brownie

Never got around to buying the JJ Johnson Mosaic box and never saw the booklet. I had the original LPs of that set. I know the Bobby Jaspar article was reprinted shortly after its appearance in Jazz Hot in the british Jazz Journal.

By the time I reached 13, I was wearing eyeglasses. By the time I reached 40, I was told my myopia would ebb and my eyesight would be better. Damn lies!! By the time, I reached 50, I was presbyopic. Then I discovered Varilux lenses. Was told that it would take days to get used to them. More lies! Those Varilux seem to have been made for me. I would not be without these eyeglasses anymore.

Pete La Roca 'Basra' (BN mono original)

An illuminating article by Bobby Jaspar in Jazz Hot back in 1958 on the Jones drummers (Elvin and Philly Joe) brought the attention to Elvin Jones who was not very well known in Europe around then. Jaspar's article was revelation that a new style of drumming was evolving and Elvin Jones was its master. Jaspar of course had had all the time needed to study Elvin's drumming technique when the two played in JJ Johnson quintet. Then the discovery of the Rollins at Village Vanguard BN album confirmed the validity of what Jaspar was writing about. That album still remains my very favorite Rollins. And the playing of Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones around Rollins remains one those moments of beauty that makes jazz the unique music it is. I did not catch that early on Turrentine. It took a friend who was a Stanley Turrentine freak to bring attention to Turrentine's playing. When that friend came to my place, he would head straight to the Turrentine albums and would not listen to anything else. That was back around 1963.

Have enjoyed the Mingus Candids for years. I have the mono originals. Like most of the first generation Candids, the sessions were engineered by the great Bob d'Orleans. The music speaks for itself. The sound is superb in all its analog glory. No print-through echo on those Candid LPs.

As far as I am concerned, Jackie McLean can do no wrong. His lesser recordings provide more thrills than the good ones from a number of recognized musicians. And I am fully aware of some of the lesser ones but it's allright with me. After all there are a number of lesser recordings from other heroes such as Armstrong, Ellington, Prez, Miles and even Bird. Nobody's perfect! As for McLean, I even get kicks out of 'Monument'. That one sure is not McLean's type of music but his playing on the opening title number has our man playing with the intensity he shows on some of his better recordings. And 'They All Seem To Disappear' is indeed a full of melancholy number but there is a strange beauty there! Sad but in the true sense of the word.

Now that this room is ready for him, wish John Litweiler will come out from behind the curtains where he seems to have confined himself and make his entrance! We all can learn from him!

The Great Jazz Trio (Hank Jones, Ron Carter, Tony Williams) Direct From L.A. (East Wind)

Happy Birthday Have a great day!

The 1962 date refers to the year the session was recorded. The 'Indestructible Lee' Affinity 1960 mention above the Jazzland album also refers to 1960 as the recording date. The Affinity LP came out in the eighties, I think. The Goldmine Jazz Albums books list the release date as 1962 but those books are pretty far from being always reliable!

The copy of that Archie Shepp/Bill Dixon Quartet Savoy LP I have lists Shepp/Dixon as producer. Surprised that Shepp could not prevail on Dixon to reissue this!

Kenny Burrell 'K.B. Blues' (Japanese BN). The session with Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Louis Hayes.

it is available as japanese mini LP CD Got a copy of that Japanese mini LP/CD - plus '100% Proof' from the same mini series - for €10 each at the tail end of the summer sales at the FNAC store! Great buy

The Tour de France avoids the Mont Ventoux this year. Valreas at the start of lap 15 on Tuesday July 20 is not too far. But if you care to watch the Tour and are in the Alps area, suggest you try and go to L'Alpe d'Huez on the following day. That should be the decisive stage of this year's Tour.

