mikeweil

Is Lonehill out of business? I cannot find any new releases, but see many of their reissues appear on other labels with identical tracklists. Some out of print items seem to fetch high prices on amazon.

Have you listened to Ray Bryant's version? That one has a nice piano intro similar to Dizzy's 1954 version, and would well fit with a lead on trumpet.

I am aware of that, but to my ears many of these changes are not convincing, rather determined by practical reasons. If you have a standard jazz band, you cannot apply an afro-cuban groove that needs three percussionists. It's all in 4/4, but the similarities end here.

That YouTube version linked is the 1954 one I mentioned. But - while discussing the correct chord changes one shouldn't forget finding the right groove, which most musicians seem to take for granted. Today most don't even know what Afro-Son is all about ...

The first version from 1954, btw., was with Machito's rhythm section, played with a Son-Afro rhythm and a bit slower than usual (check out René Hernandez' piano on this). The groove fits the tune much better than a funky treatment; Bryant's version comes pretty close to that.

I'd recommend Ray Bryant's take, who has a nice intro, from this CD:

Good to hear - just ordered a copy of his book on jazz singers.

You don't have to look at the cover all the time while listening ...... Now playing a new arrival I had been searching for a few years: Now here's another underappreciated singer ...

Eckstine recorded 186 tracks for MGM 1947-55, if my count from the Lord Disco is correct; some are still unissued - no idea if they're still there in the MGM vaults. That alone would be seven CDs. Lord's listing is not complete, as he sees "limited jazz content" in many sides .... make that eight discs. Next was an album for RCA Victor in 1956 (18 tracks, some unissued). Lord lists 108 tracks on Mercury (probably not all there is), and one live recording of four sets for Roulette. No idea if there is more. I'd rather see them do the labels separately, or it would be a very big box and rather expensive. A box of the early stuff as a singer with the Earl Hines band, the Deluxe and National titles and the live recordings would be another four or five discs. That makes him the perfect subject for the Mosaic treatment. Is Will Friedwald still around? He is full of praise in his liner notes of the two Verve reissues and would make the most of the session-by-session commentary.

The percussiveness reminds me of his buddy, Hampton Hawes.

Wishful thinking, probably, but still: Billy Eckstine on MGM - some of the best vocals ever, by one of the greatest singers ever. If they did Sarah, Bing, or Rosemary, Eckstine should be mandatory.

It's now "Running Low",finally .....

Always at your service! We can plead for a Mosaic box of Eckstine's MGM sides - he deserves it!

PM sent re: the two Al Hibbler CDs.

I think this one qualifies: there were only 500 copies made don't ask me why. Took me years to find one but was worth the long search. FLORIAN ARBENZ & LEVEL 4 FEAT. KIRK LIGHTSEY & BENNIE MAUPIN meta 009 Release Date: 2001 Florian Arbenz drums Bennie Maupin sax, bassclarinet Kirk Lightsey piano Tibor Elekes bass

KONCHO & CO Saperavi 2015 Never before in my life did I taste a wine from Georgia (the Black Sea coast country). Smells of dark chocolate and smoke, full aroma.

It is available on DVD: That quintet was great, even with its other pianist, Marcus Becker, all of their LPs are good but hard to find. https://www.discogs.com/artist/1496260-Klaus-Weiss-Quintet

This is one of the best Latin Jazz albums I know, but nobody ever mentions it. McFarland's arrangements are creative and sensitive, the interplay between him and Scott and the bassist and drummer (Richard Davis, Ron Carter, Mel Lewis) are subtle and superb. IMO McFarland had a deeper understanding of bossa nova than any other jazzman.

Probably - but to make sure, check the tracklists. But the photos in the article linked, obviously from the session, are nice - that would be a motivation to get the new LP reissue. Never saw them before.

Another vote for the Audiofidelity SACD, which sounds great to my ears - definitely better than the Bainbridge LP I had before. The high resolution layer sounds better than the CD layer, of course. But I would agree that there are better sounding trio recordings from those years. This trio is my favourite Sonny Clark.

This CD and Sphere Music are great, and, IMHO, far more interesting than his explorations on Mahler and similar themes that followed. I can see his point, but can't hear the unique engery of that "killer band".

The latter CD has two LPs, the second being this, which has tremendous groove.

Ray Crawford's Candid LP, which was not issued at the time - must have been pretty frustrating for him. It was finally issued in Japan in the 1980's, and then on a Candid CD (which sounds considerably better). Nice original tunes, great sidemen (Johnny Coles, Cecil Payne, Junior Mance, Ben Tucker, Frankie Dunlop).