What vinyl are you spinning right now??

[JSngry]

A little something different. Swings like mad

I don't think a year will pass that I don't find out about some Verve record that I've never even heard rumors about, musical or spoken word, Granz or MGM. That label is like a bottomless pit of Who Knew?.

[jeffcrom]

J.J. Johnson - Pinnacles (Milestone). A Joe Henderson appearance I was not aware of until this afternoon, when I came across this LP. The music is excellent, but there are some cheesy 1979 keyboard sounds (from Tommy Flanagan!), and an even worse use of signal processing on Ron Carter's bass on a couple of tunes - they put chorusing and an envelope filter on it.

Edited December 6, 2014 by jeffcrom

[JSngry]

J.J. Johnson - Pinnacles (Milestone). A Joe Henderson appearance I was not aware of until this afternoon, when I came across this LP. The music is excellent, but there are some cheesy 1979 keyboard sounds (from Tommy Flanagan!), and an even worse use of signal processing on Ron Carter's bass on a couple of tunes - they put chorusing and an envelope filter on it.

I'll never forget when some non-playing serious fan told me about this album within a few weeks of its release - "Say man, you got that new JJ album where him and Joe are playin' them slickass heads?"

No, I didn't have it, yet, but to this day, I see that cover and immediately think, yeah, that's the album where JJ & Joe are playin' them slickass heads. Just can't help it.

Me, I don't mind the "period" production...kinda enjoy it, actually. Sometimes "timeless" devolves into "coulda been anybody at any time", and some chronological specificity makes it realer than it might otherwise be. This was not Flanagan's only Rhodes outing in Keepnews-Land, there was this one, which actually got good airplay here. Sounded real good on an AM car radio during afternoon drive time, I kid you not. Or maybe I was just in the mood, who knows, who cares?

Rhodes sounds like night to me. Club-type night, people just hanging out type night, not serious let's all sit still be quiet and LISTEN type night. At least this type of Rhodes does.

[jeffcrom]

Me, I don't mind the "period" production...kinda enjoy it, actually. Sometimes "timeless" devolves into "coulda been anybody at any time", and some chronological specificity makes it realer than it might otherwise be. This was not Flanagan's only Rhodes outing in Keepnews-Land,....

Rhodes sounds like night to me. Club-type night, people just hanging out type night, not serious let's all sit still be quiet and LISTEN type night. At least this type of Rhodes does.

I have a pretty high tolerance for "period" production, too. And I loves me some Rhodes. But Tommy Flanagan on Rhodes with chorus and phase-shift starts to be a bit much, and the Yamaha "electric grand" doesn't work for me at all. Neither does the bass sound on the two tracks where they sucked the life out of it.

But I'm still glad I got this album. J.J. and Joe Henderson....

Edited December 6, 2014 by jeffcrom

[JSngry]

Playin' them slickass heads!

[jeffcrom]

Duke Pearson - Merry Ole Soul (BN)

[His Boy Elroy]

I don't think a year will pass that I don't find out about some Verve record that I've never even heard rumors about, musical or spoken word, Granz or MGM. That label is like a bottomless pit of Who Knew?.

Yeah, that was sort of my reaction when I saw this one -- i.e., "huh . . . who knew?" I may need to seek out a few more in this genre. It was kind of cool to hear Parker in her own voice . . .

Now playing: another somewhat obscure Henderson sideman appearance. Recorded in '71, including Walter Bishop and Ernie Watts, among others. A pretty solid mostly straightahead date, with the notable exception of one track ("Unseen Sounds"), where Henderson plays flute while Watts plays piccolo, and Susaye Greene floats wordless vocals over the top. It's the kind of track you'd only hear around the late '60's, early '70's, although it actually holds up pretty well to my ears. Greene adds more wordless vocals over a couple other tunes, although they're more standard in their approach, musically. Anyway, one I like to break out every once in a blue moon, and I'm usually glad when I do.

[kh1958]

Mose Allison, Autumn Song (Prestige, blue label mono), and

Jelly Roll Morton, Classic Piano Solos (Riverside).

[jeffcrom]

Mose Allison, Autumn Song (Prestige, blue label mono), and

Jelly Roll Morton, Classic Piano Solos (Riverside).

What a nice hour and a half of piano music!

[kh1958]

Mose Allison, Autumn Song (Prestige, blue label mono), and

Jelly Roll Morton, Classic Piano Solos (Riverside).

What a nice hour and a half of piano music!

Yes it was! I was pleasantly surprised by Riverside's transfers of Jelly Roll Morton's Gennett recordings on this LP--credited to Reeves Sound Studios in 1957--the best sounding version of this material I've heard.

