The Magnificent Goldberg

Oh shit - if you're right I HAVE got this. I'll compare them in a bit. MG

BFT 43b Well, lots of interesting stuff here, Ray. And some stuff I think is wonderful. And some I hate – well, you expected that, didn’t you? 1 Oh, this sounds familiar. Well, the intro did, anyway. Beautiful rhythm section. Oh, I really like this one! The tenor and trumpet players are so beautifully together. Trumpet player reminds me of Blue. And that tenor player is TOUGH! And the pianist is just right in it; he’s very familiar, too, but I can’t put a name to him. This sounds like one I want to buy. 2 Much more routine Hard Bop number. All very well played but not my kind of thing ,really. Is that Freddie Hubbard on trumpet? If I were into Hard Bop, I’d certainly want this. Vibes player sounds to me like Bobby Hutcherson. Nearly too long. 3 Some serious funky stuff now. Baritone players have a significant advantage over players of any other instrument; they ALL sound fantastic. I love the way this builds; by the time the tenor player comes in this is a fabulous groove. So effin’ SEXY! Yeah, not bad! 4 Something else that sounds very familiar. I think I might even have this. But I haven’t. Another trumpet player who reminds me of Blue. Sounds like something I ought to have, even if I haven’t 5 A Beatles song – “Something”. The strange sounds actually detract from what might have been a classic ballad rendition. Then after one chorus, it goes completely off into Rock. Not for me. Is this one of those ‘70s Jazz/Rock bands like Return to Forever? If so, glad I never bothered to listen to their stuff. Gladder and gladder, as the track goes on (and on, and on). Oh, and as it goes on even more, is this that Scofield geezer? Gawd, when is this track gonna finish? I’m going to quit when the time hits ten minutes. Oh well, it’s finishing now and only 8:47 too long. 6 “A train”. Modern version of it. Oh bleedin’ ‘ell, a JOKE version! Band’s good enough, but I really don’t get the point of musical humour like this. 7 Is this “America the beautiful”? Not sure I’d recognise it if it bit me on the ankle. Nice tenor solo that doesn’t seem to express the title, so maybe I’ve got the title wrong. Don’t think I’ve ever heard this bloke before, or not much anyway. Bass solo is really not in the same mood as the tenor man. 8 Funk electric piano sounding familiar again, but actually not. It vaguely reminds me of one of Johnny “Hammond” Smith’s electronic albums that I used to have on the Salvation label – ah, “Gamblers life” it was called. 9 Starts off like a more portentous Mancini-type orchestration, then a nice trumpet player comes on. And a good trombonist. I have the same problem with this as I had with a number of tracks on the other disc – I like the soloists but not the band. Ah, when the baritone player comes on and it moves into a straight blues, it’s OK, but still too much band coming in later in the solo. Guitar OK, just. Clarinet solo – unusual to have a clarinet solo – very nice. Bass clarinet solo – full of unusual stuff this. I just wish they’d not bothered with all that big band stuff. 10 Oh, this is nice. Is this called “Summer wind” by any chance? Never heard the song before. Don’t think I’ve heard the singer before, either. Lovely tenor player. Whole band is in there swinging. I should know the tenorman. 11 Seems like an attempt at a Soul song. But not a real Soul song, something that’s been written in that style. Can’t see the point in that. If you’re going to do something that sounds like a Soul song, why not do a real one? (Course, I may simply not be recognising the tune.) Players are all good, particularly the tenor player. 12 Bop number that I don’t recall having heard before. No drums – but the trio get along fine without and one wouldn’t want them in here – it would be a completely different piece of music. I keep thinking there’s an audience out there, but they never applaud or even say “Yeah!” occasionally. 13 Hot tambourines! Hot bass! Hot everyone! I think this is a Parker tune played at a million miles an hour. I can’t usually see the point of this, but here the point is! No, it’s “Night in Tunisia”! I think Diz would REALLY have appreciated this. Zap! Pow! 14 “Nobody knows the trouble I see”. Oh, I guess it’s OK at this speed, if you wanna do it like this. Give me Johnny Jones (lead with the Swanee Quintet) any day, however. 15 Yes! Yes! Yes! Brings tears to my eyes! That was, until that geezer started listing stuff. Is there a version of this that doesn’t have him on it? Thanks for all that stuff, Ray – even the ones I hate. MG

