Big Beat Steve

Clarence Gatemouth Brown - "San Antonio Ballbuster". Straddles the fence of post-war "Blues" and "RHYTHM & Blues" and should amply satisfly BOTH camps (unless you blues people are in a constant down-homey mood - or rut ). The original reissue release on Red Lightnin' later resurfaced on a Charly LP. Same contents.

I do check "our" equivalent of the "dollar bins" from time to time at my favorite local secondhand record store - 2.50 EUR per record, either vinyls in separate crates or CDs in racks on the shelves underneath the regular racks (so I do sympathize - a lot! - with TTK's comment about "after slowly standing up and remembering what it was to walk upright" ). Renewal of the jazz stocks in those bins varies, but except for the occasional somewhat scruffy item (often 50s or 60s originals) the records and covers usually are in fairly clean condition - either items that were downpriced after they had sat for years (which you can see by the multiple price stickers) or recent arrivals that the staff figured would not move rapidly anyway. What does move in their opinion seems to be jazz from Hard Bop ONWARDS. So those who go for earlier jazz styles should be in for a treat every now and then. The other day I picked up pristine spare copies of several of those 80s Savoy twofers, for example. The fairly beat-up vinyls usually end up at their twice-a-year clearout Sale weekends (currently at 1 EUR per item) which are a different story because nothing is organized (so they do test your stamina). But even there you can round up amazing items. In addition to 50s originals mentioned elsewhere earlier, last time I pulled out a dozen Classics CDs and the Johnny Richards CD on Uptown, for example, among many other vinyls and CDs. And at that price you can take chances anyway ... or add a duplicate item for convenience, i.e. a CD for the car - or lazy evenings - of music that you already have on vinyl). But indeed - talk about filthy fingertips after THESE perusals ...

@TTK: Well, without getting too OT, what I did pick up (without looking for them) so far from the Capitol era were "Jazz Moments"; "Shearing on Stage", "San Francisco Scene", and "Nat King Cole Sings ...". (The "Burnished Brass" LP bought long ago was relegated to the Easy listening corner but is still there ).

There are many where I am in a (near-)completist mood and value them acordingly but there are others that very often ended up in my racks without me really trying (because - like TTK said - the availability just was and/or is enormous, and besides - they ARE important and usually make for rewarding listening so you cannot really go wrong). But their number of records in my collection definitely exceeds their place in my imaginary ranks of personal and perennial favorites) : - Duke Ellington (the RCA and Columbia anthologies alone make for a HUGE lot! And then there's the "rest" ...) - Benny Goodman - Louis Armstrong - Eddie Condon - Sidney Bechet As for TTK's initial listing, I could have picked up a lot more George Shearings too but beyond the MGM period I remain very, very choosy about his Capitol albums, regardless of their availability and affordability. You've got a point there, but as for the eternal question "Are you ever going to listen to all of your records again in the rest of your life?", my reply (and not only mine, that's for sure ) is "No, but do I know which ones I won't ever listen to again?" No, I don't, so for the time being they are keepers. 😉

I understand your point and see your comment in a somewhat different light now. But FWIW that would be a touchy aspect for me. We had a fairly astute (IMO and not only "M" but many others I knew too ;)) movie critic at a local radio station years ago. He was almost an institution but he clearly spoke his mind and never was afraid of calling the "the emperor is nude" bluff on many a movie that actually did deserve it. (There was and is an awful lot of dross out there that they try to shove down your eyes) But then he disappeared off the station, and from what came next in movie reviews there clearly showed that he was silenced because he evidently interfered with "ulterior" interests that boiled down to "keeping the moviegoer-cum-radio listener" happy and motivated. "Panem et circenses", you know ... So, coming across as a "grumpy old fart" critic may not quite be what a critic can be reduced to after all if you care to accept that a critic is at least as much there to "criticise" as to "praise" ... (The attitude of "If I don't like it I won't review it" is childish IMO, never mind the editor's or publisher's demands ...)

So this was what was suposed to be "essential" in jazz in 1970? Hodgepodgey IMO, not only for the omission of at least the giants of pre-bop (i.e Swing; but OTOH there were enough other "essential" lists that did feature them, to the exclusion of others, in turn). But even actual Bebop (note: REAL Bebop as opposed to Hard Bop) is consicuous by its almost total absence (except for those only moderately representative Bird recordings). And no pre-Columbia Miles? And that sole Sonny Stitt looks rather abitrary to me. 4 George Russells give a very lopsided overall picture too. As for who Jerry Coker was - so was it a sign of objectivity, then, that the below one did not make it into the list? 😉 https://www.discogs.com/de/master/674153-Jerry-Coker-Modern-Music-From-Indiana-University

True - Mariano was very active here in Germany up to his death. The way he evolved over time, this was not my kind of jazz anymore either, yet I do regret I did not take the plunge and go to see him at one of his live appearances that did take place locally. I had repeatedly thought of attending one of these shows - including with the intention of having these 50s albums autographed by him - but somehow it never materialized, and then it was too late ... Same with Herb Geller ...

