Big Beat Steve

Hi Gheorghe Actually I just wondered how much of a "scoop" of having tracked down Jutta Hipp the contents of the story linked above really were. It seems like several people tracked her down and contacted her separately so it is not easy to say who did so first after those decades of "exile". As for the interview you refer to, if it was run prior to 1991 I must have seen this but don't recall it at all. Anyway, her comments are understandable. I have no problems with Koller's 50s records (though I don't spin them often) but I do remember distinctly that almost all reviews of German jazz records published in Swedish jazz mags of that era described the German recordings (very often featuring Koller) as "mechanical" and "unswinging".

Yes, a sad story. I wonder, though, who among the jazz fraternity at large tracked her down fiorst in her latter days. I remember reading a feature on her (and her latter-day paintings) published around the year 2000 in the German jazz mag JAZZ REALITIES (privately published by researcher and discographer M. Frohne) that gave a rather clear account of her later life after she had given up public appearances as a jazz pianist. So her whereabouts were known around that time.

About those needle-nose pliers and removing individual teeth, I must admit I am a bit wary of this (which probably was what made me try the "sanding down" trick). I have every now and then had problems with CDs bought new through mail order that arrived here with several of these teeth broken off the jewel case hub, causing the CD to float around inside and the remains of the teeth somewhere inside the case. Annoying, particularly if it happens on multiple-CD cases ... On rare occasions this even occurred on sealed CDs (shoddy packaging?) but in other cases (new, but not sealed) I have a feeling this happened with sellers normally storing their CDs and inlay paperwork inside thin clear plastic CD envelopes and only puttng them back in jewel cases when mailing them out (I know one seller I ordered from has this habit - he also has a record stall at certain concerts/festivals and this is how he displays his goods). Apparently there are sellers out there who are rather heavy-handed when pushing the CD back on the prongs of the case and couldn't care less when some of them snap.

It worked for me (you have to go easy on it and clean everything well afterwards) but if Rooster_Ties manged to accomplish the desired result just by breaking two of the individual teeth on this very same set then this might be the easier route for you in this particular case.

Isn't there a saying that copying is the highest form of flattery in Asia?

I am not sure I can visualize the problem accurately because I do not have these boxes (or other Mosaics incriminated for this before) but I have enocuntered similar problems with other boxes and jewel cases before where I had to press down like mad on the teeth (i.e. the center) with my thumb and at the same time forcibly pull up the CD to release it, bending it dangerously in the process (fearing indeed it might break). My method (if several removal and replacing operations did not improve matters): After having removed the CD I took some fine-grain sanding paper, held it with the tips of three fingers and rubbed down the teeth by rotating the sanding paper around the teeth. At certain intervals I checked impoved "ease" of removal using an old CD (or CD-R) that didn't matter. When the removal force was acceptable I cleaned up everything and put the actual CD back where it belonged.

His "Story of the Blues" was an early read I soaked up from the first to the last page in my very early collecting days (borrowing the book repeatedly from the local Amerika Haus library), and browsing through it today I think I can stil feel the impression it made on me at the time (omissions 'n'all). RIP

Talking about Vienna: Don't forget Hans Koller who was said by insiders to have been a difficult person to get along with too, including offstage when in fact people dealing with him went out of their way to accommodate him and yet it seemed to be not enough ...

Wow .. this ... I wouldn't have thought I'd see you go on a rockabilly binge. And then with such a connoisseur disc. Hats off to your eclectic tastes. (FWIW, if I am in the mood for Charlie, I pull out this one below - have seen the ZuZazz LP countless times in the record stall bins back in the day and thinking about it now don't even know why I passed it up - maybe because of duplicate alternates?) http://readerstarred.blogspot.de/2013/01/charlie-feathers-jungle-fever-lp.html

Just curious ... In what way do you think it falls short or isn't what it might (could) have been?

I guess I'll treasure my UK original Vanguard vinyl (PPL 11002), then. It's a very nice one indeed.

