The Magnificent Goldberg

I've just finished reading A history of Europe, by H A L Fisher, which my wife bought me for Christmas last year. She got me an old edition (1945 - first edition was 1937) from Amazon because I didn't want a paperback. I asked my Mum to buy it when I saw a Penguin edition in a shop window in 1954 and read it so many times it was completely knackered by the mid sixties. It opened my mind to history and got me through my exams because I just knew more than the other kids. When I started working on Education policy in 1974, I found out that Fisher was the Minister for Education in the Lloyd George Government and was the guy behind passing the Education Act 1918, which was one of the key pieces of legislation in education. Unlike in America, we never name Acts after the people who instigate them, but that Act is known as the Fisher Act. And reading it again, I found something I'd never realised before - I learned to write from Fisher! Time and again, I'd find myself reading phrases and constructions I'd frequently used in the Civil Service! I'd forgotten a fair bit of the history, but I hadn't forgotten those turns of phrase. MG

Yes, not Max but Roy. Mistook. MG Oh yeah, I just looked again at the GQ page - there's no price mentioned against the shoes, so they're probably his own! It sez - "Blazer $2,150 Caruso, turtleneck $375 Boglioli, sunglasses Krewe, pants and ring vintage" No mention of the shoes as being vintage. MG

Yeah, but there were no UK music papers that published the Billboard R&B album charts. To see them, you'd have to buy imported copies of Billboard. I could afford it in the mid sixties, but later... it was the early eighties when the little place I used to order US CDs got the Billboard every week and gave it to me after he'd finished with it. So if you didn't hear about it... you saw it in the shops - yes, it WAS in the shops, without great queues trying to get it, but not played in shops or on any radio I listened to. So... passed me by. With CTI and KUDU, they were putting out albums by people I already had a fair bit of - J H Smith, Grover on Prestige, Hank C, Gale & etc. No hesitation about getting them and without a listen first. Yes 'Walkin in space' made #56 on the pop charts, #6 on R&B. I've a strong recollection based on no evidence I can find, that Billboard used different record shops for R&B, country, pop, Latin, classical and Gospel music. I think that's why Savoy & Malaco did so well in the gospel chart before they digitised data capture - you'd go into a Christian bookshop in New York or wherever and you'd see a load of K7s on Word, Light and other labels like that but little on Savoy - because Savoy & Malaco sold through record shops, because they were flogging other kinds of music, too, and had those connections since long before, but not bookshops, and Billboard didn't ask bookshops about record sales. My theory, anyway. MG

It didn't mean a thing over here - not even those Kudu albums sold big here until a few years later. Probably only R&B fans got them. I bought 'em as soon as they came out. But, as I keep saying, I don't like stuff that's too much like jazz MG

Well, I reckon even the cliche-ridden, or the merely untidy, don't give damn look, are STILL better than these photos of jazz giants. They're from GQ. Actually, I think Pharoah Sanders looks great, and Max DOES look like he's enjoying himself. But bloomin' 'eck, Tucker, those clothes!!! MG

MG

Interesting. MG

Oh, I see he was playing piano for Sarah Vaughan for years and made his ESP album in the middle of that, took time off to work with Qunicy Jones on hit albums like 'Walkin' in space' & 'Gula matari', which I never bothered with. Now it makes sense. Thanks. MG

Benny Golson's 'Prelude', not recorded by him, was recorded by Jack McDuff, but Golson arranged and directed it. Does that count? MG If so, ditto for 'From the bottom up', also recorded by McDuff. OK, here's another. The name Henry Glover is not one to conjure with as a jazz musician, but he played in bands led by Don Redman, Lucky Millinder and Buddy Johnson in the forties, Sonny Thompson & others in the fifties, and was on a Sonny Stitt session in the sixties. He's MUCH better known as a producer for King Records. And he wrote 'Drown in my own tears', but never recorded it, though he probably produced recordings of it. OK, it started off as a blues, but there are numerous jazz recordings of it. MG

Not a CTI job, but do you know this one? It's not the same as what he was doing at about the same time (1973) for Kudu. I think that's why it didn't sell particularly well. MG

I think that's right. And I can't say I like the not giving a damn approach to an audience. Of course, the other option - appropriate at the time for black musicians - was MG

Oh, I like Bob James on Kudu. Dunno how he got where he got with Taylor from that LP on ESP, but he did. MG

Yeah - great, ain't it? MG

Yes, yes and no. Glad you're enjoying it Bill.

