Dan Gould

Tommy Hopkins played drums on one of the other instrumentals.

John, I would definitely start with this one ... I also purchased Live in Washington DC at the One Step Down, which is quite enjoyable for me though there is a cover of a Monk tune which I know you always prefer the originals. I also got Looking Back, which is a compilation - two tracks are with Buck Hill. Strong playing by his other friends on each of these. With the right price I don't think you'll do wrong. BTW I may not keep all of the recordings I looked at for this BFT so anyone interested in Mario Escalera, Paul Plummer or one guy who didn't make the cut, may want to stand by for a post in Offering and Looking for sometime soon.

Well-sleuthed then. More interested in your thoughts of other revealed information. Do you wish now that you had heard about Jimmy Colvin when you were in Birminham? And, more generally, curious if people are as shocked as I at the pianist being a former Ra trumpeter.

Sorry I was looking on my phone when I saw Thom's last post, only saw that post, had no idea you had posted before he did. Well done, Sterling on #7 from a McGriff record. And he kills on the whole record! Every record he was on ...

It was quite the pleasure this go-round so thanks to all who participated. I don’t know if I can do another “What Would Felser Like” approach to selections but reserve the right to try. And I did get to a fourth page of comments so that’s pretty satisfying too. TRACK 1: “Camp Meetin’” Sam Lazar organ Argo 45 (only release) The flip of his final known recording, Lazar epitomizes the theme of this BFT – “Local”. As I mentioned during the discussion, this recording of the Don Wilkerson composition came mere months after the BN LP recording session (June 18 1962 vs October of the same year). Seems remarkably fast and leaves me wondering whether Lazar picked it up from Wilkerson performances or did the BN recording have a release that quickly? https://www.discogs.com/Sam-Lazar-I-Aint-Mad-At-You/master/641157 TRACK 2: “Ichabod’s Shuffle” (Keith Jarrett) Jazz on the Lake 1986 – Volume 1 – Featuring the James Clay Quintet Clay, tenor sax; Tim Garrett (trumpet) Frank Hailey (keyboards) Ken Wilemon (drums) Doug Thomas (bass) “Volume 1” was a bit on the optimistic side – I can’t find any indication of a Volume 2. Jim can comment on the record and the scene – the LP is about split between vocal numbers that have forgettable vocalists and solid bop/hardbop instrumentals like this one. When I found this I can at least say I knew Frank Hailey, as Jim had referenced me to him as a Gene Harris-inspired pianist. He is and he’s got some nice recordings available at Amazon. Is it really that Keith Jarrett who composed the tune? I can’t find any indication one way or another. TRACK 3: Don Lewis, “Tipping” from On The Other Side of Town A late addition to a BFT that I had worked on the whole year; I like to watch Investigation Discovery for interesting true crime stories … and back in November I learned that this guy, who stayed in Milwaukee his whole career, was murdered a few years ago by an employee of his club, who didn’t think he was being paid enough. Terrible story. Fine player. You can find his recordings for d/l and some cheap copies at Amazon. I recommend this recording and NW of Chicago, the two that I got as downloads to sample his work. TRACK 4: John Young, “In and Out” (Young) Jazz Chicago Style A CD recorded in Chicago in 1992 for Ameritech, a “Baby Bell” telecommunications company. I found it mega cheap – and went looking for it to only to hear more Eddie Johnson – but good luck finding another copy. I can’t even find my own copy right now and had to look this up online. Other things to note: This is John Young’s feature and he really doesn’t get to play like this on any other track. Our own Paul McKee is another feature soloist. You can find more information if you go here and scroll way down on the page: http://campber.people.clemson.edu/johnson.html TRACK 5: Danny Turner, “Flight of the Bird”, First Time Out https://www.discogs.com/Danny-Turner-First-Time-Out/release/11359996 This one may be the most tenuous connection to my theme of “Local”. Turner did get out and about a bit, especially during his years with Basie. But, he hasn’t a whole lot on his recording resume – a record with Milt Buckner in the mid-50s where he plays just like this and sounds great, then some sideman recordings with organists, and the long period with Basie but I don’t think a lot of solo space. I like to think that wherever he was when he wasn’t touring with Basie, he was gigging locally and playing like this. Bop master, IMO, and a great backing band. We’re fortunate that he got the chance to record as a leader, 30 years after his first recordings. The LP isn’t too expensive usually and I heartily recommend it. TRACK 6: Bootsie Barnes, “Minority” You Leave me Breathless I’d already settled on “Local” as the theme and thought of Bootsie immediately but when I went for Tracks That Felser Would Like this became a true no-brainer. There are two CDs worth of Bootsie at Amazon for d/l, the only misstep in all of them is the title track of the other one, “Hello” – yes, the Lionel Ritchie tune and it just doesn’t work for me. TRACK 7: While not a pan, I wanted this one to be more popular than it perhaps was Jimmy McGriff, The Groover (Jam) “Soft” https://www.discogs.com/Jimmy-McGriff-The-Groover/release/1792022 Arnold Sterling is the alto player and I think he’s something special. Stayed in Baltimore his whole career but had a “moment” in the early 80s due to his association with McGriff. His hard-as-a-diamond tone and affinity for the blues were featured on a number of McGriff records from about 1980-84 and all of them are available cheap and worth hearing. Sterling also had his one leader date on JAM – Here’s Brother Sterling. A little more “contemporary” in instrumentation and some compositions but very successful and enjoyable for me. https://www.discogs.com/Arnold-Sterling-Heres-Brother-Sterling/release/8838150 I came so close to programming his cover of Stevie’s Boogie on Reggae Woman. TRACK 8: Dickey Myers, “Lester Leaps In”, Dickey’s Mood https://www.discogs.com/Dickey-Myers-Dickeys-Mood/release/6186461 This is the tune with the Allen Lowe connection. Allen produced the record, wrote the liner notes, issued the record. And composed several tunes, which I went back and forth on programming until I settled on this as a very non-swing take on a swing standard (that was for Felser by the way – I knew an actual swing tune wouldn’t fit his ‘50s-‘80s sweet spot). Myers stayed in New Haven his whole life wouldn’t go anywhere to improve his visibility. Allen told me that he even got contact from Wein’s people about the Newport Jazz Fest after the record was released but Myers wasn’t interested. By the way, Joe Albany plays quite well on his tracks on the record. TRACK 9 Mario Escalera, “St James Place,” Blue Mondays https://www.discogs.com/Mario-Escalera-Blue-Mondays/release/6176369 Certainly the most obscure of all, this cat seems to have made a career in New York, with a number of other self-produced records. I found and purchased this one because Bob Neloms is on it, though only 3 of 5 tracks. The group: Oliver Beener, trumpet; Bob Neloms, piano, Clifford Adams, trombone, Escalera, tenor, Reggie Workman, bass, Rudy Walker drums TRACK 10 Paul Plummer, “Willow Weep for Me” – Trio & Quartet https://cadnor.com/products/paul-plummer-ron-enyard-trio-quartet-quixotic-5005?