The Magnificent Goldberg

We had the same cool, rainy sea-fret yesterday morning until I rode up to the top of the Moors. It cleared around 4pm. Back up into mid 20's It's been very pleasantly warm all day; then at 6 o'clock, it got HOT! MG

One of the advantages of being older - and living in America. Those organ room heroes never came to Britain. GG came in '69 to a jazz festival, appearing in a guitar workshop and that was it. The first organ band that did come over here, I think, was Houston Person's, who did a gig at the very expensive Ronnie's in London in '79 or '80 maybe. My mate, who lives not far from London, saw him and it was then that we first heard about the Club Mozambique session - Houston told my friend that BN had lost it. Turns out that he was only partly right, thank goodness! MG

Wait a minute, now I need a quarter for each tone arm. I cant afford that. Do they play 78s? MG

"What is the Booty and how do I know I'm shakin' it?" (G Clinton) MG

Ah well. I see what you mean. I was very glad when "The phantom" came out last year - it saved me having to buy the Mosaic. MG

Don’t you just love that hat! Plas Johnson was born on 21 July 1931, in Donaldsville, Louisiana. Happy 75th to you, Plas! If there is a jazz musician whose solo work has been heard by more people on this planet than Plas, I can’t imagine who it would be. Two whole generations of kids have grown up watching the Pink Panther, on TV as well as at the films. Plas and his brother Ray, a pianist, formed a combo in New Orleans in 1950 and made a single for the DeLuxe label. Then Plas was off on the road with Texas bluesman Charles Brown, winding up in Los Angeles. Then he joined Roy Milton’s Solid Senders, before being drafted and playing in a military band in California. Following discharge, Plas played in a small band around Monterey. When Ray was discharged from his army service, the two hooked up again and joined Johnny Otis for about a year. By this time, Plas was beginning to get a reputation around the LA recording companies. Initially, he did a bit of work for Capitol, but was called more regularly by the R&B firms – Modern, Specialty and Aladdin – which were making lots of big hits. As a result, he met pianist/organist Ernie Freeman and played on his first album, produced by Jerry Leiber. Plas would be a regular member of Ernie’s recording bands for several years. In 1956, Plas and Ray had joined with drummer George Jenkins to form a band called The Strollers. They recorded three albums and a few singles for Bob Scherman’s Tampa label, all of which has been reissued on CD in Germany – “The best of Plas Johnson” Wolf WBJ021. This is very lively, bluesy, stuff. Over the next few years, Plas cemented his position as a studio regular. He claims to have played the solos on the Coasters’ “Young blood” and “Searchin’”, under orders from the studio to sound like King Curtis! (Well, it DOES sound like King Curtis. ) In this period, he also played with Fats Domino, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, B B King, Jesse Belvin, The Olympics The Platters, Peggy Lee, The Four Preps, T-Bone Walker, Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Earl Grant, Frank Sinatra and Larry Williams, to mention only a few of a partial list that Plas has compiled on his website http://www.plasjohnson.com/index.htm He also made two superb albums for Fantasy with Soul Jazz organist Paul Bryant. “Somethin’s happening” and “Groove time” have never been reissued on CD but are the best albums for hearing Plas in relaxed, extended mode, playing himself. In this period, too, Plas became tenor player of choice for Henry Mancini, first working with him on the music for the “Peter Gunn” TV series. This eventually led to his famous work on the “Pink Panther”. No one can play that elastic, bouncing, stalking, sexy tune the way Plas can. I’m quite sure that Henry, like Ellington, designed that theme around the sound of Plas. Plas’ most extended film music performance was in the Peter Sellers film “The party”, a hilarious film, most of the action taking place at a party in the home of a Hollywood mogul, to which Sellers had been invited by mistake. There isn’t much in the way of scored music in this film; since the action is at a party, the music played by a jazz quartet forms the background to almost all the action. This is played by Plas, though the musicians appearing on screen are actors, miming. So, if you concentrate, you can hear Plas and his band playing for about an hour. Trouble is, I find the film so funny, I can’t concentrate on the music all that often! Plas has continued to record with an amazing range of musicians and singers, including Billy Vaughn, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Rita Coolidge, Milt Jackson, Wild Bill Davis, Jerry Butler, The Commodores, Jimmy Smith, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Benny Carter, Sarah Vaughan, Aaron Neville, Lou Rawls, Dr John, Neil Diamond and another endless list. He was on the first LP by The Mothers of Invention; “Freak out”. No one knows how many recordings he has made. All the while this was going on, Plas was recording as a leader. He recorded frequently in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s for Capitol. Around the same period, he also recorded, pseudonymously, as a leader under the name of Johnny Beecher. I have a wonderfully titled 45 of Beecher’s “Jack sax the city”/”Sax Fifth Avenue”, featuring Bert Kendricks on organ. (Must get that out and play it.) But Plas hasn’t really needed to lead his own band. After the early ‘60s, he idn’t record again until he made two good albums for Concord Jazz “The blues” and “Positively” in 1976 and 1977. In 1983, he made his first LP, “LA ‘55”, (CM101) for his own label Carell Music. Since then, he has issued three more albums, on CD: “Hot, blue and saxy” CM102 (1990); “Evening delight” CM103 (1999); and “Christmas in Hollywood” CM104 (2000). And, in 2001, he also led, jointly with Red Holloway, the wonderful session “Keep that groove goin’” for Milestone (MCD9319). Plas’ CDs for Carell Music are available from CDBaby. Plas is always entertaining; always professional; always recognisable, when allowed to solo. If you’re in Southern California tonight, Plas is appearing at Charlie O’s, Valley Glen, with Jackie Kelso, another veteran of Roy Milton’s Solid Senders (who I thought had died, but who has spent the last 10 years with the Basie band). He was also in the Johnny Otis band and I don’t doubt that he and Plas have been hooking up on and off for over fifty years. I reckon that’s going to be some party! If you miss that gig, Plas is doing a jazz cruise around Mexico in October/November. Houston Person will be on board, too – a tenor battle of epic proportions looks possible! Happy birthday Plas! Have a great time tonight! MG