I noticed that absence too. But as we are in a privileged situation over here (that Manhattan/Bertelsmann EP is not that exceedingly rare) I have that one too. BTW, I guess what Fresh Sond claims to be "bonus" tracks on CD 4 (such as the two included from that session) refers to "bonus to the "Paris recordings and feat.Lucky Thompson" criteria. So I guess we are not supposed to complain.

I do understand that some key or "cult" (?) LPs reissued before on vinyl are moved to CD. But in other cases (of not quite so desert island-ish LPs already reissued by them) it does gall me (a bit) that often there would have been other LPs by that same artist that are not that easy to find elsewhere either and could have been selected as well (instead of that previous vinyl reissue) to make up such a "2 LPs on one CD" set. But - even disregarding the fact that these Fresh Sound vinyl reissues are not toally inaccessible secondhand - I think he still eyes that "I've dumped my LPs for good and am all CDs now" crowd and does his marketing accordingly. Anyway ... anyone have any any opinion on that 1959 Symphonium session on that Lucky Thompson set? How does it compare to the "rest"?

Ha, I've seen that even Mosaic is guilty of that sometimes ... Riding a principle to death ... I am definitely not one to complain about Jordi Pujol. He goes where hardly anybody else dares (or cares) to tread. (And a P.D. law is a P.D. law ... others like it or not ... and Japanese reissues - staying in print for ... what ... 57 seconds? ... like someone aptly put it here - and often marked "Not for sale outside Japan" (really not for licensing reasons?) conveniently ignored by many non-Japanese snappers-up of these - do not really count in the overall accessibility scheme of things anyway). But I do dislike one aspect of his reissue policy anyway ... Very, very often he reissues stuff in "2 LPs on one CD" packages (or similar) that SPOT ON take that single LP reissue by Fresh Sound done at the time (and sometimes even an earlier Fresh Sound CD reissue) and combine it with the reissue of another LP not quite so easily available elsewhere. So if you've been around a while and bought many of those F.S. vinyl reissues (like I did) and hang on to these you are licked because you have to buy half of what you already have all over again if you want the other stuff. So by now I often pass.

"Blues for Frank" was reissued on Swing LP SW8404 ("Paris 1956 - Vol. One"), though, which should not be that hard to find either. To name just this reissue ... Otterwise, I am having similar feelings to what Clunky said. Everything here except CAD 3.001 (Plays For The Club), of course, and the Symphonium session from 1959 (any opinions on this vs the "rest"?). And I guess I can live without the alternates. So I am wondering if, with all these duplications, I am to get the box set anyway (the additional single CD with the larger lineups is of no interest as I have all these).

Two different persons ... See Arthur Lee Maye website as per your link: Though known on record as Arthur Lee Maye, he played professional ball simply as Lee Maye (not to be confused with Lee May, who joined the majors in the 1960s). A birthday date of 1943 (as in the Lee May obit) hardly woudl ahve fitted with a 50s recording careeer that started in 1955. And THIS Lee has been gone since 2002, according to his website.

I figured you weren't. I just found it strange upon listening to these records that reviews published elsewhere (or general write-ups on these releases) elevated them on such a pedestal.

Interesting impressions. I was in a somewhat similar situation. Having been a fan of Swedish jazz from the "classic" period (i.e. Swedish Cool from the 50s, as far as modern jazz goes, and then some ... a bit, really ... ) for a long, long time I came across references to and enthusiastic reviews of the Jazz Pa Stampen (Jazz At The Pawnshop) releases. It wasn't until during the past 1-2 years that I came across the Vol. 1 and 2 CDs (on the Proprius label) at prices you can't refuse (nor go wrong at) at local secondhand record clearout sales that I took the plunge. Like you say, quite nice indeed but I find them not nearly as adventurous (particularly Vol. 1) or earth-shattering as some enthusing reviews made them out to be. Not that I would have minded - I am quite happy with the Bengt Hallberg/Ove Lind (etc.) recordings from roughly the same period too.

