The Rep

I have not got RAJAH, so I have had a look round and in the uk I can only find it at £33.00 so if any of you gentlemen in the USA spot it cheaper please let me know. Cheers Ray

Yes its called Blues To Coltrane, Sorry Ray

I have chosen this album not because I consider Cal Massey some kind of lost great but he was a good jazz man and a very good composer.This Blues For Coltrane, is his only recording under his own name. There are five tracks all written by Massey. As most of these have been recorded by other musicians, I like to hear the compositions played by the composer as this sometimes gives you a bit of a insight into thier thinking.The musicians are, Cal Massey - Trumpet, Julius Watkins - French Horn, Hugh Brodie - Tenor, Patti Bown - piano, Jimmy Garrison - Bass, G T Hogan - Drums, As I said Massey wrote some good stuff, The Damned Don't Cry, written for his friend Coltrane which did not make it onto the album Afrca/Brass for which it was written. The first track on this a Blues For Coltrane, slightly untidy but I think Massey is sounding sharp. You have to feel sorry for Brodie, with that tital a comparison to Coltrane was always going to be made but he does OK and shows his own colour. Track 2 Whats Wrong is quite short 3.39. track3 Bakie, this piece was also written for Coltrane, who recorded it in 1957 but Massey's version shows subleties in this Arab accented number that Coltrane and co seem to have missed. Track 4 These Are Soulful Days which was written for and recorded by Lee Morgan. Here it is a much faster version and shows more what Massey had in mind. Track 5 Father and Son is the longest at 11.15 and perhaps the best on the album. I pull this album out every so often enjoy it. When Massey died at the young age of 44, he had just written a musical play about Billy Holiday.

I have this album, I like the sound and the more I play the Do This, the more I find in it. Funny thing is (no pun intended) the tracks with the Marx Brothers names are my favorites at the moment.

The first time I encountered Steig was with Art Farmer on Crawl Space and bought Firefly (and still play it) on the strength of it. I know its not deep but parts are such a lovely noise.

I also think Go is one of Dexters best albums, I don't have A Swinging Affair but will put that right soon. Although he is known as a tenor man I am sure I have an album where he plays soprano sax. The two albums I tend to play a lot are Gettin Around and Our Man In Paris. Good AOTW.

I was surfing ebay the other day and spotted a couple of Sonny Stitt albums soI went to the sax section to check that I had them both, which I did but spotted an album I had not played for quite a while. Sonny Stitt Quartet (New York Jazz). I pulled it out and played it WOW! It was so exciteing, I had forgotten just how good it is. The quartet is Sonny - Alto & Tenor, Jimmy Jones - Piano, Ray Brown - Bass, Jo Jones - Drums He really was in his prime, young enough to have no fear and old enough to know what he was doing. The sax followed where his heart led and the way he swopped from alto to tenor. All I am trying to say is if you have a copy give it a play. I have just done a copy to leave in the car.

Dan, thank you for letting me know there are copies on the american amazon, I had tried both amazon and ebay but being in the UK it brought up stuff in this country. I will see if I can get it p-p tob the UK. Cheers Ray. ps/ Thank you Dan and Mike, I have been able to order a copy.

Sorry about the spelling mistake, it is Burnett.

I have the very worn vinyl of Mark Murphy, Thats How I Love The Blues. I thought I would replace it with a cd version and I have drawn a blank. Has this recording been issued on cd or has it been issued under a different name and basicaly where can I get a copy?.

I only have the vinyl but will keep a look out for the cd as it has extra tracks. Cheers.

I noticed that Milcho Leviev has a new album due for release on the 29th August, so I got out my copy of Blues For The Fisherman by Milcho Leviev Quartetand it was great. The quartet consists of, Milcho Leviev - piano, Art Pepper - alto sax, Tony Dumas - bass, Carl Bernett - drums, I find this a very good album and was pleased I was promted to play it again. I like the way that Milcho and art use each other and at times both instuments could be played by the same musician. Its nice when the music is played by a quartet rather than four individual musicians. So there we are my AOTW is Blues For The Fisherman by Milcho Leviev Quartet.

I have many of her albums and play them all. I only have this to add, listen to her version of Trees from the album Dreamy, Harry Edison is with her. Secondly don't get Songs Of The Beatles my big disapointment. Another you might like to hear is Crazy And Mixed Up, Roland Hanna - piano, Andy Simpkins - bass, Harold Jones - drums and Joe Pass - guitar.

Mine is a 2004 reissue on Mercury and the track listing is Narrow Bolero, Mingus-Griff Song, The Monkey Thing, Cabin In The Sky, On The Corner Of King And Scott Street. I don't know if that is complete. I bought it about a year ago.

I am not a fan of the electric piano, I feel you do not connect to the player. I must also add it certainly has its place and its unique sound is well used on a lot of recordings but the one album for me where it is fantastic Oscar Petersons Night Child, 1979 on Pablo.

The cd I just bought came straight from Germany, its on MPS and was said when I ordered it to be Sep 2005 and cheap.

Very interesting, I did not know anything about this.

Dizzy Reece - Blues in Trinity (click to buy) This is an amazing album when you consider the circumstances of the recording. The English-based Reece was playing in Paris at the time, and he assembled a sextet by inlisting the help of two british musicians on holiday there at the time, Tubby Hayes (tenor saxophone) and Terry Shannon (piano), visiting American stars Donald Byrd (trumpet) and Art Taylor (drums), and Canadian bassist Lloyd Thompson, who was playing in Paris with Zoot Sims. Although the band was thrown together, there's a definite spark to this combo, which interacts as if it had been playing together for a long time. Through the album, Reece is deffinately the front man with his robust playing. That's why Blues in Trinity rises above the level of standard hard bop albums and becomes something special. I also love Tubby Hayes version of Round About Midnight.

I know it is a quintet but I found "Easy Living a great album. I must give it a play again.

I have just got my copy of Midnight Mood, brand new from Germany. What a fantastic album, surpassed my expectations. How have I been without it for so long?. Just got to say thank you to you all.

Next Sunday night I am going to see Tony Kofi Trio + 1, at a small local jazz club in Ipswich, Suffolk. As he has a new album being released on the 15th May, I expect some of the tracks to be featured. Having read that he has composed the pieces on this album around the sound of the B3 organ I am really looking forward to the 21st May. The musicians are, Anders Olinder - organ, Robert Fordjour - drums, Byron Wallen - trumpet, Tony Kofi - sax, The new album is called Future Passes.

Thank you Brownie, for the account of your lovely evening. After reading it I am going to look up the most recent of Martial Solals recordings, unless you would like ti suggest some?. My favorites and one I give an airing to regularly is Martial Solal At Newport 63. I only own two other albums of his, Martial Solal 1960 and with Hampton Hawes, Key for Two. Cheers

Thanks a lot guys, I have ordered and its on its way.

I have a track on a compilation, a song writen by Mark Murphy and Jimmy Deuchar. It is also performed by them. It was recorded on December 18th 1967 and was recorded in Cologne Germany. The band was made up of the following musicians - Jimmy Deuchar, Ake Persson, Derek Humble, Ronnie Scott, Sahib Shihab, Francy Boland, Jimmy Woods and Kenny Clarke. My questians are the original title of this album, has it ever been re-issued or been incorporated into a cd. Cheers.

They sold out so quick at Covent Garden in London, they booked them in for a second day.