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gmonahan

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Posts posted by gmonahan

  3. Sessions you wish you could sit in

    in Artists

    Posted

    The live tracks of Sinatra's Duets, the ones where they turned his half-senile ass loose in a studio with a big band & a mike, just like in a live show, and let him roam the room to sing it for real, post-productionize it later, let's get this much right now. Based on what I hear through the finished results, they probably had to pitch-correct like a mofo, but that phrasing appears to have been out in near-full force one last time, and that would have been something to behold, the lion's last great roar in a studio.

    Hell, forget about beoing there, Ca[pitol should just release it like that. Lose all that horrid duet shit and give us the real deal. Pitch correction optional, depending on how bad it really was, but let's hear the old man working the room one last time.

    Here, here. Though it would also have been fun to be there for Sinatra's Music for Swingin' Lovers sessions (or Sings for Only the Lonely) with Riddle in the Capitol studios.

    greg mo

  4. Industry Problems continue in '08

    in Miscellaneous Music

    Posted

    I guess I'm a hopeless dinosaur, but I want RECORDS. If they're cds that's fine, but I want (little) album covers and liner notes and photos and discographies. I don't want to have to download them myself and burn cds so I don't have to depend on the ephemerals of crashing hard drives.

    My hope is that Luddites like me (and lots of others who post here!) will at least keep specialist labels like Mosaic in business for a while. Sigh.

    greg mo

  5. Do you have a database of your music? If so

    in Mosaic and other box sets...

    Posted

    I use an ancient database called "Notebuilder" that allows me to file individual entries in a single record for artist, instrument(s), album title, label, catalog number, recording date, session leader, live or studio, and miscellaneous stuff like whether it's part of a series. I do an individual record for each musician on a given album who solos, and sometimes for those of note who don't. My database lets me create sets by any of these characteristics (all trombonists, every record on a given label, and combinations--all albums featuring a given artist recorded in a given year, for example). Takes kind of a long time to index them all, and I often get behind. I've only got my cds indexed. I started after I'd collected a bunch of LPs and never had the time to go back and do them, and I don't even want to think of the 78s I amassed from various thrift stores when I was a kid!

    And yeah, I'm kind of anal about it!

    greg mo

  6. Sessions you wish you could sit in

    in Artists

    Posted

    The point I think I'd travel back in time to isn't a session per se, but that night in January of 1938 at the Savoy ballroom when Count Basie's band fought Chick Webb's. Listening to it, dancing to it, watching everybody else dance to it, being there as each set built on the other one, hearing two of the most legendary bands in the history of the music at their peak. That would really have been something.

    greg mo

  7. Upcoming Blue Note reissues

    in Re-issues

    Posted

    I don't have any definitive knowledge. I believe that there's a really good chance that what we'll see from now on is predominantly "safe" reissues. . . and then maybe within five to ten years there will be very little on cd you'd want to buy. Some very sharp and savvy minds seem to be telling us that, right here.

    I really don't think there's anything in the vault along the lines of unreleased and alternate takes of Freddie's stuff as a leader that we'll ever see. Michael Cuscuna put out what he WILL put out. If he hasn't, he won't. And he's holding the reigns, which is a good thing, I am sure.

    I suppose downloads will continue to improve in quality, but what I'll miss besides excellent sound quality (!) will be other stuff--album covers, liner notes, photos, discographical detail! Also, computer hard drives are very impermanent, but my cds can last a *long* time. 'Course, I realize I'm preaching to the choir here.

    I went back and looked at the Hubbard RVGs again, and just about all of them have bonus tracks, so typically, I posted before I did the research. Sigh. Age. That's what it is. Or, that's the excuse I'll use today anyway!! (Laziness is too embarrassing!)

    greg mo

  8. Upcoming Blue Note reissues

    in Re-issues

    Posted

    Yeah Flurin, they've all been out, and these were even out in earlier editions before the RVGs:

    Here to Stay (RVG)

    Hub Cap (RVG)

    Hub Tones (RVG)

    Breaking Point (RVG)

    Blue Spirits (RVG)

    Night of the Cookers (RVG)

    I think in this late stage of the cd format we're not likely to see Blue Note release a Hubbard box set.

    You're probably right Lon, and so is Ubu. Hopeless completist that I am, I was pining for unreleased stuff, alternate takes, that kind of thing. Some of the RVGs have them. Some of them don't.

    Do you really think cds are done for, even in "specialty" markets like jazz? I love Mosaic, but is that going to be all there is?

    greg mo

  9. Jazz In Paris

    in Re-issues

    Posted

    I'm thinking maybe this new Grappelli single (The Nearness of You) might be a "one-off" like the Django Reinhardt "Place de Brouckere" was. ....

