The Magnificent Goldberg

There's also 'Stormy Monday' written by T-Bone Walker or Earl Hines & Billy Eckstine. Same SONG different writers More to the point, there's 'It's too late', written by: a) Chuck Willis (and more famously recorded by Otis Redding); b) Wilson Pickett, the title track of his first LP (on Double L); and c) Carol King and someone called Tony Stern, it sez on O'Donel Levy's 'Breeding of mind'. Howzat! MG

Note that the thread title includes the words 'as it pertains to jazz'. MG

Always wanted to get this one, but it was deleted before I could. It wasn't out long, I seem to remember. MG

I like a lot of what's in this post, particularly Genius has to be useful and enjoyable. Which seems to me to make the issue Jim Sangrey raised, of who's deciding who gets paid irrelevant. If it IS indeed useful and enjoyable, the creator will get paid. Armstrong, Ellington, Hawk, Bird never had any trouble getting paid good money. I doubt if Ornette or Monk did either. At the same time, however, so much of what everyone has been saying is predicated on the notion that progress is what it's all about. This is a local problem confined to the western world. Except insofar as it's been influenced by the west, the rest of the world doesn't give a toss about progress; in fact they'd greatly prefer things NOT to change. And you can include in the non-west, all those in the west who 'don't know anything about art, just know what they like'. And so the question arises; by what standards do we who are pronouncing on this consider our opinions to be better than those of the other group? Now, if you're, like me, playing on the OTHER team, you'd pick a different bunch entirely; Gene Ammons, Sonny Criss, Wild Bill Davis, Jaws, George Freeman, Ike Quebec etc etc. MG

Well, stone me. Seeing the name Perri Lee Blackwell, does bring it back. Well, I had a look at Curtis Amy on Discogs and found this that I've never seen, but heard of: I was confused about a Coliseum LP; that's by Don Randi with Amy as a sideman. Oh well... MG

Glad to hear it. Ah, those were the days when you could get 14 CDs from Dan without taking out a second mortgage for the postage. MG I think I like this one of his best. It contains what I think is the DEFINITIVE version of 'Caravan', which I included in one of my BFTs. Norman is the only musician I've ever heard who really understood what it must be like to be leading a bunch of camels through the Sahara. Messrs Ellington and Tizol certainly didn't. MG

I don't think you've got 'em any longer, Dan. You sold four of 'em to me in 2008 Norman SImmons is one of my favourites. I think I first heard him with Red Holloway, on 'Red Soul', but it may have been Johnny Griffin with the Big Soul Band, which he arranged. MG

Thanks, I should have guessed it was shot in Italy. I wonder if Pat was made to visit the barber? MG

Don't know about any album she made with Curtis Amy. The only Amy-led albums I've ever heard are the ones for PJ, Verve and Fresh Sound. But I think there was one for Colloseum. Is it this one you're thinking of? MG PS Oh, I see I didn't hit the quote button. I was referring to Perri Lee. MG

Me too. Very nice album. These two are in my priority pile to rip. One I bought from Dan several years ago is Perri Lee's 'A night at Count Basie's' with Eddie Chamblee and John Kreigh. Perri was on some of the tracks of "Sonny Stitt & the top brass' on Atlantic a few years later. Another goodie is Calvin Newborn's 'From the Hip', recorded in London in 1982, when Calvin was over there with Hank Crawford and David Newman. That has Hank on piano, Harvey Weston (b), Danny Adler (rh g) and Steve McCraven (d). It's on Rooster Jazz. MG Bloomin' brilliant album! And this. And not to forget Lockjaw's 'Heavy hitter'. Has that EVER been mentioned here? Or 'My buddy: Sonny Stitt plays for Gene Ammons'? Muse made an awful lot of very, very good records. I guess Joe Fields still remembers everything Bobby Weinstock told him. MG

Thanks. MG

Well, covered in shame that I didn't get Jaws. And this stuff is all a lot older than I imagined. Oh, it's VERY hard to fool Jim Sangrey! Thanks very much. MG