Bennie Green Select discs 1-3; very nice stuff indeed! MG

Just remembered the (Jazz) Crusaders' "Scratch: Live at the Roxy". MG

Wow! Thay changed their clothes halfway through a riff! And back in the next bar! MG

Did you listen to the lyrics? Such of them as I could hear clearly, which I think was most. MG

I do envy you guys being over there and able to see people like Billy Wooten. MG

I assume you've got these photos on your hard drive, Danielle. Here's a link to a site called Image Shack. http://www.imageshack.us/ You upload your photos, one by one, by using the browse function to locate them on your drive. When you've uploaded them, the program will then show you a number of addresses for each one, used in different circumstances. Copy the address for posting into forums. Then paste it into your post. That's the thumbnail for forums (fora ) This is the hotlink for fora. So you get a choice of what kind of display you want to produce. Good luck. MG

Harold Vick - Don't look back - Strata East orig Don Drummond & the Skatalites - Don Drummond's greatest hits - Treasure Isle JA orig Trudy Pitts - These blues of mine - Prestige Fantasy repress MG

So, is the US version misprinted, or is it just the European version? Anyone have a US copy? MG

Well, yeah, I was a bit strong in my reaction, but sincere neverhteless. For any number of reasons, I've been becoming increasingly revulsed (yeah, revulsed) by the all-too-common mindset of all-too-many "jazz people" that you prove your hipness by belittling the un-hip. I mean, yeah, ok, some folks are totally un-hip and can make make life a drag for the rest of us, but unless they're doing it intentionally/maliciously, I can't hate them just for being who they are. It takes all types, and those folks got lives and souls just the same as anybody else. So how "hip" is it to belittle them, especially if it's in the spirit of thinking that you somehow get built up by tearing down? If anything, I think it's terribly unhip... Now. "tweaking" I can certainly understand. And outright anger I can also relate too. But those are both actions rooted in love, I think. The notion of picking on somebody "smaller" (perceived or otherwise) than yourself, though, that's just old-fashioned bullying, and I think we all know what's inside the psyche of a bully. It sure ain't love. And a jazz bully? Hey - look around, Mr. & Mrs. Hip, it ain't exactly your world anymore, is it? Not even the hip parts, unless you consider dead or near-dead excursions to a mid-20th Century esthetic to be "hip". Is the world passing you by? Quite possibly. So who the phuck are you to be making fun of other people who the world's passed by? You're one of them now. Maybe that's not what the intent of this piece was, and maybe I just took it too personal, projecting onto it a lot of shit I've been examining in my world lately. Entirely possible. But right or wrong, that's how it hit me anyways. I didn't get anything like this off that track. Sure, they were having fun, but I didn't feel they were having fun at anyone's expense. And in any case, they didn't sound like jazz people to me but country people. So who would they be taking the piss out of? People who live in towns and commute? MG

