garthsj

Bruce, you are right .. Konitz has put out a lot of albums, BUT, most of these have been in the last thirty years. For those of us who were Konitz fans dating back to 1953 (when, as a 13 year old, I received as a gift of a 10" Prestige album of his) it was a long wait between albums. A look at his available discography in the period up to the late 1960's shows a relatively small number of albums for a musician of his stature at the time. I distinctly remember buying both of these LP albums at Sam The Record Man's store on Yonge Street in Toronto at the time they were released. They were incredible additions to my then small, but treasured collection of Konitz albums. I have both now on Japanese CDs and they continue, as Larry pointed out, to bring me great pleasure.

Jim Harrod posted this notice on the West Coast Jazz list yesterday. It sounds very promising, and gives yet another reason to be thankful to the European reissue labels for having the foresight to make music like this available. It's not every day that we are treated to a previously unreleased session from the 1950s, but a recent email from Bob Zieff informed me that Jack Nimitz has made arrangements with Fresh Sound to release the following ABC-Paramount session that has never been issued: THE ABC-PARAMOUNT HARRIS - NIMITZ SESSIONS All arrangements by Robert Zieff First session: Jack Nimitz, baritone sax; Bill Harris, trombone; Gene Orloff, 1st violin; Dick Wetmore, 2nd violin; Lucien Schmidt, Seymour Barab, and Alan Shulman, cellos; Chuck Wayne, guitar; Russ Saunders (Savakus), bass; Teddy Sommer, drums. Second session: Jack Nimitz, baritone sax; Bill Harris, trombone; Gene Orloff, 1st violin; Dick Wetmore, 2nd violin; Lucien Schmidt, Seymour Barab, and Alan Shulman, cellos; Jimmy Raney, guitar; Russ Saunders (Savakus), bass; Sol Gubin, drums. Third session: Jack Nimitz, baritone sax; Bill Harris, trombone; Gene Orloff, 1st violin; Harry Lookofsky, 2nd violin; George Koutzen, Harvey Shapiro, and George Ricci, cellos; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Don Lamond, drums. 1. LEAN ON ME 3:58 2. A HANDFUL OF STARS 2:20 3. SHINE 3:41 4. AUTUMN NOCTURNE 3:09 5. LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY 3:57 6. SOMEBODY LOVES ME 3:14 7. THE LOVE NEST 5:30 8. SOFTLY, AS IN A MORNING SUNRISE 3:58 9. YOU AND THE NIGHT AND THE MUSIC 4:58 The session was most likely the victim of changing A&R heads at ABC Paramount. The session is mentioned in the August 8, 1957 issue of Down Beat on page 8 -- "Bob Zieff scored all the tunes for a Jack Nimitz-Bill Harris set on ABC-Paramount with two violins, three cellos, Oscar Pettiford, Don Lamond, and guitarists Chuck Wayne, Jimmy Raney, and Kenny Burrell on the dates..." I am a great fan of Zieff's writing and wish that he had remained longer on the jazz scene, or perhaps it is the other way around, that the jazz scene that appreciated his writing had remained longer. Chet appreciated his writing and in particular recorded SAD WALK several times in his brief career. Jim

I agree with you Ghost. It's only because I made so much money doing my jazz radio show here in Houston on public radio for 16 years, that I can afford to live the big life and dabble as a lowly paid academic author ... ... and as far a metaphors are concerned, as George Lakoff points out in his book, METAPHORS WE LIVE BY, almost everything we consider is essentially compared to something else within our archives of experience ... but that doesn't mean that we have to write them down. I must confess that I own every book that Whitney Balliet has written, and I still get great delight from his descriptions. Perhaps he was not the most insightful analyst of the music, but he could certainly "paint a great picture" ...

Here she is at STARS OF THE ZONE CONVENTION - The Sequel August 21 and 22, 2004 with her daughter Darva Conger (yes, THAT Darva Conger: http://www.twilightzonemuseum.com/conventi...04/floor/03.php WOW! That's an amazing find ... thanks for digging up her picture (and NO PUN INTENDED!) I tried a few years ago to "google" her without success ... so now she is doing the fan circuit. It just goes to show you that Thomas Wolfe was right -- you can't go home again. I can sleep peacefully now! I was also interested to see that picture on the website of William Windom with a magnificent beard!

