garthsj

Bob Levey offered this response to the original question in his thread .... No Way! He made almost 2000, record albums with names you would not believe. I did not realize haw many record dates he was on with who. In his day he did 3 albums a day. Plus he did 3000 TV shows and 300 movies. He had a great career and actually retired in 1973. He got bored with the studios and was a great photographer. Go to stanlevey.com he has a new DVD out on his life in music from the beginnings of BeBop all thru his career. He has a full discography include. It is called The "Original Orginal". Enjoy! Sincerely Bob Levey

Stan's son, Bob, is a regular on the jazz west coast list .. I will post the original question there, and see if we can get a definitive answer ... Stan also regularly turns up as a spectator at the Jazz Weekends that Ken Poston hosts in L.A. BTW, the upcoming weekend in May will feature music from the Stan Kenton Neophonic orchestra era, and other similar aggregations. Exactly my cup of tea ... Garth.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON! Don't despair .. life gets better ... and thanks for the favor ...

I arrived late in this discussion ... when did we switch to discussing Miles Davis?

Jim, I wonder if you would be kind enough to elaborate on your assertion that not many "players" liked Art Pepper. Were you referring to Art, the person, or Art's music ... if one can separate the two. Over the years, after many discussions with west coast musicians at the various "weekends" that Ken Poston puts together, Art Pepper has always been a hot topic. (The image of the "empty chair" at the table is very apt in this case). I agree that after a few drinks most of the people who knew and played with Art will confess how difficult it was to find him likeable all of the time ... but I have never ever heard anyone say anything negative about his music. He is considered about as close to an improvisational "genius" as most of them have ever encountered, and they all speak with envy about how natural and easy it was for him. The guys who played with him in the Kenton orchestra are universally in awe of this natural talent. (But don't get them started on his drug habit!). Garth.

I first saw Idris Elba playing one of Helen Mirren's senior police aides in a "Prime Suspect" mini-series a couple of years ago. Of course, he used his basic London accent ... so when he turned up on "Wired" I was rather surprised ... but like "McNulty" (played by Dominic West) he has perfected an American accent. It is far easier, apparently, for British actors to do a good American accent, than it is for an American actor to do a half-credible British accent.

So tracks 2, 3, 5, 9 & 13 are with Mehegan, and all the others are with the Epistles? Or do you have any more information suggesting that not being the case, either? Thanks for clearing this! ubu Here is more information .. so we are gradually whittling away at the discography for Vol. 1 ... this makes me much more satisfied as I listen to the album, and makes so much more sense. I wonder if the remaining Mehegan sides were ever reissued at all .. either LP or Cd ... This comes from the Masekela discographical website.... http://www.dougpayne.com/hmhome.htm JAZZ EPISTLE: VERSE 1 Jazz Epistles Sophiatown, South Africa: September 1959 Hugh Masekela (tp); Jonas Gwangwa (tb); Kippie Moeketsi (as); Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) (p); Johnny Gertze (b); Makhaya Ntshoko (d). a. Dollar's Moods (Hugh Masekela) b. Blues For Hughie (Kippie Moeketsi) c. Uka-Jonga Phambili (Dollar Brand) d. I Remember Billy (Kippie Moeketsi) e. Vary-Oo-Vum (Dollar Brand) f. Carol's Drive (Kippie Moeketsi) g. Gafsa (Dollar Brand) h. Scullery Department (Kippie Moeketsi) Issues: a-h on Continental (SA) CONT14, Gallo-Cont (SA) GALP14, Celluloid 66892-2 [CD]. Samplers: a-c & f-g also on Kaz (E) KAZ24 [CD], Camden (E) CDN-1004 [CD] titled JAZZ IN AFRICA VOLUME 1. h also on Music Club 50095 [CD] titled FREEDOM BLUES: SOUTH AFRICAN JAZZ UNDER APARTHIED.

Jim .. Take your choice .. new or used .... these are the best prices on the net ... Of course, if you wander up and down the streets of Manhattan who knows what you might find being sold on the sidewalk.. Click here .. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/037...1655193-0730225

Is it too late to wish you a happy birthday ? And thanks for all those crazy websites you dig up .. they keep me up at night!

I am VERY pleased with my Netflix service. Here in Houston, the fourth largest city in the country, we do not have a large number of venues for "furrin'" films, so as a professional film watcher, this service is a godsend for me. Their selection of foreign films is not perfect, but it does provide me with an opportunity that previously only the Sundance and IFC channels provide. We also have a Netflix distribution center here, so I return things on Monday, and have my new set on Wednesday ... I go through about 12-15 a month ... I asked my postman, and he says that his deliveries of Netflix is increasing ever week!

I have both volumes of "Jazz in Africa" as well (thanks to your recommendation several months ago) ... NOW, if you listen with BIG ears (as I just did), you can hear that this is an "American" pianist ... I wondered about that at the time I first listened to this CD. It definitely does not sound like Dollar Brand used to sound ... so, I think that this takes care of about 40% of the Mehegan session .. where is the rest? I got the discography from a Hugh Masekela site ....

Ubu ... I have discovered the discography for this album ..... now I am salivating even more ... I see that several cuts have been used in some of the recent Kaz releases. JAZZ IN AFRICA John Mehegan Johannesburg, South Africa: 1959 Hugh Masekela (tp); Jonas Gwangwa (tb); Kippie Moeketsi (as); Johnny Mehegan (p); Claude Shange (b); Gene Latimore (d). a. Lover Come Back To Me (Romberg/Hammerstein) b. Body & Soul (Green/Sour/Heyman/Eyton) c. That Old Devil Moon (Lane/Harburg) d. Yesterdays e. Twelve By Twelve (aka Twelve Times Twelve) (traditional, adapted by Davashe) f. Mambovana g. Johnny's Idea h. Like Someone In Love i. Angel Eyes j. Yardbird Suite (Charlie Parker) Issues: a-j on Continental CONT9. a-c, e & j also on Kaz (E) KAZ24 [CD], Camden (E) CDN-1004 [CD] titled JAZZ IN AFRICA VOLUME 1. Someone in South Africa must have a copy!!!

