The Magnificent Goldberg

Well, blow me down! MG

Well, this is going to be educative - when the results are posted, that is. I've made a couple of guesses without any great confidence. But there's a lot of stuff in here that I found delightful (a few the other way, of course ) 1 What a funny little thing! Two comedians from the thirties making a novelty record with an imitation Dixieland backing. But the trumpeter is pretty good, so it probably isn’t imitation. The alto player also has a few chops in his back pocket. Can’t help liking this! 2 “When you wish upon a star”! With a pianist putting in some clever modern stuff behind the alto player. I don’t know these players, but I’m going to guess Konitz & Tristano. 3 Oh, a guitarist, playing John Lewis’ “Django”. When it breaks out into a fast four, I’m reminded of the few cuts I’ve heard by Oscar Aleman. “Ooo,” (in a Brum accent) “it’s dead nice, this.” 4 “People” by a piano trio. Or is it? There’s another tune coming in here that I can almost remember the title of. And back to “People”. And into the groove part and I’ve no idea who this is. It sounds live. There’s something familiar about the way the pianist takes off into each of the groove sections – a bit Les McCann-ish, but it’s no way him. But the sound the guy is making is rather John Wright-ish. And I don’t think Wright made any live recordings. I like this mystery man. 5 Another fast-fingered guitarist. The tone reminds me a bit of Toots Thielemans, though I’m not familiar enough with his work on guitar to really recognise him. Nice stuff! 6 Is this a ukulele? Whatever, it’s played very nimbly indeed and swings rather a lot more than one would expect. Yes, Bravo! 7 “You brought a new kind of love to me”. Don’t know who the violinist is but I’m going to say Svend Asmussen, just to prove I can’t spell it right Damn fine guitarist coming on now. Hell, surely this can’t be Django and Stephane? Well, sure sounds like it could be. Lovely, whoever. 8 Trumpet and tenor on a nice old song I can nearly remember. Gruff-voiced tenor player sounds like a European much influenced by Hawk’s sojourn over here. Who’s making with the knives and forks? Pleasant, without being soul-stirring. 9 “Anything goes” but not quite. Dutch Swing College Band type of stuff I guess. I think it’s actually an old New Orleans number they’re playing. Oh live! Yes, that’s how I think one should hear bands like this. 10 Red Indian drums, then a stirring bit of Euro-Dixie, but well arranged and executed. But I don’t think that trumpeter’s European. And that short tenor break sounds suspiciously like Hawk. This is all wrong for what I think it is. That long drum solo is right out of place for Euro-Dixie. So I don’t even know what it is, far less WHO it is. 11 Heavy boogie on “The Cheikh of Araby”. Fuck, that guy’s got some hands on him! He ain’t an old timer though. The intro and the middle section sound really quite modern to my ears. Gawd! 12 “Solitude” and I immediately suspect Ellington & Blanton. But I just noticed it’s four minutes long, so it can’t be. So I’ll have to listen to it more carefully. Back to the start. There seem to be two bass players here. Or is it a cello and bass? I think it’s a cello played by someone like Oscar Pettiford. Oh, now the other guy is having a go (or maybe not – I think not). Oh, enter a slightly scratchy clarinet player. Don’t like the clarinet’s sound here. Very interesting. 13 Sounds like a jazz record. 14 Sounds like this is based on “Blue & boogie”. Kind of interesting – well, a lot more interesting to me than #13, even though there’s some similarity of approach. But I’m very out of sympathy with this kind of music. It’s kinda Monkish but without the grooviness. 15 “With a song in my heart” by a fifties tenorman. I love the sound the trumpet player gets. If it’s Clifford Brown, you’ve just made me into a fan. Lovely! 16 “Our love is here to stay” by two trombones. Does that mean it has to be JJ & Kai? I think the one who started off is from an older generation. That dark sound is not something I associate with boppers. Ah, live. A pianist I should recognise with my thinking cap on. Then surely Paul Chambers on bass. Nice performance. 17 Rhythmically very, very on the edge – I get a very Monkish feeling about this. This one is Monkish WITH the grooviness. Pooh gosh! It’s effin’ magnificent! I can stand to listen to a LOT of this. Ho, sudden ending. 18 I suspect the vocalist of being the pianist, too; similar sense of humour. But if she is, she’s really playing behind her second chorus. So in the end, it came apart in me ‘and, Flight Sergeant. 19 Ta daaaaa! Very enjoyable. Thanks for the ride, Durium. MG

Don Pullen Charles Adams Fatback

Yeah! We'd look at albums on the BN inner sleeves and wonder how to get hold of them. And the one we lusted after MOST, was "Rollin' with Leo". They were all listed in Schwann so there was no way anyone over here knew that'd never been issued. THE most frustrating thing! MG Yeah and you were probably just as frustrated with Back to the Tracks and Dimensions and Extensions BTW, the Rollin'with Leo cover is BADAZZ. Well, I might have been, had they been illustrated on the BN inner sleeves or on the back of other BN albums (as "Blue John" was). And it WAS the cover that made us lust for "Rollin' with Leo" - I still think it's better in black & white. MG

