jeffcrom

John Patton - That Certain Feeling (BN). I'd hate to have to chose a favorite John Patton album, but if I had to, this might be it.

Stan Getz: Focus (Verve) - a really nice original mono pressing.

Venus Flytrap Mercury Morris Mars Williams

Other Dimensions in Music (Roy Campbell/Daniel Carter/William Parker/Rashid Bakr) (Silkheart). Some outstanding free improvisation from 1989.

Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land (BN New York stereo). Don't want to fetishize old Blue Note pressings too much, but this is a damned fine sounding hunk of vinyl.

I haven't heard the music, but what a great Jim Flora cover this has:

Mose Allison - Western Man (Atlantic). The new Mose album made me want to hear this 1971 album. "How Much Truth," "Night Club," and "Tell Me Something" are among my favorite Allison songs.

A few more details: Yes, it's short - just over 35 minutes - but it seems "complete." There is one instrumental, "Crush," and if you have heard any live Mose you'll have an idea of what that track sounds like. In addition to new material, there are two standards, one sung as a duet with daughter Amy, and a couple of older Mose songs. Luckily these are not songs that he has performed to death, and they're two I've always liked: "Let It Come Down" and "Ask Me Nice." There's one (okay) song written by Amy (sung by Mose), and a couple of blues written by others - I really like this version of Roosevelt Sykes' "Some Right, Some Wrong." The best of the new songs, in my opinion, is "Modest Proposal." Maybe I like it so much because it seems to indicate that Mr. Allison and I have similar ideas about how the universe works; those who are more traditionally devout might not like it very much. Mose's 82-year-old voice does show its age to an extent. But it was always an unusual, personal singing voice, anyway. The overall sound of the album is what you might expect from a Joe Henry production - it leans more Americana/pop, rather than being overtly "jazzy." I'll have to live with this album a while before I have a feel for where it stands in the Mose Allison canon, but it's certainly a worthy addition. It doesn't quite sound like any Mose album, and you get the impression that's what Mr. Allison wanted.

I would hesitate to say that I have a single favorite recorded jazz performance, but when I read the thread title, my mind instantly flashed on take one of "Embraceable You" by Charlie Parker.

Yes - picked it up about a year ago in Athens, Georgia. It doesn't sound very good (distorted, out-of-phase cymbals, for example), but since I can't just go out and buy a better CD of Down to Earth, I'm keeping it.

My Blue Note CDs are a mixture of McMasters, RVG, Conn series, Rare Groove series, and various imports. I bought whatever was available to me at the time I wanted the CD. And I'm satisfied, for the most part - most of them sound pretty good, whatever edition they are. I have two that I consider pretty poor sounding - the McMaster Miles Davis Volume Two (mastered from second-generation tapes) and a Spanish Freddie Roach Down to Earth that has lots of issues - probably also not from the original tapes.

Well, Bird certainly dug Grainger's "Country Dances"! Take my word for it - Lincolnshire Posy is a totally different animal than "Country Gardens." Grainger himself came to hate that piece so much that he had two fee levels on his concert tours. He charged one fee if he didn't have to play "Country Gardens" and a considerably higher fee if he did have to play it.

Kid Howard and His New Orleans Jazz Band at Zion Hill Church (Nobility). With Jim Robinson and the outstanding Louis Cottrell on clarinet. Beautiful.

Today's choices (tomorrow's might be different): Bach - Cello Suites Mozart - Clarinet Quintet Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time Grainger - Lincolnshire Posy Stockhausen - Hymnen My fourth selection might have some of you scratching your head - Lincolnshire Posy is arguably the greatest piece ever written for concert band. When it was written in 1937, some conductors considered several of the movements unplayable due to their rhythmic complexity. On another day, I might include some Beethoven, Stravinsky, Ives, or Webern.

Also a little off topic, but related to the above: Years ago, around 1990, I had a CD player that was on its last legs. It would just stop playing at times - right in the middle of song. I was trying to eke out a few more months before it got so annoying that I was forced to replace it. Well, it stopped while I was playing disc two of the Complete Charlie Parker Verve box. I cursed a little bit, but didn't think any more of it until I smelled something burning. I ran over to the CD player, ejected the disc, and saw a hole burned all the way through it. The transport mechanism of the CD had died, but the laser didn't cut out. I was pretty horrified, but I called Polygram in an attempt to buy a replacement disc. They sent me one at no charge.

Sonny Rollins - Don't Ask (Milestone). Found a cheap copy of this recently - I knew it would not be classic Rollins, but it's actually better than I thought it would be.

Just spent a nice half hour with some traditional jazz 78s: Art Hodes' Jazz Record Six: Wolverine Blues/Someday, Sweetheart (Jazz Record) Nice 1946 Dixieland on Hodes' label. I like trumpeter Henry Goodwin and Steve Lacy's teacher, Cecil Scott, on this one. I bought this record in New Orleans, and it has a sticker on the label with Joe Mares' name and address. He was the owner of Southland Records, and the brother of NORK trumpeter Paul Mares. I have several of his records; some have the key of the tune written on the sleeve. The Gulf Coast Seven: Daybreak Blues/Fade Away Blues (Columbia) I've mentioned this 1923 record before - I like it a lot, particularly Gus Aiken's trumpet playing. Chas. Creath's Jazz-O-Maniacs: Pleasure Mad/Market Street Blues (Okeh) St. Louis jazz from 1924. "Pleasure Mad" is an early Sidney Bechet tune. Charles Thompson: The Lily Rag/Derby Stomp; Delmar Rag/Lingering Blues (American Music) Outstanding St. Louis ragtime and blues, recorded by Bill Russell in 1949. These were the originally issued takes, but for reasons too convoluted to go into, they are not the takes used on the Dink Johnson/Charles Thompson American Music CD.

Carl Palmer James Black Smokey Johnson

Paddock Jazz Band Featuring Alphonse Picou (Biograph). Not a great recording, but it's interesting to hear a musician from the earliest days of jazz.

I'm in for a download.

The Chocolate Dandies 1928-1933 (DRG). Unfortunate name; great music.

Cannonball Adderley - The Black Messiah (Capitol). Some interesting early-70s Cannonball in this double album. I particularly like hearing Alvin Batiste in this context, although he doesn't get a lot of solo space. Guitarist Mike Deasy had no business being on the same bandstand as the rest of these guys, though.

I haven't been around here as long as a lot of people, so there was an enormous amount of content already here by the time I discovered this place a year ago. So for me, it's more a matter of this forum itself introducing me to certain artists. I had very little idea of who Baby Face Willette was a year ago, for example. More specifically, Allen Lowe made me take a closer look at Dave Schildkraut and Arnold Ross. And Paul and Chuck have been very helpful in terms of specific recordings to check out. Like others have said, you guys have made a big dent in my wallet. It's been great.

Earlier: Dave Tarras Plays Again: Jewish Dances (Colonial). The cover has a large photo of Tarras holding his Albert system clarinet, but he actually only plays on half the tracks. He sounds great on those tracks, though.

Eureka Brass Band - The Music of New Orleans, Vol. 2 (Folkways). For personal reasons, I wanted to hear a dirge tonight.