    So has anyone been able to get a line on ordering the Grappelli The nearness of you in the US? Dustygroove will probably be the most reasonable when they actually get it in stock, but no guarantee when that will be. I came close to pulling the trigger at Amazon.fr but they wanted 10 Euros shipping, which I thought was a bit steep. (Maybe with the base price being so low it still works out to be reasonable, but if there is a US distributor I'd rather go that way.)

    I did *exactly* the same thing! Looked at Amazon.fr and decided the shipping was too steep, so I'm waiting for my email notification from Dustygroove that they have it in. I just have to have patience, I guess--not my most notable quality!

    greg mo

    I did notice that the shipping didn't go up appreciably when adding 2 or 3 copies of the Grappelli to my cart. :w

    I figure I'll wait until spring to see if Dusty gets it in and, if not, then perhaps see if a few folks on the board want to split the shipping. Even after redistributing within the US, there would still be some savings. It works out to about 13 Euros (each) for 2 copies and I think 11 Euros for 3.

    I just wrote 'em an email whining about it, asking when they might get it in. Maybe it'll motivate them to check up on it. Or maybe not!

    greg mo

  10. Jazz In Paris

    in Re-issues

    Posted

    I'm thinking maybe this new Grappelli single (The Nearness of You) might be a "one-off" like the Django Reinhardt "Place de Brouckere" was. ....

    So has anyone been able to get a line on ordering the Grappelli The nearness of you in the US? Dustygroove will probably be the most reasonable when they actually get it in stock, but no guarantee when that will be. I came close to pulling the trigger at Amazon.fr but they wanted 10 Euros shipping, which I thought was a bit steep. (Maybe with the base price being so low it still works out to be reasonable, but if there is a US distributor I'd rather go that way.)

    I did *exactly* the same thing! Looked at Amazon.fr and decided the shipping was too steep, so I'm waiting for my email notification from Dustygroove that they have it in. I just have to have patience, I guess--not my most notable quality!

    greg mo

  11. Upcoming Blue Note reissues

    in Re-issues

    Posted

    Sure would be nice to see Blue Note reissue all of Freddie Hubbard's sides as a leader as they did some years ago with Herbie Hancock and Dexter Gordon, especially now that the great trumpeter has passed on, but I suppose we'll see the Second Coming first.

    greg mo

  14. Fave Freddie Hubbard sides

    in Artists

    Posted

    I really like "Above and Beyond" on Metropolitan, recorded live at the Keystone Korner in 1982. Freddie's really on fire on that one (and was quoted as saying "this is my best playing on record"--'course, he might have said that about other records!).

    Terrible loss.

    greg mo

  15. I'm not dead yet

    in Miscellaneous Music

    Posted

    Ahh, the Tower on 4th and Broadway in New York....... with the outlet store tucked behind on Lafayette. Those were the days!!!!!!

    And in the *really* old days, occasional journeys to Rose Discount Records in Chicago, with all its LPs numerically arranged by LABEL (and little Schwann catalogs all over the place) and an upstairs floor completely given over to cutouts. The days of my youth!

    greg mo

  16. John Handy Columbia Mosaic Select announced

    in Mosaic and other box sets...

    Posted

    Mosaic often reissues labels in batches. In the past there have been batches of Pacific Jazz's, Verves, Roulettes, Capitols, and now Columbias. Blue Note has been a constant, but that surely owes to Cuscuna's long-time association with that label. I imagine this "batching" owes to many factors--personal associations of Mosaic people with individuals at the labels in question, discoveries of one set of recordings when they're searching for others, the ease of negotiating a second, third, or fourth contract once you've gone to the trouble of negotiating a first, or maybe just to a concerted effort to explore labels one at a time.

    I was happy to hear about the possibility of a live Akiyoshi-Tabackin set. I'm listening to the first disc of the new select as I write this!

    greg mo

  17. Those that left us in 2008

    in Artists

    Posted

    Chris Anderson

    Pete Candoli

    Jimmy Cleveland

    Walt Dickerson

    Bob Florence

    Jimmy Giuffre

    Johnny Griffin

    Neal Hefti

    Prince Lasha

    Teo Macero

    Ronnie Mathews

    Jimmy McGriff

    Dave McKenna

    Phil Urso

    Gerald Wiggins

    John Young (the pianist)

    Lee Young (Lester's brother)

    Even without the additions posted after it, this is a very sobering list.

    greg mo

  23. Jazz In Paris

    in Re-issues

    Posted

    51XRQ98W9zL._SS500_.jpg

    It may have been mentioned SOMEWHERE on this thread already, but another thing I like about this series is the cover photos, which tend to be great. The one above is a perfect example. An non-musical consideration admittedly, but a nice extra in my book.

    Actually, I think that has been remarked on, but it bears repeating--the photos are cool, and the remastering is generally very good, even if the timings on some of the cds are pretty stingy, and available bonus tracks weren't always reissued.

