DrJ

I need to hear more Jordan, but CLIFF CRAFT (BN), THESE ARE MY ROOTS (Atlantic), and LIVE AT ETHELL'S (Mapleshade) are my personal favorites of his so far. The latter is a remarkably good live recording, too, agree with Mike Weill's comments above. As a sideman: his turn on Art Farmer's BLAME IT ON MY YOUTH (Contemporary) could hardly be bettered.

I think this is a good example of how rumors get started. Dickerson, from what I can see on the liner notes, was NOT actually listed as a producer on SOUNDS FROM RIKERS ISLAND - he simply appeared to help get the record made by having the initial idea and conversing about it with the producer, and MAY have provided a service somewhat akin to musical director (the liners are vague on this). All Music Guide has him listed as a producer, but the liners DO NOT ever say that. The person who I'm sure was the actual producer, clearly mentioned in the liners, was Sid Frey. His name (NOT Dickerson's) IS in fact co-listed on some of the tracks written by Hope, so it is certainly possible that HE tried to make off with some of the dough (although certainly I think he ought to be considered innocent until proven guilty - maybe there were reasons behind this). I listed this in my initial posting of the liners, but I guess people missed it. Personally, I doubt very much Dickerson would have been involved with any such shenanigans, whether producing or (as it turns out in this case) not. I just wanted to make sure to clarify that Dickerson WAS NOT listed as a co-composer on those tracks, because I don't want to be responsible for besmirching the name of someone who seems to be brimming with musical and personal integrity. Dmitry: As I also mentioned above but probably should have elaborated on - SOUNDS OF SYNANON (Pacific Jazz), which has Joe Pass on guitar and Arnold Ross on piano, is a similar deal - bunch of folks who were actively addicted to drugs at the time, but it even kind of goes one better, being recorded while the musicians were still ensconsed in rehab at the Synanon facility. Kind of a "rehab house band." That album was actually recorded a little earlier than Hope's, so it actually may have been the first to start a very small "trend." Can still be had as a Japanese TOCJ CD reissue from last year. Excellent music, not included on the Joe Pass Mosaic unfortunately.

I only have FANFARE but agree with Jim's assessment wholeheartedly on that one.

Well, Tom in RI, it may sound insulting without knowing the details. But the concept and motivation behind the session were certainly not intended to be exploitive or degrading. As noted above, Walt Dickerson was one of the prime movers behind this album getting made, working with producer Sid Frey on the concept and lining up the musicians. The liner notes I can make out on RIKERS - written by the always classy Nat Hentoff - tell a very different story than one of exploitation or insulting premises: "A major catalyst in the production of this album is Walt Dickerson...the album was first conceived during a conversation between Frey and Dickerson. They were talking about those musicians who had "problems" - a euphemism for those who have had to divide their energy and spirit between music and such exacerbating preoccupations as addiction or other conflicts with societal norms which have brought them for varying periods of time to Rikers Island and similar waystops. It was Frey's contention that adding to the pressures of a jazz musician is the fact that 'often, a musician's worth in this society is not judged by his ability as a musician, but by his ability to sell liquor.' A further negative factor in some jazzmen's failure to retain an emotional center of gravity are the conditions under which they often work - 'Some of them,' said Frey, 'become easier victims because of the places where they're forced to make a living -and they don't even make a good living. For some, the circle of frustration and anxiety is exceedingly hard to break.' It should be noted, of course, that most jazzmen do survive without yielding part of themselves to the shadows. Addiction, for example, is much less prevalent in jazz than it was during the 1940's, but it does still exist. And addiction outside of jazz continues to exist. Something vital is wrong with the way this society treats addicts and, for that matter, with the way it handles most of those who have broken its laws. As Hal Hollister, an expert on the problem from the inside, wrote in HARPER'S: 'Measured strictly on performance, the American penal system is a scandalous flop as a correctional institution. This conclusion is unarguable because more than two-thirds of the population of the country's 'correctional' institutions are 'repeaters' - that is, inmates who have received the prescribed treatment, but were not corrected.' In any case, the 'outsiders' among us have a very rough time getting back in. 'I felt,' says Walt Dickerson, 'that the public should be made more aware of the existance of this kind of problem; and more specifically, the public should be aware of the kinds of pressures in jazz - including economics - which make it so difficult for some musicians to get back inside society.' Dickerson himself has not been in trouble with the law, but he sees the problem of the outsider every day and every night. 'What I hope this album will bring about,' says Dickerson, 'is a greater awareness among these people who can do something about the wase of talent now lurking in the shadows. Some program - or programs - should be set up so that musicians with proven ability can work with a minimum of economic pressure. At least some part of the music business can be reorganized and revitalized so that a man with something to say musically can have a chance to perform without that kind of persistent scuffling which drains his spirit.'" There's a lot more, but too much for me to hand-type in from a microprint photocopy - you get the gist. Hentoff goes on to talk about Dickerson's (and his) convictions about the way people with drug habits were treated as criminals in the U.S., rather than the more favorable approach involving treating them as patients, exemplified by Great Britain at that time. Then they get to the music. Personally, I find this all anything BUT exploitive. It's refreshing to see one of the major social problems dogging jazz and American society was being dealt with out in the light, with great reason and candor and a refreshing lack of judgementalism. And great to see a producer working with a thoughtful, respected musician like Dickerson to give some guys trying to get their lives restarted a chance to play and record and earn some money. Certainly, nobody "incarcerated" the musicians in the studio and forced them to play on the record, so I doubt THEY felt insulted. The SOUNDS OF SYNANON (Pacific Jazz) album with Joe Pass is one of the only other examples of this kind of thing I can think of, and on that album the notes (by Joe Tynan) are equally candid and interesting. I personally disagree with some of Dickerson and Hentoff's assertions, but their case is articulately stated, with an absence of lurid sensationalism, and much of what they say was dead-on true and remains so today. Too bad Hope never turned it around, but at least he had some folks giving him a chance.