_pos=1&_sid=abf3a64b7&_ss=r This is the one with the George Russell connection … drummer Enyard seems also to fit well into the “local” theme. I do recommend this reissue despite the involvement of Bob Rusch, two obscure LPs on one disc. TRACK 11-12 “Blue Bossa” “Willow Weep for Me” Jimmy Colvin Quartet, Live at JOE https://www.discogs.com/The-Jimmy-Colvin-Quartet-Jimmy-Colvin-Walter-Miller-Hassan-38-Montgomery-Smith-Live-at-Joe/release/14899653 I love this recording so much I had to go with two tracks instead of picking a lesser recording from another “local” artist. So who was Jimmy Colvin? For one thing, he went 40 years in between his last recording session and this one, made at the end of his career. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and supposedly shared bills with Bird. He was a popular touring act and Jeannie Cheatham got one of her first important gigs backing him. It seems that they were working a hotel in Ohio, opposite Colvin. A huge snowstorm came thru on their last night. The owner of the hotel had a problem: She had a full house, stranded in the hotel, and no booked entertainment because the next musicians couldn’t get there. Colvin was losing his backing group, and the proprietor proposed they had a choice: Cheatham’s group plays behind Colvin, or y’all can exit the premises immediately, because their rooms were booked. They might have room for you at the Armory. So this sort of shotgun wedding occurred, and according to Cheatham’s autobiography (this story was found on Google books, BTW), Colvin could play and sing and they got along, so they were together for a while, as Jimmy Colvin and His Colvinaires. The marriage ended when the union man came around to take the union’s fee out of their gig money, and they found out that Colvin wasn’t being honest about the fees he was getting, and was shorting the band. They quit on the spot. Later, Colvin came off the road and settled in Milwaukee where he continued to play – there’s a dissertation online about Milwaukee Jazz that has photos and his contributions – while he also ran a dry cleaner and later became a University cop, which was at his mother’s recommendation so that he would have a pension. When he retired he moved back to Birmingham, and picked up a regular gig at this place called JOE’s. I think he plays his ass off, and he also handled the vocal numbers quite nicely (All Right, Okay, You Win, and Route 66 as the closer). It is a wonderful thing, IMHO, that this guy is memorialized on this record. I exchanged some PMs with Jim about it, he mentioned that he went in and out of Birmingham around this time while on tour, but that he never heard of him. I told him it was the kind of live set where, if you happened to be in the bar for a beer, you would definitely stay for the second set to hear more of this guy, and make a mental note to stop in for his next appearance. Now we get to the most interesting part: The pianist. This is the Sun Ra connection I mentioned. Walter Miller was also born in Birmingham and knew Sonny Blount in high school and played with him very early in Blount’s career. He recorded with Ra in the 60s-70s – but on trumpet. In between, gigs with Hampton and Ray Charles. I can find no account however of how he came to play piano – did he always play, or pick it up in adulthood? I love his solos here, whenever it is that he dropped the trumpet and played piano instead. There were medical issues that sent him back to Birmingham, and I think he led the house trio at JOEs (by the way major shout out to drummer “Hassan” who enlivens the proceedings and apparently only recorded this one time). Here is the source of my info on Walter Miller: https://www.facebook.com/lostchildradio/posts/pianist-trumpeter-walter-miller-of-birmingham-played-for-15-years-with-ray-charl/1883202195119193/ I just wish that the guy who provided these scans had bothered to scan the whole article because the gaps in my knowledge are probably located in the missing pages. Miller and Colvin are both inductees of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Miller was about 74 and Colvin 70 years old at the time of this recording, and I take note that Thom went thru Von Freeman, Ari, Don Byas and Billy Mitchell as possibilities, plus Red Holloway on the second tune. He was just Jimmy Colvin, born 1907, and he could blow. TRACK 13: Allen Houser Quintet, “Solar” – Live 1974 @ Harold’s Rogue & Jar Washington DC https://www.discogs.com/Allen-Houser-Quintet-Sextet-Live-1974/release/12998212 Allen Houser, the trumpeter and leader, seems to have issued quite a few of his tapes from back in the day in the early aughts. He was inspired by Lee Morgan and supposedly was close friends with Lee’s brother. He seems to have made his living though in a regular job - lawyer or doctor(?). I think he’s fine on these recordings (look on Amazon to find this one and more) but the star of the track and the one that folks may go pick up this CD to hear is the ultimate “Local” musician: Buck Hill. And I should mention also I picked this one for the Fender Rhodes being played, under the WWFL rules. There are other Houser tracks with Buck Hill and a piano but that would never do. Edit to add: in addition to Houser on trumpet and Hill on tenor, the band is Reuben Brown, Fender Rhodes, Marshall Hawkins, bass and Harold Chavis, drums. TRACK 14: Boy was this a disappointment. I thought everybody would laugh at this thing … anyway its Joe Henderson calling someone named Ben to fix him up with some pot. If anyone wants the original unedited track, send me a PM with your email address and I shall provide. Thanks to hardbopjazz – Tom – for the original recording. The perfect BFT track, I thought at the time … but pretty much a clunker. Thanks again to everybody who participated.

