The Magnificent Goldberg

I would reconsider that one. I used to have it. Agreed, some of the backgrounds are hokey and probably were added later. But there's a calypso, Little Tracy, he plays his ass off on. It was a in a book of transcriptions, too, as I recall. There was a ballad that was good, too. Nocturne? Anyway, Verve probably pressured him in some way or promisied a date more to his liking---I'm guessing. Yes, I agree "Tracy" is nice. And "Signing off" is a nice number. But overall, it's one that can be overlooked in comfort Yes, I wasn't thinking of albums where only a track or two were - let's say, untypical. I think we fanatics ought to be able to put up with that and grin. And, you know, one boogaloo by Hank, is still a bogaloo by Hank (etc etc). MG

I have one Carmen album - "Birds of a feather" - and I hardly play it, despite Ben Webster's wonderful work, which kills me every time I do listen to it. MG

This is really down to physical and psychological comfort - for you and the audience - and I can understand dressing accordingly. But I bet you can't put your hand on heart and say, "all the gigs I've played in a suit, I've played bullshit." Or conversely, "I only play bullshit when I'm wearing a suit." MG

I suspect it's got something to do with when you hear her/them. I heard Peggy Lee when I was about fourteen - probably first on "Fever", but really a couple of years later, when I got "Beauty & the beat". I also first heard Chris when I was sixteen. June Christy - well, I never really heard much of her before about 1965, I was in my twenties. And she never got to me the way the other two did, probably because by then I was really getting heavily into soul jazz and she had to take a back seat. So did the others, but I've gone back to them. MG

I suppose it depends how far north you live - the farther north, the greater the effect. I like the summer time, when it stays light (a little bit) until gone 11pm. When, in the sixties, the Government experimented by not putting us back onto GMT in the winter, I hated it - I couldn't get up in those dark mornings. MG

Well, bugger me, it IS Keith Prowse Music!!!!!!! http://www.playkpm.com/flashindex.htm?url=...mp;noCache=true Well, well, well! MG

Thanks - never heard of it before. MG

Goodness! Well, I hope she gets well soon. For a small community, we seem to have a lot of it among and around us. Worrying. Get better everyone. MG

I assume KPM isn't Keith Prowse Music. MG

I've got that lined up to listen to later. Never noticed before, but I don't think I have the kind of ear that can tell. MG

Most of us, I guess, will go for pretty well anything by a good artist. But no one makes only good records and a list of uncharacteristically poor records might be useful. So here are a few candidates from me. Wynton Kelly - Comin' in the back door - Verve Wynton Kelly - It's all right - Verve (not quite as bad as the other) Hampton Hawes - Movie musicals - Vault Ray Bryant - Jazz soul of Hollywood - Columbia Lou Donaldson - A different scene - Cotillion Lou Donaldson - Color as a way of life - Cotillion Willis Jackson - Plays around with the hits - Trip Willis Jackson - The way we were - Atlantic (not as bad as the Donaldsons) Willis Jackson - Plays with feeling - Cotillion (not as bad as the Donaldsons) Nat Adderley - Double exposure - Prestige Gene Ammons - Brasswind - Prestige (unless you're a big fan of David Axelrod - but Jug really doesn't sound healthy on this) Plenty more, I've no doubt. MG

Perhaps it's an inter-library loan. MG

Oh, I think the initation lederhosen outfits are cute. I wonder what the team mascot is like... (lech lech) MG

Look at it this way: if some Wynton fan were to go to a concert of free improv played by musicians wearing dirty jeans and T-shirts, and then came away saying "That music was terrible! Look at how those musicians dress! So sloppy! No respect!", I submit that many free improv fans would say "That person doesn't understand that music has nothing to do with wardrobe! He is hung up on bourgeois pretensions and superficial appearance!" And then they would go to a Wynton concert and say "That music was terrible! Look at those expensive suits! All pretense and conformism!" The fact that the audience does look at the musicians, and does speculate (and I emphasize "speculate," because that's all it is) about what their dress implies about their music, puts the lie to the notion that dress has no effect on the music listening experience. Yes, but it only matters to the musician if the musician is concerned about the effect he and his music are having on the audience. MG

Very nice piece; very well deserved award. Nice to see some of them are. And, of course, nice music. Like Dan, I feel like going onto his website and getting one of those albums. MG

When I wrote that 6 years ago I got the title wrong. It's "I Walk With Music." Must have been one of the side effects of being in college... Listening to the sound samples at CD Universe again I did notice this time that her intonation is somewhat off on some of the ballads. I think I must have been listening to the up tunes or else was just more oblivious to that kind of thing back then. Yanow at AMG panned the record...it's been a long time that I listened to it but I'm thinking I must have felt that Connor's sensitivity with these tunes carried the day. Interesting fact I learned today: Chris Connor was gay. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/arts/music/01connor.html I tried "Haunted heart" again, last thing last night. Yes, she's off a bit and wobbly - but she often sounded a bit off to me and I never minded. But I think it's the tunes - so many very gloomy ones - though "Ballads of the sad cafe" is fine. The up tunes are OK, but there are only two. I always wondered why Chris was the only one of his lady singers Kenton didn't marry. Aha! MG

Yeah, Lotte is right - just cut it off - an inch! Good grief, what extravagance! Cheese isn't around long enough in our house to get mouldy, anyway, these days. MG

I fell in love with Chris in 1960 (my claim to fame (one of them) - I was introduced to her singing by Johnny Mandel's brother ) I ditched a lot of them when I hit the dole queues in the sixties and haven't bought them all back yet. One I haven't got around to yet is "Free spirits", strange, because that was my favourite. It's slightly uneven but the high points - including Ornette's "Lonely woman" - are so high... so high........ it's about time I looked for that one I'm interested in what BW said about her new one; I was pretty disappointed in the one before "Haunted heart", so I didn't get "I hear music". Perhaps I should give "Haunted heart" another listen. MG

C C Rider Dee Dee Sharpe E E Cummings

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Live in Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Black & Blue (with Wild Bill Davis & Billy Butler) Willis Jackson - Live in Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Black & Blue (with Groove Holmes & Stee Giordano) MG

Little Richard Little Walter Little Milton

You've obviously got a different selection of bonus tracks from the CD issue Mine has Sentimental journey Hit the road, Jack Blue moon of Kentucky Rainy night in Georgia I'm movin' on Swanee river rock Lonely Avenue I dare say all of yours are "road" type songs, too. MG

Hampton Hawes - High in the sky - Vault promo MG

Walmart Asda Tesco

You're probably right, but have you ever been to Glyndebourne? My wife and I and a couple of friends got cheapo tickets once from a friend who ran a record shop. No penguins there - but it was an afternoon gig so, during the intervals, everyone went to have their smoked salmon sandwiches and champers on the lawns. (Ariadne auf Naxos) Very elite. We all lowered the tone of the place a peg or two. And we sneaked into Glynde House and had a look at the library, instead of having sarnies, and nearly got turned off the place. MG