jeffcrom

Sonny Rollins - The Freelance Years. I decided that wanted to hear something from this set, and realized that I don't "know" The Sound of Sonny very well, so that's what I'm spinning.

Mercy Dee Walton Grace Kelly David Justice

Woody Herman - Road Father (Century). A nice direct-to-disc album from 1978.

Clare Fischer - One to Get Ready: Four to Go (Revelation)

I very nearly bought a copy of that yesterday and didn't. Did I make a mistake? Hmmm... depends on how much it was. It's very good, if you're not turned off by the idea of alto sax (or bass clarinet) duets. And my copy sounds good; it's a very quiet pressing. It's not the Tchicai record I would take to a desert island, but it's good music and worth having.

Curtis Fuller - Sliding Easy (UA)

Tonight I'm spinning New Birth Family, by the New Birth Brass Band. They've put out a couple of albums since this 2004 offering, but they haven't topped this one, in my opinion. The New Birth is only a step or two behind the Rebirth, and based on this album (and a gig I heard at the Maple Leaf in New Orleans), they are almost the equal of the great Rebirth. This album has Trombone Shorty on trumpet, his cousin Glen David Andrews on trombone and the great vocals, and the veteran Darryl Adams on alto sax. The percussion team of Kerry Hunter on snare and Tanio Hingle on bass is frighteningly intense. (They are also the drummers of the New Orleans Nightcrawlers brass band.) This album's version of "Over In the Gloryland" might just be my favorite version of this NOLA brass band standard. The New Birth plays the first half of the first chorus with no drums and no tuba. The drums come in in the second half of the chorus, but the tuba doesn't enter until the second chorus. By that time, the tension has become almost overwhelming, which makes the feeling of release at the beginning of the second chorus incredibly satisfying.

And every Atlantan who is old enough remembers the moment in 1992 "when Sid slid." Francisco Cabrera hit a ninth-inning line drive that drove in two runs and sent the Braves to the World Series. The second of those two runs depended on the notoriously slow Sid Bream beating the throw from left field. If the throw had been better, he wouldn't have. My first wife, the guy who was renting a room from us, and I were watching the game on television; we went as nuts as the folks at the ball park. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C54Rj-evUAQ

An interesting online opinion piece, which in many way reflects the still shocked feelings of many Atlantans I know. If you don't want to read the whole thing, here are two quotes I like: So the idea of an Atlanta sports team playing in a suburb makes me sick. Because I have no love for the suburbs. I care about cities, because that's where people are forced to intermingle. I care about cities, because that's where the culture is. And I care about my city above all, because it's mine. and Amid a day full of angry and bewildered phone calls, texts, and emails from a collection of friends, I was reminded that, throughout all of this, my perspective on this stadium move stems from the fact that I live in a bubble. A bubble where one's city means something. A bubble where sprawl is the devil. A bubble where part of one's life's work is to help a city reverse its misfortune. A bubble where moving back is a requirement. A bubble where your parents can tell you about the night Hank hit no. 715. A bubble where no one around you is happy about this move. A bubble where you're preparing for a third Braves stadium in your short lifetime. And a bubble that will continue to grow smaller with each passing year that Atlanta becomes less a city and more like a more amorphous mess. I'm older than the writer; I remember Hank's 715th myself. WSB radio "the voice of the South," played a silly novelty song called "Seven One Five" in the weeks leading up to Aaron's milestone. It was supposedly by "Big Daddy Beavers," who I realized later was announcer and program director Elmo Ellis. When the Braves moved to Atlanta, I was eight. Hank Aaron was my hero. I wanted an Aaron jersey, but there was no way I was going to get one. So I made my own, with a white T-shirt and a black magic marker. It had the Brave's script, the tomahawk, and Aaron's number, 44. I once wore it to church, under my white dress shirt. As we were walking in, my mother noticed that you could see my homemade tribute to Aaron through my shirt; she was not happy with me. The feeling of "losing" the Braves has made me nostalgic. I was there at Atlanta/Fulton County Stadium the night Otis Nixon made "the catch." It was as unbelievable in person as it is on video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSHzGtPx8zo

Been spinning lots of shellac; most of which would probably not interest many folks here. But since I'm reading Derek Coller's book on Tony Parenti, I played all my Tony Parenti 78s yesterday. To quote myself from earlier in this thread: Anthony Parenti and His Famous Melody Boys - French Market Blues/Dizzy Lizzy (Victor, 1925) Tony Parenti's New Orleanians - In the Dungeon/When You and I Were Pals (Columbia, 1928). The Columbia features an early example of Johnny Wiggs' wonderful cornet - poised somewhere between King Oliver and Bix. And a two-record album: Tony Parenti's New Orleanians, Vol. 2 (Jazzology, 1949). (Wish I could find a picture online.) From the very first Jazzology session. I have this material on CD, but enjoy spinning these 78s. Given the condition and the provenance (the co-owner of the record store where I got this album was once employed by George Buck), I believe this album to be unsold warehouse stock, unplayed until I got hold of it.

John Tchicai/Andre Goudbeek Duo - Barefoot Dance (Marge)

Reuben Wilson - On Broadway (BN)

Opening tonight for Eugene Chadbourne and Tatsuya Nakatani.

I didn't know he made an album for Bluesway. Indeed, I didn't know he was still active in the 70s. Who's on this? How does it compare with his early material? MG This is a really nice little album, made in New Orleans in 1973. Joe plays piano as well as sings, and the rhythm section is some the usual New Orleans suspects of the time: Justin Adams on guitar, George French on bass, and Alonzo Stewart on drums. Roosevelt Sykes sits in on one tune. Several of the tunes are remakes of his classics, like "Evolution Blues" and "Chicken a la Blues." The lyrics are clever ("It takes two to tango, but only one to mess around") and the performances are spirited. It's a good 'un. And Joe was active into the 80s. I have a solo album (just Joe and a piano) by him on the Great Southern label from 1985. I need to spin that one soon.

Damn - Moms done sent me to the dictionary....

Tony Parenti - Jazz Goes Underground (Jazzology). The great New Orleans clarinetist and pianist Knocky Parker interacting with the once-thriving Atlanta dixieland scene in 1969. As a young man, I played with a couple of these guys (the Atlantans - not Parenti or Parker).

Cousin Joe of New Orleans (ABC/Bluesway)

You're right - several commentators in Atlanta have pointed this out as a factor in the move.

Another spin of this - loud, since my wife is out of town.

Last night I listened to the recently-issued American Music CD Rare & Unissued Masters 1945-1949 by Wooden Joe Nicholas. It's a great addition to the small discography of this raw New Orleans trumpeter. But I noticed right away that track 15, "(No) Holler Blues," is not the same take as the "Holler Blues" issued on 78, although the notes and discography in the CD booklet make that claim. I've got a copy of AM 534 (and was tickled to find it), and it's not the same. Trevor Richards' notes point out that the band forgot to do the "holler" strain in the take just released on the CD, hence the slight change in the title. They do the "holler" strain on the 78 take, and the 78 take is distinctive because, in the chorus immediately before the holler, Joe gets the form messed up and leaves out a measure, turning that chorus into an 11-bar chorus. If Mike Hazeldine's American Music book is to be believed, I have every take of "Holler Blues" on various AM CDs, Dan LP VC-7026, and AM 78 #534 - except the second take from July 6, 1949. (There were two takes recorded that day, and three on July 7.) I played them all today, and they all include the holler. So I suspect that this new take is that second take from July 6 - the only take that had not been issued before. And the 78 take remains unissed by American Music, although it did appear on a Wolf LP and CD at some point. Not of great interest to many people, I know, but I wanted to get this information on the web.

Good wishes sent your way. May your wife have a complete recovery and 47+ more years with you.

I get your point, but isn't Turner field pretty beat down? That's what I have heard. Well, the Braves' management says this: Turner Field has served the Braves well since 1997, but it is in need of major infrastructure work, which will cost around $150 million. These upgrades are functional ones, such as replacing worn-out seats or upgrading the stadium's lighting, and they would do little to significantly enhance the fan experience. If the Braves were to pay for additional projects focused on improving the fan experience, the additional costs could exceed $200 million. I don't really know what they're talking about. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what upgrades Turner Field needs, but I think most visitors would be surprised to hear that the Braves think it needs that much work. On my last visit, a couple of months ago, the only negative I noticed was that the lighting in the corridors seemed a little dim, but that certainly wasn't a major issue for me. My impression was that the seats were just fine, that the sightlines were excellent (not a bad seat in the house), that the field was beautiful and well-lit, that the concession choices were widely varied, from cheap hotdogs and nachos to gourmet sandwiches and steaks and PBR to craft beers, that there were lots of activities and entertainment for fans before the game (and during it, if the kids got bored), and that the organ was played by an excellent jazzman, Matt Kaminski. (Okay, he didn't play jazz at this gig, but his sarcastic song choices to introduce the opposing players were pretty funny.) Maybe Turner Field does need 150-200 million dollars of work after 16 years of operation. That seems excessive to me, but maybe it does. The projections for the new facility are around $672 million. (That's the stadium and surrounding infrastructure.) The Braves won't be paying all of that, of course, but they will certainly be spending more than they would if they stayed put. I guess they are pretty sure they'll recoup their investment, but "throwing away" a perfectly good, relatively new baseball stadium seems insane to me.

Didn't post this interesting jazzing-a-Broadway-score album I spun yesterday: Manhattan Jazz All-Stars - Swinging Guys and Dolls (Columbia 6-eye stereo). This is pretty good, with Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, Mose Allison, Teddy Charles, Zoot Sims, and others on various tracks. On the cover, it looks to me like Art Farmer and Teddy Charles have shot craps before; Aaron Bell and Teo Macero, not so much. Now playing: Hank Mobley - A Slice of the Top (BN "rainbow"). What a wonderful album.

Maybe this is venturing into the political, but I don't care - it speaks to what's really going on with the Braves' move. Delete if you will. Here's a quote from Cobb County GOP Chairman Joe Dendy on the transportation issues: “It is absolutely necessary the solution is all about moving cars in and around Cobb and surrounding counties from our north and east where most Braves fans travel from, and not moving people into Cobb by rail from Atlanta. For anyone familiar with Atlanta demographics, this is pretty blatant.