jeffcrom

Anthony Braxton - The Complete Braxton 1971 (Arista/Freedom)

No, no, no! Personally, I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm planning on spinning the single CD tonight.

A quick search indicates that The Rent should be easy to find. And, again, sorry if I'm answering a question that you weren't asking.

What a nice hour and a half of piano music!

I know you weren't asking, and maybe "getting" Lacy isn't a goal of yours. But if it is, my suggestion is to try out some of his trio recordings from the 1990s, like Bye-Ya and The Holy La on Freelance - or, even better, the live The Rent on Cavity Search, if that one is still findable. His earlier quintet and sextet recordings, even though they are held in high esteem, aren't a good place to start, in my opinion.

Duke Pearson - Merry Ole Soul (BN)

Yeah, I've never felt compelled to get the box, since I seldom spin my one-CD version. I might play it today, though, now that I'm thinking about it.

I wouldn't call any recording approved by the artist's executor(s) a bootleg. And don't forget that Evans selected nine tracks from the Turn Out the Stars sessions for release on a double LP. That issue never happened, but those tracks eventually were issued on the single-CD version of Turn Out the Stars. That's the one I have, rather than than box set.

I have a pretty high tolerance for "period" production, too. And I loves me some Rhodes. But Tommy Flanagan on Rhodes with chorus and phase-shift starts to be a bit much, and the Yamaha "electric grand" doesn't work for me at all. Neither does the bass sound on the two tracks where they sucked the life out of it. But I'm still glad I got this album. J.J. and Joe Henderson....

J.J. Johnson - Pinnacles (Milestone). A Joe Henderson appearance I was not aware of until this afternoon, when I came across this LP. The music is excellent, but there are some cheesy 1979 keyboard sounds (from Tommy Flanagan!), and an even worse use of signal processing on Ron Carter's bass on a couple of tunes - they put chorusing and an envelope filter on it.

This won't mean much to most folks here, but I have to post about it. I drove from Atlanta to Nashville yesterday with a guitar-playing friend to hear Jack Pearson at his monthly gig at the Station Inn. Pearson is the "lost" guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band - he played with the ABB from 1997 to 1999, during a period in which the band didn't make any albums. I had never heard of him until a couple of years ago, when I heard some live recordings from that period, and some later shows with Pearson subbing for Warren Haynes. I was immediately struck with his playing, which exhibited a sophistication and technique a step or two beyond what you would expect from a blues/rock guitarist. So I tracked down as many ABB shows with Pearson as I could. But that didn't prepare me for last night. He opened with a solo version of "I Can't Get Started," and later, with his excellent organ trio, played a blistering "Bye Bye Blackbird," in addition to many of his R & B - flavored originals, some blues, a gospel song by Rev. Gary Davis, and a couple of Allman Brothers tunes ("In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Blue Skies"). On every tune, whatever the style (or mixture of styles), his playing was just jaw-dropping. If I had to list the 20 best musical performances I have attended, this would be one of them.

And if it hadn't been for my quick reflexes, we would have lost Big Jack Johnson 15 years earlier than we did. On another trip to Clarksdale, I enjoyed a set by Big Jack which featured a bizarre, random version of "Tequila," during which he moved from the A section to the bridge whenever he damn well felt like it, thank you very much. Late that night I was driving down Sunflower Avenue, going back to my hotel, when I drove past Red's, the juke joint that's been there seemingly forever. Big Jack was hanging out in front of the place, and just as I was driving past, he cracked up at something someone said to him, and staggered into the street, doubled over with laughter. I swerved. You're welcome.

Here's my Frank Frost story. I visit the Mississippi Delta periodically, to hear the blues and to visit holy sites. In the late 1990s, I was in Clarksdale for the Sunflower River Blues Festival. One evening ended with a concert by harmonica player Willie Foster, from Greenville, Mississippi. In the backing band were Frank Frost on organ and Sam Carr on drums, along with a couple of younger musicians on bass and guitar. By this time Frost was worn down by age and alcohol, and it was sad to see him hunched over the organ, playing chords - not interested in soloing, and seemingly not very interested in the proceedings at all. Foster kept trying to get him to come to the front of the stage and sing a feature number, but Frank kept shaking his head. Finally he gave in - he stood up and slowly walked to the front of the stage, while pulling a harmonica out of his jacket pocket. He said something to the band, counted off a tempo, and launched into "Midnight Prowler." It was one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen. For five minutes, he was the Midnight Prowler. He snarled into the microphone, stalked around the stage, and just about blew the harmonica apart. It was stunning. Then the song ended, and he slowly walked back to the organ, where he spent the rest of the set hunched over, playing chords.

