The Magnificent Goldberg

I know. Almost as if people who are interested in Les McCann are supposed to access his music in some other way. They charge an outrageous 60 pence per album and that's how they treat the people who wouldn't buy it anyway, even if it DID contain Les McCann. Still, I guess its just another Porsche in the garage to these euro-crooks (or another villa in Spain - while dead musicians starve!). Les lives! (Well, I think so.) Actually, I'd buy it if there were some McCann in it. I bought the execrable and pretentious (in my view) Joe Pass Mosaic, just for the two Les McCann albums included. MG pretentious? how so....? I feel that Pass, in his work with the likes of Holmes, McCann, Clifford Scott, Earl Bostic, Gerald Wislon, was being truly himself and really enjoying it. Other material seems to be deliberately aimed at getting him regarded as a 'great jazz guitarist'. Well, of course, that's a good way to make plenty of cash... MG

No thanks Fent99 - I've got 'em on my hard drive now, which is fine for the home for the ageing incompetent, when (if) I get there MG

A download for me please. MG

He lasted longer than most of his contemporaries in the soul business. RIP. MG

Summer ended half an hour ago - managed to get the washing in beforehand (phew!) MG

Foreigner Stranger Cole Patsy

I know. Almost as if people who are interested in Les McCann are supposed to access his music in some other way. They charge an outrageous 60 pence per album and that's how they treat the people who wouldn't buy it anyway, even if it DID contain Les McCann. Still, I guess its just another Porsche in the garage to these euro-crooks (or another villa in Spain - while dead musicians starve!). Les lives! (Well, I think so.) Actually, I'd buy it if there were some McCann in it. I bought the execrable and pretentious (in my view) Joe Pass Mosaic, just for the two Les McCann albums included. MG

I've got that album and hadn't noticed that. Side 2 of 'Serenade to a soul sister' is marvellously clear and straightforward. I found 'Take a little love' kinda muddy, so I never thought much about the soloists. Will give this one a listen again soon. MG

I agree 100%, Paul. I've been a fan of their music since 1981, when I found this Oscar McLollie & his Honey Jumpers - Roll hot rod, roll - an Ace 10" LP - 10CH27, just out. Well, I didn't buy it for the cover or the name of the artist, but because I had a 78 of 'Honey jump', included in the LP. But anyone issuing 10" LPs of stuff like that in the early 80s, you've just GOT to be interested in. They do take chances, don't they? Who would want this? Maybe I was the only one MG

Yeah, I tried ripping a few that looked that way. The Mar-Keys twofer was fine, so was the 2fer of the Soul Children. But Johnny Lytle's 'Loop/New & Groovy' didn't work. Fortunately, I found them on a blog. Looks like bronzing isn't 100% certain either way. MG

Not ONE Les McCann included!!!! MG

Small Sad Sam Big Bad John John Patton

'Serenade to a soul sister' not only has Turrentine and Tolliver on side 1, but also Benny Maupin and Billy Cobham on side 2. I love the album but I wish each band had made a whole LP MG

I guess I don't much care for Andy Bey. The third time Horace Silver played at the Caravan of Dreams, he had Andy Bey with him, which completely changed the group dynamic; it was not my cup of tea. I agree about Andy Bey. I saw him in Newark, NJ in 1990 and he was kind of plastic - just sitting there at the piano and singing in that kind of personality-less voice. I didn't get ANYTHING either coming my way or inviting me to go his way. MG

'Jug and McGee', from 'House warming' by Gene Ammons (with Howard McGee) MG

King Oliver Archbishop Makarios Soulpope

I've been ripping a lot of CDs to my hard drives lately and, when doing all my Soul Stirrers CDs found 'Jesus gave me water' wouldn't work; it was really well bronzed. So I wrote to Ace and told them - bit of a cheek, really, as I bought the CD (new) early in 1994! But I knew they were doing some downloads and wondered if this might be available that way. I got a nice response - Isn't that nice? So I did, and got the CD the other day. Well it was a it bronzed but didn't look as bad as mine. But it wouldn't rip on my PC without lots of extraneous noises. I tried it on my Sony discmaker thing I use for ripping from K7s and it came through all right, but missed the gaps between some tracks. It did this at random, so I tried it several times over a day and a half and finally assembled the complete CD on my hard drive. So, thanks Ace! MG

Hell - looks like a MUST GET for me. What's it like? MG

Anything by Lou with the one and only Herman Foster on it is wonderful. The other on Cadet is 'Blowing in the wind'. Herman was the most kickass pianist in Christendom. MG

Reminds me of something ... Nice one, Bill. The Odilon Redon was done forty odd years before surrealism was invented. MG

Norm Nixon All those years and I never NOTICED that!!!!! MG Jimmy DuranteDuran Duran Louie Louie

It was always hard to get when it was new. I never saw a copy, new or second hand, except my mate's copy (and 'At his best'), both of which I taped, until I got the twofer issued on Jazzbeat, not too many years ago. And there's not a lot got past me back in the day. Cadet was always a HARD label to get over here. The Andorrans, I believe, have a good grasp on what's likely to sell in Europe in the way of soul jazz. Both those albums are superb. The substitution of Calvin Newborn for Grant Green and Grady Tate for Ben Dixon brought no deterioration whatever in the music - in fact, Newborn is a more interesting guitarist than GG (though GG is my favourite) and made relatively few appearances on jazz LPs back in those days, so his work was greatly sought after by soul jazz fans. MG

Duke Reid Sasha Baron Cohen Lennie 'Count' Hastings

Red Nichols The Five Pennies The Four Pennies

Thanks - I'll look around. MG