king ubu

Oh, wow, very, very sad. r.i.p. Hans, thank you for your knowledgeable posts and the good vibes!

r.i.p. Here's an obit from French paper Libération: http://next.liberation.fr/musique/2014/10/02/mort-du-batteur-de-jazz-jacques-thollot_1113413

Dang! Found I have Google Chrome and all of a sudden, there's this pink "use this address button" that isn't displayed with the other two browsers (but mousing over that era, the cursor does show there's a link - though how could I have known). Hate those flash and other crap sites. Now I need to find a third disc that doesn't push this over the limit, not sure that will work. otherwise it's just these two, which will be good enough even though rather pricey!

Just took another three attempts - this really sucks, no way I get beyond the "Enter Shipping Address" step ... no answer yet from customer service, but I'm surely not using Chinese characters. Anyone here been able to order using either Opera or Firefox as browsers? I don't feel like installing another one just to find out it's not working there either. Also, the site is extremely slow.

Well, maybe, but everybody is entitled to everything ... uhm, wait ... As for boots or not, I don't want to stir up anything here, it was just my observation that many times links to such euro PD releases were removed, so I felt like making a smartass remark. Either way, that Booker Ervin album is worth hearing! The recent Japanese edition seems to be around at acceptable prices: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Cooks-Booker-Ervin/dp/B00B2KDD0Q/

Not that it matters, but it's kinda funny to see our two esteemed moderators ignoring the "no links to boots" rule But yeah, I've enjoyed that album for quite some time, bought it when there was this Rhino/Avenue Jazz series of Bethlehem reissues, discussed on the old BNBB.

a blue note is a blue note is a blue note is a ...

Effin' site keeps telling me I'm using chinese characters and should type using roman ones instead ... guess it's still no Boom Jackie Boom Chick for me then. Shit. No way I can get past the "enter billing address" page. Don't even see how to contact anybody there, FAQ seems to be a dead end. Anyone run into this and knows a workaround? Using actual Chinese characters maybe? Tried another browser, same story - guess Zurich has been taken over by the Chinese then. EDIT: okay via google I finally found the contact page (ain't that hilarious, they really do their best so no one can contact them) ... now wait and see. Anyone knows about shipping costs to Europe? None about this in the FAQ either ...

Lotsa Duke and some Ella in between - Antibes Jazz Festival 1966

It's relatively good, too

Yeah ... but note how carefully he blows off the dust, after all! This is one one of OWI foreign propaganda movies, btw - just watched a fascinationg documentation about those and Robert Riskin, the Hollywood screenwriter in charge.