Last six or so hours for guesses or posts ... I will post the reveal thread sometime late this afternoon or early evening. Thanks to all.

So as I've mentioned, the Leonard Gaskin archive at the Smithsonian is a huge source of Percy France material and the latest news is quite exciting. From the guide the Smithsonian published it seemed likely that there would be a ton of photos involving Percy, including one folder described as Percy's birthday party in 1987 ... problem was that I was quoted a price of $1 per page of "xeroxes" of photos, so I could see and judge them, and then $35 per photo for high quality scan. However it turns out that $1 charge gets you color scans of three photos per page, front and back. And the quality of scans means absolutely no reason to pay $35 a piece for higher density scan. So I had to share the first one, just received as a sample - that's Bob Neloms, Rudy Lawless, Percy and Leonard, at the Flamingo Lounge in Brooklyn, March 30 1986. Leonard took his walkman and I have a transfer of about 90 minutes of the music played that night. And now I've got about 190 photos coming my way early next week at a cost of only $65 or so. Can't wait! (and to be sure to be able to snip and not exceed the max upload, I had to keep it to just the musicians - original is much larger). Photo credit: Leonard Gaskin Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Can anyone confirm - didn't Miles abuse at least some of his wives/girl friends? Was Cicely among them? I'm not seeing mention of that and if I am totally off base I will delete, but my first thought when I saw "married to Miles Davis" was "and he beat her a time or two". Would like to be wrong.

