jeffcrom

Watching this right now: As I've gotten older, I admire Brubeck more and more. I'm well aware of his musical shortcomings, but am more than willing to let a lot of things slide for someone who has fought the good fight for all those years. Happy Birthday, Dave.

Another freebie: Harry Skoler - Two Ones (Souloquy). Accomplished jazz clarinetizing; just not to my taste. Radio station call letters written in marker across front of digi-pack and CD label side; pink sticker on spine. Free for the asking anywhere in the world. The Ahmad Jamal Parrot 45 is still available, much to my surprise. I think it's somewhat scarce; I'm just giving away because I have it and its session-mate on 78. Grab it before I come to my senses and put it back in the 45 box.

Since I got a "new" Sam Lanin, I spun all my 78s by this excellent 1920's dance band today. I've mentioned some of these before: Oh! By Jingo/Rose of Chile (Columbia, 1920) - His first record. Not jazz, but nice early dance music. After I Say I'm Sorry/Song of the Flame (Perfect, 1926) - Nice Red Nichols on the first side. Blue Skies/Yankee Rose (Okeh, 1927) - No jazz at all here, but what a great-sounding record. This was a good band. Red Lips Kiss My Blues Away (Banner, 1927) - Mentioned in the post above; more good Nichols. Mona/I'm On a Diet of Love (Perfect, 1930) - Some fine Tommy Dorsey and a short trumpet solo which may or may not be by Jack Purvis. This music isn't jazz, except in short spurts, but I like it.

Olympia Brass Band - The Pelican March (Olympia Brass Band). Buying an album by the Olympia is kind of a crapshoot - no telling what you'll get. This one is a typical Olympia mess, with a mix of tracks from different live concerts and an inaccurate personnel listing. The size of the band varies from track to track, and sometimes there's a piano and/or banjo. (The latter is played by the great Emanuel Sayles). It's mostly pretty lightweight, with a few of the deeper moments I crave from New Orleans brass bands, like the simple, heartbreaking trumpet solo on "In the Sweet Bye and Bye." No matter: just like New Orleans, it's all a party - and this one's driven by Tuba Fats.

In Columbus (Georgia) on Friday, I found a really nice album: Four 12" 78s, by Benny Goodman, Fats Waller, Tommy Dorsey, and Bunny Berigan. Half of the material was new to me - I didn't have it in any form. And the records are in such good condition that it all sounds fresh. I'm enjoying this find. Among the other records that I picked up was one of the 1920's dance band 78s that I'll always take a chance on if the price is right. One side paid off - Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra on the Banner label from 1927, playing "Red Lips Kiss My Blues Away." The song is as bad as the title, but there are good solos by Red Nichols and an unidentified piano player.

I was watching that auction, and almost bid myself, but my economic reality set in. I'm glad it went to a good home - congrats.

Meanwhile, back to Ma Rainey.... I revisited Columbus and points further south on Friday. I've posted some pictures here.

I've only heard two of these players in any substantive way. My loss, probably.

Fred Jackson - Hootin' 'n Tootin' (Acoustic Sounds). A recent acquisition, and the only one of these two-record 45 RPM reissues I own. It's likely remain the only one in my collection, unless I find another one for the good price I paid for this. It does sound really good, and as someone who regularly listens to 78s, I don't mind hopping out of my chair every ten minutes.

Fletcher Henderson & the Dixie Stompers 1927-8 (EMI/Parlophone) - A British LP which collects 15 of the sides which Fletcher recorded for the Harmony label under the Dixie Stompers pseudonym. I, who hate duplication in my record collection, am tickled that the one Dixie Stompers 78 I have is not included. My choice of this one was partially influenced by the fact that I visited Fletcher Henderson's grave in Cuthbert, Georgia today. More about this later, perhaps.

Complete Herbie Hancock on Blue Note, disc one - Takin' Off with all the alternate takes, plus "Yams" from a Jackie Mclean date. I've always thought that Dexter Gordon's "Watermelon Man" solo was a sly parody of R & B saxophone playing.

Bebop Is Where It's At, Vol. 1 (side one) & Vol. 2 (side two) - the Dave Schildkraut/Don Joseph/BIll Triglia live 1961 date that is spread over sides of two different albums, for some ridiculous reason.

That lineup made me start salivating.

Thanks for that link.

An old favorite: Ornette Coleman - Crisis (Impulse). Not well recorded, and I've never been a fan of Denardo Coleman's drumming (although I like it at this stage better than later) - but this is a stunning performance.

Tunes made up of simple, repeated riffs were common in the 30's and 40's, but was there ever one simpler than "C Jam Blues?" It's just eight tones, and the first seven are all on the same pitch. (I know that the main theme of "Woodchopper's Ball is even simpler - five notes, all on one pitch - but "Woodchopper's" has a more elaborate second theme.) It first appeared on a Barney Bigard small-group session, but a big band version came along pretty soon after that. I listened to those two original versions, along with one live version from each later decade, including one from the band's last year, 1973. The soloists change, the background riffs change, but it all stays pretty simple, and I suspect little or nothing was ever written down. It's just an excuse to blow.

Roger Ruzow, the leader of the 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra, calls this one the first Afro-Klezmer record. Hey, there are plenty of gaps in my collection. This is one of those albums that I'be always felt like I should be familiar with, but which I've never felt compelled to pick up - I'm not much of an Andre Previn fan. Wow - I didn't know Ortega played on that. I think I know where there's a copy; might go pick it up tomorrow.

My recent find of The Coleman Hawkins Quartet Play The Jazz Version of "No Strings" got me thinking about the once-common practice of recording jazz versions of musical or movie scores. I'm not talking about scores written by jazz musicians, but about those after-the-fact jazz interpretations of scores. I did a quick search to see if this topic has been covered before. I couldn't find such a thread, but I did find this Spontooneous quote: Although I agree that the whole idea was kind of half-baked, it did sometimes result in some interesting music. A quick look through my record collection turned up, besides the "No Strings" record: Tony Scott - South Pacific Jazz (ABC-Paramount); Not bad, but not particularly memorable, either. Don Elliott - Jamaica Jazz (ABC-Paramount); Does anyone remember the musical "Jamaica?" This is worth listening to just because Gil Evans did the charts. The Guitar Choir (Barry Galbraith) - The New Jazz Sound of "Show Boat" (Columbia); John Carisi did the arrangements, solos are by Carisi, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, Galbraith, and Jimmy Raney. But it's still somewhat disappointing. Carisi and Galbraith wanted to record an album of originals, but the record company would only fund the "Show Boat" idea. Walt Dickerson - Impressions of "A Patch of Blue (MGM); Pretty interesting, with Sun Ra on keyboards. Parts of this approach free jazz. Mundell Lowe - Porgy and Bess (RCA Camden); Maybe "Porgy and Bess" interpretations deserve a thread of their own (and I'm not going to mention the Miles/Gil version). But this record is pretty damned good - it's got Art Farmer and Ben Webster, among others. Jimmy Giuffre and His Music Men Play "The Music Man" (Atlantic); One of the best of this genre I've heard. Giuffre was the perfect choice for this; he makes the tunes sound like Giuffre originals. So what do you think? What are your favorite examples of "The Jazz Version of...", or are you just as glad that the whole idea has run its course?

A very enjoyable BFT, Colin. I knew most of the tracks, but I once again missed one I should have known. I have that Jimmy Giuffre album, but it didn't register.

I'm posting part two for Colin, since he seems to have reached his image limit: Track Ten: Sidney Bechet with Noble Sissle’s Swingsters – “Blackstick” from Blackstick (originally rec. 1938) Clarence Bereton (tp), Sidney Bechet (cl, ss), Gil White (cl, ts), Harry Brooks (p), Jimmy Miller (g), Jimmy Jones (b), Wilbert Kirk (d) Track Eleven: Chico Hamilton Quintet – “Azure” from The Original Ellington Suite (Pacific Jazz, 1958) Eric Dolphy (cl), Nate Gershman (clo), John Pisano (g), Hal Gaylor (b), Chico Hamilton (d) Track Twelve: John Carter-Bobby Bradford Quartet (New Art Jazz Ensemble) – “Sticks & Stones” from Seeking (Revelation, 1969) John Carter (cl), Bobby Bradford (t), Tom Williamson (b), Bruz Freeman (d) Track Thirteen: Lester Young All-Stars – “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” from The Complete Clarinet Works 1938/1958 (originally rec. 1958) Harry Edison, Roy Eldridge (t), Lester Young (cl), Hank Jones (p), Herb Ellis (g), George Duvivier (b), Micky Sheen (d) Track Fourteen: Stan Hasselgaard – “Lullabye In Rhythm” from The Illustrious Clarinetists of Jazz (originally rec. 1947) Stan Hasselgard (cl), Lyman Gandee (p), Al Hendrickson (g), Jud DeNaut (b), Nick Fatool (d) Track Fifteen: Woody Herman & His Woodchoppers – “Someday Sweetheart” from 1940’s Jazz – New Directions: The Small Groups (originally rec. 1946) Woody Herman (cl), Sonny Berman (t), Bill Harris (tb), Flip Phillips (ts), Red Norvo (vib), Jimmy Rowles (p), Chuck Wayne (g), Joe Mondragon (b), Don Lamond (d) Track Sixteen: Gerry Hemingway Quintet – “A Night In Tunisia” from Demon Chaser (hatArt, 1993) Michael Moore (cl, as), Wolter Wierbos (tb), Ernst Reijseger (clo), Mark Dresser (b), Gerry Hemingway (d) Track Seventeen: James P. Johnson’s Blue Note Jazzmen – “At The Ball (alt. take)” from The Blue Note Jazzmen (originally rec. 1944) Edmond Hall (cl), Sidney De Paris (t), Vic Dickinson (tb), James P. Johnson (p), Al Lucas (b), Al Trappier (d) Track Eighteen: Don Byron – “Waltz For Ellen” from Tuskegee Experiments (Nonesuch, 1992) Don Byron (cl)

Giving this another spin this morning - I'm quite taken with it.

A great concert by a great band.

That always annoys me, and art directors/album cover designers do it more often than you'd think.

Ellington - Newport 1958 (Columbia 6-eye mono)

I'm not aware of any recordings of this before 1958. Ellington played it at Newport in 1958; it opened the Columbia album from the fest. And that's what the piece was designed for - to be a swinging, medium-tempo opener. It's got a really nice sax section chorus and an excellent Paul Gonsalves solo. Not Ellington's absolute best, but I'm glad to have it. By the way, I had to stop typing halfway through that last paragraph, because my Newport 1958 LP got to "Happy Reunion," and I had to stop while Paul Gonsalves broke my heart.