paul secor

From what what others have written, the Chu Berry may be a timing thing rather than a numbers thing.

Happy Birthday, 2014, Clifford!

Ike Quebec: Congo Lament

Charlie Parker: Summit Meeting at Birdland (Columbia)

Given the history of both musics New York City and the city's population, it seems crazy wrong that there's not a classical record store and a jazz record store in Manattan. I suppose that rent prices are a major factor these days.

Single digits here, the last time I looked, but after seeing some of the temperatures down South I don't feel so bad. At least we're used to it and prepared for it here. I feel really sorry for areas that aren't ready for this kind of weather.

I find that when I stop following an artist, it's because I've changed, or their music has changed, or a combination of both. I stopped following Sonny Rollins about thirty years ago. I still love his earlier music and I'm sure I've missed some worthwhile recorded performances since then, but I felt at a certain time that the returns were diminishing to a point where I just gave up purchasing the records. Jane Ira Bloom - I liked her early recordings - listened to her second recently and it still engaged me - but, as time passed, I found she was recording music that just didn't grab me. Art Pepper - The music he made after his 1970's comeback didn't have the spark for me that his earlier recordings did. Carla Bley - I enjoyed her records on a pop-jazz level up until the early 1980's. At that point, I felt that she had said all she had to say to me. Jim Hall - I dug many of the recordings he did with other people earlier in his career but, as time went on and he became a leader, I felt that he had less and less to say to me. As I said before - no knock on the musicians. We just ended up in different places over time.

I always found time to browse and hang out at record stores.

Paul Desmond Quartet: Live (Horizon)

Pepé Le Pew B.O. Plenty J.Arthur Rank

I miss that, though many here don't. From the link: Becky Starobin, co-owner of Bridge Records, noted in an e-mail that a record store has other advantages: "I feel strongly that New York City needs, and can sustain, a deep catalog store which also serves as a social and musical gathering place."

Ari Onassis Homer O.J. Simpson

Toad Mole Badger

Joe Albany: Birdtown Birds (Steeplechase) Joe Albany: Two's Company (Steeplechase)

