paul secor

Hank Mobley Quartet - 1955 BN sides w. Horace, Doug Watkins, Blakey

That's what I'd call real criticism.

Roy Eldridge: Tippin' Out - mid 40's big band sides

Clem - Polygram (Universal?) owns the JB material, so I don't think that Ace would have much of a shot getting hold of that stuff and reissuing it. It would be nice tho - they'd do it right. As for Duke/Peacock - Ace has reissued some of the early r&b recordings. The gospel recordings are what need to be reissued. Acrobat has started to reissue some Peacock gospel. They're boots, but well done - complete, as far as I can tell & with discographies. So far - 1953-54 Spirit of Memphis and a Texas gospel comp (Golden Harp Gospel Singers, The Christland Singers, The Southern Wonders, & others). I'm not big on boots, but I'll be dead before MCA/Universal reissues these recordings, & I don't wanna have to come back to hear them. Besides, the way things are going, by that time boomboxes will probably be considered audiophile sound.

Just a few things - my wife and my family say that it's difficult to get me gifts. (& they're right - I'm too particular.) But I received a few DVDs: Renoir's Boudou Saved from Drowning Northern Exposure - 3rd Season The Up Series - 7 Up through 42 Up and 49 Up - I'd seen the first 6 Up films at theatres when they came out, missed 49 Up when it was shown this fall. plus a couple of shirts that I picked out.

Damn. I thought he'd live forever.

Hadn't played any Christmas music til yesterday, but I made up for it over these two days: The Roches: We Three Kings - my favorite Christmas record Robert Earl Keen: "Merry Christmas from the Family" - the other side of Christmas New England Christmastide Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas The New Possibility: John Fahey's soli Christmas Album Blue Christmas - Charles Brown, Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters, Roy Milton, Bull Moose Jackson, Jimmy Liggins, The Orioles, et.al. I'm finishing up today with my friend Decibel Dennis' annual Christmas compilation, Decibel Dennis' December Delights 2006, with Amos & Arabella: The Lord's Prayer from the Amos & Andy tv show, Sons of Heaven, both Sonny Boy Williamsons, Dwight Twilley, Rhodes Tavern Troubadors, Buck Owens, The Chambers Brothers, Darlene Love singing "Christmastime for the Jews" from SNL,and many others.

All of us can talk (or write), but the musicians are going to play what they play regardless of what's written (here or anywhere else). I just hope that I'll keep hearing music that makes me feel new things.

On one of the ECM threads Chuck mentioned that there should be a discussion of other labels, including Riverside. Riverside released a lot of my favorite music, so I thought I'd start a thread. I'm sure there will be some negative comments on Orin Keepnews, so I'll just say that whatever he's done post-Riverside I'm happy with what he produced for Riverside. I've always been curious about what led to Riverside's demise. Was it bad business practices? Was it the fact that their best selling artists - Monk, Cannonball, Wes, Bill Evans - left to go with bigger labels? Monk left earlier than the others, and I've wondered if the other three left before Riverside folded or after. I could list a hundred or more of my favorite recordings on Riverside, but I'll just list a few less obvious ones and leave the rest of the catalogue for others to list or comment on: The George Russell Riversides Wilbur Ware: The Chicago Sound Paul Gonsalves: Gettin' Together - on Jazzland, but still in the Riverside family Rene Thomas Quintet: Guitar Groove - also Jazzland Clark Terry: Duke with a Difference Ernie Henry: Presenting Ernie Henry Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants Ben Webster and Joe Zawinul: Soulmates Barry Harris: Newer than New The Louis Cottrell Trio: Bourbon Street One last piece of interest (or not) - Bill Grauer's (Riverside's owner or co-owner) widow died within the past year. Her obituary was printed in the local (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) paper. She had remarried and lived in Millbrook, N.Y., about 20 minutes from where I live.

Speaking of Roots & Rhythm - from them today: Louis Armstrong: The Big Band Recordings 1930-1932 Pee Wee Crayton/L.C. McKinley/Bobby Parker: Vee Jay Screaming Guitar Brother Cecil Shaw: I Want To Know Texas Gospel - Come On Over Here

Well, Wex says he didn't read the small print. He knew that Sam & Dave, who appeared on Stax, were actually Atlantic artists; and he offered Jim Stewart Aretha on the same basis. I think this is consistent with a view that there were only certain Stax recordings that Atlantic owned; the Sam & Dave's as well as those of Atlantic artists like Wilson Pickett, whose recordings were produced by Stax for Atlantic. Wex says: "In no uncertain terms, the ownership was in the original contract drawn up by Atlantic's lawyer, Paul Marshall. ... I couldn't act unilaterally, because by then I was an employee, no longer a partner." At the time the contract was drawn up, Wexler had only been involved with Atlantic 6 years and, in fairness, his contribution was not to the business end; it was as a record producer. Of course Jim Stewart should have known - the man was a banker by profession. What kind of banker doesn't look at the small print of a contract? So, if you were trying to slip some small print into a contract, would you try it on with a banker? MG Wexler can say what he says. I don't buy it, but if you do, that's fine. For all of his love for the music, and his gifts as a producer, Jerry Wexler was still a very ambitious man. I definitely don't believe that Ahmet Ertegun was ignorant of what was in the contract. You don't last in the music biz for as long as he did, and gain the power that he had, by being naive. Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, on the other hand, were naive and got chewed up by the sharks. That's the scumbag business side of the music business.

I don't believe for a second that Ertegun and Wexler didn't know what what was going on with that contract. They had long time experience in the music business, and I'm sure that they knew full well what they were doing. Stax should have known that they needed competent lawyers when they were dealing with sharks.

Gatemouth Brown: The Duke-Peacock Story Vol. 1 (Ace)

Buddy Tate: Groovin' with Tate Clifford Jordan: Spellbound

Last night: Pee Wee Crayton: Peace of Mind (Charly 10" LP) - Vee-Jay sides

My wife has no interest in music (even though she played piano as a teenager), and refers to my obsession with music as my "secret world". And that's ok with me. I married her because I loved her - not to have a listening buddy.

Yes! Just played it - never fails to put a smile on my face. Griff is wailing, and Bud is right there with him.

No. It was definitely Burl. That's why it got my attention.

I have a good tuner - Onkyo T-9090 - not up to Mc standards, but good. I used to listen to FM a lot in the past, but I find that there's less that I want to listen to these days. Also, I don't have an outdoor antenna anymore, so there are certain stations I can't get clearly on FM (WKCR, for one).

I wonder if folk, blues, and ethnic musicians did more of that sort of thing. I remember a great concert by Lydia Mendoza back in the mid eighties where she (actually someone connected with her - she just signed the records) sold copies of her records afterwards.

Belated Birthday Wishes, Dmitry!

Belated Birthday Wishes, David. I was away last weekend and missed seeing your birthday postings.

Try listening to the Ray Charles/Betty Carter version. It might change your mind.

Happy birthday, Jim! Gonna spin some Quartet Out later on in honor of the day.

Thanks! I'll try and check out the Legacy and go from there if I like what I hear.