Some really nice stuff in this disc! Christmas has been pretty busy, so I’ve not yet started on disc b. But disc a has been a great listening experience. Thanks Ray. 1 What a voice! This saxophonist ought to be extremely recognisable to those who know more about jazz than I. I don’t know who it is. I started playing this when I did the download, just to play the first few seconds to make sure it had come out all right on the disc. But I couldn’t turn it off! 2 This reminds me of Jacques Loussier, but the tune sounds like Satie. Very attractive, but it doesn’t get me going. 3 Vibes, trumpet & rhythm. I guess the vibes player is the leader. Don’t know who it is, though. I think the trumpet player is Blue Mitchell. Very groovy bass solo, too. I like this track a lot!!! 4 “I remember Clifford” by tenor sax, trumpet & bass. A beautiful performance. 5 “The nearness of you” by trombone & rhythm. Love the growl trombone, but the thing with the bass burps is a bit wearisome after he’s done it a few too many times. Love the cadenza at the end. 6 Alto tenor & rhythm on “C jam blues”. A fairly, but not very, outside version of this, which is most interesting, The simultaneous improvisation is very good, not getting in each other’s way, complementing or chasing each other around. The alto solo is interesting; seems to break down after a bit, and the tenor player comes in as if to help out, then takes over. Tenorist is a bit more of a straight ahead player; well at first anyway. Outside again when the altoist comes back in. Loads of chops on the bass player; is it Dave Holland? Think the tag with the drummer goes on a bit too long. 7 Bop thing by largish group. Like the baritone player; like the altoist; like the vibes; like the trombone. Don’t like the band, the tune or the arrangement. 8 “Riders in the sky” sounds like Ray Bryant. Love the drummer. Love the ending, too. Great fun!!!! 9 Guitar & rhythm on bop number. “Rhythm-n-ing”? One of those Monk things anyway. Don’t really like either the guitarist or the pianist. Can’t be asked to get involved in this. 10 Nice wah wah trumpet. Clark Terry I guess. Don’t like the band or arrangement at all. Is the guitarist Phil Upchurch? 11 Another largish group. Again, I don’t like this band much, but the trombone and piano solos are OK. 12 Accordion! Sapristi! This is quite entertaining. Nice baritone solo. Nice trumpet solo! Nice guitar solo. And, as they say on “The fast show”, “NICE!” 13 Petite fleur” lovely version. I really like the chorus girls (any chorus girls). Never even gave a thought to who it might be. 14 Movie music at the start. Tenor solo after a too long intro. Good jumpin’ tenorman. I like him but, once more, not the band. Mind you, he does go on a bit… 15 Rousing big band blues live. Sounds like Curtis Peagler on alto. So I guess this is the Basie band, though I’m not well up on Basie. I think the tenor player is Jimmy Forrest. 16 Strange song. Kinda country. Can’t say I like the singer. A good way to end a gig, though. And a good way to end a BFT, too. MG

Yes, that's a nice piece. Stanley also recorded it on "That's where it's at" with Les McCann, and Horace Parlan on "Up and down" with Booker Ervin (that's on the Parlan Mosaic). MG

Oh, they got someone to write new notes, like on the Blue Notes? I didn't know they were doing that. MG

Several more but it's bedtime in Wales. See ya tomow. MG

Struth! MG

Here are a few others Gene Ammons - Big bad Jug Boogaloo Joe Jones - Snake rhythm rock - Black whip Leon Spencer - Where I'm comin' from - Louisiana Slim Melvin Sparks - Sparks - Spark plug - Akilah - Texas twister Reuben Wilson - Blue mode Sonny Stitt - Black vibrations Lonnie Smith - Mama wailer Johnny "Hammond" Smith - The prophet - Wild horses rock steady Idris Muhammad - Power of soul - House of the rising sun - Turn this mutha out David Newman - Captain Buckles Charles Earland - Soul story - Leaving this planet Jimmy Smith - Root down Roy Ayers & Fela Kuti - Music of many colours Manu Dibango - Soul makossa Rusty Bryant - Soul liberation - Fire eater Cornell Dupree - Teasin' Charles Williams - Trees & grass & things Willis Jackson - Headed & gutted Jazz Crusaders - Scratch Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers - Doin' what we wanna - The love I've been lookin' for - The new Chicago blues That'll do for a bit Seventies greatly underestimated period in my view. MG

Some good stuff by Stanley. Stan the man - Time/Mainstream Comin' your way - BN Jubilee shout - BN These two are on the Mosaic box, but there were CDs around you can probably pick up if you don't want to get a BEAUTIFUL Mosaic Also Lou Donaldson - The natural soul - BN - the first great classic with Patton/Green/Dixon There are others I'll post when I think of them. MG

My copy is the double CD issued by Ace a long time ago - "Black talk/Black drops". I can send you a scan of the "Black talk" half if you like. That's a bit small, though, I think. I can also do you a scan of the LP notes (the same), which should be easier to read, and you can make it as small as you like. If either of these is any good, PM me and I'll get one to you. MG

First, catch a pair of nail scissors... MG

Oh, I see. I assumed that you'd have two drives that you were in the process of filling up in different places. Thanks Rod. OK, I am clear that I've got to do something like this before I hit the old folks home and they tell me I can't bring my CDs, LPs, K7s, 45s and 78s. BTW - I had two hard drives go down simultaneously and irrecoverably, courtesy of my son-in-law (well, you know what sons-in-law are like ) MG

Dame Edna Everage Sir Les Patterson Barry Humphries

Leroy Anderson Leroy Vinnegar Amiri Baraka

Time for a cuppa. Glengettie at the moment. MG

Sonny Stitt discs 7, 8 & 9 this morning MG