Peter Friedman

Just listened to the track "Diggin' In" from the Dexter Gordon box set of Columbia recordings. This tune is seriously joyful and swinging with Eddie Jefferson vocalizing and wonderful solos by Dexter Gordon and Woody Shaw. This track brought a very large smile to my face.

Mention of Leo Parker suggests to me that Pepper Adams would have made a great choice to play with Miles, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe.

The Blackhawks recordings feature , in my opinion, marvelous playing by both Miles and Wynton Kelly.

The 2 already mentioned that I would have loved to hear with the pre-1964 Miles group are J.R. Monterose and Johnny Griffin. A couple of other interesting choices are Teddy Edwards and James Clay.

I can't accept your comment about Bob Coopers solos not being relevant. That is very much a personal value judgement (to which your are entitled) but not one that speaks for me. In fact, when it comes to tenor saxophone solos I will take Coopers over Giuffre's every time. Giuffre was a highly talented musician who did a lot of very interesting things, but as a tenor player I rarely found him to be anything special. But as I indicated, personal taste is a key factor in how we view these things.

A quick sampling of that Deuchar shows as much of a Mulligan/West Coast influence as Dameron, IMO, though. Don't agree. Among the soloists, Deuchar is pretty much out of Navarro (strikingly so, but with what I fancy to be a certain individual Scottish flavor), and I don't recall a chart or a piece that isn't fairly Dameron-esque nor any that are West Coast- or Mulligan-like. Two older Brit trumpeters who had some of that flavor I think were Eddie Blair and Bobby Pratt -- the latter two regulars with Ted Heath I believe. All three can be heard to nice effect on composer/arranger Johnny Keating's Dot album "Swinging Scots." Perhaps a sectionman fondness for/need to display a certain brassiness and sheen lay behind their apparent affinity for Navarro over Gillespie or Davis. In particular, not only do I hear some fairly specific Dameron-like manuevers in the pieces and voicings, but the whole mood of the music is what might called lyrical-muscular, and IIRC it's devoid of the contrapuntal or mock-contrapuntal devices that mark much West Coast work of the era. Also, a tenorman as forceful as Tubby Hayes would have blown apart any West Coast date. The ins and outs of what U.S. jazz (especially in the post-war era but earlier on, too) influenced jazzmen in other countries is fascinating. The affinity of the Scandinavians (and some Germans. likes Hans Koller) for the Tristano-ites is one obvious example. Without doubt, in most cases it mostly has to do with something semi-innate in the culture on the receiving end rising up to mate with a particular aspect of the culture on the sending end, so to speak. May seem like these are minor side issues, but they may be revealing of (again, so to speak) larger things. Larry, Though you may not perceive any West Coast Jazz influence on the Jimmy Deuchar session, I certainly hear a West Coast Jazz influence in some of the post-war Scandanavian recordings. I also hear the West Coast influence in some British recordings of early Tommy Whittle , Don Rendell and Ronnie Ross. As for your comment on Tubby Hayes, it should also be remembered that such non-West Coast style players as Sonny Clark and Max Roach were briefly part of the Lighthouse Allstars.

Totti Bergh was a fine tenor player. I have 5 CDs under his leadership. One with Plas Johnson, one with Al Cohn, one with George Masso & Major Holley, One with Joe Cohn and Laila Dalseth (Totti's wife) and a quartet date of ballads.

I could make a very long list, but here are a few that quickly come to mind. Art Farmer Quintet - Manhattan - Soul Note Jimmy Knepper Quintet - Cunningbird - Steeplechase Dave Pike with Cedar Walton Trio - Pike's Groove - Criss Cross J.R. Monterose Quartet - T.T.T. - Storyville John Hicks Trio - Is That So? - Timeless The Ballad Artistry Of Buddy Tate - Sackville Slide Hampton Quintet - Roots - Criss Cross Howard McGhee / Benny Bailey / Teddy Edwards - Home Run - Storyville Cedar Walton Trio & Dale Barlow - Manhattan After Hours - Twinz Pepper Adams - The Master - Muse Milt Jackson Sextet - Invitation - Riverside Ruby Braff & Roger Kellaway - Inside & Out - Concord Jazz

