mmilovan

Hardbopjazz, Nope, I totally disagree with you on this one:( Leo Parker was hell of a musician, very good flexible player on baritone, and surely he was among them first to adopt modern idiom to that instrument, among just few others. I like his album for BN "Let Me Tell You Bout It" (Spanish BN 84087), and of course his great contribution while playing with Navarro back in 1940's. Mmilovan, seems you misread Hardbopjazz initial statement! He says he has just been turned on to Leo Parker! I'm sorry for misunderstanding hardbopjazz, but it was word "overlooked" after the thread title... So, my apologies, hardbopjazz, and more Leo Parker to listen to!

Hardbopjazz, Nope, I totally disagree with you on this one:( Leo Parker was hell of a musician, very good flexible player on baritone, and surely he was among them first to adopt modern idiom to that instrument, among just few others. I like his album for BN "Let Me Tell You Bout It" (Spanish BN 84087), and of course his great contribution while playing with Navarro back in 1940's.

http://www.nero.com/en/632173759380310.html#13 But, be carefull! Burning of 90 or 99 min discs can lead to unpredictable results. For an example, my Marantz (among newest players) CD4000 won't play tracks after 81 or 82 minutes or so. Perheaps head can not reach those tracks. Or it must be some toher media, don't know.

I checked color scheme and it looks very fine to me (32 bit color); I like it very much as well as whole design - in fact it looks professionally polished and visually clear. Reducing to 16 bit color there are slight aura at the main header, but it is the case with that color bit depth, and in such settings it's not faulty.

I agree re your opinion on Keppard. A highly underrated trumpeter with a very distinctive tone, very New Orleans-ish. There´s an interesting volume covering 1923-27 in the King Jazz label. And, though agreeing in the quality of ODJB music, full of gimmicks and tricks, I must recognize I enjoy their freshness. It´s funny music! Besides this Timeless Records release, I also recommend another volume on King Jazz: "The ODJB in London 1919-20". Long life vintage jazz! B) Reading yours lines, I thought I was little to sharp while puting marks on ODJB.

Next time I´ll see Canal Street Jazz Band live, I´ll tell them they were rated 4,5 stars in a blindfold test, with Ornette Coleman being rated 3 stars, ODJB 2,5, John Lewis & Paul Gonsalves 3,5... They´ll feel very happy and maybe they will raise their fees... Now, when NO or Dixieland is played with passion and real feeling, and when it is not just simple "going through" f.e. "Thin Roof Blues" or "When The Saints..." then it is good, and deserves 4,5 stars. Not an easy task for groups playing Dixie. They are often not serious, playing that music to amuze listeners, or make them laugh. I think it is even harder task for playing or re-creating swing today. It is always strugling with "Tom & Jerry cartoon music" observations.

I KNEW you would nail that one! Good reflections on Little Jazz. In his early years, he was supposed to have learned a good ammount of Hawk´s solos and played them on trumpet. He was a real innovator, the actual link between Pops and Dizzy... But I do like his later years as well!!! Oh, I do not think his later playing was in any sense inferior to earlier one, only it was different, I think. So, that was my actual thought, I like him either early or late in his career...

You not recognizing Buck Clayton, Dicky Wells or Earle Warren....? Yep... I noticed that terible fact also when read yours listing of musicians... Such dumb am I! :( I simply did not beleived my eyes. And I thought about pianist Dodo Marmarosa, but of course, it's not him!