I first heard Dudu Pukwana and the Bluenotes (Johnny Dyani, Louis Moholo, Mongezi Feza, Chris Chris McGregor) at a pub in 1966 when I was a student at Leeds University. It was the genesis of a personal musical journey leading up to this very special project. The Bluenotes changed the face of European jazz forever, weaving a fiery eclectic mix with No Boundaries! You can read the story of their remarkable journey under the crushing weight of apartheid in Maxine McGregor’s beautiful book, Chris McGregor & the Brotherhood of Breath: My Life with a South African Jazz Pioneer. Those lucky enough to have been exposed to Dudu’s music will forever be in the grip of of a rare and beautiful musical spirit. More than 20 years after his death, his uniquely original music lives in a powerful and inspirational way. Duduvudu has been a family affair - a true international, multi-generational collaborative labour of love with direct involvement of those most intimately associated with Dudu, The Bluenotes, and The Brotherhood of Breath: Trumpeter Harry Beckett (his last recording session), percussionist Thomas Dyani, bassist Nick Stephens, trombonist Annie Whitehead, and guitarist Pierre Dørge (New Jungle Orchestra), Dudu’s widow Barbara Pukwana, Hazel Miller of Ogun Records (and the widow of Blue Notes bassist Harry Miller), and Veronica Beckett, widow of Harry Beckett. The initial recordings were done in London in November 2009 with the addition of Dave Draper on guitar, Mark Sanders on drums, Jody Scott on trumpet, Ntshuks Bonga on alto, and Chloe Scott on flute. Additional tracks have been recorded in San Francisco by some of the Bay Area’s finest. The Musical Director of Duduvudu is the renowned London-born, San Francisco-based flutist, Chloe Scott. Jody Scott is co-producer/chief mix engineer on the project. Although there have been a number of recordings dedicated to Dudu and the Bluenotes, this tribute focuses on an area perhaps not explored in depth - the blues/gospel/dance imbued in the music. As out as it gets, the groove is woven throughout. At times it reminds me of Ed Blackwell with Eric Dolphy or Ornette Coleman. Check out the bass line of Ezilalini, the funk of Diamond Express, the a capella fanfare of Sekela Khuluma, the odd-meter treatment of the classic tune, Mra. Musicians here span an age range of 60 years, yet all respond to Dudu’s music in a fresh way. As you can see from their remembrances here, Harry, Annie, and Nick, each who played extensively with Dudu, spoke of the hymnals and the brass bands they grew up with and hear in this music, of the joy, the intensity, the fire, the groove. The title Duduvudu brought a smile to Barbara’s face, remembering the magic, the voodoo, the spell that Dudu’s music cast over all who were touched by it - and now that means you! Duduvudu is dedicated to the late Harry Beckett, whose endless support, humour, and encouragement made it real. Huge thanks to all the musicians who have given their love to complete this cd. Very special thanks to Barbara Pukwana for being a true partner throughout, to Hazel Miller from Ogun Records, and John Jack from Cadillac Records for helping us maintain the true integrity of this project. And of course to the fabulous Pauline Crowther Scott - the best artist, wife and mum for endless patience with me, Chloe and Jody in our obsession to make this project special and historic. And need I forget - to Chloe’s hubbie and drummer extaordinaire, Josh Jones, their 6 year old Sadie Scott Jones, and to Jody’s wife Michelle and their son Hunter for hanging in there with these wild and crazy musicians. -Andrew Scott recording engineer, percussionist, producer credits released 30 September 2014 Jim Peterson, Jim Warshauer, Mara Fox, Bayonics, Rolf Johnson, Hadley Louden, Dennis Criteser, Andrew Scott, Chloe Scott, Harry Beckett, Jody Scott, Ntshuks Bonga, Annie Whitehead, Pierre Dørge, Dave Draper, Nick Stephens, Thomas Dyani, Mark Sanders, Marty Wehner, Mike Aaberg, Geoff Brennan, Josh Jones, Wayne Wallace, Ross Wilson, David Somers, Rudy Ortiz, Ernest Boykin, As Angel Nemali, As Mosa Gwangwa http://edgetonerecords.bandcamp.com/track/duet-for-dudu Guess I'm gonna order this one ... haven't bought much from Edgetone, but been getting their newsletter for years - funny rat residua

Thanks indeed Lon! No love for live MJQ? I think some of their live albums are pretty hot!

Thanks a lot! Wasn't even aware of an Ella track on there, so it must have left little impression (I'm not a proud owner, btw, just a guy happy to know some generous persons!)

