online.

Another of the day's finds: Marian McPartland - At the Hickory House (Capitol) With the great rhythm section she had at the time - Bill Crow and Joe Morello.