paul secor

Stuff Smith recorded with Sun Ra in 1953 or '54 with Sun Ra playing an electric keyboard called the solovox. It's not an organ (at least it doesn't sound like a conventional organ - more like a crude synthesizer), but it's close enough. You can hear it on Sun Sound Pleasure - Evidence 22014.

Bix/Trumbauer/Teagarden Mosaic box - discs 1&2 Ben Webster & Joe Zawinul: Soulmates Various Artists: Territory Bands - What Kind of Rhythm Is That? (Frog) Art Ensemble of Chicago: Tribute to Lester

Just a short AEC anecdote: I only heard and saw them live once, in the winter of 1980 at an Albany, N.Y. college (probably RPI, but I'm not sure). It was the evening when the underdog U.S. Olympic hockey team played the Russian team for the gold medal. At one point late in the concert, one of the Art Ensemble musicians, perhaps Lester Bowie, who had gone offstage, returned and announced, "The U.S. won the gold medal!", eliciting cheers from the crowd. At the time it struck me as odd that musicians would have an interest in a sports event, but it made me realize that musicians are not just musicians, they're people with many of the same interests as the rest of us. Perhaps that's something that should be obvious, but I had a tendency to see musicians only as musicians, and not think about the lives they lived when they weren't playing music. The music and performance that night were great, but when I look back, the hockey announcement incident possibly had a greater affect on me than the music.

Thanks for all of your kind words! I had a good birthday - had to work, but when I got home, my wife Joan had prepared a delicious meal, including my favorite dessert, bread pudding. She gave me a couple of books I've been wanting to read - Roger Angel's Game Time and Perry Robinson: The Traveler. Also, something useful - a gift certificate for a pair of shoes. I'd probably never bother buying them for myself. I'm supposed to have enough records and CDs - Joan's opinion, not mine - so I had to get those presents for myself. The Bix/Trumbauer/Teagarden Mosaic box arrived yesterday, and the Jimmy Lyons box is on the way. I'm looking forward to a Bixian Saturday morning. Thanks once again for sharing my birthday with me. Your thoughts and words mean a lot.

Joe Harriott Quintet: Abstract King Oliver: Great Original Performances 1923-1930 Jimmy Reed: Bright Lights, Big City Anthony Braxton (BYG)

Thanks for your responses. I believe I'll pick it up - sounds like a good bluesy, late night/rainy afternoon recording.

Birthdays don't come but once a year. Hope you're enjoying your day!

Count me as another who likes the Naked Lunch soundtrack.

Not an obscure recording - though I wonder how many copies it sold, and how many have heard it. That might qualify it as obscure - but has Ornette's Skies of America been mentioned? Apologies if it has and I missed it.

Enjoy your meal, the wine, the cigar, listen to some great music, enjoy the time spent with your better half - have a great birthday! P.S. Thanks for all your posts. From reading them, I thought that you were a young guy, so I guess 64 is young. I'm getting close, so that makes me feel good.

James Brown: Santa's Got a Brand New Bag Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas NRBQ: Christmas Wish The Roches: We Three Kings Huey Smith and the Clowns: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas Swing Time Christmas (Night Train) - Lloyd Glenn, Lowell Fulson, Dexter Gordon, Big Joe Turner, Mabel Scott, Cecil Gant, Pete Johnson, & others. * Rhythm and Blues Christmas (Hollywood) - Hank Ballard, Charles Brown, Freddy King, Gatemouth Moore, & others. * Blue Christmas (Blue Moon) - Clyde McPhatters and the Drifters ("White Christmas), Nat King Cole ("The Christmas Song"), Little Esther, The Orioles, The Moonglows, Bull Moose Jackson, Julia Lee, Amos Milburn, Jimmy Liggins, Roy Milton, & others. * * There is some duplication of tracks on these three. Doo Wop Christmas (Rhino) - This is OK, but some of the best tracks are on the Blue Moon release. Blue Yule (Rhino) - A fine Holiday blues comp - Texas Pete Mayes, Eddie C. Campbell, Poppa Hop (Hop Wilson), Jimmy McCracklin, Lightnin Hopkins, Louis Jordan, Detroit Junior, and others. Hillbilly Holiday (Rhino) - If you have a taste for 50's/'60's country, this is the Holiday comp to get - George Jones, The Louvin Brothers, The Davis Sisters, Buck Owens, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, and from the 70's: Commander Cody: "Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas". The Best of Cool Yule (Rhino) - Ike & Tina, Jack Scott, Edward "Kookie" Burns ("Yulesville"), The Marquees ("Christmas In the Congo"), The Harmony Grits, and others. Soul Christmas (Rhino) - A Classic. Christmas Party with Eddie G. (Columbia) - Rufus Thomas, Eddie Lawrence - The Old Philosopher, Louis Prima, Augie Rios ("Donde Esta Santa Claus"), Arthur Lyman, NRBQ, and others. Bummed Out Christmas (Rhino) - The Youngsters ("Christmas in Jail"), Clyde Lasley & the Cadillac Baby Specials ("Santa Came Home Drunk"), Johnny & Jon ("Christmas in Viet Nam"), The Everly Brothers ("Christmas Can Kill You"). The Christmas Jug Band featuring Dan Hicks ("Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit"), and others. You Get the idea. New England Christmastide (North Star) - Fine acoustic (guitar, cello, wood flute, recorder, concertina, uillean pipes, mandolin, hurdy gurdy, etc.) renditions of Christmas classics. And a mention for Bukka White's "Christmas Eve Blues" on Mississippi Delta Blue Jam in Memphis Vol. 2 (Arhoolie) ghost of miles already mentioned Hipster's Holiday, and I'll second that choice - Babs Gonsalez, Louis, Miles, Big John Greer, Leo Watson, The Marquees, LHR, Pearl Bailey, Hamp - A Great collection.

