brownie

Not sure what they mean by 'strange novels your art historians write'. Any idea who they have in mind? Don't think the French have a special interest in love. We just mention it more openly Anyway let's all have another cheer for Rooster who leads all the way

Lot of good recommendations here. But I have not seen the grooviest of the lot: Grant Green Live at the Lighthouse. This cooked from note one!

The first to hit 5,000 gets Orgasmo

Claude has been posting here off an on. He is also the author of a Kenny Dorham discography!

The launching of these special (or limited) editions of Havana cigars is part of the Cuban authorities drive to improve the current production of cigars. Several wellknown brands of cigars (including the Bolivar Churchills) have seen their production stopped. Others (including the cheap and machine-made Guantanameras) have appeared. And quite a number of the limited editions humidors - including that Cumpay Segundo one - have also appeared on the market even if most of them are being kept for very exclusive customers. Another very expensive special edition for instance is the Humidor 510 Anniversary Arrival Cigar that retails for something like $4,000. For that price, you get 20 Cohiba Esplendidos, 20 Montecristo nr. 2, 20 Hoyo de Monterey Epicur nr. 1, 20 Romeo y Julieta Exhibicion nr. 4 and 20 Royales (whatever those are)! I am still puzzled by the fact that the communist government that controls everything in Cuba aims to please the very rich customers who can afford those very expensive cigars. And I am pretty sure that these cigars are mainly aimed for the cigarlovers in the USA - who are still officially deprived of the pleasure of tasting Havana's puros - in view of creating a special niche of customers when trade between the two countries will be officially authorised. I am happy with the regular brands of Havanas. Quality of the puros has improved after a bad slip several years ago. More and more of those Havanas are available in France. But I enjoyed some of those 'special' Trinidad Havanas that a friend who works in Cuba provided me with. That friend still remembers when Compay Segundo was one of the regular musician playing gigs at La Casa del Amistad (The Friendship House)in the Vedado section of Havana in the mid-90s. Hope that the Salomon cigar is up to its reputation! I have not had the privilege of tasting one yet. Not sure all this belongs to the Artists forums. But after all some of the jazz greats (Earl Hines and Willie the Lion Smith are names that automatically come to mind when the words jazz and cigar are linked) were heavy cigar smokers.

One word categorizes my collection: CHAOS. I have been amassing LPs for decades. The jazz albums were filed alphabetically until I ran out of space several years ago. It's been chaotic ever since. And now that I am buying all these CDs, things just get worse. I had a special cabinet built when I moved to my new apartment in the late '80s. The cabinet has been chokefull of CDs for the past couple of years. Creating more chaos. The non-jazz albums (including James Brown/Beatles/Rolling Stones/Dylan/Mozart/Stockhausen and others) have been banished to the cellar where they gather dust. And please don't ask me for a copy of that rare Sonny Clark session! I've got it somewhere. But it's going to get me hours - not to mention a damaged back - to get at it. I keep telling myself to stop adding items but can't seem to be happy without that unissued Duke Ellington that just came out

Storyville Records continues to release interesting material. The label is surviving the recent death of founder Karl Knudsen. Their latest releases which include rare items by Art Tatum and the Duke Ellington 1949 orchestra are at: http://www.storyville-records.com/

The Paris Jazz Corner people will have ready a complimentary copy of the album for you. Sent you a PM!

Joyeux anniversaire, Ghost

LPs only. - Don Friedman 'Avenue of the Americas' (Owl) - Andrew Cyrille/Jeanne Lee/Jimmy Lyons 'Nuba' (Black Saint) - Kenny Dorham 'Trompeta Toccata' (BN) - JR Monterose 'The Message' (Jaro reissue) - Albert Ayler at Slugs, vol. 1 and 2 (Base)

There was a record convention in Paris this weekend. Hadn't been to one of those in a long time. Some guy was selling a set of Japanese LPs I had not seen - or heard about - before. This was a series of ten albums 'Brand New Standard Vocals from New York' recorded by Sony in New York in 1987. I was interested in getting a couple of albums (by Sheila Jordan and Shirley Horn) but the guy would not accept selling single items. However he did make a very good offer for the full set. So here I have the full series. This includes the following albums: - Carol Sloane 'But Not For Me' (with Frank Wess and Tommy Flanagan), - Lorez Alexandria 'My One and Only Love' (with Tommy Flanagan), - Shirley Horn 'All Of Me' (with Frank Wess), - Bobbe Norris 'You and the Night and the Music' (with Harry Allen on sax and Kenny Barron), - Susannah McCorkle 'As Time Goes By' (with Jimmy Heath and Billy Taylor), - Morgana King 'Stardust' (with Phil Woods and Billy Taylor), - Sheila Jordan 'Body and Soul' (with Frank Wess and Kenny Barron), - Vivian Lord 'Route 66' (with Jerry Gonzales on trumpet and Kenny Kirkland), - Millie Vernon 'Over the Rainbow' (with Seldon Powell and Kenny Baron), - Carmen Lundy 'Night and Day' (with Ricky Ford and Kenny Kirkland). There is a full rhythm section (with people like Goerge Mraz, Al Foster, Ben Riley, Victor Lewis) on all the sessions. The albums are all mint with stark impressionistic black and white covers.

From Reuters, a brief exploration of the current independent jazz labels:

Buddy De Franco recorded 'When Your Lover Has Gone' and 'The Things We Did Last Summer' on April 15, 1953 with his then quartet (Kenny Drew, Milt Hinton, Art Blakey). Presume these are the tracks that show up on the CD reissues. Could not trace 'Number Six'.

The discographical information listed on the Europa Jazz LPs I have seen are filled with inaccuracies. This looks like just another one.

Bravo And more thanks for making Organissimo the great forum it has been since its creation.

Any opinions on Roswell Rudd's 'Malicool' that came out recently on Sunnyside? Rudd recorded this with African musicians in Mali. Is this worth looking for?

Welcome indeed around here! Will give the Paris Jazz Corner people a call when they reopen on Monday to let them know you're looking for the album. The music (and the packaging) is really wonderful! Will PM you on the results.

Mmilovan, I think Definitive Records (from Spain/Andorra) have reissued this. Or are about to.

KD also did some nice singing (in addition to playing the trumpet) on the Riverside album 'This is the Moment' (with Curtis Fuller and Cedar Walton) that should be available on OJC.

That was good to Billie...

Chris, I have survived the Hank Mobley photo. But I'm feeling very ill with the recent David Hemmings photo you posted. A warning advisory would have been appropriate

Happy birthday, young man

Vive le Roi (you won't hear that very often from France). Et MERDRE encore

My original question was referring to the BN LPs from the Lion-Wolff era. Must say I did not investigate the Moacis Santos sessions. Will be looking for these now that my interest has been roused. Got the Fred Jackson and Charlie Rouse LPs. Somehow never got hold of the original 'Back to the Tracks'

Kenny Dorham is very much alive. Not a week goes by without one of his sessions getting play to my everlasting enjoyment.