Clunky

Bought around 20 or so 78s over the past 2 weeks, real mix of stuff. Mostly in very good condition but all have benefitted from a quick clean in the RCM. currently listening repeatedly to ... Jelly Roll Morton- a French HMV laminate pressing of Georgia Swing which sounds incredibly clear, I believe it's a 30/40s repress but non the less the sound Q is astounding

A cart once "run in" simply sounds better , I've never heard any talk of damage and that's certainly not been my experience.

Not exactly bebop but our own Chris A recorded this banjo gem , not bebop but cerainly hi-fi and a very engaging set Elmer Snowden - Harlem Banjo

Agreed "Gratitide" is good session. Surely too young, very sad for his family and friends especially.

is the Ellington on the cards for this year ?

I was checking this out on the listening station at my local dealer and the organ playing didn't do much for me so I decided against it. Did I make a mistake? Not a great fan of Mel Rhyne either but that album is pretty good with Blue Mitchell and Griffin in fine spirits! Thanks, Mr. Griffin is what made me want to check it out. The want list is long and the dollars are limited so some have to get left in the bins. Just picked a copy of Mel Rhyne Organ-izing Jazzland (Mono). Pretty decent session, curious mix of piano and hammond. I'd tend to agree that the Griff and Blue are the real attractions here, but that shouldn't take anything away from the leader who plays just fine.

Harry Edison- Just Friends- (Black and Blue). As ever with Black and Blue, very well recorded mainstream material from some masters of the genre. In this case Sweets and Lockjaw. B & B vinyls always seems to be very reliable with excellent pressings and sound. No real earth shattering titles but plenty to enjoy.

My favourite Stones album. Great cover art too..

Billy Butler "this is billy butler" Prestige Low tempo soul jazz set, not half bad too

Picked up a mixed bag of 78s today, ten in total including .. Chu Berry - Sittin In/46 West 52 (Commodore)- lovely pair of sides Cozy Cole All stars- Ghost of Chance/Look Here- (Continental)- Crude swing but has some Hawk and Clyde Hart's guitar cuts through the jam session haze Slim Gaillard- Santa Monica Jump (Majestic) - Lovely tenor spot for Lucky Thompson to shine- Dodos on the piano and Tiny's on bass......Reverse side is slighter with Wini Beatty on piano whilst Slim is on vibes, ok vocal Red Allen - Rug Cutter Swing/ House in Harlem for sale (Vocalion Swing Series / ex Banner). Very fine 1934 session from Red in great sound

Kenton presents The Boots Mussulli Quartet- Diga Diga Doo/ Lullaby in Rhythm- Capitol- Fine sides , I'd like to hear more but AFAIK this has not been released on CD. I think Affinity had a LP of the session but I'm not sure what the sound will be like. Joe Williams - Vitamin A/ Somebody's been worrying Bluebird, picked this up thinking it would be the other Joe Williams who sang with Basie. Not disappointed as these fine have fine blues singing by another Joe Williams

The difference I'd guess lies more in the stylus rather whether the cartridge body is mono or stereo. My Ortofon OM5e (MM) tracks mono LPs better than my more expensive Denon 103R (MC). Both are stereo carts but mono playback achieved by pressing the amplifier mono button

All Ted Brown's sessions are excellent IMO - can't go wrong, pity he's only been recorded so sparingly.

A Victor original- recent purchase at £2 Jacques Renard & His Coconut Grove Orchestra - When the morning glories wake up in the morning ok side with vocal refrain by Johnny Marvin, recorded 1926/7- nice baritone sax solo and trumpet, unidentified. The other side is better known Jean Goldkette & Orchestra - Blue River - with Bix in the mix

a few R&B sides between listening to 2 Ts for a lovely T Jimmy Witherspoon - It ain't no secret/Why do I love you like i do? Checker 826 Goonie Rene- Big Time/Midnight - Class 205 4 really nice R&B sides in lovely condition. Spoon sounding very much better than I remember him to be . Never come across Goonie before ( odd name !!)

