jeffcrom

Michael J. Smith - Elvira Madigan... And Other Dances (Horo); record one. A strange one, but then again, Michael is strange. I had forgotten that side one starts with an explosion of sound, followed by two minutes of silence before Michael plays another note.

Well, I want to be in a band that plays "Mornin' Fast Train From Memphis to Harlem," which this box revealed was the original title (and conception) of what ended up as "Shhh/Peaceful." In its original form, the piece had not one, but two composed melodies, which were left on the cutting room floor when the album came out in 1969. I prefer that original conception to the way it ended up being edited on "In a Silent Way." And yes, "Splash" and "Splashdown" kick butt, especially the former.

I never enjoyed Byrd's playing overmuch, but I decided to put in Transition Sessions the other day and was really impressed. His playing on "Crazy Rhythm" was dazzling. Maybe I need to listen harder. I really like his work in the 1960's, but he sounds really unformed on The Young Bloods.

Phil Woods - Song for Sisyphus (Century) A really nice-sounding direct-to-disc recording.

Charles Mingus - Tijuana Moods, in a cheap 1979 Camden reissue. It's not even given the correct title - it's called Mexican Moods. But it sounds pretty good.

Jimmy Smith - Open House (BN Liberty)

It's made a big difference. The mono sound seems more focused to me, but the biggest improvement in using the mono cartridge comes with playing records that are in less than pristine condition - which means many of my old mono records. The surface noise and pops no longer come at me from two stereo channels; they're folded into the overall sound much less obtrusively. And of course, those few "fake stereo" records I have are now listenable. I have noticed that my mono cartridge doesn't have as much gain (if that's the right term) as my stereo cartridge. I have to crank the volume higher when I'm playing mono records. Due to my inherent laziness, I tend to leave one headshell/cartridge on for several days at a time. If the mono cartridge is on, I play only mono records for a few days. That's really kind of ridiculous, though, because I've gotten to the point where I can change the headshell and adjust the tracking force in 45 seconds. Anyway, I like having two cartridges and headshells so much that I wonder why I didn't do it years ago.

The Young Bloods, from the Donald Byrd 70's two-fer House of Byrd (Prestige). Byrd sounds really young here. Max Roach - Lift Every Voice and Sing (Atlantic). Inspired to pull this off the shelf by another thread. It's pretty powerful. As Jim indicated in that thread, Billy Harper is only featured on two tracks, but he sure plays great on those two.

Happy, happy!

Frank Lowe Orchestra - Lowe and Behold (Musicworks). A 1977 album by an 11-piece group, with Butch Morris, Billy Bang, John Zorn, and John Lindberg, among others.

I love this album - the title is self-explanatory, and the performances are idiomatic without being overtly of the "original instruments" school. This Samuil Feinberg collection is half Bach and half Mozart. The Bach pieces (all originally for organ) are all "wrong" - they're interpreted with a romanticism which would probably have horrified Herr Bach. But they're just beautiful. There are two versions of Chorale Prelude BWV 662, "Allein Gott in der Hoh, sei Ehr," one from 1952 and one from 1962, literally days before Feinberg died. The later version is three minutes longer - Feinberg lingers over every phrase and cadence, as if he's trying to squeeze every bit of beauty from the piece while he still can. It's heart-wrenching; it's possibly my single favorite recorded performance of a Bach piece.

"Long Hard Journey Home" by The Radiators, from New Dark Ages. (Apologies to all the uninterested parties about my current Radiators obsession.) This song is simultaneously sweet, sad, and very funky, with a swampy New Orleans groove. It's Ed Volker's fantasy about the late Professor Longhair looking down on New Orleans: "Keep on playing, children; it's a long, hard journey home." The Radiators have been together for 33 years; they've got seven more weeks before their last show at Tipitina's.

But yet it did! I didn't understand your reply at all - I just noticed my typo, hours later. Jim knows what I meant, I hope.

It's an intense experience, ain't it?

Hell, yeah!

Very cool! And it couldn't have happened to a nice guy.

You've got BFT #93 for December.

After reading the thread: Well, thanks for the flattery in post #1, but as you can see, there was a lot I didn't know. Is the trombonist/leader on track 1 Big Bill Bissonette?