But could you always be sure that the items that OTOH he blasted were by necessity right up your alley (because according to your reasoning it was HIM who had blasted them so they could only be great)? Or wasn't it so that regardless of how "opposite" the tastes were, this "oppositeness" was hardly ever likely to extend 100% across the full spectrum of the music and artists? Which should leave quite a few areas where input from a different point of reference can still be useful. I've read a huge lot of reviews from a lot of different sources over time and usually found (and still find) them quite informative as a "guideline" or "orientation mark" (which is all I ever expected them to be - I never take them to be the 100% final gospel). But even contrasting reviews on one and the same item were (and are) useful to me because they at the very minimum were "food for thought(s)" that I found (and still find) worthy of being thought.

I am afraid there is far more than just a "grain" of truth in all this. And he is certainly not paranoid.

Interesting ... Certainly a case of missed opportunities, consi dering that once the not so trad-minded managed to listen beyond the instrumental backing she came across as a fairly impressive singer.

I understood jcam_44 to refer to the backing group of string instruments, not that young flutist (you'll admit that "recorder" always sounds decidedly ODD to us non-English native speakers to describe what after all IS part of the "Flöte" ("flute") family ). She may be a bit overenthusiastic in her motions and expressions, but I'd cut her any amount of slack, given the situation and her age. And after all, haven't there been more mature musicians who would make onlookers cringe too when they look at the musicians' exaggerated antics in front of the mike? As for keeping Bird's exact phrasing, admittedly I wouldn't have been able to do a close-up comparison, but she gets the overall character of the tune IMO. And the rest might be filed under "artistic liberties". After all she certainly does not see herself in the field of classical music (at least here) where the notion of "Werktreue" applies for better or (much) worse.

Impressive indeed. Although I had a bit of a difficulty in singling out the recorder throughout among the strings in the ensemble sections. Anyway ... this kind of reworking is a nice idea IMO. And it certainly breathes some fresh air into that instrument. Don't know about the "unamused" violinists. Isn't it so that this would not be the first case where grimacing bordering on severe bodily pain actually is supposed to indicate intense involvement in the music? What jcam_44 said made me snicker. I was another one of those pressed into recorder lessons in my primary school days and found it one big boring drag. No idea then (if i had been aware of jazz then) that one could have gotten anywhere anywhere near this on this instrument.

Paywall!

Thanks for this info. It has been ages since I read the Tommy Johnson biography in full (I bought the book in London - along with a Charley Patton bio - at age 17 in 1977) but that name LeDell did stick. Must check that "source" again soon.

Fascinating indeed ... Mack McCormick was a force (source? ) to be reckoned with at the (for want of a better word) "folksy" end of the writings on the history of popular music. Sadly this article also shows him as another case where excessive obsession with one's lifelong interests turns you into a nut job who feels suspicious about anyone and anything out there and seems to feel a need to get even with everyone ... A case of a deep down inside feeling that regardless of all acknowledgments and achievements he has not been given his due by his peers and the audience at large but rather has been taken advantage of by just everyone? Pity ... I wonder what he had to say about the Robert Johnson biography "Escaping the Delta" by Elijah Wald (bought this one upon recommendations here IIRC and found it very interesting). P.S.: Have saved the article and will peruse it in detail later so I have not taken in every word yet - but ... can anyone fill me in on what the photograph of LeDell Johnson halfway through the story means in THIS context? I did a word search through the article but he only comes up in the photo caption. However, AFAIK LeDell was the brother of blues singer TOMMY Johnson, an altogether different blues man (not much less mythic or mysterious - cf. the Tommy Johnson bio by David Evans publicshed by Studio Vista in 1971). PS.2: I think the below story on Mack McCormick was mentioned here some months ago as well: https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/my-quest-to-preserve-the-secret-blues

Your plug for these records had me stumped for a moment because I did not recall any Art Farmer leader dates on Coral or Decca from the 50s. So I checked - and the records you refer to both are Hal McKusick leader dates and must be "Hal McKusick Quintet featuring Art Farmer" (Coral CRL-57131) and "Cross Section - Saxes" (Decca DL-9209 - this one has the "Stratusphunk" track). I have both of them on (reissue) vinyl - so thanks for the recommendation. Will put them on my "to do" record stack. 😉

Thanks everyone. Of course I've seen Stereo stickers stuck on Mono covers or covers with labels with new catalog no. stuck over superseded catalog no. on covers. Relatively often. But what baffles me here is that they should have kept clearly outdated label addresses and affiliations (such as in the case of Impulse as part of ABC Paramount in the case of an MCA-era record inside) without sticking an update label on. (I've seen such stickers elsewhere) I should have thought that label owners would be a wee bit touchy about getting this right. Or were jazz pressings that much of a niche market even back then that they just could not be bothered? According to this site ... https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/record-labels-guide/7-impulse/impulse-us-labels/ ... my Basie KC7 LP has a 1963-66 cover with a post-1979 record inside. So I do wonder if they actually still were using up 60s cover stocks in 1979? And putting records inside that have not only a different label but a totally different catalog no. and NO reference to the original catalog no. (such as in the case of the Dutch Philips vinyl inside the US Impulse cover, which according to Discogs was no isolated case) is rather odd too. All this IMO is a far cry from using up (or using in the first place) domestic (U.S.) covers for export pressings, such as in the case of my copies of Art Blakey's Orgy In Rhythm Vol.1 and 2 which have a German vinyl (with the copyright small print in German on the Blue Note label which otherwise resembles the US label, and "Made in Germany" in the dead wax) inside what clearly is a U.S. cardboard Liberty-era cover. So ... as an ongoing question for those who read this topic later on, have any of you come across similarly mismatched Impulse pressings?

Admittedly the following question may be redundant to those who enthuse about Impulse just as much as they do about Blue Note and know all the finer points, so my excuses beforehand if I may be stating the obvious ... I'm not only no Impulse expert but also have bought very few Impulse vinyls through the years, but now there is one detail that has me wondering ... About 25 years ago I privately bought a small collection of Count Basie vinyls that included a near-pristine copy of "Count Basie & The Kansas CIty 7" on Impulse (Mono A-15). Inside the typical thick cardboard gatefold cover (marked "Printed in USA - A Product of ABC-Paramount Records, Inc." on the back), however, sat an LP with the light-blue rainbow MCA label (US pressing, Universal City, CA 91608 address in the fine print, and release no. MCA-29003 with (AS-15-A) underneath and a small Impulse! logo above the MCA Records logo). As Impulse as part of ABC-Paramount must have been a thing of the past when MCA took control of them all there seemed to be mismatch between the age of the cover and the record. So I attributed this to someone having put a more recent vinyl pressing inside the original sleeve (was the original record shot, maybe?). Not that I would have minded but it was odd ... But then last week I bought a copy of "Americans in Europe Vol. 1" on Impulse (Stereo A-36, same type of gatefold cover again). And inside this one there is a vinyl on the Dutch Philips label (841974 BY) of the kind that was current in the 60s. No mention of Impulse (contrary to the above Basie LP) on the label. So I am wondering if these mismatches are just coincidences or not ... A search on Discogs did not yield anything totally conclusive (for lack of photographs) on the Basie LP, but the "Americans in Europe" LP combination/mismatch I have looks like the one described here (which would make it a Dutch 1963 pressing): https://www.discogs.com/de/release/10844694-Various-Americans-In-Europe-Vol-1 Now my question to those in the know: Is this kind of mismatch between the cover and the vinyl a common occurrence with older Impulses? Did they have that massive quantities of "surplus" gatefold sleeves from the ABC-Paramount era that they were able to ship the sleeves abroad for local pressings (with just the vinyl being pressed in the respective country) or even use them up much later (as in the case of the Basie KC 7 MCA-Impulse LP)? I seem to remember that such "mismatches" occurred with Blue Notes from the Liberty era too (i.e. European-pressed vinyl, e.g. from Germany - with German copyright text on the BN label, inside a U.S. "Liberty" cardboard sleeve). But the mismatches of these two Impulses are much more "radical" so I am wondering ... Thanks beforehand to whomever may have some evidence on this ...

To give you an example closer to your home base: If you were talking about the 60s Cannonball Adderley Quintet or Weather Report and Joe Zawinul as their common denominator in the lineup and if I were to tell you that I do like the early Joe Zawinul Austrian All Stars recordings (for more than just historical reasons) then you might dismiss them as not being representative enough of his OVERALL recorded output. And then I'd have to admit I just happen to have a "soft spot" for them (indeed I like that RST CD reissue of those recordings a lot ...).

