adh1907

Great record, love the Max Romeo version

There’s a mono copy of Insight on the wall of a Shoreditch record shop currently for sale for £69.99. I listened to it today on their downstairs turntable (after buying a dozen beigels at the nearby classic Beigel Bake) but concluded that it was crackling throughout and no better than my stereo copy. I have never come across a decent copy of this record. I wonder if the CD reissue was sourced from Prince Lasha’s tape and is worth tracking down. I love this record, it has a very strange vibe, what with the harp, Stan Tracey and Prince Lasha on top. Anthony London

In the announcements in today’s Guardian is an acknowledgment from his partner, Maxi, wishing “heartfelt thanks for all the wonderful messages, tributes and outpouring of love and support on the death of her adored husband.” Very touching.

RIP, I haven’t heard much of him in London in recent years but I remember seeing Jabula a lot years back. I also attended a workshop run by him at the Islington Arts Factory, late 80s, early 90s where he was a very patient and inspiring tutor. I think he rehearsed a Dudu Pukwana tune with us.

BBC radio 3 Jazz Record Requests, presented by Alyn Shipton, focused on Fats Navarro on 24 September. Not yet listened but it appears from the playlist that my request for Street Beat with Parker didn’t make the show! Navarro and Parker trading fours is I think one of the peaks of bebop:

RIP. He was probably the first drummer in the UK to introduce rock rhythms into the jazz world. I love his work with Graham Collier, for example, Aberdeen Angus:

Reminds me that there’s a good film of Getz with Coltrane playing Hackensack, 1960. Love the smile they give one another at about 25s in. Wildly contrasting styles at the time. Getz sticks to his stuff. Not so long after this, most tenor players were copying Coltrane. As an aside, did Getz ever take on board any Coltrane-isms? I am not aware that he did.

RIP. Glad to have seen him twice in London, once at the Jazz Cafe , possibly late 90s, where he introduced himself as ‘Barry White’ after his first ferocious tenor work out. Then the Red Rose Club where he played a lot of piano and alto and less tenor. I think this was recorded by Radio 3 for a Jez Nelson broadcast.

He’s playing Kings Place London on Nov 17. I may attend but ticket prices seem steep, at around £30.

Who needs the peace corps?

Lee Perry

Actually her Short Story tune seems to follow Tristano’s Wow. Which in turn may be based on Earl Hines’ you can depend on me. Could be wrong. Anthony

Thanks, that’s a great find Niko. Betty sounds quite an interesting character, what with the LSD etc. Sounds like an early hippie. That Short Story track intrigues me, sounds v modern. Is it the same chord sequence as used by Marsh and Konitz on ‘Sound Lee’ perhaps. Can’t quite place it. https://archive.org/details/78_shorty-shorty_the-betty-christopher-trio-betty-christopher-tommy-carroll-buzzy-brid_gbia0285827b

Yes, that is the same photo as on the Facebook post

Bill Crow posted a photo of her on his Facebook page, playing with a sax player, Fred Greenwell. He asked if anyone knew of her and the following: “Her original name was Stitt. I came to New York at the same time that she did, in January 1950, and she was working with an all girl band. She had been studying with Lennie Tristano when she lived in Chicago. In NYC she met and played for Charlie Parker, and toward the end of that year he offered her a New Year's Eve job. She panicked, and went back home to Chicago, and I heard she married, and I lost track of her. She was a good musician and a good friend. She made a 78 while she was in New York, with Buddy Jones on bass and Buzzy Bridgeford on drums. I gave my copy to the Institute of Jazz Studies in Newark.” So, the 78 has ‘Gone with the wind’ a vocal with no piano solo and the more interesting original ‘Short Story’. Maybe it was a private pressing for promotional purposes.

Interesting Bill Crow post today about Betty Christopher, studied with Tristano. “Shorty Shorty’” on the B side of her 78 sounds incredible, ahead of its time. Guessing early ‘50s. Blown away by this https://archive.org/details/78_shorty-shorty_the-betty-christopher-trio-betty-christopher-tommy-carroll-buzzy-brid_gbia0285827b Correction, looks to be entitled “Short Story”

Thanks v much.

I have sheet music for neither but these sound like they have v similar chord sequences. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Scritti Politti, fascinating 1979 film. Showing their squat on Carol St in all its squalor. My partner used to hang out with the feminists next door.

Love, Leda by Mark Hyatt. Interesting mid 60s London novel only recently discovered and published. Takes a while to get into the staccato poetic style. As an aside, trying to work out which jazz club operated on Museum St. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/23/a-great-lost-work-love-ledas-candid-tale-of-1960s-gay-life-is-a-touching-time-capsule

I gather from my Dad that he was quite a friendly chap. British jazz owes a lot to a few driven individuals. Harry Flick was another, in the Midlands area.

So RCA went to all the trouble of re channeling a mono date into stereo and then misspelled the venue of the recording and the name of one of the artists. Oh dear.

Was that really released with two shocking typos?! Crikey. Other than that it sounds worth hearing. Recording date?

I wasn’t sure where to note this but Ernie Garside, renowned UK jazz promoter (and trumpet player) has died, aged 91. There is a short obituary in Jazzwise here: https://www.jazzwise.com/news/article/rnie-garside-3-january-1932-1-august-2023 He had a long and prolific life from setting up the famous Manchester jazz club, Club 43 to promoting and touring with Maynard Ferguson (after he had settled in Manchester). I think I attended a number of concerts he promoted, including Art Farmer in Southport in the 80s. My Dad certainly went to lots, incl Club 43 and passed the time of day with Ernie a number of times. He will be upset when I tell him the news. RIP. I understand there is a very large and interesting archive of recordings of a number of jazz greats at Club 43. Would be a great memorial to Ernie if there were some releases from this. Anthony

I was too slow. Out of stock at Mosaic and Jazz Messengers. By the way, are the original sleeve notes replicated in the box set? I hope so.