I've often heard this remark about pre-war blues reissues which many reviewers find really fine if taken one (or two) at a time but not a whole CD in a row. For the reasons you named. And I've adjusted my own listening habits somewhat to this with quite a few pre-war (or 78-rpm/single era) records. It can happen elsewhere too if people get into the music based on records. A friend of mine who is very much into older styles of country music and is a pretty good steel guitar player has got a new band project going (a side project for several of the other band members who play in other bands - mostly leaning towards rockabilly) that focuses on 50s "honky tonk" country music (Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb, etc. etc.). Real hard-core honky tonk, expressly not leaning towards hillbilly bop (as other bands on the circuit do when they dig into these precursors of rockabilly). The other day they had their first gig. Well done, nicely played and with a real feel, each tune taken by itself came across well. But listening to the whole set left rather an overwhelming impression of sameness - hardly any song taken at more than mid-tempo (mostly leaning towards the slower side of mid-tempo, in fact), so listening through all of them their act somehow did not really make you get on fire, except with diehard country buffs, maybe, who find anything taken at a pace above sentimental "country weeper" slowie tempo really exciting. I am pretty sure those honky tonk acts from the 50s had their hitmaking formula for their records too and exploited it to the full (I for one could not stomach listening to a Bear Family completist set of Lefty Frizzell and his ilk, for one) but when they appeared on stage no doubt they had their repertoire of more catchy, uptempo and hotter tunes too (like earlier bands had had) to keep not just the lonely souls weeping into their beers happy in those roadside joints but the dancers too. So the records they left behind may not show their FULL on-stage versatility. Hard to get this point across to my buddy, though (so far, at least) ...

Bought, you mean ...?

How about calling it "the bees knees", then ... Thanks for your encouragement - I will check it out (and make some room eventually ...).

Thanks for pointing out this book. Sounds very interesting. Will have to investigate a bit more to see if it is worth adding to my overcrowded music bookshelf. I sincerely hope it is more to the mark than these two: https://www.amazon.com/Melody-Lingers-Scenes-Golden-Years/dp/1564741516/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501232938&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=%22Music+lingers+on%22+Fox+West+Coast Not that bad but more about West Coast pop celebs than about WCJ proper and some of it rambles on quite a bit. Not very focused and little to really complement the books by Gioia, Gordon and Tercinet. https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Southwest-History-Western-Swing/dp/0292708602/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1501233044&sr=1-1&keywords=oral+history+of+western+swing Not bad either but mainly for want of a better and more comprehensive book. Clearly this book (and its subject matter in the form of an oral first-hand history) was written waaaay too late when most of those from the real heyday of Western Swing had already passed on or were unable to remember or contibute due to advanced age. So this book mainly focuses on post-war (i.e. post-1950) musicians and bands and therefore just manages to grab the VERY tail end of the music.

Talking about "blowing sessions"?

Is there really such a first name as JAZZmeia in the US these days or is this just a "nom de plume" (stage name) to bring up certain associations? Sounds contrived anyhow ...

With special-interest products this is often the case if the subject matter fits one's interests. I've acted in the same way when I sprung instantly for Bill Birch's self-published "Keeper of the Flame - Modern Jazz in Manchester 1946-1972" (from what I seem to remember he told me I was only the second German to have bought a copy of his book, and I hope he has met with as much success as you did). I have no particular affinity with Manchester but the subject matter of (1) early post-war "Eurojazz", (2) pictorial jazz history was right up my alley so there were no hesitations and no regrets. Books like this add (literally) to the overall historical picture and are bound to cover territory that remains uncharted elsewhere. For similar reasons I've bought books on the history of jazz (focusing on the early years) in Munich, Cologne, Vienna, Stockholm and Göteborg (and Boston, Detroit and Newark, N.J. too ). Alas, no book on the history of jazz in my hometown (and its greater metropolitan area) so far -which would add a third reason for buying: local history (like David Ayers said), which no doubt accounted for part of your sales in your own area). Anyway, VERY well done ... Hats off ... Agree with Kevin Bresnahan, BTW (in a way): Is there any website where sample pages of the book can be checked out - just to see what we've missed?