There is a nice late period recording by Rex. Rex Stewart And the Henri Chaix Orchestra - Baden 1966 and Montreux 1071 - Sackville

This CD I listened to this morning is clearly one of my favorite newly released recordings of 2011. Danny D'Imperio and The Upstate Burners - Live At The Rum Keg Lounge - VSOP Nick Brignola's playing is arguably the very best I have ever heard, and I have just about all his recordings. The alto player is basically an unknown guy named Frank Moser and he is excellent. This 1979 recording is filled with a huge amount of energy and excitement and will swing you into 2013. The audio quality is very good. I was a bit dubious about this CD but took a chance bought a copy. I am extremely glad I did as it is a total winner.

Over the past 4 months I have read books about Jimmy Heath and Hank Mobley. As a result, I have been listening to a lot of recordings by those two players. Apart from that I listen to a great variety of jazz and classical music. New cds enter my house regularly and there is always a stack of new things waiting for me to hear. Along with the new things I am always pulling CDs off the shelf that I heve not heard lately or that have come to my attention from something I read here on Organissimo or elsewhere.

I recently acquired a copy of this CD. Carmen Leggio Quartet Featuring Joe Cohn - Mighty Quinn (label)

I have a very nice trio cd by Gildo Mahones. Gildo Mahones Trio ( with Bob Maize (bass) & Johnny Kirkwood (drums) - ART Union / Interplay (Japanese) Recorded in Hollywood, CA on August 14 & 16, 1990

My preference is for the Kenton Band of the mid fifties with arrangements by people like Bill Holman and soloists such as Bill Perkins, Lennie Niehaus, Pepper Adams, Davy Schildkraut, Charlie Mariano, Carl Fontana, Sam Noto, Jack Sheldon, Richie Kamuca and others. Here are the CDs I have from that period. Kenton '56 In Concert - Artistry Kenton Plays Bill Holman Live - Artistry Kenton '58 - Live at Keesler Air Force Base - Astral Jazz Stan Kenton - Live At The Las vegas Tropicana - Capitol Stan Kenton - Live At The Macumber Club 1956 - Magic Dawe Stan Kenton - Live At The Macumber Club Part Two - Magic Dawe Stan Kenton - Live From The Patio Gardens Ballroom, Salt Lake City 1957 - Magic Dawe Stan Kenton - Stompin' At Newport - Pablo

Muddy Waters - The Chess Box , Disc 3 - Chess / MCA

Billie Holiday and Shirley Horn

Muddy Waters Lightning Hopkins Sonny Boy Williamson Howling Wolf Jimmy Rogers Jimmy Reed Otis Spann

Sad news indeed. Brookmeyer was a multi-talented man who made a number of solid contributions to jazz.

Happy Birthday Barry. Wishing you many many more.

Just remembered a late Chet Baker session that I like very much. Will play it today or tomorrow. Chet Baker Meets Space Jazz Trio - Little Girl Blue - Philology

Thanks, Niko and Marcello.

I was listening today to a CD by Steve Wilson on Criss Cross recorded in 1991. The trumpet player was Tom Williams. Williams recorded 2 albums as leader on Criss Cross and also was a sideman on a number of sessions on a few different labels. Williams sound quite good on the few CDs I have with him as leader or sideman. He seems to have faded from the scene a number of years ago. Anyone know what happened to him?

Kenny has been one of my favorite trumpet players for decades. I agree with Mark that his sessions with Jackie McLean are marvelous for the playing of both horns. One of my very favorite examples of Dorham's playing can be found on the Barry Harris Sextet album titled Bulls-Eye on Prestige.

I sold Hiroshi many LPs back more than 20 years ago, and have been a cd customer in more recent times. I e-mailed him a few days ago when I heard he was closing down. He sent me back a very very nice e-mail recalling all the things he had purchased from me and thanking me for all the great things he had received from me. A truly nice guy.

This 1975 likely gets overlooked. It was primarily a vocal session and a very joyous one. Roy's singing is a lot like his trumpet playing. The album title says it all. Roy Eldridge - Happy Time - Pablo