The Magnificent Goldberg

As compared with their Contemporary opposite numbers I had that LP on UK RCA, but it didn't have a little above logo phrase Guess UK Decca had a little more taste or modesty or something. MG

MG

Been listening to this all morning; a wonderful set! MG

I thought this was kind of odd. It reminded me of a restaurant in Brussels which specialised in Congolese dishes. I usually ate in a Senegalese restaurant there, because the music was great, but it was closed that day, so I found this other place. The couple who owned the restaurant told me they were from Cameroun. It was the school holidays so, while I was eating, the proprietors' 2 kids were dashing around; a girl of about 9 and a boy of about 7. After a while I noticed that the kids were speaking English, so I stopped the girl in mid dash and asked how come they spoke English. 'We live in London,' she said. It seems that the parents commuted weekly between London and Brussels, leaving the kids with a relative. Any other wierd stories about people in strange places? MG

I can't see that replying gives you the option to add a tag. MG

Here's a better pic, if it works... Oh, that's interesting; you don't have to have a .jpg to post. MG

Percy Mayfield's 'Hide nor hair' has an unexpected twist in the middle: 'Well I called the police department, To find out what they knew. They said "No by heck, but we will get her yet," Because they were looking for her too.' MG

And 'I laughed at love' ('but love was laughing at me'), just occurred to me. MG Nice one Dan MG

Oh yes, the other song is 'I should care' ending 'I should care, and I do'. MG

Thanks TTK. I would never have thought to have included any of those words in my searches OK, I remembered two, but, while I was searching lackadaisically, forgot one of them. The one I remember is Gershwin's 'But not for me'. I don't know if these were the words Ira wrote, or if it's just something that Dakota Staton dreamed up but her version of the song on the album 'Time to swing' ends with the nice line 'but there's no knot for me'. I don't recall it in any of the other vocal versions I've heard, but it may be that the singers dropped the last verse. Will try to recall the other one. MG

A call from Mr Cuscuna? MG

That reminds me of Ravel's oft-quoted remark, along the lines of: 'I wish people would not interpret my work; it suffices merely to play it', which I like very much. MG Yes, but Ravel's music bears little resemblance to Rachmaninoff's when it comes to the need/desirability of projecting emotion. Also, IIRC, Rach the pianist's own way with his concerti in particular changed considerably over the course of time; only in his late recordings of them did he adopt the approach that some feel is "calculated, cold and mannered." I expect you're right; I tend to go for French music and don't know many (perhaps not any) of Rachmaninov's works. MG

Sent! Many thanks for everything, JIm. MG

Well, it's not perfectly awful; it's very African and has a kind of naive charm. But when you see it, it just effin HITS you! MG

(Back to the thread.) You're surely right, but Al is, as far as I know, the only musician of some importance in soul jazz who's recorded for the label. Most soul jazz musicians coming here would play in dance halls. I'm sure, though, that I remember Houston Person gigged there on one tour of Europe, but didn't record because he had a contract. Al, like Sonny Stitt, seems to have been able to get record dates from whomever he liked. MG

Aha! When people visit Britain, they eat in British restaurants. Mostly they're crap, except the transport cafes, where you can get all day breakfasts that are killers! (Cholesterol palaces!) Some of the fish & chip shops are brilliant, too. The Laughing Halibut, just off Victoria Street in London is my favourite, but one of the best in Britain is The Crispy Cod, in downtown Tonyrefail. http://www.thecrispycod.co.uk/ When people cook out of their own tradition, usually at home, they can cook. That applies wherever in the world you are, I expect. MG

You'll have to await the arrival of someone who gives a toss about British jazz, I'm afraid. I never got past Ray Ellington Seriously, there were several that I've heard of vaguely, but it ain't my kind of thing at all. MG

Laugh? I thought they'd never dry! MG

His singing voice is lovely; so are his songs. I wouldn't argue with you, John, that the jazz is very much background. MG

Tom's Richard Bock thread reminded me, ciruitously, of this one, so... Billy Butterfield with the Benny Simkins ' Band - Watch what happens - Flyright Pete (p), Geoff (as), Benny (ts) Nice mainstream stuff. I didn't know it had been issued on Jazzology. That must be why it's orange; my sleeve is redder than the US would accept MG

Oh goodness! The Record Album, North Street! Spent many a happy hour there until we moved to Cardiff. It was a couple of doors away from a newsagent/tobacconist/sweet shop run by a tenor player who'd worked with many of the thirties big bands in the UK. Anything good in the jazz line that came into the Record Album would be snapped up by Benny or his sons, Pete (piano) and Geoff (bari, tenor & alto sax). The basement had the largest record collection I'd seen outside of a shop. MG

That reminds me of Ravel's oft-quoted remark, along the lines of: 'I wish people would not interpret my work; it suffices merely to play it', which I like very much. MG

(what an agreeable little smiley ) MG

Ah, a very helpful reference! Perhaps the album was done in Congo; I think she was in pretty bad odour in the USA because she'd married Stokely. Sonodisc/Esperance were into the Congo in a big way. If that were so, it would explain the lack of a US issue. MG

I love the first one - Maestro. For me it's a definite keeper. Considering the other 2 BN reissues from Japan, but they're expensive. Are they as good as the first? MG