I'm a Mosaic nut, so I would definitely say the Chico Hamilton because it's on their Running Low list and will be gone for good (unless you want to pay E-bay prices) soon. This is a box filled with excellent music, always great for when you're in the mood for something different than the standard fare of the era - and it sounds like that is what you're looking for. The ensemble work is wonderful - quiet but adventurous, and I've come to realize by listening to this box that Fred Katz was really a very neglected talent. You can also listen to the box and enjoy just for the percussion clinic Hamilton puts on, a very musical and subtle drummer. And if you're a jazz guitar fan, Jim Hall is captured in great form on the earlier dates. Excellent sound, with transfers and remastering by Malcom Addey. Very unlikely we'll see the majority of these sessions reissued any time soon as single CDs, certainly not with the excellent liners etc. If you're not 100% sure you want to take the plunge with a $96 set, you might check out the single CD ORIGINAL ELLINGTON SUITE (Pacific Jazz) from a couple years back. It's NOT collected in the box because they hadn't located any masters for it at the time the Mosaic box was created. Then as I recall someone found a test pressing in a record store in a small town in England - go figure! But it's from the same era and is an alternate version of the Ellington Suite contained in the box and features a young Eric Dolphy in the line up. Despite that difference, the general sound of the music and approach is very much like what's in the box - excellent. I don't have the Holman et al and Wilson sets yet as I tend to pick Mosaics up in order, from oldest up, but can definitely vouch for the excellence of the Tristano et al box. Still, it's likely to be around longer than the Hamilton, so go for Chico!

Goodbye, Benny - no words could do justice to the countless gifts you've given us all.

Jim, that one is indeed a howler. As I recall, the Penguin Guide guys said in at least one edition of their Guide to Jazz that it makes Parker look like "a hip dentist from Barksdale." Funny that Savoy is now reissuing some of the stuff just reissued by 32 Jazz because they certainly had their share of bad covers. There's the one you reproduce, plus my personal "favorite":

So, with Mary McGoon correctly pointing out that the Hall/Desmond has already been out on Mosaic, and so far a dearth of "modern" jazz recordings being mentioned, it appears this could be evolving toward a traditional jazz focused box...again, personally I'd also be happy if they had different styles represented, but a traditional jazz focus would be fine with me and might be easier to market. Hopefully others will keep chiming in - even if Mosaic never does a WB box, it is nice to know what to hunt for out there in the vinyl bins!

Funny Jim, the title list you provide from the label of the vinyl is the exact same screwed-up listing they used on the CD! What happened, indeed!

Yes, I think you're right Lon. But I could have sworn I saw two separate ones - one that had the cover they used on the U.S. CD that brought all the material together, and one with the green cover. You're right though, in both cases there was just the original 10" tracks, no extras.

Yes, another good one - had forgotten, thanks Joe. Any others out there?

