HutchFan

You came roaring out of the gates, kh! Great way to start a jazz collection! Fantastic!

I love the tempo. Such an easy-going saunter. Perfect.

Shirley Scott with Stanley Turrentine - The Great Live Sessions (ABC Impulse) Sides C & D originally released as Queen of the Organ

Thanks for the clarification/correction, Mark. Since Hayes resurrected the name, I'd assumed that he was the de facto leader of the group.

Eddie Fisher & the Next One Hundred Years (Cadet, 1970) Not the guy who fathered Princess Leia and then scandalously left Debbie Reynolds for Liz Taylor. This is the other Eddie Fisher.

The "Jazz Communicators" band was led by Louis Hayes. See here: https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/louis-hayes-jazz-communicators-lous-idea/ His version of the "Jazz Messengers"?

Dr. Lonnie Smith - Spiral (Palmetto) Good stuff!

More music from El Gigante del Teclado: Charlie Palmieri - Impulsos (Coco)

Charlie Palmieri - El Gigante del Teclado (Alegre)

Now:

Richie Beirach & David Liebman - Omerta (Trio Japan, 1978)

Mike Wofford - Scott Joplin: Interpretations '76 (Flying Dutchman)

I agree with you. There's no "right" way. Just preferences. Plus, having the music in digital form makes it easy to (re)sequence it however one wishes.

Yep. From a session point of view, the way that those two CDs are assembled makes perfect sense. But listeners do lose out on the original LP sequencing -- if you want to hear things from that perspective -- at least when it comes to Hip Cake Walk. (Unless you happen to have both CDs and you make a playlist, like I did. )

More Jimmy Heath from the early-70's: Muse reissue of an LP originally released on Cobblestone as The Gap Sealer

Speaking of vocal gems from the 1970s ...

Now spinning: Jimmy Heath - Love and Understanding (Muse, 1973) Deliciously groovy and musical. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's plenty nourishing regardless.

Don Patterson & Sonny Stitt - Legends of Acid Jazz (Prestige/Universal Italy) Originally released as two LPs: Patterson's Funk You! (1969) and Stitt's Soul Electricity! (1968)

That's an insightful and fascinating career overview, Mark. Thank you for sharing it!

I decided to pick up this thread because I've been enjoying Booker Ervin so much lately. I've loved his music for years. Just listening to it again a lot lately. And getting bowled over by it as much as ever. Also, looking thru the thread, I noticed no one's mentioned a Booker album that I think is really wonderful: I've had this CD for decades, but -- for whatever reason -- it's just really GRABBED me lately. Now, it just might be my single favorite Booker record! It's a sort of variation on the Space Book and Freedom Book records -- with Jaki Byard & Alan Dawson -- but here Reggie Workman subs for Richard Davis. Of course, the other difference is Dexter sits in on two of the four cuts. All of it was recorded in Munich in 1965. (Originally, the two cuts with Dexter were released on LP as Setting the Pace. The other two cuts w/o Dexter -- plus "Groovin' at the Jamboree," which isn't on this CD -- were on Booker's LP The Trance.) I love the whole two tenor thing. I think this is a really extraordinary example. And the two cuts with sans Dex are tremendous too. Since I've been on a Hammond B3 kick lately, I also wanted to mention Booker's records with Don Patterson: The Exciting New Organ is available on the Patterson & Ervin Legends of Acid Jazz CD. Hip Cake Walk is (unfortunately) spread across two CDs: the same Legends of Acid Jazz disc, as well as another CD in the series, Legends of Acid Jazz: Just Friends (with Patterson, Booker and Houston Person). And finally here's one more with Booker, Patterson AND Sonny Stitt. Also outstanding. FYI - Booker plays on five of this CD's seven tracks. Hooray for Booker Ervin! I need to get that LP! It's one of the few Ervin-led dates that I don't have.

Like many people, I'm working from home every day instead of going to an office. Before the pandemic, I worked from home just one day per week. One "side effect" of that situation: I can listen to LPs each day while I'm working. One very small silver lining on an otherwise dark and terrible cloud.

NP:

Thanks Niko! 👍