John Delaney

Hank Mobley's 'Poppin'', referred to recently as a rare Blue Note CD, is to be found on English ebay at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=280321874036

According to the BBC News website, the following are contaminated; Horace Silver, "Silver's Blue", Gerry Mulligan, "Jeru" and Dexter Gordon "Manhattan Symphonie".

Now I remember All Change being at street level, this is the one at the north end of Baker Street. A very small shop. The one at the south end, a more opulent place by far, I seem to recall was in a semi basement and much bigger. Some where around this time, a radio disc jockey named Stuart something or other became invlolved. He wasn't a jazz dj and he wasn't around for long. When I retired Pete Fincham, by then the sole owner of Mole, bought my remaining stock. I seem to recall Ed was known for some reason at school as The Mole and that's where the shop got its name. I always got on well with Ed and he was very knowledgeable. Crazy about Chet Baker. The auction side of things, which was Ed's department, went downhill after he died. Very, very sad as he knew he was dying for some time before he actually did. Rest In Peace, Ed.

That wouldn't be 'All Change' Records would it? Yes! That's right: All Change Records. Andy, also yes. I was in Stourbridge and then Birmingham. Now an old codger and retired to North Wales. Beautiful sea air!

I seem to recall Ed Dipple (good bloke) opened his first shop prior to 1976. It was at the top end of Baker Street, on the left looking north, (near where Sherlock Holmes was supposed to live) and was not called Mole Jazz. I think he had a bequest from his granny to start it off. The second shop was at the south end of Baker Street on the opposite side of the road. Graham Griffiths and Pete Fincham came in as partners and the move was made to Kings Cross with the entrance on the north of the shop. Later the entrance was switched. And the rest is history. John Delaney

There was a Japanese LP issue of this some years ago (East West P-6140). J.R. slung his sax from a bandalero style wide shoulder strap: not unique but quite unusual.

Much of the material used in the 'Jazz In Paris' series was taken from the Blue Star and Barclay labels. Eddie Barclay founder of Blue Star (in 1949) and Barclay (in 1955) died 13 May last aged 84. His obituary in today's Times (London) can be found at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1615226,00.html

Although the Sasha Distel looks as if it belongs in the JIP series it is marked 'hors serie'; outside series. Also 'hors serie' is a Django Reinhart 2 CD set 'The Great Blue Star Sessions 1947 - 1953' on Universal 835418-2. This has 33 tracks from the sessions of 16 April, 6 July, 18 July, 4 October, 10 December 1947 and 10 March 1953. It seems to be the complete Barclay / Blue Stars sessions but does not include the alternate takes.

I've recently come across a CD originally distributed with an Italian jazz part-work which seems to have been published in late 1994. The CD has no catalogue number. Called "Dizzy Gillespie In Milan 1968"; it seems to be previously unissued as it isn't in the Koster / Sellers discography. No recording date given. Tracks are: Things To Come (6:15), Ray's Idea (4:36), One Bass Hit (5:07), Milan Is Love (6:30), Something In Your Smile (Diz vocal) (4:55), Nbani (10:55), Old Folks (Moody flute feature) (9:47), Frisco (8:46). The recording quality suggests a concert performance (crowd noise but not obtrusively so) and the sound balance is not good enough for a radio broadcast. The personnel is as for the well known MPS issue. Any comments? (Now you're going to tell me it was issued on an Albanian LP some years ago!) JD

Just to add a bit to what has already been said - and this is from memory so usual caveats. The dual catalogue numbering was because you could order them from two sources: the Polydor number to order from Polydor (Polygram was the parent company). The Black Lion number to order from an independent supplier (there may have been more than one of these). Alan Bates is still around, as far as I know, and now owns only the Candid bit. The Black Lion material has been on no end of labels over the years; just to mention one that hasn't been referred to and that is Jazz Colours but that may be part of the DA Music empire. (Just had a look; yes it is).

