The Magnificent Goldberg

Exactly. Different audiences, individually or in groups, view some connotations as positive or negative. I think it's the performance that gives a tune its connotations; this may or may not be the words that are sun, or the way they're sung. But they can also apply to an instrumental performance. For example, "Flying home" must have severely negative connotations to Hard Bop musicians and fans; I think only Sonny Stitt made it a part of his book (and Stitt normally worked for a much wider aaudience than boppers). Only a few Hard Bop musicians have recorded it, usually in an album devoted to Swing number, such as Kenny Burrell's "A generation ago today". Other than that, I can only find recordings by Teddy Charles, Joe Pass and and Charlie Byrd/Barney Kessell/Herb Ellis. Clearly, the negative connotations arise from Illinois Jacquet's honking tenor solo on Hampton's 1942 recording, which is generally reckoned to have influenced a generation of R&B tenor players. "Lester leaps in" suffers from no such negative connotations; indeed, Prez' position as a huge influence on bop musicians gives it a positive connotation to Hard Bop musicians and fans. But actually, there's little to choose between the two tunes when you just look at the music, as far as I can see. I feel sure that, when we talk about bad tunes, it's these connotations that we're really thinking about, not the music itself. And what a musician does, when he converts a tune that, for his audience, has negative connotations, is superimpose his own vision of the tune with such power that it overrides those connotations. In effect, the musician is redefining the tune. That's why there can be more than one "definitive" version of a tune. "Summertime" for example, has at least three definitive versions, as far as I can see: those by Duke Ellington; Booker T & the MGs; and Albert Ayler. The musicians are redefining the tune in their own terms; and for their own audiences (there may well be overlap between the audiences); none of them can take away the definitiveness of either of the other versions. MG

I note allmusic gives most of his output a solid 2 stars...I don't know his work at all, best place to start? Anywhere you can. None of his albums are available anywhere in the world, as far as I know. Get whatever turns up second hand that you can afford and see what you think. "Spider man" is a straight quartet session all the way through - not like any of the others, most of which had a mixture of larger group and quartet tracks. Just saw that ebay has a couple at $20 (bidding not finished yet). There's also a "Best of compilation" at 8.90 GBpounds. Don't know what's on the comp, but it might not be a bad start. http://music.search.ebay.com/freddie-mccoy...itsearchZSearch MG

Marie Adams & the 3 Tons of Joy The Weather Girls The Soul Sisters

Of course, what WON'T ever come out is the box I most want. The complete Freddie McCoy Prestige sessions, comprising LONELY AVENUE SPIDER MAN PEAS N RICE FUNK DROPS BEANS N GREENS SOUL YOGI LISTEN HERE McCoy has been most cavalierly treated. An important innovator, he made the first recordings of what later became known as Acid Jazz. But he played ballads so beautifully - he was a bit like his mentor Johnny "Hammond" Smith in that way. MG

A nice box would collect all the material Gene Ammons recorded as a sole leader between his two prison stays - 1960-1962. A large chunk of it was recorded on the sly for the Chess brothers, but has since been reclaimed by Prestige/Fantasy. Some of it has never been issued on CD (that LP was only available for a very short time anyway - "Blue Groove" MPP2514). There's no doubt that Jug was at his very best in this period. The box might include: BOSS TENOR VELVET SOUL ANGEL EYES NICE N COOL JUG LATE HOUR SPECIAL LIVE IN CHICAGO UP TIGHT BOSS SOUL TWISTIN THE JUG SOULFUL MOODS BLUE GROOVE PREACHIN' BAD BOSSA NOVA MG

Sonny Stitt disc 9 MG

Was it Hot Lips Page who said that? I thought it was someone like Whitney Balliett. But it IS true that things have moved on from those days. The material IS material nowadays. Different songs, or perhaps the well known performances of them, carry connotations that are tend to be unwelcome to performers of some types of jazz, though welcome to performers of other types of jazz. It isn't anything to do with what the chord changes are like (and it probably wasn't in Page's day, either). These connotations, which have probably very little to do with the music AS SUCH, are tremendously important in conveying messages between musician and audience. A jazz musician who uses a lot of material deriving from R&B and Soul music is likely to be aiming to have an impact on people for whom those types of music are a strong preference, rather than people who don't like them. Eschewing those sources would be a good strategy for communicating with a different type of audience. The same could be said for material deriving from Swing bands (except Duke Ellington, an exception in many ways). How many Hard Bop players use material from the Webb, Hawkins, Hampton, Lunceford or Henderson big bands? Again, it doesn't seem that it's anything to do with the suitability or unsuitability of the music AS SUCH. There's nothing essentially different about, say, "Lester leaps in" and many Hampton numbers. It's the connotations that count. Thinking that everything in music can be reduced to purely musical terms is a mistake. MG

