Peter Friedman

I grew up in Detroit at the same time Roy Brooks was developing his skills as a drummer. He would hang out with some of the other young Detroit cats like Charles McPherson and Lonnie Hillyer. They spent a fair amount of time with jazz master Barry Harris, learning from him. The first time I heard Roy play he was rather young and his playing was ragged. Over time I watched and heard him turn into an outstanding drummer. He was one of my favorite drummers of the 1960's. Unfortunately, personal problems required Roy to leave the New York scene and return to Detroit. One interesting memory I have dates back to about 1960 or thereabouts when I had a summer job working for the Detroit Parks and Recreation Department. I was working at a playground when Roy brooks, Charles McPherson, and Lonnie Hillyer came by with a basketball, and the four of us played B-Ball together for a while.

Clark Terry - Shades Of Blues - Challenge Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Quartet - A & M Thad Jones - 1/2 of CD on Debut label Harry "Sweets" Edison - At The Haig 1953 - Fresh Sound Dusko Goykovich - Celebration - D.I.W. Dusko Goykovich - Ten To Two Blues - Ensayo Sam Noto - Entrance - Xanadu Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy's Big 4 - Pablo Count Basie/Dizzy Gillespie Quartet - The Gifted Ones - Pablo

I realize that Ruby Braff usually played cornet, as does Warren Vache, but here are a few quartet recordings by them. Ruby Braff - Live At The Regattabar - Arbors Ruby Braff-George Barnes - live At The New School - Chiaroscuro Ruby Braff and Ralph Sutton - R & R - Chiaroscuro Ruby Braff/George Barnes - Plays Gershwin - Concord Ruby Braff/George Barnes - Salutes Rodgers and Hart - Concord Ruby Braff - The Canadian Sessions - Sackville Warren Vache - Iridessence - Concord Warren Vache - What Is There To Say? - Nagel-Heyer

Venus seems to have specialized in Piano Trios more than anything else. I'll list some of my favorites on Venus: Super Trio - Super Standard (Kenny Barron,Jay Leonhart,Al Foster) Bill Charlap Trio - "S Wonderful New York Trio - Love You Madly (Bill Charlap, Jay Leonhart,Bill Stewart) Stanley Cowell Trio - Dancers In Love Roland Hanna Trio - Milano,Paris,New York finding John Lewis David Hazeltine Trio - Alice In Wonderland John Hicks Trio - Cry Me A River Eddie Higgins Trio - Again Steve Kuhn Trio - Sing Me Softly Of The Blues Charles McPherson featuring Steve Kuhn - But Beautiful There are a number of others I like too, but this list above is a good place to start.

Brad, Which Mabern on Venus did you have? I have 4 Venus CDs by Harold as follows: Don't Know Why Fantasy Falling In Love With Love Kiss Of Fire These three Mabern Trio CD's on D.I.W. are particular favorites of mine. Mabern's Grooveyard Lookin' On The Bright Side Maya With Love

Well, it sure looks as if there are a number of different CD releases of THE RAJAH. Mine is silver and blue with copyright dates (1988) on both tray card and back page of booklet, but no date at all on the disc itself.

The Standards - Kessel album is nice, but far from one of my favorites by him on Contemporary. His "Poll Winners" CDs and "To Swing Or Not To Swing" have already been mentioned and I would agree that they are better than the Standards album. There are three other not yet mentioned that I also prefer. "Lets Cook" with players such as Ben Webster, Frank Rosolino, Victor Feldman, Hampton Hawes and Jimmy Rowles is one of my favorites. I am also very partial to "Red Hot And Blues" with Kenny Barron, Bobby Hutcherson, Rufus Reid, and Ben Riley.

Jim, My copy has 1988 on both the tray card and back page of the booklet. I am unable to find a date on the CD itself. Where on the disc are you finding a date?