'Long Tall Dexter', the discography by Thorbjorn Sjogren comes to the same conclusion. John Delaney

I should have mentioned that the first paragraph of my recent posting, which is within quotes"", was taken from Thorbjorn Sjogren's discography of Dexter. John Delaney

"In 1972, Dexter Gordon recorded the music for a Danish pornographic film. Personnel was Gordon (tnr), Kenny Drew (pno), Niels Henning Orsted Pedesen (B) and Jual Curtis (d). Titles: Tivoli, The Group, Girl With The Purple Eyes and Onrop. Some of the music was recorded at Jazzhus Montmartre, where the quartet is also seen performing". There was a TV programme on BBC two years or so ago about the film's director (name escapes me at the moment) who made a variety of mainly art films. Dex was heard but not identified in the TV programme. Sorry. Aric, no sexual activity was shown. The BBC is not up to such things (well, not usually). John Delaney

The session for Volume 2 is listed in both the Claude Schlouch and Bo Raftegard discographies of Kenny Dorham. Both have a note that the tape is believed lost. Now I'm sure I heard somewhere but I can't recall where that the session never took place. When the Dorham was issued as half of a double LP it was paired with the Sonny Criss Peacock date. Do the sleeve notes to this issue throw any light? John Delaney

There's a non vocal Sacha Distel on Pablo 2310 892 called 'My Guitar And All That Jazz'. This was a reissue of Carrere 67.975, recorded in Paris during 1983. I don't think this has made it to CD. I can't comment on the musical content as I have never heard it. John Delaney

It is very much a generalisation but American musicians and fans see jazz as an entertainment music and European musicians and fans see it as an art form. Regarding European Blue Note issuing French musicians go to: www.bluenote.tm.fr But unfortunately the site is being reconstructed at the moment. Some UK musicians recorded for Blue Note International, Stan Tracey for one, which seemed to be the UK branch, now defunct, but these were available in the US possibly as imports. There was a Scott Hamilton, and perhaps others, recorded in the UK for Concord, was this issued in the US? Also, I think, an Alan Barnes for the same label. John Delaney

The Mule, You're welcome. That's what this Forum is for! I think you got it at a good price, too. Regards, John Delaney

If anyone wants the Ronnie Scott CD, to which I refer above in my post of 18 July, it is on ebay UK at: (no connection with the advertiser) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...1&category=1056 John Delaney

Esquire box set currently on UK ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...6&category=1056 I have no idea who is selling - definitely not me! John Delaney

The Esquire box set may still be found but you will have to search for it. It was called "Bebop In Britain", the number is CDESQ100-4 and it was issued in 1991 by Charly Records Ltd. Bits and pieces from this set later appeared on other labels such as Coolnote, Hallmark and so on. These are cheap labels and the product is usually found on market stalls and the like. UK ebay often has them. There may have been more than two CDs, by the way. Esquire Ronnie Scott stuff not included in the box set can be found on "Ronnie Scott, Live At The Jazz Club" on Time Music International TM1213. This label is nothing to do with Time magazine and is another of the cheap market stall type products which can also often be found on UK ebay. This CD has material taken from two Esquire LPs; 32-001 and 32-002. All of the former is present: Got The Message of the LP being correctly titled Popo on the CD. Four titles from the latter LP are missing. These missing titles, plus 32-003 (of March 1954) and 32-006 (of September 1954) still have to make an appearance on CD. All are by the eight or nine piece Ronnie Scott Jazz Group/Orchestra. After the box set was issued it was intended that to follow would be a series of single Esquire CDs fairly closely following the series of Esquire LP reissues usually known as the "Treasure Chest" series. Brian Davis prepared revised sleeve notes for these but they were not to be. Some time in the future I hope that Brian can be persuaded to write up his first hand experiences of the period. Perhaps Tony Hall, too. John Delaney

I don't mind the re-posting, PD. For anyone interested in early British bop the current position regarding recordings has never been better. The Esquire box set and these two Jasmines almost gather together the complete species. There's some bits and pieces that appeared on the major labels such as HMV, Decca, Columbia and Regal-Zonophone. About a CDs worth and its all over 50 years old and outside the European copyright limit. Hint, hint! Discographers should look under Harry Hayes, Jack Parnell, The Jive Bombers, Tito Burns, Alan Dean and Jazz Rally. Having said that though I'm not sure if they are even in Bruyninckx or Jepsen. I haven't investigated in detail but there might still be more Esquire stuff that could be issued. And I'm not referring to material from the mid fifties onwards, by the way. If you are interested in this period try to get hold of a five page article by Jim Burns that appeared in Jazz Monthly in, I think, the early 1970s entitled My Baby Likes To Be-bop. The writer mentions that four Harry Hayes sides cut for HMV in October 1946 are the first to show some bop mannerisms. It seems that the first BBC broadcast of British bop took place in May 1947; as far as I know no recording exists of this. John Delaney

As well as 'Swing Under The Nazis' by Mike Zwerin (Quartet Books, London) and 'Different Drummers' by Michael H.Kater (Oxford University) there is 'Hitler's Airwaves', by Horst J.P.Bergmeier and Rainer E.Lotz, published by Yale University (ISBN 0300067097). This latter book also includes a CD and Harlequin Records of the UK have a series of CDs of associated interest. BBC television transmitted a documentary a few years ago which dealt with the propaganda band 'Charlie and his Orchestra' with interviews with some of the surviving members. John Delaney

The following letter appears in the new July/August issue of 'Jazz UK' and is in response to some comments made by Mr Graves, the current head of Jazz for Universal in Britain, which appeared in a recent edition. (I would normally have given a URL for the piece but it is within an Adobe Acrobat document. Indeed the whole magazine can be read on line by going to http://www.jazzservices.org.uk/ and clicking in the appropriate place. You will need Acrobat Reader). _________ "IMPRESSED? Dear JazzUK, A few points about Universal's holdings of British jazz ( Issue 50). Coverage of the Impressed compilation seems to have so far ignored the work of the Redial label, which I established at Polygram some time in the last century – and which reissued such sets as Tubby Hayes' Down In The Village and Late Spot At Scott's and Joe Harriott's Free Form. In 1998, I left behind a projected schedule of reissues of many of the records which the article mentions. However, Universal apparently decided to abandon the label. It is a little surprising to now read that Mr Graves suddenly responded to a tape of a few tracks made by Gilles Peterson. As far as Tony Higgins' detective work' is concerned, there shouldn' be any difficulty over the original tapes. Polygram acquired the Lansdowne catalogue in 1979 (primarily to exploit its holding of Roger Whitaker records!), and it was stored in a very well maintained and easily-accessed archive. Universal also holds all the relevant jazz tapes of Fontana and Vertigo. These labels have not, in fact, 'changed hands so often'. On costs, unless there are extraordinary remastering problems, the initiation costs and other considerations of a reissue are miniscule compared to the investment required for a new record. This is why major labels these days spend so much time on back catalogue. For this new series to depend on sales figures for Impressed is another oddity. However, Universal's caution may be not entirely misplaced. Despite all the clamour to reissue the Joe Harriott records, the Redial editions actually sold rather disappointingly (certainly in comparison with the Hayes releases). Like many so-called collectors' items, they are prized primarily by collectors. But it's unfortunate that the UK jazz audience isn't seen as reason enough to reissue these records, and that they have to be somehow 'crossed over' to justify their existence. Richard Cook, West London." _____________ The letter makes interesting reading particularly the revelation that Universal now owns the Lansdowne label. There's a lot of good stuff there! Let's hope we get to listen to it. John Delaney

The Complete Solid State Recordings Of The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra (5 CDs) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2&category=1056 The Complete Serge Chaloff Sessions (4 CDs) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2&category=1056 These sets are in the UK. JD

A two CD set of British bebop recordings taken mainly from the Melodisc label is due soon. As far as I know none of these has appeared on CD and most, perhaps all, have never appeared on LP. With Vic Feldman, Arnold Ross (with Brits), Tommy Whittle, Joe Harriott, Joe Temperley, Jo Hunter, Ralph Sharon, Steve Race, Johnny Dankworth, Don Rendell, Jimmy Deuchar, etc. Also material from the Paxton, Jazz Parade and Planet labels. The Planet sides by the Dennis Newey Sextet are not included as the compiler, Brian Davis, could not locate a copy of this rare Planet 78. John Delaney