Interesting Brownie, how although we are from vastly different parts of the world, I too had (have) a serious "thing" for Susan Harrison. When this movie was released in Cape Town in 1957, after a great deal of anticipatory publicity in Metronome and Downbeat regarding the Chico Hamilton Quintet contribution, I saw it three times that first week. I now teach this movie every year as a personal indulgence in my "Social Aspects Of Film" class, and I always confess to the class about my fixation on her. (Most of the males in the class just don't get it ... the females recognize her vulnerability, though). It is a real mystery what happened to her ... she just disappeared from the Hollywood scene after doing some television roles. She probably married an insurance salesman, and moved to the Valley, where she is now a grandmother and the general secretary of the local John Birch Society. This is a very rich film for social and cultural analysis of the period ... from prevailing sexual mores to the blacklist and communism (remember J.J. asks the Marty Milner character if he is a "red'?) ... and we must not forget that director Barry Levinson (who is our age) offers a wonderful homage to the film in his great film DINER ... where one character repeats large sections of dialog from TSSOS. The fiilm captures a lost world of American fifties culture (perhaps peculiar to Boadway/New York), and requires a great deal of background explanation for today's students. Also, it is very interesting that it was made by a Scotsman, Alexander McKendrick ... perhaps it required someone from outside of the culture to capture it so precisely, much like John Schlesinger did later with MIDNIGHT COWBOY.

I enjoy many Kenton albums, but this one is quite dreadful, really. Beautifully played and recorded, though, and Scott Yanow gives it 4.5 stars on amg, so what do I know?! Actually, I quite like this album ... the only problem is that I usually listen to it when I am eating take-out Chinese food, and then two hours later I am hungry for POWER!

This should interest Wynton's fans and detractors ... It reminds me in a way of the highly controversial combination of Stan Kenton and Tex Ritter in that famed Capitol recording ... The New York Times January 15, 2007 Music Review | Willie Nelson Just a Couple of Guys Dressed in the Blues By NATE CHINEN Willie Nelson was halfway through a flinty and casually gripping guitar solo on “Rainy Day Blues” when everything clicked into place. It was his fifth song at the Allen Room on Friday night, and the bright young rhythm section onstage was finally locking in. At Mr. Nelson’s right elbow Wynton Marsalis shot the saxophonist Walter Blanding Jr. a knowing glance, one eyebrow appreciatively raised. After a somewhat tentative start, the concert hit its groove. Mr. Nelson was performing with Mr. Marsalis’s quintet in the first of four sold-out shows organized by Jazz at Lincoln Center, under the heading “Willie Nelson Sings the Blues.” (It was a sequel to a brief encounter several years ago when he played on a gala for the organization.) Because the blues are as much of a bedrock for Mr. Nelson as they are for Mr. Marsalis, this held the simple promise of a meeting on common ground. All Mr. Nelson brought with him was an acoustic guitar and a trusted wingman, the harmonica player Mickey Raphael. He also brought his intractable style, which posed more of a challenge to the other musicians than any clash of genre. His conversational way with rhythm, in particular, momentarily threw the band. During a series of stop-time breaks on “Basin Street Blues,” the second tune, Mr. Nelson’s phrasing was almost perversely free of tempo, rustling like a breeze. In much the same way, he seemed to regard the jump-blues thrust of “Caldonia” as merely a recommendation, something to heed at will. And that, as his fans might say, is typical Willie. Though he has had one of the broadest careers in American music, Mr. Nelson is no chameleon. His colors are the same in any setting; and the calm, comforting tone of his voice rarely warps or strains to fit a fashion. “Rainy Day Blues” happens to be the first track on his current album, “Songbird” (Lost Highway), which features anthems by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Fleetwood Mac. Though not on his usual turf, Mr. Nelson sounds entirely unfazed, and unchanged. Because that was true on Friday too, the onus of adapting rested on the pianist Dan Nimmer, the bassist Carlos Henriquez and the drummer Ali Jackson. They handled it professionally, attuning themselves to Mr. Nelson’s drifting cadences with an increasing understanding and command. There was no such learning curve for Mr. Marsalis, who played his trumpet with terse, unforced authority right out of the gate. He tinkered a fair amount with timbre throughout the concert, using an array of different mutes and techniques. He was pushing toward a vocal quality, singing through his horn. Mr. Marsalis also sang with his voice, on a version of “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” that quickly turned into a buddy duet. “I hear you,” Mr. Nelson said sympathetically during a roguish verse by Mr. Marsalis. It was a moment evocative of the banter between Jack Teagarden and Louis Armstrong. And it set a playful tone for what followed, including renditions of “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It” and “Down by the Riverside.” But the concert’s most transcendent moments conveyed more of a quiet ache. They were “Stardust” and “Georgia on My Mind,” a pair of Hoagy Carmichael standards that Mr. Nelson long ago personalized. He sang them both with a forthright intimacy, as if telling a cherished bedtime story. And the band was right there with him, emphasizing how the blues are as much a feeling as a form.

