The Magnificent Goldberg

That's the version I've got. And 'Hard times' is wonderful, too. Well, the whole album is excellent, if not as much of a force of nature as their Lighthouse albums. MG

After lunch. Not Blue Mitchell, either. It's Donald Byrd - 'Bossa' from 'Up'. Oh lord. And it turns out that I've got that Montgomery Bros track, on 'Fingerpickin''. Ah well.

Damn! Got to think again. I was SURE it was GG! MG

BFT106 Side 1 #1 MJQ? Yes, surely. Not one I’ve heard before. Oh, is there a guitar in this somewhere? Oh yes, now he’s started soloing. So it AIN’T the MJQ. But it’s the MJQ with a guitarist who isn’t Laurindo Almeida. No, it’s Milt with some other geezers, who shall be nameless. Though the pianner player sometimes sounds like John Lewis and sometimes doesn’t. The guitarist plays a bit too clangy a sound for my liking, but otherwise this is nice. Second thoughts, Montgomery Brothers or Mastersounds. But I always associate Wes with a smoother style than this (perhaps because I have a lot of his Verve and CTI albums ) Side 1 #2 Bossa nova a la TTK, not a la Seeline. I’m sure I almost recognise the tenor player as being one I don’t listen to much. Ditto the guitarist. I keep wanting to say the tenor player is Harold Land, but my better judgement won’t let me There’s a vibes player in this who’s doing hardly anything at all. Side 1 #3 Oh, and another vibes player. With flute and trombone. Now that ought to be a dead giveaway – vibes, flute and trombone? I really like the trombonist. And, when they loosen up, I like the band. But when they tighten up into that childlike rhythm that doesn’t swing even as much as a roundabout, which isn’t much, I purse my lips. Side 1 #4 So, is there a vibes player on this? Yes. And I know this one, I think. No I don’t but that sound to start off with is very familiar, kinda Dukish (Pearson, that is). The whole thing sounds like a Pearson job. And the vibes player surely is Booby. Well, putting the dog to bed now, at the end of side 1. Side 2 will no doubt feature organists from Arkansas. Side 2 #1 Oh, Mediafire told me this was here somewhere, but I’ve got it anyway. It’s ‘New Delhi’ by James Clay, of course. And there’s Vic Feldman on vibes on it. Dunno which take it is Side 2 #2 A vibes player on this too? Not yet The pianist sounds a bit like Jack Wilson. But I don’t get the band. There are things in there that sound like Gerald Wilson but, overall, it’s not a GW job. Actually, the trumpet player reminds me of GW. And the alto player is reminiscent of Anthony Ortega. But it’s still not a GW job. I give up. Nice work, though. I’d LIKE it to be Gerald Wilson with a smallish band. Side 2 #3 Oh, I know this guitarist, I think. The soprano sax is a bit familiar, too. Is the guitarist Orhan Demir? I think I recognise the bass player – some Englishman called Holland. So it surely can’t be Orhan Demir. This is very nice. Side 2 #4 Bing? ‘Colorado’. No, it’s not Bing. But there’s a vibes player in there Actually, the singer seems a bit on the elderly side, so it could be Bing. Nice guitarist who is probably very familiar in a jazz framework. Side 3 #1 Latin groove; very nice. I really like the trumpet solo; very simple, like Melvin Lastie’s work. The song appears to be a Latinisation of Jr Walker’s ‘Shotgun’. I think Willie Bobo did a version of that. Lastie worked with him on one of his Verve LPs. Like that honking little tenor bit. Ace groove. Yes, this is from ‘Spanish grease’, and it IS Mel Lastie on cornet. Side 3 #2 Oh, I know this one, surely. Or do I just know the intro? And Stanley. With Duke Pearson, undoubtedly. But I find I don’t know this, unless it’s from ‘Return of the prodigal son’ or ‘Bluish bag’, neither of which I’ve played enough to remember note for note. Blue Mitchell on trumpet. Oh Gawd a guitarist! Fuck, it’s Grant Green! What the bleeding hell IS this? Well, it ain’t from either of those Turrentine albums. Is this a bonus track off the ‘Rough n tumble’ session that I haven’t got and don’t know about? There’s nothing in the Grant Green discography to support this, except ‘Rough n tumble’ and no bonus cuts on that. I don’t get it. Side 3 #3 Another Latin groove. I definitely HAVEN’T got this. Sounds as if it ought to be Ray Bryant. And ought to be in my collection. Side 3 #4 Sinny Stott, I’ll be danged. Not one I know, but I’ve got about 80 Stott albums, so maybe I have it somewhere. But I think I’d remember this; the rhythm section, particularly the drummer, isn’t quite right with Sonny in some way, though they’re fine when Sonny drops out for the piano solo. This isn’t really Latin but the drummer seems to be coming from there, in some way. Bedtime for me, now, at the end of side 3. Side 4 #1 Electric piano and another Latin groove. The pianist doesn’t seem to be saying much, I think I’d rather hear him on real piano, but the cowbell player is really grooving nicely. Oh, there’s an organ player in this. And I bet it’s Frank Anderson. Side 4 #2 Intro to ‘Bread & butter’ (or ‘High heel sneakers’). Nice growly trombone, to start with, then he gets a bit bland. He’s probably a modernist who was encouraged by the producer to do something commercial, at least to start his solo. Good hotel foyer music. Side 4 #3 Oh, ‘Way back home’; I do love simple stuff. So who’s this. There’s an alto player who sounds like Hank Crawford in there, but this ain’t Hank’s version of the tune and I can’t find that he was a sideman on anyone else’s version. So I don’t know what it is. But it’s lurvely. ‘Course, it could be the original by the JCs, which for some reason I never bought (from ‘Old socks, something something’) but it doesn’t sound like Wilton Felder on sax and the band’s too big. But it’s apparently the right length. Side 4 #4 Bop alto. With guitar interweaving. Don’t know any of these players. Sound like recent guys doing Tristano. Good thing it’s only two and a half minutes. Side 4 #5 Those lovely whispering ends to the lines put me in mind of Ben Webster, but I don’t think it’s him; I don’t think this tune is the sort of ballad he’d do; it’s not positive enough. But it does sound like him. Could be Harold Ashby. Towards the end, it does sound more like Ben. Very, very, nice, whoever it is. Anyway, this is mostly extremely nice music I’ve liked a lot. And some cuts I’m dying to find out about. (No Christmas songs, though ) Can I hang on until the end of the month? Thanks Al. MG