I agree, it's quite good in the version I have (straight Polydor reissue CD from 1991). Not complaining, glad to have it! But the music is so good and the recording would lend itself to the newer format, I think. I also think the idea of there potentially being vault material that could be included is an interesting one with records as perfect as this one...on one hand, it would be great to hear, but on the other it's almost better not to hear it unless it's equally wonderful. To sustain a comparison, I understand the main reason BN has never released any of the outtakes from OUT TO LUNCH is that they are (at least per Cuscuna) pretty awful. I wouldn't be surprised - again, the original album makes it all sound so easy but what they do on that album defies all laws of science and reason. On any other day, it might never have gelled. And so it is with EXTRAPOLATION. At very least, if there is other music from the EXTRAPOLATION sessions to get out, I am hoping they would never alter the sequence of the original tracks.

Interesting! And if you were able to increase the resolution of the COOL STRUTTIN' cover photograph, you'd be able to make out Stanley Turrentine's reflection in that hubcap just in front of Ruth's leg...see, they were on a tight budget, so Stanley was crouching down just to the left of where the STRUTTIN' photo ends, as they were trying to get the "reflection in car chrome" type of effect later used on the front of his JOYRIDE album at the same time they were capturing Ruth's legs. Wolff hoped to crop the shot into two separate ones later, but it didn't come out so they had to reshoot Stanley and THAT was the shot used on the cover of JOYRIDE...

EXTRAPOLATION is just wonderful, totally agree with the assessment that it's a timeless classic. It's over before you even know it, listening is so much fun and yet not without its challenges. Very hard to do that. It has the same sort of impact on me (albeit with a different musical vibe) as Eric Dolphy's OUT TO LUNCH - the musicians make it sound so perfect and easy, yet albums as coherent, fresh, challenging, and consistently great as these only come around once in a blue moon. About due for a deluxe reissue, wouldn't you say? Would make a very nice hybrid SACD.

Nope, haven't seen anything about this yet. Just visited the Columbia/Legacy site but nothing there - I got the news from Jazzmatazz site. Knowing Columbia, the release date of August 12 for CARAVANSERAI, MOONFLOWER, WELCOME, and LOVE/DEVOTION/SURRENDER are somewhat approximate and will probably change. Hoping there's some good extras - under the list of these titles on Jazzmatazz it just says "expanded editions." Tease, tease, tease!

Late - unless I'm totally mistaken, I think there were a couple of Japanese RVG's of the early Elmo Hope material issued by Blue Note...I remember seeing them at Tower in Mountain View, CA. Anyone else confirm that? I passed on them, just based on cost considerations, but agree it would be wonderful if they could get this stuff out in better sound in the U.S. Also, the Japanese discs were straight reissues of 10" albums, so no bonus tracks as I recall, and with a U.S. issue they could get all the music out. I do think the sonic upgrades of the Doug Hawkins stuff have indeed been the most remarkable ones in the RVG series so far.

I now keep a post-it in my copy with the correct listing. It's pretty apparent from the liner note descriptions of the tunes, but a pain in the arse to refigure each time you sit down to listen, I got tired of recreating the wheel every time: 1. A Night in Barcelona 2. Goin' Down South 3. Procession 4. Ummh 5. Jazz 6. Prints Tie

I just wonder if this might be an interesting Mosaic box...and one that could be achievable, since Mosaic seems to be on good terms with Time/Warner labels (putting out the Duke Reprise box not too long ago, and some of their Atlantic label collections, for example). This idea was triggered by reading about Matty Matlock's series of traditional jazz recordings made for the label in the 50's in All Music Guide. They sound intriguing, taking the Bob Crosby Bobcats configuration and expanding it to include 6 horns. For example, on AND THEY CALLED IT DIXIELAND (1958), some great musicians like George Van Eps (guitar), Nick Fatool (drums), Eddie Miller (Tenor) and Shorty Sherock (trumpet) are on board. They all look good and are highly evaluated by AMG at least. Along the same line, there's a nice Eddie Condon called THAT TODDLIN' TOWN I have a CD-R of, thanks to a fellow board member. Pee Wee Russell, George Wettling, Max Kaminsky, Bud Freeman, and others on that one. Fine music. I have looked on the Web extensively and can't seem to find any kind of comprehensive listing of Warner Brothers jazz recordings from the 50's and 60's. I know of a few very fine ones though - the Dollar Brand Trio's first U.S. recording (sponsored by Duke Elllington) which is a neglected gem, and the Ben Webster date that were reissued by Warners a while back, for example. I also have CHICO HAMILTON WITH STRINGS, which is an excellent example of his approach with the group that had Dennis Budimir, Fred Katz and Eric Dolphy...that one I don't think has seen "legit" CD reissue, although I think Fresh Sounds had it out for a time. I would think there would HAVE to be some others...but not so many that they couldn't be collected into a reasonably sized Mosaic. Seems like a perfect project for Mosaic if so, because Warner just seems to have very little to no interest in getting their jazz material from that era reissued and it would collect a lot of otherwise "isolated" and unjustly obscure music. The recording fidelity on these Warner dates was excellent also - reminiscent of the big, warm Capitol records sound from the same era. The range of styles represented might argue for separate collections, but I would like to see 'em all in one place, with stylistic shifts simply represented by different discs within the set. Anyone in the know about the Warner classic era jazz recordings who could provide a listing of some others? Any enthusiasm for this idea?

