Ted O'Reilly Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 Yeah, it was me who 'suggested' that it was underway The material was all recorded by the bassist Don Thompson, at the request of Desmond who had heard some earlier tapes Don had done. (Thompson has LOTS of similar recordings). I was at the studio when Don and a great engineer, Chad Irschik, were mastering some of the music. Curiously, I was very much taken with the great improvement of the sound of Jerry Fuller's tasty drums, which I always thought were too far back in the original releases. Don explained that some of his tapes were erroneously taken from him when the original 2-LP set was released, and he's now waiting for their return to finish disc 7 of the project. So, 6 are ready, 1 to go... There's terrific listening to come. This was a special group, and the imminent release will offer further proof of the special interplay of especially Desmond and Bickert. Quote
mjzee Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 How much is previously unreleased? Quote
Ted O'Reilly Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 (edited) On 9/2/2019 at 5:47 PM, mjzee said: How much is previously unreleased? Expand I think mostly-all if not all. There are of course different performances of the same compositions, and my cursory look at the paperwork (too busy listening!) didn't indicate any such information. One of the great things will be the issue of tracks where Rob McConnell substitutes for Bickert, who was away for his father's funeral. Yeah: valve trombone for guitar?!? But Rob's arranging chops have him creating backgrounds for Paul, and Desmond does the same for Rob, who plays as well and as appropriately as I ever heard him. Something I should add -- I was in attendance at most of the Quartet's performances at the Bourbon St. club where these were recorded, and the overall ambiance of the selections I heard really seemed to capture the mood of the room. Just like being there! Edited September 2, 2019 by Ted O'Reilly addition Quote
sgcim Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 On 9/2/2019 at 5:27 PM, Ted O'Reilly said: Yeah, it was me who 'suggested' that it was underway The material was all recorded by the bassist Don Thompson, at the request of Desmond who had heard some earlier tapes Don had done. (Thompson has LOTS of similar recordings). I was at the studio when Don and a great engineer, Chad Irschik, were mastering some of the music. Curiously, I was very much taken with the great improvement of the sound of Jerry Fuller's tasty drums, which I always thought were too far back in the original releases. Don explained that some of his tapes were erroneously taken from him when the original 2-LP set was released, and he's now waiting for their return to finish disc 7 of the project. So, 6 are ready, 1 to go... There's terrific listening to come. This was a special group, and the imminent release will offer further proof of the special interplay of especially Desmond and Bickert. Expand Do you know if Don has any trio tapes of him playing with Ed that we haven't heard before? I can't wait for the Desmond/Bickert/ Thompson/Fuller and/or Clarke stuff to come out. Quote
mjzee Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 On 9/2/2019 at 5:58 PM, Ted O'Reilly said: I think mostly-all if not all. There are of course different performances of the same compositions, and my cursory look at the paperwork (too busy listening!) didn't indicate any such information. One of the great things will be the issue of tracks where Rob McConnell substitutes for Bickert, who was away for his father's funeral. Yeah: valve trombone for guitar?!? But Rob's arranging chops have him creating backgrounds for Paul, and Desmond does the same for Rob, who plays as well and as appropriately as I ever heard him. Something I should add -- I was in attendance at most of the Quartet's performances at the Bourbon St. club where these were recorded, and the overall ambiance of the selections I heard really seemed to capture the mood of the room. Just like being there! Expand Wow. I'm definitely looking forward to this. Quote
ghost of miles Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 Wow redux! Can't wait to get this... I have only the single 2000 Verve/A & M CD. Fantastic news! Quote
JSngry Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 I have everything that's been released so far, and won't at all mind having more. Quote
Ted O'Reilly Posted September 2, 2019 Report Posted September 2, 2019 On 9/2/2019 at 7:56 PM, sgcim said: Do you know if Don has any trio tapes of him playing with Ed that we haven't heard before? I can't wait for the Desmond/Bickert/ Thompson/Fuller and/or Clarke stuff to come out. Expand I'll bet Don has hours and hours of such material, though I've never asked him about it. He used to record a LOT of stuff, and there are also things in the vault at the CBC and my old station that feature Ed. If one wanted to search through it all they'd find gold for Bickert fans, of whom I'm one... Have you ever seen this? -- it's Ed, pre-Fender yet even more beautiful, featured with a Toronto band led by the late pianist Jimmy Dale. Quote
Ed S Posted September 3, 2019 Report Posted September 3, 2019 Thanks for jumping in Ted. You have done a nice job of describing how special this set will be. I'm really interested in hearing the sets with McConnell. I wonder if Mosaic is interested in any of the other material Don Thompson has lying around Quote
gmonahan Posted September 3, 2019 Report Posted September 3, 2019 On 9/2/2019 at 10:04 PM, JSngry said: I have everything that's been released so far, and won't at all mind having more. Expand Ditto! Quote
