jeffcrom

No advice; just wanted to say that I hate this for you. Almost certainly sound and fury signifying nothing.

Ted Curson - Typical Ted (Trident)

The Klezmorim - Notes From Underground (Flying Fish). After spinning the disappointing new find above, I wanted to hear this album - similar in intent, but much better. It was recorded the same year as the Original Klezmer Jazz Band disc, and even has some of the same tunes, but it's a mix of serious and good-natured, while the OKJB is often just silly and forgettable.

The Original Klezmer Jazz Band (House of Menorah). A 1984 klezmer/dixieland fusion offering. Only fair-to-middling, despite the presence of some big klezmer names like Henry Sapoznik and Pete Sokolow. Later: Why would anyone imitate one of those horrible 1920s Ted Lewis vocals? Ouch.

Sheila Jordan - Body and Soul (Japanese CBS/Sony). With a great band - Frank Wess, Kenny Barron, Harvie Swartz, and Ben Riley.

Teddy Wilson and His All-Stars (Columbia)

A late-night Ellington 78 session: Lazy Rhapsody/Blue Tune (Brunswick) Sepia Panorama/Harlem Air Shaft (Victor). Near mint, and one of my favorite records - vibrant and enigmatic. Main Stem/Johnny Come Lately (Victor) And the capstone, which I've had for about a year, but haven't posted about: Black, Brown and Beige (RCA Victor). A set of two 12" 78s housed in a two-pocket gatefold cardboard sleeve, with extensive liner notes and illustrations. The music is familiar from reissues, but this album is a beautiful thing - musically, sonically, and as an artifact. I'm really glad to have this one.

Happy Birthday!

All the cool kids are listening to Bean, apparently.... Coleman Hawkins - Recordings Made Between 1930 and 1941 (CBS France). A still-valuable collection; I've had it since 1976 or so. I'm starting with the ten sides made in 1933 by the Henry Allen/Coleman Hawkins Orchestra. Dickie Wells almost steals the show a couple of times.

Hal McKusick - Jazz Workshop (RCA Victor). My copy of this great album is pretty battered, but it doesn't sound bad with a mono cartridge.

That's too cool. My sister-in-law, an amateur cellist, lives within walking distance of Lake Padden (Bellingham, Washington), where he's playing on August 31. I'll send her the link. Digging into the site a little more, it looks like he will only be camping at Lake Padden, not playing. Too bad.

That's too cool. My sister-in-law, an amateur cellist, lives within walking distance of Lake Padden (Bellingham, Washington), where he's playing on August 31. I'll send her the link.

Who is battling?

Brad Gowans and his New York Nine (RCA Victor 10" LP). This 1946 date is a delight - excellent, unclassifiable jazz. While searching for a picture, I discovered that it's available on Spotify and on CD in a couple of forms under pianist Joe Bushkin's name.

Albert Ayler - Holy Ghost (Revenant); disc five, from the 1966 European tour. This set is monumental. I'm kind of amazed every time I play it.

Donald Byrd - Free Form (BN mono)

Muggsy Spanier - a three-record album on Disc, from 1946. I've had this for about six months, but haven't posted it here. It's pretty great - the music is mostly as good as "The Great 16" on Victor, with the added bonus of Pee Wee Russell on clarinet. David Stone Martin did the cover, and there's a nice eight-page booklet with notes by Charles Edward Smith and pictures by Skippy Adelman. (I've always loved his black-and-white jazz photos from this era.) The records have the usual hissy Disc surfaces, but no matter - this is a great little album.

Again tonight, since I've pulled out the 10" LPs, and since I recently read that this album was influential for Roswell Rudd. (Tyree Glenn is the trombonist.)

The Cats and Jammer Kids: West German Jazz (Angel 10"). A collection of 1954 recordings. The quality is mixed, but the best are very good - Hans Koller, Paul Kuhn, and some very early Albert Mangelsdorff.

Clifford Brown - Complete Emarcy Recordings, disc 1

Marion Brown - Juba-Lee (Japanese reissue)

When I was in college, the local (Athens, Georgia) alternative newspaper had a blind beer tasting with various bartenders, local celebrities, and beer "experts." The only taster to correctly identify every beer was the most popular country musician in town. Seemed fitting.

Duke Ellington - Ellington Indigos (Columbia stereo). The stereo issue is patently inferior to the mono issue, since one tune, "The Sky Fell Down," did not get recorded in stereo and is not included on the stereo album. But I still spin the stereo version occasionally, since a couple of the stereo takes are different from those used on the mono album.

Scott's one of my best friends, and a member of one of the most interesting improvising ensembles in Atlanta, Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel - which is exactly what it says it is, and kind of magical. Scott has been posting his video archive online, and yes, there is some amazing stuff there. No, I wasn't there. There were some amazing shows in Atlanta in that period, and although I attended many of them, I missed many. During those days I was keeping body and soul together in part by playing commercial music in "tuxedo bands." I worked a lot, and often had gigs which caused me to miss shows I would have liked to attend. Some of those missed opportunities were just heartbreaking to me, but eating and having a roof over my head seemed fairly important at the time. On the other hand, I heard almost the same quartet - with George Lewis in place of Workman - around the same time, as well as lots of other great shows. I walked to the Brotzmann Tentet show Scott has posted - it was in my Atlanta neighborhood.

I just looked at my list of Steve Lacy shows I attended - I was lucky enough to see J.J. six times over the years. With the possible of exception of Henry Grimes, I think he was my favorite jazz bassist. (All due respect to many other great bassists.) I remember sitting in Snug Harbor in New Orleans, before a Lacy trio show in 1999, enthusiastically telling some Crescent City musicians that they were about to hear the best bass player on the planet.