The Magnificent Goldberg

THAT'S IT!!!!!! How could I forget that? By forgetting, one of my old bosses used to say, and I suppose that's right. MG Checked up on 'Some time ago' in Lord's discog and, bloomin' 'eck, I have Cannonball's version of it, which is on 'The price you've gotta pay to be free'. Appears to be one of only three versions by American jazz players (Jete Jolly and Chick Corea are the other two), but quite a few European jazz musicians. So I guess it goes in, as it's widely, though not narrowly popular. MG PS Also checked on 'Estate' in Lord and, my God, there are 284 recordings listed in my edition!!!! Bloomin' 'eck, Tucker! Well, goodness, and I've never heard of it! So it's in

"Yeah, I have a nice version of 'Grazin; in the grass' by Jerry Hansen & the Ramblers, a Ghanaian band, on this Different kind of material for a Highlife band, but it works well. It's the only version I know apart from Masekela's own. But there are several versions, mostly by people I've never heard of plus Boney James - does he count as jazz? Anyway, that one's going in. And I've checked up on 'Cherokee'. It was intended as the first of five movements for an "Indian Suite" (Cherokee, Comanche War Dance, Iroquois, Seminole, and Sioux. So I think that counts, as the words came later. So is 'La valse de lilas', the original of 'Once upon a summertime', the French words to which appear to have been written a good bit later, from what one can gather. MG

Two recordings (one a tribute to the other) hardly make a standard part of the Jazz literature. MG Oh, I just looked up the Irene Reid version of the song, and it's not the song! It's the title song of the Shirley Horn album! (Written by two different people; P J Molinary and Artie Butler.) Oops! Bad misunderstanding. MG

Oh, I have that song 'Here's to life' by Irene Reid! And that's 'Estaté'; well, well. MG Oh, some of those were instrumentals to start off with, I'm sure; 'Watch what happens', 'Pieces of dreams', both of which I SHOULD have remembered, and... 'Once upon a summertime'? I know Miles recorded it with, I think, Gil Evans, on a Latin LP I used to have of his, but was that the start of it? I somehow doubt it. (And yes, I did buy half a dozen Miles albums before I gave him up as a bad job.) I'm sure the other two started out as songs, but maybe they changed their titles when someone wrote words. 'I will wait for you' makes me think of Dizzy Gillespie and 'Tin tin deo', which was written by Mr Pozo, a Cuban. So that one DEFINITELY goes in the list. And didn't Mongo Santamaria write a jazz standard? Can't remember, but I CAN remember that he did (I think). MG

Well, of COURSE! MG Must be an acute e. When faced with one, I type the word café then copy the é. Well, are those two tunes real standard parts of the jazz musician's book, or just one or two? MG

'Estate ' is a tune? Oh, I thought it was part of the credits. Shows up my lack of knowledge: neither Baker nor Pass (without McCann) are on my radar. MG No one else? I know if MIles played something rafts of musicians will do it too, but I STILL never heard of it MG

Another one I've never heard of. Have any jazz musicians, except Mr Crombie and his Rock & Roll Rockets recorded it? MG

Ah! I had the feeling that Vic must have written a standard. Thanks Bill. Yes, even Dr Lonnie has recorded 'Seven steps to heaven'. 'Joshua' - don't know the tune, only the song about the one who fit the battle of Jericho into a small briefcase. MG Yeah, that's right. Lots of Ellington stuff falls into that category. MG I don't know that tune at all. Never even heard OF it to my (present) knowledge. Has it been much recorded or played by jazz musicians? MG Damn good! Looked it up and it WAS an instrumental, written for the marimba. Words apparently added later. MG

Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson Bobby Vinson Bebop Wino

Thanks for mentioning the songs. But all the ones you mentioned started off as songs. I'm looking for jazz instrumentals that started off as jazz instrumentals and became part of the jazz musician's regular book. Don't know about Jobim tunes and seeing his name, I thought about: 'Samba d'Orfeu' and 'Carnaval', both from the film 'Black Orpheus' and by Luiz Bonfa. I don't THINK either of those started out as pop songs. From what I can remember, they were instrumentals in the film and not Brazilian pop songs. The only Jobim tune I know that was an instrumental is 'Desafinado' but I don't think it's anything like as much a part of the jazz book as 'Girl from Ipanema', which was a song. Though 'Wave'... ? Dunno. MG PS And Jim, 'O sole mio' was a pop song. And who played it as a jazz number except Gator Tail? NB FOREIGN pop music is as much pop music as Gershwin's.

I was listening to Wild Bill Davis at Birdland a week or so ago and, after his swinging treatment of 'Lullaby of Birdand' it occurred to me to wonder how much standard jazz material was written by non-Americans. I couldn't think of much. Four or, possibly, five is all I came up with. George Shearing - Lullaby of Birdland Toots Thielemans - Bluesette Django Reinhart - Nuages Joe Zawinul - Mercy, mercy, mercy Ray Noble - Cherokee ? (not sure whether this was a converted pop song or if it was intended to be a jazz instrumental) I'm sure it's only my lack of knowledge that's made the list so short. Please fill in the enormous gap. MG

Like Dan, I first heard Stanley on 'Midnight special'. Couldn't afford to buy Blue Note LPs in the early sixties, because they cost 70% more than regular UK mfd LPs, but I'd go into the first HMV shop in Oxford Street and take a couple of LPs into a both, listen to 'Midnight special' or later 'Back at the Chicken Shack' and buy maybe a Ray Charles LP. I don't have QUITE everything he recorded. I only have a couple of his Fantasy LPs (but 'Everybody come on out' is VERY good indeed) and only 2 of his Elektra albums (and they're both not very good), even though Stan's playing is STILL super; he could rise above any kind of shit thrown at him, though one still doesn't want MUCH of that, thanks. And I didn't like 'Quiet as it's kept' when I bought it, so I've kept off those Roach-style albums, including the Tommy T album. But I think I have pretty well everything else. I saw him live in NYC in 1990 at Sweet Basil and, despite inordinately high prices for entry and drinks, loved it! One of my favourites is 'ZT's blues'. Don't know WHY that wasn't included in the Mosaic box. And 'Easy walker', too. Yes, think I'll get that out and rip it to my hard drive this afternoon. MG

I always wanted Sonny Criss to make an LP called 'A Sunny Criss-mas' With sleeve with a photo of him sweltering on Bondi Beach eating turkey and wearing a Christmas paper hat. The music would have been pretty good, too MG

Jackie Paris Jackie London Irving Berlin

The Thin Man Fat Boys City Boys International Band of Ghana

Elvis Presley Hayes Alvis Morris the Minor

I rather think the best of those white sax men influenced by the players Steve mentioned was Ace Cannon. Here's his first version, recorded for Sun, of his 1961 hit, 'Tuff', which was a big hit on Hi. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn't seem to want to play anything today, but here's the link. Well, that played OK on Organissimo, so here's the version on Hi. No, for the second time, YouTube brings up yet another of the innumerable versions of the tune he recorded! Try and find it yourselves MG

Brian Cant Mark Curry Blue Peter MG

THIS Is not like his other Mercury albums. Three tracks - No 1 Sil (11:50) Kenny's blues (3:50) Take the A train (14:00) Personnel Austin, Prysock (ts), Dave Martin (p), Kenny Burrell, Everett Barksdale (g), Milt Hinton (b), Panama Francis (d). New York, 1959. As FINE a two tenor battle as you could ask for. I picked up the CD fairly cheap, in Nagoya, Japan, in 2002. Don't expect it's available any more, but anyone seeing it, don't hesitate. I also had the Plays pretty LP back in the late sixties and still have this On Shelby Singleton's SSI label. Some good some bad but the overall feeling is one I don't ever want to relinquish. Probably easy to find used. But Has most of the tracks. CD Universe and Amazon have it (well, I think it's the same) but it looks like this But I prefer the one I've got :G MG

Piers Plowman William Langland Don Lang & the Frantic Five

Yes, it is a fake: http://www.phantompublic.me/2014/07/15/karl-malden-reads-the-speeches-of-lyndon-b-johnson-not-really/ Here's the sleeve with the clown bra. MG

Billy Boy Arnold Arnold Fonzie

Kent Modern RPM

Miss H Lewis (AGA Ladies Point to Point champion jockey 2014) Silvestre De Sousa Raoul da Souza

Ali G Matthew Gee G Force