I'm a little late to the party - I've been pretty busy for an old retired guy. As usual, I haven't read any of the thread, although I'm looking forward to reading it in about two minutes. 1. A fair-to-middling reading of “St. James Infirmary.” The vocal (by the trombonist, I assume) is kind of stiff, but other than that this is a nice version. The clarinetist is the best thing about this track – really nice playing. I almost recognize the voice that announces the track, but I can’t quite place it. 2. An interesting, not great early big band track. It sounds like Bennie Moten to me, but I don’t recognize the piece. I like the fact that there’s a bass sax solo, even if I don’t like the solo very much. Also not crazy about about the clarinetist, who’s pretty corny, in my opinion. The trumpeter (or trumpeters) are better, and are the best thing about the track. This is one of the pieces that sounds almost familiar, but not quite. 3. Nice tuba on this one – and excellent trumpet. Is the trumpeter the leader? Alto and bari sax solos are also good, although not particularly distinguished. The singing/chanting got a little old for me, but I imagine that’s why most folks bought the record at the time. It’s kind of odd that the full ensemble is only used at the beginning – the whole group never plays together after the first few measures. 4. This is a good one. It’s Coleman Hawkins with Jack Hylton’s English big band, playing a Fletcher Henderson arrangement in 1939. Bean is in prime form here; this is the last recording session he made before returning to the U.S. after almost five years in Europe, and he’s a monster. The band sounds good, too, although I would have liked to hear a hipper drummer. The other soloists are good, but I don’t know who they are. This is Hawk’s show, anyway. Outstanding! 5. I recognized the drummer before I recognized the band. It’s “Harlem Congo” by Chick Webb and His Orchestra, from 1937. Bobby Stark is the trumpet soloist, Sandy Williams is on trombone, and I presume it’s Chauncey Haughton on clarinet. Webb is fantastic here, as is the whole band. This is a really exciting record, and an excellent transfer. 6. Another drum feature, hurt by the programming – it’s kind of a letdown after the last track. This one sounds mid-thirties, and it’s okay. The drummer is actually pretty good, but otherwise, this one didn’t send me that much. No idea who it is. 7. I was all prepared to dislike this one, based on the intro, but it just got better and better. Good solos, especially the interesting trumpeter. Middle of the forties, I would guess, but I don’t know who it is. Nice, though. 8. For awhile it seemed to be a rule that all blindfold tests had to have either Sun Ra or Django Reinhardt. I wouldn’t expect Alex to include Sunny, so I’m glad to hear some Django, even if he doesn’t solo here. He’s accompanying two great violinists, Stephane Grappelli and Eddie South, on a 1937 recording. Grappelli goes first, if I’m not mistaken. This is just great – every violinist in every symphony orchestra on the planet needs to hear this record. 9. Jeez, I had forgotten how good this was. It’s Sidney Bechet on Blue Note, playing the alternate take of “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave to Me” from 1951. It took me a minute to recognize the tune – most folks play it faster than this. Pretty good band, especially Sidney DeParis and Pops Foster, but nothing else really matters except for Bechet. He just sings – beautiful! 10. I don’t know this recording, but it’s Ed Hall for sure, and Teddy Wilson, I think. Beautiful playing – class, swing, melody; wonderful stuff. I love Ed Hall; I need to get this. 11. One of the “Great Sixteen” – the 16 sides Muggsy Spanier’s Ragtime Jazz Band made for Bluebird in 1939. I love them all; I love Muggsy; I love this song. New Orleans veteran George Brunies is on trombone and does the vocal, and Joe Bushkin plays that great piano solo. To me, Muggsy represents what every jazz musician who is a not a genius or innovator should aspire to – he was a consummate player who knew a million tunes, and who blended his influences into a personal style. More wonderful music – thanks for including this. 12. You’re killing me, Alex! You’ve included so much stuff I just love. This is the great Julia Lee, whom I discovered on 78s as a teenager. I couldn’t get enough so I bought her complete recordings – the only Bear Family set I own. A couple of times a year, Capitol Records would bring Julia out to LA from her native Kansas City and record her with some killer sidemen. Most of these guys would not be hard to identify even if Julia didn’t name them – Benny Carter, Red Norvo, Vic Dickenson – although I had forgotten that Bobby Sherwood played trumpet on some of these sides. Julia holds her own on piano in this distinguished company, although most folks probably bought the record for her singing. By the way, Benny Carter wrote some pretty good dirty songs for Julia to record, although he used a pseudonym. 13. A kind of corny arrangement of a corny song (which I kind of like, though). Nothing earth-shattering here. The clarinet player has a very nice sound. Nothing I would need to hear again, though. 14. Bessie Smith’s “Back Water Blues,” played by some young New Orleans guys and girls, I would guess. I like it, but my favorite cover version of this song is by the great Irma Thomas, from the Our New Orleans Katrina benefit album on Nonesuch. This is nice, though. 15. Nice enough. I’d love listening to this in a little club on Frenchmen Street. The singer’s voice is a little nasal for my tastes, though. I like the instrumentation – I dig the fiddle and tuba. 16. Pretty cool – Bechet’s “Egyptian Fantasy” (well, Bechet claimed it, anyway) played by a cool little group. The clarinetist has that New Orleans sound, and I can’t get enough bass sax. I like this, and am looking forward to finding out who it is. 17. Nice song – I don’t know it. Good little trad group – everybody’s good, even if nobody is amazing. Again, I’d love hearing this in a bar. 18. Wow – is this “You Made Me What I Am Today?” What a great old song, although I’ve never heard it played like this. Someone’s got some chops – and imagination. I don’t have any idea who it is, although it reminds me of Steve Pistorius, the New Orleans stride pianist. Whoever it is, this is great. Really interesting selection of music, Alex. I enjoyed this BFT very much - thanks for putting it together.

