jeffcrom

Ornette Coleman/Paul Bley - Coleman Classics Volume 1 (Improvising Artists)

Cab Calloway Robert DeNiro Jodie Foster

Jackie Gleason Jackie Mason Perry Mason

Sorry to hear this. RIP.

Sookie Tawdry Sookie Stackhouse Houston Stackhouse

I have this one, and the liner notes, FWTW, say that it's Tristano on all but one track, where it's Argonne Thornton. Don't know that it's Thornton, but on that track it's certainly not Tristano. OTOH, I'm pretty sure that it is Tristano on the other tracks, albeit a Tristano who is not very comfortable with the styles of Harris and Phillips and perhaps in response seems to be trying to draw as much of contrast as possible between their hot driving muscularity and his (if you will) "out" inclinations. In other words, it's often "flashy" Lennie and a bit nervous. Also, if this is Tristano, it is still pretty early in the game for him. BTW, this date is listed in the discography in Eunmi Shim's Tristano bio. I just listened to my copy of the Jazz Showcase LP. It's definitely Tristano on "What Is This Thing Called Love," "Just You, Just Me," and "A Knight in the Village." There's not enough piano on the short ballad medley to tell, and the pianist on "Flip Meets Bill" is certainly not Tristano - could be Argonne Thornton; I'm actually embarrassed that I had never noticed it wasn't the same pianist. To me, Lennie's playing on the above three tracks sounds exactly like he sounded during that period, especially on informal recordings like this. Compare it to the Barry Ulanov All Star broadcasts of the next month. Incidentally, it had been a while since I've played this LP, and it was quite a trial. It's very poorly pressed, and I had to double the weight on my tonearm just to get it to track. And I'm not taking sides on Allen's Tristano/Hancock argument, but as I listened to this record I was struck by how often Lennie, like Herbie 20 years later, builds his lines in fourths.

I'm jealous of you guys who heard Johnny Hodges in person.... Of altoists who have been mentioned in this thread, I've heard Benny Carter, Lee Konitz, Ornette, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Marion Brown, Arthur Blythe, Julius Hemphill, James Spaulding, and Oliver Lake that I remember.

Wow - don't know those records at all. I'll be on the lookout. I know Eubanks from his playing on Jelly Roll Morton's 1923 Okeh session. Today's 78 spins, old and new: (Well, they're all old, but some are new to me.) I started and ended with one of the minor masterpieces of early jazz: Kentucky Grasshoppers: Makin' Friends (Banner, 1929) A vocal, trombone, and half-of-a-trombone-played-into-a-water-glass feature for Jack Teagarden, but young Jimmy McPartland also has a nice solo. The flip side's not bad, either - it's by Fred Rich's dance band, but both Dorsey brothers are on hand and have solos. Then on to modern jazz: the complete Parrot recordings of Ahmad Jamal: But Not For Me/Seleritus; Excerpts From the Blues/It Could Happen to You (Parrot, 1954) Between his stints with Okeh/Columbia and Chess/Argo, Jamal recorded these four tunes for the Chicago label Parrot. They're as good as anything he did during this period; they're also Richard Davis's recording debut. Then some old-time country by Bill Cox: The Death of Frank Bowen/When We Sing of Home (Gennett, 1929-ish) Rollin' Pin Woman/Star Boarder Blues (Banner, 1934) I've got three Bill Cox records now; I really like him for country music during this period. On to some later country: Delmore Brothers - Pan American Boogie/Troubles Ain't Nothin' But the Blues (King, 1949) I like this one a lot. Vin Bruce - Fille de la Ville/Dans la Louisianne (Columbia, 1952) A cajun boy, if you couldn't tell. Merle Travis - So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed/Sweet Temptation (Capitol, late 40s) A hoot. Then, two early Hungarian records I found the other day. I think I said in this thread recently that I have really come to treasure Columbia's "E" series of ethnic records. I tend to pick these up even if I don't know what they're going to sound like - I've discovered some really interesting stuff this way. Based on the label style and catalog numbers, these are probably from 1915 or before. I can't read Hungarian, so I'm a little unclear on what I'm hearing and who is performing, but two of the sides are very cool - a clarinet solo with band accompaniment and a violin solo with piano. And I ended up with "Makin' Friends" again. A nice hour among the shellac.

