jeffcrom

Music and Song of Italy (Tradition). Alan Lomax recordings from 1954. Practically everything Lomax recorded is worth hearing. The music from his Italian trip is raw, varied, and moving. I wouldn't recognize much of it as Italian if I heard it "sight unseen."

Herb Geller Plays (EmArcy). RIP.

I had just about decided not to get this box, I already had much of the material. But there were so many intriguing-looking tracks I didn't have that I kept thinking about it. Then, a few days ago, I unexpectedly found a hundred dollar bill in a drawer; I think that it was a long-forgotten gift from my late father-in-law. So I headed down to my favorite local brick-and-mortar store and picked up the Skydog set. I have somewhat mixed feelings about it. As Alexandros said above, it's an excellently-presented overview of Duane's career, with lots of rare tracks. The sound is very good (except for Barry Goldberg's "Twice a Man," which is a mess), and the booklet is very nice. However, the best of DA's sideman recordings have already been collected on the two double-disc Duane Allman Anthology albums. And the decision to include the entire first Allman Brothers Band album here is very strange - almost anybody who would consider buying this set is already going to have that album. And Duane's contributions to a few of the tracks are minimal, with no guitar solos. But, that being said, I'm still very glad to have this. There is still plenty of stuff I didn't already have, and much of it is excellent, or at least interesting. And of course, hearing it chronologically gives a different perspective to even the familiar material. I would say that if you don't have the two Anthology albums, getting Skydog would be well worth it. And it's probably worth getting to replace those albums, with all the additional material. Like I said, the bottom line is that I'm glad to have it.

Modern Jazz Quartet - Third Stream Music (Atlantic stereo). I know that the MJQ is not to everyone's taste, but I enjoy them more and more as time goes on, including their third stream stuff.

Duke Pearson - How Insensitive (BN Liberty)

Happy Birthday!

Louis Armstrong and the Blues Singers 1924-1930 (Affinity). A six-CD set from 1991, collecting all of Louis' vocal accompaniments from the twenties. I love this set, and I love the story of how I got it. Thirty years ago, I saw this in a local record store for 80 dollars. Well, I didn't have 80 dollars. Dejected, I drove home. In my mailbox was a check for 80 dollars and some-odd cents. Of course, I turned around, stopping at a band to cash the check, and went back to the record store. I've been enjoying it ever since.

I think it's Harper Goff.

Some of yesterday's and today's vinyl: Quincy Jones - The Birth of a Band (Mercury mono). Dutifully labeled "fair" by one of my local record dealers, it plays beautifully with my mono cartridge. Stanley Turrentine - Mr. Natural (BN rainbow). Side one is in great shape; side two is beat to hell. Go figure. Sam Rivers Winds of Manhattan - Colours (Black Saint). I bought this when it came out, and was disappointed at the time. I think that I was bothered by the mismatch between the very advanced harmonic language and the 4/4 squareness of the rhythms at times. I still notice that in spots, but it bothers me much less now.

Chick Corea Hen Gates Duck Dunn

Bobby Hackett Plays Henry Mancini (Epic). Even the clerk at the record store laughed at me when I bought this.

Pretty Baby soundtrack (ABC). I think I've said it before here - this is one of the great traditional New Orleans jazz albums of its time (1977). The New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, Kid Thomas Valentine's band, Jelly Roll Morton interpreter Bob Greene, James Booker, and Louis Cottrell all contribute. And producer Jerry Wexler's influence is a positive one - I doubt that, left to his own devices, Kid Thomas would ever have come up with anything as striking as having the first two choruses of "Honey Swat Blues" played by his unaccompanied trumpet.

Miles/Gil Complete Columbia - Sketches of Spain

Yes - it has become hard to find and pricey.

MEV - United Patchwork Horo)

Happy Birthday!

Me, too, brother!

Cool!

Ornette Coleman - Crisis (Impulse). An old friend, sub-par sound and all.

Staple Singers - 25th Day of December (Riverside). From their early-60s Riverside stint, when they were still a raw, unadorned gospel group.

As usual, I've been spinning lots of 78s without posting about them. In the past few days I've spun blocks of early blues ladies, Italian music, and Jewish/klezmer. But tonight, it has been Red Nichols: Alabama Red Peppers - San/Sam Lanin and His Troubadors - My Ohio Home (Romeo, 1928). Okay, Nichols is not on this one, but it led me to play a bunch of Red's, since he's on many of the Alabama Red Peppers discs. Kentucky Hot Hoppers - Red Head Blues/The Drag (Perfect, 1928). The Alabama Red Peppers under another name. The Charleston Chasers - Five Pennies/Feelin' No Pain (Columbia, 1927). A fabulous record, with good Pee Wee Russell on both sides. Red and Miff's Stompers - Feelin' No Pain/Blue Steele and His Orchestra - Betty Jean (Victor, 1927). Another great version, also with Pee Wee. Blue Steele led a hot dance band in Memphis. Red Nichols and His Five Pennies - Dinah/Indiana (Brunswick, 1929). The discographies put a question mark beside Jack Teagarden's name on this session, but it couldn't be anyone else. He leads a three-piece trombone section on "Dinah." (Young Glenn Miller is one of the other bones.) Benny Goodman, still recognizably influenced by Frank Teschmacher, solos on both sides. Red Nichols' Stompers - Make My Cot Where the Cot-Cot-Cotton Grows/Sugar (Victor, 1927). A larger group and a more commercial record, with forgettable vocals on both sides. But there are still good solos by Red, Adrian Rollini, Frank Trumbauer, and Pee Wee. The Captivators - What Good Am I Without You/We're Friends Again (Melotone, 1930). Even more commercial and less jazz-oriented, but there are still short solos by Benny Goodman and Eddie Miller. This one has a nasty crack, but I won't be heartbroken when it eventually breaks. Red Nichols and His Orchestra - The King Kong/The Hour of Parting (Bluebird, 1939). Red trying to make it in the swing era. He still sounds like himself, though.

For quite a few years now, the Jazzology "empire" has been run by a board of folks who love the music. I'm thinking that things will click along just fine.

I don't buy as many new releases as a lot of folks here. I agree with several listed above; there many others I haven't heard. But here are a few that haven't been mentioned yet that would be on my list: Steve Lacy/Joe McPhee - The Rest (Roaratorio) Wooden Joe Nicholas - Rare and Unissued Masters 1945-1949 (American Music) Thelonious Monk - Paris 1969 (Blue Note) - warts and all. These are all first releases (more or less) of music recorded some time back. I have actually bought some newly-recorded albums this year, but they've all been mentioned, except for: Panorama Jazz Band - Dance of the Hot Earth (PJB). I'm not sure this would actually make my top ten, but it's pretty close.

George Buck, founder of Jazzology Records, died today at the age of 84. The first Jazzology session was in 1949; 64 years later, the Jazzology catalog is enormous; they own all the Paramount, American Music, & Southland material, the Eddie Condon Town Hall broadcasts, the This Is Jazz broadcasts, and the catalogs of many smaller labels they bought over the years. And of course, Buck recorded plenty of sessions on his own. He was a dyed-in-the-wool moldy fig, but he released plenty of more modern material on his Progressive label. At an age when many of you were working your way through the Blue Note catalog, I was working my way through Jazzology's. Here's a report from a New Orleans TV station's website. R.I.P.

Gary Burton - Something's Coming (RCA stereo). Hard to believe that this excellent album has never been reissued.