chitownjazz

Durium (or anyone) - perhaps you can help me solve a mystery involving this LP. A WGPH playlist lists the following four Merle Johnston Saxophone Quartet tracks as being on this LP... Merle Johnston Saxophone Quartet: Baby, Oh Where Can You Be (VJM VLP-39 LP) Merle Johnston Saxophone Quartet: Do Something (VJM VLP-39 LP) Merle Johnston Saxophone Quartet: Always In All Ways (VJM VLP-39 LP) Merle Johnston Saxophone Quartet: It's A Great Life (VJM VLP-39 LP) I assume this catalog number is incorrect and that these items are not on the same LP as the jug bands. Any idea what the correct catalog reference for this LP might be? Thanks for any help!!

Finished the book, and I have to say the it is an entertaining and edifying read. I'll leave it to those with more than my scant knowledge of Jelly and his music to comment in detail. Suffice it to say that the chapter on the dispensation of Morton's estate has to be read to be believed and is by itself worth reading the book (or clicking on the link above to read the Tribune articles covering the same themes). The story is ultimately pretty depressing, but I suppose the upside is that we still do have Morton's music to enjoy even though the royalties it generates are going to heirs of a woman who passed herself off as Morton's wife and cut Morton's actual wife at the time of his death out of his estate. And we aren't talking about pocket change: "By the year 2000, Morton's work had earned more than $1 million in royalties for the composer's estate and at least twice that much for his publishers - over $3 million in all." And there's the story of one William Russell who spent most of his life chasing down every possible scrap of Morton memorabilia and filling up his small New Orleans apartment with it. That treasure trove, which only came completely to light upon Russell's death in 1992 at age 87, provided much of the information for Jelly's Blues.

I think Jim's link is much funnier.

I'm reviving this because I happened to stumble on a copy of Jelly's Blues in a local record store and am enjoying it tremendously. The 3-part Tribune series referenced above, which indeed is a very worthwhle read, along with some associated articles, can be found (for free) at Chicago Tribune Jelly articles. I'm not finished with Jelly's Blues yet, but the one issue that clearly, to me, required a better analysis and discussion was how Jelly could be riding high in Chicago in 1926 - apparently very well off, recording jazz masterpieces, and having tons of well-paying jobs according to the authors - and a mere year later in New York be able to do no better than lead a second or third rate band in a taxi dance hall. They do discuss the issue, but don't provide a convincing explanation for such a precipitous fall. I wasn't aware before just now of the Reich/Sudhalter debate. I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Chord even though convincing me of its premise would be akin to proving that the sun doesn't set in the west. I believe it was in Art Taylor's Notes and Tones that there's a reference to the day coming when whites would be trying to steal credit for the development of jazz, and that day has arrived in the works of authors like Sudhalter and Lees. Reich's and Gaines's work is a welcome antidote to that reactionary trend in jazz analysis.

Oh, they also had sale notices on at least some of the fixtures if anyone's thinking about opening a CD store to try to fill the void.

I just dropped by the one on Wabash Ave in downtown Chicago to check on progress. 30% off most stuff, 25% off box sets. There was a lot less activity than when the sale first started and a lot of "product" left on the shelves. Anyone have any other Tower sale checkups to report?

I do! That's ultimately why I listen to the music, and why I have a dim view of so many "jazz" vocalists and the little bit of Ken Nordine's work I've heard. As I said, if I want schlock I can just listen to A Prairie Home Companion.

I could stand some dry, cynical, dark wit - but the cut about the color orange that I heard this morning had none of that.

I used to own MARION BROWN - In Sommerhausen (Calig 30 605) in the honest-to-god original vinyl. Does that count? I wasn't too impressed with side one so I sold it. The buyer told me that side two was a lot better. C'est la vie.

Sorry to revive a dormant thread, but I figured I might as well spill my guts here among all the Nordine fans and face the consequences. I'd heard occasional bits and pieces of Nordine on WBEZ over the years and the past few days WNUR has played a couple of his cuts - I have no idea what but I'm sure it was Nordine. Probably this level of exposure doesn't really qualify me to render a full-fledged opinion, but why let that stop me? So tell me, what am I missing? My assessment of Nordine's work - pseudo-hip, lightweight, full-of-itself trifles. To each their own and all, but I just don't hear the fascination. I mean, if it were a choice of listening to Word Jazz or A Prairie Home Companion, I'd choose the former, but the same could be said for having my teeth drilled. OK, I'm intentionally going overboard here, but really, I just don't hear it - Nordine's stuff is more clever than your typical jazz vocalist's, but contains just about as little of the soul of real jazz IMHO. Enlighten - or flame - at will!!

