adh1907

Thanks.

According to Byrd’s Eye View, Hindall Butts was under exclusive contract to Transition Records. As was Tommy Ball. There’s a long list in the booklet, but I have never heard of these two and nothing much turns up on the Internet. Intrigued. Anyone know anything about these two?

On my first visit to the Village Vanguard, I think 1988, I stood aside on the stairs to let Charlie Haden pass with his double bass. Made me understand what an intimate venue it was. I don’t know why, but I was surprised such a star (to me) was carrying his own bass. He was playing with Don Cherry and James Clay, possibly Billy Higgins on drums. Cherry sitting on the floor in hippy garb, James Clay in a sharp suit.

‘Sweet Blossom Dearie’, live at Ronnie Scott’s, 1967, with Tubby’s old rhythm section, Freddy Logan and Allan Ganley. Beautifully recorded, Fontana, mono.

Thanks, I’m guessing the ‘you must read the back of this album’ hype was Joel Dorn’s idea. It worked, as I remembered it for 50 years! Yes, the music seeped into us three kids. All now jazz fans. We loved the catchy stuff, Roland Kirk, Monk - Lulu’s back in town. After I got punk out of my system I returned to jazz and a deeper appreciation, I hope. Stick with it and in a few year’s time your offspring will be whistling "The Ragman and the Junkman Ran from the Businessman They Laughed and He Cried"!

Next in the pile. My Dad’s is a Vogue mono issue, price of 12/6. Sounds pretty good too. I have an original Contemporary (because I loved what I had heard). Great sleeve too. Always intrigued by Teddy Edward’s shirt on the reverse, v cool.

Running through my late Dad’s collection. As kids, i remember we all loved this when it was played as it was so wild (compared to Chicory Tip or Slade). ‘You must read the back of the album’ , great. How was this received when it was originally issued, I wonder.

Great write up, thanks! I must get there next year. Zoe is really maturing, I think. Emma Rawicz, never seen her with a big band. Will look out for that. Henry Lowther’s lip is keeping well. I remember Art Themen turning up late for a Stan Tracey gig way back and Stan explaining he was delayed due to his surgery work overrunning.

Listening to the CD of this excellent early performance of the Concert Jazz Band, the sleeve notes refer to this concert, July 1960, being videotaped by the ‘US information service’. Who are they and has the video ever emerged? It’s a great recording, the band is on top form. The Newport crowd sounds well revved up! A late night performance, perhaps. Anthony London

From my Dad’s collection. 60 plus years old record, sounding great. 22/6 LSD purchase price. Probably expensive at that time.

That sounds like a good line up for a UK jazz festival. I must look at attending next year. Stroud jazz festival is also getting more interesting by the year. I’ve been to Cheltenham a lot but it’s boring these days.

Sounds a good line up. More jazz than Cheltenham. Hope the Gulf Stream changes direction before then!

Last time I visited, Ray’s Jazz had been shunted into a unstaffed windowless corner of Foyles. Very sad.

Slimmed down! Love that. I can’t imagine the weight of 500 78s if you had to shift them! Well this discussion is sadly relevant for me as my Dad died a month back and has a large jazz collection accumulated since the 50s and the mention of 78s reminds me he used to have quite a lot of these too (a lot of Esquires). My mum will be moving out of the house so it needs emptying. I have been tasked with dealing with this. There are a few I might keep but I am trying to slim down my collection too. I may see if a local record shop has any interest in taking them all.

On the Corner. Miles. Love it. Unrelieved chugging funk according to Cook and Morton. Huh.

Underrated. Got a lot of punks into jazz and funk in the 70s. Some crossover with Joseph Bowie and Defunkt (what a great live band!). Interesting that one of his early jazz bands was with Brian Lynch.

A tenor player, Matt Cook, tonight in London NW5. Undoubtedly a talented chap but way too noodly for me, tempo unvaried, lost interest and left after the first set.

For me, cricket is the best sport. I grew up in Lancashire and used to love watching various cricket teams in the Lancashire league, particularly Chorley (used to help with the scoreboard there!) and Leyland Motors. Lancashire used to farm out some of their professionals to these teams. I am a fan of the long format and love dipping in and out of the test matches via radio commentary, even staying up all night for the Ashes, I haven’t quite got into the current T20 as yet but that NY pitch looks dodgy. Ps I’m glad it’s catching on in the States. I used to encourage my nephews to play over there. They loved it. I remember some funny looks in NYC parks when we set up the wicket!

Twin altos, Jon Gordon and Jamie O’Donnell in a quintet at the Parrakeet (Oxford Tavern) London NW5. A stroll down the road for me!

Reactivating an old thread, but getting on top of my mess of CDs, I replayed 3 Frank Hewitt recordings. This track really jumped out, Night in Tunisia, sounds so odd and original. I almost thought he’s got the changes wrong but it’s so deliberate and different. Wow. Interesting story in the sleevenotes about Hewitt visiting Bud Powell, who was half naked and playing Embraceable You. Hewitt leaving and coming back hours later to Powell playing Embraceable You, half naked. Anyone still listening to this genius?

The other jazz connection is that the screenplay for the film ‘Smoke’ was written by Paul Auster and the main character Auggie was based on Augie who ran a jazz club on the upper West Side. Which subsequently became the Smoke jazz club (after Augie had to close down for tax issues I think). I used to visit regularly in the 90s and it was certainly an interesting place when Augie ran it (with his mother stationed at the bar).

So my Quad 99 CDP player starts playing up, making glitchy noises. While playing Bobby Jaspar’s Jeux de quartes, after one too many jumps, I give up and pull my old Marantz Ki signature out of the loft. Not touched for 10+ years. What should be in it but a CD of Bobby Jaspar’s quartets and quintets. Spooky. (I have hundreds of CDs. Not all of them by Bobby Jaspar, I should add.) incidentally the Marantz sounds great and not noticeably better or worse than the Quad.

If you mean ‘Everybody digs…’, Honest Jons seem to have copies for sale on line. I have a good OJC reissue so not going for this. Am tempted by the Amancio D’Silva reissue. Again, this is stocked by Honest Jon’s.

Listening to the Moncur select and finding I have two copies of disc one. I remember there being some cock up but can anyone remind me why the disc had to be reissued? I have searched and can’t see an explanation. Great set but a shame only part of ‘Bout Soul included.

Interesting. Not familiar with this, has it ever been released publicly? What’s the line up?