I certainly did enjoy some of it. 1 Classical-style intro to a polite swing number which I didn’t find too interesting. 2 ‘Avalon’ by a modern large band trying to sound individual but just managing to sound like more than merely adequate session guys. Tenor player sounds a lot like a real person, however. I quite enjoyed him. 3 ‘Chinatown, my Chinatown’ by another modern large band. With another nice tenor player who might well be the same guy. In fact, it might be the same band, as the approach is very similar. Nice chase at the end. 4 Islamic intro. V interesting way to start. Can’t remember the name of the Moroccan stringed instrument that gets the first solo. In comes the tenor player and he’s just playing not quite free enough to turn me off. This definitely ain’t my cup of tea, so I wouldn’t want to hear it a lot, but it’s definitely grabbing me. I really want to know who and what this is. I do wonder, though, why modern musicians are so keen on writing spiky little tunes. Very interesting, thanks. 5 Shit, I should know this singer! Could this be William Basie with James Rushing Esq? Unswinging cymbals behind the trumpet solo say it’s some other band. And the lack of audience says the same. And, returning to the intro, it’s a modern pianist playing like Basie. So what’s true for the pianist is true for the whole band. They’re not doing bad at it, though. A different drummer would help, I reckon. 6 Most gentlemen wouldn’t be as rude about this as I feel like being J Don’t know the song, but it sounds like someone else could make something meaningful of it. We’ve not yet reached the era of ‘everything’s been done so all that’s left is showing off’, as #4 demonstrates. 7 Oh well now, THIS is the way to imitate Basie! I think the trumpet player is trying too hard. It’s not that guy that everyone here hates, whose name I can never remember as I’ve never heard him, is it? 8 Pleasant stuff. Sounds like they resurrected Connie Kay to handle the percussion section. 9 Dunno. 10 Can’t find anything of interest in this. Dozed off towards the end. 11 Oh, ditto, but I haven’t gone to sleep yet. Well, I did, after a couple of minutes. So, onto 12. 12 Oh. Sampled the rest after a few minutes. Hm. Don’t see the point. 13 Another spiky little tune. And spiky soloing, too. Well, I’ve got Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey &his International Brothers to look forward to. On to 14. 14 See? You can even write spiky legato tunes, guys! But not all of it Now I'll see if I recognise any names. MG

Thanks folks. It was a good one. My wife got me a 1945 edition of 'A history of Europe' by HAL Fisher, which I got my Mum to get me when I was 10 and really got me to realise all history was connections and MUCH more interesting than school history. Years later, I found out he was the British Minister of Education in 1918 and pushed through the most important education legislation ever. The Education Act 1918 is one of VERY few here that's named after the guy who pushed it through - it made school compulsory up to 14 and started further education colleges. I'm sure it's as out of date as it's out of print now, but it was one of the first that tried to draw things together coherently and that vision of connectedness isn't something that I think would fade. I'd mentioned it to her a while back and forgotten about it. Lovely surprise! MG

Hi CardinalJazzFan I logged on, expecting to find Jim Sangrey in charge of this one. But I'm downloading yours and looking forward to something I don't know what. MG

Totally BRILLIANT sleeve!!!!!!! Album cover of the year. Anyone know who did it? (Must get those Houston Persons - I'm back on him now:) ) MG

Well, we're having great difficulty with this. It seems like Porter is the only one ever... MG

Well, I'll send you the three I've got. MG

Ha! The quickness of the hand deceives the mind So I guess you've heard the Porter recordings issued on those grey labels... MG Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown also played hca and g (and vln). Joe Cohn (Al's son) played g & tpt on the album "The new Al Grey Quintet". But, now you mention it, I can't think of anyone else who plays sax and g. I bet someone does. MG

Interesting Steve. Never heard of those labels/album titles. Not a slip of my finger on Ransom I think: I seem to remember copying it from Clemson. MG

