Rooster_Ties

I’ll echo Jim’s “who else?” inquiry. I suspect an entire book-length subject on this sort of exploration might be welcome too! (as well as radio.)

Given the new Mobley and (presumably) Lee Morgan 60's sets -- it would seem a Chick Corea Blue Note set would be something very possible, given the sort of thinking that is giving us those Mobley and Morgan sets. Before the announcement of the Mobley, I wouldn't have really thought there'd be much chance for a Chick BN set -- but who knows, maybe there really could be one. I think(?) I own most everything that might be included on it, but maybe I'm forgetting some things that I don't actually have. In any case, I'd be glad to purchase such a set. I passed on the Mobley (since I already had every last cut of it on CD), but I just might buy the forthcoming Lee Morgan set (we'll see), especially if they can manage to eak out a good handful of previously-unreleased tracks.

BTW, there's just as much jazz from the 70's that *isn't* my cup of tea, than what is. That said, I can't imagine a more unfairly maligned decade for jazz than the 70's. I think a lot of people write off practically the entire decade, when there really was a lot of interesting stuff going on, though much of it under the radar at the time (I suspect, since I was born in 1969, and didn't even get into jazz until the late 80's in college). Although technically the 60's are probably my favorite jazz decade, I often cite the 70's as having the most recordings that I'm the most enthusiastic about sharing with people -- albums that I'm nearly positive that most folks haven't ever heard, or even heard of. Should be an awesome series of blog entries to follow closely throughout 2020. No decade would have me checking nearly daily -- or at least several times a week -- like the 70's will, so an excellent choice there!! - imho, of course.

Maybe more 'weird' than controversial, but ever since I was a kid (maybe 7 years old), I've always loved mustard on french fries -- WAY more than ketchup. There are some curry-ketchups I've had (at some 'German'-street-food restaurants here in DC in the last 6-8 years) that are pretty good too. But 90% of the time, it's mustard for me on french fries -- for as long as I can remember (i.e going on 44 years now).

STILL need and wish I had Sun Ra’s Other Voices Other Blues on CD, even if it was only a grey-market silver-disc (non-cdr) as good as the non-legit issue of New Steps that came out on CD with nice packaging and good liners (if you can imagine) some 10(!) years ago. I do have a legit copy of OVOB on LP, that I got back in college around 1990, and both of those quartet albums (both double-LP’s) are phenomenal.

It's all up on Spotify now, I've heard (and I streamed the one entirely new track "Steal Away" from there earlier, so I presume everything else is there). On the mega-huge Hoffman thread about it, someone said that CD's 4 & 5 were combined at looked like just one CD (at least on one of the streaming platforms, or maybe that was Amazon). In any case, if you're looking for it, and only see 4 CD's -- the last "CD" may actually be discs #4 & #5 combined. FWIW. I'll get the whole thing on CD in the next 6 months, I'm sure.

Hasn't the speculation that most (or at least many!) of Mosaic's sets have "timed-out" over the years, before they actually hit their maximum (contractually-limited) sales allotment? Most of their contracts limited sales to a specific time-frame (i.e. # of years), iirc -- at least from what I've read around here. And *if so*, then I think there was some further speculation I've heard that (somehow?) Michael managed to keep the Mobley 50's sessions in print *considerably* longer than practically any other set Mosaic has ever done (that they didn't own the rights to). Speculation, on top of speculation, I fully realize. In any case, I too wonder how it came to be that the earlier Mobley set was in-print for over a decade! - isn't that right? Discogs says it came out in 1998. When did it go OOP?? - something like 4-5 years ago? - give or take. Not more than 5 years ago (and not much less than 3). In any case, it had to be in print for something like 15 years. Has Mosaic ever kept ANY other title in print for anything even close to that?

Are there any other Morgan unissued leader-dates? - or partial sessions that have only been half-released (as in this case). There’s also that one odd very one-off single, with the two movie tunes. Have both sides of that single been issued on CD? I’m sure the A-side has (on some movie-themed BN comp), but what about the b-side? Mind you, I’m not pining for that single myself, but as long as we’re making conversation about a potential Lee 60’s sessions box, Anything else? Oh. I thought they were all labeled with that same song-title. Which tracks (uploads) are which??

Seems to be the latter "Lost Quintet" release. (I've not heard a thing about any sort of Bootleg 7 release -- not a peep.)

UNLIKE the Mobley 60's set -- which I already have every single track of on CD (including even the alternate take of "Don't Cry, Just Sigh" from Third Season, which only came out in Japan in 2012, which I do have on a legit CD)... ...with the prospect of a Lee Morgan set, there is perhaps a small handful of tracks still unreleased, iirc. At work, and don't have time to dig into every last detail, but there's the other half of that Sept 13, 1968 session with Frank Mitchell (which I think(?) has been uploaded to YouTube too, iirc -- or at least some of it. I'm seeing six (6!) different takes of "Blues for Mr. Tatum" uploaded by Joe Louis (haven't listened to them all, no idea how many are complete, and which ones are good). And there are at least two (2) other tracks from that same session: Harold Mabern's "The Chief" (which I've read about a dozen times over the years around here), and "The Sleepwalker" (iirc). Here's a prior thread about the session... And here's the first take of "Blues for Mr. Tatum" -- and actually, this first bare (visible) YouTube link goes to a playlist with all 6 takes... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLINvK2ShyqTq52mnpxSOzFysVcL9Yl9X9

I’m sure I’ll get this at some point. Try as I might to resist, I usually inevitably get most of the new Hendrix reissue, sooner or later.

