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Sessions you wish you could sit in


theteach

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Spiritual Unity would cap my day! :excited:

Wasn't Brownie there at that one?

No! I was not in New York at the time.

But I was at the 'Spirits Rejoice' session sometime later...

newyork1.jpg

Other photos I took that day illustrate the liner notes to the ESP CD reissue of the session.

THE session I wish I could have sat in:

the Jones-Smith Inc. session in Chicago, November 9, 1936

Wow! You were there! How cool is that! You got any stories you can share? Were you at any other famous sessions?

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Guest youmustbe

I was at the Plugged Nickel for the Miles' live recording in 65. I was on Xmas leave From Ft. Gordon, Ga. The guy at the door didn't want to let me in. You had to be like 45 years old to get into a club in Chicago then. I looked terrible with my GI haircut, now in fashion of course. I had my Army overcoat and dress shoes, which was against regulation when you wore them with civilian pants and shirt. The guy let me stand by the door to listen. Since I wound up knowing Miles, taking photos of him and finally booking him, it doesn't mean much anymore like it did that night.

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The point I think I'd travel back in time to isn't a session per se, but that night in January of 1938 at the Savoy ballroom when Count Basie's band fought Chick Webb's. Listening to it, dancing to it, watching everybody else dance to it, being there as each set built on the other one, hearing two of the most legendary bands in the history of the music at their peak. That would really have been something.

greg mo

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Guest Bill Barton

It would have been great to be in the studio when those marvelous McKinney's Cotton Pickers sides were recorded, especially the John Nesbitt arrangements...

And the Fletcher Henderson band when it was in its prime, as close as possible to Henry "Red" Allen...

The session where Bird recorded "A Night in Tunisia" too...

And the Dizzy Gillespie big band recordings with Chano Pozo...

Don Cherry's Relativity Suite...

The first Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra recording...

I definitely agree that Money Jungle would have been an experience...

And for cappers, practically anything that David Baker, Jim Anderson or Peter Pfister have engineered, just to see how they do their magic.

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Were you at any other famous sessions?

Was at some other sessions but no really famous ones.

However I was present - among other ones - at the Club Saint-Germain back in 1958 when Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers were recorded there by RCA, also at 'The Great Concert of Charles Mingus' in 1964 (both shows at the Salle Wagram and Théatre des Champs-Elysées), the 1966 Cecil Taylor 'Student Studies' concert at the Maison de l'ORTF plus various concerts by Miles Davis, also John Coltrane, in Paris that were later released.

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And Etoile 2000's "Boubou n'gari" sessions. These were taped rehearsals at Jandeer night club, Dakar in 1981, which produced some of the greatest classic early Mbalax.

And Ouza's "Sen sougnou sama" session, recorded in Brussels.

And "Hooting in Tooting".

And Johnny Lytle's "People and love" session, just to see the look on Orrin Keepnews' face when they did something completely different from what I assume he'd expected.

And, for similar reasons, Lou Donaldson's "Alligator boogaloo" session, to see how Alfred Lion reacted.

And the Rev James Cleveland & the Angelic Choir session for "Peace be still".

I think I'd quite liked to have been at the Beyonce session where she sang "undress me, undress me" (and to have been thirty years younger) but not for reasons that have anything to do with music :leer:

MG

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The live tracks of Sinatra's Duets, the ones where they turned his half-senile ass loose in a studio with a big band & a mike, just like in a live show, and let him roam the room to sing it for real, post-productionize it later, let's get this much right now. Based on what I hear through the finished results, they probably had to pitch-correct like a mofo, but that phrasing appears to have been out in near-full force one last time, and that would have been something to behold, the lion's last great roar in a studio.

Hell, forget about beoing there, Ca[pitol should just release it like that. Lose all that horrid duet shit and give us the real deal. Pitch correction optional, depending on how bad it really was, but let's hear the old man working the room one last time.

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Were you at any other famous sessions?

Was at some other sessions but no really famous ones.

