jazzbo

Honestly, I haven't met a Hampton-led session I didn't like! I like this one!

Like Eric I have been collecting books for a long time, don't care about the appearance of the printing just want the material, have thousands of books at home. I don't think I'll ever move. . . . I also used to collect comic books til I woke up one day in my early twenties and said to myself "What the fuck?" Wasn't DCs though. I sold most everything. I've kept Dr. Strange and I've added Kitchen Sink reprints of Spirit stuff. I seem to collect stereo equipment sort of by accident. . . .

Many More!

Yes, I only know Tyler from his work with Ayler, and his two ESPs. Wonderful stuff! GREAT player!

I've been digging that disc since the day it was released on Savoy/Denon cd. I remember my friend Dave who was then jazz buyer of Tower telling me that it was coming up on a Tuesday release, and I dashed up there on my lunch hour! That series of Savoys was a voyage of discovery for me, and I still feel sentimental about many of the cds. I had only a handful of Savoy lps before Denon commenced that series and I was fascinated by the lp reproduction and the wonderful sound (which still holds up as great cd sound).

Fats. I mean it has to be Fats. But a more modern (decidedly, and not a piano based) version that I really enjoy is by Barney Wilen with Enrio Rava. Very cool.

Don't lose faith! Mine was scheduled for Friday. I got home at about 5:45: NO BOX SET. I was calling out loud to no one to hear things about UPS that went beyond "BROWN." And I even went and looked out back, because sometimes they leave packages out back. NOPE. So I get over it, I say oh well, I can get it Monday and still live, went in to the kitchen, started to cook dinner, then went out to the front porch for a moment about twenty minutes later. . .a n d there it was on the front porch! Could happen soon, okay? And don't boycott jazz. Ayler is. . . jazz?

Yeah Mark! Where is that darned thing? Get a tracking number?

Stefan, the sound on this release is KILLER! Better when compared to the tree. Material not on the tree sounds wonderful as well. I mean, there is that one very rough session (Town Hall, just heard a little bit of it myself so far) but the material is pretty much all it can be sound wise here. All the transfers were done by Ben Young, and he did some of the mastering along with Kevin Reeves and one other whose name I can't remember right now. Still it sound MEATIER than a lot of Verve material with these engineers (which can be for a number of reasons, I don't care, sound is really well done).

I'm pretty sure that most of the vocals are by Marjorie Barnes. Quite well performed!

You're welcome. There are two Zodiac Suite cds, actually. One is a live event of the original suite on Vintage Jazz Classics, quite interesting. The other is a Smithsonian Folkways cd of the original recordings and alternates and EXTENSIVE notes.

www.cduniverse.com seems to list both at decent prices. . .

I really like Nat's, whether William did or not. Also really like a noncommercial version I have from a radio interview/broadcast where Strays plays and sings the item himself. And I really like the version on his Capitol lp. Especially the stereo version! Come to think of it I like Rickie Lee Jones' as well. I've become less and less and less of a Johnny Hartman fan over the years. His version doesn't do it for me.

The stereo recording from Le Cave in Cleveland by Ayler's group that appears as disc four in the Ayler box from Revenant is fast becoming a favorite. I love the sound of simple and direct recordings like this. And the playing is wonderful!

I agree: Donald is a melodic anchor on a lot of the material. Personally, I believe that Albert felt a deep responsibility towards Donald, and wanted to have him with him for extramusical reasons. . . . Seems he had Charles Tyler groom Donald as a trumpeter, he really had only been playing the trumpet a handful of years before being in Albert's group! What a feeling that must have been! I've never had an older brother. I do have a younger brother who is a trumpeter. . . I do believe that if I led a band I'd like to have my brother Bill along. . . for personal and musical reasons.

Well it certainly would be different. . . . I think that the introduction of Donald to the band really moved the music to a more "composed, arranged, orchestrated" format than it MAY have had with a different trumpeter. I honestly believe that Albert may have reassessed and transformed his concept to include Donald. Had Cherry remained his concepts and ambitions would have definitely influenced Albert's. Another trumpeter with a similar nature and background as Cherry's may have as well. With Donald in place Albert's vision was possibly more secure and focused? The music would have been different with another trumpeter, no doubt. BUT I'm not sure that I would actually prefer that different music . . . .