One more once, and now is the turn for disc number 2: Bonus disc: 1. Well, this is an easy one, I think. It can be O..., and probably some of first jazz recordings ever. Speaking from historic perspective, these are certainly some of the most important recordings of 20th century, but musically, I think they are not equal with for an example Freddy Kepard's takes recorded only few years after. Freddy is long forgotten early jazz man from 1920's, but some can listen carefully and notice brilliant technique and conception O... never had. Did we have thread devoted to Kepard? **1/2 2. This is, probably, typical music, and it can be B.. W....., and guitar can be B...... K...... I like all those combinations, and it is easy going, easy listening jazz for all the occasions ***1/2 3. I don't have idea for this one *** 4. Well, I know devotion of our friend to C...... H......., but this take was made before his famous recording with similar out of tempo structure. This is even better, but relatively unknown. Marvelous meditation ***** 5. At the beginning it was the same as 4. Don't know, it can be Trane, or someone who likes Trane a lot. **** 6. It is tricky one. It is bop standard "Woody N You", but I can not really tell whether it is master or his follower, precisely R... E....... or D... G........ But, oh, the music is very good ****1/2 7. Now, it can be something from Mingus' Workshop *** 8. Well, this is R... E...... - alternative take. Such wonderful music played with heart and passion. I think that early E..... had something he lost in later years, don't really know what it is. Maybe it is LOGIC of that fire, what, as time passed turn out to sparks. But, it is personal opinion only, some (J. L. Collier) says he had no conception in his early years. Anyway ***** 9. Well this pianist sounds like D... M......... but, I can not recognize context, so probably it is not D... Very colorful playing speaking of dynamic. **** 10. This is nice piano, also, but don't have idea about performer **** 11. Even if you don't know the performer, you can probably guess it is someone who continues NO tradition in personal way, so **** 1/2 Again, I must say BIG THANKS for your personal choice, Agustin, it is so wide open to all kinds of jazz styles, so it was pleasure to take part in BFT 13!

Many thanks, mikeweil! Well Agustin did quite fine job while puting someone who sounds like Miles and is not Miles himself. Thanks, my friend, you did right thing, I have to listen more and more. But, fortunatelly, I am happy with recognizing Dods (and probably JRT Davis). Those low clarinet tones always got me.

Geee, I'm musically blind to death... nailed just 3 or 4 out of 14. Crap.

Well, I know I am the last one in these BFTs but excuse me for that. Agustin, many thanks for bringing such wonderful music to us. Your taste is wide open to old and new jazz, so I really enjoy listening to yours compilation. I did not read others people guesses, so you may find my answers outdated or even funny, but that is how it goes for me: Disc 1 1. Well it sound like Ellington, but probably it is not. Don't know really. It is "C Jam Blues" of course, but vocal... Can it be Annie Ross? Vocal is very nice, BTW. Tenor sax has that Lockjaw Davis sound, and drums sounds like Sam Woodyard. And baritone sax... no, no... it probably is not Ellington but very good a devoted Ellington's friend doing his role. Interesting. **** 2. A well known track, still I can not think about the title. Tenor is under strong Trane's influence (first solo). Trumpet sounds very mellow and nice. Rhythm section sounds the way I don't like - too much "everyman for himself" feeling. *** 3. West Coast. Tenor is probably from west coast school also. Bill Perkins, Warne Marsh or even Phil Urso. Guitar sounds great, someone like Tall Farllow. ****1/2 4. The same scheme to me. Chord progression suggest "I Remember April" as main theme used for it. Alto sounds like Lee Konitz. Trumpet? The same guitar playing as on 3. but here the guitar is not so fluid, and lines are not so well constructed. The piano sounds like Horace Silver according to those bass notes at the left hand. 3. and 4. - The music I like so much ****1/2 5. Don't have the slightest idea, about this one. ** 6. Private session? Sounds like Waller and other stride pianists, still I think this is not anyone from the front line of stride pianists. Waller has another touch, with more strength and power, if I may say. ***1/2 7. Is it M..... with B... E.....? And Mr. P... C...... and J.... K.... Well, it is music that I like more and more, profound, carefully played, well organized and, simply good. **** 8. It's "Lester Leaps In". This type of arrangement I first heard with Harry James and his (postwar) big band. Thing was played by two tenor players, not so well known, but played with passion and deep understanding the tune. The same occurs here, and left tenor can be Lockjaw, again... Organ? Don't know. Tenor on the right sounds like Hawkins. Who knows... it can be Bean... **** 9. This sounds like Armstrong Hot Five/Sevens working unit especially clarinet that reminds me on Dods playing "Alligator Crawl". The sound is perfect, is it JRT Davies in remastering booth )) **** 10. Quite interesting piano. Still I will have to learn a lot more about modern jazz to be able to instantly recognize him. ***1/2 11. Structure of the tune reminds me to well known standards (like "Once In A While") played in 3/4 time. Well it is not my cup of tea, I simply don't like modern big band sound. ** 12. ? 13. Well, it is lady who sounds like some other well known jazz diva named Dinah Washington. But it is not Dinah, it is N..... W...... of course. And here she is with one of all time heroes of mine - great G...... S........ I like it, still N..... was not always in this mood, and while having pure and volumetric voice, she is probably not favorite singer of our jazz scene. Pity, she deserves it ***** 14. No, it is not Glenn Miller, but Miller used this as "his" tune and won several competitions, around 1939 or so. Here, it is probably E...... H........ signature tune, and he was nice but almost is forgotten player and big band leader, nowadays ****

Yes, Chuck, we are sharing our pains with yours.

