jeffcrom

I'm spinning a 78 that I've never been able to play previously - Ford Dabney's Band on a 12" vertically-cut Aeolian Vocalion from 1919: Feist's All-Hit Medley/Mr. Sousa's Yankee Band. My new turntable has a switch which enables playing vertical 78s. Dabney was one of those interesting pre-jazz New York bandleaders in the same circle as James Reese Europe.

I think that's it's more a matter of practicality and playing time - a coarse-grooved 12" 78 will only hold about four-and-a-half or five minutes of music. By the time vinyl and LPs came along, that wasn't acceptable for consumers.

Speed. All things being equal, the faster a disc spins, the better it will sound, hence the audiophile 45 RPM reissues of Blue Note albums. The reason old 78s don't give audiophile sound is that they are pressed from noisy material, which is all they had at the time. Nunn's 12" vinyl microgroove 78s sound wonderful, but weren't very practical - I didn't time them, but they seem to have about eight minutes of music per side, and many folks didn't have have a 78 player with a microgroove stylus. Heck, I didn't until today.

Bryan Wright - Bix Beiderbecke's Modern Piano Suite (Rivermont). Two microgroove stereo 78s. Very cool, and excellent music - I think I like "In the Dark" as well as the better-known "In a Mist."

I should probably post this in the 78 thread, but it somehow seems relevant to the vinyl-in-general thread. Tonight I'm playing three longish-playing microgroove 78s on the Audiophile label, from the 1950s: Harry Blons - Harry Blons' Dixieland Band Doc Evans - Traditional Jazz, Vol. 2 Doc Evans - Traditional Jazz, Vol. 4 I couldn't find pictures of these specific records individually, but they look like those in the picture above. I've had these records for awhile, but I'm hearing them for the first time tonight as they were meant to sound. I'm spinning them on my new Rek-O-Kut turntable, which finally gives me the flexibility I've been wanting - continuously variable speeds, so that I can play LPs, 45s, and 78s with stereo or mono LP cartridges or a 78 cartridge with different sized styli. This will replace my former LP and 78 turntables. It will take some experimentation to work all this out, but I'm excited by the prospect of getting the optimal sound for every record on my shelves. I can finally play my one 19th-century record, a disc by saxophonist Eugene Moermanns on the Berliner label, at the right speed (around 71 RPM). I'll be able to play vertically-cut 78s, like Edisons. And I even have some stereo 78s (Bryan Wright playing Bix Beiderbecke's Modern Piano Suite, recorded in 2009) that I'll finally be able to play in stereo. Jeffery's a happy boy tonight. Anyway, these Audiophile 78s sound wonderful. Ewing Nunn was a recording genius. He thought that his microgroove 78s had the best sound of any records, but his 33 RPM LPs sound pretty great, too. And I hate the name "Rek-O-Kut," but what a great table for my needs.

Herb Geller Plays (EmArcy)

Just wanted to let everyone know that a somewhat battered, but still no doubt useful copy of Brian Rust's massive discography of early jazz, Jazz Records 1897-1942 is on Ebay with a buy-it-now price of $45. link This is one of the monuments of jazz reference books; I use it several times a week. I can't imagine that you'll ever see a cheaper copy.

In one of my iPods, I have all of Bix's recordings. I've set up playlists for each year Bix recorded (1924 - 1930), with the tracks arranged chronologically. Today I listened to all the 1924 - 25 recordings while working around the house. He was only 20 when he first recorded, and had not yet turned 22 when he made the Rhythm Jugglers sides, the last I listened to today. What struck me, besides his unique style and beautiful note choices, was the authority with which he played, even at such a young age. Some of the musicians he played with were better than others, but good, bad, or indifferent, they were mostly just along for the ride. Bix was driving the bus.

One of my favorite Ra albums as well, although I only have a CD reissue. There's almost no reference to any musical world except the one Ra created. Listening to something very different this morning: Hollywood Saxophone Quartet - Sax Appeal (Liberty). Arrangements (and originals) by Lennie Niehaus.

Dwight Andrews & Geri Allen with Atlantans Kevin Smith on bass and Henry Conerway on drums. This was an early-evening concert at the community center of Dr. Andrews' church (he's a preacher here in Atlanta). It was kind of warmup for a concert they'll be doing in New York soon. Andrews played mostly soprano, and the music was fairly "inside," but mostly excellent. I especially enjoyed the two Geri Allen tunes they played, including one I had never heard before that alternated 7/4 and 6/4. The local rhythm section was excellent; the music was a four-part conversation, not solos with background.

