sidewinder

Very Happy Birthday Mr Shorter !

In fact, it is so good that getting a further vinyl reissue is probably superfluous.

That was a superlative reissue - glad to have snagged it.

Just recalled that the first time I saw him must have been circa 1980 at Ronnie Scott’s, when he was a member of Bill Le Sage’s ‘Bebop Preservation Society’, sharing the front line with trumpeter Hank Shaw. Some lovely tribute comments on that London Jazz News site. If I remember correctly he also demonstrated Bird’s Grafton sax when it was sold by Sotheby’s. Totally fitting.

Yes, Juno - looks like they are currently sold out though.

Just bought the blue vinyl version of this one as a RSD 2020 release.

This is very sad news, although I was aware that he had been ill for some time. Last time I saw him was at Swanage - about 3 or 4 years ago. His playing as usual was sensational, not putting a foot wrong and as BillF says - truly world class. Not only was he a world-class saxophonist but he was also world-class in the area of model aeronautics, I believe. RIP - irreplaceable on our local scene.

Fresh Sounds

Dec 1977 advert adds ‘From George Russell to Russell George’ and ‘From Bill Perkins to Bill Perkins’ (never heard of the second Bill). Cartoon has Ray as Santa Clause pulling out LP from the sack titled ‘Liberace Plays The Albert Ayler Songbook’.

Alas - the big man in the tent forgot to include jazz...

Just found a Colletts advert in JJI from July 1977. Hand-drawn cartoon by Ray I think. In addition to the ‘Harry Barris’ there is ‘From Son House to Sun Ra’ ! The Cartoon has one of the staff wearing T-shirt ‘Varty Haretounian is a Groove’.

A lot seems to be available online this year. About the only things to tempt me out of my abode this time are the Bill Evans and perhaps the Sun Ra. My local place is doing limited entries at any one time with about 10mins limit once you are into the Inner Inner Sanctum ✟.

I’ll be pitching my tent with mask and hand gel.

I hope they delay so that it gives a chance to catch up with other stuff. ‘Palo Alto’ aberrations excepted, the chances of the UK getting release approval for this over the rest of Europe are zero or less !

The other one I recall is ‘From Harry Barris to Barry Harris’.

Or as Ray’s/Colletts used to say about their stock - ‘From George Lewis to George Lewis’.

Curse of the Palo Altos?

The original vinyl of ‘Homecoming’ is flat as well. Exemplary.

There are other releases out there with the announcements cut out - can be equally annoying.

Lovely 47W63rd DG mono copy.

I think the BBC provided archival recordings to the British Library so presumably that is the source used. Thankfully quite a bit survives, although many of the BBC sessions seem to be lost. The listing in the Harry Beckett book has a whole load of gems listed which don’t seem to have been recovered.

Could be - sounds too good to have been taken from the vinyl. That earlier series was put out by the late Richard Cook if I remember correctly. They are worth grabbing. I have the ‘Dragon Hill’ from the Cook CD issues and it sounds fine. Deram stereo

RCA Neon