Haven't worked an interest in the 2004 Tour yet. I am tired of those Lance Armstrong victories. I will be mean and hope he does not make it. But Ullrich was not really impressive in the time lap. I have been invited to join colleagues and will be insinuating myself in the caravane for Thursday's stage to Chartres. Weather permitting (there's talk of rain in northern France that day) I will at least have fun with that hard-working crew. They work and I have a good time! That's my plan anyway!

Assume we're talking about the original Candid label that was active in the early 60s. The one whose sessions were supervised by Nat Hentoff. Some more great albums: Steve Lacy 'Straight Horn' Nancy Harrow 'Wild Women Don't Have The Blues' and another recommendation for the PeeWee Russell/Coleman Hawkins 'Jazz Reunion'

Happy birthday, barak Have a great day!

The recording of the soundtrack to 'Paris Blues' was a pretty complicated operation. The Dr. Klaus Stratemann huge book 'Duke Ellington, Day By Day and Film By Film' has seven full pages on the film and the recordings around it. To sum up: Armstrong took part in the recording of 'Wild Man Moore' and 'Battle Royal' in Paris on December 14, 1960. Musicians on the first tune included Jack Butler on trumpet and drummer Moustache Galepides plus probably bass player Michel Gaudry. For 'Battle Royal', the musicians included Billy Byers, Guy Lafitte, guitarist Jimmy Gourley and a full band of mostly French musicians. Most of the rest of the music was recorded May 1, 2 and 3, 1961 in New York. Collective personnel listed in the book is: Willie Cook, Eddie Mullens, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Ray Nance, tp, Britt Woodman, Lawrence Brown, Juan Tizol, Murray McEachern, Lou Blackburn, tb, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Oliver Nelson, Paul Gonsalves, Babe Clark, Harry Carney, reeds, Harry Smiles, oboe, Les Spann, fl/g, Aaron Bell, b, and a drum crew of Jimmy Johnson, Sonny Greer, Max Roach, Dave Jackson and Philly Joe Jones! That drum section must have been something!

No trace of this pianist in the reference books I have. The Tom Lord discography lists a February 194O piano solo session in Paris for the Swing label.

I saw a number of these LPs at the Virgin megastore on the Champs-Elysees. They look good. The price was some €33 (about $40) each. Too rich for my blood...

Had a hard time enjoying the first 2 discs of the Four Freshmen box which I bought during a sales last week. Fortunately things got better with disc 3. I'll play the following discs in a few days.

This is where we disagree. As far as I am concerned, both Hubbard and Turrentine settled in a formula style when they switched to CTI. Obviously they played along with Creed Taylor's production criterias. Those albums were lavishly recorded and designed for stronger sales potential. Nothing wrong with that. But both lost their souls there. Turrentine's stuff on BN was good enough to produce one of the best Mosaic sets. I don't think that the albums he recorded for CTI would warrant a Mosaic set (besides the copyright problems involved). Same goes for Hubbard. But that's just my opinion and don't let what I think prevent you from enjoying those CTI albums I have enjoyed some of those albums too. But when given the choice, I'll play the BN ones more often...

Brownian, trust you aware that Arthur Briggs is featured on pre-WWII sides on the Louis Armstrong And Friends volume 51 of the Jazz in Paris collection. This one features a July 1933 date by the Freddy Johnson, Arthur Briggs & their All-Star Orchestra, plus a 'Wo Ist Der Mann? tune sung by Marlene Dietrich (with Briggs) and a June 1933 session by Briggs with Freddy Johnson on piano and singer Louis Cole.

I'm with you, J.A.W. That Greek team reminded me of the German teams from the Franz Beckenbauer era. Not really exciting to look at but effective. Yes, the Greeks deserved to win. They had the stamina to endure those difficult games. But after all is considered, the Euro2004 is more than a bit worrisome about the current state of soccer in Europe. No real individual great appeared among the younger elements. And the Old Guard grew older. They gave us plenty of joy several years ago, but no more. Not sure the next generation of players will be more exciting now that money has taken over soccer.

Some additional news - from the ayler.supanet site on the Revenant box: