The Magnificent Goldberg

That sounds convincing. MG

The one I like a lot is "Jam with Blue Mitchell" a Pablo album reissued on OJC. MG

Indeed - some of that stuff is classic funkaroonies. And some is very good straight ahead stuff. List to follow. MG

You save quite large transaction costs if you don't need to convert your money to dollars in order to buy oil. There are some numbers around on how much the oil money is and what the rest of the dollar transactions are. Can't find them offhand but I had an impression that it was big enough to be a "sunspot" issue, which could start a slide. MG

(deeply unhappy) I expect you're right about that. One of the problems Gospel has for us for us left wing Jewish atheists is all the conventional stuff that comes with it. (Some days, I just ARGUE back to sermons ) MG

I played that all the way through yesterday - first time for about a year. Wow! One thing I noticed for the first time was how alike Wayne's and Wilton's playing is. Some solos might be played by the other (on the other instrument, of course). I suspect this was part of the secret. MG

Sherpa Tensing John Hunt Edmund Hilary

If you only want "great" albums in your collection, don't bother. If you don't mind forking out small beer for an album that's merely enjoyable, and honest though commercial, pick up "Everybody come on out" or "Use the stairs" both on Fantasy LPs which I'm sure you can find cheap, or "More than a mood" (Music Masters), which is straight ahead stuff with Freddie Hubbard (and that one's deleted, too). MG

Willis Jackson - Gator tails - Verve stereo (reissue as "Willis Jackson") Wild Bill Davis & Johnny Hodges - Wings & things - Verve mono orig Paul Williams, Big Jay McNeely, Hal Singer, Lee Allen & Sam "The Man" Taylor - Honkers & Screamers - Savoy Jazz twofer - glorious mono MG

For goodness sake, Lon, are you MADE of money? MG

Lee Morgan Erroll Flynn Douglas Fairbanks Jr

Thanks to you and Dan for that discussion, but particularly for that last image! MG

I don't know what that means, but I DID get the third billed actor comment. Don't dissent from that bit; third rate, among jazz musicians, is bloody good! MG It might have been intended as an insult, but I certainly don't read it that way -- as you say, third billed is better than 10th billed or not billed at all. Guy Well, I couldn't tell, because I don't know what batting at 0.285 means... MG

Houston Person recorded a nice version of "Love me tender", with Joey de Francesco, in 1989. Swings like hell! MG

Commiserations. MG

Absolutely. At least, in relation to Patterson & Wilson. In relation to Kenny G & Coltrane however, I have a great deal more sympathy for Kenny G's aims than for Coltrane's, because I think jazz musicians should aim for mass acceptance (or at least I enjoy that kind of music more). Nonetheless, I think I have a preference for Coltrane, though I'm not sure because I've never knowingly heard Kenny G. MG

Doctor Death John de'Ath (family butcher - I kid you not) Megadeath

I don't know what that means, but I DID get the third billed actor comment. Don't dissent from that bit; third rate, among jazz musicians, is bloody good! MG

The very small labels, while operated by a producer, often had/have an investor who stays/stayed in the background. I don't think Harry Lim, who produced great sessions, put up the money. Bill Grauer did not produce sessions at Riverside, Prestige's Bob Weinstock gave it up fairly early, Atlantic often hired producers, etc. Blue Note was an exception, of course, but I would venture a guess and say that most jazz producers had little or nothing to do with putting up the money for their sessions--and when they did, it hardly was a determining factor in the artistic outcome. Good producers gathered together good artists and gave them artistic freedom. Bad producers were often dictatorial or people--I won't name names--who focused on the bottom line. Some producers had the respect of the artists, others did not--the former usually won out, artistically. And then there were the stopwatch operators. That said, a producer who is spending his own money is often doing so because he loves the music--that is an important factor. Thanks Chris - I was going to say about the same thing to John I perhaps didn't express what I was trying to get at very well. If you take as an example the recordings of Stanley Turentine & Shirley Scott, they were produced by Esmond Edwards and Ozzie Cadena (Prestige); Bob Thiele (Impulse); and Alfred Lion (with Ike Quebec then Duke Pearson doing a kind of supervision of rehearsal and perhaps contributing to arrangements job) and Francis Wolff for Blue Note. All were recorded by RVG. Now, the recordings sound different - they're stamped, somehow, with the personality of the various producers, as well as of the two main musicians. I can't believe that any of those producers was more or less dictatorial or inclined to stop-watch watch than any of the others - we're not, I think, talking about grossly different approaches in that sense. But there are those differences and (bearing in mind that Stan and Shirl are examples of something widespread) it doesn't sound to me as if it was (all?) coming from the musicians. MG

Thanks Paul - I wasn't aware of that thread. MG

Surely that wouldn't be too difficult. All right, you're a square :rsmile: MG

Onzy Matthews select MG

What do jazz record producers actually do? Ever since I started buying records, I’ve found it interesting that some people are a good bit better than others at producing records I like. In terms of jazz, however, it’s not easy for me to see what there is for a producer to do, beyond what the musicians themselves are doing (and beyond pure logistics). But there is evidently some kind of value added being imparted by the producer, otherwise companies wouldn’t hire them, and you wouldn’t get systematic differences between the records produced by different people, even using substantially the same musicians (such as the records produced for Prestige by Cal Lampley, Don Schlitten & Bob Porter). So, what does a jazz record producer actually do? And which of these activities is/are crucial in making a difference? The second part of this is, assuming there are things that the producers are doing to make a difference and that I’m not making all this up, the number of jazz record producers is actually quite small – a lot smaller than the number of jazz musicians. So, here’s this small number of people and they seem to be having a disproportionate effect on what the public thinks jazz is. Am I making this up? MG

Brutus Cassius Casca

If there still were a Rare Grooves series that is - the last batch came out in April of 2003 ! Never really dug Wilson's issued sets , so I can't generate any enthusiasm for an unissued one , even one with Ted Dunbar who is eminently diggable . Speaking of Dunbar , I hope those of you clamoring to hear this unissued Wilson already have The Return of Don Patterson on Muse ( on CD as Genius of the B-3 ) . Same era , same instrumentation as the Wilson , but with Ted Dunbar , Eddie Daniels , and Freddie Waits . Wilson couldn't carry Patterson's Leslie ! Yes, I have almost all of Don's recordings (and all but one of Reuben's). Don't see why I should prefer one to the other since they were trying to do different things, and both succeeding. There are two tenors on the Wilson session and two tenors with organ is relatively rare and terribly special to me. And Ousley is a man whose work I love. So this is a particularly important session to me, or might be. MG PS Thinking about it, there are two Reuben Wilson recordings I don't have and two Don Pattersons I don't have.