sidewinder

Yes, it combines ‘Bird on 52nd St’ and ‘Bird at St Nicks’ from the Fantasy catalogue. Surprisingly interesting and I find the fidelity bearable. What is less than great on my copy is that the gatefold has been sliced off and the inner right text page stapled onto the back ! It has what looks like an ink stamp mark on the front so maybe it originated from one of our radio stations. All in all - a complete abomination !

French edition. This set makes the Benedetti Mosaic sound like hi fi. Presumably recorded by Benedetti on a wire recorder. Remastered by RVG !

Sounding just as good as when bought in the dim and distant days of 1974 !

No probs re: Splinters CD. I bought it from them a while back, well worth it at the full price with decent sound and a very good book essay by Simon Spillett. I recall that here in the UK the shipping wasn’t cheap and no doubt the US will be worse but £10 is an absolute steal really. I have the ‘Flare Up’ on a good original LP and on the CD reissue and will be interested to hear this reissue. To my mind, it is almost a stealth John Taylor session.

Via Bandcamp

Aha..Sorry, I’d forgotten that we had a board member of that name, RIP.

Connolly? Regis? Rammaphosa? Smith? (🤔), ‘Nice One’ Cyril?

For anyone who hasn’t seen it, JIB are currently selling the Splinters ‘Inclusivity’ book and 3CDs for £10, a discount of 66% ! I guess that the edition of 600 sets can’t have been selling well, which is a shame. It’s the definitive release of this music. Wish they would do the new Rendell/Carr 2CD set of music recorded at the Highwayman Pub, Camberley at a similar deal (just issued). That one looks to be a cert buy. I’d be interested to see how it compares with the original Philips LP and the CD reissue of some years back.

By contrast, Ben Webster, also resident in NL in that period had a documentary made of him and was also recorded. Stan didn’t complain about Ben. 😊

I do recall Stan Tracey mentioning that Byas was one of the most unpleasant individuals he ever accompanied during his long 60s stint at Ronnie Scotts. Maybe this character trait had an impact on willingness of parties to record him.

Yes, I remember that one on Spotlite. Never saw any of Chase’s groups - very popular with the jazz dance crowd of a few decades back. I did see Warleigh with Paz and a few times with Kenny Wheeler’s Orchestra. This one on Jazz In Britain is worth seeking out.

Now up - With the English trio. Signed on the front for me by Kirk, after a local gig.

He was on TV just the other week on that film of the Charlie Watts Big Band. An eclectic sax section with Evan Parker, Ray Warleigh, Bobby Wellins, Peter King and Olaf Vas - plus a young Courtney Pine. The only Danny Moss recording I have I think is this LP, quite an obscure one. I believe that the lady he is featured with on the cover is his wife, singer Jeanie Lambe. Reminds me of my brief chat with Howard Rumsey asking about Lee Morgan’s engagement at The Lighthouse. His comment - ‘Were you there?’ If so, I would have been in short trousers..😂 This one is slowly growing on me - sort of.

This is extremely sad to hear but let’s hope that the great Mr Lewis’s condition can be corrected and that he is back behind his drum kit delivering his usual excellence. I think I saw him playing on a Small’s live feed just within the last 6 months and there was no obvious indication then of any problems. Maybe he was already battling it, in which case huge admiration. Didn’t realise he was still playing with Horizon as late as that. Fond memories of Mr Lewis with that group from nearly 30 years back.

With Tubby Hayes - and what sounds like the tack piano used for Parlophone’s Mrs Mills recordings !

Slide Hampton’s arrangements for this band are great - and what a lineup !

That Armstrong performance at Batley Variety Club (Yorkshire venue of the moment in the late 60s and flush with cash until it folded) was the last UK performance by the All Stars. I think it was that trip that a young Enrico Tomasso got presented with a trumpet by Louis at the airport, presumably Yeadon (Leeds/Bradford). Alyn Shipton in his book tells a story about his school mates driving up to see the Armstrong Batley gig from Hampshire in a Dormobile driven by a 17 year old who had just passed his test. Alyn’s Mum put the stoppers on him going, needless to say the guys travelled safely and had a wonderful time. Excellent !

Jubilee material by Med Flory, Lou Levy and Herb Geller on 2LPs

All 3 are favourites but the Taylor and Lowther are pretty special.