just in case, here's the contents in chronological order - taken from a comment on amazon.de, slightly anglifishiezed by yours truly: 1949 - First Recordings: Arias from Tristan, Norma, I Puritani; conductor: Arturo Basile 1952 - Ponchielli: La Gioconda; conductor: Antonio Votto 1953 - Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor; conductor: Tullio Serafin - Bellini: I puritani; conductor: Serafin - Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana; conductor: Serafin - Puccini: Tosca; conductor: Victor de Sabata - Verdi: La traviata; conductor: Gabriele Santini 1954 - Bellini: Norma; conductor: Serafin - Leoncavallo: Pagliacci; conductor: Serafin - Verdi: La forza del destino; conductor: Serafin - Rossini: Il turco in Italia; conductor: Gianandrea Gavazzeni - Puccini Arias; conductor: Serafin - Operatic Arias (aka Lyric & Coloratura Arias); conductor: Serafin 1955 - Callas at La Scala: Arias from La sonnambula, Medea, La vestale; conductor: Serafin - Puccini: Madama Butterfly; conductor: Herbert von Karajan - Verdi: Aida; conductor: Serafin - Verdi: Rigoletto; conductor: Serafin 1956 - Verdi: Il trovatore; conductor: Karajan - Puccini: La bohème; conductor: Votto - Verdi: Un ballo in Maschera; conductor: Votto 1957 - Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia; conductor: Alceo Galliera - Bellini: La sonnambula; conductor: Votto - Puccini: Turandot; conductor: Serafin - Puccini: Manon Lescaut; conductor: Serafin - Cherubini: Medea; conductor: Serafin 1958 - Verdi Arias I: Macbeth, Nabucco, Ernani, Don Carlo; conductor: Nicola Rescigno - Mad Scenes: Anna Bolena, Hamlet, Il pirate; conductor: Rescigno 1959 - Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor; conductor: Serafin - Ponchielli: La Gioconda; conductor: Votto 1960 - Bellini: Norma; conductor: Serafin 1961 - Callas à Paris: Arias; conductor: Georges Prêtre 1963 - Callas à Paris: Arias; conductor: Prêtre 1963/64 - Arias by Mozart, Beethoven and Weber; conductor: Rescigno - Verdi Arias II: Otello, Aroldo, Don Carlo; conductor: Rescigno - Arias by Rossini and Donizetti; conductor: Rescigno 1964 - Bizet: Carmen; conductor: Prêtre 1964/65 - Puccini: Tosca; conductor: Prêtre 1964/65/69 - Verdi Arias III: I lombardi, Attila, Il corsaro, Il trovatore, I vespri siciliani, Un ballo in maschera, Aida; conductor: Rescigno 1953/58/60/61 - Rarities; conductors: Prêtre, Rescigno, Serafin, Antonio Tonini

Yeah, well, with Bird it's any effin' note anyway ... and of course skipping the Vee Jay Mosaics was a bad move

Can't really write an elaborate review, but in my amateurish words, I seem to hear greater clarity, better definition of sound - both on the voice as well as on the orchestra. Also more presence if that makes sense, on the voice. And more balance on the whole - some of the high (vocal) notes on the older set sound pretty shrill to me, which is less the case on the new one (i.e. the final bit before the instrumental part in "Una voce poco fa"). This is based on comparing music from: "Puccini Arias" ("Si, Mi chiamamano Mimì", "O mio babbino caro") "Lyric & Coloratura Arias" ("Ecco: respiro appena. Io son l'umile ancella", "L'altro notte, in fondo al mare", "Una voce poco fa") (I love that album dearly!) La Traviata: the low level noise (tape sound or whatever it is) is still there or there is maybe even a bit more of it in the Preludio, but the whole thing has better definition (i.e. when the double basses enter, or that part when the violins start playing that charming upward three-note motif around 3 minutes in - they emerge from the orchestra here, while on the old one, they sound more like added icing on top - meaning they're easier to hear in the first few seconds, but the new version sounds more organic if that makes any sense) In "È strano! È strano!" the low level hiss seems to be less, the voice seems to have a tiny bit more "body" and you get much less of the artifacts (wobble) when Callas hits those high and loud notes. Tosca (1953): "Ed or fra noi parliam da buoni amici ...Sciarrone, che dice il Cavalier?" - again, everything seems just a tad better defined and livelier - orchestra and voices. The heat seems to be more present, the brass really shines, the bass grumbles, yet I don't hear any bleeding like there is occasionally on the older version. So yeah, they bring it to the fore without overdoing it. "Vissi d'arte": again here you get those artifacts (some distortion of the background "noise" or whatever it is, when the voice goes up high at high volume) - you still get some of it on the new remaster, but at the same time, it all sounds much warmer (both voice and orchestra). So, more presence, less sonic mush (from which both orchestra and, though to a lesser extent, the voice seems to suffer on the older version) ... clearer definition, more polish on the whole yet still more "aggressiveness" in detail, sound is more "graphic" somehow. Not sure how much sense this all makes, I'm really not used to try and put such things into words. Again I hasten to add: I'm no audiophile, don't have any high-end equipment (I don't even know the brand of speakers I'm using right now, they were bought used at the thrift store when I needed another pair). As for the whole presentation, the bloated box is a bit silly - the book isn't a bit larger (higher) than CD size, but still ... the original covers are indeed a big step forward from the generic blue ones of the 90s edition. Having all those photos, both in the book and inside the booklets included with the CDs is nice as well. Some of the paper sleeves in which the discs are put are a tiny bit too large, so you have to kinda shake them out of the cardboard covers ... you need those paper sleeves as they contain the tracklists (for the operas, you only get them there, for the recitals, they're also on the back side of the cardboard covers. What is a bit annoying: the discs are in no way numbered (except for "La Traviata" discs 1 and 2 and the likes). So to put them back in order, if you don't know the sequence by heart (I surely don't), you need to fumble out the separate booklets and check the recording dates, as even the catalogue numbers visible on each disc represent any sequence. Minor issue for sure, but I do care for chronological order often, also often sequence my listening that way (and no, on the paper inside the shrinkwrap but outside of the box, the covers are not depicted in order, either!). As for "Laltro notte" from Boito's Mefistofele, I think Caballé beats anyone, but that aria is just so darn gorgeous and hearing Callas sings it is a great experience every time for me! And what an effin' tragedy it is that Callas wasn't able to do a proper studio "Traviata" ... granted, the live one with Ghione is magnificient (my favourite recording, I think, of this opera, Kleiber can't compete because of his weak Violetta ... the Serafin with Simionate is good, too, but what would I give to have Callas in there! Now excuse me while I start listening the entire "Tosca" ...

