jeffcrom

New Orleans has a staggering number of accomplished traditional jazz bands. Jeffery's choice tonight was the Palmetto Bug Stompers at d.b.a. I've been vaguely aware of this band for a couple of years, but my level of interest went up last night when I learned that Carl LeBlanc has been playing guitar with them of late. LeBlanc (with Sun Ra in the late 80s) did some great playing tonight, as did clarinetist Bruce Brackman and trumpeter William Smith (who has not impressed me in the past). The Stompers play living music, not tourist Dixieland or museum artifacts; they attracted lots of dancers, and a good time was had by all. At one point, 79-year-old New Orleans icon Uncle Lionel Batiste (bass drummer with the Treme Brass Band) walked in, looking like a million bucks: white suit, lavender shirt, striped tie, and panama hat. He sang "I Got a Big Fat Woman," "Crazy," (which elicited a great Brackman clarinet solo), and "Caldonia." I love New Orleans.

D'oh! For the second time in my short BFT career, I failed to identify a track I have in my record/CD collection: Duke Pearson. I still think the vocalization of Monk's "Abide With Me" arrangement was just too cool.

Sounds fabulous. I'll warn you in advance that Atlanta won't be quite as exciting. The Panorama Jazz Band was better than I've ever heard them last night. Leader/clarinetist Ben Schenck and alto saxophonist Aurora Nealand just keep getting better and better. Those with a taste for traditional jazz, klezmer, and calypso should check out their album Come Out Swingin'. It can't quite match their performance last night, but it comes close.

In New Orleans this morning I saw the most debauched-looking Easter bunny I've ever seen, as well as a dog wearing a very pretty pink Easter dress.

I'm in New Orleans for my annual visit - just got back from hearing Matt Perrine's Sunflower City playing at a street festival. Perrine has got to be the best tuba player in New Orleans, and by my logic, in the world, since New Orleans has the best tuba players on the planet. (Apologies and due respect to Howard Johnson, Bob Stewart, Harvey Phillips, Roger Bobo, etc.) Perrine played solo after solo that was audacious and virtuosic - just amazing. I'm going to hear him again with the Tin Men on Wednesday, and I would guess that he will be the tuba or bass player with several other bands I see on this trip. Ben Schenck was the clarinetist with Sunflower City, and I'm now headed for the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street, where Ben's Panorama Jazz Band plays every Saturday night. They're one of my favorite New Orleans bands, playing traditional jazz, klezmer, calypso, and more.

Lonnie Smith - Think (70s pressing BN). I've been listening to the Dr. quite a bit lately. He's just crazy enough to be interesting.

Moby Grape Don Cherry Fiona Apple

Freeman Stowers DeFord Bailey Chief Pontiac

Bill Evans - The Secret Sessions; disc 6, from 1968 - it includes four tracks by that great Evans/Gomez/DeJohnette trio.

Boris Rose Gertrude Stein Alice B. Toklas

William Thornton Blue Thornton Wilder Alec Wilder

Should point out that I meant the music on the album didn't stand well compared up to the list of names playing on it. I agree that some of the tracks are fairly weak. I stand by my editorial comment about the Onward BB.

Cole Younger Billy the Kid George Russell

45s tonight, starting with some Blue Notes: Bill Henderson with the Jimmy Smith Trio: Ain't No Use/Angel Eyes Freddie Roach: I Know/Googa Mooga Lou Donaldson: Mack the Knife/The Nearness of You Sonny Red: Stay as Sweet as You Are/Bluesville Then on to: Hank Marr: Easy Talk/I Remember New York (Federal) Louis Armstrong: The Beat Generation/Someday (You'll Be Sorry) (MGM) Papa Celestin and His Tuxedo Dixieland Band: Tiger Rag/Darktown Strutters Ball (Columbia - 1953) The Bill Henderson and Papa Celestin are equally cool in their own ways - both were recorded as singles; neither is extracted from an album. I wish Smith and Ray Crawford has gotten some solo space on the Henderson record, though. The Louis disc is from the soundtrack of a late-fifties movie.