Just very recently I discovered two mistakes regarding CDs I played. The first was the personnel information on both the traycard and back of the booklet for Lee Morgan - The Rajah - Blue Note. Gene Taylor is listed as drummer in both places, while the actual drummer is Billy Higgins. On the front cover of the booklet Billy Higgins is listed. Can't figure out how bass player Gene Taylor ended up beong credited as the drummer in the two prominent places I referred to above? The second error is on the Timeless CD titled "Up Front" with David Williams, Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins. Track 6 on this CD is listed as "Funji Mama" in all three places that has tunes listed. Those three places are the traycard, back page of the booklet, and on the CD itself. Track 6 is actually "Django". What makes this even more strange is that in all three places "Django" is listed CORRECTLY as track 2. It seems as if by mistake "Django" was used twice on this CD and "Funji Mama" never appears. The other tunes on this CD are all listed correctly. Have these two errors been mentioned here before?

To be honest, I am not all that crazy about Mabern's Prestige recordings. I much prefer his recordings on D.I.W. , Sackville, and Venus. My favorites are the one he did on D.I.W.

I also have "Wholly Cats" by Russell Malone on Venus. It is Malone's best CD in my opinion.

About 10 years ago my wife and I were vacationing on the French island of Guadaloupe im the Caribbean. I stopped in a record store there one day and much to my surprise found the following CD. Barney Wilen - Essential Ballads - Alfa Naturally I grabbed it. I haven't seen a list of Wilen CD's on this thread so will list the ones in my collection. These are just the ones where Barney Wilen is the leader. I have some other CDs where Barney is a sideman. Essential Ballads - Alfa Tilt - BMG Dream Time - Deux Z Jazz Sur Seine/Un Temoin dans La Ville - Fontana Quintet - Fresh Sound Talisman - Ida Sanctuary - Ida Wild Dogs Of The Ruwenzori - Ida La Note Bleue - Ida French Ballads - Ida At The Club Saint Germain - RCA (2 CD set) The Osaka Concert - RTE Trema Movie Themems From france - Timeless Passione - Venus Le Ca:New York Romance - Venus International Jazz Meeting - Unreleased Private Recording

Funny how many years ago I thought Condon's music was corny as I was a "modern jazz fan". Over time I began to appreciate his music and now have a very large collection of Condon's recordings. His various groups were filled with many many fine jazz players such as Pee Wee Russell, Wild Bill Davison, Bobby Hackett, and numerous others. I eventually purchased the entire series of Condon's broadcasts released on the Jazzology label and love his Mosaic set.

I have the new Gerald Wilson CD. In my opinion, it is his best recording in many years. The writing is terrific, and the soloists dig in to the music with great enthusiasm. This may be my favorite big band recording of 2005.

I am not a Rock fan, but-but-but I do like some things by The Rolling Stones.

I recall going to see Kirk Lightsey playing in a trio context a number of times back when I was living in Detroit. It would have been about 1966. Lightsey impressed me a great deal back then and I continue to consider him a very underrated jazz piano player. I also saw Kirk play solo piano one evening at The Cafe Des Copains in Toronto. That must have been in the late '70's or early '80's, but I am not sure about the dates. I agree that his playing on the Chet Baker - Prestige - sessions is first rate, as are his Criss Cross dates as both leader and sideman. Kirk also plays on a 1965 Sonny Stitt recording that also features Benny Green on trombone. Lightsey also plays on a number of recordings on the Timeless, Sunnyside, and Limetree labels.

Ellington recorded it hundreds of times. Here are a few non-Ellington versions that I very much enjoy. Ray Bryant - Montreux '77 - Pablo Jimmy Rowles - Plays Duke Ellington And Billy Strayhorn - Columbia Stuff Smith - Live At The Montmartre - Storyville

The track Larry mentioned "Queer Street" is available on the following CD: Count Basie and His Orchestra- 1945-1946 - Classics 934 Just listened to it. The main impression is how much it swings. Shadow Wilson seems to provide the ideal rhythmic feeling to make the tune glide forward effortlessly. Shadow gets one very short drum break that fits in perfectly with the overall sense of the piece being played.

