The Magnificent Goldberg

I can’t imagine any musician who’s had a more interesting career than the great Fred Wesley, whose 63rd birthday it is today. (I tell you, it’s a shock to find a classic musician who’s only a couple of months older than me!) But anyway, Happy Birthday Fred! Fred was born on 14 July 1943, in Columbus, GA, but brought up in Mobile Alabama. He studied classical piano at a young age, with his grandmother. Then he studied trumpet, then trombone at school under the influence of his father, Fred Wesley Sr, who chaired the music department at Mobile Central High School and was a big band man. Fred Jr made his professional debut at the age of 12. After graduation, while still at University, Fred worked with Ike & Tina Turner and Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. He played with the 55th Army Band during military service, graduating from the Armed Forces School of Music. Back in civvy street in 1967, Fred formed his own band – playing a fusion of Funk with Hard Bop. A friend, Waymon Reed, recommended him to James Brown. He joined James Brown in the summer of 1968, first recording on “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud”. He didn’t get on well with Brown, who was in every sense the boss, and made sure his musicians knew it damn well. Fred left Brown in 1969, then returned in 1971, to become the straw boss of the Brown band. It was under Wesley that the JBs were formed, producing instrumentals – some of which were huge hits; Fred Wesley & the JBs’ “Doin’ it to death” was the last jazz recording to make #1 on the R&B singles chart. Once again, Brown and Wesley fell out. Brown fired Fred in 1975. You can hear what Fred has to say about this; “I love you like a brother” on Fred’s most recent album “Wuda cuda shuda” tells the story. Fred, along with a number of other Brown band men, joined George Clinton. “Mothership connection” by Parliament was the first album Fred and the new recruits worked on, producing a classic of funk, “P-Funk (wants to get funked up)”. Fred’s noodling trombone solo on that is worth the price of admission; so is Maceo’s alto solo. Like Brown, Clinton set up Fred with his own band within the P-Funk organisation; Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns. It was while he was at P-Funk that Fred developed his contrapuntal funk style of arranging, a style that Clinton’s bands still carry on. While working with Clinton, Fred made a fair number of albums as a sideman for Creed Taylor’s CTI and Kudu labels with George Benson, Hank Crawford, Idris Muhammad and David Matthews (a subsequent arranger with the Brown band). At the beginning of 1978, Fred went further into jazz, replacing Al Grey in the Basie band. He moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and got a good deal of work once more in R&B, with Earth Wind and Fire, The Gap Band, Barry White and Curtis Mayfield. At the same time, Fred capitalised on huge street credibility, beginning to make his own solo albums, starting with “House party” in 1980. All his jazz albums have been made for small companies, many for Minor Music, a German firm for whom Maceo and Pee Wee Ellis also recorded, spearheading the funk revival in Europe. If you want to hear some really blistering, swinging jazz, try Fred’s “Swing and be funky” on Minor Music, a live album that leaps out of the speakers. In 2002, he published his autobiography, “Hit me, Fred: recollections of a sideman” (Duke Univ ISBN 0-8223-2909-3). While continuing to tour, he is also adjunct professor (what’s an adjunct professor?) of jazz studies at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Pay him a visit at his website; it’s full of good photos. And you can buy downloads from some of the rarer albums in his discography from him (he says). http://www.fredwesley.com/ MG

LOL LOL MG

Taylor, like most, if not all, of the honkers, was an excellent ballad player. Which is not to say that it's necessarily him on "True love ways"; it's merely to say that being a honker is no necessary disqualification. That said, I must say it was with some surprise that I learned, many years ago, that he was credited with this solo. But Sam was a versatile musician, so I accepted it. Plenty of good people have done good solos on pop records; Curtis Amy's solo on Carole King's "It's too late" comes to mind immediately, as does his solo on the Stones' "Honky tonk women". MG

I think it's Sam "The Man" Taylor. MG It is. I said so in the original message. I wasn't asking who played it. Just remarking on how good it is. OBO110X I should learn to read. MG

Just did a Google search. I think I was right. http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/al...?ALBUMID=500823 There's a thread in a sax forum where someone was speculating on whether it was Taylor or someone called "Boomie Richmond", but when I tried to get that up, the forum had moved and, doing a search brought up so many threads I couldn't be asked. Here's the search result, if anyone else wants to try. http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22buddy+...r=&start=0&sa=N It's the www.saxontheweb.net result. MG

I think it's Sam "The Man" Taylor. MG

We have that in Britain, too; it's called shandy here. I can understand (I think) serving American beer, in America, in very humid weather, with a slice of some citrous fruit. American beer, I've found when I've been over there, is very sharp and hard edged, which is great in hot, humid weather. I can imagine a slice might improve that edge for some people. In Britain, where we like our beer warm and soft, and have the weather for it, bits of anything floating in our beer, other than flies, are completely unacceptable. And flies are only acceptable after about nine pints. MG And only if they're dead. We're not beasts, y'know.

