jeffcrom

Imperial Brass Band - A New Orleans Street Parade Live in Paris (Sandcastle). A fairly obscure New Orleans brass band LP from 1976. The Imperial was (in this incarnation) trumpet player Alvin Alcorn's band. He took a fairly small group (seven pieces, plus a grand marshall) to Europe on this tour, presumably for economic reasons. I would have preferred another trombone and a saxophone or two, but this is still some pretty enjoyable New Orleans street band music. There doesn't seem to be a usable image on the interwebs.

Willis Jackson - Grease 'n' Gravy (Prestige silver fireworks stereo label). I like a wide of variety of music, but this is exactly what I needed tonight.

Muggsy Spanier big band - Little David Play Your Harp (Jazz Archives). Muggy's short-lived big band only made two studio sessions, so this album of airchecks gives a fuller picture of what the band sounded like.

I forgot about that one - I've got it as well. Need to give it a listen.

Potts also recorded a couple of albums with Chico Hamilton before he emigrated to France. And I have a 1979 album by blues harmonica player Sugar Blue that Potts plays on - Cross Roads. It was recorded in Paris, and has appeared on several French labels.

The Charleston Chasers disc from Thesaurus of Classic Jazz (Columbia)

Lookin' sharp, Billy.

Jim, keep your eye open for this collection on the Ermitage label: It's got Baroque through contemporary pieces, including Varese's "Density 21.5." A Canadian seller has it on Ebay right now - you might not want to pay that much, but this is one to look for. The kind of thing that probably inspired Dolphy is on this 1960s Time/Mainstream album, which is excellent: You're pretty good at sniffing out vinyl; go to it. I have both of these and recommend them.

Paul Barbarin - New Orleans Jamboree (Jazztone). Recorded a couple of weeks before Barbarin's more well-known 1955 Atlantic album. This is nearly as good, hampered only by the fact the the only bass is provided by pianist Lester Santiago's left hand. (Atlantic wisely added Milt Hinton to the band.) And I don't know how widely recognized it is, but clarinetist Willie Humphrey (1900-1994) was a particularly talented and individual improviser. His musical language was, of course, more conservative than Charlie Parker's, but he exhibited a similar flexibility of phrase shapes and lengths, and was at times as unpredictable as Bird. I saw him perform in New Orleans three months before his death - it was pretty great. Nice one!

Later: Larry, your comments on Doug Watkins are especially interesting when you notice how much "Tutti Flutee" on side one (with Wendell Marshall on bass) slows down. Drummer Bobby Donaldson certainly sounds more lively with Watkins on bass.

Flute Flight, prompted by Larry's post. I found this one a little while back, and like it, too. Sure, Mann was never an improvisational genius, but this is a long way from his Shirtless Rock Guy days. I associate Ozzie Cadena with Savoy, but I have several Prestige albums he produced, including a couple of Willis Jacksons and albums by Curtis Fuller, Bud Freeman, and Roy Haynes.

The lp version was the second jazz box I obtained after this: Then the Ellington and Holiday boxes followed. Damn! The Thesaurus has some very interesting (and enjoyable) music on it.

Bill Evans - Complete Riverside Recordings; the Portrait in Jazz session.

Congrats - great album.

Jelly Roll Morton - Complete Library of Congress Recordings (Rounder); disc 3 - including a spectacularly dirty version of "Whinin' Boy."

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but the version of Barber's Adagio for Strings on this album made me cry when I heard it in a record store about 15 years ago. Of course I bought the CD, even though I already had two or three versions of the piece on CDs.

Carrie Nation Canada Lee Kenya Moore

Red Allen Meets Kid Ory (Verve mono). This 1959 pairing works far better than it has any right to.

The Perennial George Lewis (Verve mono)

I know he recorded as a sideman with Hank Garland, but I don't know if that was his recording debut. That would be too easy, so probably not. Maybe I should give all the contestants more time, but... The next time you hear Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," notice the tasteful vibraphone playing in the background. That would be young Mr. Burton. In a Cadence interview about ten years ago he said that was his first recording.

The Nashville All-Stars - After the Riot at Newport (RCA Victor mono). Hank Garland, Chet Atkins, Boots Randolph, Floyd Cramer, a 17-year-old Gary Burton, and more. Garland is excellent, as is Burton, even at his age. Boots Randolph is not a bad jazz player; unfortunately, that can't be said of Cramer and Atkins. And a cool Jim Flora cover. This wasn't Gary Burton's recording debut, though. Ten points to anyone who knows what that was - and you won't find it in any jazz discographies.

Sonny Berman - Beautiful Jewish Music (Onyx). For those who don't know this one, it's a 1946 jam session by mostly Woody Herman band members in Jerry Newman's apartment - so of course it got recorded. Berman doesn't get any more solo space than anyone else, but he's the most interesting soloist.

Louis Armstrong - A Musical Autobiography

Ken Colyer - New Orleans to London (London 10"). My cover is very similar to this UK Decca pressing. Colyer is my favorite European New Orleans-style musician - which seems like a strange category for an American to have a favorite in. But I'm a fan. So there ya go.

Coltrane - The Classic Quartet; the May 26, 1965 session with Roy Haynes, plus some other material from disc 4.