The Magnificent Goldberg

more frivolity from allenlowe, I'm very serious about my jazz, especially when it involves a MASTER like dex, and thanks for the "if you say so" because i'm definitly saying so.........................and leave the cofee and cigarettes alone, caffine and nicotine are more addictive than heroin, im not surprised that you responded to my comments with sillyness................................. Loosen up young sir; take some advice from T-Bone Walker: Have fun while you can Fate's an awful thing Have fun while you can Fate's an awful thing You can't tell what might happen That's why I love to sing. MG

Who's in his band? MG The LP? It has Kirk Lightsey, Eddie Gladden, David Williams, and Steve Nelson. It's a good one (from 1986). Checking Amazon, it was on CD but appears long out of print. The concert--I don't know yet. Oh, I meant the concert. The album's one of my favourite Newmans; one of his best half dozen (though I think there are seven in his best half dozen). The two bonus trax on the CD are very, very, good, too. Looking forward to a report on the gig. MG

Winston Wright & the Aggrovators - Jump the fence - Third World MG

Who's in his band? MG

Just finished "Teddy's ready" - Teddy Edwards. MG

This is a lovely album. And the band are great together. I think Leroy, not usually famed for soloing, plays two of the greatest bass solos I've ever heard on "Blues in G" and "A train". Not that they're so technically wonderfull; he wasn't that kind of player. But they're so goddamn GROOVY! This is the reason bass players are sometimes allowed to solo; in the hope that they might come up with something like this. But tey don't usually. I think this isn't quite as inventive as "Groove Funk Soul". It's more of a straight jazz session with no tricks or frills. As well as having what must be the greatest, and most honest, title of all time, that album has several unusual approaches to tunes which, for me, lift it just a fraction above "Teddy's ready". Another thing about Teddy; he never stopped developing. He always had new ideas. So I think that, to "get" Teddy, you really have to have pretty nearly all his albums. That way, you can see the man as his life went on. I have all but three, which I shall get in due course, and the scope of his ideas just lays me out. Also, Teddy was a wonderful songwriter. Apart from Horace Silver, whose songs are nothing to write home about, Teddy is the only Jazz musician who wrote both words and music to his songs. And the words were as good, down to earth, earcatching, as the music. Indeed, the words enhance the music. And I always feel that Teddy was playing with words in his mind. MG

Lonnie is one of my favourite organists. I can't really choose between him, Patton, Earland, McGriff and McDuff, Holmes, Patterson, Jimmy and Johnny "Hammond" Smiths. They all have different stuff to offer and it's all great. But that first Chartbusters album seems to sound muffled. The playing is fine but doesn't come through. My copy was manufactured in Denmark; is that the reason it doesn't hit hard? I also think "Boogaloo to Beck" is a bit unexciting. Lonnie and David do marvellous things that sometimes take my breath away but, when I compare it to "Boogaloo to the Beastie Boys" it's flat. And there's no way Reuben and Andrew are anywhere near the equals of Lonnie and David. But what Reuben always majored in was enthusiasm and that album has the enthusuasm that the Lonnie/David somehow lacks. For me, Lonnie's two greatest albums are "Live at Club Mozambique", which is the totally exciting funk side of Lonnie, and "Too damn hot", which I think covers the totality of what Lonnie's vision is; funk, Monk, ballads, lazy grooves - oh it's just the right stuff for me. I saw Lonnie, with Ronnie Cuber and Peter Bernstein and someone subbing (very well) for Idris at Brecon Jazz Festival in 2000. Never seen anything like it in my life! One of the two best gigs I've ever been to. MG

I was just looking up Trane's "Afro blue impressions" on the Concord site. The 2CD set is still available but Concord are knocking $5 off the price - it's marked as "sale". 21 other Trane albums are marked down in the sale. Does this spell the end for these albums? I can hardly believe it, but... MG

Houston Person - Heavy juice Lou Donaldson - Coleslaw David Newman - Bigger and better MG

There's not much that isn't Concord/fantasy or Verve. A couple for Skye, one for DCC and a great 45rpm LP for Crystal Clear - Huracan - which absolutely LEAPS off the turntable! It was one of those Direct Disc recordings that were around in the late 70s - this one was 1978. MG

Rudy Johnson has every credential you'd expect from a guy who plays like that. He was with Hank Marr in the early 60s, sharing tenor spot with Rusty Bryant, sometimes on the same singles. This is the stuff on King/Federal. Then he moved over to Jimmy McGriff. You can hear him on "At the Apollo" "At the organ" "Christmas with McGriff" and I think some other McGriffs on Sue. He's on "Black & Blues" as well. After the three albums he made for Black Jazz (he was on "Powerhouse" as well as his own two), he appeared on a Dave Pike LP for Muse, which I haven't heard. He was also a member of a band called First Cozins Jazz Ensemble, led by Stu Gardner, which made one LP for Capitol in 1977 - "For the coz of jazz", most of which was like slow disco music. Rudy was the best man in the band. According to Lord, he was in a band Bill Cosby put together, in the early 70s, called Bunions Bradford Funeral and Marching Band, which made an LP each for Uni and Sussex. Stu Gardner was in that band, too. He was also on a 1976 album by LaMont Johnson (a relation?) on Masterscores. That's all I know about Rudy, except that he always played very well indeed. I like Gene Russell's own Black Jazz albums very much. He wasn't an extraordinary pianist, but he was a good one. And his spoken version of "If you could see me now" on "Talk to my lady" is one of the most beautiful records I've ever heard; if you never heard a man with his heart on his sleeve, that's it. MG

Yesterday it was (Bit of an unfortunate title that, nowadays...) Today it's been I haven't liked much Ullmer after his albums with Big John Patton. I don't particularly llike Bill Laswell either. But this is a seriously funky and fabulous album!!! First time I've heard Amina Claudia Myers. Very good I think, unless it's Bernie Worrell playing the organ MG

And this makes you what - an authority? :bwallace2: No, it makes me the son of a trumpet player who played with Dave Burns in Dizzy Gillespie's band of the late 40's............... Er, isn't that the same as being the son of someone who played trumpet in Dizzy Gilespie's band? MG

Esquire!? And it's still audible? MG Yes, actually sounds fantastic - the clarity of cello and bass is amazing. Most likely better than the original New Jazz in terms of audio quality (not too difficult). 'RVG' in the runout. Now spinning Tubby Hayes Orchestra '100% Proof' (Fontana mono) Wow! Every Esquire album I ever saw looked and sounded like it had been to about 784 parties and been played all night using a rusty nail! Just played The versatility of Jesse Morrison now on Bu Pleasant - Ms Bu - a great organist! MG

Esquire!? And it's still audible? MG

No - the long haired guy is also on the "Songs" page. Clay also plays some good stuff on Ray Charles' "My kind of jazz 3", and on David Newman's "Return to the wide open spaces". MG

King Curtis - Soul twist (Trip reissue) MG

That's 'cos the silly buggers never put the thing up as a relational database. MG

Calvin Newborn - From the hip Calvin Newborn & Hank Crawford - Centerpiece Lou rawls - Shades of blue MG

That was the place. There was another place round the corner, too, but smaller. MG

There used to be a few good ones in Camden Town, but I haven't been there for over a decade. MG

OK MG

Fabuloso! Welcome to the club. Purdie and Idris can be pretty groovy at times, too. Now playing Florida Mass Choir - Be encouraged - Savoy 7064 MG

I think it depends on whether Dex had a REPUTATION for this sort of behaviour. No one's perfect; we all get into work late from time to time. If it was an isolated incident, well that's no worse than you or me. I never heard that Dex did this sort of thing a lot. MG I must have seen Dex about 10 times at the KK from 1976-1978. When I was present, he was never late to the gig and never gave the impression of being drunk. As I thought - thanks John MG

I think it depends on whether Dex had a REPUTATION for this sort of behaviour. No one's perfect; we all get into work late from time to time. If it was an isolated incident, well that's no worse than you or me. I never heard that Dex did this sort of thing a lot. MG