Yes, on Flying Fish and was also released on CD at some point. It's stuff from the 1976 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; mostly Louisiana artists, but with a few "out-of-towners." Clifton Chenier - Caledonia Irving McLean - Brown Skin Girl (steel drums) Roosevelt Sykes - Ice Cream Freezer Henry Butler - The Breaks Ironing Board Sam - Baby What You Want Me to Do Onward Brass Band - Paul Barbarin's Second Line (editorial comment: Hell, yeah!) Robert Pete Williams - Rock Me Mama Mamou Hour Cajun Band - Jolie Blonde Eubie Blake - Charleston Rag NO Ragtime Orchestra - Darktown Strutters Ball Charles Mingus - Themes from a Movie (piano solo) Youth Inspirational Choir - Doxology

Glad the prognosis is positive. Good thoughts sent your way.

Sidney Bechet His Way (Pumpkin) - Boston broadcasts from 1951, with Big Chief Russell Moore on trombone.

Phoebe Buffay Phoebe Snow Rainn Wilson

Same band, Savannah GA. I thought it was '73, but you are probably right. Opening act was called PFM, I think, and I remember absolutely nothing more about them. God, what a show... My memory for dates is terrible. If you think it was 1973, you're probably right. And I don't remember anything about the opening act.

I HAD A CHEWY MOMENT WITH A NEW 78! Chewy, my friend, I have loved reading your posts since I've joined this forum. Your enthusiasm over finding rare issues is a lot of fun to read. And this afternoon, I had a moment you would have loved. I stopped by the local record store that has a big pile of 78s this afternoon. Mark, the owner, had put some new ones out, including some real finds. I cleaned and played three of them tonight, and wow! Collins and Harlan - Memphis Blues/Alabama Jubilee (Columbia) This one is by two white vaudeville performers, but I could tell from the label that this was a very early recording of "Memphis Blues." I thought it might even be the first recording of the tune, but a little research revealed that this 1915 record was the fifth or sixth recording of the tune - only the second vocal version. Listening with sympathetic ears, I can hear how this tune shook up a lot of folks in 1914 and 1915. Big Bill Broonzy and His Chicago Five - I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town/Hard Hearted Woman (Okeh) More from the same session with the great Punch Miller on trumpet that I mentioned in post #143. And here's my Chewy moment: I picked up American Music #512 by Bunk Johnson (Swanee River/Runnin' Wild) because it was cheap and cool, but I was thinking, "Well, I have this stuff on CD." But I checked out Mike Hazeldine's book Bill Russell's American Music, and saw that: ONE SIDE OF THIS 78 HAS NEVER BEEN REISSUED! There have been two takes of "Swanee River" issued in the American Music CD series, but neither one used the original 78 take. And somehow, Storyville, Dan, Wolf, and all the other labels that have issued American Music material have all passed up this take. And it's pretty good, too. I'll compare it to the two other takes of this tune I have tomorrow, but it swings, and Bunk is inventive. TOO COOL!

Now playing: Freilach in Hi-Fi - Murray Lehrer featuring Dave Tarras and Lou Levin (Period)

Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Atlanta in 1974, I think. My first jazz concert was the Gary Burton Quartet in 1976 at the Great Southeast Music Hall in Atlanta. I think the band was Burton, Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, and could it have been Bob Moses on drums? The opening act was supposed to be Michael Urbaniak, of whom I had heard, but he cancelled at the last minute and was replaced by the Dixie Dregs, who had not yet released their first album on Capricorn. They impressed me almost as much as Burton's group.

That looks very interesting - I wasn't aware of it. This morning: Alto Summit: Lee Konitz/Phil Woods/Pony Poindexter/Leo Wright (Prestige - originally on MPS). A bunch of great Joachim Berendt-produced alto playing from 1968.

Flock of Seagulls Depeche Mode Les Jazz Modes

I'm starting to experience a bunch of "lasts" in a fairly long teaching career. I spent the day teaching around 40 first-year saxophone players at the annual county band clinic, something I've done for about 10 years. Since this was apparently the last one of these clinics, I'm glad it was a good one - the kids were attentive and motivated. Part of the day's task was to prepare a couple of pieces to play in concert at the end of the day. We played the folk song theme from Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony and Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." It was nice work for a bunch of 10-year-olds.