EKE BBB

Django Reinhardt - Mosaic Set

Ooops, I hadn´t found it a as a CD. Thanks, Chuck!

Do you know if that Good Time Jazz LP is on CD?

Re: Willie The Lion Smith Is there any way - apart from Classics 1938/40 - to get his famous Commodore 1939 solos on CD?

Any more Joe Turner recommendations?

In his memoirs, Count Basie recalls a legendary left-handed pianist, Seminole (Basie actually doesn´t mention Seminole was a stride pianist, and this story was in Tulsa and not in Harlem, but it happened by the times stride piano was all the rage). Seminole could play with his left hand all that Basie could play with his right hand... and Basie was cut in from the club he was playing at! I haven´t seen any mention of this player in the tomes I´ve perused. Any help?

Many of these legendary "ticklers" were under recorded (or never recorded!) Stephen "The Beetle" Henderson was one of those myths, and the only two surviving tracks by him proced from an Art Hodes radio show around 1940. This show was recorded (transcription disc), and it was included in an Euphonic LP (Paul Affeldt´s label) called "Kings of Harlem Stride", which included rare tracks by James P., Fats and these two tracks by the Beetle! These two tracks are James P. Johnson´s tunes - "Carolina Shout" and "Keep Off The Grass" - and he plays both in the key of B flat. Johnson had written them in G and F. As far as I know, this LP (which, of course, I do not own) has never been reissued on CD. In his liner notes, Affeldt included all of the -- very slim -- biographical information he'd been able to collect on the Beetle, almost entirely consisting of a list of references to him by the other stride masters. Apparently, Henderson was notably flakey about showing up for gigs. He was scheduled to finally have a recording session, and he never showed up... cause he died!

Portrait of Art Tatum and Phil Moore, Downbeat, N.Y.

Portrait of Art Tatum, Rochester, ca. May 1946]

Portrait of Art Tatum, Vogue Room, N.Y.

These days I´m in a Tatum trip! So just a few more thoughts on him... I re-started this older thread because it was more focused on "general comments" than the one king ubu started (basically discographical). -I´ve ocassionally read some criticism regarding he DID NOT actually create any school or have a clear follower... maybe Oscar Peterson? Bud Powell and Bill Evans have been nominated as two of the most influential piano players, with two separate (but melted) schools. Maybe Jazz History has looked down on Tatum because he remains unsurpassed... What do you think? Talking about "piano schools", I remember reading Joachim Berendt´s "Jazz". He talks about "orchestra-like" piano playing (Tatum) and "trumpet-like" piano playing (Powell). -Another criticism on him is the fact that he didn´t "interact" with other jazz musicians (as P.D. stated on a recent AAJ thread) Yesterday I listened (twice) the Tatum-Benny Carter (with L. Bellson on drums) Masterpiece... and I got the impression that there were two soloists... two wonderful and superb soloists... but not an ensemble! Especially in some songs (now I don´t remember exactly which ones... guess one of the blues, "´s wonderful" and a few more) there are passages when you get the impression that they´re soloing at the same time, instead of Tatum giving harmonic (or rhythmic) support to Carter´s solo. This doesn´t mean I don´t like that disc. What a pure and marvellous sound Benny gets from his horn... and what a wonderful pianist Tatum was... sometimes at a high speed you´re (I´m) unable to follow what on hell he´s playing! -Completing Dan Gould´s quote: Tatum, when asked, usually cited Fats Waller as his main influence: -"Fats, man. That´s where I come from. And quite a place to come from" And Waller, in turn, idolized Tatum. It happened once that Fats was playing in a club and Tatum entered. After seeing him, Fats stopped the music and announced: -"Ladies and gentleman, I play piano, but God is in the house tonight!"

Lately I´m reading about and listening to some stride piano. The term stride comes from the action of the left hand, which supplies a constant beat against a melodious right hand. The left hand jumps from strong upbeats (either single-note, octaves or tenths) to chordal downbeats (usually triads or tetrads, but sometimes single notes). Variety is given to the left-hand accompaniment through a walking-bass pattern, melodic episodes, arpeggiation and other techniques). (NOTE: "copy and paste" definition I read. Not mine! ) The first generation of stride pianists did include, of course, James P Johnson (1894-1955), Willie "the Lion" Smith (1897-1973), and Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-1943) But another bunch of "more obscure" players -Luckey Roberts (1887-1968), who really preceded stride piano! -Donald Lambert (1904-62) -Stephen "the Beetle" Henderson -Claude Hopkins (1903-1984) -Pat Flowers -Joe Turner -Hank Duncan -Cliff Jackson (and we shouldn´t forget Duke and Basie were stride pianists, launched and taught by the Lion, Fats or James P.... and Art Tatum was influenced by them!) These highly technically gifted musicians take part in cutting contests in house rent parties and clubs... were they would cut you in and blow your ass from the piano (as Basie remembers in his memoirs). I´d like to know your impressions on this style, these players, interesting recordings, cutting contests.... and recommended further reading!

