The Magnificent Goldberg

Lionel Hampton Victor sessions 1937-1941 Just started on disc 1. I think this is my favourite Mosaic, notwithstanding John Patton, Amy, Blue, Stanley, Gerald, JCs etc. MG

My stuff from Sterns came today Sleeve notes were actually written by Justing Morel Jr, who wrote many notes for Syliphone, back in the day. While at Sterns, I ordered a few other things This seems to be material from the early seventies, originally issued on the TYC label and now compiled by African Songs. Lurve Gnonnas Pedro! I also picked up a few cheapos from Ghana, in a sale. Pleasant Reggae with a touch of Highlife. Enjoyed this a lot. More Reggae, this with more than a touch of Hip Hop. Pleasant Hiplife album, sometimes hitting quite good. Very poppy Highlife/Reggae stuff. MG

Also, it sounds like, 'From the top of the barrel' and/or 'New from the big city'. I think it's the latter, but maybe both. Oh, and everything everyone's said about this album is right! MG

Well, I got my stuff from Sterns this morning Sleeve notes were actually written by Justing Morel Jr, who wrote many notes for Syliphone, back in the day. Listening to it on the little CD player in the dining room. Sound seems quite good, may be better than the Syllart releases. Will compare them in a week or 2. While at Sterns, I ordered a few other things This seems to be material from the early seventies, originally issued on the TYC label and now compiled by African Songs. Lurve Gnonnas Pedro! I also picked up a few cheapos from Ghana, in a sale. Pleasant Reggae with a touch of Highlife. Enjoyed this a lot. More Reggae, this with more than a touch of Hip Hop. Pleasant Hiplife album, sometimes hitting quite good. Very poppy Highlife/Reggae stuff. MG

Thanks for the recommendation, will like to check out this. Is he related to Kandia? (Also a great album). No, he's from Guinee Conakry, she's from Mali. I have the feeling she may be related to Batourou Sekou Kouyate, the #1 kora player of his generation, who plays most of the material on the 'Cordes anciennes' album, which I think is still available on CD in France. He was closely associated with Sidiki Diabate, also on that album. And she recorded in the late 80s with Sidiki, on his LP 'Ba togoma', which i don't think is available any more. MG

Thanks Mike - this looks like a better bargain. MG

Got an e-mail from Sterns with a pre-release offer on this one. Kouyate Sory Kandia (as he's always been known professionally) was one of THE great voices of the twentieth century. This 2 CD compilation includes a lot of very great stuff he recorded for Syliphone. However, you can get EVERYTHING he recorded on Syliphone, as a leader, not as a member of Les Ballets Africaines, on 3 Syllart CDs, all of which are available on e-music. I've ordered the new issue, despite having all the Syllart CDs, simply for the 40 page sleeve note, probably by Graeme Counsel. The pre-release sale lasts until 16 Feb, if you want a set for a tenner (sterling). MG

Thanks Mike - I might go for one or two of those. MG

He has his arm around a different lady on the reverse - a lady of his own generation; quite likely his missus. So on the front I'd guess it's his daughter. This morning's vinyl was Les McCann & Teddy Edwards - It's about time - PJ (Fontana UK mono) Les McCann & Clifford Scott - Out front - PJ stereo I really wish EMI had reissued these two wonderful LPs on a twofer CD. Maybe Fresh Sound will do it next year, when 'Out Front' goes out of copyright. MG

Another spin of this one. "Take You' Meat Out My Rice" is still my favorite song here. The cover of my copy is almost the same as the one pictured here, but it has an older-looking RCA Victor logo, not the 70's-style logo, and doesn't say "International Series," since it's the original Trinidadian issue. Yes, I like that track, too. I found it terribly interesting that the Barbadian accent Kitch imitates on this song sounds like the British west country accent. MG

I used to get Ace's catalogue every year. When I moved here, six years ago, I almost certainly didn't tell Ace my new address, so I haven't seen any catalogues since. But today, it seems they've tracked me down, because I got their 2012 catalogue update, which lists the releases up to the end of last year. When Concord took Fantasy over, Universal became the European distributor for Fantasy material, not the consortium that used to be listed on the back of Euro Fantasy CDs, of which Ace was a member. and all the Ace Fantasy material was deleted. But in last year's releases, we get Cannonball Adderley - Love sex & zodiac Raul de Souza - Colors Luis gasca - Collage Janice - Janice OPA - Golden wings (not sure if this is a Fantasy release - looks kinda like it) Pleasure - Dust yourself off Pleasure - Accept no substitutes Cal Tjader - Agua dulce (looks a bit like a Concord album) Various artists - Jazz funk (most, if not all, Fantasy material) Well, hardly saving the Fantasy catalogue, but I find it interesting that this stuff is STILL coming out now. MG

Oh good! I'll do one next year some time. I've an idea for one but I'm stil trying to think of things to go in it - got 3 so far, plus six more that I've forgotten because I didn't write them down. MG

