The Magnificent Goldberg

Venus Venus de Milo The Rokeby Venus

Big Mama Thornton Joseph William Thornton Don Redman

Thanks for the link. Ordered from Amazon UK. As you say - modstly priced. Now, have I got any room in my Bebop section... MG

Bet you haven't got the Bill Black Bet NO ONE on the board has ANY Bill Black MG Might put it on my hard drive and send it to you. Remember, it ain't New Orleans, it's Detroit. MG

Dickie Doo & the Don'ts Dickie Valentine The Easter Bunny

I didn't vote, either. I've only heard one track of W Marsalis - something from "Blood on the fields" I think. When his first LPs came out, I took a look and realised that this was someone I couldn't like. Discussions here have shown I was right - and for the same reason MG

Thanks Colin. Is that a CD or an LP set? MG

Smif-n-Wessun Steele Tek

I had to read that twice! I've not been keping up with the news. MG

Shrek Magic Mirror Duloc Mascot

Oh, and the CD played fine MG

Gene Ammons - Red top - Savoy Jazz First 4 tracks are 1947 cuts for Savoy by Leo Parker, with Ammons and his rhythm section + Howard McGhee. Rest are 1953 recordings by Ammons for United and sound fabulous. Johnny Coles was in the 1953 sessions. The Leo Parker material is as good as the material he recorded for Savoy with Dex as a sideman (included in Dex compilations on Savoy Jazz). I have a nice RCA compilation of Diz cuts from 1946 & 1947. This is so good that, every time I play it, I'm determined to buy a more complete compilation of that RCA material (but I never have). Any recommendations for that, for me? Also, James Moody. I used to have some Blue Note stuff - VG+++ And also his Savoy material was fine. Also his Prestige stuff - up to about 1953 is the period you want, I guess. Actually, I could do with more Moody from this period, myself Finally, I don't think this is on "Stitt's bits" Milt Jackson & Sonny Stitt - In the beginning - OJC This stuff was recorded for Sensation records in Detroit in 1948 and is VERY ACE INDEED! MG

Picked another bunch of 45s to play this afternoon: Ollie Collins Jr, The Man With The Golden Voice No need to cry/Without the Lord Songbird Ollie Collins Jr, The Man With The Golden Voice Im going home/This is my prayer Songbird The man really has got a great voice. Sonny Red Stay as sweet as you are/Bluesville Blue Note A completely trashed record, that looks as if its been played a zillion times, but plays perfectly with no skips; just a bit of surface noise. I suppose I could clean it up, but I really love the idea that both sides of this 45 were played a zillion times on a juke box somewhere in Alabama the ultimate source for this and the Songbirds was a juke box supplier in Birmingham, AL. Now a bit of seventies funk, with a capital G. Julius Brockington Jaded Jackie Today Brockington was a decent, but not original, organist. Theres a wild tenor solo in here, but its a bit short. Fatback Band recorded for the same firm and this is a bit like their early records. Maceo & the Macks Soul power 74 pts 1 & 2 People Ive got this on LP and CD, but these two sides come to over 7 minutes, a lot longer than the LP track. Its been so long since I listened to it that Id forgotten that part 1 is an edited down version of part 2. Swiz! Damn fine record, anyway! Don Wilkerson Low down dirty shame pts 1 & 2 Tomel (Div of Don Wilkerson productions it sez ere) Don sings and plays this old Joe Turner number nicely. No sleeve notes on the 45, so it might not be him singing but som phrases sound a bit like his backing vocal on "This little girl of mine". Now one for Jeff Paul Gayten The hunch/Hot cross buns Anna (Reo Canada) Do you know this single, Jeff? Made in Detroit in 1959 for the first of Berry Gordys labels. There is a powerful tenor player on it who also played on a Tollie 45 by Moses Davis (who was later with the Counts in Atlanta). Ive wanted to know who he is for ever. Finally, two old favourites by the great Willie Mitchell 20-75 Hi (London UK) Willie Mitchell Robbins' nest Hi (London UK) and the very easy-listening "Robbins' nest" just reminded me of Bill Black's Combo - Soft winds - Hi (London UK) MUCH less easy listening! With a jolly nice baritone sax solo by someone. Now I'm on to LPs - not forgetting to change the speed Gene Ammons - Nice & Cool/The soulful moods of - Moodsville (Prestige twofer) MG

Sorry, I laughed. Couldn't help it. MG

Tubby The Tuba Sax Mallard Lee Otis Bass III

Self-Raising Fred, the baker Everard Slack Alice

Well, I went into Ton, but the hardware shop didn't sell torx drivers. The guy said I wanted a car spares shop like Halfords in Ponty. So I went to the local garage, where my wife used to take her old motor for repairs. After a bit of chat, the boss loaned me his set! Wasn't that nice of him? Cost fifty quid a set, he said. So I got the case off when I got home. The disc didn't seem to be trapped; I could spin it freely, but perhaps I'd dislodged it when I moved the player about unscrewing it. I had to push it forwards through the crack between the drawer top and the front of the player, but I got it out. Looks a bit scratched, so I'm playing it now to see if it's OK. So far so good. Then I put the player back together again, connected it up, plugged it in and pressed "open". And it opened. And closed when I hit the button again. So I put a CD in. And it played!!!! So now I'm not in the MIZ at all. Got to walk back into Ton to give him the driver set back after a bit of lunch. Thanks all for the help and support. MG

Roger Vadim Jane Fonda

Mickey Fields Calvin Vaughn Arnold Sterling (Baltimore jazzmen, in case you were wondering)

Yes, I have a few Allen keys in a drawer somewhere. Never used them, but I know I will one day. MG

OK, we're cool. Well, I always thought we were, anyway MG

I've heard the expression "star" screwdrivers, but over here we mean one with four points - Phillips or Pozidrive. Never seen a screw (or bolt) like this before on anything. Hope I can get one. The player is ten years or so old and probably could be replaced cheaper than repaired. MG I don't want to break the CD It's an import from Senegal. Hard to find. MG

I'd guess your grandfather would have been a little older than the McCravys, but probably not that much. Did you inherit those 78s? MG

No go. Shrug. Thanks. MG Good thought, but it hasn't. Thanks. MG Never heard of those. I'll head for the local hardware shop in the morning and see if I can get one. Thanks, Jim. MG

Certainly. You're not wrong, of course, but I feel this argument undervalues the originality that is expressed in rap as a cultural expression arising out of its specific environment. I know you know this stuff had been around for years in one form or another. Comedians who didn't sound like Cosby, eg Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor and, particularly, Rudy Ray Moore; Johnny Otis & Mighty Mouth Evans, with "Signifying monkey", and the rude part 2 on the Snatch & the Poontangs LP; blaxploitation films; the Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron; the Jamaican influence that others have discussed here; preachers, too. Lots and lots more were all in the air and contributing to the formulation of a different and black set of rules. Also contributing was the movement of the black middle class out of the ghetto. I read somewhere that a large proportion of black jazzmen came from the middle classes. Don't know whether it's true, but if it is, then bang goes a big influence out of the inner city. But anyway, a lot of people who were interested in compromise with mainstream culture. To imply that rap happened because no one was around to teach people the old musical rules just seems wrong to me. I think people chose these new, black, rules (or perhaps influences) because they fitted their lives better, not because they couldn't aspire to anything "better" (whiter?) MG