DMP

The recent Japanese version of "Les McCann in New York." Unfortunately, it doesn't have the "bonus" tracks with Bobby Hutcherson that were on the original CD issue (although it does have that extra track from that night at the Village Gate).

The Coleman appearance on the Armstrong LP is pretty subtle.

Sadly, the only time I heard him in person, he was playing percussion - with Joni Mitchell.

Shearing does his Erroll Garner routine on "Shearing On Stage," from 1958 - and the college audience seems to get it (as well as the crack about Randy Weston and Thelonius Monk)! 1958 - truly another age. (Of course, with a Capitol "live" album, you never know...) Anyway, you can't get much classier than George Shearing.

I'm a little surprised by the praise for what I think is a pretty innocuous Blakey album - okay, sure, a nice try in the then fashionable jazz versions of whatever show was currently playing vein, and the sound of the new CD (as mentioned above) is good. But of the 1000 Blakey albums out there, I can't go higher than 117, slightly above Buttercorn Lady. (Best non-BN of the period? That might be Ugetsu.) But I wish I was at the Weiss gig - bet it was a lot of fun.

According to the NY Times obituary, he cites Stan Kenton as an influence on the Bond scores!

Not really understanding the technical descriptions above, I never really thought that Blue Note albums were anything special, audio-wise. My idea of a good sounding LP was something on Columbia (the Byrd/Gryce "Jazz Lab" album comes to mind) or maybe Capitol. And of the jazz labels, Contemporary. (With Argo being the worst.) But I'm talking late '50's-early '60,s, with a Heath Kit amp and a Garrard (sp?) table, I could be all wet on this.

I only saw him once - hanging out at the bar at Donte's, listening to Conte Candoli.

"Lennie McBrowne & the 4 Souls," the new XRCD of "Cape Verdean Blues," and Julie London, "Calendar Girl"/"Your Number Please" (one of those UK EMI two-fers).

It's "Work Song."

There's a "bonus track" ("Line For Lyons") on the CD issue of the 2 LP A&M album - I always assumed it was originally part of the Artists House issue, but that got away from me long ago...

Jimmy Smith's "Live at the Village Gate" (my recollection of this session is that it's a little rough, which may be the reason it was exiled to the Metro label?) and Tadd Dameron's "The Magic Touch.

How about some television music? Mundell Lowe & His TV Action Jazz All-Stars!

Manny Albam, "The Jazz Workshop;" McCoy Tyner, "Dimensions" (the one on Elektra, with Gary Bartz); and Lennie Hambro, "Mwssage From Hambro."

Benny Goodman, "Complete Capitol Trios:" and Curtis Fuller, "South American Cookin'."

The "live" Sugar is also from the Southgate show. I was thinking there were others out there, too, but could be wrong. (The "bonus" "It's Too Late," on the Johnny Hammond reissue, is from the California Concert show.)

The "live" Red Clay on the 2002 edition is from Southgate Palace, the night after "California Concert." A couple songs from that night have surfaced as extra tracks, but don't think they add much to the previous night's concert.

A mixed bag - Papa Celestin/Sam Morgan, "Recorded in New Orleans, 1925-1928;" a reissue of Cedar Walton's 2 Columbia albums (on the Soul Brothers label); "Chicago Transit Authority" (!!?!); and "Interstellar Space."

Jim Hall, Randy Weston, Paul Desmond, Ron Carter, the Bill Evans (not really a CTI album, though) - they're all very good, although maybe not the very best of their work.

Never imagined that VSOP and "California Concert" (despite some overlap of personnel) would be thought of in relation to each other! Although there is that version of Red Clay on "Tempest in the Colosseum"...

Vista is one of my favorites - sprung for the Japanese CD - and I've always thought it was maybe the most successful attempt by Impulse to put one of their "new thing" artists in a pop/soul/rock setting. Hardly typical of Brown, of course, he's almost on the sideline there.

So, when's Mosaic getting around to the Quartet Tres Bien?

Wes Montgomery

Picked up "Sugar" (the forth time I've bought that title, over a 40 year period!) - where'd the version of "Gibralter" come from? Don't recall ever hearing this one (although it seems like I've heard another half dozen or so)?

Don't forget "The Latin Side of John Coltrane." A little more elaborate than subsequent releases in that series - I think I read somewhere that it bankrupted the label! ("Astor Place.")