I'm not sure if it's readily available, but In All Languages (originally on Caravan of Dreams, and, I believe, reissued by Verve) contains some very good electric Ornette. It has recordings by both the original quartet - Ornette, Cherry, Haden and Higgins - and Prime Time - Ornette, Denardo, Weston, Tacuma, Ellerbee, and Nix. Seven of the tunes are performed by each group, which makes for an interesting comparison. Sorry to dupicate kh - I was a minute late.

This is a great place to hang out. Join up and reveal yourselves!

I'm a fan of Stanley Turrentine's early recordings. I'm not much of a Three Sounds fan (peace, Dan). I'm interested in the Turrentine/Three Sounds Conn. Does anyone have an opinion/comment on this? How does it stand in relation to other early Turrentine records? Thanks in advance for any feedback.

I can't add much to ghost of miles' eloquent statement. When the Marlins won the series, I thought about Muhammed Ali after losing the first Frazier fight. Some of his handlers wanted him to avoid the press. His response was something to the affect that he talked to the press when he won, and he'd talk to the press now that he'd lost. Congratulations to the Marlins. I hope that their management is able to keep that team together, and I hope that the fans in Miami will support their team now that they've come back from the depths. It's been a helluva season.

Hope you have a GREAT birthday, Daniel!

Swamp Dogg: Total Destruction of Your Mind/Rat On Lawrence Marable Quartet featuring James Clay: Tenorman Hank Mobley: No Room for Squares Chris Dahlgren: Best Intentions

Don't know how "obscure" this is, but Benny Carter recorded with strings on 2/3rds of his Cosmopolite album. Not obscure, but one that's put down as one of his least, is Paul Desmond's Desmond Blue LP. I happen to like it, but I like Desmond's playing a lot. The Vera Beths String Quartet plays with the Willem Breuker Kollektief on the Rhapsody in Blue LP. Also, there are strings on Breuker's Doodzonde LP. Also, a couple of ringers - probably not what you're looking for here, but what the hey: Leo Smith is accompanied by three harps on "The Burning of Stones" on his Spirit Catcher LP. And violin, viola (played by Jimbo Ross - how many viola players have you come across named Jimbo?), and cello comprise 3/5ths of the Buell Neidlinger quintet on Blue Chopsticks (K2B2).

Happy birthday, Chris - yesterday, actually. And maren - today.

Frederic Hand's Jazzantiqua includes Jane Ira Bloom on soprano sax.

Not a jazz recording, but Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Christmas from the Family" on his Gringo Honeymoon CD is a great and truly funny Holiday song.

I dig Clifford Jarvis' playing on Freddie Hubbard's Open Sesame.

I dig Clifford Jarvis' playing on Freddie Hubbard's Open Sesame.

I'd pick a Blue Note Session that wasn't recorded at Rudy's studio(s). In fact, Rudy wasn't even there. Ornette's second night at the Golden Circle - Dec. 4, 1965 - would be a good one to go out on.

I'll add my vote for The Queen's Suite.