JSngry

Dr. Harold J. Numbers Slippy Slabberwocky Pops Poopadeaux

Much thanks to Dan for this colection. It's been a while since I've listened to this type music, so my ID chops ain't gonna be as keen as they once were. But I enjoyed most all the selections. It made me feel good to realize that I still dig the older styles of jazz after more than a few months checking out other forms of music almost exclusively. Tells me that one can "add on" without having to "replace", and like I said - that feels good. The usual disclaimers are in place. I only had a few cursory listens last night, during a somewhat frantic work experience. So reactions are pretty fresh. TRACK ONE - Sounds like a Ramsey Lewis groove, or something copping that bag, most likely the latter. I like the drummer best, he sounds nice, light, and airy, and gives the beat room to dance. Pianist/organist kinda sounds Oscar Peterson inspired, which does me no favors. But he plays the melody quite nicely, which for this type stuff is really what sells the music. Overall, casual but enjoyable, doing what it sets out to do. TRACK TWO - For some totally illogical reason, I keep thinking Charles McPherson! Might be Lou Donalson, but I can't imagine Lou playing so boppy over this type group. Oh hell, wait a sec - this is Sonny Stitt! Told you my ID chops would be rusty... Well hey - it's Still earning a living. No praise, but no fault either. They don't make'em like Sonny Stitt anymore, and this type thing is every bit as much a part of the story as anything. TRACK THREE - Did Tony Bennett ever cover this song? Hey - it's pros making music. Once again, part of the story. Skills is skills, and that'll get no dis from me. TRACK FOUR - Nice! The wire choir sounds like true country swing players. Those guys got a way of swinging that's "jazz" w/o having too much African-American influence. Still not sure what to make of that in sociological terms, but in musical terms, it's definitely a unique & personal bag, so I'll save the sociology for after the gig, thank you. These guys can play. TRACK FIVE - So far, the theme seems to be "Making A Living". This is Hawk, but I'd not heard this one before. Coleman Hawkins was a bad motherfucker, always. Period. TRACK SIX - MJQ? If it's not, it oughta be. Assuming that it is, let me go on record as saying that John Lewis was one of the most intellegent compers of his time. Check him out here for a prime example. And Bags, hell, Bags is....huh? Chords in the solo? Hmmm... Oh well, I stand by my comments about John Lewis, no matter who this is. Teddy Charles on vibes? Confusing! Not really Bags' tone, except there is that Mobley session where he played a rented kit and sounds a lot like this tonally. Oh well... TRACK SEVEN - Kinda ounds like some Ray Anderson in that first bonist. Kinda. Reminiscent of Bluesiana II that way, but no. That ain't Dr. John, and there's two bones. No clue. Pleasant, but the "Second Line Bebop" thing is something I'm going to have to work my way back into. Been there, done that, and need a break. But that's just me, really. Certainly nothing wrong here. TRACK EIGHT - Frisky! Everybody's got a good, organic feel for this groove, they don't seem to be posing. And that feels good to me. Seems like I might've heard this one before, but...That bassist's a BITCH! Definitely more here than might meet the ear upon a casual liste. You think you've heard it all before, but listen closer, and there's plenty nuance. That tenor player's gotta be a road dog. Great stuff! TRACK NINE - GHF-F, no doubt! That was one tight trio, the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Not nearly as easy as one might think, that. Plenty o'props for that! TRACK TEN - Sounds like the love child of a menage-a-trois between Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, & Paul Quinichette, and I mean that flatteringly. Some really nice phrasing by the tenorist. Pianist has his/her own bag, but the tenor's the show here for me. Go ahead on with that! TRACK ELEVEN - Not much point to this one for me, I'm afraid. Son of "What Know" five or ninety times removed. Again, that's just me. Sometimes love and distance don't work against each other, sometimes they do. But now, wait - this sounds like some Gary Bartz, and suddenly the distance is removed. I've also heard some relatively recent Vincent Herring that gets that Bartz, thing, but I'm leaning towards the original here. Whoever it is, they don't just hear it, they feel it. Problem solved. Still... TRACK TWELVE - John Stubblefield? That was one soulful cat. Can't think of anybody else right offhand who could pull this off. George Adams could, but that's it. It's a much more "overt" approach to this tune than one usually hears, and that's a potentially dangerous tact. But it works, and splendidly. Soul is soul, and soul can not be denied. John Stubblefield had soul. Hell, Monday Michiru used him to do a freakin' vocal recitation, and that was soulful as all gitout. Yeah, John Stubblefield. TRACK THIRTEEN - Hank Crawford. More soul. Much love here. 'nuff said. Except - when you can play a melody this damn good, "improvising" seems kinda unnecessary. That the improvisation is a beautiful extension of the melodic reading is a treat, but really, if all he had done was played the melody in and out and let somebody else play some solos in between, it wouldn't matter one bit. TRACK FOURTEEN - Yeah, this used to be a ballad, didn't it. I think i prefer it that way, all things considered nowadays. The pitch says Harold Land, but nothing else does. Mature, highly skilled playing, both technically and interpretively. Works for me! TRACK FIFTEEN - Let me go out on a limb - Billy Mitchell? Really nice phrasing, and the comment above about playing a melody this good holds here as well. TRACK SIXTEEN - Is it break time? No problem with this one, basically a piano adaptation of the New Testament chart and little else, but hell, it works. TRACK SEVENTEEN - Rusty Bryant. Hell yeah. A BIG hell yeah. This is another one of those things where theree's a helluva lot more substance that a casual listen might suggest. The only Lonehill disc I've ever bought, and I try not to remember what label it's on when I'm digging the shit out of it. Rusty Bryant, y'all, RUSTY BRYANT!!! TRACK EIGHTEEN - Men at work again. Work is honorable, work is good. Work keeps you alive. Never knock a cat for doing honest work. It's funny - work might often drain the soul, but a lack of work can kill it. So let's not do a dis on work. I been up all night (working, see above...) and gotta go take a nap. I'll get on Disc Two when I wake up. Nice set, Dan. Very tasteful.