However I was present - among other ones - at the Club Saint-Germain back in 1958 when Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers were recorded there by RCA, also at 'The Great Concert of Charles Mingus' in 1964 (both shows at the Salle Wagram and Théatre des Champs-Elysées), the 1966 Cecil Taylor 'Student Studies' concert at the Maison de l'ORTF plus various concerts by Miles Davis, also John Coltrane, in Paris that were later released.

OH.......MY......GOD.........!!!!!!!!!!!! You have truly been blessed, my man..truly blessed!!!! I was born too late, I guess.

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The live tracks of Sinatra's Duets, the ones where they turned his half-senile ass loose in a studio with a big band & a mike, just like in a live show, and let him roam the room to sing it for real, post-productionize it later, let's get this much right now. Based on what I hear through the finished results, they probably had to pitch-correct like a mofo, but that phrasing appears to have been out in near-full force one last time, and that would have been something to behold, the lion's last great roar in a studio.

Hell, forget about beoing there, Ca[pitol should just release it like that. Lose all that horrid duet shit and give us the real deal. Pitch correction optional, depending on how bad it really was, but let's hear the old man working the room one last time.

Here, here. Though it would also have been fun to be there for Sinatra's Music for Swingin' Lovers sessions (or Sings for Only the Lonely) with Riddle in the Capitol studios.

greg mo

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Well, supposedly the orchestra gave Sinatra a Standing O at the end of "I've Got You Under My Skin", so that must've been as electric going down as it has been coming out.

(and jeez, there's enough openings there for cheap jokes to last most folks a week or so, so y'all dive on in & carpe diem. It's ok.)

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Well, now I must think what might be the point: If I´d like to sit in as a player, or just be there, listening.

As part of the audience, I would have liked to be in, when Bird, Fats, and Bud, with Curley Russell and Art Blakey played at Birdland in 1950. Or the Tadd Dameron group at Royal Roost.

About playing myself: I once saw Jackie McLean, Bobby Hutcherson, Herbie Lewis and Billy Higgins together on stage. A pianoless group, the greatest I ever saw. A good piano was also on stage. Though I must say they played so much music, wasn´t need of a piano, but nevertheless if I´ve had a wish free, I would have liked to be part of it on piano. The tunes fitted to those I know (Blue´n Boogie, Star Eyes, What´s New, Salt Peanuts) and it would have been a gas to do my Bud thing on Salt Peanuts....

But it´s good that such things don´t happen. I have to much respect for the music to sit in, even if I could maybe, but musicians is one thing and music lovers is another thing....

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- Jones Smith Inc., 1936.

- Benny Goodman with Charlie Christian small group sessions, 1939-40; Benny Goodman with Teddy Wilson trio, "Body and Soul"

- Charlie Parker "Lover Man" session, especially "Be Bop" title

- Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and Lester Young, any title

- Teddy Wilson pickup groups sessions, especially "Blues in C# Minor" with Israel Crosby (sb), 1936.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If I could live out my wishes, there would be hundreds. But to narrow it to a few:

Jelly Roll's first RCA session 9/15/28, so I could watch how he directed his band.

Roscoe Mitchell's Pilgrimage sessions, so I could watch him interact with musicians from different backgrounds.

Bud - 6/8/54 - "It Never Entered My Mind"

Cecil - the Into the Hot Session - 10/10/61

Pres, Billie, Teddy & company: "I Must Have that Man" -1/25/37

Swan Silvertones: "Trouble in My Way" - 8/19/52

Jimmy Yancey: "How Long Blues" - 12/43

the second Monk's Music Session - 6/26/57

Steve Lacy/Don Cherry: Evidence - 11/14/61 - To hear the music and to meet Carl Brown.

Elmore James: the first "Dust My Broom" session - 8/51

Muddy: "I Can't Be Satisfied" - 4/48

Trane: "Ascension" - 6/28/65

Mingus: The Ah Um sessions - 5/5 & 12/59

Blakey & the Messengers: Free For All - 2/10/64

OK - more than a few. If I'm going to dream, I guess I can be greedy. :D

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