The Magnificent Goldberg

((((((((WOW))))))))) By O V Wright? MG Yeah, this. Details, please. If Muzak was really hip it would be the Motorhead song.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUlMLLiwlz4 Shows you where my head is at, the Motorhead song is the only one I ever thought of. Imagine, Lemmy tamed by Muzak! I didn't know there was a version by Motorhead. Is it the same song? MG

This evening's vinyl Blue Mitchell - African violet - Impulse Savannah Community Choir & Rev Isaac Douglas - Stand up for Jesus - Creed David Newman - Scratch my back - Prestige MG

((((((((WOW))))))))) By O V Wright? MG

This afternoon's vinyl Coleman Hawkins - Soul - Prestige (OJC) Gene Ammons - Nice an' cool/The soulful moods of - Moodsville (Prestige twofer with this sleeve) this evening The new scene of King Curtis - New Jazz (OJC) now Willis Jackson - Mellow blues - Trip (Upfront) next Groove Holmes - Dancing in the sun - Versatile MG

Don't know. I just flicked through backwards looking at the pics MG

In a pretty cafe in deeply suburban Tokyo, I heard some Pharoah Sanders (couldn't be sure what), followed by 'Moonlight in Vermont' by Sonny Stitt, from the Denon album of the same title. MG

That caps it all! MG

I think it is. I found a reference which indicated that a photograph appears in the biography showing Green in the 1950s with a strat as part of an R&B band. OK, I checked and the identical photos IS in the GG bio, with a credit for a gig at the Holy Barbarian. Graf is mentioned as 'Bobby Graff'. The mustachio fooled me. I was SURE that he was photographed as clean shaven on the back of Jimmy Forrest's 'All the gin is gone', which was also '59. But I looked out the LP copy and there he is, with a tash. He doesn't seem to be playing the Stratocaster in that photo, but it wasn't the instrument he was photographed with on the sleeve of 'First session', either. MG

Well, is that REALLY Grant Green on the cover? Will get this. MG

I hated school. It was a long time afterwards I found people who could teach me stuff. 1 My wife. I was a mess before we met. She straightened me out; taught me a modicum of common sense, particularly as far as money was concerned. 2 When I was promoted and moved to Wales in 1974, I was working in the Education office for Wales and met Barry Davies; a senior executive (not my own boss, but from another branch) who was a hobbyist local historian. He saw something in me and explained lots of stuff. It's to him that I attribute an understanding of the importance of what's NOT said; in legislation, the words of politicians and in other areas. He also encouraged me to read African history. 3 In the early 80s, I worked in the economics field for a guy called Gareth Evans, who was from a mining family in Merthyr Tydfil. Gareth was a joy to work for; he was keyed into the highest levels of employment policy and shared his experiences with me - not just the substantive discussions, but the way people showed they felt about each other. He taught me improvisation. He'd pace around in my office and we'd be talking about some problem - there were LOTS of employment problems to talk about in those days - and he'd start writing something, still pacing, with me scribbling like crazy, because I knew we wouldn't remember a thing afterwards! But I got what he was doing was rather like a jazz musician playing; once you got a grasp of your materials, you could do anything and make it up as you went along; go as far out as you needed to and still be yourself, even if you were working within a framework that you were entirely out of sympathy with (as he and I both were with the Thatcher government of the day). It's to him that I owed my vision of government as a method of providing me with a fun way of making a very good living. MG

I gotta ease back next month - when I got back from Paris, I had to move my comedy records and (!) sermons (!) into another room. MG

Today's vinyl started off with two that the happy postman brought this morning Al Grey - Shades of grey - Tangerine Al Grey - Struttin' and shoutin' - Columbia Then continued with some gospel and not quite gospel Martha Bass - It's another day's journey - Checker Charles Kynard - Where it's at - Pacific Jazz (Side 1 is all gospel tunes) Dixie Hummingbirds - Ye shall know the truth - Peacock (MCA) MG

Two more turned up today, courtesy of Pete B. Al Grey - Shades of grey - Tangerine Al Grey - Struttin' and shoutin' - Columbia Both great sessions; the first with Jaws and Sweets, the second with Jimmy Forrest and Waymon Reed. MG

It's nice. That's the one I bought the box to get. From my point of view, most of this set is the sort of Stitt that made Jim Sangrey once exclaim 'Sonny, why do you keep making the same fucking album!?' (The Latin album is nice, too, and on the same disc as the Patterson, I think.) MG

Zowie!!!!! MG

I nearly bought that when it came out, but the guy in the shop was such a hard-sell guy that I refused to buy anything from him. Oh well... Glad one copy has found a good home. MG New reissue copy available here: http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=6d2qk3g5fj&ref=browse.php&refQ=kwfilter%3Dlionel%2Bhampton%26amp%3Bincl_oos%3D1%26amp%3Bincl_cs%3D1 That's where I got mine. Thanks Jim - got it. This evening's vinyl James Brown - Prisoner of love - King (Polydor France) Florida Mass Choir - Live in Miami - Malaco - now on disc 2 next Melvin Sparks - Sparkling - Muse MG

I nearly bought that when it came out, but the guy in the shop was such a hard-sell guy that I refused to buy anything from him. Oh well... Glad one copy has found a good home. MG

As others have noted, there are 7 Hep CDs covering Wilson's recordings for Brunswick and Columbia. They're all available, I think, and more cheaply than Mosaic would charge for a box - my set cost about fifty quid. To me, leaving out the Holiday material would have made the CDs less interesting - rather like the Basie/Prez box left out loads of not very good Basie material. To get the full flavour of these old bands, one really needs to have all the poor stuff as well as all the good stuff. This is not a collector/completist issue; it's an understanding issue. The twenties and thirties are so far from our own experiences that the era is almost as foreign to us (certainly to an Englishman) as is present day Senegal. MG I may be wrong - I have only four of the seven Teddy Wilson Heps - but I believe that the Hep issues include very few of the solo sides. The French Columbia LP box included it all, including unissued alternates, which are often very enlightening. I believe that the Heps run from 1935-1940. The solo sides begin in 1934 and end in 1941. You're right, the Heps start in '35. Let's see what solos are on them. 1 4 cuts from 7 Oct '35 2 2 cuts from 22 Nov '35 3 nothing 4 nothing 5 2 cuts from 12 Nov '37 6 nothing 7 all big band Well, only eight solos in all. I was under the impression that the Heps had the complete material he recorded in the timeframe. So... MG

As others have noted, there are 7 Hep CDs covering Wilson's recordings for Brunswick and Columbia. They're all available, I think, and more cheaply than Mosaic would charge for a box - my set cost about fifty quid. To me, leaving out the Holiday material would have made the CDs less interesting - rather like the Basie/Prez box left out loads of not very good Basie material. To get the full flavour of these old bands, one really needs to have all the poor stuff as well as all the good stuff. This is not a collector/completist issue; it's an understanding issue. The twenties and thirties are so far from our own experiences that the era is almost as foreign to us (certainly to an Englishman) as is present day Senegal. MG

The Atlantic New Orleans jazz sessions - Mosaic Arrived at last today, after Royal Mail screwed up the paperwork and sat on it while I was in Paris. Wonderful set of recordings! I was most taken by the Punch Miller session. Lovely trumpet player! But it's all excellent. MG

Soul Stirrers - That's heaven to me - Specialty next Della Reese - Live - ABC (HMV mono) Will you look at that effin' BAND! (also Ray Brown and Gerald Wiggins) MG

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