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Couldn't find Bird, but still a pretty good week... Downbeat has Sidney Catlett and Billie Holiday Onyx has Roy Eldridge and Ben Webster Three Deuces has Slam Stewart Trio with Erroll Garner Zanzibar has Duke Ellington Cafe Society Uptown has Mary Lou Williams Stuyvessant Casino has Bunk Johnson and Baby Dodds

Dizzy Gillespie, Slim Gaillard and Dinah Washington are all at Birdland. Bobby Hackett (with Vic Dickenson and Zutty Singleton) and Red Norvo are at the Embers. Not much modern jazz coverage this issue. It's a bit strange to see the Village Vanguard listed under Supper Clubs, with Shoshanna Damari (a small, fetching siren from Israel), Orson Bean, and the Clarence Williams trio (playing for dancers).

A small world! I don't usually liike to bother musicians, but I did introduce myself to Dannie Richmond when he appeared with the Mingus Dynasty at the Caravan of Dreams. He was very friendly. I surmise he had been approached by many Mingus fanatics (including me) over the years, as he gently expressed the hope that I did not concentrate exclusively on Mingus in my jazz listening, though he said he could understand that fascination. Dannie Richmond Quintet closes on May 3 (Sunday) at the Village Vanguard (followed on Tuesday by the Elvin Jones group) I have a tape of that Dannie Richmond band that I made during that very week when I saw them. The band included Bob Berg on tenor and Oliver Beener on trumpet.

If you were in New York now and had the current issue of the New Yorker, I can assure you that it would not be depressing, but rather quite exciting, even today.

The only thing depressing is that I didn't get to see what was playing that week-- Jaki Byard at Angry Squire (actually May 1 and 2), Dannie Richmond Quintet closes on May 3 (Sunday) at the Village Vanguard (followed on Tuesday by the Elvin Jones group) Fat Tuesday has Chet Baker West Boondock's has Sadik Hakim (who I thought recorded with Charlie Parker and disappeared thereafter).

I can't decide whether to go see the Louis Armstrong All Stars (with Earl Hines, Jack Teagarden and Barney Bigard) at Bop City (Broadway and 49th Street); or Erroll Garner, plus Bud Powell, Fats Navarro and J. J. Johnson at Birdland (Broadway and 52d St.). Only three short blocks apart!

Are these the discs, without the booklet and large box?

Village Vanguard--another incredible double bill with Sonny Rollins and Horace Silver Village Gate--Jimmy Smith Half Note--Zoot Sims Slug's--Curtis Fuller

I tried but it appears jazz was still beneath the New Yorker at that time, as they do not have jazz club listings or ads. It was the third week of showings of Chaplin's Modern Times.

12/28/51 Birdland--Ella Fitzgerald (the next week--double bill of Lester Young and Johnny Hodges) Embers--Joe Bushkin with Jo Jones, Milt Hinton, and Jonah Jones; also, Red Norvo Trio with Tal Farlow (Charles Mingus?) Stuyvessant Casino--band includes Oran Hot Lips Page, Pee Wee Russell, Sonny Greer, Bobby Hacket and Wild Bill Davidson.

Week including 7/5/57: Jimmy Giuffre Trio at the Village Vanguard Phineas Newborn at Lower Basin Street Oscar Pettiford at Birdland Cannonball Adderley Quintet at Cafe Bohemia (Miles Davis to follow)

Can I call you Dad?

Joe Chambers is the only drummer (with a large group), I believe, on Mingus and Friends in concert, which has some very fine music, as well as some chaotic pieces that don't come out right. Joe Chambers is one of two to four drummers (plus percussionists) on Something Like a Bird/Me Myself an Eye. I believe he is one of the four featured drummers on the sidelong piece, Three Worlds of Drums. I like both, but they are on the low end of priority in LPs released by Mr. Mingus.

This concert was advertised again, so I assume that Mr. Newman has recovered and will appear at UTD on January 14, 2006.

Basin Street--Dave Brubeck Birdland--Count Basie Central Plaza--group with Charlie Shavers, Willy the Lion Smith, Gene Sedric and Sonny Greer.

Mal Waldron and Benny Golson double bill at the Five Spot Mary Lou Williams and Bernard Pfeiffer piano trio double bill at The Composer Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Mose Allison at the Half Note Teddy Wilson at the Embers Harry Edison and Johnny Smith at Birdland

Village Vanguard--a double bill of Roland Kirk and Thelonious Monk Village Gate--Charles Lloyd Quartet Half Note--Zoot Sims and Al Cohn Slug's--Yusef Lateef Pookie's Pub--Elvin Jones (Thad Jones on trumpet)

Bobby Timmons at Boomer's Zoot Sims Quartet at the Half Note McCoy Tyner Quintet at Slug's Thelonious Monk at the Village Vanguard (isn't this near the end of his public performances?).

It was a good week for double bills-- Count Basie and the Lester Young Quintet at Birdland, and Lee Konitz and Herbie Nichols at the Cafe Bohemia (if you came on the 16th, Monk replaces Nichols). If you got bored with these, there was always Illinois Jacquet at Basin Street.

A pretty good week-- Charles Mingus is at the Showplace Ornette Coleman is at the Five Spot Kenny Burrell Trio at the Village Vanguard The Jazztet at the Jazz Gallery Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Mose Allison at the Half Note

That week: Elvin Jones with Joe Farrell at La Boheme, on double bill with the "Izenzon Quintet" (David?) (except on the 16th, Booker Ervin substitutes for Izenzon) Art Blakey at Slugs, followed on the 16th by Freddie Hubbard Quartet Roland Kirk at the Village Vanguard, followed on the 16th by Sonny Rollins Quartet.

I might add that the Moffett Family Jazz Band, who I got to see live at the Caravan of Dreams on several occasions, is truly one of the finest jazz bands I've ever seen.

He's the son of drummer Charles Moffett, who played with Ornette Coleman, and who attended the same High School in Fort Worth, Texas as Ornette, Dewey Redman, and Prince Lasha, among others. The family is from Fort Worth, but I don't think Charnett lives there any more. He's accomplished on both accoustic and Electric bass; you must have seen him on electric bass. This concert was unreal, essentially a solo bass concert, with some minimal accompaniment by his son (on drums) and daughter (on keyboards). It was stunning in every way. I actually sat at a table with one of his uncles, who told me about how Charnett attended Julliard at the age of 13 (or something like that), as well as a bit about segregation in DFW in the 1950s. I saw Charett Moffett playing with someone this year (who escapes me). I wasn't really familiar with him before. Not exactly my style and I generally don't like that much funk in my jazz, but man, he was good. Almost good enough to convert me. I'll look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Is he from Dallas? Product of Arts Magnet and UNT perhaps? I don't really know anything about him. Cat can play, though.

I recently acquired a CD of Dexter's early recordings on Savoy, and I was amazed at how fully formed his style was circa 1946, and how excellent these recordings are. So if, like me, you are a big fan of his Blue Note, Prestige, and Steeplechase recordings, don't ignore his early works.

Sure, I would be happy to look up more dates, but it won't be until late this evening when I get home.