jeffcrom

Started out with some Southeastern "territory" swing bands: Dean Hudson -You're Gone/Blitzkrieg (Okeh, 1941). Dean Hudson was still leading a big band in Atlanta in the 1980's. Hod Williams - Old King Cole/Monopoly Swing (Bluebird, 1937) Hod Williams - The Big Apple/Shades of Hades (Bluebird, 1937). A North Carolina big band; they recorded 10 sides for Bluebird in Charlotte in 1937. Not bad. On to a semi-famous, but little-recorded band: International Sweethearts of Rhythm - Jump Children/Slightly Frantic (Guild, 1946). These ladies swing hard! Great tenor solo on side two; it doesn't seem right to call it "virile" or "ballsy." Ended up with Illinois Jacquet: She's Funny That Way/12 Minutes to Go (Apollo, 1946). With Joe Newman & Trummy Young. All of Me/Pastel (Mercury, 1951). Carl Perkins on piano. The Cool Rage/Lean Baby (Mercury, 1952). This is the less common take of "Lean Baby" - another advantage of being an insane 78 collector. Now I'm going to go play a gig in a cemetery.

Nice! Not one I've come across before. Bill Holman charts, I believe. Holman, Willie Maiden, Slide Hampton, and Don Sebesky all contributed charts. I bought this one a few years ago at the behest of a friend of mine who plays euphonium. He had been told that Ferguson plays some solos on that instrument on this album - turns out there's one such solo. I haunt so many used record stores that I figured I would come across a copy sooner or later. I found one pretty quickly and burned a CD for my pal. Later: Erroll Garner - Campus Concert (MGM). Don't listen to Mr. Garner much, but enjoy a taste every once in a while.

No - Leonard Ware was an east coaster; the guy that played with Bird is Efferge Ware, from K.C.

Maynard Ferguson - Swinging My Way Through College (Roulette). Some pretty good charts, mostly on standards.

Woody Shaw - Love Dance (Muse)

I agree. I pull that book off my shelf every six months or so. When I've read so much that his blind spots start to infuriate me, I put it back. But he's such a great writer that he's worth reading even when he's wrong - which is often.

Finkelstein helped get me into jazz when I read it in 1957 at the age of 17. Marxist interpretation of African American history, as far as I recall. Yeah, there's some of that, which I don't pay too much attention to. I'm more impressed with his musical insights.

A little off topic, but Kinuta's post reminded me that when I visited Japan a few years ago, I was fascinated by the soft drink machines that seemed to be everywhere. And of course, I didn't recognize anything except Coca-Cola. So I developed a soda gambling habit. A couple of times a day I would stop at a drink machine, put in my 100 yen, and press a button at random. Some of what came out was pretty grim, but on the day before I returned home, I discovered a wonderful melon soda that came in a little round bottle. I made sure to get one more bottle at the train station on my way out the next morning.

I second Larry's endorsement of Modern Jazz: The Essential Records. I would add Max Harrison's A Jazz Retrospect, which was a very important book for me, and one from which I'm still learning. I also wanted to mention a somewhat strange choice, but it's one of my favorite books on jazz: Jazz: A People's Music by Sidney Finkelstein, published in 1948. It's a little dated, but for the most part holds up very well. Finkelstein has some remarkable insights.

Dislike.

Happy birthday, and thanks for midwifing all that great music.

Spinal Tap - Smell the Glove

My Divine Gemini LP is pretty noisy, too. She's going to her 30th high school reunion in Crete next month - without me! I'm a little bummed out; I wanted to eat a couple of runzas. Well, thank you, but I didn't feel like I had a whole lot interesting to say. But I enjoyed the BFT, and I hope you have enjoyed presenting it.

I'm in for a download.

Fred Jackson - Hootin' 'n Tootin' (BN/Acoustic 45 RPM reissue)

I ordered it from a local brick-and-mortar store; they don't have it yet.

I'm sure I've mentioned all of these in the past, but here's where I was mentally/emotionally between 12:30 and 1:00 this morning: Piron's New Orleans Orchestra - Mamma's Gone, Good-bye/New Orleans Wiggle (Victor, 1923) Sara Martin, piano accomp. by T. Waller - You Got Everything a Sweet Mama Needs But Me/'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do (Okeh, 1922) Sara Martin, piano accomp. by T. Waller - Last Go Round Blues/Mama's Got the Blues (Okeh, 1922) Benny Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - Moten Stomp/Clifford Hayes' Louisville Stompers - Blue Guitar Stomp (Victor, 1927) Tommy McClennan - She's Just Good Huggin' Size/My Little Girl (Bluebird, 1941)

This is a very interesting BFT. There was nothing that I really disliked, although only a few tracks got to me enough to want to explore further. Even though it's getting late in the month, I haven't looked at this thread yet, although as soon as I post this I'm going to see if I can find out what #11 is - it's killing me. 1. Sounds like Abdullah Ibrahim to me. The trumpet player made me nervous until he settled down to play the melody. I’ve listened to this track several times, and I think how the trumpet player strikes me depends on my mood. He’s getting on my nerves this morning. The drummer is outstanding. Mixed feelings about this one. 2. This is pretty interesting – music which limits itself to a small range of gestures for much of its length. It almost gets tedious, but not quite – the musicians expand their palette at just the right time. No idea who it is, but I appreciate the effort to create something beyond just free-jazz blowing. 3. It’s Walt Dickerson and Richard Davis, playing “Divine Gemini,” I think, but it’s a take which is not on my vinyl copy. This is really beautiful; these guys are masters. If you held a gun to my head and forced me to name my favorite bassist, it would probably be Davis. I wish I could remember where I read that he was also Stravinsky’s favorite bassist. Anyway, this is a gorgeous track. 4. Very nice; I thought it was going to be “There is No Greater Love” for a few seconds there. I like the fact that this is all ensemble – no solos. Good interaction here. The clarinetist sounds like Don Byron at times, but only sporadically, so it’s probably not him. 5. More very interesting music. Excellent Rudd-ish trombone, although I don’t think it’s Roswell Rudd. The piece hangs together very well, even with all the changes of mood and texture. I thought of the ICP Orchestra, but I don’t really know who it is. 6. A tribute to one of my heroes. This is Steve Lacy’s composition “Duck,” aka “Swiss Duck,” “Japanese Duck,” and “The New Duck.” I don’t know who’s playing it, but I like it – they are playing “Duck,” not just playing free. Excellent. 7. Wow – you found the Buddy Bolden cylinder! Well, it’s a tune associated with him, anyway. Based on the three or so times I’ve played this, I like the bassist better than the trumpeter in this brief performance. Nice enough, in any case. 8. Early 1970’s atmosphere. Very nice, for what it is; I just don’t know what it is. Good players using a lot of restraint. 9. Not the usual kind of thing I listen to, but again, very nice for what it is. The guitarist (if that’s a guitar) reminds me of early John Abercrombie. Beyond that, I have nothing intelligent to say about this. 10. Sounds like Paul Motian on drums, and like the general feel of one of his albums, but I don’t recognize anyone except Motian (if I’m right about him). Thoughtful playing with good listening going on, but at about this point in the BFT I found myself wishing for something to swing hard. 11. This one drove me crazy. I think it’s a post-modern adaptation of some jazz-age “classical” piece. I thought it sounded like something by James P. Johnson, but going through my James P. records and CDs didn’t provide a match. I then realized that the blues melody is very similar to the first theme of William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony, but it’s not quite the same, and the rest of the piece doesn’t seem to be the same. I’m giving up on trying to figure out what it is, but I’m intrigued. 12. I like the original Blind Blake recording. This is an accomplished rendition, but I doubt I would ever play it as long as Blake’s version was available. (Okay, just as was writing that last sentence, the piano played some really cool stuff in the last few choruses. It’s worth the trip just for that passage.) 13. Jeez – how cliché – a jazz French hornist playing a reggae-flavored version of “Happy Trails.” That’s so overdone. Seriously, this is pretty cool. Great horn player – uses the full range of the horn. Very creative, and a fun way to end a BFT. Thanks for the interesting BFT. I feel like I know you better now.

Captain John Handy with Kid Sheik's Storyville Ramblers - New Orleans and the Blues (RCA Victor stereo). The second of Captain John's two RCA albums, with a half New Orleans/half New England and Old England band

Paul Bley - The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show (Milestone) Dixie Dregs - Dregs of the Earth (Arista). Southern-fried instrumental prog rock, if you can imagine such a thing.

Okay, enough heavy music tonight. Now spinning one of those great Bobby Hackett bachelor-pad records from the 1960's: Bobby Hackett Plays the Great Music of Henry Mancini (Epic stereo).

Watazumi Doso - The Mysterious Sounds of the Japanese Bamboo Flute (Everest). I hate the English title this album has been given, but it's a stunning recital by the Zen master, hocchiku flutist, and teacher of Steve Lacy

Early big bands today: King Oliver - Stingaree Blues/Shake It and Break It (Bluebird, 1930; 1938-43 pressing) Fletcher Henderson - My Rose Marie (Silvertone, 1924); With the Louis Armstrong solo mentioned above. I didn't need to hear the flip side by Sam Lanin again. McKinney's Cotton Pickers - Milenberg Joys/Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble (Victor, 1928) McKinney's Cotton Pickers - Hullabaloo/Baby Won't You Please Come Home (Victor, 1930); I don't have any of these McKinney takes on CD or LP. California Ramblers - Sittin' In a Corner/Tell All the Folks in Kentucky (Perfect, 1923); as "Golden Gate Orchestra." California Ramblers - That Old Gang of Mine (Columbia, 1923); the flip side is by The Columbians, the label's anonymous house dance band. California Ramblers - California, Here I Come/Cover Me Up With the Sunshine of Virginia (Columbia, 1924). The Ramblers knew what they had in bass saxophonist Adrian Rollini; he gets a solo, or at least some hot breaks, on almost every one of these sides. Stating the obvious, but I just love 78s.

Pretty Baby soundtrack (ABC). This is one of my favorite New Orleans jazz albums of the 1970's, with Kid Thomas Valentine, Raymond Burke, Louis Nelson, The New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, Louis Cottrell, and even a vocal by James Booker on "Whinin' Boy Blues." Never issued on CD, as far as I know.

Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre - Humility In the Light of the Creator (Delmark). Hank Marr - Greasy Spoon (King)