hopkins

Very sad to learn of his passing away. His son send out an email to subscribers of his newsletter yesterday and mentioned this article: https://jazzlives.wordpress.com/2024/02/07/splendid-diligence-great-humanity-a-few-lines-for-jan-evensmo-and-robert-d-rusch-who-have-moved-offstage This page on his website has been added to publish messages: http://www.jazzarcheology.com/jan-evensmo/ RIP.

Here are a series of interviews with Durham: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/52035

I was really looking forward to seeing this, but unfortunately it is not available in France. Actually it seems to be available on YouTube https://youtu.be/Zas8LjN5-YI?si=hAwvMA5RKle__O9k

As I was just listening to it, thought I would point out that the CD is available on streaming services: https://open.qobuz.com/album/nqaso54vayhia It includes tracks from previous sessions.

One of the reasons I asked about this is that I have taken a liking to listening to mono recordings through a single speaker. I like the sound, especially on older recordings. I feel it offers more clarity. A single speaker also works well in a small space (my home office, for example). I use an old Altec 755C speaker. These were made in the 1950s. I don't take all this too seriously, it is fun and I enjoy it, but am obviously happy listening to stereo as well. Stereo was invented by Alan Blumlein in 1931, so way before it came to be used in recording studios. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Blumlein The article I linked to above explains how Blumlein developed stereo for use in movies, not audio: "Blumlein’s initial inspiration for the invention of stereo recording was not an audio experience, per se. His biography, The Inventor of Stereo, tells an anecdote about Blumlein going to the cinema with his wife and complaining that the actors’ voices didn’t move with them across the screen. “I’ve got a way to make it follow the person,” he then said to her, in what may have been his eureka moment." But stereo is already "passé" and the new trend is now "immersive audio" which requires setting up a large number of speakers everywhere in your room, including the ceilings! No thanks...

This is a fun read: https://pitchfork.com/features/oped/9492-back-to-mono/ It mentions Brian Wilson's passion for mono, among others.

Agreed. The level of difference between the two channels is minimal and probably cannot be heard, but it is still there! So it is not "pure mono". I understand that at some point during the processing, some mono tapes may have been fed through stereo equipment and resulted in small channel imbalances.

I think you are right about that one. The "Pres & Teddy" recording, made a day later, is available in both mono and stereo. https://www.discogs.com/master/335897-The-Lester-Young-Teddy-Wilson-Quartet-Pres-And-Teddy With Audacity, or other software, you can check for mono by adding the inverted left channel to the right one. The track comes across faintly when you do this, so it seems that one channel is simply a little louder than the other. Hard to understand why they would do this, but perhaps it does not really matter.

Some of the mono CDs I have found have been issued in Japan - but these are generally expensive... Here is an example: https://www.discogs.com/release/10251913-Lester-Young-The-Jazz-Giants-56

I enjoy listening to mono versions of albums, and am wondering why so few albums that were issued in both mono and stereo LPs are only available in stereo version on CD? Here is a random example: https://www.discogs.com/master/442237-Claude-Hopkins-With-Buddy-Tate-Joe-Thomas-Lets-Jam Issued on CD in stereo: https://www.discogs.com/release/15061231-Claude-Hopkins-Swing-Time It is fortunate that this album was even issued on CD, but why in stereo? Is mono deemed inferior?

Sources: Tracks #1-7, 9-11 form the Transition album "Jazz by Sun Ra" (TRLP-10) Track #8 form the Transition album "Jazz in Transition" (TRLP-30) Tracks #12-15, form the Saturn album "Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth" (LP-207) Tracks #16-19, form the Saturn album "Super-Sonic Jazz" (LP-0216) Personnel: Dave Young, Art Hoyle (tp), Julian Priester (tb), James Scales (as), John Gilmore (ts), Pat Patrick (bars, as); Charles Davis (bars), Sun Ra (p, org), Richard Evans, Victor Sproles (b), Wilbur Green (b) Bob Barry, William Cochran (d), Jim Herndon (tympani, percussion). Recorded at Universal Studios, in Chicago, 1956

Lester Young and Nat King Cole!

Perhaps then we are just accelerating the process.

You are right, there is no rational explanation for my interpretation! Watching these spectacular images just reminded me that we "should not mess with mother nature", as we are doing now.

Incredible drone footage of the eruption in Iceland:

I came across Loren Schoenberg's SoundCloud page. He posted, a few years ago, this wonderful recording of "Take The A-Train" containing a lengthy piano introduction (and highly original, based on the various versions I have heard): Here is the track, if for some reason you cannot play it from SoundCloud: https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/The wildest Ellington piano I've ever heard.mp3 He indicates "March 4/5, 1958". According to the "Where or When" website this should be either the Travis or Mather Air Force Base dances. Anyone know if this is available ? Some of those two dates were issued on the "Private Collection" series, but not this track. Thanks He also has some recordings labeled "Duke on Fire", which seem to correspond, based on the tracks, to a December 29, 1945 broadcast from the Queensway club in Toronto, but those don't seem to be available either.

This one works for me: Good remix here as well: And this one as well... Down the YouTube rabbit hole. Another classic (Kool & The Gang):

I enjoy his portraits. They are all in the New Yorker's online Archive.

Right. It is easy to forget how things were back then. My children are always curious as to how we organized our social life when we were young and not "connected". Makes me smile - good times!

Having references to out of print albums is not an issue, IMO, as you can always find them on Discogs, and from there search for other versions using various criteria (artist, track titles...).

AbeBooks is your friend. I found a copy for 15£...

Yes, but creating an account is free, and then you can read it for an hour at a time (renewable infinitely), if you don't mind doing so on a computer or tablet/phone. I have not read it yet.

Available on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/modernjazzessent00harr

Am reading John S. Wilson's "The Collector's Jazz - Modern" and am finding it very enjoyable. He pulls no punches with musicians he does not appreciate (at the time - it was written in 1958), but have discovered some nice albums through his comments about those he does appreciate.