Shrdlu

These young whippersnappers have this newfangled thing called broadband internet. What will they think of next? Anyway, we just got set up with it, and what a difference! It means that I can post much more easily now! Yee Haa! (I still don't know what that symbol means, but I love it!)

Yes indeedy! All the best, Chris! You and your vast jazz knowledge and experience are greatly valued. May you have many more years!

Above all, Duke's music is his great contribution, as Jim says. And bearing in mind Duke's gruelling itinerary, for many years, he would have had little time to do anything else but perform and compose music. Politics and related pursuits can take up a lot of time. How could anyone that was reasonable not have respect for a man who produced so much music of such high quality? Surely even the old Nats in South Africa would have been impressed. By the way, I just heard that the S.A. Dutch Reformed Church decided that its race policy (in the apartheid years) was NOT biblical and that it has repented of its heretical teachings. If they had followed the Bible all along, and rightly divided the word of truth, that evil regime would never have been set up.

A near-mint LP of Brubeck's "Jazz Impressions of Eurasia" arrived recently. For various reasons, I have never heard this album before. It is genuine stereo, which agrees with Mike's post. This is a very haunting album, by the way, quite different from all of Dave's other albums. There is quite an experimental aspect to it - the subject matter makes this inevitable, of course, but the Quartet is well up to the task. I was amazed to read that Dave's tour that year (1958) took him to places like Pakistan and Afghanistan! I can't really imagine there being much of an audience for jazz in Kabul! The opening track, "Bedouin", was inspired by a camel train that passed by Dave's Kabul hotel during the night, with a flute and camel-mounted drums. Dave says the sound made his hair stand on end! The discography that I read claims that 4 of the 6 tracks were recorded in Warsaw, Poland, and the two others in New York. But all 6 tracks have the same studio sound (and it doesn't sound like the 30th Street studio, either), so I am skeptical about that information. I realize that with various adjustments to the sound during mastering, all tracks could perhaps be made to sound the same acoustically, but I still have my doubts. But it makes little difference, really. I am now satisfied in my mind that the Disney album was never released on LP in real stereo. But, bearing in mind what happened with "Milestones", it is possible that stereo tapes do exist, and maybe a stereo CD will appear if and when they re-reissue this album.

If I buy any more Miles albums, I think my bookcase will collapse.

Fats' original is a superb performance, very unlike most of his fare. I feel a twinge of sadness when I hear it (as also with "Romance à la Mode"), as it was recorded not long before his untimely death. The best other version that I've heard isn't on record, sadly. It was by Zoot at Ronnie Scott's in 1974, with the superb rhythm section of John Taylor (p), Ron Matthewson (b) and Martin Drew (d). It, and the whole evening, were superb. I took some of my family back for a second dose, a few nights later. After that, I sought out a recorded version of that song by Zoot, and found one. It was an American recording. I was disappointed with its rhythm section (especially the pianist), which was very dull compared with the one at Ronnie's. I still remember Zoot gazing in amazement at Ron as he played a solo. Ron was easily as good as Ron Carter and Richard Davis. I asked Oscar Peterson if he had heard him, and he said yes. He was impressed, too. Later, Oscar hired Martin Drew, too. "When you hear music, after it's over, it's gone and in the air. You can never capture it again." - Eric Dolphy.

Trane and Hartman, but I am also very fond of the long Trane version on Prestige - very absorbing.

I'm with Mike on this, though I don't deny that there is some merit in not issuing a poor session. (I haven't heard the Powell Verves, by the way, so can't comment on them.) Bud Powell's reputation is un-ruinable, as are those of all musicians who have produced great music, I would think. No-one thinks that musicians are prefect. Why, there is even a Coleman Hawkins squeak on one of the tracks in the Mosaic Buck Clayton set. Going back to the Blakey session specifically, the reputations of all of the guys are very secure. The worst that could happen, if one heard this unissued session, is that they might not think it was a very good set*. For myself, I don't feel desperate to hear it, as I already have tons of recordings by all concerned. ------------------------------------------------------------------- * The only time I got to hear Brubeck and Ellington live, they were on long, gruelling tours, they were obviously tired, and the concerts were very lack-luster, though not rubbish, of course. But that didn't alter my rating of those guys at all.

Reinier, are you sure that "Crepuscule With Nellie" (which would be take 6) is stereo? This mono/stereo business with this set of sessions (and the slightly later one with Gerry Mulligan) has come up many times. Mike, that's a great list. By the way, "Off Minor", take 4, is stereo on the OJC CD, so it can be stricken off the list of items that only exist in mono. (It is mono in the box set, though. They missed that one, which is understandable when one is making such a large set and is knee-deep in tape boxes.)

