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New Fantasy reissues


mikeb

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Anyone picked any/all of these up yet?:

Ron Carter - Songs For You (Milestone)

Bobby Timmons - Prestige Trio Sessions (Prestige)

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - Jazz Sounds of Africa (Prestige)

Hampton Hawes - Northern Windows Plus (Prestige)

Mongo Santamaria - Montreux Heat (Prestige) [strictly speaking, not a reissue]

Sonny Stitt - Goin' Down Slow (Prestige)

Impressions?

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I picked up the Sonny Stitt and the Bobby Timmons (haven't listened to this one yet).

The first part of this two fer is Going Down Slow, with Sonny, Thad Jones and Sonny being backed by a string section, as are the other four songs. The first song is the best although Thad and Sonny don't come in until half the song (14 minutes in length) is over. The other four tunes are ok.

The other half, (the So Doggone Good) is Sonny doing what Sonny does best.

It's a good session but not spectacular. If you're a Stitt addict like I am, a definite pick up. If not, you probably don't need to.

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Going Down Slow is from 1972, with Thad Jones (tp), Hank Jones (p) , Billy Butler (g), George Duvivier (bs), Idris Muhammad (ds) and Bill VerPlanck conducting string arrangements. This was done at Rudy's studio.

The other half of the cd is So Doggone Good, also 1972, and has Hampton Hawes (p), Reggie Johnson (bs) and Lenny McBrowne (ds).

Edited by Brad
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Anyone pick up Gary Bartz' "I've Known Rivers"? I've had the vinyl for years and always wondered why it wasn't on CD - now it is. Also, I don't understand why Fantasy/Milestone hasn't released the Harlem Bush Music albums "Uhuru" and "Taifa". They are available on one CD as an import.

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I picked up the Bobby Timmons and the Mongo Santamaria. The Timmons' material is very good, all trio sessions from 1964 (My Barefoot Soul and Chun-King -- wish there was a bigger image of THAT cover!). Strong playing by all involved.

The Mongo date I listened to only a couple of tracks, but for those who think Mongo's later work isn't as exciting or interesing as his recordings in the 50's through the early 70's, this seems to be a real treat. Hot hot hot!!!

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I'm enjoying the Ahmed Abdul-Malik twofer verrry much. I've been awaiting the reissues of these sessions for decades. Not only am I ecstatic about the music, I think that the sound is uncommonly fine, natural, and balanced. Now all I need is "Eastern Moods". I have a CDR of an old cassette of a worn LP.

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I picked up SO DOGGONE GOOD on LP a few months ago. Great cover, good but not great music. It's almost a parody of a Sonny Stitt album - blues and rhythm changes, very little else. Good players, but if you wonder how Stitt bot a reputation in some quarters as a journeyman player who "went through the motions" on a lot of records, this one is a good example. Stitt's "motions" are better than many folks' inspired moments, but DAMN. the lack of variety in the programming is almost funny.

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  • 6 months later...

Three new twofers from Fantasy are coming out on October 21:

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Together Again! combines Together Again! and Together Again, Again!, two Willis Jackson albums recorded 1959-61 with Jack McDuff on organ.

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Billy Taylor Trio combines At Town Hall and A Touch Of Taylor. What’s noteworthy about the latter album is that it is PRLP-7001 – the very first of Prestige’s long and famous 7000 12” series! Almost all other early 12” titles have been on CD since long, but not this one – until now.

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This Bud Freeman release is titled All-Star Swing Sessions. There are good new and bad news about it. The good news are that it contains the Swingville album The Bud Freeman All Stars featuring Shorty Baker from 1960, which was reissued on an OJC LP, but not on CD until now. The bad news are that it only adds half of the Leonard Gaskin album Darktown Strutters Ball (1962). Instead of releasing more from this album, they have included Freeman’s 1935 Parlophone session with Bunny Berigan. But this session is readily available elsewhere (on Classics for example), so it would have been preferable to include the rest of the Gaskin album (if possible), even if Freeman doesn't play on all tracks.

Despite occasional objections regarding the configurations, Fantasy continues to be totally superior to Blue Note and Verve in terms of making its catalogues available.

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