Or, we all love Dexter so much that we already have all of his CDs.

Thanks for the info!

Thanks Chuck.

Can anyone help me with more information about this Japanese import, "Lee Konitz Plays"? Lee Konitz Plays at Amazon

Thanks Claude and others, this is a big help!

$30? Now you are talking my (and especially my wife's) language. Which one?

Yet another related query. My receiver just burned up or shorted out or something, and the darn thing was only 20 years old. So, I'm in the market for a new receiver. My computer and stereo are next to each other and I'm happy with my soundcard, so I really just need a receiver with a phono input. Any specific product suggestions, or suggestions on how to locate a receiver with a phono input? Interested in low to moderate price ideally - more money left to spend on CDs! TIA!

...Gary McFarland (poisoned in a bar).

Yeah, and all four - or more - could be about Joe Farrell judging from this thread.

My recollection, for which I can not easily find any substantiation on the web, is that he had a brain tumor or even brain cancer. Sound familiar to anyone else?

Thanks for that quote Larry. Scary thing is, for those who haven't tried it, I was actually able to find and read that quote using google's book search and a search term something like "charlie parker" argyle.

Checked Black Jazz, the club is not listed in the index which is more detailed than I recalled. Also checked the blurb about the 5100 club. It explicitly gives the address as 5100 North Broaday, a few blocks up the street from where Chuck is likely placing the Argyle Show Lounge, and mentions that Horace Henderson played there for a year and Danny Thomas was the MC at the time.

Regarding 1), thanks Chuck and MagGold. I'm guessing Broadway and Argyle is more likely, at least based on the two neighborhoods as they exist today. Argyle has a little shopping strip along the block between Broadway and Sheridan. It's largely Chinese/Vietnamese shops, groceries and restaurants today but I could easily envision it having been a lot of bars and clubs at one time. I'd still like to figure out the exact location if possible. I wonder if Larry will chime in, or maybe I can contact Jim Newman and see if he goes back that far. Oh, and I do have Dempsey Travis's Black Jazz book. I remember when I read it there was a reference to something like the "5100 Broadway" club. It all of a sudden struck me that he was probably talking about 5100 North Broadway, which was two doors away from the apt where I was sitting and reading the book at the time. I'll have to take another look and see if he mentions the Argyle Lounge, though if I remember there's not much if anything in the way of an index. Regarding 2), thanks brownie. I have that book too, so I'll take a look. I've undoubtedly seen the photo and just forgotten it - you know how it is, 50th birthday encroaching, memory starting to fade and all...

I have two Charlie Parker-related questions. They are probably a little obscure, but I'll bet somebody here is up to the challenge. 1) Where exactly was the Argyle Show Lounge in Chicago? There are apparently a couple of live Bird recordings done there, and this was also the scene of Bird urinating in a phone booth in the club (and it may even have happened twice according to some sources). I'm assuming it was on Argyle Street, and I get the impression maybe near the El stop there, but does anyone have the exact address? I ask because I live nearby and was just wondering where this old haunt of Bird's was. If anyone has any info about when this club operated or any other details I'd be curious to know. 2) I was just re-reading the Teddy Reig interview published in the Complete Savoy Recordings box. Teddy mentions a "famous" photograph of Bird's coffin being carried out of the Abyssinian Baptist Church and its entire weight being on the shoulder of Reig, who was one of the pallbearers. Anyone familiar with this photo and know where it's published? I don't recall ever having seen it. TIA!

Sorry you got ripped off Daniel. I've dealt with a couple of dealers (mostly not on eBay) who have disappointed me. I always try to forgive a first mistake no matter how obvious. But when it happens the second time I know it's time to skip over that dealer unless they really have something at a price I'm willing to take a chance on. Classical vinyl dealers are a whole other story. They tend to use A/B/C grading, and almost everything is graded A or A-. Classical stuff seems to tend to be in better condition in general though, so it tends to work out OK despite the occasional problems. You know - a record graded A with seam splits, that sort of thing. Some of these dealers grade 3000 items a month so you know thay can't be spending a lot of time on each one. In the end though I have done pretty well by them. There are really only two dealers I know of that I groan when I see something I want, because I know it will be a coin toss at best that the condition is anything even remotely like the nominal grade.