mikeweil

Me too. Okay, you're tapped! I mean, You're tapped!!!

This has always been my favourite Johnny Griffin album, and I consider it one of the most amazing LP debut albums as a leader ever. It was his first 12" LP as a leader, his first recording as a leader besides four sides for Okeh, probably in 1954, as "Little Johnny Griffin". It was recorded for the small Chicago-based Parrott label, and scheduled for release, but the label was sold to the Chess brothers before it was issued. The only Parrott LP ever issued was the Ahmad Jamal Trio's famous "Chamber Music of the New Jazz", so this album is in some fast company. It was finally issued as Argo LP 624 and is pretty rare. A friend of mine had some tracks on a German Chess tenor sax anthology, and I taped them and hunted for this LP; I finally scored a copy at an auction. It was recorded as early as 1953 (!!!) - click here for the story about the label and determination of the recording date (you will have to scroll pretty far down the page) - I will get the new Verve LPR reissue sometime next week and wonder if they have corrected the recording date. The Argo LP was issued in 1958. Johnny Griffin - tenor sax Junior Mance - piano Wilbur Ware - bass Buddy Smith - drums Chicago, probably August, 1953 I Cried for You Satin Wrap Yesterdays Riff-Raff Bee-Ees The Boy Next Door These Foolish Things Lollypop I prefer this a lot to his first Blue Note LP from April 17, 1956 Introducing Johnny Griffin, it is mellower, groovier, his conception is totally developped, virtuosic without being beeing to flashy or showing off, bluesy, and the sound is much better as the RVG recording, IMHO. Very curious to read what you think about this album.

Okay, I'll step up front and start a thread ...

toc, toc, toc (your head -and not your shoulder- is being tapped) uhm ... that means I have to start a thread and .... I'm still a newbie to this forum - seriously! How much advance time? I have the impression the procedure is not working as smoothly as it should, and the list couw thankfully maintains is not quite up to date ... anyway, my pick would be the newly reissued Johnny Griffin Argo from the Verve LPR series.

Forgot to post link to the Mapleshade website.

One more recommendation for the Mapleshade recordings of Clifford Jordan. Right now, the label promotes a special offer: If you order four or more CDs from the directly, you get them for $ 9.60 each, which is a bargain. If you don't yet have them ... I especially recommend Live at Ethell's and the collaborations with Ran Blake. Among other artists from the label, the Hamiet Bluiett produced series and Larry Willis' albums deserve mention.

Maybe it's time for a "Blindfold Test Abbreviations" thread, along with an instruction on how to post that TM sign ....

That's a great one! Four LPs on two CDs! Beautifully recorded, and some of the best small group Basie-ite swing I have! I passed by most of the CDs because I had the ones of interest to me on LP, and was disappointed they did not re-arrange them for CD issue to include more music in case where they were not complete editions. The complete ones are great. In case of Dizzy, e.g., the Bluebird double CD is more complete and has better annotation.

I recieved The Flip only yesterday, and must say I enjoy this session much more than I thought I would after a cursory listen in a shop over headphones and the comments here on the sound and the playing of the non-American sidemen. I find nothing wrong about Vince Benedetti's piano playing, and the piano is not out of tune, just recorded in a rather disadvantegous way: He favors the upper register and the chord vamps he plays can get on your nerves with this not very warm piano sound. More middle and low frequencies in the piano sound, and a little further down in the mix, and it would be okay. Alby Cullaz, the bassist, swings and keeps the groove, no qualms about him either. All three horns play very well, Dizzy Reece in particular sounds like he might have been a major inspiration for Woody Shaw? I hate to say this, but I think Philly Joe Jones is the one here who almost spoils the session. The late 1960's were a hard time for him, he was pretty strung out on his habit, had problems supporting himself. He plays far better on his own date for Black Lion from 1968. Here he sounds like he was a little too stoned - his rhythmic coordination with the pianist and bassist is sloppy, and some of his fills are too loudly played and inappropriate. His playing here is way below his usual level. Still I'm glad I filled this last gap in my Mobley collection.

