HutchFan

Now playing: Joanne Brackeen - Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 1 (Concord, 1990)

That would be fantastic. I've got most of it (maybe all?) on either 32 Jazz CDs or original vinyl. But the "Mosaic treatment" would likely be too difficult for me to resist. Especially if there was a significant boost in AQ.

Next up: The Alegre All-Stars - Way Out, Vol. IV (Alegre, 1965) This just arrived in the mail yesterday. Holy mackerel, it sounds GOOD -- both musically and AQ-wise. The album has been well-loved; it's in far-from-perfect condition. But the music just LEAPS out of the speakers. ❤️

That makes sense, @mjzee. If it took being tight-fisted to stay afloat & in business, I suppose it's good that Fields did that. Either way, his important work as a documenter of the jazz scene is incalculable.

Absolutely! A BRILLIANT album!

In English, they're SMURFs. The instrumentation is actually Chick Corea (el-p, p), Joe Farrell (saxes & fl), Eddie Gomez (b), and Steve Gadd (d). I like the record. It's nothing earth-shattering, but -- like the title implies -- it's a relaxed, enjoyable session. Giving this another spin: Association P.C. - Erna Morena (MPS, 1973) This band was led by drummer Pierre Courbois, but -- for this listener -- Jasper van 't Hof is the hero of this album. EDIT: And here's the other sleeve photo by Jochen Mönch that @soulpope mentioned previously:

Gheorghe, Muse couldn't compete with the "majors" in terms of paying musicians. (In fact, Tommy Flanagan refused to record for Muse because of Joe Fields' notorious miserliness.) Regardless, the Muse catalog is full of important records by important jazz musicians: Woody Shaw, Pat Martino, Richard Davis, James Moody, Mickey Tucker, Jaki Byard, Sam Jones, Lester Bowie, Hank Jones, "Fathead" Newman, Cedar Walton, Buster Williams, Louis Hayes, Willis Jackson, Roy Brooks, Don Patterson, "Groove" Holmes, Carlos Garnett, Joe Bonner, Clifford Jordan, Mark Murphy, Barry Altschul, and on and on and on. I think one could make a solid argument that Muse and ECM are the two most vital labels of the 1970s -- in terms of documenting a wide range of jazz artists and styles. Just by virtue of the size of their respective catalogs, those two labels played a huge role in capturing the sounds of those years.

Mozart: Violin Concertos / Arthur Grumiaux, Colin Davis, LSO (Philips)

Yep. It was a fun time. There was an avalanche of reissues. These days, I think the best we can hope for from Concord is occasional, potluck reissues -- and the possibility that one day they will actually make the music available on streaming platforms. If that happened, at least people would be able to hear the more obscure albums in their MASSIVE catalog without having to track down used vinyl.

Agreed. 😡

More from Duduka Da Fonseca: Also: Not now. Some day maybe!

This again: Bruce Gertz - Red Handed (Double-Time Records, 1999) If I were to make a list of my favorite records of the 1990s, this one would be on it. The front-line combo of Abercrombie & Bergonzi is VERY nice.

I love Walrath's playing. I have about ten of his records as a leader, and I love them all. Wholly Trinity, in particular, is a stunner: This LP would be my top pick for Walrath. It's an Ornette-ish piano-less trio. Unfortunately, most of Walrath's discography isn't available. All of his albums for Muse and Stash -- some of his best work -- are long out of print. Aside from the SteepleChases (and a few other one-offs), he's in discographical limbo. In an age of streaming, I realize that album availability isn't as important as it used to be. But many (most?) of his best albums aren't even available for streaming. It's a bummer. Somebody needs to get on the case at Concord, the current owner of the Muse catalog. ALL of the Muse releases should be available for streaming. I realize that none of them would be getting a million clicks (or anywhere near that number) -- but the cost of digitizing & uploading them to various streaming platforms would be negligible. Heck, they could get an intern to do it!

First spin. Sounding great, so far. Dan Weiss in the drummer's chair is always a good sign. Max Light - Henceforth (SteepleChase) This 2023 release was given to me by mi amigo, @Ken Dryden. Thanks, Ken!

Next up: Azymuth - Rapid Transit (Milestone, 1983) One of this band's best albums, IMO. . . . And I love the ultra-1980s design of the cover.

NP: Duduka Da Fonseca Trio - New Samba Jazz Directions (Zoho) with David Feldman (p) and Guto Wirtti (b) I've enjoyed this album since it was first released in 2013.

Yeah.

❤️

Now spinning: Charlie Byrd - Sketches of Brazil: Music of Villa-Lobos (Columbia, 1968)

Daniel Schnyder - Nucleus (Enja, 1995)

Plus the ever-popular "instruments floating in space" album sleeve motif.

Now spinning: Caiman Super All Stars - Super All-Star (Caiman, 1984) with: Timbales, Vibraphone – Tito Puente Alto Saxophone, Flute – Paquito D'Rivera Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Piccolo Flute – Mario Rivera Trumpet – "Chocolate" Armenteros, Spanky Davis, Valery Ponomarev Trombone – Claudio Roditi, José Rodrigues, Steve Turre Piano – Paquito Pastor Bass – Andy Gonzalez Guiro – Felo Barrios Congas – Daniel Ponce Coro – Leo González, Felo Barrios

Now listening to Phil Woods' tribute to departed musical friends: Phil Woods - I Remember... (Gryphon, 1979)

Flora Purim - Open Your Eyes You Can Fly (Milestone, 1976)