mjzee

Let's collaborate!

I just need some collaboratees.

Maybe he came from the Bob Weinstock school of producing!

Agreed. I found this was my first complete Ma Vlast. It really needs to be heard as a whole. Stunning and moving. Next: Deutsche Grammophon 111 - The Violin, disc 3.

His '50's albums were pretty consistent, mostly straight-ahead jazz, and very interesting. For that period, try to pick up the 10 CD box "Milestones of a Legend," which has 19 different albums originally on a myriad of labels. His Atlantic albums are all over the place, sometimes within the same LP. "The Beat Goes On," for example, contains tracks recorded 4/6/64, 5/6/64, 5/8/64, 9/29/66, 12/16/66, and 3/16/67. "Our Mann Flute" is even more varied: 8/3/60, 2/13/64, 5/7/64, 10/29/64, 3/10/66, and 5/26/66. The tracks within these albums don't seem to have a stylistic consistency. "Our Mann Flute," moreover, only has one track longer than 3 minutes. And yet, each track has a lot of quality. But listening to an LP side is like being inside the mind of someone with ADHD. "Our Mann Flint" is a very wacky album. Tracks include Philly Dog, Good Lovin', Frere Jacques, Fiddler On The Roof, Down By The Riverside, Monday Monday, and Skip To My Lou (!). As for deep cuts, check out the entire "Impressions Of The Middle East" album, and these: And, of course:

Was Jack Tracy the main producer for Argo?

Rafael Kubelik - Complete Decca Recordings box, disc 6.

Ricci American Decca box, disc 8. I think I feel sorry for the guy. While obviously talented and hard-working, he wasn't very attractive. So I think he was pidgeon-holed as a "shredder" - someone who could play really fast, like a classical Eddie Van Halen. It's very possible he could also play slowly and movingly, but wasn't called on to do that. So this album seems like an endless procession of 32nd notes.

Has anyone written about the Argo label? Much has been written about Blue Note, and less so about Prestige and Savoy, concerning the producers' philosophies and what sorts of music they liked to record. Is there any sort of consistent thread that goes through Argo releases, or was it just musicians who were in Chicago? The James Moody self-titled album was produced by Jack Tracy - did he produce most of Argo's releases, or only some?

Brian Charette is really good. Don't miss his work on Ronnie Cuber's "Four" (SteepleChase). I also liked Charette's "Good Tipper" (PosiTone) and "Power From The Air" (SteepleChase). Not sure how you define "recent," but I really liked Mike Ledonne's work from the mid-2000's. Check out "Smokin' Out Loud" and "On Fire" (both Savant).

Recently found the Verve CD reissue of this. Blown away by both the music and sound quality. Has anyone written about the Argo label? Much has been written about Blue Note, and less so about Prestige and Savoy, concerning the producers' philosophies and what sorts of music they liked to record. Is there any sort of consistent thread that goes through Argo releases, or was it just musicians who were in Chicago? This Moody album was produced by Jack Tracy - did he produce most of Argo's releases, or only some?

This was available on The Freelance Years box.

There have been a number of discussions here over the years about abusive artists who make great music, and the ambiguous morality of enjoying the music these artists create. A new movie has just been released, "Tár," which, in a fictionalized way, addresses these very real issues. The movie, and the morality of critical reactions to the movie, are all discussed here: https://unherd.com/2023/01/tar-and-the-triumph-of-amoral-artists/

Funny, this talk about Bruckner's Sixth. I'm now reading the September 2022 issue of BBC Music Magazine. In the regular feature "Music to my ears: What the classical world has been listening to this month," under the "Critic's Choice" column, Michael Smith of Stamford wrote: "It was quite a canny move by the Proms controller to couple James MacMillan's Viola Concerto with Bruckner's Sixth - a perpetually underrated instrument and the composer's most unfairly overlooked symphony - in one concert by the BBC Philharmonic. Let's hear it for the little guys!"

Deutsche Grammophon 111 - The Violin, disc 2. I didn't find this as involving as the prior Paganini disc. It sounds a little too polite. But I wonder if some of my reaction is due to the low mastering volume; if it were louder, I might have been more drawn into it. But the volume is a quality that's hard to pinpoint.

Dan, it may be time to start giving some hints.

I have this on a Fresh Sound twofer, which also contains "The Tenor Stylings Of..." and "Modern Windows." All are excellent.

Disc 2.

Rafael Kubelik - Complete Decca Recordings box, disc 5.

Sun Ra Live at Montreux was also an Inner City original. I know Wikipedia says it was originally on Saturn, but it's doubtful many saw that issue. Besides, Inner City has to be given props for this:

Yes, I was very impressed. This was recorded in 1979? I have this in the Seon box (discs 51 & 52). Bylsma also recorded these works in 1992, which I have in one of the Vivarte boxes (discs 13 & 14).

Deutsche Grammophon 111 - The Violin, disc 1.

Columbia (and subsequent owner Sony) owned pressing plants in at least Terre Haute, IN, and Camden, NJ; the Terre Haute location pressed LPs, CDs and DVDs. The Camden plant may have been originally owned by RCA. Capitol owned at least one pressing plant.

Still no Kenny Burrell - Freedom. Sigh.

From Wikipedia: In Los Angeles in the mid-1950s he played in a quartet with La Monte Young, Billy Higgins, and Don Cherry. Wow! I'd like to have heard that.