Schoolboy Porter discography and career John “Schoolboy” Porter – Porter (ts), Jesse Hart (p), Walter Broyle (b), Carl Scott (d). Chicago. Prob Sep 1950. Schoolboy’s boogie – Chance 1101 I’ll never smile again – Chance 1101 Kayron – Chance 1105 Deep purple – Chance 1105 Tennessee waltz pt 1 – Chance 1103 Tennessee waltz pt 2 – Chance 1103 ………… Porter (ts, bars), Jesse Hart (p), Walter Broyle (b), Carl Scott (d). Chicago. 15 Nov 1950 High tide – Chance unissued Nevertheless – Chance 1104 Walk heavy (aka Wig deal) (Porter bars) – Chance 1104 ………… Porter (ts), Art Hoyle (tp), Peterson (bars), Eugene McDuffy (Jack McDuff) (p), Floyd Dungy (b), Vaciro (d). Chicago. 25 Jul 1951. Soft shoulders (aka School’s blues) – Chance 1114 Rollin’ along (aka Tojo’s boogie) – Chance 1114 Top hat (aka Question mark) – Chance 1111 Stairway to the stars – Chance 1111 Sentimental journey – Chance 1117 Fire dome (aka Land of the misch) – Chance 1117 As Clyde Wright & the Chanceteers I may be down – Chance 1112 ………… Same band (but McDuffie now on organ). Chicago. 1 May 1952. Small squall – Chance 1132 Lonely wail – Chance 1132 Break thru – Chance 1119 Junco partner – Chance 1119 Brother John Sellers (voc) added. Record issued as by Johnny Sellers. Josie Jones – Chance 1120 Rock me in the cradle – Chance 1120 …………. Roosevelt Sykes. Sykes (p,cel*), Schoolboy Porter (g), Ransome Knowling (b), Jump Jackson (d), Remo Biondi (vln). Chicago. 21 Aug 1952. Walkin’ this boogie – United 129 Four o’clock blues (tk 12) – United 139 Four o’clock blues (tk 4) – Delmark DE642 Too hot to hold – United 139 Something like that – P-Vine Special (J) PLP-9039 Toy piano blues * – P-Vine Special (J) PLP-9039 Security blues – United 129 Listen to my song (aka She’s the one for me) (tk2) – Delmark DE642 Listen to my song (aka She’s the one for me) (tk 17) – Delmark DE642 ……….. Porter was from Gary, Indiana. He was 24 when he made his first recording session in 1950. He’d served in the Navy for 2.5 years during WWII. In the summer of 1947, he joined Cootie Williams’ band but didn’t make any recordings. In 1948, he enrolled in Midwestern College of Music, where he stayed for a year. Porter’s first session was with a non-union band. When the local union realised this (after the second session) Chance Records was banned from making records. During the gap, Porter joined Lionel Hampton’s band for a while, before making his final sessions for Chance and United. He stopped being a professional musician in 1952 and joined the US Air Force. He was a member of the 750th Air Force Band, then the 541st. After retiring from the USAF, sometime in the late seventies, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he took up being a musician again and was still performing occasionally in 1991. All that very interesting info comes from Clemson University’s The Red Saunders Foundation’s pages on Chance Records, and on United Records. You can look at it here: http://campber.people.clemson.edu/chance.html None of his sax work has been reissued on CD (or even LP) except for “Rollin’ along”, which appeared on the Pontiac compilation “Rare R&B honkers vol 1”, the first of a 3 CD set. Despite Pontiac’s release, Porter wasn’t truly a honker. Clemson accounts for this by the shortness of his stays with the two main bands from which the honkers graduated: those of Cootie Williams and Lionel Hampton. Having heard only three of his sides, which doesn’t make me much of a Porter expert, I’d say he was a strongly forthright player who fitted well into both leaders’ personal and musical predilections. I suspect that, had he stayed with either for a longer period, he would have become a very well respected honker. But honkers were, in a way, two a penny in the period during which Porter was working. His real importance, as far as I can see, is that he was a pioneer of the tenor-organ style. Go back up to that little discography; Jack McDuff was recording with him on organ in May 1952. Few jazz organists had recorded at that time (Wild Bill Davis, Jackie Davis, Milt Buckner, Bill Doggett). And that was also the year in which Jaws made his first tenor-organ session, for Roost, with Bill Doggett. We don’t know the month of the Jaws session; it could be that Porter was ahead of Jaws. But it’s probable that neither knew what the other was doing. Clemson says nothing about McDuff having been persuaded to use organ for his May 1952 session. But that McDuff and Porter were long time associates is sure. And I doubt if an organ is just something one can sit at and play, just like that. “Rollin’ along” features a surprisingly articulate piano solo from McDuff, which is not the case with his organ playing, which does seem to argue that the organ may have been a spur of the moment decision. But I rather think not; he was always a Wild Bill Davis man, very chordal in his approach; much more so prior to absorbing lessons from Jimmy Smith, and always retained a swing band approach throughout his career. So someone, somewhere in Chicago, may well have seen them working this up on the bandstands. In my view this puts Porter, historically, in a more or less equivalent position to Jaws. OK, personal stuff now. My mate had a 78 of “Lonely wail”/”Small squall”, which was one of his treasures. In the mid-seventies, when we both had tape recorders and then lived in different towns, he recorded them, along with other forthright tenor players etc, for me. At some time, I lost the tape but, as it was something I didn’t play all that often, I didn’t notice. A while ago, I started looking for this tape and couldn’t find it (or the other two he did) ANYWHERE! After a month of panic, I shrugged my shoulders and lived without it. But when I was beginning to rip my African cassettes, I opened up a box, buried deep in the garage, containing spare copies of those cassettes, to rip some material from unplayed, and sometimes sealed, tapes. And there the three of them were, submerged amongst a bunch of African stuff!!!! So I ripped them. If anyone is interested enough to want to hear these three sides I’ve got, I’d be happy to e-mail them. Just send me a PM. MG