NOT AT ALL, my dear Gheorghe. See here, for example: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/have+a+soft+spot+for+(someone+or+something) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft spot So in fact linking this expession (which comes from everyday English language - you can have a "soft spot" for anything that you are able to muster feelings for at all) to anything even remotely resembling "smooth jazz " would be the ultimate insult. In short, the subject of this topic is records or artists that you just happen to like or even love for very personal and not quite objective reasons that are very specific to your own tastes. They would be the classic case of records you just like enormously even though they may very likely neither be part of the "canon" of "immortal jazz recordings for the ages" nor (worse still) part of what (pseudo-?)enlightened jazz "aesthetes" consider "the recordings everyone MUST listen to and like in order to understand and appreciate 'jazz' at all". (Horror of horrors if this latter stance actually were a widespread and generally endorsed attitude. After all "jazz" is such a wide field and has so many facets that there are so many different ways of enjoying and appreciating "jazz" without embracing - or needing to embrace - EVERY style of jazz to the same extent and depth ...). @all: Pleased to see Lem Winchester gets several mentions here. His recordings (which I discovered - and rounded up nicely on that Avid - yes!! box set) were ear openers to me too and do fill a gap where I have come to prefer him over various more renowned "name" artists.

I hope Larry Kart will bear with me for adding another layer to this OT part of the subject of this topic ... There just may be a little misunderstanding of the copyright extension described in your above link. I was wondering whether the change of the UK laws (i.e. the copyright protection period extension from 50 to 70 years) was retroactively applicable or not (remember the change that became effective in the EU in 2012 remained NON-retroactive). It just might be the gov.uk link above only refers to the laws applicable to recordings not yet in the public domain. On searching the web I found several statements to this effect: "UK copyright law changed in November 2013. Term of copyright in sound recordings has been extended non-retroactively from 50 to 70 years. Under this new law recordings made from 1963 onwards will remain under copyright control until at least 2034. Recordings made in 1962 or earlier remain in the public domain. Of course the Tories are planning to throw all EU related laws away at the end of this year which would include this one, so that may have been an impetus behind releasing it now. " This particular quote comes from a current discussion re- a Beatles reissue on the Steve Hoffman forum. I have not yet been able to find any unequivocal statement on the retroactive applicability of the new 70-year term in in the UK. If anything were indeed retroactively applicable in the UK by now then UK-based labels like not only Avid but also Jasmine (that all do a LOT of reissues the contents of which - wonder of wonders - end in 1962 ) would really be going out on a limb and getting themselves into hot water ... Is this that likely? So what I was referring to were European public-domain reissues that comply with the 50-year cutoff date applicable when the new (EU) laws were passed in 2012. As for US labels I was referring to, obviously this has no bearing on what European labels do for the European market (these labels being sold to the US as well is another matter but is of no concern to European customers) but rather was a matter of wondering whether there were any US labels that would step in to cover this kind of artists at all. And if - as it evidently is the case - not even a US label that does not even have pay for licensing because it OWNS the rights (Concord!) can't be bothered, then this is getting treacherously close to "use it or lose it" - in those parts of the world where copyright laws okay this practice anyway.

"Al Haig Today!" (Mint LP 711, rec. 1965)

Ouch ... You're making my music bookshelf in my music room overflow and burst apart at the seams at last ... I just ordered a copy online - so thanks for the recommendation ...

You seem to forget the legality angle in accordance with EUROPEAN P.D. laws. Like it or not, they ARE indeed legit in Europe, i.e. because they are being manufactured in Europe and are marketed on THIS continent. If you really want to go the "crook" route, then you would have to search for the "crooks" where these sets are being sold and bought OUTSIDE the actual area of applicability of EUROPEAN P.D. laws. But you are getting OT anyway. Not least of all because this point (about the areas of applicability of laws) has been made often enough. What remains is that Mr Kart's recommendation of this particular record was a good one IMO, and its availability on the box sets mentioned does help to spread the musical message, everything considered. Particularly since Concord as the holder of the Fantasy catalog (i.e. including Riverside) has shown singularly little interest in putting that catalog back in print at all (let alone keeping it in print). And trying to sneak CD-Rs onto the buying public (something that Avid or RGJ cannot be accused of at any rate) doesn't help either.

That was my understanding too. With the apparent exception of Harold McNair (see my earlier post).