London Lee Laurie London Big Ben Roethlisberger

Sorry to disagree but while I have no doubt about the excellence of the Hawkins date I really have no complaints about the enjoyable standards of the Buddy Tate and Budd Johnson dates either. As for the producers being too "deferential" (won't look it up right now but IIRC they explained their approach in more appropriate - and quite plausible - terms in contemporary issues of "Jazz Monthly"), I cannot really see what's wrong with letting the old men have their way instead of trying to coax them into a mold that may not always have been 100% theirs outside the recording studio. Which is maybe what left me a bit puzzled with some of those Swingville dates (some of those I have heard more closely anyway). I can see the appeal of those Swingville dates to those who at the same time have explored the Prestige/Riverside etc. catalogs from the Hard Bop end of jazz, so sessions where (except on sessions like the "Basie Reunion" dates) the producers' rule seemed to have been to "let's make those oldsters show off to what extent - comparatively speaking - they have absorbed their hard bop" certainly will be fine for that target audience. Yet if you aproach "middle jazz" from a chronological/evolutionary point of departure of late 30s and 40s swing then the reaction would rather be "What's the point?". So the Felsted dates sound more like a logical evolution to me, but of course I can see why those weaned on Prestige/Swingville etc. will find them just not quite adventurous enough. But in the end it all boils down to a matter of personal taste, I guess. I think I don't agree with both of you (Except for Steve's last line, of course ) I got the Hawk in 1970. Now I was one who really was weaned on Prestige/SV/MV/NJ/TruSound. So Steve won't be surprised at me saying that 'High & mighty' didn't get to me the way 'Night Hawk', 'Soul', 'Hawk eyes', 'Blues groove', 'Hawkins/Garland', 'At ease', 'Hawk relaxes', 'Hawkins all stars' and the SV jam session albums. So I ditched it after a short time. Got a CD a year ago and did, indeed, like it better. I'm not going to say it ain't great stuff. But I still think it's weak compared to the Prestige material. However, I got the 5CD boxed set yesterday and spent pretty well all day listening to it. The only session that kind of passed me by was the Cozy Cole; that kept calling to mind the old joke : "The drums! The drums! I can't stand the drums!" "Keep cool, white man. You have nothing to worry about as long as the drums keep playing; it's when they stop you have to worry." "What happens then?" "Bass solo." Well, OK, so I'll give the Cole another go next weekend and pay more attention this time. But, by and large, I found the other albums MUCH better than the Hawkins. Apart from Strayhorn/Hodges (and on their album it was Russell Procope who really knocked me out, anyway), and Rex Stewart, who seemed to record a bit, those guys really were being ignored in the fifties. I did have a strong feeling that the Felsted sessions may have been to them an opportunity of putting themselves forward, resulting in a high level of intensity in the proceedings. Oh, and whose idea was it to put an organ with four effin' trombones? Well, Dance fingered Wells in the sleeve note, so maybe it's true. Anyway, I lurved it! (What would RVG have said?) Putting 4 trombones together sounds like nonsense, but they all had remarkably individual voices and really pointed up how bland almost all modern trombonists (apart from Tricky Lofton, Bennie Green and Fred Wesley) are. Earl Hines is a man I've listened to much less than I'd have liked to. The only album I have of him is one with Hodges - 'Stride right' - and I suspect it really doesn't show him in his true light. He's certainly nothing like the dirty funly blues player he is on the half LP devoted to him. On the strength of these 3 cuts, I must get more Hines. Buddy Tate and Budd Johnson are among my favourite tenor players (well, yes, I do like a very great MANY tenor players very much). This album really WAS the start of a Buddy Tate comeback. Ditto for Budd, though he didn't come back as far as Buddy. And you can hear why these guys got more sessions after this. Rex Stewart - well, I'd never knowingly heard him before, though I probably have heard him. He really got to me. Again, an utterly personal sound and ideas. And he was really pushing on this session. I must try to get his Swingville stuff. I've knowingly heard plenty of Russell Procope before and liked him a lot. But in the Strayhorn session, he really caught my attention something powerful. I was waiting for the next clarinet solo, through all the other guys - sorry! But it was Buster Bailey who REALLY got me. I've heard quite a lot of Buster over the last few years, with one band or another and I've always liked him, but this session was different. Not just his playing on 'Memphis blues', though that's something like a funk masterpiece, but the whole session was just commanding. Compared with the Prestige material Esmond Edwards producing at about the same time, I think Steve's right in saying that there was a feeling at Prestige to show what these old guys could do. But also, Bobby Weinstock liked tenor players. (Quite right too!!!) These Felsted records don't have such a limited focus and are, perhaps, more representative of what was going on at large amongst these older players. The other thing that's interesting is that the Hawkins is about the only session on which Dance, or the musicians themselves, didn't try to put together a band (or use one already in existence as with Tate). That session is just a routine two horn + rhythm deal, which is what you got most of the time with Prestige (and many other jazz labels, of course). Finally, one funny thing. On 3 Feb 1958l, Dance produced the first session of Dicky Wells' 'Bones for the king'; then he flew to San Francisco, gaining four or five hours, and produced the Earl Hines, also on 3 Feb '58; then flew back to New York, (losing the time he'd gained on the westbound flight) and produced the second session of the Dicky Wells LP, on 4 Feb 1958. I've checked in Lord, and those are the dates given there, too. Was this possible in 1958? MG I'm pretty much with you on the Felsteds, MG, though I haven't heard the Hines side.

Coleman Hawkins: The High and Mighty Hawk (Felsted/Affinity)

Foster Brooks Frank Fontaine The Face Upon the Barroom Floor

Finger Snappin' Joe Henderson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2qnf8JO02s Finger Lickin' Colonel Sanders The Finger Sticking Little Dutch Boy

Claude Williams: Call for the Fiddler (Steeplechase) Listening to this brought back memories of hearing him at a local club about 15 years ago. He was 90 or close to it, but when he hit the stage it seemed like 30 years dropped off him. I had a chance to speak with him and he came across as a true gentleman as well as a wonderful musician.

I loved the Everly Brothers singing back in the 50's when they began. Back then, I didn't know anything about their background and that they were a continuation of the "brother duets" in country music. As I heard and learned more, I came to appreciate their music much more than I did when I was young. Thanks, Mr. Everly. You (and Don - I can't separate the sound of the two of you) meant a lot to many, many people.

Jazz fans owe a debt of thanks to Saul Zaentz. He did much more than Norman Lear and Concord have done (and probably ever will do).

Wile E. Coyote Chuck Jones Billy Stewart

Ross Macdonald: The Ferguson Affair Pretty good, but attorney Bill Gunnarson is no replacement for Lew Archer.

Carrie Nation Andrew Volstead W.C. Fields