Fer Urbina

No, that's Columbia's studio at 30th St in Manhattan ("the Church"). Can't remember whether it was at this studio that they raised the control booth some time in the 1950s, but this looks like it. F Not that I can see, sorry. This book is more focused on photography as art than as historical record, though. Many images are pretty dark and it's difficult to identify the subjects. F

Of the ones you're showing, I'd go for first The Song of the Hawk (the only major biography of Hawkins, as far as I know), then Wishing for the Moon. I'd skip the Marian McPartland in favour of Paul de Barros's biography (done with her co-operation). F

By the look of it, I think it could be backstage at a festival and I don't think it was recorded. If that's the case, and I'm right about Calhoun, it'd be a matter of triangulating: Jones, Heath, and Calhoun almost definitely imply having Basie, the MJQ and Erroll Garner in the same place -- Joe Benjamin was more of a free agent (he was with Brubeck for some months in 1958, for instance). A candidate would be Newport '59, where Basie, the MJQ, and Garner played, but I haven't had the time to check whether Benjamin was there at all.

Left to right: Joe Benjamin, I think Eddie Calhoun (Erroll Garner's bassist), Heath, and Count Basie's Eddie Jones.

I have done a bit of that, with photos that seem to come from one session by Tony Scott at Webster Hall, here: https://jazzontherecord.blogspot.com/2018/07/image-and-sound-webster-hall-1956.html If you're interested in any other face in particular, I'd be glad to help. F

I have a vague recollection of having heard that Stuart Nicholson was working on a new edition of his biography including Linda Kuehl's tapes, who were now owned by Toby Byron. Whether or not that's the case, I see that Kuehl's materials were gifted by Byron to Johns Hopkins University in 2022, see: https://aspace.library.jhu.edu/repositories/3/resources/1699 F

The booklet in the CD reissue (CK 65186) states "Originally issued in March, 1979, on Columbia 35755 (stereo)". Billboard carries a review in the May 12, 1979 issue (p.71). It looks like it did remain in the can for 18 years. F

Hear, hear. Exactly my experience with him and my feelings about his work. I would add his 5-CD series with all of Red Norvo's studio recordings 1933-42, as well as 2-CD sets with Woody Herman's V-Discs, Bennie Moten's 1930-32 recordings (including their legendary last session in full), Cab Calloway's recordings with Dizzy and Chu Berry, Benny Goodman's compilations by arranger... F

I've just got the news that Alastair Robertson passed away last year, on October 23. Obit: https://ukjazznews.com/a-tribute-to-alastair-robertson/ F

And the more recent box Standing Room Only carries a complete set from that series of concerts, the second from January 28, 1966. I've written about all that, in my blog. F

CD2 is an "alternate" Sinatra at the Sands (different takes of the same tunes in the album, from the same week in late January 1966). F

For what it's worth, my copy of their 2-CD set of Alec Wilder's music, which is probably the last thing they ever released, is definitely regular CDs. F

I searched for it too back in January, and found that the label is now owned by 43 North Holdings. Their website is now down, but this is what they had back in January: https://web.archive.org/web/20230929105045/https://43northholdings.com/labels/hep-jazz/ I don't know whow "43 North Holdings" are, but when I checked im January they seemed to own quite a few independent labels active in the 1950s, like Period, Warwick or Everest. As for Hep, I'm not surprised at all. Robertson told me years ago he was thinking of quitting. F

Just did a quick search, and found this page with a question from the IJS's Vincent Pelote and the reply from Wally Richardson himself (in January 2020!): Neal Hefti-tp, Carl Gianelli -as, Wally Richardson -g, "a bass player from England whose name I can't recall", Mel Zelnick -d. I guess that the bassist was Peter Ind. F

Incidentally, a LoneHill set with all the original quartet master takes (LHJ10356) also included a track from the Reunion, in this case "All the Things You Are" (minus one chorus by Chet Baker). I noticed when I put this blogpost together. F