Ubu, You can find some interesting information here ... I will try to find a copy in S.A. by asking some friends... http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=889 This is a most fascinating academic treatise examining the life of Kippie Moeketsie against the life of Charlie Parker ... I hope you can read it, as it is in a weird format. http://www.criticalmethods.org/p100.mv All interesting stuff this .. rediscovering my own heritage ... Garth.

Finally got this one! A great compilation, indeed! Only I'd wish for a complete discography! Amazon UK has it for 9 £. ubu Thanks for the link ubu. I actually managed to order it from one of their Marketplace sellers for £2.16 a short while ago. You're going to like it! Mine just arrived .... Loved it... rather eclectic .... and I REALLY want to find that John Mehegan "In South Africa" album (a cut of which, with Kippy, is on this CD), which was originally issued on a Gallo LP in the early sixties. I wonder if it was ever reissued on CD.

This is just a personal rumination which some of you might find interesting .... Faced with which OJC's to stock up on, I was surprised to find that many albums I thought I had, I actually did not have. You see, I once had a significant number of these albums on the originals, or the OJC vinyl reissues from the 70s and 80s ... Since selling my vinyl collection I seem to have made a mental switch over from those to my current CD collection. So, I go to check, and discover that there are significant gaps where I thought I owned the album ... For instance, I could have sworn that I owned "TEO" .. with the Teddy Charles Quintet ... I love that album .... but it was not there! Same with "Earthy" just mentioned above .... now I have to get them. Damn! Getting old is hell! Garth.

Just to let you all know.. my package of 11 OJC's (and one free Kenny G Christmas album) arrived about 2 hours ago.. I ordered this last Thursday afternoon ... so pretty good service for this time of the year. I think that I have just about completed the entire Contemporary catalog on CD ... and I have picked up quite a few suggestions from the OJC threads ... so I am now filling in gaps.

Larry, I agree with you about "Smack-Up" .. I also really enjoy the intensity on the quartet album "Intensity" (Contemporary 7607) which was the last album he made before being incarcerated in San Quentin. It was recorded in 1960, and released in 1963 ... Except for a sideman role in a Helyne Stewart album in January, 1961, he did not record again (with Buddy Rich's big band) until 1968, and then again with Mike Vax's band in 1973, but it was not until August 1975 that he made another album as leader! FIFTEEN, FRIGGIN' WASTED YEARS!!! He did ""Intensity" for bail money -- $500. The group, Dolo Coker, Jimmy Bond, and Frank Butler... just smokes ... and knowing what was going through his mind that day in the studio, just makes me want to cry for what we jazz fans lost during that period Art Pepper was away fom the jazz scene. Also, as I have read in several places, Hoagy Carmichael, when he heard the final tapes of his album for Pacific Jazz, wanted to cut out all of Art Pepper's solos and replace them with his own whistling (Carmichael was an outstanding whistler..). Dick Bock said NO! Garth.

I just ordered 11 OJC's ($107) from AllDirect myself last week .... they must wonder what is going on? The only problem with AllDirect I have found over the years is that it takes them a long time to stock new things, and when they go out of stock, it takes them a long time to restock. But, when they do have the stuff, their basic prices are the best, and their delivery time is excellent. Of course, for brand new releases, the pre-release prices from CDUniverse are the best I have found. Should I also order 11 CDs? Is it a magic number? Can I win anything? YES! If you order 11 CDs .. no more, no less, but EXACTLY 11, you will receive the latest Kenny G Christmas album free! I can hardly wait ... It also helps you to get over the "free shipping" for a $99 order ....

I just ordered 11 OJC's ($107) from AllDirect myself last week .... they must wonder what is going on? The only problem with AllDirect I have found over the years is that it takes them a long time to stock new things, and when they go out of stock, it takes them a long time to restock. But, when they do have the stuff, their basic prices are the best, and their delivery time is excellent. Of course, for brand new releases, the pre-release prices from CDUniverse are the best I have found.

Geez Chuck .. surely it is cold enough in the North so that you can put the food outside for a few months? C'mon Man, prioritize will you!

Hi Ubu ... This Outernational Meltdown series looks like an interesting set .. You can find more background at this site ... http://www.melt2000.com/history/0015a.html Garth.

I have waited this long .. I can wait a few months more .. thanks for the lead ... I am always afraid to go on the Bastards website ... it just delays my acquiring my beach house ...

Couw, What's the best source for this CD? I think that you may have listed a source about six months ago, and I was unable to access the website. Your assistance would be appreciated. Thanks ....

Winner gets a Ronnie Ross CD! (What are available??) Yes, Brad, I wrote to Mr. Tanni about acquiring the "modern Clarinetists" CD ... thanks for the tip. By the way, I hate dragging up older posts in this thread, but I must admit some surprise that I seemed to be the only one who mentioned the late Bob Gordon ... has he been so forgotten??

Thanks guys .. I have written to Mr. Tanni ... I had four of those big band sides on two MGM 78's when I was a teenager, but they were left behind when I left South Africa in 1958, and I have never seen them since, so this will be some sort of emotional-nostalgic purchase for me ... Unfortunately Buddy started his big band right at the time that big bands were disappearing from the scene, but the arrangements were quite advanced, and of course his solo playing is, as always, magnificent! Garth.