paul secor

That's a very fine record, and one that was remixed and was actually an improvement over the original album release - not usually the case. If anyone's looking for one Professor Longhair record, my vote goes to New Orleans Piano (Atlantic) - his classic '49 and '53 cuts. If you have that one, you can explore further if you wish. If that one is enough, at least you've got his best.

I don't detect any enthusiasm behind those sentences. Perhaps none was intended.

One of the main problems with doing any sort of Professor Mosaic is that his early recordings have been reissued a number of times over the past 30 years, and most of them are still available in some form or another. I would imagine that most of the people who would be interested in a Fess Mosaic already have the recordings that would be in it. I only buy and listen to records - I don't sell them - so I could be wrong.

Stuff Smith - March 7, 1957 session

If this is their "roster", it's pretty sad.

Milt Hinton: Bassicly with Blue (Black and Blue)

The Best of Bobby Bland (Duke)

Otis Redding: The Soul Album

It would be a good and cool thing if the remaining sets were sold to Board members. Try imagining that these are the last 20 sets of a Mosaic box, and go for it!

Percy Sledge: Take Time To Know Her (Atlantic)

Gil Evans (Cecil Taylor/John Carisi): Into the Hot (Impulse - stereo original)

Benny Carter: Further Definitions (Jasmine)

It's good to be back here. Thanks, Jim.

First saw him on Shindig, many years ago. Last saw him on a George Harrison tribute concert. The Harrison songs he sang that night came off better than anyone else's. Sounds like he had a hard end. I Hope that he's found some peace.

Blind Boy Fuller: Truckin' My Blues Away (Yazoo)

Judging from the Bernard Purdie interviews I've read, "modest" would be the last word I'd use to decribe him. He makes a lot of claims that I doubt he can back up. The discographies on LPs/CDs I've seen list Roger Hawkins as the drummer on "Think" and "When a Man Loves a Woman". Discographies can be wrong and misleading, but unless Mr. Purdie was imported to Alabama in early 1966 to play with the Quinvy studio band, I doubt very much that he played on "When a Man Loves a Woman". I would take anything that Mr. Purdie says with a grain (no, make that a shaker) of salt.

I was hoping that there'd be a Jackie Mc in the second bunch. Ah well, somewhere down the line ....

The Lester Young Story Volume 3 - Enter the Count (Columbia)

90/95/99? (I haven't made a count, but it's up there somewhere) % of the classic jazz recordings from 1920 until today are not/were not available on Mosaic. If you're just starting out, look elsewhere first.

Up for further discussion/additions. Much of what was posted on this thread were discussions of the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, James Lincoln Collier, and Ross Russell's Bird Lives!, which was fine, but there are many good jazz books that were not mentioned. Three more: Selections from the Gutter - edited by Art Hodes and Chadwick Hansen. Articles from The Jazz Record, a magazine co-edited by Art Hodes in the 1940's, with articles written by Hodes and others - a fascinating look at the traditional jazz scene of that era and earlier. Swing Era New York - The Jazz Photographs of Charles Peterson. Wonderful photographs of nearly every well known swing era musician - including many in unusual settings: Duke Ellington playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe's guitar at a jam session; Chick Webb playing at a jam session with Ellington and Artie Shaw; Fats Waller in his underwear (ok, maybe I didn't need to see that one); Willie "The Lion" Smith, in the Commodore Record Shop, pointing to a portrait of Toscanini; Louis Armstrong playing for a group of elementary school students sitting on the floor in front of him - what a wonderful memories they must have! ; the journalist/pianist Dan Burley - I have a CD of his music, but had never seen this photograph before - it will add something to my next listen to his music. The photographs in this book will bring you back to the music and add to your enjoyment of it. (Hope that doesn't sound too much like a commercial. It's true for me.) Randi Hultin's Born Under the Sign of Jazz. Reminiscences and photographs of musicians who visited and stayed at Swedish journalist, photographer, and friend of jazz musicians, Randi Hultin's home. What makes the book truly special is a CD of home recordings, including a 22 year old Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham playing and singing, Eubie Blake, Anthony Ortega, Jaki Byard, Stuff Smith, Bill Evans talking about an earlier visit - I had never heard him speak and hadn't realized that he had such a down home southern accent, Freddie Green, and many others, including a host of Swedish musicians.

Donald Byrd: Byrd's Eye View (Transition/King Japan)

Relistened to Capra Black this morning and enjoyed it, though it's not my favorite Harper. A pleasure to hear Elvin trying to stir things up on "Sir Galahad". Hadn't noticed that Gene McDaniels was one of the vocalists before this. When he was on the charts with "A Hundred Pounds of Clay", etc., I bet he never thought that he'd be singing on a straight ahead jazz record 12-13 years down the line. I do have a problem with Billy Harper's recordings. I have 7 of his LPs in my collection (having that many you wouldn't think I'd have a problem), and I enjoy listening to them whenever I play them. The problem is that I feel that all I probably need is one Billy Harper record, and I'd hear pretty much what he has to say. I don't know if anyone else here feels that way.

Billy Harper: Soran-Bushi, B.H. (Denon) & Capra Black (Nippon Columbia)

Reminds me of the Joe Venuti story when he called a bunch of tuba players and told each of them to meet him at a certain time on a corner in midtown Manhattan where they'd be picked up for a gig. Needless to say, there was no gig, and Joe got a good laugh out of it - at least until someone complained to the musicians' union and Joe ended up having to pay the tuba players.

Happy 48th! Hope that it's a great one.