jeffcrom

Masahiko Togashi - Guild for Human Music (Denon)

Tyrone Washington - Natural Essence (BN Liberty)

Well, I've been trying to get us a gig at the Piney Woods Shopping Center, but their standards are too high.

Hard to tell - there's always at least one or two at the bar.

For what it's worth, the sound of the Goodman tracks didn't bother me on first hearing. Listening again, and comparing tracks I have on other issues, I hear what Allen is talking about, but the sound certainly doesn't strike me as unlistenable. That being said, after reading Sunenblick's email, I'm certainly not inclined to explore the Uptown catalog more than I already have. There were several items I was on the fence about - I've now been pushed over to the side of "no sale." I mean, jeez, I don't like to be criticized either, but I believe that I would have bitched to my wife over dinner about Allen, not sent off such a nasty diatribe and then allowed it to be published. And Allen, you're showing remarkable restraint in your interpretation of the Lownstein bit. It certainly seemed intended as an ethnic slur to me.

The Jeff Crompton Quartet hasn't been active for about six months, but we have two performances coming up, for those in or near the Atlanta area: Wednesday, August 31 (9:00 PM) at the Music Room below Pizzaria Vesuvius, 327 Edgewood Avenue in the Old 4th Ward. There is a Facebook event page here. Our regular bassist won't be there, but we'll have a more than adequate sub in Chris Riggenbach, formerly of the Gold Sparkle Band. Saturday, October 1 (9:00 PM) at Kavarna, 707B East Lake Drive, Decatur, in the Oakhurst neighborhood. We play free jazz that (mostly) swings/grooves, and we'll be playing mostly my compositions, with maybe a little Ornette or Monk. On both of these gigs we'll be joined by the Hidden Noise Ensemble, a very fine guitar/percussion duo. Our kind of jazz is definitely a minority interest in Atlanta, but if you're in the area and this sounds interesting to you, please come out and support us. And see my updated website for all your Jeff Crompton needs. I've finally added the downloadable archive tracks that were on my old website before it died.

Kid Howard - Sam Morgan Re-Visited (sic) (Jazzology). Kid Howard and an eight-piece band (with two trumpets and two reeds) from the early 1960's cover half a dozen of Sam Morgan's old tunes. Two musicians (Jim Robinson and Andrew Morgan) who were on the original Morgan recordings are on hand, as are several who played with Morgan, but weren't on the 1920's records. Net result: these are some of the hottest, most intense New Orleans recordings I've ever heard; Captain John Handy's contributions are equal to his best work. The session wasn't long enough for a 12" LP, so they're augmented by four tracks by Kid Thomas and his Algiers Stompers. And this record means a lot to me personally; I bought it at Preservation Hall on my very first visit to New Orleans. The Kid Howard/Sam Morgan session is now available on an American Music CD, for those who are interested.

Ornette Coleman - Friends and Neighbors (Flying Dutchman). If I had ever noticed that "Forgotten Songs" is the same tune as "What Is the Name of That Song?" from Of Human Feelings, I had forgotten.

Sunny Murray - An Even Break (BYG)

I don't know what I'd say if I thought about it, but the first name that popped into my head when I read this was Sidney Bechet, much to my surprise.

If I didn't already have it, I would have snatched it up for the original price.

Lord Kitchener - Kitch '67 (Trinidadian RCA) "Take You' Meat Out My Rice...."

John Coltrane - Live Trane: The European Concerts (Pablo). Disc one, with the great Stockholm 1961 sets with Eric Dolphy. To get personal for a minute, I still remember finding a record store in Atlanta (back in 1979 or '80) that had a very hip jazz buyer - my jaw dropped while looking through the stacks. They had records I had only read about. My first two purchases were Andrew Hill's Point of Departure and an Affinity LP with one of the Coltrane Stockholm sets I'm listening to now.

Sun Ra - Unity (Horo)

Bebop time: Dizzy Gillespie - I Can't Get Started/Good Bait (Columbia). A 1948 reissue of the first two sides he recorded as leader, for Manor in 1945. I've heard these sides many times on LP, but they sure sound good on this 78. Interestingly, the catalog number reveals that these were issued in Columbia's "race" series. Charlie Ventura - Moon Nocture, parts 1 & 2 (National, 1946). A big band; some nice Neal Hefti on side two. Charlie Ventura - Synthesis/Blue Champagne (National, 1947). A sextet with Charlie Shavers and Bill Harris. Billy Eckstine Orchestra - Cool Breeze/You're My Everything (National, 1946) Billy Eckstine Orchestra - It Ain't Like That No More/I've Got to Pass Your House to Get to My House (National, 1945/46). All the Eckstine sides are on the Savoy Legendary Big Band 2-CD set, except for "I've Got to Pass Your House." No great loss - no solos there. National sure pressed some crappy records, though.

