mikeweil

This afternoon:

Here's another one I really like - but I think the YouTube version is playing a tad too fast.

The original version with the musical saw!

Discographical sources A general problem is that practically all issues in the 1940's and 1950's listed only the featured singers besides the bandleader (or the band's name with his included), and most discographical sources depend on these. Thus you hardly find sidemen listed. Attempting a complete Puente discography is a dauting task, anyway, with 100+ albums as a leader and many guest appearances. The listings in the Tom Lord Discography are further weakened by the compiler's general avoidance of anything he does not consider as "jazz". Josephine Powell's book has no discography, just mentions sessions in passing, but often with the mention of sidemen or band members not listed on album covers. This must be taken with care, as the band often was expanded with guest for studio sessions, or made with an altogether different personnel for special projects - this especially was the case with many RCA Victor album projects in the second half of the 1950's. There is an online Cuban music discography including Puente recordings, but it is far from complete and relies on the musician credits on the issues listed. That Puente is listed at all (as a Puerto Rican) is a sign of his reputation in Cuban music. But for early Cuban music recordings, Cristóbal Díaz-Ayala's doscography is indispensable and an admirable work: http://latinpop.fiu.edu/discography.html CD reissues vary widely as far as the depth of discographical details are concerned, depending on sources available. Puente's early recording career can roughly be divided into these phases: - Early sideman dates as a member of Machito and his Afro-Cubans (1941, four tracks on their first Decca album), and, after his army service, with José Curbelo (1947-47) and Pupi Campo (1948). - with his own orchestra for Tico 1949-56, resulting in a total of 156 tracks released on 78 rpm records, which were compiled on various 10-inch and 12-inch LPs, and only one session specifically conceived for LP release. Puente was offered a contract by Tico Records (a new label founded in 1948) after the rapid success of his first band, but was skeptical and insisted on a clause allowing him to record for other labels. This resulted in: - 27 tracks recorded for 78 rpm release on RCA Victor 1949-1951 which were later compiled on LP - 1 session recorded for Seeco (1953) first released on 10" LP and, later, in an expanded 12" edition Puente signed with RCA Victor in 1956 and recorded a series of LPs for the label until 1960.

R.I.P. I only knew him from Don Patterson's Muse LP, "Why Not?" - he sure played some fine solos on it.

Just saw there was a CD reissue, on Joe Haider's label: https://www.discogs.com/Slide-Hampton-Joe-Haider-Orchestra-Give-Me-A-Double/release/9905461

Ernesto Anthony "Tito" Puente was born in New York on April 20, 1923 into a family of Puerto Rican immigrants. The details of his family and musical career can be found in a well reasearched biography by Josephine Powell, "When Drums Are Dreaming", first published in 2007. The title is in reverence to the title of one of the timbale feature numbers of his early recording career, "Quando Sueñan Los Tambores". The book sets his life into perspective of the political and social situation of the times, which is particularly important as Puente was making a career in Cuban music - Cubans looked down on the Purto Ricans whose culture and music they thought to be inferior to their own. There is a lot of information about the state of Cuban music in Cuba and the USA from the beginning of the 20th century until his death in 2000. Besides that it is an important source of information on a few discographical details (more on the subject later) as it portraits important musical colleagues and band members. I consider it an indispensable book for anyone seriously interested in Puente's music: It is still easily obtainable as bound and paperback editions as well as e-book. For the history of Cuban music before that time, whenever Powell's book leaves open questions, I recommend: And for the time before that, to understand the European influence on Cuban music: Most Cuban bandleaders (except the percussionists) were classically trained and still are, especially the pianists; many undertook further study in the USA. Puente received excellent training but still had a hard time establishing himself as a Puerto Rican in the world of the Cuban musical elite. Powell's book is an important source as it chronicles the development and personnel of Puente's musical aggregations and their personnel as well as the recording sessions held, and places into a wider historical perspective, musically and socially. The same goes for Sublette's book, which is basic reading for anyone interested in the connections and influences between Cuban and other Carribean and South American music and jazz. But Powell's books is marred by a number of typos, mostly regarding name spellings, and she sometimes quotes sources without counter-checking: she says Puente's "Oye Como Va" was covered by Santana in 1972, quoting John Stom Roberts, which is wrong - it was released in 1970; and a few pages later she states the correct year. As most biographers, she is not really discographically interested nor accurate, she obviously knows only what was stated in the album credits.

Excellent observation!

Happy Birthday! Any of his European big band albums is worth hearing, I think they are somewhat underrated. This here is a personal favourite (not for the cover, which looks like asuperficial attempt to draw sales) with great players to the last seat - among others, Dexter Gordon (playing Ben Webster's sax!): https://www.discogs.com/Slide-Hampton-Joe-Haider-Orchestra-Give-Me-A-Double/release/2566860

Happy Birthday, and my best wishes! May you reach 100! I used some of his solos for my students to memorize, because they were so clearly structured and executed, and his rolls impeccable.

Same here, but also his own band in a local venue.

Thanks, Allen - but I don't want you to be underpaid! Do not hesitate to contact me. I will e-mail my adress once again.

So you need a financial upgrade from those that already ordered and paid?

Nice that they added the "lost" alternate. But what we think about is a reissue of Prestige LP 7004 with the Konitz/Miles session added. The Japanese always stick to the Prestige 12" LPs which is nonsense as these reissued the tracks originally released on 78's in a rather scattered pattern, combining the Konitz/Miles session with Getz, Miles and/or Mulligan tracks on Prestige 7002 and 7013. Discographically speaking, these LPs were a mess.

My copy is in much better condition!

earlier today: from a fine 1980's series with an ensemble led by harpsichordist Hans Ludwig Hirsch from Munich, who covered the Italian influences on Bach in several volumes. This one features Albinoni compositions that Bach knew.

The Froberger CD is due tomorrow:

It is a missed opportunity and lack of discographical knowledge that Fantasy never issued a complete Tristano/Konitz/Miles CD including the take that Chuck has. It all would nicely have fit onto one CD.

More Kenneth Gilbert:

Highly recoomended. His recprdings of the 17th century French reperoire and Forberger are still among the most convincing. Elegance, clarity, gracious but steady and powerful movement.