Today so far Willie Banks & the Messengers - Look at the blessings - Malaco B B King - KIng of the blues guitar - Kent (Ace) Donald Byrd - Fancy free - BN Liberty MG

Nice vinyl evening Grover Washington Jr - WInelight - Elektra (UK) Rev Roy E Easley - The world series (sermon) - Songbird (original oil crisis pressing ) (Very surprised to find this image on thew web) Junior Parker - Like it is - Mercury (UK) Jimmy Forrest - Out of the Forrest - Prestige (Abbey records DG test pressing, RVG printed in deadwax, not signed off for production, but plays fine ) MG

Musically, history WAS more compressed and eventful back then. As far as jazz, look at 1945-1970, then look at 1985-2010. Pop/Rock/R&B/Soul, look at 1955-1984, and then at 1984-2013. I know I sound old, but still... That's most interesting. I wonder if the same would be true for Jamaican music, comparing 1955-84 with 1985-2012? Quite possibly. Now Gospel... I'm not sure. I think innovations came infrequently; the 1920s brought about recordings of the great singing preachers, but to think that hey hadn't been there since 1797 is surely wrong; there's a lot of stuff in sermons that is definitely from Africa. Gospel quartets had also been around a long time, probably from well before 1904. Dinwiddie Colored Quartet was pretty much barbershop stuff, while the harder jubilee groups came along in the twenties. Then Thomas Dorsey in the thirties, with a different kind of song; more blues-related and more focussed on the 'good news'; a liturgical as well as a musical difference. Also the early hard gospel quartets came along in the thirties, accompanied by solo singers like Brother Joe May singing in the same vein. 'Hard' choirs started up in the late fifties, through Rev James Cleveland's work. And the hip Hop influence began to be felt in the late 80s Through the work of Kirk Franklin. But not much has happened since then, I think; the Gospel chart seems still to be full of Hip Hop. Another difference is that older styles in Gospel aren't superceded in the way they seem to be in Jazz, R&B and general pop music. Contrast all this with the general pace of change in society as a whole, where the pace of change is continually increasing, and one wonders. Perhaps it's not just grumpy old men who aren't happy with the speed of change now... MG

