sidewinder

Really a great performance by Sonny on Saturday. Pleasantly surprised with the acoustics although the guitar sounded a bit lost. How was Charles Tolliver? This was also on my list but I couldn't make it? Was that big band stuff? Did he play the tunes on the album that has just been released? The Charles Tolliver Select is a must have in my opinion. Yes, the Charles Tolliver was by his US Big Band playing mainly material from the new album. They were an absolute powerhouse - some of the tracks can be heard on latest 'Jazz On 3' at the BBC site. I thought the acoustics in person was better than the BBC managed to get on this recording - was sat right in front of Billy Harper and Howard Johnson on the right hand side so got the full-on sound of this marvellous sax front line. Billy Harper was on fantastic form - his first solo was particularly good (on 'On The Nile'). Toliver too played a reasonable amount of his distinctive solo trumpet - was playing with better lip, in fact, than on the Blue Note/Mosaic disk. He's also a very 'involved' and enthusiastic conductor of the band, with a fantastic sense of timing. Reminded me a lot in that respect of Gerald Wilson. Fellow O-board member David Weiss by the way was in the trumpet section and nicely featured in at least one solo spot. One of the nicest things about the concert was hearing bass player Reggie Johnson (sounded great in tandem with Kirk Lightsey). I was pondering who this great bassist was for a while as he sounded so familiar but then I recognised the sound from Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note sessions such as 'Medina' and realised to my delight who it was.

Damn ! It's one of the few of the LP sets that I don't have and that I would like.

This was the first time I've seen it Brownie - only caught it by chance as they broadcast it around 2am on a specialist move channel ( ). It has to be real good to keep me rivetted to the set at that time of day. There sure were some great movies coming out of Europe around that time - France in the late 60s/early 70s and Germany a bit later in the 70s. A golden age, I think. Also, on 'Army of Shadows' the film is shot in locations which still seem to be essentially the same as they must have looked during WW2, so the sense of realism is palpable. You get the same feeling with some of the Brit movies of this time too. This adds a historical importance to such works.

Basie Complete Live Roulette, CD1 Amazingly good sound for the CD set !

Glad to hear it went well. I'm dead jelous, of course.

Congrats !

Saw this one on TV last night. Wonderful film - with a great cast, stunning atmospheric photography and with the paranoia and claustrophobia of the 'occupation' captured as no other war film I've seen. The use of colour, long pauses and props in the movie just serves to further emphasise the sense of all-encompassing dread (although that aircraft for the parachute drop scene is a bit too 'airfix kit' - they got it bang on with the Lysanders though). Great cast too - Simone Signoret, Lino Ventura, Paul Meurrisse all standouts. No histrionics, just edge-of-seat suspense.

Grant Green goes 'semi-ballistic'. Feelin' The Spirit Rarish, yes - but that rare?

Just reeding Rudd's notes yesterday on Herbie Nichols in the Mosaic booklet. What a wonderful essay that one is !

Yesterday: Barry Harris 'Stay Right With It' (Milestone 2LP). Great compilation of early-60s Riversides.

Thanks for the reminder of this session - I'll add the 2LPs to today's playlist. Lenny White - yep, it's this session and 'Passing Ships' by Andrew Hill that remind you just what a tallented jazz drummer he was/is. Before the 'Astral Pilots' etc. kicked in.

'Francy Boland/Kenny Clarke' (Supraphon stereo)

Mike Taylor 'Trio' (UK Columbia Lansdowne, mono) Not a good LP to do a 'Big Al' on.

Ben Allison Ben Webster Big Ben

Graham Collier Music 'Darius' (Mosaic)

Looks like Ron Mael of 'Sparks'

A bit earlier - 'Herbie Nichols Complete Blue Note', LP1. One of my 'stash'. There's a flyer in this box inviting me to buy Vols 1 and 2 of the Commodore set and receive Vol 3 at 20% discount. They even provide a pre-paid reply envelope. I wonder if I should respond? Also in there is Mosaic 'Brochure No. 5' with Herbie Nichols on the front as the 'new release' and a nice little article by Larry Kart on the back !

Giles Peterson/Various Brit-Jazz Artists 'Impressed - Vol 1' (UK Universal, 2LP). Good as the CD version is, the sound on this one trounces it.

Basie Live Roulette, CD3

For anyone interested, the Tolliver concert will be broadcast by BBC 'Jazz On 3' tonight. There was mention also of a 'possible' video of the concert to be available for view on the BBC website via broadband later in the year.

Have mentioned it before but still can't get over seeing a notice in the middle of nowhere-sville, Scotland (somewhere near the Culloden battlesite) saying that Stanley T. was playing live in the Village Hall that very night. Couldn't stop ! The one time I saw him he put on a super show - also very accessible for the non jazz-heads.

You would enjoy them I think, Brownie ! The vinyls are worth looking out for. Do check out the Dutton Vocalion catalogue. Some rare and wonderful gems on there.

Good luck. Get hold of that 'Turn Circle' on Vocalion as well. Lovely session.

They didn't ! Those hooligan morons who 'support' them will have to choke on their beer at home next Summer.

You are welcome ! Just checked the front of my 'Four Compositions' LP and it just has the usual CBS logo in the top LHS, no 'Realm Jazz Series' (which the Ricotti has, I think). So the CD cover is a straight copy of the LP. Incidentally, I remember seeing the whole lot 'on special' for £5 in London's Tower some 7-8 years ago. I was buying Conns at the time so passed on them. What an idiot !