Steel drums? Kalimba? Various African harp/lutes like the kora? Football referee's whistle (as used by Grant Green at Oil Can Harry's)? Many others from black community. Think outside the box. MG

Yay! Yes, I almost gave up on #1, which was a dead stupid question, as far as I'm concerned. MG PS - listened to the 45 I sent you, Mister?

Hur hur. MG

None of those. They must be American. Quite right too. MG

Me too! A saw a performance of a nonet - or some other somewhat middling high number - of his. It was great fun, as the musicians all popped up when it was their turn to play more than half a note solo. The music? Who knows? MG

What I said. Though that's one I haven't got or heard. I have a lot of admiration for Creed Taylor. He was really great at producing records that met the needs of several markets very well indeed. However, though he was expert at getting money in through the door, he was ALSO expert at spending more than that. Having started my Civil Service career in the bankruptcy business, and having met an awful lot of very stupid people who were every bit as good as Taylor at that, tends to mitigate my admiration rather significantly. Anyway, for what it's worth, here are my favourites: Stan Turrentine - don't mess with Mr T Hank Crawford - Wildflower Stan Turrentine - Sugar Johnny 'Hammond' Smith - Breakout Lonnie Smith - Mama wailer Les McCann/Houston Person - Road warriors Idris Muhammad - Power of soul Stan Turrentine - Salt song Grover Washington - All the king's horses Johnny 'Hammond' Smith - Higher ground Milt Jackson/Stan Turrentine - Cherry Idris Muhammad - Hose of the rising sun Grover Washington - Inner city blues Randy Weston - Blue Moses Grover Washington - Soul box Grover Washington - Live at the Bijou Freddie Hubbard/Stanley Turrentine - In concert Grover Washington - Mr Magic Johnny 'Hammond' Smith - Wild horses, rock steady Milt Jackson - Goodbye There you go. MG

QRT MG

Well, you didn't put anything in it anyone should be ashamed of! MG

I've got lots - 57. But that includes a good many on Kudu and one on Greene Street. I've only come across two I disliked so much I ditched 'em - 'Yellow & green' by Ron Carter (CTI) and 'Gamblers life' by Johnny 'Hammond' Smith (Salvation). In addition, to that lot there are all those early CTI albums that came out on A&M - some George Bensons, I think a Herbie Mann, a couple of Nat Adderleys and 3 of Wes Montgomery. I suppose they should be candidates for something. I like some, but others not a lot. Don't think I ever bought the Mann. So picking favourites is pretty hard. Picking a 'BEST' - well you've probably done it. But 'Blue Moses' is probably (but not certainly) the only one that I'd put in my favourite 20, I think. I may think of it later and put in a list of favourites that hardly anyone here will like MG

Right - so none of them. Well, I really don't think I want or need to know about the instruments that take 7 or 8 hands, but thanks anyway MG

I've got one Rene McLean album. I don't mind him. He's also, if memory serves without digging the LP out, on Woody Shaw's 'Love dance'. I ain't even slightly opposed to Rene, but I can't really say there are very many hard bop players I really like except Hank Mobley. But categorisation's dodgy - I love Horace Silver, but think of him as a soul jazz player. Basically, I don't like hard bop. Too hard; too boppish; too much like real jazz. MG Just read Felser's post. Well, now you know someone who doesn't like Jackie but has heard of Rene - and even got one of his albums. MG