I found a dealer today who had a large number of 1950s blues and R & B 78s. He kind of knew what he had, but his pricing was all over the place; he had lots of records priced way over market value, but there were also some which were priced surprisingly low. I ended up making a deal for a dozen of them, all in strikingly good condition, and all underpriced to some extent. I've cleaned and played half of them: Sonny Boy Williamson - Let Me Explain / Your Imagination (Checker) Jimmy Reed - I Don't Go for That / She Don't Want Me No More (Vee-Jay) Billy Boy [Arnold] - I Ain't Got You / Don't Stay Out All Night (Vee-Jay) Billy Boy - I Wish You Would / I Was Fooled (Vee-Jay) Jimmy Rogers - Walking By Myself / If It Ain't Me (Chess). Big Walter Horton's solo on "Walking" has long been one of my favorite blues harp solos. And the gem of the bunch: Elmore James - I Believe My Time Ain't Long / I Wish I Was A Catfish (Ace). This was Elmore's first recording (side one, anyway), leased from Trumpet, who called it "Dust My Broom," of course. He never made a follow-up side for Trumpet, so side two is actually by Bobo "Slim" Thomas, another bluesman who only made one successful side for Trumpet. In any case, this record sounds glorious, to use the same word twice in two weeks to describe 78s.

Late in the day, but I just noticed - Happy Birthday, Thom. May your G sharp key never stick. (Ha! Like that's gonna happen.)

That's a very cool album. Vernard Johnson - Live (Glori)

Howard Rumsey/Lighthouse All-Stars - Music for Lighthousekeeping (Stereo, "In Association with Contemporary Records"). Can't find a picture of the original stereo release; it's similar to the common one.

The Love Boat theme. Please shoot me.

I'm listening to the Braxton album too right now (on CD, actually, though) and making plans to drive to Tuscaloosa for Braxton's residency at the University of Alabama later this month. On the 18th, he and the UA big band will be playing the whacked-out march and that strange, wonderful last track, among other pieces.

A rare event for us in the deep South - Anthony Braxton will be in residence at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa from February 18 to 25. He'll be performing six (free!) concerts during that period - here are the details. I'm particularly intrigued by the February 20th quartet including Alvin Fielder and Alabama's two foremost avant-garde improvisers, Davey Williams and LaDonna Smith. Because of my gig schedule, I'll only be able to go to the first two concerts - a solo performance and a concert with the UA Percussion Ensemble and Big Band. But wow.

Sounds like great time.

Has anyone found a reliable US source for this CD? Descriptions of CDs with this title on Amazon and Ebay are so vague that I can't tell whether they are referring to this new Jazz issue or not.

Sun Ra - EP Collection 1-3; Live at Pit-Inn, August 8, 1988 (DIW 7-inchers). What a treasure was Sonny Blount.

Evan Parker - Saxophone Solos (Incus)

Okay, I'm pretty sure that #21 is Bent Persson, recreating one of the solos from the book Louis Armstrong: 50 Hot Choruses for Cornet, which came out in 1927. I still don't recognize the tune. I've always been curious about the Persson recordings, but frankly, I would rather find a copy of the music folio. I do a search every once in a while; maybe I'll get lucky one of these days.

Donald Byrd - Chant (BN rainbow)

Great music, even if the transfers aren't very good. Here's the info: At the Jazz Band Ball That Da Da Strain Hackett - cornet; George Brunies - trombone; Pee Wee Russell - clarinet, tenor sax; Bernie Billings - tenor sax; Dave Bowman - piano; Eddie Condon - guitar; Clyde Newcombe - bass; Johnny Blowers - drums; NYC, February 16, 1938 Jammin' the Waltz Clementine Leonard Feather Orchestra: Hackett; Pete Brown - alto sax, trumpet; Joe Marsala - clarinet, tenor sax; Joe Bushkin - piano, celeste; Ray Biondi - guitar, violin; Artie Shapiro - bass; George Wettling - drums; NYC March 10, 1938 Blue and Disillusioned Ghost of a Chance Poor Butterfly Doin' the New Low-Down Hackett; Brad Gowans - valve trombone, alto sax; Pee Wee Russell - clarinet; Ernie Caceres - baritone sax; Dave Bowman - piano; Eddie Condon - guitar; Clyde Newcombe - bass; Andy Picard - drums; Linda Keene - vocal; NYC, November 4, 1938 That's How Dreams Should End Ain't Misbehavin' Sunrise Serenade Embraceable You Hackett; Sterling Bose, Jack Thompson - trumpet; Brad Gowans, George Troup - trombone; Pee Wee Russell - clarinet; Louis Colombo - alto sax; Bernie Billings - tenor sax; Ernie Caceres - baritone sax; Dave Bowman - piano; Eddie Condon - guitar; Sid Jacobs - bass; Don Carter - drums; NYC; April 13, 1939 Bugle Call Rag Ja-Da Hackett; Stan Wilson, Joe Lucas, Harry Genders - trumpet; John Grassi, Cappy Crouse - trombone; Louis Colombo, Jerry Caplan - alto sax; Hammond Russum, Hank Kmen - tenor sax; Dave Bowman - piano; Bob Julian - guitar; Sid Jacobs - bass; Don Carter - drums; NYC; July 17, 1939 Clarinet Marmalade Singin' the Blues Hackett; Bernie Mattison - trumpet; Jerry Borshard - trombone; Bob Riedel - clarinet; George Dessinger - tenor sax; Jim Beitus - baritone sax; Frankie Carle - piano; Bob Knight - guitar; Eddie McKinney - bass; Don Carter - drums; LA, January 25, 1940

MIles Davis - Complete On the Corner Sessions, disc one. This is some bad-ass music.