All the Things You Could be If Concord were your Mother

[JSngry]

Gene Ammons' post-prison Prestige sides.

[mikeweil]

Yes, but an early Jug set à la the Stitt box would be nice, too. (It could be some Andorran label already did this.)

Edited October 31, 2009 by mikeweil

[JSngry]

I think the pre-prison stuff has been pretty well covered on single issues, the post-prison stuff slightly less so. The later stuff is generally viewed as more "commercial" (and not without reason), but there is some strong playing by Ammons to be heard there, much of it unlike anything earlier.

Bottom line, though - both sets would be nice!

[Mark Stryker]

I think the pre-prison stuff has been pretty well covered on single issues, the post-prison stuff slightly less so. The later stuff is generally viewed as more "commercial" (and not without reason), but there is some strong playing by Ammons to be heard there, much of it unlike anything earlier.

Bottom line, though - both sets would be nice!

Just a footnote to this discussion of Jug: I always thought you could solve a lot of the issues in jazz education if you just firebombed all the top schools with copies of "Jug" and "Boss Tenor."

[colinmce]

The Teddy Charles Prestige/New Jazz recordings would be a treat.

[Big Al]

I'll second the request for a Shelly Manne Blackhawk box.

Also, Red Garland's Galaxy recordings. Heck, even a 2-CD set called "The Complete August 1979 Galaxy Recordings of Red Garland" would be alright with me.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I think the pre-prison stuff has been pretty well covered on single issues, the post-prison stuff slightly less so. The later stuff is generally viewed as more "commercial" (and not without reason), but there is some strong playing by Ammons to be heard there, much of it unlike anything earlier.

Bottom line, though - both sets would be nice!

Actually, the pre-prison stuff - not the jam sessions, the 78 material - hasn't been well organised at all and there's Prestige material (a little) that was on "The 78 era" twofer, but couldn't be fitted onto a CD. Trouble is, there's a Quadromania set which has most of that stuff - including the two sides he made for Aladdin.

As to the post-prison stuff, there are five Prestige LPs that haven't wholly appeared on CD:

Night lights - half on "A stranger in town". One of Jug's very best albums from any period.

My way - Bill Fischer's arrangements here are beautifully loose-limbed and give Jug exactly what he needed to be himself - but stretching him a bit, too. Last one produced by Bob Porter.

Free again - Bobby Bryant's arrangements are, I think, a bit brittle. But the title track is his best or second best solo ever.

Brasswind - Jug sounds a bit strained on this one, I think, and the David Axelrod arrangements didn't suit him much.

Together again for the last time (with Sonny) - I like this one a lot, but it's the mixture as usual.

Plus

Jug in Sweden - Enja - good, workmanlike live session but, again, the mixture as usual. Done on the same trip as the Montreux album.

Hooray for Coltrane (this title must be a mistake) - Sessions - never seen this one from 1970.

Jug made twenty albums after prison; 17 for Prestige. If you subtract the ones with someone else - Sonny, Dex, Moody - that leaves 11, of which only 7 have been properly issued on CD. But, though I like the other material, and Jim's right about there being stuff Jug didn't previously do among it, I kind of doubt that most people would like it (except for "Night lights" of course). If I were MC, I don't think I'd do it. But there's very little Jug I haven't got, so I CAN sit here smiling smugly

MG

[JSngry]

Jug made twenty albums after prison; 17 for Prestige. If you subtract the ones with someone else - Sonny, Dex, Moody - that leaves 11, of which only 7 have been properly issued on CD. But, though I like the other material, and Jim's right about there being stuff Jug didn't previously do among it, I kind of doubt that most people would like it (except for "Night lights" of course).

Possibly, but maybe not...there's definitely an audience for this type thing, but it is younger & not Mosaic-y in inclination. Me, I'm down for it.

Maybe one of the BGP people could do it.

[jazzbo]

I've liked all those Ammons lps I've heard (thanks to Shawn mainly) from that era. Would be an interesting set.

[Free For All]

More Jug! Bring it on!

[Dave James]

I've said this before, but I think Mosaic is missing a bet by not focusing some of their efforts on music that has never been on CD. There have to be more than a few dormant and/or active labels that own the rights to music that hasn't seen the light of day since its original release on vinyl. That would be way cool and, IMO, a great idea for a series of Selects.

Up over and out.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've said this before, but I think Mosaic is missing a bet by not focusing some of their efforts on music that has never been on CD. There have to be more than a few dormant and/or active labels that own the rights to music that hasn't seen the light of day since its original release on vinyl. That would be way cool and, IMO, a great idea for a series of Selects.

Up over and out.

Lots of classic West African labels in that position - Syliphone, Mali Kunkan, Barenreiter Musicaphon. Blogs doing vinyl rips of this stuff now. The copyrights are owned by the governments of the countries.

MG

[Adam]

Lots of classic West African labels in that position - Syliphone, Mali Kunkan, Barenreiter Musicaphon. Blogs doing vinyl rips of this stuff now. The copyrights are owned by the governments of the countries.

MG

Syliphone has had some reach CD - a nice 2 disc mix, and 2 disc sets of Balle et les Balladins and, uh, I'm blanking for the moment. Have a couple of them from Amoeba Music in Hollywood, but they are generally in distribution in the US, I believe.

[jazzbo]

I've said this before, but I think Mosaic is missing a bet by not focusing some of their efforts on music that has never been on CD. There have to be more than a few dormant and/or active labels that own the rights to music that hasn't seen the light of day since its original release on vinyl. That would be way cool and, IMO, a great idea for a series of Selects.

Up over and out.

Cool. Start a thread for that purpose.

[JSngry]

At some point, 5-10 years from now, I think a McCoy Milestone set is going to be necessary.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Lots of classic West African labels in that position - Syliphone, Mali Kunkan, Barenreiter Musicaphon. Blogs doing vinyl rips of this stuff now. The copyrights are owned by the governments of the countries.

MG

Syliphone has had some reach CD - a nice 2 disc mix, and 2 disc sets of Balle et les Balladins and, uh, I'm blanking for the moment. Have a couple of them from Amoeba Music in Hollywood, but they are generally in distribution in the US, I believe.

Indeed! But, at a guess, only about a quarter of their output got onto CD - and most of them are deleted now. And only one Mali Kunkan and one Musicaphon have made it to CD.

MG

[king ubu]

pretty good disc, in my opinion - nothing earth shaking of course, but I love late Webster and enjoy almost everything by Ammons I've heard (I have most of his OJCs and Fantasy discs, as well as the dreaded Quadromania box, which btw is far from complete... there was more stuff done for labels that aren't covered, or some sessions aren't complete and some entirely missing, I don't quite remember, but I once compared it to a discography).

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

pretty good disc, in my opinion - nothing earth shaking of course, but I love late Webster and enjoy almost everything by Ammons I've heard (I have most of his OJCs and Fantasy discs, as well as the dreaded Quadromania box, which btw is far from complete... there was more stuff done for labels that aren't covered, or some sessions aren't complete and some entirely missing, I don't quite remember, but I once compared it to a discography).

You're right about the Quadromania - but that's not really news; they're all pretty bad.

That twofer looks interesting. Didn't know the Ammons had come out on CD. What's the Webster? Who's with him? I could definitely do with more Webster.

MG

[king ubu]

The Webster part is with Junior Mance, Bob Cranshaw and Mickey Roker, siy tunes, recorded 1964, the usual programme of blues, ballads and standards.

The CD is from 1991, I haven't checked if it's still in print, but I found a copy two years ago, I think.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

The Webster part is with Junior Mance, Bob Cranshaw and Mickey Roker, siy tunes, recorded 1964, the usual programme of blues, ballads and standards.

The CD is from 1991, I haven't checked if it's still in print, but I found a copy two years ago, I think.

Oh, with Junior Mance - drool, drool. Must have a look for that.

MG

[Chuck Nessa]

Junior Mance, the "studied blues player".

[J.A.W.]

Junior Mance, the "studied blues player".

Ouch. Still, not untrue.

Edited November 2, 2009 by J.A.W.

[Chuck Nessa]

He's a very nice man and fine pianist. That is how I feel about his blues.

[king ubu]

Where to start with Mance? I think I once heard one of his OJC CDs, but I don't recall which one it was... he's a player I haven't really explored yet. I guess it's too late to find the OJCs for good prices by now, alas.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Where to start with Mance? I think I once heard one of his OJC CDs, but I don't recall which one it was... he's a player I haven't really explored yet. I guess it's too late to find the OJCs for good prices by now, alas.

I've got to say, Chuck's right. But I really like Mance and he's very consistent.

Personally I like his Chiaroscuro albums, particularly "Blue Mance" - the only studio one among them. All the others were done on board ship and feature some nice guests, too.

The material I've heard on Sackville is good, too. "Junior Mance special" is a solo set, part live. "Jubilation" is another solo set, all live.

The OJCs are fine, too, but watch out for the twofer "Junior Mance trio & orchestra" - that's pretty duff, actually. But you should be able to pick up any of the OJC releases cheap from an Amazon seller.

I also like his Atlantic material, though I suspect many won't. If you want some Junior that's really doing heavy Acid Jazz, "With a lotta help from my friends" is a hell of an album - Gale, Rainey, Cobham.

There are some good albums on Japanese labels, too.

"Opus de funk" with Frank Wess (Absord)

"Holy mama" (East Wind)

"Soul eyes" (M&I) is my favourite Mance.

MG