Isn't this included in the Pearson Mosaic Select? MG

I am pretty sure that the Applause version of Lou's "Lush life" came out before the GXF version on Japanese King. That would make it the original. And it's only $3.99! Beautiful session. MG

After a few days of extreme heat, it turned cool and rainy yesterday - only fourpence ha'penny worth of rain, so I still had to water the garden. I don't think it was like that elsewhere in Britain - it does rain more here than anywhere else. Looks like hot again today, though it's still a bit overcast this morning. MG

Complete sense. Something that's sorely lacking in jazz of today...good times and showmanship. Absolutely. This reminds me of the stuff Pat Martino wrote - or told the interviewer - for the sleeve notes of the CD reissues of some of the Willis Jackson LPs. Willis was always concerned that the band should come across; that the audience should think they were in the right place, at the right time, seeing the right band. That went from clothes to behaviour to music. Just finished B B King's autobiography and he says the same thing. Art may be all very well for some, but give me commercial music any time. MG

Poorly. Sometimes I don't think they even did that. I've got a lot of the late 60s Specialty LPs, reissuing Gospel material from the 40s and early '50s and it all sounds like mono to me, only labelled stereo. Best rechanneling I've ever heard! MG

Thanks DMP - that kind of two cents is worth a lot to those of us who never saw him in person. MG

