jeffcrom

Andrews Sisters Boswell Sisters Samuel Johnson

Don Patterson - Why Not... (Muse). I hate the cover - it's supposed to be seductive, but it so... isn't.

Pete ships quickly - thanks!

Ace Cannon King Curtis Leigh Harris (Li'l Queenie)

If you've never heard Mitchell's Christian Singers, you're in for a treat. They recorded in the second half of the 1930s. I first heard them, like lots of folks, I guess, on the album made from John Hammond's Spirituals to Swing concerts. They had two tracks on the original album; that's been bumped up to three on the expanded three-disc version. The group was from North Carolina, and their style is unique, but a little hard to describe. It's raw and "down home" - the word that keeps coming to mind is "flexible." It's flexible music, rhythmically, melodically, and harmonically. I'm aware of the Document CDs, but since I've started collecting them on 78, I'll probably just continue that route. Which means that I'll probably never hear their complete output, but that's okay. I recommend checking out the Spirituals to Swing tracks, at least.

Sun Ra - Astro Black (Impulse). Hadn't played this for awhile, and I had forgotten how badass it is.

Sun Ra - A Fireside Chat With Lucifer (Saturn). This had several different covers; this is what mine looks like. Happy birthday, Sonny.

Bob & Ray - Mary Backstayge Noble Wife. A 1976 album of episodes of the comedy pair's semi-improvised soap opera, recorded from their WOR broadcasts. Although the cover looks like a bootleg, it was put out by the boys' production company, Goulding Elliott Greybar Productions.

I'm now up to eight 78s by my favorite gospel group, Mitchell's Christian Singers, on seven different labels: Oriole, Romeo, Melotone, Conqueror, Perfect, Vocalion, and Columbia. This evening I played half of them: Take My Hand/Don't You Want That Stone (Columbia) I Want Somebody to Tell Me/Yes My Lord I Done Done (Vocalion) What More Can Jesus Do/Who Was John (Romeo) Standing By the Bedside/What Kinda Shoes Do the Angels Wear (Oriole) Amazing stuff.

Fletcher Henderson - The Fletcher Henderson Story/A Study in Frustration (Columbia); disc two

Happy Birthday!

A Date With Jimmy Smith, Volume Two (BN Japan)

Daisy Parker Armstrong Alpha Smith Armstrong Lucille Wilson Armstrong

Red Norvo - Vibe-Rations (Liberty)

Claude Thornhill - Dinner for Two (RCA Camden). More pop or "mood music" than jazz, even though John Carisi, Danny Polo, Brew Moore, and Hal McKusick are on various sessions, and there's one Gil Evans chart. That's a description, not a criticism - I enjoy this album.

Tonight I listened to Steve Lacy's "jam opera," The Cry, based on the poetry of Taslima Nasrim. Here's her poem "Cannonade." Special Branch guards are on twenty-four hour duty in front of my door Who comes and who goes, when I leave, when I enter the house, they write down everything in a notebook, who my friends are, whose waist I embrace as I laugh. Whom I whisper to... everything. But the things they cannot note down are which thoughts come and go in my head, What it is that I nurture in my consciousness. The government has cannons and rifles and a little mosquito like me has a sting.

I've got to wax nostalgic about "my" old audio shop, Audio Atlanta. The owner was someone I entirely trusted as someone who wanted to meet my needs, not just make a sale. As a matter of fact, on several occasions he convinced me to "spend down." I called him once, ready to buy a new turntable. He asked me what I had, and when I described my 30-year-old table, he said, "You don't want to get rid of that. Bring it in and I'll give it my $60 (it may have been $40) turntable tune-up." On another occasion, I had some Tannoy speakers picked out, and he asked some questions about my listening space. After I answered, he said, "You don't need those - get the next size smaller." Which I did. And he he had a sale of about $150 less. He earned my trust and loyalty. And of course, his store went out of business.

Gene Ammons - The Twister (Prestige). Reissue of Jammin' in Hi-Fi, if I understand correctly. I sure like me some Idrees Sulieman.

Happy Birthday, 2014, Chuck!

Eva Taylor with Clarence Williams' Blue Five - Cake Walking Babies From Home. Taylor sings one chorus on this 1925 jazz masterpiece. The rest of the record is a no-holds-barred duel between Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, each of whom plays as if his life depended on it.

Blackstick: A Group of Instrumental Selections featuring Clarinet Solos (Decca). I picked this up about a week and a half ago. I have all but three of the ten sides elsewhere, but it's interesting to hear them as selected by producer Dave Dexter in 1941, and to read his booklet notes. The contents: Jimmy Dorsey - I Got Rhythm Woody Herman - Herman at the Sherman Irving Fazola with Bob Crosby - Sympathy Benny Goodman with Adrian Rollini - Davenport Blues Danny Polo - Blue Murder Jimmy Noone - I Know That You Knowq Joe Marsala with The Delta Four - Farewell Blues Johnny Dodds - Melancholy Pee Wee Russell with Bud Freeman - Sunday Sidney Bechet with Noble Sissle's Swingsters - Blackstick

Charlie Christian/Wardell Gray - Tribute From Sweden (Fran Staterna). A bootleg (from Boris Rose, I think), purporting to be on a Swedish label. The music is pretty wonderful - mostly Benny Goodman Sextet/Septet broadcasts featuring Christian (from 1941) on side one and featuring Gray (from 1948) on side two. Later, toward the end of side one - Goodman plays two measures of pure Teschemacher in "Wholly Cats." Very cool.

George Girard - Stompin' at the Famous Door (Vik). This supremely talented New Orleans trumpeter was only 26 when he died. Tonight I'm hearing a Bunny Berigan influence I had never really noticed before. And the great Harry Shields, one of my favorite New Orleans clarinetists, is on hand with some fabulous playing.

John Coltrane - The Prestige Recordings; The Dakar session.

PM sent.