jeffcrom

Jeez, you've hit on one of my heroes. I love all the recordings mentioned above, but how 'bout The Long March with Archie Shepp? "South Africa Goddam" gets to me every time I hear it. And is the Historic Concerts album with Cecil Taylor the best recorded performance of a drummer with CT? I think maybe so, although I can understand disagreement on that. And I've always loved Max's solo on "Lepa" (an early Richard Abrams tune, by the way) on The Many Sides of Max Roach - the bass keeps walking, while Max solos over the top, playing logical phrases and leaving plenty of space. Why don't more drummers do that? I would hate to have to choose just one of Max's albums as leader to take to a dessert island, but if I did, I think I'd have to go with Drums Unlimited from 1966. It's got Freddie Hubbard and James Spaulding at their best, some superb solo drum pieces, and the best-ever version of Jymie Merritt's 6/4 anthem "Nommo." What a giant.

Prince Charles Prince Robinson Jackie Robinson

The Duke of Iron Lord Invader Donald Rumsfeld

Last night in New Orleans: The Tin Men ("New Orleans' premiere guitar/tuba/washboard trio") at d.b.a. They played both Fats Waller's "You're Feet's Too Big" and Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." Then over to Preservation Hall to hear a band led by banjoist Carl LeBlanc - the same CL who played guitar with Sun Ra. How cool is that? Tonight: Evan Christopher & Tom McDermott at Donna's.

I'm in my favorite city, so I went to the Louisiana Music Factory yesterday and spent a couple of hours going through their 78s. The real finds where three unreissued records (two Charlie Thompsons and a Wooden Joe Nicholas) on Bill Russell's American Music label. (Well, the Wooden Joe did come out on a bootleg album.)

I used to listen to that one over and over. Had to listen, could you sure can't read the yellow-on-white cover. Seriously, thanks for your contributions, CN.

I'm in a hotel room 400 miles from home, watching/listening to Tristano's 1965 Copenhagen Concert on my iPod. I bought the DVD some time back, but never really explored it. I can't believe what I was missing. The opening "Darn That Dream" is just stunning - as amazing and astringent a reworking of a standard as Monk's "I Should Care." I've got everything issued by him except for the Betty Scott CD and some of the other 1965 European recordings, and I didn't think anything could make me think more highly of Tristano than I already did, but this concert does it.

Ornette Coleman Don Cherry Lolita I apologize for all aspects of this post.

It was issued on BMG/RCA's "In Paris" series, paired with a session by stride pianist Joe Turner. It's out of print right now, but there are lots of copies for sale by Amazon vendors.

Mose Allen Jimmy Crawford Crawford Long

A little off-topic, but is anyone familiar with Carla Bley's tune "Oni Puladi" from Jazz Realities? The first time I heard it, it seemed odd, but strangely familiar. When I figured it out, I burst out laughing. Get out your Real Book, play the record, and read along with "Ida Lupino," but start at the bottom right corner - it's a retrograde of the more familiar tune. Of course, the title is a clue.

Just picked up a copy of Sounds of Synanon and am really enjoying it. I agree that Pass sounds just great on this album, as does Arnold Ross. Some of the other guys sound talented, but kind of unfinished. I would have liked to hear what else trumpeter Dave Allan was capable of, but he doesn't seem to have recorded again. In any case, thanks for this thread - Sounds of Synanon would not even have been on my radar otherwise.

Mel Ott Melvyn Broiles Julia Child

Pops Foster Milt Hinton Slappy White

It's material that has been issued in various forms before, but maybe this is a more legitimate issue - I don't know. I've got about half of these tracks on Rare Unreleased Broadcasts (Yadeon 502) and the rest on Live in 1958-59 (Jazz Band EBCD 2101).

Sorry to hear this, although none of us gets out alive, and 82 ain't bad. Paying tribute tonight with a Pacific Jazz 78 (Wailing Vessel/Little Girl Blue) and the Bud Shank & His Brazilian Friends album from 1965.

Webb Pierce Jan Peerce Enrico Caruso

Well, the avant big band stuff is Anthony Braxton - Creative Orchestra Music 1976 on Arista with a Bluebird CD reissue in 1987. Now it's on the Braxton Mosaic set, of course.

The best solo on the four Les Hite Bluebird sides is eight measures of Britt's trombone on "Board Meeting." He plays the bridge of what is otherwise a tenor sax chorus. I swear that the tenorman (Que Martin, maybe?) plays more thoughtfully when he comes back in after Britt's interlude.

Little Walter Walter Mondale Dale Evans

The Complete Bluebird Recordings of Les Hite and his Orchestra. Not exactly a box set - two 78s from 1941. Although Lionel Hampton, Lawrence Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, and T-Bone Walker all passed through this band, the biggest name on these four sides is Britt Woodman. But I sure am enjoying them. No geniuses here, just solid, swinging arranging and playing. I'm thankful for the great big bands like Ellington, Basie, Gil Evans, but I just love these journeyman bands that fought it out in the trenches year after year, swinging their butts off.

Just to confuse things.... I have "You Ought to Know" on a Paul Gayten/Annie Laurie LP on the Swedish Route 66 label. It gives a location/date as New Orleans, late 1949, with this personnel: Paul Gayten - piano & vocal; Wallace Davenport - t; Lee Allen - ts; Frank Campbell - as, bar; Jack Scott -g; George Pryor - b; Robert Green - d This is a much more likely personnel for a New Orleans recording; I doubt those New York guys would have made the trip south. The tune is a nice, moody ballad with a good tenor solo. The whole album is excellent early New Orleans R & B. The album has one track, "Goodnight Irene," with Mobley listed on tenor. Unfortunately, there's no tenor solo. I always chuckle at one line of "Broadway's on Fire": "That bebop is okay, but I've got to have some blues."

I have a copy I would be willing to part with. I'd rather trade than sell.

Well, I broke down and bought a copy of the two-sided (Lay Lady Lay b/w Spinning Wheel) version from an Ebay vendor. It's mono/promo. "Spinning Wheel" is pretty entertaining. The line in the lyrics that goes "Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel spin" is taken by the organ every time, and each time it gets more dissonant - by the last time it's pretty out. There's also a few seconds of free improv - no key, no pulse - in the middle of the record. Definitely trippy 1969 stuff.

Slight correction: I left out the date of 1/7/94. And it's not totally clear (the dates are "recorded and mixed"), but I assume the music was recorded in June of '93 and mixed in January of '94. It's a great album.