More observations: 1) Speaking of Pres development as musician and, his never ending seek for sound ("I developed my saxophone to play it, make it sound just like an alto, make it sound like a tenor, make it sound like a bass and everything, and I'm not through working on it yet) - may I ask all of the members: WHAT instrument to hell did he played at that, not well accepted February 7th, 1958. session on master take of the tune "You're Getting To Be a Habit With Me" (Verve set, disc 7 first track on that one)? At the beginning, there are not so many interesting things, Pres is really absent (probably he was seriously ill at that time), and group of his friends and accompanists did quite nice job to save the date from serious disaster. But, here it comes last 8 bars on that tune, work of true giant, played with such mellowness you would not ever believe. What instrument is it? Alto? Pres switched to alto? No, it's SOPRANO, those tones are so high, soft, laid back. Only few seconds more, and you can have the full story. Yes, of course, it is Pres on tenor, but played with such care and sense for soprano coloration you can't imagine. And all that is played probably during the most tragic moments of his life, during the struggle with all those terrible addictions that led to sad and unpleasant end. 2) It is so relaxed to hear first few tones on "Somebody Loves Me" on the same Verve set (disc 3, track 19). Don't think it is unconsciousness fooling around with horn but, on the contrary, interesting free formed device to capture everyone attention. From time to time Pres used to insert this interesting few bars device in his postwar solos. How nice and free-minded it sounds today, and what avangarde look it had so many years ago. Was Lester first free jazz musician?

I once had the inexplicable and unforgivable nerve to put down Clark Terry (I have since re-evaluated my assessment in a much more positive direction) to Taft Jordan when I met the latter at the West End Cafe in NYC some 30 years ago. Mr. Jordan justifiably took me to task, stating "Clark Terry is terrrrrrrible" (meaning, of course that he's great). Don't know how and why I had the temerity to do it but chiefly regret that I was so wrong at that time. I guess, if you're not stupid at least some of the time, you haven't really experienced anything. Was it the same Taft Jordan that played with Chick Webb big band... Whoa...

He is from Bosnia, actually he was born there (don't ask me for the town, I didn't remember it), and in his early youth his parents moved to Belgrade, so I think you can consider Dushko real product (of course in his early years) of Belgrade jazz circle (hey Flurin and Agustin, sound as such was recorded on THAT disc). Speking of Hans Koeler I found very interesting disc of his music played alongside with Montgomery on some italian (bootleg?) label.

It is interesting to point out that Air Force band sounded so well, despite so much criticism thrown on it as being non-jazz, terrible dance orchestra etc. I myself obtained that "The Best of Glenn Miller - The Lost Recordings & The Secret Broadcasts" disc about two weeks ago (probably it is the same disc that is discussed here, BMG Cedar 75605 52290 2), and was completely knocked out by the sound - now I want the whole set. These are sides from 1942 till last 1944 broadcast/transcriptions. And, there is more: boy, how well they were recorded on 33 rpm acetates. Bass drum is heard clearly, as well as bass line, brasses are nice and crystal clear and sax section mellow and just fine. Real high fidelity, that is. And, I am not an old person, so - no WWII nostalgia here, although there are tunes like "Speak Low" that can bring to mind the whole war scenery - gigantic wooden old-time radio with green flickering magic eye, played somewhere in the dark basement, air raids and fighting close to the front line... You can almost see all of it floating in ocean of Miller's orchestra with all those polished baritone vocalists singing that weird standard. All I can say it is perfect sounded nice swing band, with good soloists - Mel Powel is there on piano, as Ray McKinley on drum, great Peanuts Hucko was playing clarinet, and other much or less known, but good musicians. Of course, the same can be told for Miller's prewar band. They probably sounded even better on broadcasts - I have that very good compiled Naxos CD, there is tune called "Solid as Stonewall Jackson" I think, and, yes - oh my, what nice sound they produced. It is very hard to think about Glenn Miller and his band overshadowed by his extreme popularity and, well, not always being so nice person (?). But, music is buisiness as well, ain't it so?