Growing up in the Fifites as a dedicated fan of what was called "West Coast Jazz," Shorty Rogers was a big name, and a musical hero for me. He still considered as one of the real founders of the west coast school. For a quick primer on him, and a decent discography, click here: http://www.spaceagepop.com/rogers.htm

For me as a teenager, that great Savoy album, OPUS DE JAZZ, with Frank Wess, Milt Jackson, Hank Jones, Eddie Jones, and Kenny Clarke (October 28, 1955) was a defining moment in my jazz education. It still is ... I have been through about five different formats of this session over the years, and it still ranks in my top ten. Since then I have tried to accumulate almost everything that Frank has done ... he never fails to please. His playing on the Bill Charlap Gershwin album is a wonder to listen to. Frank's recent album with Hank Jones, HANK AND FRANK, (their combined age is over 170!) on the Lineage label is highly recommended. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/y4gvt3

This is where I got my copy about two months ago .. best price, and it arrived in 5 days! I have the entire series from 1945 onwards ... great stuff. There have been several other boxed sets of Swedish Jazz which have been discused on this list, and these are well worth finding. http://www.amazon.fr/Swedish-Jazz-History-...TF8&s=music

Again, apologies if this has been posted before ... Here is Art Farmer, Lee Konitz, and the underrated Ake Persson with the Oliver Nelson group in Europe, 1966: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NWZY8Z9CO8...%20swing%20jazz

Here is something that might interest all of the Mingus fans out there ... http://www.mic.stim.se/cda/CDs.nsf/wwwcds/...D7?opendocument

For the Art Pepper fans out there, this will be welcomed news, and the price is good! (I am not in any way associated with this release ... just passing it on). Click here .... http://straightlife.info/cd.html

My wife has been urging me to find a recording of an African choir singing that (a capella) for years. Do you know of any? Or even a football crowd... MG There are several good versions, including one before a rugby test match, to be found on U-Tube. This IMHO is the best .. featuring Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow40LQs0ue4 Thanks - was that Paul Simon on stage with them? MG Yes ... that was taken at a special concert on behalf of the ANC after the release of the Graceland album.

My wife has been urging me to find a recording of an African choir singing that (a capella) for years. Do you know of any? Or even a football crowd... MG There are several good versions, including one before a rugby test match, to be found on U-Tube. This IMHO is the best .. featuring Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow40LQs0ue4

Maybe it is just me, and my formative years in apartheid South Africa, but I never fail to feel a chill of emotion when I hear the current South African national anthem "Nkosi sikelel'i Africa" (NOT "Die Stem" ... the old Afrikaaner anthem) ... especially when it is sung with African voices and those incredible natural harmonies ... "God Save 'The Monarch'" was what we sung when I was in school .... but that age of imperialism has passed.

This is indeed a sad day for me personally. There are so many strong memories that I associate with her music. I am so tired (and scared) of writing in my journal that the "heroes" of my youth are no longer around. So far this morning I have worked my way through the first three CDs of the Mosiac box, and each tune evokes a memory ... I remember almost playing into vinyl dust her famous LP "Anita" with her opening tune "Honeysuckle Rose" with the great Joe Mondragon bass intro ... at least we have the music to listen to ...

Here is some great TOMMY FLANAGAN AND GEORGE MRAZ playing "RAINCHECK" .. enjoy .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w0_GTzOsxY

I guess that being REAL OLD has some compensations .... I started to collect jazz albums when I was 11 in 1951 and growing up in South Africa. These were Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw 78's (remember those?). I started playing the clarinet at the same time, and added the alto when I was 13 ... by this time I was deeply into BOP .. and those early Parker albums on Savoy and Verve (I was only able to acquire the Dials much later when I moved to England), and especially "Massey Hall" were required listening for my little coterie of teenage jazz devotees. My first LP machine was a portable plastic Swedish machine, with a tone arm that must have weighed 5 lbs! So, for me the issue of sonic quality was not a factor. When I did acquire my first real "Hi-Fi" in 1957 (a converted Garrard player with a great manual Acos tone arm, and small JBL speakers) I was suddenly in a whole new world of sound. (My parents continued to use this setup until their deaths in the late eighties!). Also, my personal circumstances make it possible for me to indulge my jazz habit so that I can acquire basically what pleases me (within reason, of course). I could not imagine having a collection of jazz without a substantial representation of Charlie Parker's music. A rough count in my own collection, shows about 45 Parker CDs, including several boxed sets. But, of course, musical tastes do differ ... for instance, I only own one Cecil Taylor album, a very early one on Contemporary. Interestingly I have found that when I have tried to "educate" friends about jazz, that the issue of sound quality is a significant factor. The major complaint is that "the music sounds so old ..." and lacks the dynamic sound quality of modern, mostly rock-oriented recordings ... This seems to be particularly true with vocal records ... Ah Well! Their loss ....

First, many of these early Atlanic stereo recordings were entirely different takes .. for instance the stereo version of the MJQ's FONTESSA "B" side. Not too many so-called discographical experts seem to acknowledge these different takes ... Second, not all of these stereo recordings were sonicially as sound as you seem to feel ... I tried for years to get a stereo copy of one of my favorite early Atlantics, Milt Jackson's PLENTY, PLENTY SOUL... and when I finally did I was very disappointed to discover that some of the musicians actually sound as if they are in a different room entirely ... listen, for instance, to Cannonball Adderley's solos (he is named as "Ronnie Peters" on the album) ... The CD release was thankfully the original mono version.. This album deserves to be remastered, but I guess that the original tapes succumbed in the infamous Atlantic fire.

Times have changed since this thread was started. Word is that HHB was bought by Sennheiser and the quality has plummeted. I would stick with Denon or Tascam if I were to buy a CD burner right now. Tascam is a "professional" unit, meaning it doesn't have SCMS and can use PC blanks. That pushes it to the front of the pack. However, it is expensive. Kevin Kevin, the Denon has a feature to defeat SCMS with a push of a button. The Denon cost me about $750. This item is selling for $599.00 on Amazon and several other sources. Would anyone care to comment on the quality of just the CD play function. If I needed a new, up-to-date CD player (my Harmon Kardon in more than 15 years old!), what type of CD player could I get for $600?

Garth: Buddy apparently has a recording session set up for next month in New York: http://www.buddydefranco.com/itinerary.html Thanks very much for pointing his out to me .. I have not visited Buddy's site for some time now .... This promises to be a great session .. BUT .. I would still like to hear him in a quartet setting with a crackerjack rhythm section.

