The Magnificent Goldberg

It would be nice if some of the material not issued on CD came out as MP3s. What's the point of having a new format if you can only buy the same stuff that you can buy on the old format? MG

Mine's hinged, so it's always on, but usually up, unless I need to get behind it for cleaning purposes. So I dust the deck, not the dust cover. Not sure whether that means it's on or off. MG

What a brilliant expression on Ronny Jordan's face! MG

I don't think BN's back covers listed the authors, so you'd have to have a scan of the label. Checking Gokudo to be sure. The sleeve notes to McGriff's "Skywalk" LP say the tune is his. MG Can't raise Gokudo at present, but I don't think that will have an answer.

Thanks for posting this, Jim. Interesting. So interesting that I went onto da Barstids and added it to my want list. And saw that one of the items in my old want list was available. I thought they e-mailed you when something in your want list came into stock. Anyway, I've now snagged a real copy of George Freeman - Frantic diagnosis - Bamboo (Ubiquity reissue, I think - surely it can't be an original for $8.99?) Oh wow! George and Von honking and screaming to the world! MG

Yes - the Sanders "Africa" is a fine album - I was playing it a couple of weeks ago. Pharoah's "Welcome to love" and "Moonchild" are pretty good, too, but not as good as "Africa". I also like Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers - Mucho Pucho Lou Donaldson - Forgotten man Lou Donaldson - Live in Bologna (both the Donaldsons have Herman Foster on piano) Herman Foster - The one and only Herman Foster Nat Adderley - Workin' (probably the best he did after Cannon died) David Newman & Marchel Ivery - Blue greens & beans (say no more!) Teddy Edwards - Good gravy (live album done in Holland) Teddy Edwards, buck Hill & Von Freeman - Tenor conclave (say no more again) Percy Mayfield - Hit the road again Dan Papaila - Positively (with Johnny "Hammond" Smith - nice guitarist not usually brought out from under the carpet) Arnett Cobb - Live at "De Speigel" Some early Rodney Jones albums I haven't tried. MG

Orgainissimo's having a "bad vinyl day" today I've been playing Gene Ammons - Free again - Prestige Blue Mitchell - Last dance (Stablemates) - JAM Mickey Fields & Groove Holmes - The astonishing Mickey Fields backed by the world's number one most exciting organist - Edmar MG

The only one I've got is the Hodges/Davis set and that gets aired regularly. I play it while I'm airing it, too. MG

I went to the Waterburg in 2002. A huge male baboon opened the door to our chalet and strode in, as if he owned the place, which I guess he did, for a time, and ransacked the kitchen cupboard. One of the maids turned him out by banging on the floor with a broom. We were fucking terrified! MG

What's really nice about all these photos, in my view, is that you're not just doing the usual suspects. Who mentions Ron Holloway nowadays? Thanks. MG

Got the remainder of my Blue Note deletions order in today Dakota Staton & George Shearing - In the night - Capitol Horace Silver - You gotta take a little love - BN RVG Horace Silver - In pursuit of the 27th man - BN RVG Really enjoyed the Staton/Shearing - half instrumentals and much the best late fifties Shearing I've come across (he's not someone I actually seek out). The two Silvers are fine. I have the feeling that Horace never really went anywhere after the mid sixties, but it's less noticeable on these than on his later albums. And there's no Andy Bey, thank goodness! MG

A very real danger, I imagine. (Course, it might be good for Gospel choirs ) MG

Granted "The prisoner" was a great series. But the McGoohan I'll always remember was his playing of the Iago caharacter in "All night long" - a version of "Othello" set in a jazz context. RIP and thanks. MG

First you've got to have a man singing it. Second, they're hard lyrics for a male singer to bring off and not sound lame. To sing those words effectively you need to put your heart and soul into giving them meaning. Ray Charles did it. Third, no male singer with any sense would want to have their version compared with Ray Charles', which is definitive. MG Why does a man have to sing it? iirc Ella Fitzgerald sang it, and so did Anita O'Day. Jazz shouldn't have to live by the laws of heteronormativity. Well, OK, I've never heard either of those versions, so I'm not going to say that they're silly. MG

First you've got to have a man singing it. Second, they're hard lyrics for a male singer to bring off and not sound lame. To sing those words effectively you need to put your heart and soul into giving them meaning. Ray Charles did it. Third, no male singer with any sense would want to have their version compared with Ray Charles', which is definitive. MG

Ditto on the exchange rate point. I thought the euro/dollar rate would be pretty good for you at present. MG

Here's a thought... "..hey great guys! Nice review, hope it does well for you." Btw, I consider the review to be an honor and a step in the right direction, musicological nerdology aside. Greg, that's roughly what I said to start off with. MG

Yes, the Bennie Green is a lovely compilation. I'd be interested in the Bechet but, even at the sale price, the exchange rate is not saying "yes". MG

Wow! This has evidently been a huge project and illustrates the difficulties of restoring African tapes from before 1970! http://www.radioafrica.com.au/BNG.html And Graeme got a medal for it! Well deserved. He has done sterling work over many years on this music. MG

Last night Thelonious Monk - Genius of modern music vols 1 & 2 - BN DMM MG

Sir Alec Guinness Nancy Whiskey Wallace Beery

Me too. One of the really nice things about the band is the way you can pick not too well known songs for covers. "Wish it would rain" is a great number in the first place, but the Temps' version isn't the kind of thing you hear about a lot. Same goes for a number of the other covers; even if they were hits, they're not stone classica. I think this gives the band a bit of an edge; you get these great songs that come at the audience without the baggage of awareness of the originals, be they by Johnnie Taylor, the Meters, Temps or whoever, so they have the force of originals. And you do have a big Johnnie Taylor fan lurking in there, don't you? Actually, I was often reminded of Little Milton, despite your not doing any of his numbers. In fact, it was, I think, more on the originals that I got that Campbell feeling. I think overall, Root Doctor is every bit as good as (and sometimes better than) Bernard Purdie & the Hudson River Rats, Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom or Bill Heid & the Detroit Blues Masters. MG

Stix Hooper Super Trouper NTU Troupe

Last night Pharoah Sanders - Heart is a melody - Theresa Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt - We'll be together again - Argo (PRT UK) Jimmy Forrest - Forrest fire - New Jazz (OJC) NG

Too bad Alfred Hitchcock isn't around anymore; he could make a great movie out of this! Locusts + aliens + movie = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062168/ . Nice one, Chas! MG