ghost of miles Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 Man, until last night I'd heard Clay only on Don Cherry's ART DECO and Wes Montgomery's MOVIN' ALONG. Then the package from Mr. Tanno arrived and I finally got to check out TENOR MAN--was he really only 20 when he made that record? He sounds as if he's 40, and I mean it in a good way. How do his Riverside dates compare? And does anybody around these parts have a copy of his TEXAS TENORS record with Marchel Ivery that they might be able to dub for me? I'd gladly send something in exchange. (I'm assuming, by the way, that it's OOP--if not, I'll definitely buy it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted July 1, 2003 Report Share Posted July 1, 2003 (edited) A friend of mine who recently passed away, worked with James Clay at a record distributor in Dallas for many years. Sad to think this great tenor wasted so much of his life not really playing, and working in a hot Dallas warehouse. He had a family to raise, and couldn't do it playing music he said. TENORMAN is one of prime example of his genius. As is WIDE OPEN SPACES with Fathead Newman. If you don't have that one, GET IT! Edited July 1, 2003 by Soul Stream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 He made two cds for Antilles. "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart" and "Cooking At The Continental". The former is well worth looking for. Certainly an overlooked figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 ...WIDE OPEN SPACES with Fathead Newman. If you don't have that one, GET IT! HELL YEAH!!!! For all the evil that it has contributed to the world, Texas periodiaclly produces something like this to say, "I'm SOOOOO sorry!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 I've tried to grab as many James Clay as I can and haven't heard a bad one yet. Both Antilles are good although "Cooking" is better. BTW, he's on one of the cuts on the Rein de Graaff cd Now is the Time from Timeless that's distributed by Stateside. Good cd, incidentally. I remember from the old Board that Jim knew him and had posted some reminiscences abut him. I'd hate to ask him to do it again but if he has time time, maybe he could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted July 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 Yeah, I've been scouring AMG's discography, because I'd like to do a whole program devoted to Clay sometime. This is a longshot, but are there any Ray Charles tracks on which he takes a solo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 I have no idea on the Ray Charles, Ghost, but this is a nice one if you can find it: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 Unfortunately, the record with Marchel is pretty hard to find. Though I would like someone in Ivery's circle here in town would have a copy / could get a copy. I was fortunate enough to get to see James Clay a couple of times in and around Dallas before he passed away. The times I saw him at Chumley's Coffee House (RIP), he looked very frail, and yet oh so hip at the same time. And his playing was something else, of course. He had a pretty fine band behind him on tose nights, too -- Dwayne Clemmons (sp?) on trmupet, Lyles West on bass, can't remember the pianist and drummer, but it seems they were old associates. Be sure also to track down the FRANK MORGAN CD reissue on GNP, which tacks on 5 tracks from 1956 club date / jam session by Morgan, Jack Sheldon, Bobby Timmons, Jimmy Bond, Larance Marable and Clay And: "Incomplete Clay Discography": http://member.nifty.ne.jp/mrmanri/JamesClay/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted July 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 (edited) Hey, thanks, Dan, I'll look around for that. I'd like to find the date Clay did with Billy Higgins for Contemporary, too (BRIDGEWORK). And thanks, too, Joe, for the discography and the reminiscences. Picking up the Morgan GNP will be an added bonus, as I'm a Morgan fan as well. Edited July 2, 2003 by ghost of miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 I remember from the old Board that Jim knew him and had posted some reminiscences abut him. I'd hate to ask him to do it again but if he has time time, maybe he could. I knew him casually, that's all. It might be a while before I have the time to (re)post in depth, but I'll try to, eventually. Suffice it to say that he was very much "the real deal" and that I learned innumerable and immeasurable life and musical lessons from being in his company, even casually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Christmas Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 In the last years of his life, Clay's playing was as lively and spirited as it ever had been. He was a guy that did his share for the Dallas circuit; not a man who would go out of his way for bookings, but was able to stay busy for his laid-back persona and INTENSE, extended solos, though his stature on stage was anything but energetic. I feel fortunate to have been able to call him a friend. And he is the root cause of my fascination with this music. When Dallas' Sambuca opened in 1991, the house band, and associated combinations, consisted of some exceptionally talented players, including Clay, Marchel Ivery, Roger Boykin, Claude Johnson, W.A. Richardson, Shelly Carrol, and a BADASS young trumpeter by the name of Whitney Russell. What ever happened to Russell, anyway?? Joe? Jim? All of the music was in the bop lineage and one couldn't help to be completely absorbed whenever these guys were blowing. As an employee at the club, I participated in many intermission and after hours discussions with Clay about his music. He didn't have any sort of spiritual connection with his music, but more of a sense that what he was doing was "it". He had a fondness for Joe Henderson and could play all hell out of "Recorda Me." Thus, PAGE ONE was the first jazz record I ever went out of my way to purchase. I have some old tapes and photos of those Sambuca performances that, if I can find them, I will be happy to post. What I'd really love to hear are any existing tapes of his early playing with Ornette, Cherry & co. Anyone know if he ever played with John Carter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrugs Posted July 3, 2003 Report Share Posted July 3, 2003 The record with Ivery is very nice. I found it in the $1 bin at Dynamite Records in Northampton, MA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Christmas Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Someone has a copy of Cookin at the Continental up for trade here: http://webpages.charter.net/ezzthetic/trad.../johnfesler.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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