The Magnificent Goldberg

I put a disc in the drawer of my CD player this morning and was subliminally conscious that it wasn't in correctly, but I'd already hit the play button, which closes the drawer. So I hit the eject button, but it didn't. And doesn't. I've tried levering the drawer open, but can't. I've tried to open the box, but it's screwed on with screws with a six pointed star head, not a Phillips or Pozidrive head. So I can't get it open. Now, I don't know whether I really did put the CD in wrong and it's jammed, or if the transport mechanism is buggered. If it's jammed, thinking about it calmly, I would expect to hear the little motor that must drive it labouring to open it against the jam. But it's silent. So I have the feeling it's the transport mechanism. Anyone got any wisdom on that notion? And I still want to get the CD out. MG

A A Milne B B King Cee Cee Winans

They've never had instrumental music programs in urban schools in West Africa. And the governments that sponsored bands in the sixties and seventies fell to the World Bank. Most of the bands are young, not old guys (though there are some of them still about). I'd think that your argument was special pleading, but I know you're not in the jazz education biz. MG Point being simply that there was a fundamental change in the "tools" that were widely/generally available to the inner-city American youth, but not a correlative diminishing of creative energy or impulse. So instead of saxophones and trumpets, you get people starting to work with records and turntables, and practicing rhymes and flow instead of scales and arpeggios. Also in West Africa - people started making music with saxophones, trumpets, trombones, guitars, basses, electronic keyboards (and a bit later turntables), none of which were widely available to inner city West African youth. I did say I wasn't arguing against you. The point I was trying to make was that in America, inner city youth weren't compelled by the system to take up turntables, any more than in West Africa they were compelled by the system to take up saxes etc - they did so from plain choice, to make the music they heard in their heads. MG

Picked that one up back in the day for 50p. WH Smiths ! An enjoyable listen. Yup! Back in the day, this stuff, when you saw it, was dead cheap over here This afternoon Howlin' Wolf - two Chess double LPs issued by PRT comprising Moanin' at midnite Howlin' Wolf The real folk blues More real folk blues then Sonny Thompson - Cat on the keys - King (Swingtime Denmark) now Gene Ludwig - Now's the time - Muse MG

They've never had instrumental music programs in urban schools in West Africa. And the governments that sponsored bands in the sixties and seventies fell to the World Bank. Most of the bands are young, not old guys (though there are some of them still about). I'd think that your argument was special pleading, but I know you're not in the jazz education biz. MG

Back to the seventies Les McCann & Eddie Harris - Second movement - Atlantic Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers - The love I've been looking for - Atlantic next Johnny "Hammond" Smith - Higher ground - Kudu MG

Roger Fry Vanessa Bell Duncan Grant

Lou Monte Monteverdi The Full Monty

Faubus Wallace Grommit

I always thought they were called Ivy Benson and her Burners - a terrific name! George Benson Kenny G Najee

Chief COmmander Ebenezer Obey & his Inter Reformers Band - Eda to mose okunkun - Decca West Africa Twenty minutes in GROOVE PARADISE!!!!! MG

No. Motown MG

Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey & his Inter Reformers Band Alaji Chief Sikiru Ayinde Barrister & his Supreme Fuji Commanders General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds

Leon Trotsky Lope de Vega Hopalong Cassidy

Dwayne Dolphin Wayne Fontana Pete Fountain

Charles Williams - Trees & grass & things - Mainstream (promo) Harold Vick - Straight up - RCA Victor now Don Patterson - Movin' up - Muse MG

Goodness! Jug was born on 14 April 1925! When Albert was 17. Conceived in July 1924, when Albert was 16! MG

This afternoon Kenny Burrell & Coleman Hawkins - Bluesy Burrell - Moodsville (Xtra UK) Randy Crawford - Secret combination - WB UK Teddy Edwards - Heart & soul - Contemporary (Black label Stereo) MG

Kenny Gamble Leon Huff The Big Bad Wolf

Well, I'll keep my eyes open, now I know there's something. Thanks MG

Actually that's not quite so, MG. Annisteen Allen (as she was mostly billed throughout the 1945-55 period) did record quite a bit for Capitol in 1954-55 (with backing probably by the Howard Biggs orchestra) after her tenure with Lucky Millinder had already ended. They have been reissued in the 80s on the "Fujiyama Mama" (eat your heart out, Wanda Jackson! ) LP on (French) Capitol/Pathe Marconi. According to the liner notes of this and another LP of her slightly earlier sides she also recorded for Decca in 1956-57 and for Todd and Warwick in 1959/60. Oh, good. I'll keep an eye out for that stuff. Don't supose it came out on CD, did it? Nothing after 1961? MG

Attlee Chapman Chapman Pincher Doberman

Sometimes an album will just up and hit you. I've just been listening to this Ernestine Allen album, made originally for Tru-Sound in 1961 and reissued on Original Blues Classics. It's not a blues album; doesn't sound like an R &B album to me. Sounds like a vey bluesy jazz album. Damn fine album, whatever. Produced by Esmond Edwards (I thought the Tru-Sound label was all produced by Ozzie Cadena - shows you how often I read these sleeve notes ) Features the King Curtis band of the day - Paul Griffin (p), Al Casey & Chauncey "Lord" Westbrook (g), Jimmy Lewis (b) & Belton Evans (d). The band is in better than fine form. I've loved Curtis since I started buying records, but his (and the others') playing is really at the top of his form. Relaxed, but really playing stuff. Ernestine (sometimes credited as Anisteen) Allen sang with Lucky Millinder's band from 1947 to 1954. When Millinder closed his big band down, she left music and took a day job except for occasional weekend gigs. This album came out of a gig with the Curtis band at Smalls', Brooklyn. As far as I know, she never recorded again. A shame. She doesn't sound like any other jazz or R&B singer I've heard. Very relaxed, creative, charming, funky as anything, baby! One of those albums that gets under your skin. Almost certainly deleted, but probably easy enough to pick up on the cheap from lots of places. MG

MG

Alex Salmond Walter Trout Edgar F Codd