John L

One of my favorites is the live date from 1950 that has been issued on Savoy under a number of different titles, most notably in the "Jazz Immortals" series. Pres was REALLY on for that date, especially for an extended sublime 10-minute slow blues. If you like the early Pres, try to find the titles he cut with Glenn Hardman and Lee Castle in the 1930s. The musical context is terrible, but somehow Pres manages to float above it all with some tremendous extended solos. He has more space here than usually was the case with Basie. I give strong seconds to the Classics series as opposed to the complete Decca. In fact, as brilliant as some of the Decca solos are, Pres plays a lot more on the Columbia material.

Well, the Aladdin recordings contains some of my very favorite music, and it would be very hard to find a better return on $20. Following the above advise and going for the Aladdin recordings would not be a bad move. Still, a strong argument can be made for the Proper Box as a much better introduction to Pres. This box, which contains twice as much music, includes a strong selection of the recordings that put Pres on the map, first with Basie, the KC6, and Billie, and then with small groups (including the Aladdin sessions). Masterpieces abound. You not only get more music for your money here, but a complete overview of Pres at his most brilliiant in many contexts. The majority of Pres' most celebrated work is here. The only serious argument that I could think of against the Proper box is that, if you eventually become a Pres freak like me, you will want it all and the Proper box will eventually become redundant. As an introduction to Pres, however, it looks unbeatable for quality and price.

I have always really liked Frankie Newton. He has a certain lyrical quality about his playing that I find very attractive. I would put him near the top of any list of underappreciated trumpet players. The Jasimine set is also beautiful and definitive. By the way, I don't think that Chuck's post was meant to be taken seriously. Newton may have been a Communist, but so what? More power to him. Some great jazz musicians have even been Republicans. (As tempted as I might be, I don't even draw the line there.)

Joel Dorn reissued that album in 1997 on a double 32-Jazz disk that also including the Roomful of Blues/Big Joe Turner date. It is now out of print but, as you say, not too hard to find. Good stuff!

Ah, to be 22 again. The paycheck isn't the only thing I would be picking up.

Two boxes would work: one for studio dates and one for live dates. The studio box would be rather big, but probably somewhere in the range of the current Riverside box. No?

I expect that a new line of either CDs or something else will hold 1000s of times more wave files than the current product. Hard drives on home computers will become so big that we will be able to keep our entire collections there, while buying, selling, and trading through Internet.

Guns N' Roses was the last rock band that I really called myself a fan of. But I hardly ever listen to rock. So I don't really know whats out there these days. My son is a big Hip Hop fan. I also like some Hip Hop, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg (only the first record), Tribe Called Quest, and Outcast. My son listens to less commercial stuff. He played for me a few artists not long ago that I really enjoyed. They restored my faith in Hip Hop as a vital innovative music: Brother Ali Vakill (with the Molemen) Rob Swift (good forward-looking use of jazz elements in the mix, including Bob James and other live musicians.)

Is that right? I never realized that.

The Lester Young Story would be worth it just for Michael Brooks' excellent and thoughtful liner notes.

Eddie Jefferson used to sing a lot of Pres solos, for example: "I've Got the Blues" (based on "Lester Leaps In.") "Baby Girl" (based on "These Foolish Things" (Aladdin version)) "Come Along With Me" (based on Lester's Aladdin solo on "It's Only a Paper Moon") King Pleasure also sang a lot of Pres: DB Blues, Sometimes I'm Happy, Jumping with Symphony Sid...

Thanks, Mnytime!

Interesting. I don't have the Cy Touff disk (although I should probably pick it up!). But I checked out the snipit of "Prez-ence" at CDnow. I am almost sure that it comes from one of Prez' solos on Aladdin from the 1940s. (I carry most of those solos around in my head). I can't place it exactly, however, and I am not at home at the moment. "You're Driving Me Crazy" is a possibility.

On that point, how many people could really be "sick of hearing about" the vast majority of artists on the Leo label? Or should I ask, how many people have even heard of the vast majority of artists on the Leo label?

I also enjoy Velma Middleton. I thought that she was a good foil for Armstrong, and could also deliver a song in tune with sincerity and good humor. Her stage act had to be seen to be believed (No, I'm not that old. I've seen only a taped concert). Seeing a woman that large doing repeated splits across the stage makes one suspect an optical illusion.

Ken Vandermark David Douglas

He was a major presence in jazz in more ways than one. RIP

Jay McShann once remarked that he never understood the difference between blues and jazz. Nobody blurred that distinction more effectively than Eddie Cleanhead Vinson. Swing, bop, blues, jump, R&B, and good humor all came together as one in Mr. Cleanhead. After getting the short shrift on CD for many years, suddenly there is a lot of great Cleanhead available. Classics and numerous other labels have reissued his classic 40s sides with Cootie Williams and his own orchestra that have now come into the public domain in Europe. Ace just released a disk of his King recordings from the early 50s. Not long ago, Bethlehem reissued a fine Cleanhead session from the late 1950s with Joe Newman and others. Fantasy has again made available the date with Cannonball Adderley. Now there is a newly discovered live recording from the Keystone Korner in 1979: This a a quartet with Eddie Marshall, Larry Vukovich, and James Leary. Cleanhead is in great form. This jazz-oriented quartet also gives us lots of Cleanhead's horn, which he typically used very economically in conjuction with his vocals when sharing the front line with other horns. This is a great new portrait of an artist that is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face every time you play it.

Thanks, Larry. That is as insightful a summary of Mobley's musical essence as I have ever read. And the Dexter Gordon quote is great too. If even Dexter was that impressed, you can be sure that Mobley had hipness in superabundance!

We all know that the French take cooking very seriously. Well, many French consider the #1 national dish to be Andouillette. And that ain't nothing but 100% seasoned pork chitlins tied up in a sausage. I always loved good chitlins. So when I moved to Paris, I joined the cult. The organization is titled AAAAA (Association de Amicables Amateurs d'Authentique Andouillette). They certify top quality homemade chitlins (andouillette) all through France. Most of my favorite places to eat in Paris proudly display the AAAAA sign in their window. http://www.planete-web.org/

I tried this one out, but couldn't hear the magic. As far as the hip hop/funk/jazz fusion is concerned, is there anything innovative going on here. Most of it sounds to me like it could have been recorded 10 years ago. On first listen, none of the material grabbed me either.

I found the sonic upgrade of this material in the new Columbia box set to be miraculous. I never thought that I would be able to hear these recordings in this kind of sound. As far as the music, it cannot be surpassed. If I had to choose one box set to take to that infamous island, this could very well be it.

Thanks for the link to that fascinating site, Chris.

Thanks, Joe. That sounds fascinating. So when are the private Brown/Dolphy tapes going to surface?

I think that the Roy Porter sides are still in dispute. Some solos on those sides sure do sound like Dolphy. That is an interesting story about the Brown/Roach audition. I have never heard it before. If it is true, it would suggest that Dolphy was a more known and respected musician in LA in 1954 than many of us thought.