adh1907

I don’t have that. How is the sound on that issue? The RVG CD reissue is awful.

I admire your dedication, an epic trip, getting home at 3am, you’re probably relieved it’s not tonight, with the ice and snow. Puts my 20 minutes on the tube in the shade. Yes, it’s definitely worth noting the reverence with which Charles spoke about Max throughout the evening. I liked his anecdotes about having to nail the Max Roach Clifford Brown tunes as a young trumpeter. Shame I missed that Tolliver select.

I have just played or attempted to play these back to back, I had to give up on the RVG twofer ‘Meet you…’. The distortion on the sax and piano was awful. It’s now in the charity pile. The earlier CD (at the Jazz Corner) with Mobley sounds good, lively, in the room sound. I wonder if there is a big difference in the original vinyl issues.

Great to meet you too Bob and have a chat. Not sure if you noticed, but we were being told off at one point in the pub afterwards by a 'youngster' for talking too loud! Excitable business, live jazz! First half was Charles with a small group, suffered a bit from the Barbican acoustics muddying the sound. Charles didn't play too much solo but checking his age (82), that was perhaps understandable. He gave a lot of space (maybe too much) to Camilla Thurman on tenor. The second half, the big band, worked better for me. Spirited stuff and the power of the band really cut through. Anthony PS Hope I get chance to buy you that pint I owe you!

Yep, two different sessions. I wonder why Blue Note gave these records, released within a year of one another, such similar titles. I wonder if there has been confusion within modern Blue Note as a result, leading to comparative neglect of the earlier date. (At the Jazz Corner, not Meet you at the….).

Stretching the live definition, but the films played today at the Barbican cinema as part of the London Jazz Festival were incredible. Details here (I think that is a very hairy Henry Lowther with Norma W): https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/jazz-on-screen-so-watt-jazz-and-improvisation-on-british the Musicians Action Group doc introduced by Spike Milligan featured a top notch selection of Brit jazzers from ‘74, including Maggie Nicols who was magnificent in the panel discussion afterwards. Some wild Evan Parker, David Toop, Max Eastley, Hugh Davies and Derek Bailey. Despite the complaints from some of the musicians featured (Gordon Beck, v aggrieved), the 70s now seems a magical time for Jazz on TV and radio. Good to see Charles Fox on screen and some love in the audience for his radical R3 programmes.

I have the 1994 Doubletime 2CD reissue. It’s a great session. Lee Morgan on good form. Mobley is a bit squeaky on occasion. As far as I know, this session has not had any further reissues. No RVG or Classic or Tone Poets. Anyone know why?

London Jazz Festival, looking forward to Charles Tolliver big band on Monday. Also the Jazz on screen event on Saturday looks interesting, showing some rare 70s British free jazz From the TV, including Evan Parker live in 1975 at the Unity theatre. Panel includes Maggie Nicols and comedian Stewart Lee.

Clark Tracey Quartet tonight playing’Under Milk Wood’, to commemorate the 70th anniversary, as part of the Stroud literary festival. Readings from Stan’s grandson. https://thesubrooms.co.uk/whats-on/the-clark-tracey-quartet/

A cut and paste merchant. No original material or comment.

Interesting turnaround for Bagley. He sounds a pretty wild character back in the early 50s, according to Kerouac.

Shorter’s explosive solo

Art Blakey Golden Boy Colpix. Great record, Shorter’s solo on Yes I Can is incendiary. What a strange sleeve, opens like a book, no top or bottom to it. Never experienced this before.

Prompted by a mention in another thread, I have been intrigued for a while by references in Jack Kerouac’s selected letters, 1940 -1956, to a character referred to as ‘Wig’. Ann Charters decides he is Gerald Wiggins in the index which is a nonsense. He is white and a bass player with Shorty Rogers. Don Bagley. He turns up in Mexico City and, with a heavy habit, connects with William Burroughs. Plays Kerouac and others Lars Gullin records (I assume these would be Bagley’s sessions with Lee Konitz etc). He also raves to Kerouac about his recent sessions with Shorty Rogers, Modern Sounds. Not sure if Kerouac or Charters disguised his name but it’s fairly obviously Don Bagley. Seems he lived to 85 so his old beatnik ways didn’t do him too much harm. Kerouac describes ‘Wig’ as a bebop bass player, in Mexico City (1952) playing with a US baritone saxist ‘Hood’. Bill Hood I guess.

Agreed, the pianist was v good and the trio sort of sat back and let her play solo sometimes but I preferred the space of the trio. I will definitely look out for more Josephine Davies and the Full Circle Quartet. Thanks

Josephine Davies Satori last night at the Parrakeet Kentish Town. In Trio format and then joined by a pianist. Wow, what a tone on the tenor, especially at the lower end. Very interesting original compositions.

Saw the Outrun with Saoirsa Ronan today, filmed in London and the Orkneys. She plays an alcoholic who heads back to her parents in the Orkneys, to recover. Beautiful film, great outdoor scenes in the Orkneys, with seals and birds. Moving.

I am getting so many pop ups on that site these days, I am not sure it is being actively maintained and it is difficult to read. It was a Michael Fitzgerald project, wasn’t it? Is he still in charge?

The Vocalion CD reissue was also billed as ‘first time in stereo’. A good album. A mix of free form tracks and more straightforward tracks. High Spirits , the other album on the CD reissue is a strange one. Tunes based on a musical version of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. I have only ever seen one beat up copy of Movement (never High Spirits) and even then a lot of money was being asked.

Would this have been in 1988? From rummaging around the internet, Ornette played Skies of America on 3 June that year with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Prime Time, though if it’s the concert I remember, they played separate sets. The opening set was Evan Parker solo. I recall lots of circular breathing. And all of it was fantastic too! Anthony

RIP. I was lucky to have seen him at Smoke in New York when he was about 80 I think. It was incredible to be sat close to him and hear him with a small group. Snappily dressed and in good playing form.

Yes, I have just played it twice through, enjoyable and interesting. There’s a lot going on here. £15 from Out on the Floor in Camden. More reggae than jazz but the odd interesting item.

Chic Chic Chico - Chico Hamilton (UK HMV Mono 1965). Interesting record, I bought this mainly for Albert Stinson whose playing on Bobby Hutcherson’s Oblique blew me away. Has some good Harold Land blowing space among some arranged pieces with flute and French Horn. Stinson impressive, esp on Carol’s walk. Not released on CD I understand.

Love John Law. Also Leon Greening on piano tonight. Always enjoy him. Seems to have a Phineas Newborn thing going on, to my ears.

Frank Basile, Steve Fishwick, Robbie Ellison quintet at the Parrakeet London NW5, haven’t seen Frank Basile before.