Superfluous question - think positive!!!!

Doh! I should have got this - I have all four of his CDs. This AMG link has the correct album title. Here goes another artists I considered for my own BFT ... nice to see you like him!

I do have fun, but .... Your above statement applies to yours truly: I am totally stumped by this one on first and second listen. The only artist I think I recognize is Bennie Wallace playing tenor sax on track # 7 - that's it. Many interesting choices - I hope I can find the time to comment on the musical side of the tracks some time this weekend. Thanks a lot. I hope it's not all Canadians .....

I'm ready to pick one, so feel free to tap my shoulder.

I'm pretty sure it's Elvin.

If you like the first ECM Return To Forever, but with a meatier groove, Free is good for you. The reissue policy of CTI was always strange: some of the musically best or most interesting were available for only a short time or remain unissued on CD, or perhaps only in Japan: most of the Joe Farrell LPs Airto's Fingers and Virgin Land Randy Weston's Blue Moses New York Jazz Quartet Ron Carter's All Blues with Joe Henderson some Hubert Laws

If Tender Moments sounds better than the previous issued, I might go outa my way and upgrade - unless there is any confirmation for a Tyner Mosaic. The Dexter Gordon suffers from a strange recording configuration: The drums were recorded in a booth with very direct sound, like standing where your speakers are, while the horns were recorded with the room ambience of that famous Paris studio - it was a large room, and Dexter and Donald Byrd sound like they were too distant from the mics. Too bad, as the music is excellent.

Then why were the other LPs all under Pearson's name and for other labels? Good question, and I probably don't have a good answer. ....... Admittedly, sheer speculation, but it is interesting to try to figure out why BN did not continue to support the Coles/Pearson arrangement. Maybe a good question to ask Michael Cuscuna?

You better do .... The first issued Blue Note Blue Mitchell was the Mitchell/Cook frontline with Gene Taylor from the Silver Quintet and Chick Corea and Al Foster filling in. The first session recorded remained unissued at the time, and was a studio band with Mitchell, Henderson, Hancock, Leo Wright, and Taylor and Roy Brooks from the Silver Quintet. Alfred Lion decided to leave this in the vault after Silver disbanded the Quintet and rather support the new working group with Mitchell and Cook. The first album was no more the Silver quintet than the second: 3 musicians in each case. But the second was a working band, the first was not.

I have only about half a dozen of them, and only on one of them the glued-on paperwork starts peeling off. I generally prefer packing where individual parts can be replaced. Same problem with digpaks or other fancies.

Got it today via couw (thanks!). A tough one - don't know a single track, and I am sure about only one musician. Doh!

Hell yeah!!!

My thoughts exactly! I heard them live and found them much more exiting than on CD. A more rough and direct sound would be suited better.

These are the CDs with soprano solos: Candid CCD 79035 Lucky Thompson - Lord, Lord, Am I Ever Gonna Know? ensayo ENY-CD-3471 Lucky Thompson - Soul's Nite Out Fresh Sound FSR-CD 199 Lucky Thompson - Lucky Meets Tommy And Friends HighNote HCD 7045 Lucky Thompson - Lucky In Paris Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-194-2 Lucky Thompson - Lucky Strikes Prestige PRCD-24144-2 Lucky Thompson - Happy Days *Vogue 74321 55950 2 Lucky Thompson - The Complete Vogue Recordings Vol. 2 and his last sessions on Groovre Merchant. If anything proves to be OOP, drop me a PM! He indeed recorded on soprano before Coltrane. Very unique conception. Steve Lacy, Pony Poindexter and Lucky were the first to record modern jazz on soprano sax, before Trane.

This makes the release date even less plausible - or he wanted to make the best of it even if Lee was absent from the scene. As I said, never attempt to read the mind of ....

Yeah, Happy Birthday! Stay in the groove!