garthsj

Speaking of James Clay .. it is unfortunate that "circumstances" surrounding the jazz life prevented him from making more albums during his lifetime. Both his tenor and flute playing were outstanding. I do not believe that anyone has yet mentioned his terrific work on Red Mitchell's first album "Presenting Red Mitchell" (Contemporary) ... where he is featured extensively, with Lorraine Geller, who also died young, on piano. This was the first time that I heard Clay, and that album became a favorite of mine. It is still available .. see below. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?...685&style=music Garth.

As someone who writes large social histories as part of my profession, it is only fair to point out that no one author is capable of writing something as cosmic in its coverage as a "History of Jazz" and end up pleasing everyone. Each one of us will complain that some favorite musician or other has been given short shrift, and therefore we must assume that the rest of the book is worthless. For a personal example, how could Thomas Owens write a book entitled "Bebop: The Music and the Players," (Oxford UP, 1995), and have just two short references to Buddy DeFranco, neither of which discusses the clarinetist's contribution. I can provide literally hundreds of such examples dealing with other musicians in the many jazz histories now available. The point is that when you write a book that is this all-encompassing you have to make choices (like, God help him! Ken Burns had to do in his unfairly maligned television series). The Gioia book is very good, and his earlier volume "West Coast Jazz" (Oxford, 1992) being more specialized, is even better. I have many jazz histories in my collection .. here is a very interesting, and opinionated, early one from 1955 .....

No.. it is that question that every married jazz fan eventually faces: "Do you REALLY need another CD?" Garth. (Been there, done that .. I now live alone..)

I wish that you could remember the name or location as I would like to visit it myself. Unless it is The Sound Exchange, which is in a rickety old house,on Alabama, but on the ground floor. You do have to climb steps to the porch, of course. Garth.

Hey Garth - Can you point me towards some good jazz stores in Houston? I was there this past week, but the only place I checked out was one of the Soundwaves stores (the one on Montrose). Fairly good selection of new and used, I thought (though compared to Corpus Christi, your Wal-Marts probably have a better jazz selection). Thanks, Erik Erik, First let me confess that I buy ALL of my CDs from stores on the internet .. that should tell you something about the state of record shops in Houston. But, if browsing is your thing (and we all need to do that on occasion) then you should try the two Border's stores; one is on the 610 Loop south, the other is at Westheimer and Gessner. They usually have a very good selection, and bins of cut-outs. The Sound Exchange on Alabama in Montrose sometimes has some interesting used items. You have already discovered the Soundwave store, which also has good used items. A really good place is Alrecords on West Gray just east of Shepherd; Fred Alred who owns the store is a good man, however, being in River Oaks area he gets full price for his stuff, but he has an excellent selection. However, I have found over the years it is just easier to find what I want by going online. I hope that helps ... we need a Tower, which for years was rumored to be coming to Houston ... but there is no chance now. Garth.

Thanks Chuck! My CD arrived today ... it is playing as I write this ... the sound is great! I really missed my LP, and this fills that gap ... thanks again for your effort to keep this music alive. Garth.

Greg.. I am not sure that I want to encourage the consumption of codeine, but in Canada such products at "222's" and Anacin with Codeine, which contain 1/8th gr. codeine, are available over-the-counter in every drug store, and especially in the border cities. I should know, because in my wayward youth I was a product manager for Whitehall Laboratories, who manufacture Anacin. In places like Windsor, Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, etc. we would sell more codeine products than in cities like Toronto. The fact is that you would have to take at least 10-12 of these tablets to get the same "buzz" effect as taking a one prescription-only hydrocdone tablet in the U.S. Of course, if people are willing to distill shoe polish for a high, then taking 12 analgesic pills to get a codeine buzz is small potatoes. Garth.

Tower? Tower? You have a Tower? We only dream of having a Tower... (with apologies to Monty Python) Garth, Houston.

Well.. crossing the river into Windsor, Ontario (where the casino is located) is the highlight of a trip to Detroit ... leave your gun on the American side, though. And you can buy codeine over the counter in Canadian drugstores ... try the Tunnel BBQ ... Garth.

This is listed on Ebay ... does anyone here know anything about it? Thanks, Garth. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=20809

I am deeply saddened by the death of Chuck Niles. I have been a regular listener, through the miracle of the internet, to Chuck for the last five years, and during the times I have spent in L.A. I loved the soothing timbre of his voice, his wry humor, and most of all, his choice of music. I remember with fondness the fact that he and I both shared a very deep admiration for the work of Buddy DeFranco; Chuck would always go out of his way to mention how DeFranco "frightened" other clarinet players (obviously we both had that experience as young clarinetists ...). His afternoon show will be sadly missed. God! They keep chipping away at portions of my life!! Garth.

Alas, King Ubu, other than this GREAT new album, which is really quite startling in its technical competency, and the two "Jazz In Africa" albums that you recommended last year, my own extensive jazz collection lacks South African jazz. I have asked my one friend in SA who is into jazz to recommend some other things for me. Based upon our previous discussions of this topic, you have a better collection than most. But whatever Dave turns up, I will pass on to you. I envy you the ability to get material like this off radio broadcasts .... we can only dream of such things here in Houston. Garth.