I know that there is some ambivalence about Proper Boxes, but this a good one .... Hittin' On All Six A History of the Jazz Guitar Disc One Tracks Disc Two Tracks Disc Three Tracks Disc Four Tracks Disc One - 1. STEPPIN’ ON THE BLUES Lonnie Johnson (Johnson) ® 1927 2. WILD CAT Eddie Lang (Venuti, Lang) ® 1927 3. FOR NO REASON AT ALL IN C Eddie Lang (Trumbauer, Beiderbecke) ® 1927 4. DOIN’ THINGS Eddie Lang (Lang) ® 1927 5. SAVOY BLUES Lonnie Johnson (Ory) ® 1927 6. THE MOOCHE Lonnie Johnson (Ellington,Mills) ® 1928 7. HAVE TO CHANGE KEYS (TO PLAY THESE BLUES) Eddie Lang (Johnson, Lang) ® 1928 8. GUITAR BLUES Eddie Lang (Johnson,Lang) ® 1929 9. I’VE GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING TeddyBunn (Arlen,Koehler) ® 1933 10. I’LL BE READY WHEN THE GREAT DAY COMES Teddy Bunn (Bradford) ® 1933s 11. SUMMERTIME TeddyBunn (Gershwin) ® 1939 12. BLUES WITHOUT WORDS TeddyBunn (Bunn) ® 1940 13. LONESOME MOMENTS John Trueheart (Sampson) ® 1934 14. SOMEBODY LOVES ME George Van Eps (Gershwin,McDonald, De Sylva) ® 1934 15. AT SUNDOWN George Van Eps (Donaldson) ® 1946 16. DICK BERNSTEIN RAMBLE Dick McDonough (McDonough) ® 1934 17. HEAT WAVE Carl Kress/Dick McDonough (Berlin) ® 1937 18. SWINGIN’ AT THAT FAMOUS DOOR Carmen Mastren (Leather Lips) ® 1935 19. IF I COULD BE WITH YOU Carmen Mastren (Johnson) ® 1940 20. NAGASAKI Django Reinhardt (Dixon, Warren) ® 1936 21. YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY Django Reinhardt (Donaldson) ® 1937 22. FINESSE (NIGHT WIND) Django Reinhardt (Taylor) ® 1939 23. NUAGES Django Reinhardt (Reinhardt) ® 1943 24. MANOIR DE MES REVES Django Reinhardt (Reinhardt) ® 1943 25. FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS Django Reinhardt (Be Top Disc Two - 1. HITTIN’ THE BOTTLE Eddie Durham (Koehler, Arlen) ® 1935 2. I WANT A LITTLE GIRL Eddie Durham (Mill, Mencher) ® 1940 3. ALABAMY HOME Bernard Addison (Ringle, Ellington) ® 1937 4. BLUES IN DISGUISE Bernard Addison (Mezzrow, Sampson) ® 1937 5. TOPSY Freddie Green (Battle, Durham) ® 1937 6. THEM THERE EYES Freddie Green (Pinkard, Tracey, Tauber) ® 1938 7. GIN, GIN Le Trio Ferret (Reinhardt) ® 1939 8. FLOYD’S GUITAR BLUES Floyd Smith (Smith) ® 1939 9. JEEPER’S CREEPERS Oscar Aleman (Mercer, Warren) ® 1939 10. I GOT RHYTHM Oscar Aleman (Gershwin) ® 1942 11. BUCK JUMPIN’ Al Casey (Casey, Kirkeby) ® 1941 12. ESQUIRE BOUNCE Al Casey (Feather) ® 1943 13. THAT’S ALL Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Tharpe) ® 1941 14. SWING 42 Jean "Matlo" Ferret (Reinhardt) ® 1943 15. TILL TOM SPECIAL Charlie Christian (Hampton, Goodman) ® 1940 16. WHOLLY CATS Charlie Christian (Goodman) ® 1940 17. PROFOUNDLY BLUE Charlie Christian (Lewis) ® 1941 18. SOLO FLIGHT Charlie Christian (Goodman, Mundy) ® 1941 19. WAITING FOR BENNY Charlie Christian (Goodman) ® 1941 20. SWING TO BOP Charlie Christian (Unknown) ® 1941 21. ROCKIN’ WITH THE ROCKETS Efferge Ware (Smith, Leonard) ® 1940 22. BLUE JUICE Bus Etri (Bennett) ® 1941 Top Disc Three - 1. REFLECTIONS Bus Etri (Bennett) ® 1941 2. GEE BABY, AIN’T I GOOD TO YOU Oscar Moore (Redman, Razaf) ® 1943 3. BODY AND SOUL Oscar Moore (Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton) ® 1946 4. LAMENT IN CHORDS Oscar Moore (Moore) ® 1947 5. ALTITUDE Irving Ashby (Hampton, Ashby) ® 1941 6. THE SPINX Irving Ashby (Tizol) ® 1946 7. TOP HAT BOP Irving Ashby (Ashby) ® 1949 8. NOBODY IN MIND Leonard Ware (Price) ® 1941 9. BODY AND SOUL Tiny Grimes (Green,Heyman, Sour, Eyton) ® 1944 10. BLUE HARLEM Tiny Grimes (Quebec) ® 1944 11. HOT IN HARLEM Tiny Grimes (Prysock, Grimes) ® 1948 12. BUGLE CALL RAG Les Paul (Pettis, Meyers, Schoebel) ® 1944 13. MOTEN SWING Les Paul (Moten) ® 1945 14. WILLIE WEEP FOR ME Les Paul (Lim) ® 1945 15. TEMPO’S BOOGIE Billy Mackel (Hampton) ® 1944 16. IMPROMPTU ENSEMBLE NO.1 Eddie Condon (Condon) ® 1944 17. CAJUN LOVE SONG Nappy Lamare (Wrightsman,Miller, Veret) ® 1945 18. BLOOD ON THE MOON DannyBarker (Page) ® 1945 19. BLUES A LA RED Remo Palmieri (Collins) ® 1944 20. STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY Remo Palmieri (Goodman, Webb, Sampson) ® 1941 21. STARDUST Jimmy Shirley (Carmichael,parish) ® 1945 22. WHAT IS THERE TO SAY Allan Reuss (Duke, Harburg) ® 1945 23. THE MOON IS LOW Allan Reuss (Brown, Freed) ® 1946 Top Disc Four - 1. I SAW STARS Dave Barbour (Goodhart, Foffman) ® 1946 2. CHINA BOY Dave Barbour (Winfree,Boutelje) ® 1946 3. BLUE LOU George Barnes (Sampson, Mills) ® 1946 4. LOVER COME BACK TO ME George Barnes (Romberg, Hammerstein) ® 1946 5. THE GRABTOWN GRAPPLE Barney Kessel (Shaw, Harding) ® 1945 6. RELAXIN’ AT CAMARILLO Barney Kessel (Parker) ® 1947 7. TIGHT AND GAY Arvin Garrison (Porter, Watson) ® 1946 8. NIGHT IN TUNISIA Arvin Garrison (Gillespie, Paparelli) ® 1946 9. MINUET IN VOUT Slim Gaillard (Gaillard) ® 1946 10. DOCTOR KEETS Bill De Arango (Webster) ® 1946 11. SPOTLITE Mary Osborne (Hawkins) ® 1946 12. ALLEN’S ALLEY Mary Osborne (Best) ® 1946 13. BLUE SERGE Churck Wayne (Burns) ® 1946 14. CONCEPTION Chuck Wayne (Shearing) ® 1949 15. DONNA LEE Barry Galbraith (Parker) ® 1947 16. LAMENT (LAMENT FOR GUITAR) Laurindo Almeida (Rugolo) ® 1947 17. SHIRLEY STEPS OUT Al Hendrickson (Powell) ® 1947 18. ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE Herb Ellis (Hammerstein) ® 1947 19. SWEDISH PASTRY Herb Ellis (Kessel) ® 1947 20. SUBCONCIOUS-LEE Billy Bauer (Konitz) ® 1949 21. WOW BillyBauer (Tristano) ® 1949 22. JOHN’S DELIGHT John Collins (Dameron) ® 1949 23. IN A PINCH Jimmy Raney (Haig) ® 1949 24. EXTROVERT Jimmy Raney (Leonard) ® 1949 Compiled and produced for release by Joop Visser Digital remastering by Peter Rynston at Tall Order Studios This compilation ® 2000- Proper Records Ltd. © 2000- Proper Records Ltd. Top

At the risk of being immodest, on that Tony Scott site (under the 50s section, part II) you will find two quotes from an article about Tony's historic visit to South Africa that I wrote for Metronome Magazine in 1957 ... I was 17 at the time. Tony was taken with my "boyish enthusiam" as I followed him around the country on his tour, and we have kept up an occasional correspondence since then ..

Here is the second book: