The Magnificent Goldberg

Did someone express their opinion that you have not "moved on"? No I was just thinking in general about the difference between moving on and dwelling for decades on the same activity or interest. Losses/gains etc. Well, to treat this thread seriously, I've always liked doing both. I had 36 different jobs in the ten years after I left school (though I doubt if I could list them all now) then I joined the Civil Service and found I could keep on changing my job without the bother of changing my employer and the concommitant periods on the dole, which were more than inconvenient. So there's a security in keeping on the same boat, especially in midstream. But there's an adventure in jumping In music, it's the same. I've kept my early interest in R&B for 55 years or more, but still have adventures in soul jazz, little dalliances with bop, hard bop and the avant garde, other grand passions for gospel music, Mbalax, Djeliya and various musics of western Mali, and now more adventures in Highlife related musics of Ghana and Nigeria. Next adventure will probably be into Congolese Rhumba. Keeping an interest and learning more about a music for many years brings some expertise (providing you can remember it all), which is kind of like security. But I remember Sailor Vernon writing something 30 years ago to the effect that he'd never be able to experience again the first time he heard the Muddy Waters or someone like that. So there's a risk of staleness setting in, too, if you don't have little adventures (with the maids in the hotel, so to speak) or even grand passions. MG

'Tain't the pointless superlatives, it's the pretentious trot Papsrus so neatly parodied. Now, if you want pointless superlatives AND pretension, together with unerringly misplaced puctuation, read some sleeve notes by Dzondria LaIsaac (perhaps a name assumed by Don Robey, for whose labels (Duke, Peacock, Songbird et al) LaIsaac wrote notes on gospel and R&B albums). Those notes are works of real genius. MG Ah, yes -- I remember her contributions to some Bobby Blue Bland albums. Yes, indeed. How do you know Dzondria was a woman? Was she a real person? Did you meet her at the National Association of Music Writers of America, or some such gig? MG

Jim, what does this gobbledegook mean, please? That's the killer argument, in my view. MG

This turned up on Monday Ray Ellington - The three bears - Avid 1948-49 recordings. Very nice indeed; even better than I remembered from the early fifties when he was a regular on the Goon Show. Kind of a combination of Nat Cole and Louis Jordan. MG

Teo said to his secretary (you know, the one who didn't burn this stuff and the Louis Armstrong material Chris published a year or two back) 'Memo to John, Joe and Phyl, about the new Miles project, "Miles just called..."' And then he went on to the next jazzman to schmooze with. And the secretary, who wasn't like us computer people, but could type with all ten fingers and make up letters that were grammatical and easy to read, which Teo probably (well, maybe) couldn't, shoved it (and other things) under his nose just when he was going home, or out for a drink with Orrin Keepnews, and he signed it, just like that. Now, instead of serried ranks of secretaries, who got things done, we have serried ranks of database engineers, system programmers, project controllers, webpage designers to make sure that, if anything NEARLY gets done, the system falls over at the exact time you need it NOT to fall over. And they get paid an awful lot more than secretaries, so everything costs a lot more, too. But there's still widespread unemployment. In part, caused by the manufacturers of labour saving devices like hoovers, dishwashers, washing machines, steam irons, etc, who have persuaded people to substitute themselves for workers, and who, consequently haven't got the time to enjoy life. What the western world needs is a new initiative - The Ironing Initiative - to create more work and more leisure time. MG

'Tain't the pointless superlatives, it's the pretentious trot Papsrus so neatly parodied. Now, if you want pointless superlatives AND pretension, together with unerringly misplaced puctuation, read some sleeve notes by Dzondria LaIsaac (perhaps a name assumed by Don Robey, for whose labels (Duke, Peacock, Songbird et al) LaIsaac wrote notes on gospel and R&B albums). Those notes are works of real genius. MG

That's the German for duck-billed platypus? You amaze me! I'd have thought the German for that would have been about three weeks long MG

Roy Eldridge, disc 5 (the Benny Carter sides). MG

Well, I only picked Evanston, because that's where Beehive was located MG

I wouldn't know a Wayne Shorter composition if it bit me in the ankle so, although I've got the Japanese Universal Victor CD issue of 'Soul sounds', I can't swear to the presence of 'Black Nile' on the album. But that's what it sez. You're right about hard bop and bop tunes being a regular feature of the soul jazz canon; bebop and hard bop were peceived as being part of black entertainment and formed a part of pretty well every band's book. MG

What an interesting band! It doesn't look like Hyde Park, London, though. Is there a Hyde Park in Evanston? Just finished playing Osibisa - Ojah awake - Bronze MG

I bet the response was neat MG

Happy birthday, Paul. They got the board working in time, then MG

As well as a load of folk music from all around the world, and other strange stuff, Prestige issued some gospel records on the TruSound label. I've never seen one of them. They were Clefs of Calvary - Baptized (TRU60001) Gate City SIngers - Peace in the valley (TRU60002) Capitol City Stars - We've come this far by faith (TRU60003) Back Home Choir - Come out of the wilderness - (TRU60004) Pentacostal Choir of Detroit - Saved (TRU60005) Psalms of Praise - Time is winding up (TRU60006) Clefs of Calvary - God's light (TRU60007) The first 6 were definitely produced by Ozzie Cadena in May 1962 and, although the Prestige discography doesn't identify the studio, almost certainly at Van Gelder's. The last one was from November 1963, producer not listed, but surely still Ozzie @ Van Gelder's. The organist on some of these is RObert Banks. When I last visited Newark, NJ, in 1997, he was playing a little keyboard thing in Je's Restaurant Sunday lunchtimes. Really nice. Je's was formerly either the Cadillac CLub (where Lou DOnaldson's 'The scorpion' was recorded) or the Key CLub (where Charles Earland and Rhoda Scott recorded live). The two clubs were on diagonally opposite corners or Halsey & WIlliams. There was another organ room on one of the intervening corners, can't remember the name. Just imagine standing on that crossroads, hearing loud soul jazz coming at you from thre directions! MG

Jim's off-board link to a Clovers you tube cut reminded me I didn't have a decewnt compilation of one of the best R&B groups of the early fifties, so today the postman brought me The Clovers - The platinum collection - Atlantic (Rhino) MG

Goodness! MG

MG

I'm not selling it, but I have a TOCJ of Mustang. What's so special about it? MG

The only way I could love that record more would be if it had Bruno Carr on it. But that's ok, I love it fine just as it is. You might have told me before This is one of those records you get and think - bugger, I could have been listeningto this for forty years! (I exaggerate; 39 years.) MG

I hope they haven't gone out of business before they release the Holy Barbarian Where's the smiley for a guy having a heart attack? MG

Another download from Amazon this afternoon Herbie Mann - Hold on, I'm comin - Atlantic Recorded in '72 at Montreux and Newport in New York, with David Newman, SOnny Sharrock, Pat Rebillot, Andy Muson & Reggie Ferguson. It BURNS!!!! (well, most of it ) MG

I just sent you a long email detailing all the reasons you had to get this album. It's all kinds of fabulous. Well, that's enough recommendation for me! Now downloading from Amazon UK. Sleeve notes - and your e-mail to Jim, which I'm sure is even more vaulable - would be greatly appreciated. MG Done and done. Check your email. Thanks Jeff! Sorry I couldn't find Ray Ellington's 'The Madison' on Youtube. MG

Well, I haven't got those. (Sung to the tune of 'One meat ball') You get no sleevenotes with one download. Can you scan them, Jim? MG I'll try to get to them this weekend, Will email them when done. Is that REALLY a Ray Ellington album? MG Uhhhhhh.... In addition to being a good drummer and a charming singer, Ray was the voice of Major Bloodnok in the Goon Show, and sang a song during each show (I see that Ray Nance guested with him on this once). Actually, I rather think that Ray was my real introduction to jazz, in terms of something that I heard regularly while I was a kid. MG

Crap singer, crap comedian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Starr MG

I just sent you a long email detailing all the reasons you had to get this album. It's all kinds of fabulous. Well, that's enough recommendation for me! Now downloading from Amazon UK. Sleeve notes - and your e-mail to Jim, which I'm sure is even more vaulable - would be greatly appreciated. MG