At the Village Vanguard is not a good one, it's post-stroke. Mayan Temples is the one to get first from that era--well performed and recorded, and including just about every aspect of his playing. Okay, I stand corrected. When I made my "every album is worthwhile" statement, I had forgotten about At the Village Vanguard. Not very worthwhile. Destination Unknown on Enja is also post-stroke, and it's much better, in spite of the fact that John Gilmore was sick and didn't make that tour. But yeah, Mayan Temples is the one to get from the 90's.

That's the way I've always seen them. I'm somewhat arbitrarily voting for New York is Now, partially because I like the Croydon concert with Izenzon and Moffett even more than the Golden Circle performances.

I bought the Charly Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson sets years ago, and it never even occurred to me that they may not be legit. There was a period in my life when I listened to Wolf almost daily.

Congratulations! I'm glad Maine got it right. And the new album really is something special.

I think maybe I've done something like this before, so apologies: Mercury Morris Venus Williams Mars Williams

Archie Shepp - Coral Rock (Prestige) Sun Ra - A Fireside Chat With Lucifer (Saturn)

Okay, except for a humorous response, I was not going to add anything else to this thread. But now I've got to. I also would not put Ra in the pantheon of the greats you listed. His music is not at the Louis Armstrong/Charlie Parker, pinnacle-of-jazz-achievement level. But I rate him at just below that level. I hereby repeat my statement, and I fully stand by it: "The thing is, every Sun Ra album is different, and every one I've heard is worthwhile." Notice that I do not claim to have heard every Sun Ra album. I haven't bought any of the massive live box sets that have come out in recent years, partly because I have so much Ra already. I just did a quick count; I've got 23 LPs (10 of them original Saturns) and 52 CDs, counting two-LP or two-CD sets as one. And every one of them is different, and every one is worthwhile! Some of the points made above are totally accurate - many of these albums have forgettable passages, or segments that don't work due to the lack of the visual element. And when I say that every album is different, I don't mean in every respect. Listen to a dozen live albums and you'll get the "Space Chants Medley" over and over again. But each album has something about it that's different from any other Ra album. And every one has at least one of what Gil Evans called "the magic moment." I totally understand where you're coming from, though. Sunny's music is flawed, sloppy, inconsistent, sometimes maddening. But there's something magic about it that transcends all of that. Our friend John Litweiler said something in The Freedom Principle that has stuck with me since I read the book 25 years ago: "Be warned: Sun Ra is a prophet, and you mock or scoff at him at your peril." I love that. And it seems about right to me - Ra was a prophet, with all that implies: he was a mixture of self-delusion, bullshit, showmanship, and sometimes an insight beyond what most of us can conceive. I can't hear "The Magic City" or "A Fireside Chat With Lucifer" without thinking that Sun Ra had a handle on something special. And for what it's worth, I'm the least mystical person you'll ever meet, except when it comes to musical matters. Again, I understand if someone doesn't "get" Ra, or doesn't care to enter his world. But if you enter that world, you open yourself to some magical experiences. The thing is, every Sun Ra album is different, and every one I've heard is worthwhile.

The thing I've always liked best about those early Durante New Orleans Jazz Band recordings is the presence of Creole clarinetist Achille Baquet - these sides represent his major appearance on records. He was the brother of the more famous clarinetist George Baquet, who recorded with Jelly Roll Morton. It's an amusing comment on racial identity that of these two brothers, both of mixed African and European heritage, Achille decided to be white and George decided to be black. On at least one occasion, Durante felt compelled to defend himself against "accusations" that his clarinet player was black.

The Fabulous Banjo of Danny Barker (Period). A not-particularly-profound late 50's album, with Joe Muranyi, Don Frye, Wellman Braud, and Walter Johnson. Danny's music always makes me feel better.

Sun Ra - Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vol. 1 (Recommended). I picked up Recommended's beautifully produced 45 RPM reissue of the original Shandar album about 30 years ago. "The Cosmic Explorer," the synth/organ improvisation that takes up all of side two, is monumental.