BFT 38 Disc 1 By and large, this is a very enjoyable chunk of music. Thanks to you Matt, and to Rodney for copying it, too. I found it significantly easier to get into this BFT than into the last, perhaps because it wasn’t so odd. Not that I actually recognised much. Nor have I been able to detect whether there’s a theme to the disc. 1 I got a feeling of a Duke Pearson arrangement, with Donald Byrd in the ensemble. But the piano player seems to be the leader and it ain’t Duke. It sounds more like Cedar or McCoy, though I don’t really know. The drummer is really kicking this along in places. I liked the soprano solo, too; flows well. Don’t know who THAT is, either. Good stuff, though not devastating. 2 This sounds like an old fashioned swing type tune to start off with, when it’s just guitar over brushes. Once the ensemble comes in, playing the tune, it sounds more modern. Maybe it’s a modern tune on changes of an old swing number. The whole thing swings beautifully, particularly the muted trumpet solo by I don’t know (he plays a lot of stuff on this disc but I feel I should recognise him in this incarnation), and the drums beneath him are very persuasive. The guitarist, when he comes in for a solo, sounds a bit accomplished. Very nice ending to this. 3 Ah, the TANGO! It killed me! This is music that would be divine for dancing with your lady (assuming you and she can tango, of course). Dramatic piano intro. Ravishing clarinet solo. Romantic piano solo! It’s so beautiful, passionate, romantic, joyful, exultant it just fucking kills me! 4 First time I heard this, I wasn’t sure I liked it all that much. Second time, I liked it a lot more – perhaps because I wasn’t listening on the walkman but in the ambiance of a room. Very modern, very interesting all the way through. A standard tenor & rhythm quartet, but sounding nothing like it. Although I like it, I suspect the appeal is less visceral than intellectual. 5 Now this is visceral! It sounds like it’s in 10/8. And it bleeding wails! Maybe there are some of the same players in this and #4. What I wrote while I was hearing this for the first time (yelling in the park), was this. “Piano solo really hitting! Exciting? What! Bloody hell! MF!” Yes, I DID enjoy that one. 6 Two saxes & rhythm. Another interesting rhythm. It’s a bit modern and spiky. When we get to the exchange between the alto & tenor, I feel that the tenor player is in charge. His playing flows more, too. This sounds like the sort of thing European musicians do in order to establish street credibility. It’s OK, but nothing special for me. 7 Accordion! Must be French Violin. Violins. Big band, strings, Latin percussion. Must be Enoch Light & the Light Brigade OK serious now. Here comes a flugelhorn player. Nice sound. Nice solo when it gets going. But there’s too much arrangement – it forces him to be in certain places at certain times. I get a strong feeling that he’d like to break free of the arrangement and just blow, but he’s too disciplined for that. 8 Solo piano piece. Sounds like a classical piece, but there’s something about the changes that sounds like jazz. Good piano playing but it doesn’t get to me. 9 “These foolish things”, live, with a long intro. The intro is what my friend Alison calls jazz wanking. I’m too polite, of course So, after wasting five and a half minutes showing off with that little descending figure he keeps coming back to, he moves, not entirely smoothly, into the song. And it’s a good deal better, though he’s still showing off rather a lot. 10 Guitar. Lots of tape hiss. Is this a clue? I ask myself. “Skylark”. Warbling recording quality – another clue. Alto sax. Charlie Parker? Almost certainly, I think, though I’m no expert on Bird. Strangely, the bass solo seemed to get a bigger cheer than Bird. Back to the guitarist. If this is Bird, is the guitarist that guy who painted signs in a New England fishing village? (Can’t remember his name.) Nice discussion between alto & guitar about when and how we’re going to finish this. 11 Guitar, bass & drums. Possibly one of those West Coast guitarists whose work I haven’t heard much – Kessel or Hall or someone like that. Long bass solo. The tune, which is only hinted at, I think, reminds me of “Blues in the closet”. Nice swinging ending to the disc. There are two cuts in there that I simply MUST find out about and, probably, get. Thank you so much for those two!!! MG

Larry Young - Contrasts - BN Liberty Stereo MG

The last ISSUED Lion session was Bobby Hutcherson's "Oblique. 21 July 1967. The last one he supervised was by Stanley Turrentine - 28 July 1967. This had: Blue Mitchell, Garnett Brown, James Spaulding, McCoy Tyner, Duke Pearson (on organ would you believe?), Bob Cranshaw, Ray Lucas and Richard Landrum. What a band, eh? How could this be crummy? Tracks: The look of love You want me to stop loving you Dr Feelgood (I assume the Ree song) (two takes) Up up and away Georgie girl A foggy day Unfortunately, the BN discography doesn't identify who the producers were of the early post-Lion recordings. The first Wolff job was probably Lou Donaldson's "Mr Shing-a-ling" (27 October 1967). The sleeve note to Donald Byrd's "The creeper" (5 October 1967) says that it was produced by Lion, Wolff and Pearson, which is self-evidently rubbish. The BN discography is quite clear that the Turrentine was Lion's last stand. And I reckon it was Pearson. The sessions previous to the Lou Donaldson were McLean - "'Bout soul" Pearson - "Right touch" Young - "Contrasts" Wilson - "Easterly winds" Byrd - "Creeper" Mobley - "Hi voltage" I can't see any of these being Wolff jobs. The sleeve notes of the Liberty-issued LPs (at least, the few I've got) don't credit the producers, though the CD reissue of the Donaldson does come clean about Wolff producing it. MG

Do you know if that would have been generally, just for that type of recording, or did it reflect different producers' views? MG

Perhaps the words "jazz legend" were the only ones in English in the original version of the story. MG

GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD MG (Your friendly lo-fi fan)

Interesting question. I think he may have done, certainly in the period 68-70. I don't know if this helps - here's a list of Soul Jazz albums by organ combos recorded by BN and PR in those years. I've picked that period because, at BN, it represents the period in which Francis Wolff was producing the Soul Jazz, while at PR, it represents (mainly) the period in which Bob Porter was producing the Soul Jazz. Both were new to producing at the time (though they obviously had a lot of experience seeing how things were done), so one might feel that Rudy's advice would have been welcome to each. Obviously, I've picked organ combos because: I like 'em a lot; they're of general interest at Organissimo; Rudy is renowned for recording organists; and comparing the sound of Leon Spencer and Hank Mobley albums seemed a bit silly. I've excluded live sessions. Even within this limited range I've selected, there's a wide variation in sound. But, if you're at all familiar with these albums, I think you can notice a different sound between the PR and BN ones. BNs sound kind of cleaner, less grainy. There are exceptions, of course: "Blue mode" sounds very PR; the Don Pattersons sound a bit BN. However, maybe this was in the mix and dictated by the producers after the event. I don't know. MG

Actually, I'm wanting to hear a good jazz version of "Slip Away". Anybody know of one? No - perhaps you should play it at a gig. MG

Is "African Flower" hard to find? I bought a used copy in a local store recently for around $6. Come come, young sir; surely nothing can be hard to find in Japan. I found the riches of the Japanese second hand record dealers - especially the Disc Union shops - to be nothing short of AMAZING. MG True MG, there are worse places for a music lover to live than Tokyo. And yes, the various Disk Unions have a great used CD selection, often at very reasonable prices. I spend way too much time browsing there. I have never seen a TOCJ of "African Flower" though and it was the US version I found (strangely enough in a local shop with very little jazz). Tokyo is fine for music lovers, providing one has an almost unlimited supply of cash, and space to store the acquisitions. The latter is a BIG problem in Japan, as you know. MG

Is "African Flower" hard to find? I bought a used copy in a local store recently for around $6. Come come, young sir; surely nothing can be hard to find in Japan. I found the riches of the Japanese second hand record dealers - especially the Disc Union shops - to be nothing short of AMAZING. MG

I reckon this would have been released, had Francis Wolff not died two months later. MG

Just arrived this morning Two Jack McDuff compilations A rare slice of jazz/funk from the 60s, which I've been meaning to investigate for some time. And a Gene Ammons compilation, of which I have only the last 3 tracks on LP And two more packages from CD Universe still in transit. Have to cool down a bit now. MG

Nice thread folks. I'm not going to tell you what I do with mine. MG