Also: The 1962 Phillips International album Hey Boss Man! by Frank Frost and the Nighthawks is one of the rarest and most collectible blues LPs, but it has been reissued on Charly as Jelly Roll King - you should be able to find it. The Nighthawks were, in fact, Frost, Johnson, and Carr - they later changed their name to avoid confusion with the blues/rock band. It's a little different from their later sound - it's definitely a Frost album, and Frank is not playing keyboards yet, just guitar and harp. It's a great album, just different from the more collective emphasis the group had later. Some tracks sound like they have a bass, but Big Jack said that he just played guitar on the album, presumably tuned down. And over half of the Earwig album Midnight Prowler by Frank Frost is by the same trio, but with overdubs. It's not really on the same level as Rockin' the Juke Joint Down or Hey Boss Man!, but once you have those, you might want to check it out. I have story about the title song....

One of the greatest Delta juke joint trios of all time! Rockin' the Juke Joint Down on Earwig is the one to get - all live with no overdubs. Later albums are more problematic. The Fat Possum Off Yonder Wall is more of a Big Jack Johnson album - Frank Frost was not in good health. But it's kind of amazing to hear Big Jack sing "Frank Frost Blues" ("Frank Frost, you'd better put that bottle down!") with Frank right there in the studio. And some later "Jelly Roll Kings" albums are not the trio, they're really Frank Frost albums. Get Rockin' the Juke Joint Down! Now!

Hamiet Bluiett - Endangered Species (India Navigation)

Edmond Hall - Petite Fleur (United Artists mono)

Clarinet player and former public school band director chiming in here.... Is this for you, or a young student, or what? If it has been maintained and refurbished, as the ad says, it's a good offer. Bundy is a student model clarinet - just fine for a youngster starting out. If you're taking up clarinet in any kind of serious way, you might want something better. In terms of condition, all you can really tell from the pictures is that the tenon corks look to be in good shape. But that's a good sign that maybe it has indeed been maintained well. You can find cheaper student clarinets, but they're usually in rough condition or are very cheaply made. A used Bundy in good condition will be better than most student model clarinets. If the seller will let you have a trial period to have it checked out (say, by the music teacher if it's for a child), it's well worth pursuing.

I went out to my favorite local brick-and-mortar store and bought this yesterday. I did this for several reasons: Like JohnS, the idea of four previously unheard Miles tracks excited me. It was a way to support the store, which manages to stay in business without making very much money. It's fun (for me) to go out and pick up new releases, especially rare/unusual ones like this. Bottom line: I enjoyed it and am glad I got it. I did a little comparison last night and musically, these takes are inferior to the master takes - even to the alternate takes that have been previously issued. I guess that's not surprising. But there are compensations, such as one particularly hot Jackie McLean solo on one of the takes of "Chance It." The first take of J.J. Johnson's little tone poem "Enigma" is lovely, and the Miles solos are interesting to hear, even if they're not as assured/organized as the later takes. And it's a well-pressed, quiet record. Anyway, I'm glad to have it. In my book, any new Miles from this period is something I want to hear. But this is certainly a YMMV situation, especially if you're not enamored with hearing multiple takes of the same tune.

Sugar Pie DeSanto Sugarboy Crawford Davell Crawford

Dizzy Reece - Manhattan Project (Beehive) Nice!

I've got that record - I'll spin it later. NYC, May 10, 1944 Frank "Fat Man Humphries - trumpet Tab Smith - alto sax Mike Hedley - tenor sax Raymond Tunia - piano Trevor Bacon - guitar, vocals Al McKibbon - bass Walter Johnson - drums

Before I clicked the link, I thought to myself, "I hope Paul recommended the 'right' JLH CD." He did, of course - that's the one to have.

The Chocolate Dandies (DRG). Tonight I had an intense need to hear some early-30s jazz, and after thinking about it for a couple of minutes, I realized that this album was just what I needed. I hate the name given to this recording-studio-only band (or rather, series of bands), but the music is superb - check out the list of featured musicians listed on the cover. And the "others" include Frank Teschmacher, Bobby Stark, Jimmy Harrison, Chu Berry, and Sid Catlett. My US DRG copy is identical to the European EMI version shown, except for the label name.

Oliver Lake/Julius Hemphill - Buster Bee (Sackville) Dave Brubeck Quartet - In Europe (Columbia 6-eye mono). I have mixed feelings about Brubeck, but they fall on the positive side overall. Nothing mixed about my feelings about Paul Desmond. In any case, this is a good one.