Happy Birthday, Ubu Roi!

Yeah, Wiggs was one of those unsung treasures of New Orleans. In the late twenties, he recorded a really nice 78 (as John Hyman and His Bayou Stompers) that shows the Beiderbecke influence more than any other New Orleans recording that I'm aware of. Those "Congo Square" sessions are excellent (I've had that stuff on vinyl for years). This one is nice, too. Edit: I see that the Amazon link has very little info, so I'll point out that the Journeys Into Jazz CD has the great Harry Shields on clarinet, along with the Barkers - Danny and Blue Lu.

I've always thought that half of Get Up With It was absolutely brilliant, and that the rest was "only" good. That ain't bad.

I'm a big fan of Aurora Nealand, a New Orleans saxophonist who plays all kinds of jazz and other music. I've heard her most often with the Panorama Jazz Band, one of my favorite N.O. bands, but she has recently formed her own trad jazz band, The Royal Roses, and plays with the avant-garde free improvisers in the city. She hasn't recorded much so far - the only albums I know about are Come Out Swinging by the Panorama Jazz Band, 17 Days by the Panorama Brass Band, and one track on Tom McDermott's New Orleans Duets.

Gil Evans (Ampex). When I'm in certain moods, this is my favorite Gil Evans album. It always reminds me of a Jackson Pollack painting - there's so much going on; lots of layers and lots of colors coming and going.

Moved on to some big-band swing this afternoon. I've mentioned all of the Redmans at some point, but the others are new to me. Don Redman - Keep on Doin' What You're Doin'/Tired of It All (Melotone, 1933 - as "Earl Harlan and His Orchestra") Don Redman - Lazy Weather/Sunrise on the Lowlands (Perfect, 1936) Don Redman - Sweet Sue - Just You/Stormy Weather (Vocalion, 1937) There are some bad songs and forgettable singing among the Redman sides, but every one of them has great solos, by the likes of Red Allen, Sidney DeParis, Benny Morton, and Redman himself. "Sweet Sue" takes the prize for the arrangement; it's a great chart. Charlie Barnet - Knockin' at the Famous Door/Tin Roof Blues (Bluebird, 1939). "Tin Roof" is an excellent Benny Carter arrangement. Bob Crosby - Russian Sailors' Dance/Vultee Special (Decca, 1942). Some nice Jess Stacy and Yank Lawson on "Vultee."