I posted this CD on the "What I am currently listening to" thread, but I also thought that I would give a strong recommendation here .. this CD comes packaged with a DVD which has an amazing number of extra goodies, including a documentary on how the disc was made; artist interviews; transcriptions and analyses of solos; printable music from a PC (haven't tried this on my Mac yet); and links to related websites ... Besides which the music is wonderful ... Brookmeye; Wheeler; John Hollenbeck, d; Jeremy Allen, b; and Frank Carlberg, p. Garth.

Here is the front cover ....

King Ubu, Knowing your special interest in South African jazz, I thought that you would enjoy this wonderful album, just released on the Heads Up Label (HUCD 3079). Great, current South African "straight ahead" jazz with that fascinating township tinged sound. Highly recommended .... Garth.

Dick Bock removed Baker's singing ... if you did not know the original version of these tracks, you would never know that "Pretty/Groovy" wasn't the original. The truth be told, this is not quite the messup you would think, and both Perkins and Giuffre play some fine, if mellow, solos.... I wonder if that album will ever be released as such in the U.S.? I know that it was once available as a Japanese CD issue. Garth.

Hell I WISH this was available still! That track on the BFT disc is great! Is this OOP!!!??? I've always thought that the reason I could never find this on cd was that I didn't know under who's name to look. Or under what title (Is it called "Grand Encounter" or "2 Degrees East/ 3 Degrees West"?). I guess the true reason I can't find it is that I'm an idiot. And what's "the BFT disc"? Medjuck .. The album is called GRAND ENCOUNTER, subtitled "Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West" (two musicians from the east, and three from the west) which, of course, is one the major titles on the disc ... and which later became a staple in the MJQ repertoire ... It is currently available on CD only as an expensive Japanese import. I assume, given this album's importance that it will resurface sometime soon in a 24 bit restored edition. It is, as you probably know, a wonderful album, unfortunately limited to just that 34 minutes of sublime improvisation by all concerned. Garth.

How well I remember the impact that buying my first copy of MILES AHEAD: MILES DAVIS +19 had on me in 1958! ... I purchased the copy on an Saturday morning, carried it with me to a rugby test match all afternoon. I hurried home, put the record on the turntable, and was so blown away that I played it into the wee hours of Sunday morning. (My mother finally asked me to switch off the Hi-Fi and go to sleep at about 3 a.m.!) Given what had come before, this album was so totally different from anything else out there at the time. I still play this album very often ... those Gil Evans chords never fail to send a chill up my spine. I can't emphasize enough how much this album needs to be judged within the context of what jazz sounded like in 1958 ... only Kenton's music came close, and I had not heard much of his more experimental stuff at that time. It was also only much later that I discovered the earlier Evans arrangements on the Jazz Workshop series which presaged the Miles album ("Blues for Pablo," in particular). So.. when the tone-arm hit MILES AHEAD on that fateful Saturday night, my world changed forever ... Garth.

I have always been a sucker for Swedish Jazz for some weird reason ... ever since a cousin gave me a 10" (on Prestige!!) album by Lars Gullin back in the mid-1950s just when I had started collecting jazz. Over the years I picked up bits and pieces, especially the stuff featuring visiting American musicians like Brownie, Getz, Konitz, and others. Three years ago I purchased the fabulous 9-CD set, "Jazz in Sweden: 1949-1961" which was a mammoth reissue of the (Swedish) Metronome label offerings. Some amazing stuff there. Now, several weeks ago I made another impulse investment and purchased the equally great last four volumes (6-9) of the ambitious "Swedish Jazz History" Series put out for the Svensk Jazzhistoria by Caprice Records. It took me quite a while to find a dealer who could supply these without totally having to mortgage the old homestead, but lo and behold, Cadence were able to supply them at a decent price. I am now through volume 6 and working on volume 7 ... a mixed bag, definitely, but lots of very good stuff, and some outright gems. .... And it satisfies my desire for the arcana of early bop/modern jazz. Highly recommended for those looking for something just a little different ... Here is the list of the entire series, taken from a British site, whose prices are very "pricey" ... NEW> 28238 : SWEDISH JAZZ - ERNST ROLF'S JAZZ BANK / HELGE LINDBERG'S CRYSTAL BAND / SWEDISH PARAMOUNT ORCHESTRA... : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.1 - JAZZ WARNING - (THE 1920's) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 2 NEW> 28239 : SWEDISH JAZZ - BENNY CARTER / NISSE LIND / ARNE HUPHERS : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.2 - THE "HOT" EPOCH - (1931-1936) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 2 NEW> 28240 : SWEDISH JAZZ - NISSE LIND / THORE EHRLING / ALICE BABS / CHARLES REDLAND / ARNE HUPHERS / SAM SAMSON : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.3 - RHYTHM & SWING - (1937-1939) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 2 NEW> 28241 : SWEDISH JAZZ - ALICE BABS / ARNE DOMNERUS / ROLF ERICSON / SVEN STIBERG / THORE EHRLING / CHARLES REDLAND : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.4 - WARTIME SWING - (1940-1942) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 2 NEW> 28242 : SWEDISH JAZZ - ALICE BABS / THORE EHRLING / GOSTA TORNER / EMIL IRWING / SEYMOUR OSTERWALL : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.5 - JAZZ ATTACKS ! - (1943-1947) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 2 19533 : SWEDISH JAZZ - PUTTE WICKMAN / BENGT HALLBERG / STAN GETZ / ROY ELDRIDGE / LARS GULLIN / JAMES MOODY / ALICE BABS... : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.6 - CREAM OF THE CROP - (1947-1951) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 3 25358 : SWEDISH JAZZ - LARS GULLIN / ARNE DOMNÉRUS / BENGT HALLBERG etc. : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.7 - THE GOLDEN YEARS - (1952-1955) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 3 25108 : SWEDISH JAZZ - ARNE DOMNÉRUS / BENGT HALLBERG / STAN GETZ / LARS GULLIN / QUINCY JONES / ERNESTINE ANDERSON / JAN JOHANSON / PUTTE WICKMAN... : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.8 - TOPSY THEME - (1956-1959) : CAPRICE : £20.00 : 3 NEW> 28220 : SWEDISH JAZZ - NILS LINDBERG / BERNT ROSENGREN : SWEDISH JAZZ HISTORY VOL.9 - (1960-1964) : CAPRICE : £28.00 : 4 Garth.

