sidewinder

CD1 - New Jazz Orchestra and Dave Gelly Sextet tribute to Mike Taylor.

Only a few weeks now until the Ardley bio is out !

I have the feeling that I caught him live as part of a group led by trombonist Campbell Burnap. Also a proficient cricketer. Here he is as part of the ‘Ravers XI’, a team drawn from the jazz world in the UK back in the day (when batters were still called batsmen). In the centre of the lineup is Frank Parr, a county (Lancashire) and international standard player I.e. the team ringer. Ray Smith of ‘Rays Jazz’ fame is on the far left (looking like a Pepper Adams doppelgänger). Wally Fawkes is in the centre back smoking.

I think Bill Birch’s book even has a street map showing where the place was !

Oh no, yet more sad news. RIP - I was wondering why Peterson had a Carlos Garnett track in the middle of a playlist dominated by Wayne Shorter. I’d forgotten that he was on Andrew Hill’s ‘Lift Every Voice’, amongst other significant sideman appearances.

Livia LP - probably his best.

Just scanned through the ‘Footprints’ bio and there’s no mention of asthma in there that I can see but it would be interesting to know if that was the case.

From the 65-68 Quintet box set. Sublime.

Ha, fair enough. All I know is that I’ve never ever seen an original LP on that label !

I never saw the 80s/90s bands but I did have a ticket for a Western Canada appearance circa 1995, which got cancelled. Big downer that week. I think that was the band with Rachel Z and Dave Gilmour. Remember reading a nice interview with him at that time in the Toronto Globe and Mail where he was enthusing about the CDs and LPs in Sam The Record Man.

Wasn’t it his own label, when he was Prof. at Pittsburgh?

I think I might have seen him once in the Swanage ‘Trad’ tent - but maybe I am thinking of someone else. Certainly remember his Trog cartoons. Must be something about Trad jazz and cartoons, with Humph also being very proficient. RIP.

‘Schizophrenia’ Liberty was one of the ones Wayne signed for me on the back. Not sure about the others, will have to check. No doubt though I will be tempted when it hits the shops. The Conn version I have is on CD.

More Wayne - always felt that this one was very under-rated. Almost a manifesto for his compositional approach - and sort of missing link between the ‘Phantom Navigator’ era and the late Quartet. I think this gem is coming out on the Tone Poet vinyl series. A welcome vinyl reissue.

Thanks. Nice archive recollections from time of Wayne’s 80th by Phil Schaap and Eric Person on at the moment, focussing on the final Quartet.

Wonderful portrait, excellent album.

King LP

Blue label stereo. Such a great album and a great sounding pressing.

Interesting. I caught him just before he got on a band bus on one occasion to sign a couple of LPs, which he very kindly did. Didn’t say a word (my impression was a man of few words) but it was friendly - thank you Wayne. Just glad that he toured the UK and Europe quite a bit after the late 90s. Caught the quartet in London on 3-4 occasions, plus concerts at NorthSea and Poole. The last London gig I caught was with chamber orchestra on the second part.

2-Eye stereo. Some really strong playing and compositions from Wayne on this one. In fact, it seems more of a Wayne Shorter album than a Miles Davis album. RIP.

Not much to add but this is pretty devastating news. RIP, a huge legacy. Very strange coincidence but right as I read this news I was replaying film of him on the TV playing with Miles in 1969 in that Ronnie Scott documentary.

Excellent overview of Hawkins on Impulse. This afternoon’s listening.

No doubt included a few words about ‘fusion confusion’ !

Only saw Lou the once but that was with Dr Lonnie Smith. I remember when the Timeless ‘Forgotten Man’ came out - it got lukewarm reviews over here. Lou’s profile had dropped significantly after the end of his long stint on Blue Note. Recovery started in the mid 80s. The Japanese never lost interest though, reissuing ‘Blues Walk’ and the like. It is time to put on Lou’s Blue Note Mosaic set !

But with the difference that the Tone Poet series does tend to concentrate on the more obscure items.