The Big Cheese The Gorgon Sisters Emile Zola

BFT155 I haven’t even looked at my e-mails for over 3 weeks, so I was glad I did today and finding a note about this BFT. I was so keen, I opened it up directly after dinner. 1:1 Bebop line by alto player with a somewhat unattractive sound. Pity about the sound because it means I have to listen to what he’s playing rather than the sound of his sax, which is always a bit of a chore for someone who doesn’t really like jazz all that much. Well, it sez it’s eight minutes and, after four, that’s kind of enough bebop for me to tolerate this evening. (I definitely feel crankier than I used to, nowadays.) Well, he’s sounding a mite better on his second solo and ‘tis pity he didn’t start off like that. I’d have been better disposed towards him, if he had. Oh well, that’s life, I guess. 1:2 I’m a good bit better disposed towards this geezer, whoever he is, despite it being more bebop, as he’s got a fairly nice sound, like there’s something actually IN that sax than air. A fair few Jug licks coming in, which help too. But I still don’t really like this enough to try to think who it might be, except he’s probably a newish player. 1:3 Oh, bloomin’ ‘eck Tucker! I’d like this to be Budd Johnson or Buddy Tate, but I think it’s probably neither. Oh hell, I want this like CRAZY! This is REAL music. Jeez! 1:4 Live. Oh, I think I know this tenor player and the tune. Definitely don’t know the recording. Another one I feel almost immediately that I should have. Mind you, I’m not looking forward to that horrid-sounding alto’s solo, unless he’s putting it on for the obligato. Mucho applause, well merited. So here’s the alto player and it ain’t Benny Carter or Lou Donaldson. It’s someone like Jackie McLean, whom I don’t like at all. But he WAS putting that weird sound on earlier. And he’s a lot more inventive than McLean. I could probably live with his playing, as it’s pretty entertaining. I’m getting a strong feeling that these guys are putting this stuff on and it’s not their natural way of playing. Well, we’re on the pianist now, and he’s kinda just playing the piano, know what I mean? Now the drums, the drums. Fortunately, not followed by a bass solo. Well, if I were there, I’d probably enjoy this more than I actually did. 1:5 Another long one. Oh, this sounds like Sonny Stitt. ‘Please don’t talk about me when I’m gone’, a tune that jazz musicians seem to have forgotten about. And it AIN’T Stitt. Nice sound, though. Trombonist has a nice sound, too. Well, it’s really nice. And he played nice sensible stuff. On to the tenorman. Pop goes the weasel – someone’s gonna say it’s Fred Jackson J So a guitar. And someone who sounds like one of the JATP perennials, shoved in there to make up the numbers and justify a high gate charge. And now a trumpeter. Yes, SO much like a JATP job, this. We’ve obviously got Oscar to come. Well, just to prove it, it’s not Oscar. Still, I don’t suppose he had an absolute monopoly on JATP gigs. I wonder what they’d have sounded if Gene Harris HAD been in the band? 1:6 More live. ‘Broadway’. To be frank, I’m finding, on the third live cut, this is all sounding like what a former lady colleague used to call jazz wanking, not without justification, I feel. Really looking forward to 7 in a minute. 1:7 ‘Willow weep for me’ played REALLY nicely. And I think I might have this. Oh yes, as it goes along, I’m SURE I have it. I think it’s King Curtis. But no Nat Adderley. Yes, it’s Curtis. 