It was only a bargain if they sent you 12 CDs! maybe you need to do a recount... It is, of course, 12. I forgot when I typed the previous post, and didn't go and check as it wasn't the point. But I do have the complete set. (There were, of course, errors with some shipments, with, for example, a Miles Davis CD with a Bill Evans label. I got one of those. But zweitausendeins was happy to send the correct CDs and the problems were ironed out.)

A couple of years ago, an email friend of mine sent me this long list of someone's collection, and it contained lots of dubs of session reels from famous sessions, including the abovementioned "Kind of Blue", by the way. It must be the same guy. I asked for a few copies, but (of course?) never received anything. Re Michael Cuscuna, we all have tremendous respect for his labors of love to put out so much stuff over the years, but I think it is wrong that one man gets to decide what will be issued and what won't. But, as Homer says, what can you do?

Not on "The Riddle"! His technique, tone and intonation are perfect, but there's a lot of feeling, heart and warmth on that album, too. It's an all-time favorite of mine. And a lot of fun. The guys must have enjoyed recording it, and it shows. The clarinet solos are well constructed, and build to superb climaxes - recalling what Art Blakey used to say to his soloists.

I will at least mention Bill Smith, as someone has already done above. Give "The Riddle" a listen (you'll need an LP, but it frequently comes up on eBay). Bill has it all on that. I have no idea whether he is still active. The only album I heard him on without Brubeck is one of two Impulse LPs called "Americans In Europe", or some similar title; he is on two tracks on that.

That's exactly what Jackie said he was aiming for.

I am also very fond of "Smokestack". Eddie is great on that, and solos at least twice. The high-register bowing on "Wailing Wall" is Richard Davis, though. Eddie's role on the album is more supportive, lower work, to free up Richard to do the complex things of which he is capable.

This album is a timeless classic. I have the tracks on it on several CDs, U.S. and Japanese, and I have to say that this newish U.S. RVG sounds pretty good. I haven't heard the TOCJ (which only has the original six LP tracks), except for "Street Singer" (not on the LP, of course), which is better on the TOCJ of "Back To The Tracks". The latter is one of the best BN classic LPs that never was.

10-80. And just wait until George W. Bush's son, George W.W. Bush gets elected!

After a lot of BN CDs recently, I got the 8 CD Bill Evans Riverside set from zweitausendeins last year (Remember those deals for about 25 bucks? What a bargain!) and the bass sounded so much fuller and clearer on those than on most BN sessions. Columbia also seems to have done a better job with the bass over the years. In fact, it has been a ball recently to play some original Columbia LPs. Their engineers are hard to beat.

And I don't think Rudy can hear the treble, and that's why he boosts it so much! The level of Ron's bass varies a lot from session to session. I remember first hearing Hill's "Grass Roots" and enjoying Ron on that as his sound is very prominent. I greatly love bass, but I do hate it when (especially on recordings from the late 60s onward) the bass overwhelms the mix and is above the soloists. I'm sure you know what I mean. And, also, why did Rudy switch to trebly-sounding mikes for the bass after about 1969 or so? The previous, bassy, mike was perfect. An example is "Skylark" ("Skylard" ? ) by Paul Desmond. Rudy's mike for Ron is awful, even though Ron is playing as well as ever.

Aha! An owner of the 66 Commodore LPs! Maybe you are the only one who could afford them. Put me down for a set, please, when you transfer them to CDr.

You mean you actually found a Ron Carter solo? They're about as rare as a penguin in Death Valley. Seriously, though, folks, Ron does have an unusually treble-less sound, almost like your description, Sonnyhill, as sounding as if there's a blanket over it. I have often wondered why. You have Richard Davis, with a very trebly sound (always easy to identify him!), and Ron, sounding so different. What's the reason? Any bass players reading? Also, Ron has a way of plucking a string, and making the note sustain itself much longer than with most other bassists. It's a trademark of his. My wife, a violinist, said that it had to do with the left hand.

There you go, Jim! "Say amen if you're expecting a miracle under the big tent tonight!" My last actual tent was used at Strathcona Park, near Campbell River, on Vancouver Island. Great place if you can make it up there.

Is that twue? That's not vewy nice. The "weally" relates to Couw's explanation of the pronunciation of his name. It is not a typo. I also had Elmer Fudd in mind.

Thanks a lot for the report, Mike. Based on that, I think I will stay with the LP. As you say, it would be nice if someone found some better-sounding tapes. As it happens, I'm having a vinyl revival at the moment, anyway, after years of CD-chasing. It's a ball to hear some classic Columbia LPs again. The engineering is terrific!