brownie

The Arnett Cobb 'Arnett Cobb & His Mob' Ocium is an excellent choice but most of the sides are available elsewhere. The 'Mob' is mostly the 1947 Apollo sides (15 of them) plus 7 tracks that Cobb recorded for Columbia from 1950 to 1952. A nice overview.

Suggest you try to get the excellent book 'Nicholas Ray, An American Journey' by French critic Bernard Eisenschitz. I know this came out about ten years ago in Britain as a paperback by Faber and Faber. No idea if it's still available. Elia Kazan is mentioned several times. Eisenschitz states that Kazan was one of Ray's mentor. They both joined the Communist party. Kazan took Ray along when he went to Hollywood. They remained friends throughout. Kazan visited Ray several times when Ray was dying (and being filmed by Wim Wenders). Kazan was present at Ray's funeral. Eisenschitz also has details on the Ray-Schulberg incidents. He also describes Ray's friendship with Billie Holiday and Max Gordon and mentions Ray shooting with a 16mm film camera at the Village Vanguard and enjoying the Lewis-Jones big band, Keith Jarrett and Roland Kirk at the VV. I had the pleasure of being seated next to Nicholas Ray on a Paris-London flight in the mid-sixties and we shared a taxi to the city. Can't remember exactly what we talked about. Mostly films. I was (still am) a Ray fan.

From various record label catalogues (and old magazines) I have, prices for LP albums in 1959-1960 were: - Atlantic mono LP $4.98, stereo $5.98, - Blue Note mono $4.98, stereo $5.98, - Contemporary mono $4.98, stereo $5.95 (probably adjusted to $5.98 later), - Prestige mono $4.98, stereo $5.98, NewJazz $3.98, - UA mono and stereo $4.98. By 1963, Prestige had all its albums at $4.98, except their Tru-Sounds series at $3.98.

The Budd Johnson 1944-1952 Chronogical Classics has been out for some time now. Highly enjoyable compilation of various and rare sessions where Johnson appeared. The CD includes: - the four tracks from a Savoy December 1944 session by Clyde Hart with Benny Harris, Herbie Fields, Hart, Chuck Wayne, Oscar Pettiford and Denzil Best. Nice opportunity to listen to Little Benny Harris solos, - the two tracks from a Manor September 1945 session by Al Killian with Trummy Young, Aaron Sachs, Harry Carney, Marty Napoleon, Joe Shulman and drummer George Jones, - the four tracks from a Continental March 1946 session by J.C. Heard with George Treadwell, Dickie Harris, Jimmy Jones, Al McKibbon and Heard. The session was not on the 2 Continental sessions CDs from Storyville, - three tracks from the HRS March 1946 Dicky Wells Big Seven session with Treadwell, Cecil Scott, Jimmy Jones, McKibbon and Jimmy Crawford. The fourth tune from the session (We're Through) is not included. It was in an earlier Sarah Vaughan Classics release, - two out of the 8 sides from the Cyclone June 1947 session by Budd Johnson with Eddie Barefield, George Dorsey and others. Other sides could not be found, - two tracks from a Victor October 1947 session by singer Leslie Scott with Johnson, a string and a rhythm section backing the singer, - four tracks from a Faith September 1951 session by Budd Johnson's All Stars with Howard McGhee, JJ Johnson, Charlie Singleton, Cecil Payne, Kenny Drew, Oscar Pettiford and Kansas Fields, - two tracks from a MGM March 1952 session by Johnny King with Budd Johnson and his All Stars with Joe Newman, Hilton Jefferson, Cecil Payne, Billy Taylor, Milt Hinton and Kelly Martin. A very nice chance to hear more Budd Johnson. A beautiful player.

Interesting links. If the first one Getz mouthpiece is accurate, then my preferred mouthpiece would be the Rubber Berg Larsen. Getz was really 'The Sound' at that time, when he had that great quintet with Bob Brookmeyer and John Williams. He never sounded better to my ears. Loved the Getz sound on 'Flamingo' from the 'Getz at the Shrine' album. And those 'West Coast' sessions.

The Jazz in Paris series is one of the best reissue achievements. The photos on the album covers heve been beautifully selected. The sound has been improved on most of the CDs I have heard. I had quite a number of the LP original issues of the series but I purchased several of the Jazz in Paris CDs because of the improved sound. The ones I initally purchased were the Lucky Thompson, the Sonny Criss, the post-WWII Django Reinhardt, the Don Byas albums which appeared early in the series. One CD I also got as soon as it came out was nr. 20 Harold Nicholas/June Richmond/Andy Bey which had two tracks from the very rare Andy Bey Fontana EP where Bey had Kenny Dorham, Barney Wilen, Paul Rovere and Kenny Clarke in the background group. Also the Bernard Peiffer albums were on my Must Have list and were added to the collection. Nobody should miss out on Peiffer, a great forgotten pianist. When one of the stores here had most of the CDs at just a little bit over 4 euros each. I got more from the series. Would like to add one recommendation: - vol. 54 'Clarinettes a Saint-Germain des Pres which feature Hubert Rostaing and Maurice Meunier. Meunier is another forgotten French musician that needs reappraisal. Rostaing and Meunier played clarinet with Django Reinhardt. Meunier also appears in the lineup for the Lionel Hampton and his French New Sounds CDs (vol. 44 and 45).

From AP: ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) _ Clarence Baker, the longtime owner of one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious jazz clubs, died Sunday. He was 93. Jazz greats who have performed at Baker's Keyboard Lounge include John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Kenny Burrell and Stan Getz. Baker's father, Chris, opened Baker's as a restaurant in 1934. The younger Baker persuaded his father to add live piano music in the evenings, then took over running the club in 1939. The celebrated jazz pianist Art Tatum helped pick out the club's first grand piano in the late 1950s, about the time Baker installed the trademark curved bar decorated as a keyboard. Baker sold the club in 1963, then ran a Detroit supper club and managed several nightspots before regaining complete ownership of the jazz club in 1974. He then sold the club but bought it back when the new owner ran into trouble _ a cycle repeated five or so times during the 1970s and 1980s, said John Colbert, who has owned Baker's since 1996.

Everything OK here. By the way, most (if not all) of the problems I encountered so far with the Board while using the Netscape Navigator 4.7 browser that was required where I work have been solved when I had Internet Explorer added to my computer's software.

The Prestige 16 2/3 RPM cover albums I remember from the ads Prestige had in Down Beat at the time had different covers from the regular LP reissues. As far as I know, Andy Warhol did only one cover album for Prestige. That was the cover to the 16 2/3 RPM albun 'Trombone by Three' that is on this Warhol site album covers

Has anybody heard this Alan Silva box. Visual looks good. What's the music like? Alan Silva box

Bennie Green 'Soul Stirrin' (BN Conn) Bennie Green and Art Farmer (OJC) John Lewis Evolution II (Atlantic) Cats Meet Chicks (MGM LP) a nice Leonard Feather date with Clark Terry's group (Lucky Thompson., Horace Silver, Oscar Pettiford, etc.) playing opposite an all-girl group led by Terry Pollard, Sidney Bechet Volume 3 (Masters of Jazz)

If I remember well, Georges Grenu is the soprano saxophone player. He was very efficient with the instrument. Doubt that Migiani played soprano. Nice record indeed. About Chet Baker's 'Broken Wings', the Jazz in Paris reissue which had to be withdrawn is indeed becoming a very rare item indeed. Haven't seen a copy in months now.

Elia Kazan died at his Manhattan home Sunday. This is the AP report:

Chuck Wayne has two banjo features on the Focus album 'Tapestry'. He does a commendable job on 'Greensleeves' and 'On Green Dolphin Street' but the banjo bit sounds like a novelty bit. The guitar part is what makes the album a gem. The notes (by Dom Cerulli) refers to Wayne's banjo playing on 'Greensleeves'. Cerulli writes: 'Wayne plays six-string banjo in the ensemble, giving the sound a funky air. His sound is pure bop. 'The banjo is pretty ridiculous' he notes 'but when you can play it like a guitar and get that funky sound, it's a different story'. On the Prestige album 'Morning Mist', Wayne plays banjo on the last track only 'Lovely". He sounds more adventurous on that one. On the Clifford Jordan 'These Are My Roots' Atlantic album, Wayne is heard on banjo in the ensemble playing of the opening track 'Dick's Holler' and he also has a short, exciting banjo solo on 'De Gray Goose'. The Clifford Jordan album is also a rare opportunity to listen to the excellent trumpet playing of Roy Burrows. I caught Burrows when he played with the Duke Ellington band and with the Archie Shepp big band but I don't recall having heard him solo. Burrows could really blow.

I was getting records from Prestige directly (they were not distributed in France then) when they issued those 16 2/3 RPM albums in the late '50s. Did not get any because there was no 16 2/3 RPM record player available and my pocket money did not allow me to purchase anything beside the essential albums (Miles, Coltrane, Rollins, Monk, McLean and others). Never managed to run into any of those albums since but I got the music when it was released on regular LPs. Wish I had purchased them at the time. The record covers were beautiful.

May I add one more recommendation: Very Saxy (Prestige/OJC) where Arnett Cobb shows up alongside Coleman Hawkins, Eddie Davis and Buddy Tate and manages to outblow them. One of the best Prestige jam date.

Lon, thanks for posting the 'Popular Duke Ellington' cover. You're swinging too!

The Django Reinhardt series from Pathe-Marconi went up to volume 20. Mosaic lost on that one.

Me too. I don't go to comic book stores but there are several in the area where I live and one store had one of those Crumb set in its window several years ago. The set is beautiful.

EKE BBB, I don't have the time to list the details about the Classics you need infos on. Besides, I'm also lazy. But I could airmail a copy of the Classics catalogue that came out 2 or 3 years ago. This includes all the details - except personnel listings - until Classics nr. 1000. E-mail me an adress and you get it. That's my last spare copy of the catalogue. The catalogue is a 56-page Mosaic brochure size booklet. Know I should have grabbed more copies when it was distributed

Oops, read thru the threads too quickly when I returned to the Board this morning after a month-long departure. I hope Ghost of Miles will not think I do not pay attention to his posts... I must have been lost in meditation.

Dan, I'm pretty sure it might be worth much money but I'm not selling any items from my collection yet. Might reconsider when I found out what my old age pension will amount to...

I should have mentioned Jean Vigo's 'L'Atalante' much earlier. One of the best film ever. Pure visual poetry. Vigo died just after completing the film in 1934. Michel Simon, Dita Parlo and Jean Daste's superb acting and the haunting music by Maurice Jaubert add to perfection.

I was in England shortly after John Coltrane's death. There was a British EMI copy of 'Kulu Se Mama' in one of the small records stores I visited. The Impulse album had not been imported yet in France. I bought the British copy. I got the Impulse 'Kulu Se Mama' when it showed up in France. The music was totally different. The Impulse album had the right music. The British LP had the wrong music. Also by Coltrane. It turned out that somebody at Impulse shipped the wrong tapes to EMI England. The music that was on the original pressings was what came out later on the Coltrane Impulse LP 'Om'. The 'Om' album was released months later. For a few months I was the privileged owner of yet-to-be-released Coltrane music. Only a few copies of the bad (BAAD) LP turned out in British stores before someone at EMI England found out there was something wrong.

Got the Albert Murray book when it came out and was also disappointed with it. There was not much to learn and the book made Basie appear a bit complacent. The best Basie book so far is the bio-discography by Chris Sheridan. That one is an essential reading. One of the best book on jazz ever.