sidewinder

I have only a few Carrère LPs and they are fine, generally i've avoided them as I used to consider their CDs a byword for cheap and nasty. That was until I came across the Bernhard Mikulski versions which are dog awful. Not a great fan here of those Carrère pressings. I have a few of them of the Prestige 2LP twofers and compared with the UK or US pressings of the time they are inferior - surface noise in particular.

Yes, I agree re: the flawed ensemble playing on 'Slice'. It's such an inspired session that you can forgive the flaws though. A similar thing seems to have happened on Andrew Hill's 'Passing Ships'.

Damn - I didn't even know about that Alan Grant CD ! It completely passed me by.. This particular Mosaic is one of my all time favourites - so much so that I have it on both CD and LP. I also have the first 3 LPs on Solid State and have to say that the Mosaic sonics wins hands down (although the reverb is quite bearable).

A US label very active in the 70s. Certainly 'legit' - they did quite a few domestic issues of the East Wind material. I've got a couple of Art Farmers on this imprint (and the sonics are suprisingly good..)

This would be a good one to suggest to Music Matters for a 2x45rpm (which would then no-doubt morph into a high quality CD). Maybe I'll ping them a mail.

Judge Dread Nattie Dread Ratty

It's very good - recommended !

The book is - predictably - great. Lots of nice photos of the band in its early performances and details of how it came together, early rehearsals, involvement of Phil Ramone/Manny Albam etc. As as been mentioned on the board before, the sound of the Mosaic (sand reverb) is a lot better than the LPs.

Sorry to hear this, sounds like he was a nice guy. RIP.

Jerry Springer Zebbeddee Brian The Snail

Rendell/Carr Quintet 'Shades Of Blue' (UK Columbia, mono)

I've got the first 'Matching Mole' on vinyl. It's a good occasional listen - any fan of Soft Machine will appreciate it and the follow-on. The front cover of the follow-on always gives me a chuckle. Recorded at a time when 'Chairman Mao's Little Red Book' was 'de-rigueure' with future politocos, Fred The Shreds etc.

Sort of predictable, but tragic. What a waste - RIP.

Frank Evans was a Bristol-based player with great guitar technique who was occasionally heard on the radio in the 1970s (I remember that Humph used to play him quite often). Very much a mainstream/modern style and nothing like Derek Bailey. Apparently George Benson sought him out when he (Benson) played the Colson Hall back then ! Back in the day, he released LPs on his own 'Blue Bag' imprint and some of these were reissued on CD by him in the 90s (I picked up one of them at the Bath CD shop, a home-made production in which the label ink smudged !)

Pimlico Plumbers Francis Pym John Nott

Shake Keane left England for Germany and the Edelhagen band in the mid-60s (attracted by the money, I think). His best work by far was recorded prior to this though and some of the best of it is on these Garrick Argo/Vocalion reissues. I wonder when they will get round to reissuing David Mack's 'New Directions' - also with Keane? A mixed bag in terms of success - but a unique piece of tonal work for sure and an interesting contrast to the George Russell sessions of that period.

Saw this one for the first time last night - a long overdue viewing. Werner Herzon hits the bulls-eye mark once more, a great and intelligently put together movie. More than an echo of 'Fitzcarraldo' and 'Aguirre' in the jungle madness/obsession it portrays.

Aladdin Sane David Bowie Zowie

Don Ellis 'New Ideas' (Prestige New Jazz DG mono)

Looks like an out-of-focus bear to me !

Romeo Challenger Dave Bartram Showaddywaddy

Very Happy Birthday ! :party:

May I recommend the delights of Swanage? It's a purely Brit fest (with a few foreign visitors such as Greg Abate) and pitched very much 'middle of the road' with separate tents for the trad/mouldy figs and dirty boppers but I've always found it an enjoyable weekend. Any fans of Alan Barnes (BillF?) will be in their element !

At £4.99 plus P&P, how can you not? Don't miss the 'Poetry and Jazz' either. More poetry on it than jazz but you do get Harriott and Keane and the otherwise impossible to get 'Before Night/Day' Argo EP (which has Ian Carr in place of Shake Keane).

Based on the list of artists at the top of this thread (haven't seem the programme) I would put this down to the influence of Jamie Cullum. The same sort of jazz-lite stuff was on his radio show the other night (Paul Macca featured strongly - one of our jazz greats). I thought of the quality of the stuff that Humph used to play around the same time slot and wept.. I appreciate that his pitch is to popularise the 'jazz influenced' stuff that he likes and that it plays well to 'the market' - however it does nothing for jazz per se, when the real stuff is ignored by the media and events promoters. Too bad that the Pillar Room is no longer a main function. I've seen some good stuff there over the years - Claudia Quintet, Vandermark, Henry Grimes, Andrew Cyrille... And I remember that just a few years ago, fellow board member Alex Hawkins was playing there. I'm hoping Bath might be better but not holding my breath.