mikeweil

Always changing ... good to see my namesake back!

Considering the success of the album, why did the documentary remain on the shelf for so long?

Thanks - so it's an omission in the Lord Disco. I'm relieved ...

Am I correct in assuming the material on this CD from 3 sessions from 1940/41 was not included in the Ellington Centennial Box Set? According to the Lord disco, it was not - I am on vacation, so I cannot walk to the shelf and look ...

This edition has only master takes, right? That was what kept me from buying it when it was issued, as I have almost everything I really wanted on single Mercury CDs with alternates.

Congrats - hard to resist at that price. It's up again at € 63.30, Fresh Sound asks for 69.95 - good bargain.

This one is even better, I had the pleasure of attending a live performance of this orchestra with this piece, an overwhelming experience!

Listen, compare, and let us know! It can be a frustrating experience, like I had when I listen to a Nick Esposito 78 in the studio while it was transferred, and it turned out he didn't even play on it, or it can be very satisfying, like when I finally got a rare Tjader 45 of Afro Blue and it was indeed a different take that never was reissued. You'll be the first to verify it is a different take (it takes musical ears sometimes that most discographers do not have) - do you have the other two versions at hand?

My experience is, you have to listen and compare - you cannot assume that discographers have listened to every item they list. Often things are listed and described only from written documentation, but in the end the only way to verify details of personnel or differences between takes is to get the disc and listen, and if necessary, make audio diagrams if aural comparison does not work (in most cases, it does). That's what I had to do to verify differences between takes or versions of certain Cal Tjader items while compiling his discography - or, in some cases, their identity. It really is the only way. I could tell you in detail about several examples. General discographers like Bruninckx, Lord, even Jepsen, cannot listen to every item they list. Specialised discographers do, if they are serious about their work. Send an e-mail to the person who runs the Dave Brubeck Jazz site and ask. Perhaps he can provide a copy, If not, get yourself the 45. p.s. That Brubeck site is made with a lot of love and care, but he is not accurate in every detail. When researching Cal Tjader's biography, Duncan Reid and I had doubts that Tjader played on the first Brubeck Octet sessions from 1946 - there is a down beat interview from 1966 where Tjader states he joined the group in 1948 and "maybe Joe Dodge" was the drummer before him. Duncan interviewed Iola Brubeck and found other documents (a photograph, among others) giving evidence that Dick Saltzman was the Octets's drummer before Tjader. John Bolger doesn't seem to be aware of this or the Brubeck Trio test pressing John Harrod found. He hasn't read Duncan Reid's book with my discography ... it so easily happens. I will send him an e-mail and tell him. Go get yourself the 45 and listen.

If SONY would consider treating Monk and Brubeck like they treated Miles ... but now that we have those "Original Albums" box sets, I'm afraid we'll never get it. Go look for the 45.

Transcribing ensemble pieces for two keyboards was common practice in the 17th and 18th centuries already. Bach knew a printed work by Gaspard Le Roux that describes the method in detail; Francois Couperin encouraged playing his chamber works on two harpsichords. Not to mention the large number of original works for two harpsichords, including some of the Bach family - among them is the original version of BWV 1061. One of the Brandenburgs - BWV 1051 - can be played this way without skipping one note. This is a nice example on two harpsichords (BWV 1061/1066/1067/1051):

As his name poppped up in the overlooked pianists thread: Pony Poindexter !

Welcome to the board, Laurie Antonioli! Fritz Pauer was great! I cherish the two of his trio LPs that I have.

He really could play .... R.I.P. Now he can re-join Danny Gatton in pluggers' heaven.

Of those already mentioned, I'd underline: Tad Shull, Harold Ashby. Germany's Günter Kronberg, who never was recorded at the level of excitement he delivered in performance. Steve Hall, who impressed me on Kevin Hays' go round CD on Blue Note: great, big sound, much soul. Allen Eager!

Talking about Selects: Onzy Matthews.

Just ordered a copy of the JSP Johnny Dodds disc that has all eight tracks - thanks for the recommendation!

Considering the musicians involved, this is really tempting, even though these big boxes are hard on the budget.

How much do the Plastic Village people charge, or do they make individual offers? Still looking for a supplier of these sleeves in Germany ...

A look into the Lord Disco reveals that Bennie Green's Walking Down was both Dixon's and Mayers' recording debut. Dixon also plays plays on the Eldridge Master Jazz date mentioned above - both these LPs went straight to my want list - always liked Dixon whenever I heard him solo. But it seems that around 3/4 of his recordings were with Basie. Just listened to a great Dixon solo on Lester Leaps In from the Quincy Jones Big Band At Newport 1961 recording (Disc V of the Quincy Mosaic box). One of those reliable big band people who always were able to deliver an exciting solo when asked, which was not often enough. Dixon is on Waldron's Mal 3, to great effect - his second record date. Other of his rare small group dates are Ahmed Abdul-Malik's Jazz Sounds of Africa (New Jazz, reissued on a Prestige twofer), and the Count Basie Kansas City Seven on Impulse. Oh, and there is a Jack McDuff date on Prestige, Something Slick, where Dixon plays alongside Harold Vick, which never was on CD in complete form ... Frank Foster, Basie Is Our Boss, on Argo from 1963, another sextet date that never was on CD. That's about all of Dixon's small group dates that I can identify.

Woody Herman Columbia - was finally able to pick this up at the local post office yesterday afternoon .... sounds considerably better than the old French CBS LP box set.

Dicky Wells - is that the Signature session? It's the rarities that make this set desireable. I was stunned by the sound of the Decca sides on the HEP CDs and wonder if they can improve on it.

JPC reduced the price of this set from € 89,99 to € 46,99 - maybe at other web shops, too?

Ha - same here, at least as far as the music is concerned. Temperature is down to 25 degrees the day over and below 20 at night. But tomorrow it will be close to 30 again ... BTW - JPC reduced the price of this seit from € 89,99 to € 46,99, in case anybody might be interested.