The Lord discography has this session listed: Jack Parnell (British) [P1218-6] Jimmy Deuchar, Albert Hall, Joe Hunter (tp) Mac Minshull, Ken Wray (tb) Derek Humble (as) Ronnie Scott (ts) Peter King (ts,b-cl) Harry Klein (bar) Max Harris (p) Sammy Stokes (b) Jack Parnell (d) Phil Seamen (d,bgo-1) London, October 28, 1952 CE14307-1 Catherine wheel (1) Par (E)R3638, PMD1053 CE14308-3 The champ (E)R3607, - CE14309-1 Summertime - - Note: Parlophone (E)PAD1053 titled "Trip to Mars". many thanks next up HERBIE FIELDS' BAND - You can depend on me/ Ghost of a chance -Signature 90004 ( 12 inch 78) - recorded1944, On the swing side of swing-to-bop with guitarist Leonard Ware sounding very good. Fields himself died in 1958 at his own hand if his wikipedia entry is to be believed. his sound on tenor is not especially distinctive , Lestorian in character but non the worse for that . 2 nice sides.

Bought these two 78s just a few days before he died, Old man rebop is pretty good if a little light weight. Jack Parnell and His Quartet - Old man re-bop/Sweet Lorraine- Decca. Includes Grangemouth's finest tenor _Tommy Whittle Jack Parnell and his Quartet - April 21st, 1947 (Decca) Tommy Whittle (ts), Norman Stenfalt (p), Dave Goldberg (g), Charlie Short (b), Jack Parnell (d,vcl). Sweet Lorraine (vcl JP)/Old Man Rebop*. and also Jack Parnell and His Band - The Champ/Summertime- Parlophone- 1952- can't find any more details beyond the label which indicate that Phil Seaman and Jimmy Deuchar feature

the two Manor pressings I have sound just fine (Dizzy Gillespie- Salt Peanuts , The Brown Spots) Asch on the other hand,,,,,,,

Lot's 78 listening lately here enhanced hugely by a new stylus. It's a truncated conical diamond 0032 from the Expert Stylus Company. Not the sort of thing to get excited about but surface noise is significantly better with the rather larger stylus riding higher in the groove. Some 78s like the Blue Note Ed Halls I got recently are significantly better as are my few US Deccas ( Teddy Grace , Adrian Rollini) Remarkably this hand made stylus cost me less than the stock Ortofon OM78 I had been using . Currently spinning King Cole Quintette - Heads - Disc NY, (an early Norman Granz production with some nice Illinois Jacquet and Shad Collins, rather rough recording but sounding much better with the new stylus

Would you recommend this box set Brownie? (for a Cecil 'moderate' who likes his Blue Note sessions but listens to the free-er stuff in small doses ). That's me too, I've had trouble really enjoying his post 60s output, small doses really , it's all too often too heavy to take , maybe this set might help me get it.......wondering.....

Picked up 4 twelve inch Blue Note 78s by Edmond Hall and Sidney De Paris- in mint condition really and sound less distorted than the transfers to CD done in 1999 by BN itself. Nice sides- Smooth Sailing , Seein Red etc.

Ortofon Try the Ortofon OM 5E MM with interchangeable stylii

Payment sent as "household expense" - seemed to give me the opportunity to cover their fee. Vive Organissimo !

i've a Musicraft of this group playing "Bugle Rag" which is really excellent too, The Musicraft sounds quite thin but that probably just an EQ issue as I'm using a RIAA only phonostage

Some very dirty 78s bought cheaply and cleaned up a bit , lots of scratches and marks but no skips and the music shines through, all have great solos from Bird Slim Gaillard - Bel-Tone 753 Popity Pop/ Dizzy Boogie Charlie Parker All Stars- Relaxin at Camarillo Dial 1012 - flip side The Mad Monks- Blue Serge (S Chaloff)- very beat up but still listenable (just !!!) Charlie Parker Sextet Crazeology ( Three ways of playing a chorus)/Relaxing at Camarillo- Esquire 10-079 UK plus Several UK issued Parker Savoys ... quite a number rejected because of really excessive wear and horrendous condition... all good fun really