BillF

Looks like good stuff! I already have four excellent tracks from the Chubby Jackson Fifth Dimension Jazz Group.

Introducing Carl Perkins (Dooto). A wonderful, but sadly largely forgotten, pianist!

Los Angeles-based Gerald Wilson (b.1918) has had a long and distinguished career as a big band arranger and leader (as well as trumpeter) and is still active and recording at an advanced age. I have two albums by him, Moment of Truth (1962) and Portraits (1963), both of which I like very much. There are many, many other things to be said about the great Gerald Wilson and I'm sure other board members will oblige!

The sound on that Woody Herman set is excellent, imo. The Columbia engineers in the 40s left a nice legacy, for sure. Yes, I'm hearing that fantastic rhythm section properly for the first time!

I take it that "progressive" as used in this quotation means using new, previously unheard forms and means of expression. If so, this would be generally true of modern jazz up to and including the avant-gardists of the 60s (Coleman, Shepp, Ayler), although all these built on tradition to make their new sounds. But with the emergence of the generation of Scott Hamilton and Warren Vache in the 70s, we had musicians once again happy to work entirely within a long-established tradition. Critic Alyn Shipton calls this post-modernism and sees it as the dominant characteristic of today's jazz. I suppose the most obvious example is in the activities of Wynton Marsalis (whatever you think of them!) The term "neoclassicism" would also apply to his stuff.

On Monday I'll be hearing Alan Barnes and Bruce Adams at the Cheadle Hulme Conservative Club. (I'll be leaving my politics at the door.) Am I allowed to say that in a non-political thread?

Woody Herman, Blowin' Up a Storm: the Columbia Years 1945-47. Very pleased to get hold of a used copy of this 2CD 40 track collection, which extends my coverage of this classic material from the 12 track LP (CBS Realm Jazz) which I've had since the 1960s, but doesn't go quite so far as the $119 7CD Mosaic box.

Perhaps the answer is to have two threads: "Album of the Moment" as suggested by Big Al, as well as "What Are You Listening To Right Now " in its present form.

I agree. It needs to lead to discussion. At the moment, it's merely listing. It gives a snapshot of what members like, but nothing else. Occasionally, someone offers an appraisal of what they're listening to, but this is then lost in succeeding posts.

He can be heard with the Tadd Dameron Sextet on "Our Delight", The Squirrel", "The Chase" and "Dameronia". Not sure where these tracks are currently available. I have them on The Fabulous Fats Navarro Vol 1 (Blue Note BLP 1531).

Good idea, Big Al!

"Soulful Days: the Cal Massey Songbook", broadcast on 2007-02-24, is archived on nightlights.blogs.wfiu.org/shows.

The 2007 Wigan International Jazz Festival was held on 13-22 July. The dates for the 2008 festival aren't yet advertised, but it will be in July.

Surprised on walking into my local pharmacist's yesterday to hear the unmistakable sound of the Chet Baker Quartet with Russ Freeman on piano. In my case, probably more effective than most medicaments!

Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Potpourri (Philadelphia International Records) Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, New Life (Horizon) Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Suite for Pops (Horizon)

Oscar an excellent boogie woogie player? Now, if you were talking Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons or Pete Johnson ...

Tonight I saw Simon Spillett, rising British tenor star in the tradition of Tubby Hayes.

"School Days", a favorite vocal number for Dizzy Gillespie, has children's rhymes in its lyrics. (Having written this, I've recalled that Louis Jordan recorded this one before Dizzy and that a traditional blues lyric about being "on my way to school" pre-dates both.)

I heard a big band led by Phil Woods at the Wigan Jazz Festival a few years ago. Nearly all young guys, with the exception of the bassist, Earl May. The name was familiar. When I got home I realised I'd been listening to the bassist from the Coltrane Lush Life session of almost half a century earlier! I'm very sorry to hear of his passing.

The sleeve note by British jazz critic Alun Morgan to my copy of the George Coleman Octet's album, Big George (Affinity) includes the following: "George was born in Memphis, Tennessee .... Other Memphis-born jazzmen of importance include Phineas Newborn, trumpeters Booker Little and Louis Smith, saxophonists Sonny Criss and John Williams, clarinettist Buster Bailey and drummer Jimmy Crawford. In fact Coleman, Strozier, Mabern and Little were school friends .... At the beginning of 1958 [George] became part of the Max Roach Quintet (which also had Booker Little on trumpet)".

Any anecdotes or views on the music or recordings of Dodo? I've always liked this story: A couple invited Dodo to stay for Christmas in their home. They left him alone in the house while they went out to buy groceries. On return, they found all their furniture on the lawn. Dodo explained: "Well, man, I had to move it out because all the furniture was bugging the sound of the piano."

Gerry Mulligan, The Concert Jazz Band (HMV Verve Series Stereo) Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band, At the Village Vanguard (HMV Verve Series Mono) Gerry Mulligan Presents a Concert in Jazz (HMV Verve Series Mono) Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour: Guest Soloist Zoot Sims (Verve Stereo)

Yet another from Ronnie Scott. In the early 1960s when American jazz musicians were rare visitors to London, let alone to the British provinces, Ronnie announced to a club audience in Leeds that he would shortly be presenting at the club an all-star American quintet, jointly led by Stan Getz and Stuff Smith. As the shock of elation died down, he added, "We call it the Getz/Stuff quintet."

A friend of mine spoke to Pepper Adams during a British tour and asked where he'd played the night before. Pepper was at first stumped by this question. Then he rummaged deep in a pocket and brought out a key attached to a large plastic tag on which were embossed the words ROYAL HOTEL SHEFFIELD. "I guess that must be it," said Pepper.

Nice one, Larry. Here's something from the late Ronnie Scott, admittedly full of British cultural references: On his early life: "I was born in a room over a Jewish pub in the East End of London. It was called the Kosher Horses. We were very poor. My father was always unemployed. He was a shepherd. We were so poor, they had to buy my clothes from the Army and Navy Stores. Imagine me going to school during the Second World War wearing a Japanese admiral's uniform." On small towns: "I played a gig once in Tamworth. They have one set of traffic lights there - at the crossroads in the middle of town. They change once a week - at 1p.m. on Wednesdays. Everyone comes out to watch." ,