Well, if Yehudi could do it... Kennedy always used to look like a pratt, though, which you could never say about Yehudi. MG

I kind of agree; I like the painting on the cover of the LP. However, if there's a previously unpublished photo of Hank... If there was ever one guy who completely had "the look". MG

It's Big John's birthday today. I've been playing a lot of John lately, so I'm just celebrating with MG

Sometimes you can say, "this music changed my life". This is one of those times. MG

Nope - NY USA/43W61st ! And an inner sleeve saying "27 years of Blue Note"? MG

Johnny Griffin and Sonny Clark at their prime! The Conn sounded blah, so hopefully the RVG will be eons better. Spun the Conn last night and thought it sounded pretty good, great session but then you can hardly go wrong with early Griff Apart from some of the stuff he did with Joe Morris, I haven't anything earlier than "The big soul band" by him. That's why I wondered about this. MG

But that's what you get when you go to a gig, Chewy. MG

Having breakfast MG

This is the clip from Jazz Expo '69 in London that was posted on another thread a few days ago. It seems to be the only bit of GG video in existence. (Will someone please give me idiot-proof instructions on how to link one thread to another?) MG

I hear you but disagree, Chuck, because I write songs and this one is a ballad with a lyric I wrote (with good suggestions from my friend Frank Reilly which I used). It's gotten a positive reaction from musicians and singers far older and wiser than me, non-musical people who heard the demo, and audiences. Ultimately I like it, and I'll live with the consequences regardless. I also have a piece I want to do that's completely composed, not a note of jazz in it, and in 4/8. I have a wide range of interests and know some terrific musicians who are willing to go along for the ride, so why not? The unifying theme in the artists I most admire and my own playing and writing such as they are is a love of melody, human feeling, and storytelling. I also like music that makes me move my body. Some people call that swing. If something doesn't seem like it fits in on one project I'll leave it in the can til it does. The mistake people make is not recording music. It's putting it all together on any release, 1st or 100th, in a way where it makes no musical, dramatic, or logical sense. But I've found that the Boy Scouts were right: be prepared. Bring more than you need and get it down. You can always use it later. Finally, I love good songs and good singers as much as good players. My attitude playing before the public is not "check out my far-out version of this song. Ain't I a creative MF?", it's "Isn't this a great song? I want to play it for you." Good on ya. MG

It’s the day for remembering the great Milt Buckner, who was born on 10 July 1915, in St Louis, MO. Milt (with Wild Bill Davis and Bill Doggett) was one of the three great pre-Jimmy Smith organists. I think these guys are too often forgotten. Not by Pete Fallico, however, who has put a good bio and appreciation of Milt’s style on his Doodlin’ Lounge website, here http://www.doodlinlounge.com/Stories/Buckner.html There is also a very good, illustrated, discography of Milt’s recordings by Armin Buttner on the web. Part one, which covers the period 1941-1963, is here http://www.jazzdocumentation.ch/buckner/di...y/buckner1.html Part two covers the period 1966-1973 and is here http://www.jazzdocumentation.ch/buckner/di...y/buckner2.html And part three, covering the period 1974-1977, is here http://www.jazzdocumentation.ch/buckner/di...y/buckner3.html Much is made of Milt’s development of the locked hands approach to piano playing, which he took over to his organ work. What’s not emphasised is that, when you approach the organ like that, what you have is a FUNK WEAPON. And as a funk weapon, Milt is at his most superb on “Green onions” (available from Amazon France) and on two albums with Illinois Jacquet: “Go power”; and “The soul explosion” If you only get three of Buckner’s albums, get those; they are MIGHTY! But the locked hands approach also leads to a powerful and effective way of playing ballads. So then get some of his marvellous “Midnight slows” series. Throughout Milt’s work, whether funky or sexy slow ballads, or up-tempo swing oriented material, there is more joy and exuberance than you find in most other jazz musicians; truly, Milt was a child of the Hampton band! MG

WTF - end of story. MG

I enjoyed the match, though I was supporting France. I even enjoyed the headbutt - adds spice for the audience. After all, it's only entertainment. MG

Phenomenal ! Don't miss.. Not to mention the great Andy Warhol cover art!! Oh, that's THAT one! Oh yes. MG

Same here, except I don't have my copy anymore. I just remember Spaulding's playing annoying the heck outta me. Not sure if that opinion would change much since his playing still does that to me on other records (Shorter's SCHIZOPHRENIA jumps immediately to mind). I would say Spaulding's playing is a little more accessible on this. Try it again Al. I think James Spaulding's most accessible playing is on "Wild" by Larry "Wild" Wrice (PJ24). I think it was Spaulding's first recording. Very nice session. MG

Thanks Claude. I wonder if that's why I could always hear Bobby Hutcherson better on my mono copy of "Let 'em roll" than on my mate's stereo copy. I deliberately bought the mono version because of that. MG Perhaps it's just me, though.

You're right Chewy. I keep seeing people posting about some flaws on one or two tracks of such and such. I wonder if people would prefer a perfect mono master to be substituted for a stereo master with something wrong with it. Or, if not substituted, let both versions be put on the CD, as you've suggested. I suppose it depends on how bad the flaw is. I have a strong feeling that I, for one, couldn't hear the differences some people think are horrendous. MG

I don't have the Mosaic, but I can scan and e-mail you the discography from "The complete Imperial recordings" (doesn't give original issue numbers though). Unfortunately, there isn't a full discography to "The Complete Capitol & B&W recordings" - just dates, no personnel. Let me know if this is a bit useful. MG