jeffcrom

Joe Morris Trio - Wraparound (Riti)

A nice evening for Jeffery. I did my first piano gig in over a year - a hand injury left me uncertain about whether I would ever be able to do a full gig on piano again (although the injury doesn't give me any problems playing saxophone). Got through it with no real problems, then the bassist and I fell by Fat Matt's Rib Shack in Atlanta to hear a couple of sets by Joe Lee Bush. Joe Lee is a direct link to Little Walter - as a kid he would ride his bicycle to the Royal Peacock on Auburn Avenue when Walter was in town, and Walter would give him lessons between sets. Some smokin' blues tonight.

This seems to be duet night at my house - not by design. So far: Ralph Towner/Gary Burton - Matchbook (ECM) Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond - 1975: The Duets (A & M Horizon) Stan Getz/Albert Dailey - Poetry (Elektra Musician)

There are some good ones on this list. I particularly like A New Orleans Visit Before Katrina. It feature various ensembles, including three tracks recorded on parade by the Treme Brass Band. I consider those to be some of the best New Orleans brass band recordings of the last 15 years - those bands just sound different on the street than in a club.

Johnny Wiggs' New Orleans Jazz (Southland). The setlist is predictable, but this 1953 release is a really nice album of New Orleans jazz. Wiggs' cornet style was influenced equally by King Oliver and Bix Beiderbecke, if you can imagine that. And every time I hear Harry Shields, I regret that he's not better known - he's one of my favorite New Orleans clarinetists.

Horace Silver - Live 1964 (Emerald/Silveto)

Stopped by a local record store that stocks 78s today and walked out with half a dozen records. The two that excited me most were: A Daisy Martin red-label Okeh from 1921. Unfortunately, this only excited me until I put it on the turntable. Never heard of blues singer Daisy Martin? Well, there's a reason for that.... But the other one paid off: Wynonie (Mr. Blues) Harris with Jimmie Jackson and His Orchestra - Dig This Boogie/Lightnin' Struck the Poorhouse (Bullet). This was Sun Ra's first record, recorded in Nashville in 1946. In fact, the first side is accompanied only by piano and drums, and it's pretty cool. Even this early, there are a few slightly odd passages in this otherwise straight-ahead boogie. I know these sides have been reissued, but I still consider this a find.

I try not to plug my blog too often here, but those O Forum members who love New Orleans, or those who have always wanted to visit but never had the chance, might enjoy my latest blog entry.

Marcus Garvey Martha Graham Mats Gustafsson

Some of it has been issued on boots at various times. I've got several of the Jazz issues. The two CDs of the early Tristano group (Birdland 1949 & Wow) are excellent musically, but rough sledding sonically - they were recorded on a wire recorder. Toronto 1952 had decent sound and is maybe the Tristano album I'd take to a desert island - phenomenal music by a quintet with Konitz and Marsh. Continuity is okay - the quintet session doesn't get to me as much as the Toronto recordings, and the fragmentary quartet session with Marsh is good, but the sound is not so great. Manhattan Studio is well-recorded, excellent trio music. But IMHO, the Toronto session is the one to get. Like I said, this might be my favorite Tristano album.

Carl LaFong Scott LaFaro Jean LaFitte

Yeah, my favorite TV show of all time. I taped the full run when they were rerun on BET and am in the process of transferring them to DVD.

Cotton Mather King Cotton John Philip Sousa

Mick Goodrick is the guitarist. This lineup impressed me mightily at the time, but not so much these days. I was younger then....

Giants of Jazz (Atlantic). I listen to this one every once in a while and enjoy it for what it is - good, not great.

How's the Asch, all of these that I've found (mainly Mary Lou Williams' sides) sound like ash,....even mint copies have high surface noise The records are in good condition, but yes, there is a fair amount of surface noise. Not as much as on the only other Asch 78s I have - by Art Tatum. Within reason, 78 surface noise doesn't bother me too much. I think I have a subconscious internal meter which measures the amount of noise in relationship to the quality of the music. The better the music, the more I will tolerate in order to listen to it. Noisy records with mediocre music get placed in the discard pile pretty quickly.

That Red Allen is a great record. I had an eclectic day among the 78s: Cantor Josef Rosenblatt of the First Hung. Cong. Ohab Zedek: Habet Mishomaim, parts 1 & 2 (Victor 12") Alfred Cortot: Invitation to the Waltz (Weber, Op. 65) (Victor Red Seal one-sided). Great playing, and those acoustic Victors sound really good for the time. Jimmy Dorsey - All of Me/Body and Soul (Decca). Not profound, but nice sax playing. Paula Watson - A Little Bird Told Me/Stick By Me Baby (Supreme). One of several records of the R & B novelty "Little Bird." The flip is a lot better - a nice blues ballad with good, anonymous piano and tenor. Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 1 (Asch) Some good Howard McGhee here. And three B.B. Kings on RPM: Love You Baby/The Woman I Love; Whole Lotta Love/You Upset Me Baby; Bad Luck/Sweet Little Angel.

Band Concert* by American Symphonic Band of the Air conducted by William Revelli (Decca). A mid-fifties recording of impeccably played band music conducted by one of the great bandmasters of the mid 20th century. I almost put this in the classical thread, but about half the program consists of marches or what would be called "light music" in Britain. There's a great performance of a band transcription of the "Overture to Beatrice and Benedict" by Berlioz. And "Nobles of the Mystic Shrine" is one of Sousa's more interesting marches. *Did someone at Decca really get paid for coming up with this title? Later: A quick Google search revealed that Francisco Cavez's "Tamboo" from this album was released as a single and seems to have something of a reputation among "Exotica" collectors.

Freddy Gardner and His Swing Orchestra - Revelling (sic) in Rhythm (Ace of Clubs)

Sonny Rollins Quartet (with Cherry, Grimes, & Higgins) - Stuttgart 1963 (Jazz Anthology/Musidisc)

A rarity in Atlanta - nice powdery snow. When we have snow, it's usually with a nasty mix of sleet and freezing rain.

Richie Beirach - Hubris (ECM). A mint white label promo. Perfect music for a snowy day.

Is that track available anywhere except the Mosaic box? It's also on Atlantic Jazz Keyboards, which can be had for cheap these days. I bought that compilation just to get "C Minor Complex" before the Mosaic set came out.

Gerald Wilson Orchestra - Feelin' Kinda Blues (PJ stereo)

Heard the title track on Sirius today myself. Very cool.