brownie

The full Mingus at Bohemia material was on the 'Charles Mingus, the Complete Debut Recordings' box. It's good stuff. Recommended.

That RCA LP was originally released as 'The Melody is Here' (RCA LPM 3902). Lineup is: Jimmy Owens, tp, flugel, Tom McIntosh, tb, George Marge, Joe Farrell, reeds, Vic, ts, sop, John Blair, vln, Herbie Hancock, p, Everett Barksdale, g, Bob Cranshaw, b, Grady Tate, dr, Dave Carey, Teddy Charles, perc, Ed Bland, arrt, cond. Lawrence Lucie replaces Barksdale and McIntosh is out on several tracks. Recorded August 21/22, 1967.

That cover photo is credited to 'Laurence Fink'. As Larry Fink, the photographer became one of the best and most representative of the New York photographers' scene. Atlantic Records knew how to pick the right photographers for their album covers. So many great Lee Friedlander photos illustrate their LPs.

That's the one and only Big Jay McNeely doing his thing during a 1951 concert in Los Angeles on the cover of the Proper box. Not sure if the photo is credited there. The photo was taken by Bob Willoughby who also shot photos of all the great ones from the West Coast scene in addition to taking a lot of wonderful photos of Hollywood film stars. The black-and-white photo has been colored for the box cover. As a black-and-white document, this is one of the best photos to emerge from a concert!

This was released as Atlantic 1435. Full album title was 'Thge Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan'. Cover had a photo - by Larry Fink - of Max Roach standing right behind Hasaan who is playing the pianoi.

Bravo, bravo

This sounds like the 'Symphonic Dreams' album that Mulligan recorded with the Houston Symphony under the direction of Erich Kunzel. From 1987. I have it in its original LP incarnation on the PAR label. Have not heard this in a long time. Know this also came out on CD.

About the Coltrane nodding incident at the 1957 'Monk's Music' recording session, this account by Ray Copeland, the trumpet player at the session, rings true. This is from the 'Chasin' the Trane' book by J.C. Thomas. 'In 1957 I was on a record date with Coltrane and he was definetely high on junk, of that I'm sure. We were sitting near the rhythm section while the leader was taking a long piano solo. It was almost time for Coltrane's solo, and as I turned to look at him I noticed that he was nodding out, holding his horn in his lap. Before I could do anything, the leader happened to look up from the piano, saw Coltrane's condition, and screamed 'Coltrane...COLTRANE!' What happened next was so amazing I'll never forget it as long as I live. Trane was suddenly on his feet, playing in perfect cadence and following the piano solo as if nothing had happened. He played a pretty good solo, and when he was finished he sat down again and went back to nodding out'.

Does<Rosie come with a certificate guaranting her virginity??

There are also a couple of sides not on the Mingus Mosaic on the 'Candid Dolphy' CD released by Candid in 1989. That CD has take 1 of 'Reincarnation of a Love Bird' and take 2 of 'Body and Soul'.

This is a superb album. A great pianist. Wish he had recorded with Kenny Dorham who - according to the liner notes to his one Atlantic LP - was the first person Hasaan ran into when he decided to try his luck in New York. And would like Atlantic to issue the unreleased second album by Hasaan. This was recorded in August and September 1965 in New York with Odeon Pope, Art Davis and drummer Khalil Madi.

Boy! You're lucky

Deus, you're growing by the day. How does it feel being 2?

Columbia in addition to that 'Showboat' in jazz LP also had a 'Swinging Guys and Dolls' LP by the Manhattan Jazz All Stars at around the same time (1959). A delightful album which turned out to be led by Teddy Charles and Teo Macero who shared the arrangements duties. The following musicians turned up for three sessions: - Teddy Charles, Nick Travis, Teo Macero, Dave McKenna, Jimmy Raney, Addison Farmer, Ed Shaughnessy, - Teddy Charles, Bob Brookmeyer, Phil Woods, Mose Allison, Aaron Bell, Shaughnessy, - Teddy Charles, Brookmeyer, Woods, Zoot Sims, Julius Watkins, Sir Charles Thompson, Farmer, Shaughnessy. Don't think that one has ever been reissued!

I'll plug in the 'Piano Playhouse' album with solo piano contributions fro; Jimmy Rowles, Carl Perkins, Paul Smith, Lou Levy and Gerry Wiggins. This was originally recorded for Mode but never appeared on that label. VSOP resuscitated that one.

The music was recorded sixty years ago. Or almost. We can wait some more...

Dig this one too B)

I have a double LP from VeeJay Japan of this. Have not heard this in a while but I recall a great 'Mobley solo in 'If You Could See Me Now' from the session which was recorded at the Left Bank Society in Baltimore. The six tracks add up to about 90 minutes. Wynton Kelly is in top form. Mobley shows he could still produce good solos even if the date is not one of his very, very best... This was reissued on Fresh Sounds recently on a 2CD.

The last Masters of Jazz Basie I have is volume 11. This goes up to a July 15, 1939 Famous Door broadcast. Ten sides from that broadcast including four that never appeared elsewhere. Only one of those 'White Sails' has a short Lester Young obligato behind Helen Humes' vocal.

Ubu, the Jass Prez Conference has the Lester Young Jubilee appearances. It does not have Coleman Hawkins' blowing 'Body and Soul' right after Lester Young's 'D.B. Blues'. Quite an interesting followup. That Jass CD had lots of good Prez!

Not strictly JATP material but really close are the Jam Sessions from the Jubilee Shows which were issued by Jazz Unlimited (JUCD 2054) in a CD titled 'A Jumpin,Jubilee'. Among the jam sessions are excerpts from a Jubilee broadcast for the Army from April 1946 with a lineup similar to the JATP concert that is on Disc 4 of the Complete JATP 1944-1949 Verve box. The players are Buck Clayton, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Kenny Kersey, Irving Ashby, Billy Hadnott and Shadow Wilson. All the musicians from the JATP concert with Shadow Wilson taking over from Buddy Rich. On the features sides, Lester Young plays a 'D.B. Blues' (Lesterian irony I trust to include this at a concert to be broadcast on the Army radio network) that is even better than the Aladdin version of the composition. Coleman Hawkins has a hard time keeping up to this when he is up next for solos with his version of 'Body and Soul'.

That volume 8 of the Masters of Jazz Count Basie series include six sides by the Basie band which never appeared before. The first one (a July 23, 1938 broadcast from the Famous Door) is a Jumpin' at the Woodside with a great Lester Young solo. The next five are more later broadcasts from the Famous Door with poor sound but great music. The CD also includes an hitherto unissued November 1938 broadcast version of 'Lady Be Good' with solos by Hershel Evans and Lester Young that is superb!

Very sad news. A great photographer goes away! He leaves an amazing legacy. Very recently, Helmut Newton made a selection of his photos available free to the 'Reporters Sans Frontieres' (Reporters Without Borders) organisation for their annual book the profits of which go to the welfare of imprisoned journalists around the world.

From AP

Glad to see that February 1951 Birdland session with Jay Jay, Rollins, Blakey, etc. surface. It is listed in several Miles Davis discographies but has remained unissued even on bootlegs so far. One more Blue Note to get!