sidewinder

Have a good one !

We have to take into account the oppressive heat. They looked better today - admittedly though both teams were far from brilliant. Beckham earned his salary with a killer free kick goal (just before Sven was abrout to bring Crouch on) and Rooney is getting better with every game, energy wise. Lampard needs a specs prescription though.. Double bifocals

...he was probably busy eating a sammich! Or the hog roast was ready in the oven !

Cunieform Rune have issued/reissued quite a few CDs by this group.

I recommend Mike Osborne's 'Outback' recorded on the obscure Turtle Records and reissued on CD by FMP, I think. Great quintet with Harry Beckett, Chris McGregor and Louis Moholo.

Philip Cohran and the Artistic Heritage Ensemble 'On The Beach' (Aestuarium Records)

Sadly, Mike Osborne stopped playing many years ago, on health grounds. A talent that is sadly missed. 'In Cahoots' is the Soft-Machine/Hatfield and the North-ish group led by Phil Miller and Pip Pyle and which often featured Hugh Hopper and the late Elton Dean. Another under-rated group.

Around the time I heard 'Isipingo' on that show it was broadcast in the impossible time of 12:00-12:30 on Sunday evenings as the 'BBC Jazz Club' segment in 'Sounds of Jazz'. Peter Clayton was the amiable and knowledgeable host (very much missed on UK airwaves, along with Charles Fox). I can recall loads of great stuff on this show - Ronnie Ross groups, Kenny Wheeler Big Band, Turning Point, Keith Tippett, Norma Winstone, Mike Osborne, In Cahoots - the list is endless. Sadly, I didn't record any of it.

Great choice - and I second your thoughts about Teddy Charles being one of the most unrecognised musicians in modern jazz. To me this is something of a landmark recording - a distillation of all that was best in state-of-the-art mid-sized jazz arranging in the mid-50s. Gil Evans, George Russell, Charles himself, Mal Waldron and Jimmy Giuffre - almost a dream team of arrangers. Choice sidemen too - Gigi Gryce, JR Monterose, George Barrow. Doesn't get any better.. Was just by chance listening to the Atlantic black label original of this album this morning. A class act in every respect - dig that great cover design with Charles looking like Bono in shades !

Stanley Turrentine 'Aint No Way' (BN Liberty 'rainbow series'). Quartet session with McCoy Tyner - his last for BN before the stint at CTI.

No doubt about it, this is a good session. That group with Spaulding was a killer ! Now playing 'The Teddy Charles Tentet' (Altlantic black label mono, DG). This one doesn't get enough plaudits - quita a ground-breaking 50s album.

X-Man X-Phile X-cutioner Mr X Mr T Mr Mystery

thanks for this - something for the one-eared folk amongst us I fear Well, I've just checked the reissue of 'Mexican Green' and it is in original, glorious stereo ! In fact they have done a wonderful job with the facsimile. Things look promising for the Ross - maybe tooter can confirm when he receives it.

Indeed, this is a fine album with some really catchy tunes. One can hear the strong backbeat influence of Motown on this one - not suprising I guess when one of their house drummers, Freddie Waits, is on drums.

I'm looking forward to this new Grant Green. I suspect that the FOP stores might be selling it around the £5 mark (as they tend to do for the budget price Blue Notes).

Larry Young 'Heaven On Earth' (BN Liberty Blue/White stereo) Lonnie Smith 'The Turning Point' (BN Liberty). Jacket signed by Lonnie !

Yes, I'll heartedly second the recommendation of Hiroshi's store. His LPs are usually in magnificent condition - even better than new ! It's a slippery slope - first Mosaic LPs, then King reissues, then Lexington deep groove Blue Notes..

I remember hearing some of those Isipingo radio broadcasts around midnight on Sunday evening (Radio 2 'Sounds of Jazz'), must have been the late 1970s. Ah - those were the days...

'Horace Silver Quintet Vol 4' (BN Lexington 10") - signed by Horace ! Fantastic sound on this one. Blue Mitchell 'Bantu Village' (BN Liberty blue/white stereo) Lee Morgan 'Charisma' (BN Liberty blue/white stereo) Lonnie Smith 'Move Your Hand' (BN Liberty blue/white stereo)

Yes, there's a good writeup on Koenig's career in that excellent booklet to the Contemporary Story 4CD set. The quality of that package is a fitting tribute - incredible that such state-of-the-art recordings were done in his back-room, often with crates of LPs littered around. Hasn't the Gitte CD recently been reissued in Germany at a fairly low price? The original vinyl on Hor-zu took some getting hold of but the CD should be easy to find over there in the shops. I'm not familiar with the rest of Gitte's output for the German public but she sounds pretty damn good on this Clarke/Boland set (in which Jimmy Woode seems to have had a major directing role). For samples, I'd recommend checking out one of the programmes in Ghost of Miles' 'Night Lights' archive, which has some of the tracks. Anyway, back again to Lester..

For me, the strongest things on this mighty fine album are 'Gary's Notebook' and 'Totem Pole '. The punters heard in the background on the Lighthouse recording were not wrong...

Indeed ! Anyway, back to Lester Koenig...

Some great new additions in the 2.99 Euro range to be had. 2 out of 3 of the Chet Baker Prestige compilations, Bobby Timmons Trios, lots of Charles Earland and another Eric Kloss !

Great to hear !

There used to be a good little vinyl store on Lakeshore Boulevard South ('Dave's Vinyl Museum') which was worth checking out for jazz. Not sure if it's still there - I last visited them about 15 years ago, when I picked up some nice German ECM pressings (Priester's 'Polarization' etc) for about $5 each ! Too bad that places like the Bermuda Onion and the Top O' The Senator are no longer around. The 'Rex' is a good place for live local jazz. Not sure about CD stores - Sams and A&B Sound on Yonge used to be good (Sams in particular) but I believe they have now closed down. Not sure what is in their place. There's also a big multicultural festival in Toronto around June/July - can't recall exactly when. You can go round the neighbourhoods sampling selections of exotic food at minimal price. Good fun ! The view of downtown from Toronto Islands is also well worth checking out, as is the trip up the top of the CN Tower. If you have a car and like art I'd also recommend a trip up North to the McMichael Collection in Kleinburg (I think that's the name of the place) to see the great Canadian art collection by the 'Group of Seven'.