Shrdlu

They are a kind of anti-Mosaic.

Count me in for that, but how long are they going to sit on the material from 1962 and 1963? How long until the tapes are iron oxide dust and plastic ribbon? I assume that they are trying to maximize income.

Those links don't work. So, what is this? There exists some unreleased Impulse material from 1962 and 1963, including the session reel from the date with Johnny Hartman. There was an online article about it several years ago. Apparently, the unreleased music was broadcast on a radio station. Might we hear that?

At a Brubeck concert in Adelaide, Australia, in 1965, I got a chance to chat with Paul Desmond briefly. Things were much more informal in those days. I asked him what he thought of Coltrane and he said "Interesting, but I wouldn't want to sound like that."

The fees on eBay and Discogs, plus the almost inevitable extra fee that Paypal charges, eat up a big chunk of the selling price. Buyers outside the U.S. often avoid buying because of America's horrendous postage. On top of that, eBay's fee includes a percentage of the shipping cost. (For that reason, a lot of sellers list with free postage.) eBay was wonderful when it started (in the glorious pre-Paypal days) but I haven't sold anything there in 20 years. As Ben Matlock would say, it ain't easy.

Anyone want to know what Paul Desmond said to me about Trane when I asked him in 1965? Dave Brubeck's and Miles's groups with Trane often bumped into each other at engagements, so they all knew each other. Lol, I didn't ask Paul what he thought of Philly Joe.

That Byas solo is on the "Rhythm" changes, whose regular B section changes are already ascending fourths, but the original question was about a solo on a blues. I wonder whether there is an example of anyone using that sequence on a blues.

Ted, I have that earlier "Plays W.C. Handy" CD. It uses alternate takes of some items. It was pulled after the later CD came out. The same situation occurred with CD versions of "Satch Plays Fats". Hey, maybe we can find fake stereo LPs of both albums. There is a 60s Brubeck album where a different take of one item was issued on the mono LP. I forget which album it is.

Thanks for that reminiscence, Larry. That is a precious report. I have read about that 1960 lineup, but no witnesses (that I have come across) have written about it before. Trane was very fussy about his group, though one can't question his eventual choice of McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. I like all three of his quartet bassists: Steve Davis, Reggie Workman and Jimmy. Steve is on the October 1960 Atlantic dates, where the compositions require him to play a lot of vamps.

That "Three Wishes" photo album is highly recommended. Once again, Hank is shown with his Selmer Jiffy saxophone sling. I got one of those in the 60s and it is the best sling ever. So easy to adjust. I wish I could get two more. Mine is used with my tenor saxophone, but I want one each to keep in the cases of my soprano saxophone and bass clarinet. They now suggest a sling for the (soprano) clarinet, but I draw the line at that.

That mix of stereo and mono tracks also occurs in the 2 CD set of Trane on the Savoy label: Wilbur Harden sessions, actually. Obviously, in this case and that of the Russell sessions, someone has carelessly lost some of the tapes. Obviously, everything was recorded in stereo. Which leads to: I have suggested that Mosaic might do a Savoy set from, say, 1955 through 1960, narrowing it down to stop the set becoming too large. The hope would be that when the tapes are all dug out, some missing items, such as the stereo Coltrane, might show up. I wouldn't be exhaustive with the box set. There is too much material. But I would include the Yusef Lateef, Curtis Fuller, Trane, Milt Jackson/Lucky Thompson and the Pepper Adams (for which I have a rare alternate).

I think that, in the case of the Columbia 60s fake stereo LPs, where stereo versions were recorded, the problem was just lazy or inefficient tape storage staff. This reminds me of the time when it was decided to put out a proper CD version of Louis Armstrong's "Plays W.C. Handy". (An earlier CD version differed from the LP.) Columbia again. It was discovered that the session tapes and any tapes used to make the LP no longer existed. In the end, clean vinyl of everything was used to make the CD.

This is interesting. I've heard a lot of Stitt (even live), but I've never heard him use that sequence: A series of upward fourths landing on the keynote. It's like a fanfare, and I'm sure I'd remember that on a blues. Sonny, of course, used a small set of favorite runs that, for me, he overused. But he was an outstanding alto and tenor player, who always sounded good. "Boss Tenors", with Gene Ammons, was a fine moment.

Although I have access to all audio formats, plus all the various players (VLC etc.), I have found that 320 mp3 sounds fine. Yes, my hearing is not what it used to be, but I can still hear the difference between an early McMaster track and its Japanese counterpart. I have used 320 mp3 for (live) house DJing without any problem. Windows Media player is a Mickey Mouse program, O.K. when it deigns to work. VLC is excellent and very versatile. Winamp was discontinued a few years ago, but still works fine. I always use it for ripping, and it offers both 320 mp3 and WAV formats. For recording from the computer audio mixer, a program called MP3MYMP3 is great, and (in spite of its name) it offers WAV.

Unwashed? I have a bath once a month, whether I need it or not.

The earliest stereo LP that I have is Artur Rubinstein's recording of Brahms's First Piano Concerto, with the Chicago Symphony conducted by Fritz Reiner. This was recorded by RCA Victor in 1954. It is the boss version of that piece. Recommended for people who don't like classical music a lot. Very beautiful. It was, of course, only issued in mono at the time. In the early 60s, Artur recorded the piece again - a markedly inferior version - and so the 1954 version was bypassed for stereo release at that time, and the stereo version didn't come out until some time in the early 70s. Getting real stereo in the 60s was a bit of a minefield, because of the fake stereo LPs that appeared so regularly. They are still a menace if you are collecting LPs from that era. Ahmad Jamal's "Count 'Em: 88" suffers from this. The only mono LP of that album that I could find is a Rice Krispie copy. When Mosaic recently put out their Jamal set, they had to use a needle drop for the that session. Columbia, in the 50s and 60s, was a sloppy mess. The mono LPs of "Milestones" and the Green Dolphin Street session ("Jazz Track") quickly went out of print. In the 60s, one could only get fake stereo versions of those two major albums, even though they were recorded in stereo. As well, they released "Kind Of Blue" with side 1 a quarter-tone sharp. I well remember my delight at finding a true mono LP of "Milestones" in Paris, France, in the early 70s. My first stereo jazz LP was "Time Out". Exciting days. A stereo version of "Dave Digs Disney" was issued not too long ago. It was recorded in 1957 and I have suspected, for a long time, that there is a stereo version, especially after "Miles Ahead" was issued in stereo.

Well, there are a couple of dudes online who are experts on this kind of thing and they sound pretty sensible and knowledgeable and give masses of detail, including label pics. It is generally accepted that those 1970s French Blue Note LPs are not good. Rudy, of course, had nothing to do with them. I have no interest in them personally. It is also agreed that the 70s Impulse LPs, with green labels, are not as good as the van Gelder LPs. I have some of the green label ones and they sound O.K. to me. Fortunately, van Gelder Impulse LPs (two series of them, with different labels) in usable condition are not expensive. The prices of van Gelder Blue Note LPs are insane, and my reaction is "Hey, they are only vinyl records.".

Those sets look very tasty! For what it's worth, I found the (French) Savoy Musidiscs LPs to be fine, back in the 60s. It was on those that I first heard the delightful 1956 recordings by Milt Jackson with Lucky Thompson (highly recommended). The only bad French LPs are, I read online, the 70s Blue Note LPs - though I've never heard any of them.

I hear that the sidemen on it are quite good.

Jo Jones was particular about deportment and dress, as were many others (Horace Silver, Lou Donaldson etc.) Rap? Well, what does one expect? Rap is for performers who can't sing or play a musical instrument.

I keep meaning to listen to "Kind Of Blue" sometime. I hear that it's quite good. I remember Nikita Krushchev taking a shoe off.

One guy for whom the first version is definitive is Tom Jobim. He said someplace that he used to go to America to record so that his compositions would be played correctly. That was advantageous for us, because he was accompanied by top U.S. musicians, such as Ron Carter and Urbie Green. Tom was very fussy about all the details. Stan Getz played some wrong notes when he recorded "Desafinado": the Jobim version on "The Composer Of Desafinado Plays" maps out the right notes. This fact does not rule out that fact that the double album "Terra Brasilis" is a superb look back at many of Tom's pieces.

Eek! Some mono LPs. One album that HAS to be vinyl, for me, is "Time Out". This is partly for sentimental reasons, that having been one of the first LPs that I bought (and ooh, the excitement: it was stereo). But the main reason is the beautifully clear sound from the combination of venue and engineers at 30th Street. The piano is so clear and live - intro to "Strange Meadowlark", and the "Three To Get Ready" track, for examples.

I'll jump in there. For me, the first version of a piece is not necessarily my favorite version. I'll give one example: "Straight, No Chaser". The first version of that that I heard was, not surprisingly, the 1958 Miles version. That is an excellent track as far as the solos go, but that is all that it is. It is a throwaway vehicle for some blowing on the blues changes, and is in the wrong key (F). The definitive version is Monk's own version on the "Five By Monk By Five" album (Riverside, 1959). It is in the proper key (Bb) and Monk's accompaniment of the two horn solos (Rouse and Thad Jones) is nothing short of amazing. Monk's playing is always closely related to the piece, not just using the basic blues changes. (He was a stickler for that, and chewed out Donald Byrd for simply running chord changes.) The piano is, also, particularly clearly recorded.

Thanks for posting that article, Dan. What a wonderful career Bob had! I remember Soprano Summit, with Kenny Davern. Kenny once made a humorous remark about Bob's curved soprano. I have played the straight model since 1965 and never saw a curved one live. (I was the only soprano saxophone player in all the places I lived in.) About three years ago, I saw a curved one in a store and had a go on it. I was a bit surprised to find that the angle on the main section (where all the keys are) was just about the same as on the straight horn, so there is no point in getting a curved one. Since about the early 80s, Selmer has offered a straight soprano with a slightly bent neck. Wayne Shorter uses that model. I am quite happy with my (completely) straight Selmer soprano. Bob's departure is quite a loss. And, imagine all the stories he could have told. I hope there are interviews someplace.