Little Richard Larry Williams Johnny "Guitar" Watson

I've never bothered too much with classic records. Always felt these records were ones I could buy at any time so there was no rush, compared with the work of musicians who were less well thought of and whose work I perceived wouldn't be available for long. But then, it depends on who's opinion gives rise to the label "classic". I've got at least 1 Parker LP that is classic: Dial stuff. And a dozen or so Tranes; a 1940s Diz as well as several recent items; all Dex's BNs & PRs; most Silver BNs up to the late '60s; most '60s Mobley (if not all); lots of Criss & Clark & Hamp & Blakey & Wes Riversides; and so on. And yet, this is simply to say that there's a certain kind of music that is "in favour" in certain circles and I have some of what are, no doubt rightly, regarded as classics within that limited framework. But other kinds of music, other kinds of jazz, even (or especially) those that are generally looked down on, have their own classics. So I have "Belly rub" pts 1 & 2 by Dave "Baby" Cortez; "You can't sit down" pts 1 & 2 by Phil Upchurch; "Soul discovery" by Jackie Ivory; "Easy" by Grant Green; "Thunderbird" by Willis Jackson; "The burner" by Red Holloway; "Funk Drops" by Freddie McCoy; "People and love" by Johnny Lytle; and so on. I didn't buy these records because they were classics of Soul Jazz. It just turned out that they were, though hardly anyone will agree with that assessment of these records. MG

I think one of the least interesting pop songs has to be "Lollipops and roses". Harold Mabern does a superb version - a BURNING version - on his album "Fantasy". He also does great versions of the Sesame Street theme, and "You belong to me", another that doesn't seem to offer much, (though Jimmy McGriff did a decent version with David Newman and Rusty Bryant on board), as well as Earth Wind & Fire's "Fantasy" and Donnie Hathaway's "Harlem Dawn" and another Pop classic, "The sidewinder". Oh yes, and try David Newman's version of "Goldfinger"! Or the Secret Agent Men's (featuring Dr Lonnie) version of the Alfred Hitchcock TV series theme. And, incidentally, Hank Crawford's version of "Saving all my love for you" was pretty good. It doesn't come up to Braden's version, which is 100% classic. MG

I'm in trouble! I've been looking through my collection for Christmas albums and I can only find 11. I'm sure I have more than this, but I can't remember any more. And some of those I only got by doing word searches through my database (I don't have Christmas records classified separately). I've done word searches for "christmas", "xmas", "noel", "carol", "happy" and have only turned those up. Any ideas for other word searches I can try? MG Well, just in case I can't find any others, I've ordered the Al Grey.

Horatio Nelson Steve Nelson Nelson Mandela

Wasn't it "Salt Peanuts"? Either way I agree. Guy See? These titles somehow don't connect with the music, so no one can remember the titles of tunes you know like the back of your hand. MG

Yes! I have the only gas-lit lamplight in the neighborhood (but you'd hardly notice 'cause I have to clean the glass - after I change the two mantles inside). I have a sneaking suspicion that your statement has some kind of meaning that I'm missing... No - I was just really surprised. I couldn't tell it was gas-lit. Even more surprised. Isn't the street lighting very good where you are? MG

Which third is that? Left arm & left leg? MG

Horace Parlan Horace Silver Horace

Sonny Phillips - Black on black - Prestige orig Freddie McCoy - Gimme some - Cobblestone orig MG

Chance Miracle United

On Blue Note? They had been issuing Reggae and R&B, in the late '70s. But this was issued in 1981, just after BN had been closed down. Otherwise, I expect... MG

It's back to Africa with a few by Fela Open & close - Pathe Marconi (orig French issue) Expensive shit - Makossa (orig US issue) Confusion - EMI (oig UK issue) Authority Stealing - Kalakuta (orig Nigerian issue) Thione Seck - Yow - Syllart (orig) MG

Joe Henderson - Canyon lady - Milestone orig Houston Person - Very personal - Muse promo Sonny Criss - This is Criss - OJC MG

That's RIGHT. An essential component of so many recordings and we never really heard him. Oh Lord, what a bad period we're having. MG

I dunno. If I were managing a no 'count Hollywood actress with a film or two behind her, I'd think that, amid all the other tributes/condolences/memoires about Altman, there's a clear way for my charge to stand out from the others. "There's no such thing as bad publicity." MG

That's a very nice piece. I never knew he did stuff like that. Thanks for posting it, Val. MG

Me too - but I don't have early ones. (But I've got a 1967 Schwann ) MG