Yes, the 12" version of The Chico Hamilton Trio (PJ 1220) has three Jim Hall cuts, recorded February 8, 1956: Autumn Landscape Porch Light Blues on the Rocks Skinned Strings (JH out) The earlier 10" album (PJLP 17) with Hamilton, Duvivier, and Howard Roberts had eight cuts: (December 6, 1953) Broadway Street of Dreams What is There to Say Nuttye (October2, 1954) Buddy Boo Uganda Lollypop We'll Be Together Again.. A wonderful swinging album, and the subject of much speculation as to why it has never been reissued in this country. Garth.

I agree with Larry that the ALL-NIGHT SESSIONS albums do not live up to what one might have expected given the personnel, but I am not quite as disenchanted as he is .. there are still some fine moments. However, there is no doubt that Hawes operated best in a classic trio setting. The three TRIO volumes on Contemporary are essential for any modern jazz collection, and the reissue of a remastered in 20 bit Vol. 1 I hope presages the reissue of the other two volumes, as well as the later trio sets, THE SEANCE and I'M ALL SMILES (done at the same session). There is one classic Hawes session that was originally released on a beautifully pressed LP on the late, very lamented Saba label .. now available as BLUES FOR BUD ON 1201 Music 9033-2, with Jimmy Woode on bass, and Arthur Taylor on drums, recorded in Paris in 1968. I give this one three thumbs up! ..also, as previously mentioned, his autobiography "Raise Up Off Me" is a "must read" for any student of this great music.. Check here for availability; just put in the title or the author .. there were lots of copies (including a German translation) when I looked earlier today): http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookSe...=hp-search-form Garth. OOPS! I somehow missed page one of this thread, and did not realize that someone had already recommended BLUES FOR BUD .... get it anyway! While I am it, forget the electric piano stuff on Prestige ... and the Enja's are relatively tame .. . read boring.

...... and let's not forget Jim Hall's contribution to the some of the greatest 34.41 minutes of jazz available on CD... GRAND ENCOUNTER - 2 Degrees East / 3 Degrees West , with John Lewis, Bill Perkins, Chico Hamlton, and Percy Heath. One of my all-time favorite desert island discs.. Garth.

I am still quite new to this list (I promise I will stop saying this in about a week or so..), and I feel like I am intruding here as I do not know the "rules" for participating in the AOW thread .... but I would like to suggest something rather different for consideration for AOW. It always evoked lots of response when I played "early" experimental jazz on my radio show, as many of today's fans of "out" music have seldom heard this stuff. So, impressed as I am by the breadth of knowledge on this board, I am very eager to hear the response to a classic, pioneering avant-garde work ... Shelly Manne's THE THREE AND THE TWO (Contemporary OJCCD-172-2) ... Recorded in 1954, this album features two groups .. Manne with pianist Russ Freeman, and Manne with Shorty Rogers, and Jimmy Giuffre. Great stuff, even by today's standards ... and historical very important. There are other interesting things with Teddy Charles, Rogers, Giuffre et. al. worthy of wider recognition today, and thanks to Fantasy Records all still available on CD. BTW, if it is not obvious, I really enjoy this board, and get a great kick out of the "rediscoveries" in the AOW thread. Garth.

How about the very recent one from Jacques Loussier ... the theme and ten variations on the allegreto from Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Loussier is an acquired taste ... and his jazz credentials are suspect, but some of this is quite good ... and NPR frequently uses it as bumper music on its news programs.. Garth, Houston.