Hi Gigolo, Too bad the old Blue Note Bulletin Board archives are not available right now, 'cause boy was THIS issue discussed at length! Suffice to say that there are very real differences between the RVG and non-RVG reissues, that much everyone agrees on, but personal taste dictates preference. I'm assuming you mean U.S. RVGs - Japanese versions are a different story, much spottier in terms of sonic quality in my view although there are some stunning ones (e.g. the Sonny Clark Trio complete 2CD set). I tend to prefer the RVG's way far over all but the most recent non-RVG Blue Note/affiliated labels 24-bit remasterings by Malcolm Addy (for example, his job on the recent Basie CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD reissue is nothing short of stunning). Newer McMasters are OK, not bad, but they just don't do it for me - it's a style thing, I don't like his work very much. Everything sounds tinny and tiny, even though there may be a little more "dynamic headroom." I agree the RVGs sound a little heavier on the midrange, but I find the high end roll-off makes the music sound more natural, more like being in a club or listening to vinyl - not that harsh, sibilant "brightness" that is associated with CD. The bass is much fuller to my ears, too. Whether RVG achieves this with compression or not, I'm really not sure, but it doesn't sound OVERLY "compressed" to me as it does to many. I also notice that I can listen to RVGs for a long time without getting ear fatigue, which is not true of all the McMasters up until the last couple years or so, and I think that's also due to lack of harshness in the high end. Finally, I prefer Rudy's soundstage - much deeper and less "panned" than the McMasters in particular, which are "shallow" and often (artificially) widely panned, especially the older ones. There have been a few "flubbed" RVGs where either he overdid it or the manufacturing process introduced a problem, but overall I am a huge fan of that series. Nice price point, too!

I am really looking forward to those Santana reissues coming up - especially CARAVANSERAI!

I'm reminded of Paul Desmond's story about how, during his long tenure with Brubeck, stewardesses all over the world would routinely ask him, "So, how many of you are there in the quartet?"

I've always loved this cover and photo, for some reason - the black and white, the simple font (which spells it out for us oh-so accurately!), the casual nature and fact Thad was captured away from the bandstand for a change of pace. Also really nice "NYC" feeling:

Come back SOON, Soul Stream, you hear? Otherwise, I might have to do a hostile take-over of your Big John Patton avatar!

Jim, it's hard for me to even make out the photocopied liners on my copy (I literally had to get a magnifier out to try!) but as far as I can see, there are no credits given for the lyric. However, the liners appear to say: "'Groovin' High' is in large part a vehicle for the intriguingly idiomatic scat singing of Mercelle Daniels, a vocalist for whom Hope has great respect. 'He's been around a long time,' Elmo observes, 'and he deserves a great deal more attention than he's received yet.'" Thus maybe Daniels (who doesn't appear to have a listing in the All Music Guide) came up with the lyrics, but again hard to know for sure. At any rate, I agree this is a hip album. Each song is approached with a lot of care in terms of varying arrangements and moods. It gets off to kind of an odd start with "One for Joe," not that I ever dislike hearing Philly Joe solo a bit but a little strange to lead off the album with a track that is predominantly Joe's vehicle...not necessarily bad, just odd. Hope contributes an absolutely heart-rending 3 minutes plus change of piano trio artistry on his own "Three Silver Quarters." There's a lot to like here, and I'm really glad in one sense to see Fresh Sounds getting this out so more people can hear it. From what I understand of their business practices, I personally generally try to avoid their stuff, but this is one instance where it's likely nobody else is "losing out" because the music has been languishing in the vaults for so many years, in the U.S. anyway.