British jazz reissues

[GA Russell]

It's no secret that I'm a fan of compilations.

That reminds me.  With St. Valentine's Day coming up, I need to pull out my Plays for Lovers CDs!

However, part of the appeal of a compilation is that it is a cheap way to learn about folks you are not familiar with.  Five dollars per CD is right, not ten.

[felser]

On 1/25/2025 at 1:16 PM, Roger Farbey said:

VARIOUS ARTISTS: A NEW AWAKENING - ADVENTURES IN BRITISH JAZZ 1966-1971, 3CD BOX SET

This is a forthcoming box set from Cherry Red (due end Feb 2025). I think I probably have around 90% of the tracks and imagine that Brit Jazz fans would probably have around the same. A few I don't know eg Satisfaction (the band) but almost all the tracks have been found on albums reissued in the past 10-15 years. Much as I love this stuff I don't have room for another box set that duplicates most of my collection, even with liner notes by Duncan Heining. However, for anyone not familiar with this ouevre, this probably represent a good primer for the "Golden Age" of British Jazz.

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/various-artists-a-new-awakening-adventures-in-british-jazz-1966-1971-3cd-box-set

[Big Beat Steve]

On 9/12/2012 at 12:47 PM, RayB said:

BTW anyone really interested in this era of British modern jazz is well served by David Taylor's website, for any who don't already know it I post a link -

http://vzone.virgin.net/davidh.taylor/bebop.htm

 

Digging this up now ...
I had bookmarked the above site on a previous PC of mine and remembering the valuable info it contained, I now found a printout of a few excerpts from that site in my files.
But trying to access the site it seems it has gone belly up. Or did I overlook something?
Does anyone know if that site is really dead ot if its contents maybe have migrated to a different site under a totally different link?
Thanks in advance.

[adh1907]

Guiltily I have only just unsealed a John Dankworth Twofer Vocalion CD, after years of it sitting in a pile of unplayed CDs. The CD combines the Zodiac Variations and the Million Dollar Collection. The Zodiac Variations despite pages has to have the most uninformative sleeve notes I have ever come across. Loads of dribble about astrology.  It seems to have been recorded in the US and London, featuring Clark Terry, Zoot Sims and Tubby Hayes. Does anyone have the personnel and recording info? Thanks in advance!

PS one track apparently features solos from Osie Johnson and Kenny Wheeler. An odd pairing. 

[Teasing the Korean]

10 minutes ago, adh1907 said:

Guiltily I have only just unsealed a John Dankworth Twofer Vocalion CD, after years of it sitting in a pile of unplayed CDs. The CD combines the Zodiac Variations and the Million Dollar Collection. The Zodiac Variations despite pages has to have the most uninformative sleeve notes I have ever come across. Loads of dribble about astrology.  It seems to have been recorded in the US and London, featuring Clark Terry, Zoot Sims and Tubby Hayes. Does anyone have the personnel and recording info? Thanks in advance!

PS one track apparently features solos from Osie Johnson and Kenny Wheeler. An odd pairing. 

I have Zodiac on LP. I'll provide details when I get home.

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, adh1907 said:

Guiltily I have only just unsealed a John Dankworth Twofer Vocalion CD, after years of it sitting in a pile of unplayed CDs. The CD combines the Zodiac Variations and the Million Dollar Collection. The Zodiac Variations despite pages has to have the most uninformative sleeve notes I have ever come across. Loads of dribble about astrology.  It seems to have been recorded in the US and London, featuring Clark Terry, Zoot Sims and Tubby Hayes. Does anyone have the personnel and recording info? Thanks in advance!

PS one track apparently features solos from Osie Johnson and Kenny Wheeler. An odd pairing. 

Here you go.  You may have to click on the image to see it better.

Dankworth connects each of the Zodiac signs to one of the 12 keys.  Each of the LP's 12 tracks represents one of the signs.  The featured soloist on each track is of the sign being portrayed.  

[romualdo]

[D873]Add

The Zodiac Variations : Greg Bowen (tp) Leon Calvert (tp,flhrn) Kenny Wheeler (tp,tenor-hrn) Gus Galbraith (tp) Tony Russell, John Marshall, Chris Smith (tb) Ron Snyder (tu) Johnny Dankworth, Al Newman (cl,as) Vic Ash (cl,ts) Paul Carroll (bar,as,cl) Art Ellefson (ts,cl) Alan Branscombe (vib,p) Kenny Napper (b) Johnny Butts (d) + featured guests : Clark Terry (tp-1) Bob Brookmeyer (v-tb-1) Ronnie Scott (ts-2) David Snell (harp-3) Lucky Thompson (ts-4) overdubbed later, Danny Moss (ts-5) overdubbed later, Chuck Israels (b-5) Ronnie Ross (bar-6) Phil Woods (as-7) overdubbed later, Zoot Sims (ts-7) overdubbed later, Osie Johnson (d-8)

New York, October 9, 1964

	Way with the stars (theme) (1)	Fontana (E)TFL5229
	Gemini (1,4)	-
	Leo (1,5,7)	-
	Scorpio (1,7)	-
	Sagittarius (1)	-

Note:

Danny Moss, Phil Woods & Chuck Israels dubbed in their parts in November 1964. All above titles also on Vocalion (E)2CDSML8480 [CD] titled "John Dankworth: The Zodiac Variations; and The $1,000,000 Collection"; this is a 2 CD set.

[D874] Add

same pers.

London, October 28, November 2 & 10, 1964

	Aquarius (1,2)	Fontana (E)TFL5229
	Pisces (1)	-
	Aries (1)	-
	Taurus (1,3)	-
	Cancer (1)	-
	Virgo (1)	-
	Libra (1,6)	-
	Capricorn (1,8)	-
	Coda (1,8)	-

Note:

Fontana (E)TFL5229(mono) = STFL5229(stereo). All titles from Fontana (E)TFL5229 also on Fontana MGF27543, SRF67543, Sepia (E)RSR2011.

[D875]Add

The $1,000,000 Collection : Derek Watkins, Les Condon, Kenny Wheeler (tp,flhrn) Henry Lowther (cnt,vcl) Chris Pyne, Mike Gibbs (tb) Dick Hart (tu) Johnny Dankworth (as,arr) Ray Swinfield, Tony Roberts, Tony Coe (reeds) Laurie Holloway (p) Alan Branscombe (p-1) replaces Holloway, Kenny Napper (b) John Spooner (d) Tristan Fry (perc)

London, May 1, 2 & 3, 1967

	Winter scene	Fontana (E)TL5445, (E)6852006
	Sailor	-           -
	Two-piece flower	-           -         , TF857
	Little girl in blue	-           -
	Composition with colour	-           -
	Face in a crowd	-
	La clownesse	-         , TF857
	Garden of delight	-
	Madonna	-
	Hogshead of Hogarth (1)	-

Note:

All above titles also on Fontana SRF67575, Vocalion (E)2CDSML8480 [CD].

[adh1907]

Interesting, thanks very much for the information. What an oddly bolted together work, recorded in NYC and London plus lots of overdubbing of key soloists. Seems to work from a listening perspective though. 

[Roger Farbey]

John Dankworth's own label Sepia reissued the quartet of themed albums he recorded in a box set several years ago. These comprised in chronological order What The Dickens!, Zodiac Variations, Million $ Collection and Lifeline. I seem to remember when Vocalion were still reissuing jazz more actively they reissued the Dankworth albums without pairing these four albums that Dankworth himself had linked as part of a series. Nevertheless, Vocalion did the jazz fraternity a favour by reissuing them at all since the Sepia box was difficult to obtain (and probably OOP now) and Decca/Universal seem(ed) oblivious to their intrinsic value. IMO they are probably Dankworth's finest albums.