[Clunky]

Duke Pearson - Merry Ole Soul (BN)

I love this part of the Duke Select at this time of year.

[clifford_thornton]

Byard Lancaster & Keno Speller - Exactement - (Palm, FR)

[His Boy Elroy]

Keeping it early-70's:

[Clunky]

Rita Reys-----Jazz Pictures at an exhibition-------(Philips)

Rita's voice is perhaps a touch saccharine with occasional troubling vibrato but her timing is good and this is a nice band , well recorded. It sounds quite dated. Don't think i'd make space for many Reys in my collection but this one is just fine.

[jeffcrom]

Anthony Braxton - The Complete Braxton 1971 (Arista/Freedom)

[Homefromtheforest]

Freddie Hubbard "breaking point" (blue note, 70s blue label issue - the collector in me weeps and sighs). This pressing actually sounds quite good...a great session...gotta love Joe Chambers! If I see his name on a record I usually take notice...

[Homefromtheforest]

Oliver Nelson "blues & the abstract truth" (impulse stereo, div of AMPAR) with metal sculpture on inner gatefold...later issues had a photo of Oliver instead... I don't have a ton of original 1st press impulses in my collection, but this one is and it sounds superb...it's being cranked right now

[sidewinder]

Freddie Hubbard "breaking point" (blue note, 70s blue label issue - the collector in me weeps and sighs). This pressing actually sounds quite good...a great session...gotta love Joe Chambers! If I see his name on a record I usually take notice...

That is one damn good Freddie Hubbard/James Spaulding album. I have a NY USA mono of it back in base camp..

[Homefromtheforest]

One day...seeing that dark blue label makes me cringe haha

[sidewinder]

One day...seeing that dark blue label makes me cringe haha

Could be worse - Pathe Marconi DMM?

Edited December 7, 2014 by sidewinder

[Homefromtheforest]

Haha..true!

Last record for the night:

Steve Lacy "solo at mandara" (alm, Japan w/obi)

[mjazzg]

Mike Osborne Quintet - Marcel's Muse [Ogun]

received with open arms as a generous gift. Charig's contributions are particularly noteworthy amongst a strong crowd

One day...seeing that dark blue label makes me cringe haha

Could be worse - Pathe Marconi DMM?

For some of us those DMMs were our introduction to BN and Jazz.

We knew no better at the time and I'm thankful I bought a whole load or I'd still be listening to indie rock. I remember a review in the NME at the time about that reissue programme that introduced a concept of 'brown-bagging' in that the quality of the music was so uniformly good you may as well buy them in a brown bag, sight unseen as it didn't matter which one you got.

I didn't try that but they did introduce me to Bobby Hutcherson, Herbie Hancock, Anthony Williams, Sam Rivers, Grachan Moncur III amongst others for which I am eternally grateful to Pathe-Marconi

Edited December 7, 2014 by mjazzg

[A Lark Ascending]

Mike Osborne Quintet - Marcel's Muse [Ogun]

I'm always intrigued by the guitarist on that one - Jeff Green. What else did he do?

[mjazzg]

Mike Osborne Quintet - Marcel's Muse [Ogun]

I'm always intrigued by the guitarist on that one - Jeff Green. What else did he do?

never come across him before. Cue those in the know....

Discogs has some interesting enties for him - Elton Dean's Just Us and a big band Intercontinental Express which has a pretty impressive line up - Kenny W, Ray Babbington, Elton Dean. Nick Evans etc, etc

http://www.discogs.com/Intercontinental-Express-Joe-Gallivan-Charles-Austin-Ken-Wheeler-Nick-Evans-Jeff-Green-Elton-Dean-Ro/release/2389205

[A Lark Ascending]

Mike Osborne Quintet - Marcel's Muse [Ogun]

I'm always intrigued by the guitarist on that one - Jeff Green. What else did he do?

never come across him before. Cue those in the know....

Discogs has some interesting enties for him - Elton Dean's Just Us and a big band Intercontinental Express which has a pretty impressive line up - Kenny W, Ray Babbington, Elton Dean. Nick Evans etc, etc

http://www.discogs.com/Intercontinental-Express-Joe-Gallivan-Charles-Austin-Ken-Wheeler-Nick-Evans-Jeff-Green-Elton-Dean-Ro/release/2389205

Just checked my copy of the Just Us reissue and he is there on the 2 extra tracks.

Intercontinental Express looks intriguing - Dean also worked with Gallivan around the time in a wonderful quartet with Tippett and Hopper. Sounds where Soft Machine might have gone after Five if things had worked out differently. One disc issued at the time; another much later. Recommended if you don't know them.