The Magnificent Goldberg

Arnold Sterling - Here's Brother Sterling - JAM Prof Herman Stevens - The poet of the gospel organ plays your favourite hymns - Savoy MG

you've actually got a Grace Jones album? Really. I find that hard to believe. Is this a side of MG we don't know about? If I were a jazz fan... But what I like is commercial black music, some of which is a bit like jazz. And I have 2 of her albums. This is the other one; very interesting. MG Actually of course I should have guessed that MG. And yes these are very savvy records no doubt. May I enquire if you have Michael Jackson's Off The Wall or Diana Ross's 'I'm Coming Out' Any Chic era sounds of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Evans - kinda happened at the same time as 'scary Grace' No - never really dug any of the Motown superstars. Nor Nile Rogers. I just have a couple of Stevie Wonders, 'What's going on' and a few Jr Walkers. MG I knew that would be a bridge too far MG In a sense, I thought over dinner, it was probably more a question of what I was doing in the 80s. Looking back through my purchases at the time, I was getting a hell of a lot of jazz stuff, by mail order from Mole Jazz in London and Bill Carraro in NY, and gospel, also by mail order, from Sailor Vernon in London, then Ernie's in Nashville. So I seldom had to visit a record shop for almost the whole decade and I'd given up listening to the radio for ideas on music to buy in 1959. And stuff passed me by until it was probably too late and I couldn't be bothered because I was deeply into west African stuff. So much music, so little time... MG

Doctor Lonnie Smith Dr John Dr Victor Olaiya

Chester Thompson - Powerhouse - Black Jazz John Wright - Makin' out - Prestige yellow label DG organic mono with naturally occurring scratches. MG

you've actually got a Grace Jones album? Really. I find that hard to believe. Is this a side of MG we don't know about? If I were a jazz fan... But what I like is commercial black music, some of which is a bit like jazz. And I have 2 of her albums. This is the other one; very interesting. MG Actually of course I should have guessed that MG. And yes these are very savvy records no doubt. May I enquire if you have Michael Jackson's Off The Wall or Diana Ross's 'I'm Coming Out' Any Chic era sounds of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Evans - kinda happened at the same time as 'scary Grace' No - never really dug any of the Motown superstars. Nor Nile Rogers. I just have a couple of Stevie Wonders, 'What's going on' and a few Jr Walkers. MG

Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers - The love I've been looking for - Atlantic MG

I'm having a quick shopping trip to Paris next week. Arriving Monday eve, returning home Thursday eve. I intend to go to Paris Jazz corner, in addition to my regular places in the Goutte d'or for African records. Are there any good gigs around on those evenings? Anyone wanna do lunch or dinner? MG

Joe Thomas & Bill Elliott - Speak your piece - Sue MG

Mr Creosote Jolly Jack Tar John Loudon McAdam

By the way, gueule isn't in my, rather small, French dictionary. What is it? MG Gueule is a carnivore's mouth and a colloquial word for human mouth and by extension human face. During WWI, Les gueules cassées (the broken faces) were the French Soldiers (Les poilus) wounded in action. Many thanks. This place is a mine of wonderfully useless information. MG

MG

you've actually got a Grace Jones album? Really. I find that hard to believe. Is this a side of MG we don't know about? If I were a jazz fan... But what I like is commercial black music, some of which is a bit like jazz. And I have 2 of her albums. This is the other one; very interesting. MG

Bill Elliott, drummer with the Rhoda Scott trio... Er... MG

Didn't realise Vernard came from Ft Worth. When I got that album, I thought there was a lot of King Curtis in his style. But JeffCrom has some of his earlier Savoy albums and I think he said Vernard wasn't playing like that, then. MG

Oh, I've got that and forgot it. MG

Yes, right. Notice how much stuff this article is trying to sell you? From this side ot the Atlantic, Americans are viewed as being a bit too fetishistic about cleanliness. Mind you, I've got to say that it's a pleasure to have a piss or a crap in public loos in America, but nowhere else I've been in the world. MG You should come to Tokyo MG. Best toilets anywhere with all the bells and whistles! That's for sure. Nowhere I've ever been has toilets that can compare with Tokyo. Well, I've been to Tokyo. When, after a morning's heavy buying in HMV Ueno, I headed for the toilet and found a hole in the floor with no visible means of flushing... Or maybe that's what you meant. Actually, they were mostly pretty good, I've got to say. MG

Oh yes, I remember that. V clever TTK. MG

Thinking about this on the bus today, I thought it was an interesting, but false, question. Looking back at some of the BFTs I can remember participating in, and in which I actually recognised people (rather than the tune, from which I was able to do a bit of detective work), I suspect the fact that I could identify the Gerald Wilson and Ray Charles orchestras but consistently failed to identify Ellington and Basie material, or fingering Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Ed Pazant (on baritone, not his usual tenor) and Teddy Edwards but being unable to identify McLean, Mobley or Rollins (except Harold 'Pop Pop' Rollins) says more about me than about the players' individuality or 'recognisability'. (Of course, Harold 'Pop Pop' Rollins hasn't appeared on the BFT ) (Yet.) MG

The Ugly American The Pretty Things Bo Diddley By the way, gueule isn't in my, rather small, French dictionary. What is it? MG

Friedrich Engels Super Eagles Guelewar

Generally, I think. It's his sound, which is big and gritty, even on ballads, that particularly gets me, rather than what he actually plays. I don't care much about the notes people play, so long as they have a sound that speaks to me - a big sound, of course. Lots of musicians don't go beyond the usual kind of music that's around at the time but their sound is what engages popular interest - Gene Ammons, for example, or Willis Jackson or Grant Green. MG

The Last Poets Bill Laswell Maleem Mahmoud Ghania

I think I can remember seeing that photo, but can't for the life of me recall where or when (except it was a long time ago). What is it? Who is it? MG Fairport Convention - 'Unhalfbricking' from 1969. The band are behind the fence. Sandy Denny's parents, I think, in the foreground. You probably sold some copies in your record shop days. Ah, that's where I remember it from. Thanks. MG

I thought I'd look out a leader discography of Houston. A complete discography would include hundreds of albums for Joe Fields' labels (and a good few Japanese ones) on which he'd been producer and tenor player and I really can't be asked. Even as a leader/co-leader he's done 63 and not finished yet. OK, he's not in the Sonny Stitt league, but not too far off JImmy Smith. Underground soul - Prestige 7491 (6/1966) Chocomotive - Prestige 7517 (6/1967) Trust in me - Prestige 7548 (10/1967) Blue odyssey - Prestige 7566 (3/1968) Soul dance - Prestige 7621 (11/1968) Goodness - Prestige 7678 (8/1969) Truth - Prestige 7767 (2/1970) Person to Person - Prestige 10003 (10/1970) Houston express - Prestige 10017 (4/1971) Island episode - Prestige 11007 (4/1971&7/1973) Broken windows, empty hallways - Prestige 10044 (5/1972) Sweet buns & barbecue - Prestige 10055 (9&11/1972) The real thing - Eastbound 9010 (3/1973) Houston Person '75 - Eastbound 9011 (Early 1974) Get outa my way - Westbound 213 (1975) Stolen sweets - Muse 5110 (4/1976) The big horn - Muse 5136 (5/1976) Pure pleasure - Mercury SRM-1-1104 (6/1976) Harmony - Mercury SRM-1-1151 (3/1977) Wildflower - Muse 5161 (9/1977) The nearness of you - Muse 5178 (11/1977) The gospel soul of Houston Person - Savoy 14471 (C1978) Don't misunderstand (with Etta Jones) - HighNote 7173 (1980) Suspicions - Muse 5199 (4/1980) Very personal - Muse 5231 (8/1980) Heavy juice - Muse 5260 (6/1982) Suffield Gothic (with Ran Blake) - Soul Note (1984) Road warriors (with Les McCann) - Greene Street 2002 (5/1984) Creation (with Roger Kellaway) - Greene Street 2003 (7&8/1984) Always on my mind - Muse 5289 (9/1985) It's talk of the town - Muse 5331 (1/1987) Basics - Muse 5344 (10/1987) We owe it all to love - Baseline (UK) 001 (9/1988) Somethin in common (with ROn Carter) - Muse 5376 (2/1989) The party - Muse 5451 (11/1989) Nows the time (with ROn Carter) - Muse 5421 (1/1990) Just friends (with Buddy Tate & Nat Simpkins) - Muse 5418 (2/1990) A night in Roppungi (with Etta Jones) - All Art (J) KICJ205 (3/1990) Why not - Muse 5433 (10/1990) The lion and his pride - Muse 5480 (9/1991) Christmas with Houston Person & friends - Muse 5530 (7&8/1994) Horn to horn (with Teddy Edwards) - Muse 5540 (12/1994) ESPM the reunion (with Charles Earland, Mel Sparks & Idris Muhammad) - Nectar 98002 (5/1996) Close encounters (with Teddy Edwards) - HighNote 7002 (11/1996) Person-ified - HighNote 7004 (11/1996) Opening round - Savant 2005 (2/1997) My romance - HighNote 7033 (6/1998) Soft lights - HighNote 7049 (4/1999) in a sentimental mood - HighNote 7060 (1/2000) Together at Christmas (with Etta Jones) - HighNote 7058 (3/2000) Dialogues (with ROn Carter) - HighNote 7072 (8/2000) Blue velvet - HighNote 7090 (7/2001) Sentimental journey - HighNote 7101 (5/2002) Social call - HighNote 7115 (5/2003) To Etta with love - HighNote 7127 (1/2004) All soul - HighNote 7146 (6/2005) You taught my heart to sing (with Bill Charlap) - HighNote 7134 (8/2004) Thinking of you - HighNote 7177 (5/2007) Just between friends (with Ron Carter) HighNote 7188 (10/2005) Mellow - HighNote 7206 (6/2009) Moment to moment - HighNote 7217 (6/2010) So nice - HighNote 7229 (2011) Naturally - HighNote 7245 (2012) MG

Yes, in my view. 'Main attraction' was one of those things where a mechanical groove was greated, over which the soloists played on another day. I know that's true and you can tell by listening. I DON'T know it's not also true of the two Person Mercury albums, but I can't tell by listening. And anyway, 'I no get eye for back' is classic HP at his best. I can't answer the second question. But I can't remember any recording HP did in which Creed Taylor was in any way involved. Creed was a very clever record producer and very keyed into what would sell (though he spent money like water, and much faster than it was coming in the door). To me, Houston as a producer is much more keyed into the music and the musicians. So I doubt if he would even have tried to produce an album like 'The main attraction'. GG's 'Easy', though nothing to do with HP, is more like something that Houston might have done with GG in the late seventies, had GG lived. Or so it seems to me. MG Wrong again! Houston made two albums for Greene Street - one with Les McCann, the other with Roger Kellaway - which were produced by Creed Taylor. I haven't heard the one with Kellaway - 'Creation' - but 'Road warriors' in part justifies my remarks about HP's and CT's incompatibility; certainly on the title track, though the rest isn't too bad. MG