I love all the Byrds up to and including Ethiopian Knights (rec 1971) -- and I'm especially fond of Fancy Free, Electric Byrd, and Kofi (rec 1969-71), but I'm afraid I've never been that much for the Larry Mizell produced stuff. But I'm good with all the later-era Grant Green on BN, but I'm missing 4 of his 8 later Blue Note releases (1969-72), just because I haven't ever found cheap enough copies to grab (priorities). Generally (and mostly all on CD), I have about 85% of everything Blue Note recorded from between 1960 thru 1971 or '72. But after that, it's pretty hit 'n' miss, I've barely got 20% of BN's output from between 1972-78.

Thinking back to the Billy Harper possibilities, has Mosaic ever reissued any Japanese-only issues (save for BN recording dates on King, iirc, and the like). In other words, if you were to try and collect up the Harper 70’s dates, or the Max Roach quartet dates with Harper, is there any sort of **Mosaic** precedent for including the kinds of “only released in Japan originally” releases both/either set would entail? Also, I presume the “Billy Harper Fan Club” CDR’s in no way imply that Billy himself owns those masters or the rights to see them issued, correct? All those CDR’s were LP-sourced needle-drops, far as I’ve ever known (at least the ones I’ve heard), and seemed very unofficial.

I’ve been wanting Reminiscent Suite on CD ever since I first heard it 6-8 years ago. Vinyl copies are usually upwards of $85 or more, and I’ve never been able to score one for anything even remotely less. Would LOVE to have it on CD someday.

True. But it’s described as a short boogaloo, and arguably not as consequential.

Done.

Also, the US Conn CD reissue of the Kenny Cox combines both his Blue Note albums on one CD - and they're both pretty sweet. Also, the US issue of Manhattan Fever on CD also includes a whole 'nother unreleased session, every bit as good as the main album. Both are pretty top drawer, far as I'm concerned.

Jesus, I just stumbled on a factoid that Billy Harper had a quintet in 1966 with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and I'm not sure who was on bass. I don't suppose they ever recorded anything? - or surly I'd know about it. There's a documentary piece supposedly about this group -- does that still exist anywhere? Something called "The Big Apple", that ran on NBC (probably a local-affiliate production, is my guess). Here's where I just found out about all this... http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2013/01/17/billy-harper-at-70-a-profile-from-2005-the-music-unfurled-like-an-anthem-from-antiquity-but-swirled-like-coltrane-and-was-carried-along-by-a-gripping-almost-pentecostal-power/ Raised in small-town Tyler, Texas, he was playing rhythm ‘n’ blues in Houston nightclubs at 16, and, after graduating from North Texas State University, moved to New York in 1966. Almost instantly, things happened: (1) His second day in town, he was robbed of all his possessions (except his saxophone); (2) an NBC TV producer heard about him through the jazz grapevine and put him in a local documentary called “The Big Apple, ” chronicling the struggles of four new Manhattanites. (Jerry Quarry, the boxer, was one of the others). For his segment, Harper, not lacking in confidence, convened a band that included several legends: pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. The documentary is also mentioned very briefly in Billy's bio page on the Cookers website, and also his bio on the Blue Note site too... http://www.thecookersmusic.com/about/billy-harper/ http://www.bluenote.com/artist/billy-harper/ OK, some more sluthing, and it wasn't a working band at all, but totally a one-off just for this documentary (it sure sounds like), and it was Reggie Workman on bass... https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/national-jazz-museum-harlem-2011-november-schedule It was an incident that other musicians started hearing about, which helped get Harper's name around. Another was a stroke of good fortune when he became part of an NBC television special called "The Big Apple." "It was about a few people's first experience in New York. I was one. Because Kenny Dorham told them about me, so they got me as the jazz musician. There was the boxer, Jerry Quarry. He had a section. There was a business person, an opera singer, a model and a jazz musician. I was the one. So I was on television. They were filming how I would try to sit in. Life with me. I thought it was a big thing at the time. I had been trying to survive and sometimes I had to eat sandwiches with cheese, no meat." They were filing segments of his life around the city and wanted some footage from the Village Vanguard. "But the Vanguard wouldn't even let them in to film. It would have been good for the Vanguard to have that. So they said, 'OK. why don't you put your own band together? We'll let you film it.' So, I was smart enough to think: OK, I'll do that. I got Elvin on drums, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass. So when we played, that was seen all over the place. Certainly all over New York. I think Miles and some other people must have seen that too. Then, in a small way, I kind of made it. But also word had spread with that thing with Philly Joe and Elvin at the club. Everything happened from there." Anyway, all news to me. Don't suppose any of this footage, or the documentary is floating about anywhere -- ??

