sidewinder

If it is like the previous releases, these will be vinyl plus streaming options up to HD. I don’t think the previous ones offered CD. Pre-orders are already up at Amazon UK.

Mickey and his wife’s reaction is fantastic. Great stuff.

Even when it was in print, I recall it being tricky to track down a copy.

Had no problem finding a copy at my ‘local’. There was talk about the Craft UK distributor going bust but if so (and I have no evidence that they have) doesn’t seem to have affected this one. Nice pressing. ’Futuristic’ was also originally recorded in binaural, according to the (nice) notes - bizarrely.

Interesting - most of the Hoffmeisters seem happy with it but at least one reports distortion on the title track. I’m holding fire on this one for now too.

Craft pressing

Today’s unexpected amazing find, as-new and signed for £2 ! I’d missed Alyn’s Book launch talk at Swanage this Summer and was really keen to get hold of a copy. Looks like a great read and covers some events of his that I witnessed (e.g the Henry Grimes interview for BBC Radio at Cheltenham).

This new 2CD version of the stereo masters sounds great to my ears. May therefore ‘pass’ on the Tone Poet.

From the Fontana box, with the nice bonus track.

Sorry to hear this. Liked pretty well everything I ever heard from him - the George Benson sessions, the Lonnie Smith Blue Notes and his work with the Mingus Big Band, which was the only time I saw him I think. RIP - I’ll spin ‘Move Your Hand’ and ‘Drives’ in memory today.

2CD from Jazz In Britain. Caught them late ‘79. Roland Prince on guitar, Pat LaBarbera on saxes plus for the night I saw them, Alan Skidmore also on saxes. Elvin more on fire than any other time I caught him in later years. Don’t recall the ‘gruntaphone’ in the lineup either !

Same here. Saw them a few times. Also around that timeframe, the duet tour of Carla Bley and Steve Swallow.

ECM pressing - remember this tour when it happened, with Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper in the band - and Gary Windo. 45 years ago !

Both of those Harry South 4CD box sets are brilliant.

Lou Donaldson, CD1. Long overdue spin. Starting with ‘Lou Takes Off’. I recall that this was one of those that disappeared super quick on that ‘night of the long knives’. It was a challenge at the time getting hold of a copy. Good mastering job by Ron McMaster.

Have excellent original copies of both of these - as well as both on CD. So will probably pass. On the other hand I did buy the ‘Dejeuner’ at good price for regular play copy so may do likewise if I see them similarly priced. The only negative (minor) on that one is the scanned quality of the cover art. Interesting that both of the new ones are from the Philips/Deram labels so maybe getting rights for those is proving less problematic?

Time to pull out the Morgan/Shorter Vee-Jay Mosaic Box ! Enjoying this one with a relaxing lazy breakfast.

Also those grainy photos of Miles D. with the humongous shades on ‘Get Up With It’ I think. Fine work - RIP. That ‘Flam’ cover photo is great.

No doubt mine is currently stuck in the Netherlands !

Very sad to hear this. Saw her pretty well every time there was a Mingus Dynasty or Big Band on UK tour, the last time would be at Bath around 2010, when she did stage introductions. I don’t think she was with the Big Band at Ronnie’s in late 2019. Some years back I had a query about one of Mingus’ self-issued LPs so emailed her and got a helpful response. A real force for good in jazz - RIP.

Yes, Washington High School fundraiser that turned overnight into a memorial concert. As I recall, he had his quartet with him that day. Other tribute performances were by Bobby Bradford and Vi Redd, that I can particularly recall, as well as an expanded Arkestra at the end. The other thing I recall is that Gerald Wilson and his family were sat right behind me.

With Pharoah Sanders RIP