It was 1974 so I was 8 or 9, loved it even though I hardly understood the full scope of the history being portrayed. Frankly I think if I watched again and saw the end shot with her drinking from the "white" water fountain I'd turn into a complete blubbering puddle.

Glad you got on it in time Thom, and interesting comments as always. No Gene on this one, and if you've read thru the discussion you know what the theme was determined to be. I am happy to inform a little ahead of the reveal that you'll be able to pick up #13 as it does have a commercial release. I gotta say dissing #7 rhythm section especially organ is tough, but to each his own. I am especially glad you like 11-12 which are from the same recording. The whole thing is awesome and people will definitely say both "who" for the tenor, and "WTF" for the pianist. At least I think they will.

Didn't think about that ... all of Florida is subject to sinkhole formation but I am in Sinkhole Central more or less (remember the guy who disappeared along with his house and his body was never recovered? Plant City). So there ain't none of those types of homes being built anywhere nearby. Maybe the panhandle?

I was actually thinking about that kind of abode and how I know how much cooler they are as I was typing my post. But I ain't building one and I don't think they are easy to find in this state either.

I've certainly understood that acclimation will happen over time. I just couldn't imagine living above ground in Florida without conditioned air.

How the hell could anyone sleep with 90 degree temps? I'm ignoring the idea that it would prevent Covid infection because that's just plain nuts. But 90 degrees? When we lost power for a good while due to Hurricane Irma, it reached about 87 degrees inside and didn't get to 80 during the nights. Thank god after a couple of days we had a functional generator to at least run stand-up fans. But a steady 90 degrees?

Well I didn't d/l the middle one but I'm not making it any easier for anyone else than that.

Since I saw the episode I knew how to find/sample his music easily ... and I could tell from what was featured in the program that he was going to fit very easily not only for the epitome of the theme but as a solid player and composer. Sort of Lee Morgan aggression but more precise articulation a la Diz or Clifford. Both discs on Amazon are worth a d/l.

did you search by Don Lewis?

Well then you shouldn't have mentioned the name! I think people should think of the best known "local" saxophonist of all and figure out which track he plays on. No, the epitome of a local guy ... but I assume you searched on the investigation discovery clue to find a murdered jazz musician? His CDs are on Amazon if anyone goes to sample they'll find the track.

I knew it would be too easy to find, most likely.

Sure, if you name the track. Double if you name the actual recording because, you know, that's the name of the game.

Thanks for coming back and glad they appealed even more on the second time around. None of the guesses are right ... keep in mind that based on the two identifications and Jim's knowledge of track 2 (but not revealed) that the theme was "Local" - cats who got recorded but stayed under the radar - local legends as it were. Baltimore, Washington DC, Milwaukee, Birmingham, NYC, New Haven, Chicago and what might be described as the Heartland (Indiana/Ohio) still on the board. George Russell, Sun Ra, Allen Lowe connections too. Oh and here's a new one: one artist was featured on a program on Investigation Discovery, which if you do not know runs various and sundry "true crime" programming.

yeah its true but I have tried to chum the waters by giving hints and ... nada so far.

I like it for the group backing her - especially Ike Quebec at the end of his life. But I don't know that Dodo's voice is everybody's cuppa. There are vids with the music, links here: https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tFP1zcsNEuLL8swTTNg9JJOyU_JV0gvSk3NS1XIrVTIyC8tUshPU8hLTU0BAC8KDlk&q=dodo+greene+my+hour+of+need&oq=dodo+greene&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j46l2j0i22i30l3.4879j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

<crickets> Sigh.

We need to expand on the "join in to buy the Blue Note Box Set so we can hear Hank Mobley speak" model and make a huge group purchase of mega millions or Powerball. Once we win, we put the bucks into Mosaic to sponsor the box sets we want. $100,000 or whatever cash on the barrelhead, Michael is gonna say "hell yeah" to whatever we ask for. YOU get a Bill Barron set! YOU get a Sunnenblick set! YOU get an Unissued Three Sounds set! (I also get a Percy France set)