Happy Birthday Alexander! MG

Anatole France Nancy Spain Spanish Raymond

Ramsey Lewis - More sounds of Christmas - Argo (stereo) MG

One of the big things that "Devlin Tune" does is point out that the main niche market was the locality. Jim identified a few days ago that the "death" of the locality as a focus for action - musical, he was thinking of, but it applies to writers, too - was an important factor in making the world what it's become. Part of the story here is "boundless ambition" - the urge to be successful on larger and larger stages (and this applies not only to "artists" but to entrepreneurs) - coupled with the sudden emergence of the means to fulfil that ambition - the mass media. But the locality was where you - we, the audience, in fact - weeded out those who truly spoke for their community and those who couldn't cut it. Hence the symptoms you mention, Allen. Well, I think that's got something to do with it. As you say, it's complicated; as complicated as the history of the last hundred years or so. And to really look into it means this thread moving into the political forum MG

I like that! dB I'm no good at drawing, but I could take a photograph of the bar of the Red Cow, in Tonyrefail (I think). MG

No, I had the sound turned off and had been eating curry. MG

They've been doing that in Britain since 2004. Is it a new thing in America? MG

Agreed! Yes, I have the McMaster version - and a mono Deep Groove NY USA. Those are good enough QRT. MG

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Hold it right there - Muse MG

Tyrone Power Tyrone Tyrone Shoelaces

Owen Money Owen Owen Owen Glyndwr

Yeah! We'd look at albums on the BN inner sleeves and wonder how to get hold of them. And the one we lusted after MOST, was "Rollin' with Leo". They were all listed in Schwann so there was no way anyone over here knew that'd never been issued. THE most frustrating thing! MG

Why? The Parlan's OOP already. The Turrentine's in its running low or last chance stage (I forget which just now) and probably will be done for by the time this comes out. And you can hardly blame BN for bringing it out - it's only ever been on CD in TOCJ series and two tracks have never been issued before the Mosaic. This is certainly the first occasion on which the non-fanatic public will have had a chance to get this stuff. Is "One step beyond Jackie McLean" on a current Mosaic? I'm REALLY glad "Rollin' with Leo" is coming out. I only have the LP - missed the McMaster CD issue. This is, to me, even better than "Let me tell you 'bout it". And the cover is the most splendid that BN ever issued (well, I think, maybe before Grandassa Models). MG

I agree. This seems like the pop charts - point of sale data doesn't cover the specialist shops which are the ones dealing in the niche market. And the little sites specialising in whatever won't be included. And who's EVER going to count the downloads from Andorran sites Second point is that the revolution's only half (or less than half) completed. The market for CDs is still 85% of the music market. I doubt that you'd get the takeoff of the "tail" until you got the general takeoff of downloading. MG

The Wild Bill Moore at least is Jazzland. So's the Junior Cook. I agree with Dave - they look like leftovers. I guess it's possible that they're ZYX issues that have turned up in the Amigo warehouse. I had a feeling I should be getting the Claire Austin before but (apparently) missed it. Another chance now, maybe. MG

Bootsy Popeye Snudge

OK, so I had two windows open at the same time. I was thinking of sending one of Couw's Lou Donaldson gifs to a friend, and reviewing them again, while I waited for Organissimo pages to come up on the other window. I keep the pages not quite algned, so I can see when the O page comes up. So I switched to O, when the page came up; read some stuff; then hit the visible bit of the other window. And there was Lou, mowing his lawn again. And the thought struck me Was he mowing the lawn the whole time I was reading that thread? Or does he only do it when I'm looking at him? Answers please - one of the great philosophical problems of mankind may be solved MG

I'm just now getting around to listening to the Organissimo Christmas tunes. Blimey! This is simply the best Christmas collection I've come across! Wow!!!! Thanks to all three of you!!! MG

The man in the white suit The man in the iron mask The man in black

Yes, makes me smile, too. I have a lovely S E Rogie LP of his sixties stuff produced on his own label Rogiphone (issued in UK on Cooking Vinyl) and including the wonderful song "I wish I was a cowboy". And everyone listens to American music over there (not all the time though). On bush taxis and buses in Senegal you'll see cut out photos of Cheikh Amadou Bamba, founder of the Islamic brotherhood of the Mourids, next to cutouts of Madonna or Posh Spice, all under a painted frieze reading, "there is no god but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet". And nobody is ripping the revealing photos away from the bus windows. A very civilised place, West Africa. MG

Yes, that's what I'm listening to. I've got one Mexican album But it's that New York Latin American that's influenced Latin African, not Mexican, Peruvian, Brazilian or Agentinan music. Don't forget, many West African musicians went to Cuba for their musical ecucation - including the most influential, Boncana Maiga - since the Soviet Union was providing a lot of support for their governments. And some, like Labah Sosseh, went to Miami. When these and others record in America with American musicians they don't use guitars, but back this side of the Atlantic they do. As you say, the guitar is ubiquitous throughout the Americas - just not in this particular chunk of music. It's almost as if the American musicians (most were actually born in America, not Puerto Rico or Cuba, I think) CAN'T work with guitars so the African musicians have to bend over backwards to accomodate these somewhat handicapped sidemen. MG