Always liked this session. It gets better every time I play it. Yes - it's really nice not having to listen to Lee Morgan playing another album without Lee Morgan Sam Lazar - Soul merchant - Argo (Cadet) MG

More vinyls this evening Al Grey - Shades of Grey - Tangerine now Dexter Gordon - Tower of power/More power - Prestige Next Odell Brown - Free delivery - Cadet MG

Is Bean on that one? Has been. But not. Now Various artists - Live at the Apollo 1944-47 - Everybody's Includes Erskine Hawkins Jimmy Lunceford Duke Ellington Andy Kirk Roy Eldridge Dizzy Gillespie Cecil Scott (only recording in existence of this big band - and it's red fuckin' hot!!!) Earl Hines Billy Holiday (with Noble Sissle) Noble Sissle Fletcher Henderson Count Basie MG

Just make sure you get a manual one. Your wife operates the nozzle while you pump the bellows. Far superior to all this digital crap. I dunno about a manual one; if I could get one that goes up and down the stairs automatically... MG

MG

That's nice. Makes me smile a lot. MG

Sounds like an improvement to the overpriced tosh that they are churning out up in Malmsbury at the moment ! Yeah, we've got one (my Missus insisted) and it's bleeding HEAVY carrying up and down stairs. I hate it. I want it to bust, so we can get a different one. MG

Jimmy Ponder - 'The creator has a master plan'- on 'Smething to ponder' (Muse) Gloria Lynne SINGING Kenny Burrell's 'All day long' (with her own words) on 'This one's on me' (HighNote) Tommy McCook playing a Reggae version of 'Take five' (from 'Instrumental' - Justice) on FLUTE! Buddy Guy playing 'Moanin'' Baby Washington singing 'Doodlin'' Harold Mabern playing Earth Wind & Fire's 'Fantasy' (Venus) - and on the same album, 'Lollipops & roses'; Donnie Hathaway's 'Harlem dawn' and the Sesame Street theme. Africando singing 'La vie en rose' on the album 'Baloba' (Syllart) Coumba Gawlo singing 'Fa fa fa fa fa fa' and the title track on the album 'Pata pata' (RCA France) The Mar-Keys playing 'Sack o' woe' on their first LP 'Last night' (Stax) MG

Bleedin' 'ell!!!! Must keep an eye out for this one. MG

Ah, no wonder the guitarist on #11 bored me... Thanks Jim, for a ride on your roller-coaster MG

You're probably right. I just listened to it again and, although the discographies say organ, you can hear that the intro is a piano. As for the rest of the track, I couldn't be certain. In this, the world's discographies (well, the ones I've seen) should bow to you, JIm. Oh, I haven't got, or heard, the B side. Have you? Perhaps Doggett played organ on that, otherwise it's hard to see how the error crept into Jepsen and Lord (as well as Proper's own sleeve note). The flip side, Huckle Boogie, has piano throughout too. Probably all discographies have just copied the initial erroneous source. You're very likely right. Well, now we know about 'Huckle boogie' too. Thanks. MG

so your answer is actually: "nothing." thank you. Just remembered you were working with them, back in the day. MG

I was pleased to see Avast was one of the best. JIm's right, though; stupidity lures viruses. MG

A couple of pianner players Pianner Red - Rockin' with Red - RCA Camden Earl Heinz - Tour de force - Black Lion MG

I can tell you that when I was trying to get my hands on those DIW titles in 90,91,92......they weren't following me around. And if they were, they didn't want to make themselves known. Ah well - they were around in force in 2002, at the HQ of Disc Union, in Tokyo. The entire ground floor was DIW. (I am pretty sure Disc Union owned DIW ) MG

My favourite big hat lady! MG

I'm glad I caught up with him earlier this year. Been playing his 2 Ace CDs of the Modern recordings a lot in the last year. RIP Jimmy. MG

I don't watch US TV, so I could well be wrong, but I've always understood that the shows being talked about were the US equivalent of our British chat shows. MG