In my car stereo these days: -Fats Waller "The complete Associated Studio Transcriptions" (2CD Storyville/Jazz Unlimited) -Stuff Smith and Stephane Grappelli "Stuff and Steff" (Jazz in Paris) -Bobby Jaspar "Jeux de quartes" (Jazz in Paris) -Helen Merrill presents Sir Roland Hanna (EmArcy) -Joe Williams "At Newport ´63"

Upgrade to copyprotected, error-containing CDs? Error-containing?

Great list! If Madrid Rock (local store) keeps the RVGs at 8,95€.... I´m afraid I will pick nearly ALL (though I have some of them, I will upgrade them!)

In a OJC reissue of a Bill Evans Riverside (I think it´s Portrait in jazz), the two bonus tracks´ time is listed 0'00'' !!!

God bless him! One of the most important bass players in jazz history.

I´d like to know your comments on this wonderful concert. And the best CD release in your opinion. Some comments on some releases (from my research): For this 1999 reissue, Phil Schaap re-sourced the concert from original 78 rpm transcription discs, leaving a lot of surface noise to preserve the original concert ambience. He rescued "Sometimes I'm Happy," the show's original second number, and "If Dreams Come True," its original first encore, along with the unedited version of "Honeysuckle Rose" , all previously lost. Superceded by the previous one, this two-CD set issued in 1987 is still very worthwhile and has virtues that the reissue lacks. It was mastered from a triple-LP set that had been cleaned up and edited at the time of release in the early-'50s. It´s easy on the ear as far as sound quality, with none of the clicks and pops that intrude onto the remastered version. And some more releases: -The Collector´s "Carnegie Hall concerts": Disc two contains nine Benny Goodman numbers from the band's second Carnegie Hall concert, produced by John Hammond and held 21 months later. Which source does this release come from? -and, as always, here comes that wretched Spanish label: Again: which source does this release come from? This cover is from a 2001 release. Now, at least in Spanish stores, you can find a 2002 release (not Definitive Records, but Disconforme anyway: GV1351) And a few more: - - - I know you´ll recommend one of the Columbias!

First of all, with this AOW and with the Larry Young thread I´m starting to dig B-3 recordings (until now I was somehow reluctant). I think I gotta give a spin to some of the "not-many" organ CDs I have in my collection: some Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff and UNIT. This disc really cooks! I find Grant Green´s contribution as one of my favorites of him! Green and Patton solo marvellously, but besides this, they leave room for the other to shine. And the melting of organ and guitar sound is OK... this is not what I thought before these days... My favorite tunes are "The yodel" (look at that wonderful Green´s leading solo), "Soul woman" (with those Patton´s scales and jazzy soul approach) and Duke Pearson´s "Amanda". Not that I don´t like the two soul standards. BTW the sound quality (thumbs up again for RVG) in my Rare Grooves release is superb! Big thanks to Big Al for bringing us this AOW!

Tell us mistakes/error you´ve found in your jazz-freak life, in CDs (or vinyl), regarding recording personnel, dates, et al... contained in covers, liner notes.... EDIT: ooops, I was going to start with one, but I´ve checked all the data.... and it was MY mistake and not theirs.....

Just listening to "Jeux de quartes" (Jazz in Paris), with Bobby Jaspar on flute and Michel Hausser (and Sadi Lallemand) on vibes. I don´t remember having listened to this combination of soloists in a small ensemble before... and it sounds gooooooood to my ears. Could you add any more dates with FLUTE+VIBES ???

you certainly shouldn't! the other 2CD live sets are worth it as well: Tokyo, It Club, Jazz Workshop Yeah! Particularly IT CLUB!

Brownie: Your package arrived yesterday evening. Wonderful catalogue! Thanks a lot! Agustín

This is.... Grant Green