This morning's vinyl included AN LP I found in the local 2nd hand shop five or six years ago, played once and left it on the shelf. I tried it a few weeks ago and found it a deightful album of lounge favourites whose misspelt titles include Fasnation I am in the mood for love Cherry Park & apple blossom Lapaloma He's a Jamaican tenor player. This is mid seventies vintage so he's probably older than most of the players in the Skatalites. Winston Wright and Gladstone Anderson on keyboards do some nice things, too. MG

I lost that one in the divorce 15 years ago. (She wasn't all bad - she was a Milt Jackson fan.) I need to get it again, in some form. Don't get the Japanese CD. The sound is dead muffled. MG the Japanese CD version ( 60th anniversary ) I have sounds fine, although I do remember some debate regarding the sound of various issues of this title Mine isn't the 60th anniversary issue. It's a good bit eatlier. Got it in Japan in 2002. MG

I think he couldn't get away from Prestige. Bob Weinstock had this idea that he would only release artists if the costs of session and royalties etc that were outstanding (ie not covered by profits in whichever way he counted them) were paid by the next record company. Riverside got Thelonious for something like $112.73c. Jackie McLean complains like mad about this in David Rosenthal's book 'Hard bop'. Recognising the track is only half the story. I recognised it but... MG

Jeffcrom has quite a lot of that material, but I don't think he reads this thread. Jog his elbow. MG Halleli N'Dakarou is the album title Titles listed from DG: Titles include "Yaye Ramoutoulaye", "Bala Jigi", "Tara", "Sanehmentereng", "Ouvaryea", "Halleli N'Dakarou N'Diaye", "Cilss", "President Jawara-Abdou Diouf", "Cheddo" and "Werr Tullali Barr". I recognise some of those track titles, but not all. Will have to czeck in detail later. Thanks very much. MG YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Well, actally, effin' wunnerful! And the sleeve isn't bad. Recorded by the Mali Kunkan label in about 1980. MG

I lost that one in the divorce 15 years ago. (She wasn't all bad - she was a Milt Jackson fan.) I need to get it again, in some form. Don't get the Japanese CD. The sound is dead muffled. This morning's LPs Ramsey Lewis - Goin' Latin - Cadet (Chess UK) Milt Buckner - Then there eyes (with Buddy Tate) - Black & Blue (Belter) Mickey 'Guitar' Baker - The wildest guitar - Atlantic (WEA Canada) MG Wonderful album! The record that the phrase 'rip-roarin', snortin'' was created for. MG

It's a buncha girls! Amy Benson & her Burners? (forties UK band) MG

One of the things I find interesting about Soul Jazz is that much of its development has been by rhythm TEAMS, rather than by individual musicians, which is normally the case. Fifties Wild Bill Davis/Bill Jennings/Chris Columbus Doggett/Butler/Shepherd Silver/Blakey Early sixties Timmons/Jones/Hayes McDuff/Benson/Dukes Patton/Green/Dixon Late sixties Dr Smith/Benson/Muhammad Earland/Sparks/Muhammad Spencer/Sparks/Muhammad (AKA The Mod Squad) MG

Groan! Hi. MG Did I miss the end of the world?" MG

Most interesting. I need to get that but can't read the title very well. Guelewar was one of the most important bands in the period in which Mbalax was developing. Like Ifang Bondi, it was a Gambian band, not a Senegalese band. The original lead singer of Guelewar was Moussa Ngom, who later became one of the lead singers (with Omar Pene and Mamadou Maiga - another Gambian I believe) of Super Diamono, after Ismael Lo left that band. He and Maiga were edged out by Omar Pene, who renamed the band Omar Pene & Super Diamono. Ngom and Maiga were always my favourite vocalists from this period of Super Diamono's life. Both had solo careers and made good albums afterwards, but I haven't heard anything since 2007. When was that album you've posted recorded? MG

We ALWAYS get too much food in for Christmas. Particularly sweets, chocs, biscuits and other delectables, because people give us those as well. What we're still getting through, after a month, is: the last few of a half kilo of Wally's chocolate covered Brazils (my favourite); two packets of dates, not yet started; two and a half chocolate oranges; and a Christmas pudding. Have you all got stuff you're still getting through? MG

Thanks Jazztrain, that's interesting. So the firm was around for about two decades at least. MG

I saw him in 1997 in St Louis, Senegal and he was DYNAMIC!!!!! I saw him a couple of years later (shortly after 'Mbeddemi' came out) at the Barbican, London, and he was weak as gnat's pee. I suspect he makes records specially for white people (as they say out there). I'm sure you're right. I don't care for his Western releases and hope that someday I'll be able to locate some of his "local" recordings. There were only two: Doxandeme - Audio Video K7 Dieufdieul - Audio Video K7 Audio Video was owned by French rock guitarist Robert Lahoud and made about 17 interesting releases, unusually for Senegal with catalogue numbers. The two Cheikh Lo K7s were reissued on CD in France on the Sono label in 1999, in association (for some reason) with Syllart. His subsequent albums have been recorded by Jololi, Youssou N'dour's company, and have been released on CD in Europe/US by labels like World Circuit. The first, 'Ne la thiass' includes some rerecordings from the Audio Video albums, but they're not as dynamic. Dieufdieul, by the way, is the album referred to in the sleeve note of the CD of 'Ne la thiass' as not having been issued. Oh well, for that. MG