RIP, John RT Davies (a/k/a Ristic) (A posting made to the Bix Beiderbecke forum) ---------------------------------------------- Heavy tidings; John R.T. passed away this morning. He had been ill for some time, but had carried on working almost literally to the end. How accustomed we have grown to see: 'Transfers and audio restoration by John R.T.Davies' on so many CDs! Those words always guaranteed us a solid, 'forward' sound from the records, and was our 'seal of quality' on any reissue for which he was responsible. Of course, he was a formidable musician on both brass and reeds too; but was rather less active as a player in recent years. The bands he recorded with were enormously influential; in the 1940s and 50s in the New Orleans mode; then the 'new look' at the 1920s by Temperance Seven in the late 1950s & early 60s. Then, in the later 60s, in partnership with Richard Sudhalter and other distinguished players, the superb band 'The Anglo-American Alliance' - inevitably dubbed the 'AAA'. This outfit made a number of excellent albums that opened the ears of many musicians: here was lithe, hot, living, swinging Jazz that rather defied classification. It was. Jazz!! Just that; nothing more - or less. His knowledge of Jazz and its discography was only equalled by his truly astonishing and all-encompassing expertise on every aspect of the recording and manufacture of the 78 discs on which we all depend for our understanding, appreciation - and enjoyment - of the past. Two short examples come to mind. A small number of pressings of a rare 1930 coupling by a Chicago band had been pressed into vinyl, for distribution to 78 enthusiasts. However, there was a feature on one master, which would cause a modern pickup to jump. Using a binocular microscope and a tiny engraving tool, John individually 're-drew' the groove at the affected point on every copy. This writer has a copy of that disc, and indeed was present during its correction. and it impossible to hear where the fault lay. Again, in the days before digital technology, John had to transfer a test of the 1924 Goldkette 'I Didn't Know'. That's the record with the Bix solo, but which has a patch of corrosion (or whatever) on the original metalwork. John constructed a mechanical device. He arranged it in such a way that the tape passed out of the normal path on the tape recorder, and went round a precision machined pulley (made by him on his own lathe, of course) which rotated the spindle of a potentiometer. The end stops of this had been removed, so that the wiper could follow the track continuously. Only a portion of the track was allowed to conduct. and this was synchronised with the 'crunch' on the disc. The resistance added at this point attenuated the 'crunch' most effectively. All this, just to transfer ONE side! His generosity in providing rare and unusual material was legendary; one of his favourite comments was: 'Dissemination is the name of the game!' If you asked him a question, he would close his eyes for up to a second; then open them, and deliver a perfectly reasoned, detailed and crystal clear reply. Had that reply been recorded and transcribed, it would have been suitable for publication with no editing. Enough! The deepest and most sincere condolences of all of us go to his wife Sue, and all their family in this most grievous loss. And indeed, for many of us, life will never really be quite the same without JRTD out there, working on our behalf, will it?

Will it be of any use if I join the discussion now - because I've got the discs two days ago?

Many thanks Chris. "The Lady's In Love With You" form 1947. was the title that opened my eyes for Nellie.

Listening to some compilation of songs composed by Frank Loesser, tonight I came across very individual, expressive and powerful, yet nice and convincing voice and piano playing of Nellie Lutcher. She was recorded on session with Ulysses Livingston (guit.), Billy Hadnott (bass) and great Lester's brother Lee at the drums - session that took place in Hollywood, October 23, 1947. So, who was (or, hopefully, still is) Nellie Lutcher? With what band she sung, and did she recorded after or before this date? She reminds me of - not so convincing and melted in pop song mostly - Nina Simon...

RIP Mr. LaPorta SPeaking of that Metronome All Stars I have one take from September 20, 1947. Bird, Dizzy. LaPorta, Max Roach, Ray Brown, Tristano, and Billy Bauer. If it is the same with what you own it some of the best music ever. "Tiger Rag" from that session is probably some of the most exciting music ever recorded. Bop musicans plays traditional!

R.I.P Barney. You will always be one of my favourite guitarist and jazz musicians, ever.

Hey, I like that. That's a nice way of putting it. Well, it's not me who put that nice description of Wilson out, but pianist Dick Katz (as transcribed by Loren Schoenberg). Well, I must agree with all of you - Wilson really had that unbelievable technical skills never interfere with music. Don't know why people connect his playing with sterility, one can listen to Teddy's perfect harmonic and advanced sense and his ability to create non forgettable phrases. So elegant, he make everything sound easy (although it is not easy to make THAT sound). These Mosaic discs never stopped to play in my CD, ever since I get them.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/05/06/d...t.ap/index.html (AP) -- Dan Koster was unpacking some of his more than 2,000 CDs after a move when he noticed something strange. Some of the discs, which he always took good care of, wouldn't play properly. Koster, a Web and graphic designer for Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina, took one that was skipping pretty badly and held it up to the light. "I was kind of shocked to see a constellation of pinpricks, little points where the light was coming through the aluminum layer," he says. His collection was suffering from "CD rot," a gradual deterioration of the data-carrying layer. It's not known for sure how common the blight is, but it's just one of a number of reasons that optical discs, including DVDs, may be a lot less long-lived than first thought. "We were all told that CDs were well-nigh indestructible when they were introduced in the mid '80s," Koster says. "Companies used that in part to justify the higher price of CDs as well." He went through his collection and found that 15 percent to 20 percent of the discs, most of which were produced in the '80s, were "rotted" to some extent. The rotting can be due to poor manufacturing, according to Jerry Hartke, who runs Media Sciences Inc., a Marlborough, Massachusetts, laboratory that tests CDs. The aluminum layer that reflects the light of the player's laser is separated from the CD label by a thin layer of lacquer. If the manufacturer applied the lacquer improperly, air can penetrate to oxidize the aluminum, eating it up much like iron rusts in air. But in Hartke's view, it's more common that discs are rendered unreadable by poor handling by the owner. "If people treat these discs rather harshly, or stack them, or allow them to rub against each other, this very fragile protective layer can be disturbed, allowing the atmosphere to interact with that aluminum," he says. Part of the problem is that most people believe that it's the clear underside of the CD that is fragile, when in fact it's the side with the label. Scratches on the underside have to be fairly deep to cause skipping, while scratches on the top can easily penetrate to the aluminum layer. Even the pressure of a pen on the label side can dent the aluminum, rendering the CD unreadable. Koster has taken to copying his CDs on his computer to extend the life of the recordings. Unfortunately, it's not easy to figure out how long those recordable CDs will work. Fred Byers, an information technology specialist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has looked at writeable CDs on behalf of government agencies, including the Library of Congress, that need to know how long their discs will last. Manufacturers cite lifespans up to 100 years, but without a standardized test, it's very hard to evaluate their claims, Byers says. The worst part is that manufacturers frequently change the materials and manufacturing methods without notifying users. "When you go to a store and buy a DVD-R, and this goes for CD-R as well, you really don't know what you're getting," he says. "If you buy a particular brand of disc, and then get the same disc and brand six months later, it can be very different." This renders the frequently heard advice to buy name-brand discs for maximum longevity fairly moot, he says. DVDs are a bit tougher than CDs in the sense that the data layer (or layers -- some discs have two) is sandwiched in the middle of the disc between two layers of plastic. But this structure causes problems of its own, especially in early DVDs. The glue that holds the layers together can lose its grip, making the disc unreadable at least in parts. Users that bend a DVD to remove it from a hard-gripping case are practically begging for this problem, because flexing the disc puts strain on the glue. Rewriteable CDs and DVDs, as opposed to write-once discs, should not be used for long-term storage because they contain a heat-sensitive layer that decays much faster than the metal layers of other discs. For maximum longevity, discs should be stored vertically and only be handled by the edges. Don't stick labels on them, and in the case of write-once CDs, don't write on them with anything but soft water-based or alcohol-based markers. Also, like wine, discs should be stored in a cool, dry place. Koster's friend Mark Irons, of Corvallis, Ore., stored his CD collection in a cabin heated by a wood-burning stove. The temperature would range between 40 degrees and 70 degrees in the space of a few hours. Now, the data layer of some of his CDs looks as if it's being eaten from the outside. Irons is still pretty happy with CD technology, since it beats vinyl LPs and tape for longevity. Now that he's moved his discs to an apartment with a more stable temperature, he's noticed that the decay has slowed. "I'm hoping they'll hold out till that next medium gets popular, and everyone gets to buy everything over again," he says.