Third Installment Modern Jazz Quartet - The Complete Last Concert - Atlantic David Hazeltine - Close To You - Criss Cross Jimmy Raney - But Beautiful - Criss Cross Kirk Lightsey - Isotope - Criss Cross Ralph LaLama - Feelin" And Dealin' - Criss Cross Oscar Peterson - Night Train - Verve Jim Hall - Live - Horizon Zoot Sims - Suddenly It's Spring - Pablo Rob Schneiderman - Keepin' In The Groove - Reservoir Frank Rosolino - Thinking About You - Sackville Buddy Tate - The Ballad Artistry - Sackville Bud Powell - Plays - Roulette Steve Grossman - Do It - Dreyfus Lars Gullin - Vol. 4, Stockholm Street - Dragon Jimmy Heath - Picture Of Heath - Prevue Mike LeDonne - To Each His Own - Double-time Lionel Hampton - Air Mail Special - Verve Dave McKenna - A Handful Of Stars - Concord Jazz Hank Jones - Master Class - 32 Jazz Yusef Lateef - The Last Savoy Sessions - Savoy Alan Broadbent - You And The Night And The Music - Paddlewheel Charlie Parker - One Night At Birdland - Sony Warne Marsh - All Music - Nessa Andy Martin - It's Fine...It's Andy - Fresh Sound Jan Lundgren - Cookin' At The Jazz Bakery - Fresh Sound Scott Hamilton - Live In London - Concord Jazz Harry Allen - day dream - Rca Keith Jarrett - Standards Live - ECM Sonny Stitt Constellation - Muse Michel Petrucciani - Solo Live - Dreyfus Stanley Turrentine - Jubilee Shout - Blue Note Grant Green - Idle Moments - Blue Note Joe Henderson - Page One - Blue Note Lou Levy - Lunarcy - EmArcy Jackie Mclean - Bluesnik - Blue Note Hank Mobley - Roll Call - Blue Note Lee Morgan - Volume Two - Blue Note Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame - Blue Note Clifford Jordan - Cliff Craft - Blue Note J.R. Monterose - Blue Note Charlie Mingus - Mingus Ah Um - Columbia Horace Silver - Blowin' The Blues Away - Blue Note Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus - Prestige Coleman Hawkins - The High And mighty Hawk - London Barry Harris - The Magnificent - Prestige Cedar Walton - Cedar - Timeless Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners - Riverside Jimmy Smith - Home Cookin' - Blue Note Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil - Blue Note Donald Byrd - Off To The Races - Blue Note Art Pepper - Gettin' Together - Contemporary Johnny Hodges - Blues-A-Plenty - Verve Thad Jones - Detroit/New York Junction - Blue Note JJ Johnson - JJ Inc. - Columbia Jimmy Rowles - We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together - Xanadu Bill Charlap - All Through The Night - Criss Cross Blue Mitchell - The Thing To Do - Blue Note Wes Montgomery - Full House - Riverside Johnny Griffin -Sextet - Riverside Milt Jackson - Bag's Opus - Blue Note Illinois Jacquet - Bottoms Up - Prestig Dexter Gordon - A Swingin' Affair - Blue Note Carmell Jones - jay hawk Talk - Prestige Herb Ellis - Nothing But The Blues - Verve Art Tatum - 20th Century Piano Genius - Verve Duke Jordan - Live In Japan - Steeplechase Clark Terry - EmArcy Junior Cook - On A Misty Night - Steeplechase

I will always remember the couple of times I saw Roland Kirk live. The combination of seeing him play all those instruments and hearing the musical results was a very special experience. He was truly one of a kind.

There are two Budd Johnson recordings I highly recommend. Budd Johnson and The Four Brass Giants - Riverside The Budd Johnson Quintet - Let's Swing - Prestige/Swingville

I agree that "Cliff Craft', "The Adventurer", "Repetition" and "Live At Ethell's" are among the best recordings under Clifford Jordan's name. Here are some other good ones that I don't recall seeing mentioned. Cliff Jordan - Blue Note (with good Ray Bryant,John Jenkins and Lee Morgan) Royal Ballads - Criss Cross Two Tenor Winner - Criss Cross (with Junior Cook & Kirk Lightsey) Four Play - D.I.W (with James Williams)

I also have had this one on CD for a long time. Haven't listened to it in quite some time so I just pulled it off the shelf. Plan to play it in my car tomorrow morning.

A recording I like very much is TEDDY EDWARDS-HOWARD MCGHEE - TOGETHER AGAIN - CONTEMPORARY. This one has a fine rhythm section of Phineas Newborn,Jr, Ray Brown, and Ed Thigpen.

I in in the camp that prefers the alternate takes at the end of the CD. However, if it's a box set where there are a large number of alternate takes, my preference would be for a separate CD or two for all the alternates.