Bill Russo Seven Deadly Sins (Roulette)

[Teasing the Korean]

I picked up a very clean copy of this many years ago, intrigued by the cover art. I played it once and was underwhelmed. At one time, it was in my Unloadsville stack, but I decided to keep it for the cover. I filed it away in the Exotica section between Rimsky-Korsakov and Sabu, and kind of forgot about it.  

Fast forward to a few years ago.  Righteous Records included a couple of tracks on one of their Lux and Ivy exotica compilations. And now, Righteous has included the whole album as part of their Lux and Ivy Dark Exotica compilation, which also includes Buddy Collette's Polynesia, John McFarland's Provocatif, and Stan Kenton's Cuban Fire. I am enjoying it much more this time.  Dark exotica indeed.

For those of you who don't have the LP, you will be delighted to learn that "His [Russo's] interests are broad in scope. They encompass literature and philosophy, the work of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, John Donne, Thomas Hardy, Wordsworth, Dickens, the thought of Plato and the profound theories of the late Elijah Jordan. He is fond of the dramas of Arthur Miller, but prefers films to the "psychoanalytic theatre in New York." He drinks brandy and Pernod (with ginger ale). He admires Brooks Brothers clothes and evening dress. He listens to the music of Bach, Scarlatti, Mozart, Prokofiev and Hindemith."

In other words, Russo is The Man who Reads Playboy. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[Chuck Nessa]

Back in 1966, Russo lived in Chicago and wrote record reviews for Down Beat. One day he walked into the Jazz Record Mart with a few review copies to sell. That is how I got a first pressing on Sun Ra's Magic City.

[Teasing the Korean]

37 minutes ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Back in 1966, Russo lived in Chicago and wrote record reviews for Down Beat. One day he walked into the Jazz Record Mart with a few review copies to sell. That is how I got a first pressing on Sun Ra's Magic City.

Nice!

[Teasing the Korean]

15 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Back in 1966, Russo lived in Chicago and wrote record reviews for Down Beat. One day he walked into the Jazz Record Mart with a few review copies to sell. That is how I got a first pressing on Sun Ra's Magic City.

When you've got a Brooks Brothers suit habit to feed, something's gotta go!