    I'm thinking maybe this new Grappelli single (The Nearness of You) might be a "one-off" like the Django Reinhardt "Place de Brouckere" was. That one also followed the issuing of a box set collecting prior issues by Reinhardt in the series and one disc of new stuff. Interestingly, *that* one was followed by another ten or so volumes in the series, so I guess hope springs eternal! It's a very cool series.

    Greg Mo

  24. Louis Armstrong Mosaic planned with his 1935-1946 Decca sides

    in Mosaic and other box sets...

    Posted

    I want to mention, as I think I did a while back, the small group sessions with Duke - apparently one was done when Armstrong was extremely tired, and it sounds it - but the other, which includes It Don't Mean a Thing, Duke's Place, I Got it Bad, Azalea, and some others, is to me as good as anything Louis did after 1945. He's very inspired, has chops to spare, and sings great all over it -

    Apologies if I missed it in this rather long but interesting thread, but has anyone mentioned here the sessions he made with, of all people, the Dukes of Dixieland? I was really surprised when I got hold of those fairly recently just how well he played on those, and the sound was outstanding. I think these recordings were discussed (by me, probably!) in another thread, but I think they merit mention in discussions of the great trumpeter's late work.

    Greg Mo

  25. Jazz In Paris

    in Re-issues

    Posted

    There's another new box out, this time by Stephane Grappelli - happened to see it by chance on the amazon.fr website:

    51XRQ98W9zL._SS500_.jpg

    Stephane Grappelli in Paris (Coffret 7 CD)

    Disque 1

    1. Them There Eyes

    2. Flamingo

    3. Makin' Whoopee

    4. Looking At You

    5. Walkin' My Baby Back Home

    6. My One And Only Love

    7. Thou Swell

    Disque 2

    1. I Won'T Dance

    2. The Folks Who Live On The Hill

    3. Autumn Leaves

    4. My Heart Stood Still

    5. Blues For Musidisc

    6. If I Had You

    Disque 3

    1. The Lady Is A Tramp

    2. Fascinatin' Rhythm

    3. Dans La Vie

    4. Cheek To Cheek

    5. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

    6. Taking A Chance On Love

    7. 'S Wonderful

    8. Someone To Watch Over Me

    9. If I Had You

    10. Body And Soul

    11. I Want To Be Happy

    12. She'S Funny That Way

    13. Time After Time

    14. Just One Of Those Things

    15. Slow En Ré Majeur (I'Ll Be Around)

    16. Taking A Chance On Love

    17. Someone To Watch Over Me

    Disque 4

    1. It'S All Right With Me

    2. You'Re The Top

    3. Anything Goes

    4. In The Still Of The Night

    5. You'Ve Got A Thing

    6. Miss Otis Regrets

    7. I'Ve Got You Under My Skin

    8. Love For Sale

    9. Easy To Love

    10. You'D Be So Nice To Come Home To

    11. Let'S Do It, Let'S Fall In Love

    12. My Heart Belongs To Daddy

    Disque 5

    1. How High The Moon

    2. Blues In The Dungeon

    3. Skip It

    4. S'Posin'

    5. Willow Weep For Me

    6. This Can'T Be Love

    Disque 6

    1. Django

    2. Nuages

    3. Alabamy Bound

    4. You Better Go Now

    5. Le Tien

    6. Like Someone In Love

    7. Minor Swing

    8. Daphné

    9. Soft Winds

    10. Makin' Whoopee

    11. How About You ?

    12. Pent-Up House

    Disque 7

    1. The Nearness Of You

    2. Night And Day

    3. Don'T Worry 'Bout Me

    4. Tangerine

    5. I Can'T Believe That You'Re In Love With Me

    6. Lady Be Good

    7. Lover Man

    8. Birth Of The Blues

    9. Aime-Moi

    10. Viens Au Creux De Mon Epaule

    Didn't yet compare with the original JiP discs of his, but there's definitely more material on it (the amazon.fr title adds [bonus] to the description).

    The first six discs are direct re-releases (no bonus tracks) of six volumes in the series:

    Oscar Peterson/Stephane Grappelli Quartet, vol. 1

    Oscar Peterson/Stephane Grappelli Quartet, vol. 2

    Stephane Grappelli, Improvisations

    Stephane Grappelli Plays Cole Porter

    Stephane Grappelli and Stuff Smith, Stuff and Steff

    Stephane Grappelli, Django

    The seventh one, however, is new. AMG now lists a 2008 release in the Jazz in Paris by Grappelli titled "The Nearness of You" which includes all these tracks. My understanding was that Gitanes had decided to end the series, but this one suggests not. Does anyone know of any other new releases in the series this year?! It's a great series, and I've tried to make sure I have all of them.

    Greg Mo

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