The Magnificent Goldberg

Never came across that Alton Purnell album. Though, if I had, unless Plas J's name is on the sleeve, I'd have passed it by until I heard him with George Lewis... This morning Buddy Banks - Happy home blues - Official Illustrates the value of piracy MG

Oh, if #10 is Hodges, then (from memory - I don't have this LP any more) the organist is Billy Gardner, the guitarist, Freddie Waits on drums, Jimmy Ponder, guitar and - was it Ron Carter on bass? But the tune... the tune is one Bostic did on his first album with Groove Holmes & Joe Pass etc. Listening to Groove at present, so I ain't gonna interrupt for a listen of the Bostic LP... I don't RECALL that Hodges LP having anything like this on it, but it's 43 years since I flogged it... But, you know, a lot of the tunes on the Bostic LP were written by Buddy Collette. How about this being Collette? I know he doesn't usually sound like that but, well, I think he could probably sound like whatever he wanted. MG

Playing my newie, arrived this morning Earl Grant - Earl after dark - Decca (Brunswick UK - DG stereo) Well, no Plas Johnson on this one, but it all swings at a nice medium pace. MG

I think I have the Young-Holt; I have 'Mellow dreaming' and 'Born again' in a 2 disc set issued a few years ago by Water. If I have stuff, I tend not to notice further reissues of the material As to the Castro, 'Groove funk soul' is a misleading title - though possibly it wasn't in the fifties But Teddy Edwards, one of my favourites, is always worth hearing in this context (well, or any context where he can play) - this is the same band that made 'Teddy's ready' for Contemporary. MG

Earl Grant - Earl after dark - Decca (Brunswick UK, 1961, DG stereo) Bought from an Amazon UK seller at a decent price - not had time to play it, but it looks fine. 'Instrumentals with a beat' - bet there's some nice Plas Johnson in there, too. MG

Glad to hear it's OK now, Tom. MG

Is it this one? It was mentioned in the Comments: JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank Wonderful! Thanks! Brill! MG

Jeff put it a lot better than I could ever have done. Also, I can confirm that there's nothing in the sleeve notes about bebop. MG

According to Bob Porter, Soul Jazz as a style went back to Ammons/Quebec/Jacquet/Jaws/WB Davis in the late forties/early fifties. As a term, I think it started in the mid-fifties, but it could have been earlier. I think those were the questions, but I got a bit mixed up with all your posts MG

Me too. Loud chortling disturbed the dog - 'what the fuck are you up to?' he said, looking suspiciously at me. MG

Maynard Parker Maynard Keynes Milton Friedman

The Jamaican Jazz Crusaders album looks kind of interesting. Ranglin and Alphonso... Anyone know it? MG

I got the same look, buying John Pattons and Freddie Roaches. Even more downstairs, getting Willis Jacksons and Sonny Coxes. Years later, I contrasted that with the phone conversations I had with Sailor Vernon - eg he told me he hated the new 10" Ace release of Oscar McLollie & his Honeyjumpers but he thought I'd like it - and I did. He also got me deeper into sermons and gospel music than I was before, even though, again, he wasn't particularly a gospel fan (though he DID love preachers). From his (recently read) memoirs, he seems to have made quite a lot of money out of his mail order business, through trying to understand what his customers wanted and helping them get it. The owner of the largest record shop (and record company) in The Gambia once told me it was easy to make money in the music business; 'you just have to know what to do and how to do it.' What more can one say of any business? Except that a lot of people don't. MG

Don't know 'Spellbound'. 'Trip on the Strip' has one very nice cut, which I was going to use in a BFT one day, but the rest is OK but ordinary. 'Musart' is wonderful! Better than Braith's BNs, in my view, but it took me a long time to realise that. MG

Chris Connor recorded 'Where flamingos fly' on 'Portrait of Chris'. An interesting song. I didn't know there was a Thornhill connection. MG

If Trane had done gigs with an organist, it would have been Shirley Scott. He, Shirley and Tootie Heath had a trio in '55. MG

Here's a photo my daughter just took of Henry, not feeling grumpy, in the garden. MG

Shirley Scott - For members only/Great Scott! - Impulse (MCA) MG

'Soul talk' and the Joe Castro are lovely albums. I have the Castro on a Collectables twofer, with the Ross/Ganley, which I've played once. What a silly combination... Fortunately, 'Groove funk soul' is the 2nd album, so I just start at #9. MG

Only some Savoy - the gospel music is owned by Malaco. Now, a Mosaic of the Caravans States, VJ and Savoy material... MG

Me too (re: that steamboat tie). I really wish I had that one! Quite a number of people here seem to like my quirky ties -- I get positive comments on them all the time (sometimes several times in the same day). And actually, it's probably fair to say that this place has more than its fair share of (wonderful, but) quirky people who work here -- people who seem to appreciate other quirky people (which true of me on both counts -- surely I'm both quirky, and appreciate other quirky people). All that is to say that I think I found my people! That's the real thing. MG

I remembered it was Claude Thornhill in the shower It's too easy to trace a song that's rarely recorded. But few are as charming as that one. Is there any Chris Connor on that album? MG Well, I know plenty of people this ain't but I can't find out anything on AMG about Archibald. Is he the singer on #12? MG

The internet connection was playing up last night - very slow, so I got pissed off waiting for AMG. But that's the title of the album it comes from, Evans, Konits and the bandleader Chris Connor used to sing with. Can't edit this post properly. MG

1 Shavers was very influenced by Armstrong, I read decdes ago. Bartholomew had the same teacher as Armstrong. Shavers was always a bit of a 'showoff' and that's what Bartholomew was doing on that cut. But really, I dunno. 2 Too technical for me. 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Ford_(musician) At the bottom of the page, this album is mentioned specifically. 4 That was his singist, Iona Wade. There's a photo of the band in the sleeve note, but probably not big enough to put on the front. 5 Yeah, well... 6 I haven't heard any of his Skye albums. MG

Here we go then. My wife's out, so I'm looking after the dog this evening. 1 Very familiar sound to this one, but I don’t recognise the tune. I must know the trumpet player. Well, I do know him, just not his name. Can I have a point for that Well, there’s a very nice, almost breezy, openness about this band. But I like the band better than the soloists (except the trumpet player); the pianist’s and guitarist’s solos don’t seem to flow very nicely, whereas the way the band plays the head is really nice. 2 Piano intro for a lush tenor solo. And it’s ‘Lush life’ without lush tenor solo. Damn, I wanted Gene Ammons to come in there. It’s unaccompanied. Interesting; quiet. The person it sounds most like, to me, is Mingus – very much the feel of ‘Mingus plays pianner’, but ‘Lush life’ isn’t on that LP. So I dunno, guv. 3 This is one of them Ellington type things again. Nah, it’s one of them Bechet type things. With Elmer Snowdon on banjo. I’m loving this. And the trombonist! Phew! A delight! And the ensemble at the end. Pooh gosh! After more thought amidst #4, it’s Buster Bailey, ain’t it? I bet you’ve sneaked a Buster Bailey in here, to embarrass me 4 ‘Make love to me’ – Is this another with Buster Bailey? Was the trumpet player well off key at the very end? 5 One of them klezmer joints; very oriental and avant garde. I can see the attraction, though ‘I really, really, really, really, really don’t like it’, to quote Baba Maal. It’s fascinating, though not for repeated listening. The dog’s getting pissed off with it. He’s trying to kip; I turned the volume down for the poor little blighter. Well, he’s still got up to have a grumble. 6 Oh ‘Key Club cookout’ by Messrs Earland, Washington, Chandler, Parker, Kilpatrick & Caldwell. You’ll be pleased to know the dog’s gone back to bed now. This is much more his bowl of Lily’s Kitchen Organic lamb and spelt supper. Thank you from Henry and me, Jeff. To be serious for a bit, this cut shows how much of a hard bop player Earland was. And what a great writer for horns he was, too – the head on this is tight as a Kool and the Gang head. When I visited Newark in ’96, I used to eat at this place, then called Je’s, a soul food restaurant. They still had an organist there – on Sundays, Robert Banks, who played organ on many Savoy gospel recordings back in the day, would play gospel songs on a little keyboard at lunchtimes. 7 Charming! The real birth of the cool. 8 A fast bit of hard bop with a great left hand figure from the pianist, who I think is the leader. Sounds a bit like Harold Mabern to me; probably from one of his DIW albums, none of which I’ve heard, but which all seemed to be a bit more pushing than his later work for Venus. I don’t recognise the horn players, who are beyond my limited horizons. 9 The pianist sounds like Abdullah Ibrahim. ‘Smoke gets in your eyes’ is a lovely tune, but I’ve been playing the Platters’ version a lot lately, which is pop perfection. Anyway, the alto player sounds like Arthur Blythe to me. And the pianist still sounds like Ibrahim but surely they never played together. I’ve gotta say, this is definitely getting the Platters out of my head. Cor! 10 Oh, I’m sure I’ve got this. If I could remember the title of the tune, I could nail it. Oh fuck, it’s Earl Bostic. But I’ve got a faster version than this. No it’s not Bostic; the reed isn’t a 4 inch plank. 11Didn’t like that; good thing I was emptying the dishwasher at the time J 12 ‘Big chief’ sung by a New Orleans guy I’ve never heard before. I’d guess this is a bit more recent than the 78 era. 13 Mr Armstrong ‘Dream a little dream of me’. Beautiful. I thought they’d step it up when Mr A started soloing, but it’s still nice and romantic. 14 Is this Una Mae Carlisle with Fats Waller? I have a couple of tracks by those two that are hilarious, too. It ain’t easy. What a nice evening’s music, Jeff! Even the one I didn’t like. And Henry's gone back to sleep and it's time for his walk and crap. Thanks. MG