El Paso.

Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane The Monkees Jack Mehoff

The line really stops at the Cosmic Music material. At least Om has had some form of American CD issue...

Virginia Plain Miss Cone Joe Cronin

Yes, Solid State, that's the one I have. Funny how that Alan Douglas/UA stuff seemed to linger in-print under in various guises over the years. What was the deal with him anyway? He's best known to me for his various Hendrix follies, but obviously there's more to the story...

The Hamburglar Howard Hunt Waldo

Short, weird, really really weird. The spoken parts sound like a trip to hell. I can stretch myself a long way on later Trane, but I wish this one had stayed in the can. The operative word there being "trip"...

Cool! That's my first time seeing it. Thanks!

Is that a real cover? I've never seen it, although the UA LP reissue I have uses a painting of that photo.

The Crew Chiefs Geranimo Captain Nemo

Trudy Pitts Tess Trueheart Flattop

Seriously, our own Soul Stream reports that Patton himself declared to him that it was Young on this album. AFAIC, that seals the deal. Now the real mystery is this - wtf is up w/the opening to "Work Song"?

Sorry, I feel like lying today. Must be that time of the week...

Not only is it Larry Young, it's also John McLaughlin & Tony Williams! They called it "Iron City" instead of Lifetime due to contractual obligations. At least, that's what I read on AMG once.

Slumlord Jack Lord Jickhead

That would be the one. Drag about the missing cat though. Maybe they gutted it for strings...

Adam West Larry Sides Liz Story

Oscar Emmy Tony

Is this a different (or more complete) session than the one reissued by BMG in 1995?

That pretty much sums up my feelings about Steve Allen in general.

Duck Dunn Bo Diddley Bocephus

And another.