Nine discs of Billy Harper? I’d pre-order tomorrow. 10 discs, 12 discs, 14, you name it, I’m in. A Bill Barron set would be great too, though I’m a lot less familiar with his output - but I’ve liked what I’ve heard.

First name that comes to mind is Billy Harper's 70's output (or some subset thereof). OR, all those Max Roach quartet albums featuring Billy (also from the 70's). I look forward to hearing of some other proposals, and the ensuing discussion. Any other good candidates out there for a Mosaic by (or with) someone who's still with us?

That had a VERY specific purpose. Van Halen had a very technically complicated set-up, in terms of the power logistics/requirements, and all kinds of other stuff. The "brown M&M's" bit in their 50-page contract was SPECIFICALLY to they could quickly tell if a venue had actually read the contract, and therefore (hopefully) provided the necessary tech-setup for their show. (It didn't "prove" everything was right, but it was a very quick indication at least. "No Brown M&M's" could mean the difference between a fairly smooth load-in and set-up, or HOURS of last minute work, making sure every last requirement was accounted for, that potentially hadn't been). And googling just now, it was more than just that. Pretty serious stuff, actually. http://www.compliancebuilding.com/2009/08/03/compliance-van-halen-and-brown-mms/ >> Van Halen was the first band to take huge productions into tertiary, third-level markets. We’d pull up with nine eighteen-wheeler trucks, full of gear, where the standard was three trucks, max. And there were many, many technical errors — whether it was the girders couldn’t support the weight, or the flooring would sink in, or the doors weren’t big enough to move the gear through. The contract rider read like a version of the Chinese Yellow Pages because there was so much equipment, and so many human beings to make it function. So just as a little test, in the technical aspect of the rider, it would say “Article 148: There will be fifteen amperage voltage sockets at twenty-foot spaces, evenly, providing nineteen amperes . . .” This kind of thing. And article number 126, in the middle of nowhere, was: “There will be no brown M&M’s in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation.” >> So, when I would walk backstage, if I saw a brown M&M in that bowl . . . well, line-check the entire production. Guaranteed you’re going to arrive at a technical error. They didn’t read the contract. Guaranteed you’d run into a problem. Sometimes it would threaten to just destroy the whole show. Something like, literally, life-threatening. The brown M&M's thing wasn't just some stupid joke, though the story of it on the surface sure sounded like it.

Also, Neil Young!

My dad has always loved trains, his entire life -- the big ones, and model railroads too. He had a layout in his basement, and also some track up in the attic that literally ran around the outer perimeter of the footprint of the house, under the eaves (on the inside of the house/attic, of course). He was playing with it, still running trains up there right until the last week he moved out of the house in September. I've inherited a bit of his interest in trains too, but more so train station architecture, which I love -- so that's where our interests overlap greatly. My dad (age 92) always has said that he was born 50 years too late, since he only got to experience the last decade of Steam Engines being an active thing when he was a kid and teen (in the mid-to-late 30's, he being born in 1927). I "like" trains, sure. But my Dad is still pretty fanatical about them, by and large. Whenever we go anywhere that there's an active Amtrak station, he always wants to see the trains arriving or departing. It's an annual thing at Thanksgiving, when we go up to small town Galesburg IL (where we visit my cousins), and we plan our whole day (the day after Thanksgiving), making sure we're at the station when the 2 or sometimes 3 passenger trains are passing through town.

Every time I've seen him, it's been with The Cookers (4 times?) -- except one other time... There was a local tribute to Lee Morgan here in DC earlier this year, that Billy came down from New York for, and played material from Lee's entire career (including tunes from Lee's book from when Billy played with him in Lee's last band) -- two 75-minute sets, iirc -- which was just stunning. Can't think of an artist more deserving of an award. The consistent quality of playing from throughout his career is as good as any player I can think of (with his longevity). The man seems like the very definition of gravitas as well, from all my brief interactions with him (from talking about touring Japan with Gil Evans, to his more recent work with Mark Masters (particularly the Grachan Moncur songbook album Harper is on).

I cannot think of a more deserving artist alive today, for a Mosaic big box of some sort. How Billy has never broken through (more), is beyond me, and he's still playing as well as ever today. He's been on my "top-5" list of greatest tenor players for going on 25 years now -- right up there with just about anyone. His music is both stratospheric and (I think) approachable too. I can't think of a tenor-player who played and still plays more intensely, yet in a way that's not off-putting to those "put off' by really intense players. Or maybe his 'language' just speaks to me super-strongly. In any case, I think there's a strong case to be made for him being one of the top-10 tenor-players of the last 50 years. I've never heard a record of his that was in any way substandard - or certainly none that I can think of. Thank goodness I've had so many chances to hear him since I moved out to DC back in 2011 -- at least 5 or maybe 6 times. Top of his game now, far as I'm concerned, and a true gentleman.