jeffcrom

Will this be archived for later listening?

Once I reached a certain age and the old metabolism slowed down, I basically stopped eating ice cream, although I love it. But about a month ago I drove to Augusta, Georgia, the hottest spot in Georgia north of the gnat line, and cut my nephew's grass in the 100 degree F heat. I went through all the water I brought with me, so when I was through, I stopped at a convenience store to buy a bottle of water. On the way out the door I spotted the ice cream freezer. I figured I had earned a treat, so I got this: A Magnum bar - dark chocolate over caramel around a center of vanilla ice cream. I know the circumstances had a lot to do with my reaction, but it was the most amazing thing I had ever eaten in my life.

I like this a lot, especially the first part.

Kid Howard and His New Orleans Jazz Band at Zion Hill Church: Great Spirituals (Nobility) Music of New Orleans: The Brass Bands (Jazzology). Side one, which reissues the first recording of the Olympia Brass Band, made in 1962 and issued on a 10" LP on the MONO label. Later: I just have to comment on one little moment I've always loved in that first Olympia session. The band is playing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" in slow funeral march style. At one point, the two trumpet players, Ernie Cagnolatti and Kid Sheik Colar, choose passing notes that are a half-step apart - a half step being arguably the most dissonant interval in western music. Each one plays his note loudly and sustains it for two full beats. It's so wrong and so raw, and nobody even thought of doing another take. I just love New Orleans music.

Wow - that's priceless, Chris. Thanks for that post.

That's a great one, although I have the material on a Philology "Bird's Eyes" CD.

Olympia Brass Band of New Orleans (Audiophile). New Orleans is on my mind tonight. This is the best-recorded New Orleans brass band album ever.

Kid Shiek's Storyville Ramblers - The Sheik of Araby (504). Listening to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band earlier this evening got me thinking about my first visit to the city I love about all others. In the spring of 1990, I visited Preservation Hall for the first time - Kid Sheik's band was playing. His trumpet playing was still very strong, but that's the only time I got to hear him - he retired for health reasons not long afterwards, and died in 1996. Also in the band were Jeannette Kimball, who played on some of Oscar Celestin's records back in the 1920's. She's on this album. The bass player was 90-year old Chester Zardis, whom I'd never even heard of. His big sound and great time made a big impression on me. When I got home, I found his picture in the Keepnews/Grauer Pictoral History of Jazz - a 1920 shot of the legendary Buddy Petit's band. He died three months after I heard him that night. That night changed my life - New Orleans jazz became a living thing to me, not just a sound on old records. The 504 label was something like a latter-day American Music or Icon - they documented the traditional jazz of the city in 1970's, '80's, and '90's. They're still active, but I haven't been as thrilled with their later offerings. Jeez, I haven't been to New Orleans in 16 months - that's the longest dry spell I've had since 1990. I'm going in September, come hell or high water.

I thought about driving from Atlanta to Wilmington, NC tomorrow to see them, but decided I couldn't quite swing the seven hours each way.

Played a bunch of early jazz on 78 today, starting with two vaudeville blues by Lucille Hegamin: Lucille Hegamin - I've Got the Wonder Where He Went and When He's Coming Back Blues/He May Be Your Man (Banner, 1922) Lucille Hegamin - Dinah/No Man's Mama (Cameo, 1926) Then on to a band I love, The Original Memphis Five. Each of these is backed by another band; to get the real 1920's experience I played the dance band sides on the flip as well. A couple of them are pretty good: OM5 - Struttin' Jim/Don Parker's Western Melody Boys - Wild Papa (Pathe Actuelle, 1923). Parker's band is not as hip as the OM5, but they're pretty good. OM5 - Memphis Glide/Golden Gate Orchestra (California Ramblers) - Yes! We Have No Bananas (Perfect, 1923). Not the California Ramblers' best recording, but I'm glad I have one record of this ridiculously popular song of the time. OM5 - I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate/Roy Collins' Orchestra (Ben Selvin) - Chicago (Banner, 1922). I didn't realize until thumbing through Sudhalter's Lost Chords recently that this was the first recording of "Sister Kate." It's damned good - slow and bluesy. Selvin's band is not bad, but they got better later. OM5 - I'm Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind/Majestic Dance Orchestra (Nathan Glantz) - Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (Broadway, 1922). A ridiculous pairing; I can't imagine anyone who enjoyed the OM5 finding any redeeming qualities to the Glantz side. Then a record I've had for years, but which I hadn't played for a long time: Chas. Creath's Jazz-O-Maniacs - Pleasure Mad/Market Street Blues (Okeh, 1924). Nice early St. Louis jazz. "Pleasure Mad" is a Sidney Bechet composition. I ended with the only 78 I have that has an early Louis Armstrong solo: Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - My Rose Marie/Sam Lanin's Arcadians - Some Other Day, Some Other Girl (Silvertone, 1924). Silvertone was Sears' label. Louis sounds good!

In my opinion, the answer to your next-to-last sentence is a resounding "yes" in both cases.

Son House - The Real Delta Blues (Blue Goose)

Out Came the Blues (1934-1939) (MCA). A great collection of Decca blues recordings from the Jazz Heritage Series, with better sound than most of that series.. I have a couple of these tracks elsewhere, but most of them only here.

Very interesting BFT - I love the theme. Glad I got Criss, but I'm kind of chagrined about missing some other musicians that should have been obvious. For whatever reason, it didn't sound like Charlie Byrd, it didn't sound like Horace's band, it didn't sound like Zoot. I'll have to go back and give those another listen. I remember from articles from the period that Andy Marsala was considered quite the phenom. Wonder what happened to him. And I thought Braff was Sweets, too. Thanks for a swinging BFT.

In the interests of full disclosure: George Shearing - Shearing in Hi-Fi (MGM). I've expressed my reservations about George Shearing here, but I do listen to him sometimes, particularly those albums with Gary Burton in the band. And tonight I was in the mood for something kind of undemanding. About half of this 1953-54 album went too far in that direction, but about half the cuts had nice solos by Cal Tjader, Toots Thielemans, and Shearing himself. And the cover's pretty cool.

Black California (Savoy). Side two - the Roy Porter big band, with Art Farmer, Eric Dolphy, and Jimmy Knepper.

Charlie Parker - Yardbird in Lotus Land (Spotlite). 1945-46 California recordings.

I particularly liked that detail.

I'm sure chewy knows the difference between the Bettles and the Rooling Stoans.

Don't even know where to start with this one.

Coleman Hawkins - Accent on Tenor (Urania). My copy is in fake stereo, but it sounds pretty good with a mono cartridge.

Gil Evans - Priestess (Antilles) Later: Damn! Did Lew Soloff ever play better than on the title cut?

Frank Sinatra/Duke Ellington - Francis A. & Edward K. (Reprise). A nice enough album, but it should have been a great one. Only one Ellington tune, and it's far from his best. It's nice to hear Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, and Paul Gonsalves playing the solos on a Sinatra record, though.

This album consists of 38 of my absolutely most favorite minutes of music ever recorded - any style. If I could only keep 10 albums, this might be one.

I know that these kind of "hybrid" pressings are common on Sun Ra's Saturn label (I've got one), but the one you've got on a major-ish label has got to be a rarity.