Just bought the box, yippie yay yee! Will do some comparative listening now, though I'm not able to state any "expert" opinions of course ... anyway, looks marvellous - and somehow feels good to buy locally, even though it was probably 20-25% more expensive.

Actually I don't like how the Savoy 8CD set programmes masters and alternates/breakdowns separately ... takes the whole flow out of hearing the actual session. They did a "complete master takes" set as well, I think, so why pull that trick on the complete set?

So, what's this? Ella Fitzgerald - Royal Roost Sessions With Ray Brown Trio & Quintet [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [sHM-CD] http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/TLCD-5102 Label is given as "Vivid Sound Collection", price is hefty (2800 yen), description says "originally on Cool & Blue", which of course is your true audiophile top quality outfit that deserves cardboard sleeve mini lp shm treatment like hardly any other does ... but, more interesting is the description found on another Japanese site (giving the label as Sound Hills, btw), and there's Pres showing up, so ... 1. Ool-Ya-Koo 2. Love That Boy 3. Mr Paganini 4. It's Too Soon to Know 5. I Never Knew 6. How High The Moon 7. Heat Wave 8. Old Mother Hubbard 9. Bop Goes To The Weasel 10. Ool-Ka-Yoo 11. Flying Home 12. Old Mother Hubbard 13. Mr Paganini 14. There's a Small Hotel 15. How High The Moon 16. Robbin's Nest 17. As You Desire Me 18. Thou Swell 19. Flyin' Home 20. Someone Like You 21. Again 22. In A Mellotone 23. Lemon Drop Ella Fitzgerald(vo), Hank Jones(p), Ray Brown(b), Charlie Smith(ds), Kai Winding(tb), Allen Eager(ts), Lester Young(ts), Jesse Drakes(tp), Ted Kelly(tb), Fred Jefferson(p), Roy Haynes(ds), Flip Phillips(ts), Howard McGhee(tp), Brew Moore(ts), Machito's(rhythm) Recorded on November 27, & December 4, 1948 / Recorded on April 30, 1949 link: http://www.vividsound.co.jp/item_show.php?lid=4940603051022 but I see now ... boils down to one single jam w/Lester present - worth it? (btw, wasn't me who manufactured that ... not sure why quite a few of those older boots out of Italy and Spain - like plenty of old Fresh Sounds - were manufactured in Switzerland ... obviously shady business has a long-standing tradition here, but anyone knows any reason to that?)

Hm, I wonder what the info on the Mosaic page really means ... they acknowledge the Japanese set - would the "research" persons be the same as well, and what about remastering/restoration? Makes no sense to do it twice, I think, but then would this be the first time Mosaic simply takes over someone else's work? Or rather: would this be some kind of collaborative effort?

Okay, thanks! The second fact I realized while checking out its contents. Pretty lame that Fantasy couldn't just add those tracks to the respective albums. Not really an album that looks like anyone really, really needs it (two more tracks of Zoot w/Basie would have made a difference for me, though).

as for Ellington, there's this one, too: