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Lester Young. Who happens to be my favorite player. Hawkins and Coltrane are very close but Lester is the ONE for me!

Missed this thread the first time around 'cause I was away. My favorite Byrd are the two BN volumes of the Donald Byrd quintet (with Pepper Adams) setting fire to the Half Note. Among the many excellent Byrd dates (almost all have already been mentioned), I really enjoy his playing with Gigy Gryce and their Jazz Lab unit.

Looks like the webserver went down again today for more than one hour.

There were just too many albums published from the last years of Chet Baker. But those two CDs are testimony that Baker was still producing superb music then. He was really inspired on these. Even 'My Funny Valentine' that he overrecorded finds new meanings here. ' Four' that he sometimes had trouble playing gets a swinging and lyrical treatment. He sounds like he somehow found something that resembles Peace during that Japanese tour.

I was barely 19 and wisely spending more time getting a jazz education than getting a regular education. That left me with great memories.

What is this??? Organissimo invading 'People' magazine territory?? The truth about Sacha Distel's romances is that he has been happily married to former French ski champion Francine Breaud since 1963. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary recently. There is a tune 'Francine' dedicated to her in the 'Jazz in Paris' double CD. Before 1963, there is a different story. Did not keep track of his various liaisons but - beside the celebrated affair with Brigitte Bardot - Distel had romances with - among many others - Juliette Greco and Sarah Vaughan. The Distel-Bardot affair was a brief one. They remained 'just friends. Distel and Bardot recorded in 1972 a French version of Stevie Wonder 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life' that became a big hit in France as 'Tu Es le Soleil de Ma Vie'.

They also have a Kay Starr Radio Transcriptions album. Found a copy for 3 euros couple of months ago. When I opened the CD, found the label was part of the Disconforme/Definitive group.

Must admit I am prejudiced about those sessions. They're part of my early jazz experiences and feel lucky I was at the Club Saint-Germain when they were recorded. Kenny Clarke joined in at some point that evening. Know he is on 'Night in Tunisia' along with African percussionist Gana M'Bow.

Never listened to that 'My Guitar and all that jazz' album. I know that Distel plays with some interesting jazz musicians, Eric LeLann on trumpet, Maurice Vander on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass and Andre Ceccarelli on drums, among others. But I'm afraid that jazz lost Distel when he became a very successful crooner back in the early '60s. He really was a great musician who had learned what jazz guitar was about after following the path of Jimmy Raney and Tal Farlow. Ubu has the list of all the Distel jazz goodies. Distel who is a young-looking 70-year old has recently recorded a new pop album 'En Vers et Contre Vous' where Dionne Warwick and Liza Minnelli show up for duo performances. The Mercury album is a double CD (one CD in French, the second in english). He makes rare appearances as a jazz guitarist nowadays. He plays at the Paris Le Petit Journal club from time to time. Jazz1, won't disagree with you about the 'Frenchman can't swing' bit. About Eddy Louiss' 'Bohemia After Dark', isn't it Guy Pedersen on bass, not JF Jenny-Clark? And it's Jimmy (not Eddie) Gourley.

Loved the energy and the constant flow of ideas on that album when it came out (was it in 1969?. And Sonny Sharrock was really bringing new sounds to the guitar. Byard Lancaster was playing in Paris pretty often in the 60s and 70s. He still does from time to time. Should go and check him out next time when he plays here.

Shrdlu, give me time to listen to these again. Pleasure will be mine! From what I recall, the original LP had the best sound, with the Toshiba LP a very close second. When I got the Conn, I went straight to the unreleased tracks.

The Teddy Charles album 'Russia Goes Jazz' is a favorite of mine. One of those UA albums that need to be reissued. Only about 30 minutes of music but the music is provocative and fun. Zoot Sims and Jerome Richardson getting into the Rimsky Korsakoff Scheherazade is happy swinging music. The lineup for the three sessions is amazing (Jimmy Giuffre, Zoot Sims, Howard McGhee, Jim Hall, Pepper Adams, Jimmy Raney and others). By the way, the Teddy Charles discography is wrong (so is the personnel list on the album back cover). 'Lullaby Russe' was recorded at the May 6 session with Howard McGhee and Giuffre and no piano. Maggie has his best solo of the album. He was just making a comeback at the time and made another great UA date under his name 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out'. My only complaint about the Teddy Charles album is that Eric Dolphy who played on one of the three sessions was not given the chance to solo. Another Russia Jazz album from the same era was the 'Jazz Mission to Moscow' album on Colpix (with Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Willie Dennis, Phil Woods, et al).

Bertrand, chatted briefly with Steve Davis. Had no idea what his musical abilties were. I found out later in the week when I heard the McLean Dynasty at the New Morning and was impressed. On the same close encounters subject, should have mentioned that I ran into Billie Holiday at a Louisiana-cuisine restaurant called Chez Gaby's in the Montmartre section of Paris back in 1958. Thought she was just beautiful. Speaking of Paris restaurant I ran into Quincy Jones whom I had been acquainted with when he was in town for a couple of years in the late '50s. That was several years later. He gave me a warm welcome and a too warm welcome to the girl I was going out with. And they're not jazz but I ran into the full four Beatles back in 1963 at a party in Paris where they had been invited but were not expected to show up. I was there with a British girl who could not believe her luck.

I have a Japanese Verve LP of Sonny Stitt in New York. I remember noticing that sound on 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' and being intrigued with this at the time I got it. Thought that it might be the sound of someone's (Stitt?) tapping to the rhythm of the music. Jazzbo seems to concur. Will have to listen to that album again. With pleasure!

One of the great underrated BN session. I got acquainted with that 'Rootin and Tootin' album through the Japanese Toshiba LP reissue. Couple of years later, I ran into an original copy and bought it at a very reasonable price. Then when it came out on CD with extra tracks, I had to get that one. Have this in three versions. I paid my dues.

I travelled to New York with my then 14-year old son in 1992. When we checked in at Newark airport for the flight back to Paris, I noticed several musicians waiting in line to board the plane. They had their instruments with them. I recognized Roy Hargrove but later saw Jackie McLean standing in another line. McLean was traveling to Paris with his Dynasty band for several gigs including one at the New Morning club in Paris. One musician I did not know took his seat on the plane next to me and my son in the economy section. Turned out to be Steve Davis. McLean traveled in the first class section. At Charles de Gaulle airport McLean and his musicians gathered at the luggage checkout. My son who knew I was in awe of McLean went to him and asked for an autograph. McLean obliged in a very nice way. I kept the autograph since my son was never really into jazz. He is more into classical music nowadays. Another time when flying back from New York/Newark to Paris, I saw Johnny Griffin waiting to check in but did not see him aboard the plane.

Seems that Teddy Weatherford was the big name in jazz in pre-WWII Shanghai. Weatherford was the piano player in the 1926 Erskine Tate band that also had Louis Armstrong in its trumpet section. Weatherford travelled to Asia that same year and started working in Shanghai in 1929. Buck Clayton was recruited by Weatherford in Shanghai and played a season for him in 1934. Weatherford visited Paris in 1937 and made several recordings then before returning to Asia. He died of cholera in Calcutta in April 1945. Jazz and Shanghai, fascinating subjects.

Jay McShann remains active. He was appearing last month at festivals in Canada with the Duke Robillard band. McShann and Robillard are scheduled to play at the Tanglewood festival August 31 and at the Monterey festival September 21. The man is supposed to be 94. Did he share a secret with Benny Carter?

'Domino' was a very popular French hit back in 1951. It was French crooner Andre Claveau's top song. Claveau died last week. You couldn't find a more saccarine voice. If you did find one, you'ld have died of diabetes. Took me a long time to get to like Roland Kirk's version. But I love it now.

The Tarzan album was not RCA, but MGM. The only thing that made it worthwhile was its cover. A classic! The music is way beneath the RCA albums. I had to search far to get a copy.

I have this in its Onyx LP silver-covered reincarnation. Rodney is OK but the rhythm section of Tommy Flanagan, Oscar Pettiford and Philly Joe Jones (Elvin subs in for Philly Joe on a couple of tracks) is pure joy. Audio was good but am surprised it gets an audiophile treatment. But I may be wrong.

Since they have not been mentioned yet, here goes: Art Blakey and the 1958 Jazz Messengers at Club Saint-Germain. Three LPs on RCA or 2 CD. The Club was on fire!

Damn good stuff, yes!!! I grew up with these. Still have the original French Vogue ten-inchers. Hampton on 'September in the Rain' is a classic. How come I enjoy Hampton's humming so much and hate Keith Jarrett doing the same thing? Can it be that Hamps swings it? One thing that bothers me on those Hamptons in Paris Vogues is the sound of Monk Montgomery who was playing a very early version of an electric bass. As for Alix Combelle, that's the man who played - among many records - on the Coleman Hawkins/Benny Carter/Django Reinhardt session that produced 'Crazy Rhythm', 'Honeysuckle Rose' and 'Out of Nowhere'.

If you like Scott LaFaro, get a copy of Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz. LaFaro and Haden are on that classic. If your equipment setup is OK, you should hear LaFaro on the left channel (with Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman) and Haden on the right channel (with Freddie Hubbard and Eric Dolphy). What LaFaro plays is amazing. So is what Haden plays.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers are so much affiliated with Blue Note that albums they made for other labels tend to be overlooked. The three records they made for Riverside (Caravan, Ugetsu, Kyoto) are not mentioned often but they were made by the Messengers unit that fronted Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller and Wayne Shorter. The playing and the material was superb. Those Messengers cooked!