2:1 ‘Sister Sadie’ was a lady played by a guitarist with more chops than sense. Now, can I get downstairs and make a cup of tea and get beck before the next cut? 2:2 Didn’t quite make it. Heard ‘Billy boy’ as I came up the stairs and thought I was listening to Mr Ram C Lewis. Now I’m sitting down, I KNOW I’m listening to Mr Lewis. Well, this was a tune that Ahmad Jamal played a bit, but I’m sure it’s not him. Thinking about it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Gene Harris in there. 2:3 Starts of fairly unpromisingly but, before the end of the first minute, evolves into another of those kind of interesting, kind of over-involved, Blue Note hard bop numbers, relying for interest on the drummer, who is really nice. Must be Freddie Waits or someone like Henry Higgins. Freddie Hubbard’s always nice, too, when I’m in the mood for him. Now there’s supposed to be a tenor player. Yes, here he is, playing trombone, as if he’d no guts at all. Certainly not a great deal of trombone sound in there. Well, no piano, no tenor sax; what a disappointment. 2:4 Pretty quietly recorded track. Or maybe the pianist’s just making no impact. Here comes a trumpet player and, yes, it’s more audible. But the drummer’s more noticeable then the others on my computer. Ah, the tenor player speaks in plain language. Well, he sounds too much like Eric Alexander for my taste. 2:5 Lord, I know this tune well, but can’t think of the title. OK, this isn’t Ramsey Lewis, Junior Mance, Gene Harris, or Les McCann. I like his approach. He’s a bit insane and makes me think of Earl Hines, but this has too modern a sound for that. And he’s not quite off the wall enough. I wouldn’t put it past being someone else who played well into recent days like Jay McShann, who I still haven’t pursued enough to have a good feel for him. But he’s carried this tune well for almost six minutes now, most enthusiastically. So put me down for Jay. 2:6 Ah, an organist. Something I’ve not heard before. I don’t think this is a guy from the fifties-sixties; it’s a retro-soul-jazz band. But It’s not Organissimo J Oh, is that Bubba Brooks? And Bobby Forrester? Bubba has LOTS of different sounds in his horn, and I’m not sure this is him. But I’m not sure this is NOT him, also. Well, on to ‘Cold sweat’, for a taste of reality. And a quick cough and drag. A lot of this was pretty nice; thanks Dan. MG Stone me! I've missed Archie Shepp. MUST put that right. MG

He HAD had a regular working band until he started at Blue Note. Then two of the members went other ways. His first recording was an album on Brunswick 754162: "Walk on by" by the Wildare Express, which was Trevor Lawrence, Fats Theus (ts), Thornell Schwatz (g), Tommy Derrick (d). Wildare is obviously a combination of Wilson and Derrick. Derrick and Lawrence were on "On Broadway"; Theus and Schwartz (http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?/topic/27414-thornel-schwartz/) had gone to work for Jimmy McGriff by then. Lawrence went on to be a decent session man, recording with Freddie King, King Curtis, Mango Santamania, Chuck Rainey and Howard Tate. He arranged and conducted Etta James' two superb albums "Etta James" and "Come a little closer" on Chess. Derrick worked with Reuben through to 1974, then disappeared. If you see the WIldare Express album, get it. I haven't got it, so I dunno what it's like but, with those people... MG

I'm extremely glad to hear that. It's the sort of information we foreigners never get told about. If a provocative post prompts it, I'm very glad of that, too. Of COURSE, Black & Blue wasn't a charity. The firm knew there were people in Europe who wanted to hear this music. As Steve said, the guys were finding a new audience. Good. And it's important for musicians to be paid. MG