Rabshakeh

Ramsey Lewis Trio – Sound Of Christmas Getting in the mood for Halloween.

I think there is something to be said for the need the CHALLENGE the NARRATIVE. I don’t think there’s been a wholesale top down decision here, more that a culture industry has grown up that highlights certain areas for various reasons, which often reflect either marketing choices, fashion, academic trends or the evolution of later musical tastes. If you were there you were there and you know. Either you enjoyed this stuff at the time or you rolled your eyes at such commercial trash. Perhaps you are ready to re-evaluate. But fundamentally you know who Gene Ammons, Ramsey Lewis and Eddie Harris were, and can make decisions accordingly. But please don’t underestimate how difficult it is to access this stuff if you were not there at the time. For someone getting into jazz retrospectively there are very strong barriers up, that serve to kettle listeners into listening to a tiny portion of what is out there, which is placed under a spotlight. And the likes of Eddie Harris, Gene Ammons and Ramsey Lewis are certainly not in that tiny illuminated portion. They are out there in the darkness. People who were not there at the time do not have access to these records. They don’t show up in jazz histories and they don’t get posted on instagram. Something small like a book or one tastemaker can therefore have an effect and help to widen the area under the spotlight. In the last forty years we have watched electric Miles (journalist), disco fusion / rare groove (DJ), soul jazz organ work (DJs and book), the AACM (book), ‘spiritual jazz’, Strata East and Black Jazz (social movements and aesthetic developments), Japanese postbop and fusion, and British modernist jazz (books) be granted a place in the light. But it takes effort, and it really helps when people do publish books like this. Any push to widen the scope of what people have access to is helpful. Especially if it means that a young person might get to know the name Gene Ammons.

I watched I’m Alright Jack recently for the first time. That’s got one of his best performances.

Elis Regina – Elis Especial

Romano Mussolini & His Friends – Soft & Swing

Charlie Shavers Quartet – Girl Of My Dreams Interesting thought that occured to me whilst listening to Shavers' version of Bye Bye Blackbird: did Miles Davis ever acknowledge a debt to Shavers? There are some similarities in their tones at times, even though Miles Davis was doing something very different, and the similarities are probably played up here by Shavers. I wouldn't be surprised if not, given that Shavers was old guard and hardly a hip name to drop. Equally, there are plenty of ways that a trumpet player might arrive at this sort of silvery and flattened tone, given how rooted it is in blues trumpet history.

What size venues are they playing otherwise? What sort of crowd does the 2024 Tijuana Brass pull in?

Such a great track, even if the record gets a bit much after a track or two. RIP

It's the worst of the three with the best cover of the three.

Herbie Mann – Memphis Two-Step

What is this? I can't read the font I have never listened to this. I'd be very interested in a reissue on Bandcamp.

I have a massive hard drive of music too. I ripped all my CDs before offloading them. I never ever listen to it.

The nice bit is that I get to make sure that I really do listen to all the records once every couple of months. The not nice bit is the obvious one.

As a man whose shelving space limits his collection to 400 records this discussion really hurts...

Hard to tell. You may find this Art Pepper and Chet Baker date from 1956 more to your tastes, sir.

I love this one. It's my favourite Getz. I got a bit obsessed with it when my eldest son was first born, for fairly obvious reasons.

Benny Golson – Time Speaks: Dedicated To The Memory Of Clifford Brown Some fireworks on a Sunday night.

Bernie Green And His Orchestra – Futura Great cover image.

Eddie Harris - Instant Death Currently on the second side. My wife's choice.

Jimmy Heath - The Quota Never quite understood why this one gets comparatively little recognition with the reissue crowd, because its a hell of a record.

A lot of very wealthy fans in tech and finance, I guess.

Bud Powell – Jazz Giant Powell at his most Tatumesque, in my view.

I am also visiting Chicago in April next year, so would greatly appreciate recommendations.

Love this one. It’s the CD I miss the most, largely because it is really hard to stream.

The ones I liked most were Big Gurl and Mannish Boy. I assume those are the early ones to which others are referring as well. Those are by now classic albums, as far as I am concerned. Great cover art and great music.