Sure, although not as number one. And let's not forget another great Smith: Tab Smith. And while we're at altoists nor mentioned before in the thread: Earl Bostic. And John Jackson! Yes on Tab and Jackson - not so sure about Bostic... I can take about 3-4 tracks of him at the time. As for Willie Smith: not a #1 choice, sure... but everyone's been posting lengthy lists and he turned up on none. Well, I guess people just aren't playing Jimmie Lunceford any longer. Well, I'm definitely a Willie Smith fan. And I like many of the other altoists named. But I already feel like I cheated enough by answering "Who's your favorite alto sax player?" with a list. After my list of nine favorites and three "alternates," Buster Smith, Willie Smith, and Marion Brown would probably be my next three. And I promise to stop there....

Well, it does say "Double Play."

Tampa Red - Guitar Wizard (RCA Bluebird) A 1975 double LP, not the Columbia "Blues and Roots" CD.

Bird - Possibly the most brilliant improviser to have graced this planet. Every time I think I'm getting close to really grasping his genius, I realize how far I have to go. About 30 years ago, just when I felt as if I was getting a handle on his playing, I came up against some note choices that baffled me - I couldn't figure out why he was playing those notes against that chord, and how it could possibly sound as good as it did. Now I know exactly why he played those notes, but I am no closer to understanding how his mind and musical instincts worked as fast and brilliantly as they did. After Charlie Parker, in no particular order: Johnny Hodges - A source of joy and beauty since I discovered him at age 16 or so. Benny Carter - Despite a dissenting opinion or two here, a masterful improviser. Some are put off by what they hear as the "detached" quality of his playing. That part is subjective, and I don't hear it that way. But listen to the structures he created as he played; listen to the macro-syncopation - the extremely varied phrase lengths that he somehow all tied together into a magnificent whole. Ornette Coleman - His conception changed the musical world for me and many others. Eric Dolphy - I always loved the friction between "inside" and "outside" in his music. Boyce Brown - Ahead of his time in the same way Bix Beiderbecke was. I wish he had recorded more. Anthony Braxton - I know Braxton is a lot of things, not just a jazz saxophonist. But alto is his strongest horn, and his playing showed me lots of possiblities. Roscoe Mitchell - Ditto the above. I would rather hear him play alto than anything else. Lee Konitz - A constant example. I am often chagrined when I compare the purity of his improvising to my playing. I could go on - Paul Desmond, Captain John Handy (mentioned by Allen above), Jimmy Lyons - but I've got to stop somewhere.

All Ted Brown's sessions are excellent IMO - can't go wrong, pity he's only been recorded so sparingly. This thread may help answer some questions : Thanks for posting that link. I haven't been around here as long as some of you guys, so I hadn't seen that thread, but I'm glad I did, just for Jim's post #21. That was brilliant.

After some Hank Mobley, one of those unpromising-looking 50s/60s Dave Tarras records - Jewish Melodies on Period. This one features an excellent little eight-piece klezmer band, with Tarras' son-in-law Sam Musiker on tenor sax (and probably arrangements).

Johnny Hodges - The Eleventh Hour (Verve mono) More "lounge" than jazz, really, with strings arranged by Oliver Nelson and Rabbit mostly just playing the melody. But what a great thing that is.

PM sent on Tina Brooks and conditionally (based on more info) on Ellington.

Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang - Swing Me With Rhythm (British Decca) 1934-35 recordings; Sidney Arodin plays clarinet on the earlier tracks, Pee Wee Russell on the later ones.

:tup It might be exaggerating to say this (but not by much): Howlin' Wolf got me through a divorce 15 years ago. Well, R. L. Burnside helped a lot, too.

Late last night I got the urge to hear the "Lonely Fire/Guinnevere" session from the Complete Bitches Brew box set, since I haven't heard those tracks for quite a while. It'll be another five years before I make that mistake again. To fair, there is about six good minutes of music among the 42 minutes that were recorded. Right now: The Complete Charlie Parker on Dial (Stash) Disc one. That's more like it.

The Lord discography has this session listed: Jack Parnell (British) [P1218-6] Jimmy Deuchar, Albert Hall, Joe Hunter (tp) Mac Minshull, Ken Wray (tb) Derek Humble (as) Ronnie Scott (ts) Peter King (ts,b-cl) Harry Klein (bar) Max Harris (p) Sammy Stokes (b) Jack Parnell (d) Phil Seamen (d,bgo-1) London, October 28, 1952 CE14307-1 Catherine wheel (1) Par (E)R3638, PMD1053 CE14308-3 The champ (E)R3607, - CE14309-1 Summertime - - Note: Parlophone (E)PAD1053 titled "Trip to Mars". For myself, played a bunch of 78s that I don't think I've mentioned here yet: Don Byas - Should I/You Call It Madness & Pennies From Heaven/Jamboree Jump (Jamboree) These two records are the complete output of Byas' January 23, 1945 recording session. Some really nice stuff here, especially from the underrated Joe Thomas on trumpet. Viola Watkins and The Super Jazzmen - You're In Love With Every One/It's Right Here For You (Super Disc) A mystery band - the Lord discography doesn't know who "The Super Jazzmen" were. I'm assuming that Watkins herself is playing piano, since she scats along with the piano solos. The other soloists are a bright-toned clarinetist (young Tony Scott?) and a good Hawkins-inspired tenor player. Watkins thinks she's Billie Holiday, but she ain't. Trummie Young and His Lucky Seven - Rattle and Roll/Behind the Eight Bar (Cosmo) A good one, with Buck Clayton & Ike Quebec also in the front line. Trummy was a pretty interesting player in his pre-Louis days. Hod Williams and His Orchestra - Old King Cole/Monopoly Swing (Bluebird) A territory band out of North Carolina who recorded in 1937. The soloists aren't great, but the band swings. Jack Teagarden and His Swingin' Gates - Big T Blues/Chinatown, My Chinatown (Commodore) Teagarden and Ernie Caceres on clarinet are the standouts. Rusty Bryand and the Carolyn Club Band - Pink Champagne/Slow Drag (Dot) Columbus, Ohio R & B from 1952. "Champagne" seems artifically hyped-up, but "Slow Drag" is nice.

The Coleman Hawkins title was an alternate of "Cattin' At Keynote" (Feb 17, 1944) - was on Meritt LP 25 & is not on the Hawkins 4CD set The omitted Hawkins track was in fact the master take which had been issued on 78. The box (and the subsequent CD set) only contained the alternate, and Dan Morgenstern in his otherwise excellent notes denies the existence of a second take as listed in discographies. Thanks for the info. I've enjoyed the 4-CD Complete Coleman Hawkins Keynote box for years, and didn't know about this missing take. This is when having a 78 rig helps - I just went on Ebay and found the Keynote 78 of "Cattin' at Keynote" for a good Buy It Now price. The seller also had a couple of Don Byas 78s I had been looking for. My 78 of "Cattin' at Keynote" finally arrived today - definitely a different take from the "Complete" Hawkins box. On the 78 master, Bean begins his solo with the same lick as on the CD take, but he finishes the phrase differently - and more creatively. The whole solo is more thoughtful and interesting than on the CD take, although it builds up a pretty good head of steam by the third chorus. It makes the more familiar CD take sound kind of forced. Just my opinion, of course, but I prefer the 78 take. I guess Hawkins and Harry Lim did, too, since that's the one they issued.

I'm a saxophone player, but I love the trombone. Bear that in mind while I repeat one of my favorite jokes: Q: How can you tell the trombone player's kids on the playground? A: They don't swing and they complain about the slide.

Gospel 78 time today. I've mentioned several of these before. Angelic Gospel Singers - If It Wasn't For the Lord/God's Roll (Gotham) Rev. B. C. Campbell and Congregation - Jesus Was Great/Let Me Go Back (Apollo) Reverend Cleophus Robinson - Moaning in the Morning/I Can See So Much (Peacock) Rev. J. M. Gates and Congregation - The California Kidnapping/Are You Bound for Heaven or Hell? (Okeh) Blind Willie Johnson - Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning/Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying (Columbia) This one is pretty worn, but I'm still glad to have it. I remember the first time I heard "I Just Can't Keep From Crying" - about 35 years ago, on a Folkways LP checked out from the library. Its intensity frightened me; the same intensity comes through the battered grooves of this record.

Abraham Laboriel Chuck Rainey Jaco Pastorius

Just heard from MG via email - he is suffering from a repetitive strain injury in his right arm and is limiting his computer use. Sorry to hear that, but I'm glad it's nothing more serious.