sgcim Posted September 3, 2019 Report Posted September 3, 2019 On 9/2/2019 at 10:42 PM, Ted O'Reilly said: I'll bet Don has hours and hours of such material, though I've never asked him about it. He used to record a LOT of stuff, and there are also things in the vault at the CBC and my old station that feature Ed. If one wanted to search through it all they'd find gold for Bickert fans, of whom I'm one... Have you ever seen this? -- it's Ed, pre-Fender yet even more beautiful, featured with a Toronto band led by the late pianist Jimmy Dale. Expand Beautiful playing by Bickert, the band, and fine arrangement of a tune I've got to check out. Thanks, Ted! The guy that posted it on you tube is a bass player named David Piltch, and he's got some other good stuff from that time period. Quote
Ted O'Reilly Posted September 3, 2019 Report Posted September 3, 2019 On 9/3/2019 at 6:28 PM, sgcim said: Beautiful playing by Bickert, the band, and fine arrangement of a tune I've got to check out. Thanks, Ted! The guy that posted it on you tube is a bass player named David Piltch, and he's got some other good stuff from that time period. Expand David Piltch is indeed a bassist, originally from Toronto, and that's his father Bernie Piltch playing the flute in the video's freeze-frame. David's older brother Rob is a great guitarist, and his sister Susan is a flutist, pianist and music teacher who was once married to the drummer Terry Clarke. They formed a terrific 'family band' before Bernie's early and sudden death. Is this too much Entertainment Tonigh territory? On 9/3/2019 at 3:29 AM, Captain Howdy said: "Thompson recorded many of the Bourbon Street gigs, and he says that he has about 25 reels of tape with Desmond, all of which need to be restored." https://jazzhistoryonline.com/paul-desmond-canadians/ Expand He also has reels and reels and reels of many other great musicians. Don always had good mics and an 8-track reel-to-reel recorder, often seen on gigs where he loved the musicians he worked with. (Maybe the Dean Benedetti of Toronto, but with wider taste and newer equipment.) Quote
romualdo Posted September 3, 2019 Report Posted September 3, 2019 The online Lord Discography has all the session info for the Mosaic release (269) already up there - Wow!! that was fast - and it hasn't even been released yet Quote
Ted O'Reilly Posted September 4, 2019 Report Posted September 4, 2019 On 9/3/2019 at 11:19 PM, romualdo said: The online Lord Discography has all the session info for the Mosaic release (269) already up there - Wow!! that was fast - and it hasn't even been released yet Expand It has to be incomplete...Thompson told me just last Friday that he's still waiting on the return of some of his tapes from A&M/Horizon who (inadvertently?) took them after mixing the original releases. I'm not on TJD but they can't be right as of yet. Unless Thompson, who's producing this release, in fact knows just what he wants from the missing tapes... Quote
sgcim Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/4/2019 at 10:31 PM, Ted O'Reilly said: It has to be incomplete...Thompson told me just last Friday that he's still waiting on the return of some of his tapes from A&M/Horizon who (inadvertently?) took them after mixing the original releases. I'm not on TJD but they can't be right as of yet. Unless Thompson, who's producing this release, in fact knows just what he wants from the missing tapes... Expand Besides Desmond enthusiasts, you don't know how many jazz guitarists are flipping out over this! Quote
Ted O'Reilly Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/5/2019 at 12:00 AM, sgcim said: Besides Desmond enthusiasts, you don't know how many jazz guitarists are flipping out over this! Expand Yeah, I'm beginning to get that feeling -- and well they should. Ed Bickert is starting to get the attention he deserves, but never sought. And I'll say the same about Don Thompson, just about the only musical genius I've ever known. Piano, bass, vibes, drums, writing, arranging, producing, teaching... He's really something! Quote
John Tapscott Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 (edited) Ted: You have sort of answered this above. but just seeking some clarity. Does the set include music from both the March '75 and Oct/Nov '75 gigs? Does the set include the music already released or is it all unreleased? Thanks Edited September 5, 2019 by John Tapscott Quote
soulpope Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/5/2019 at 12:00 AM, sgcim said: Besides Desmond enthusiasts, you don't know how many jazz guitarists are flipping out over this! Expand Not to speak about dedicated Don Thompson followers, if I may add .... Quote
mjzee Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/4/2019 at 10:31 PM, Ted O'Reilly said: It has to be incomplete...Thompson told me just last Friday that he's still waiting on the return of some of his tapes from A&M/Horizon who (inadvertently?) took them after mixing the original releases. I'm not on TJD but they can't be right as of yet. Unless Thompson, who's producing this release, in fact knows just what he wants from the missing tapes... Expand Do those tapes still even exist? If they were in Horizon/A&M’s possession, wouldn’t they have gone into Universal’s possession, and then there was that fire... Quote
sgcim Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/5/2019 at 4:00 PM, Ted O'Reilly said: Yeah, I'm beginning to get that feeling -- and well they should. Ed Bickert is starting to get the attention he deserves, but never sought. And I'll say the same about Don Thompson, just about the only musical genius I've ever known. Piano, bass, vibes, drums, writing, arranging, producing, teaching... He's really something! Expand Thompson had a lot more visibility than Ed, because he toured with John Handy back in the 70s (including the well-known Monterey jazz festival performance), and then toured with George Shearing for a while. Ed barely left Toronto! Quote
soulpope Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/3/2019 at 11:19 PM, romualdo said: The online Lord Discography has all the session info for the Mosaic release (269) already up there - Wow!! that was fast - and it hasn't even been released yet Expand Could you share the track listing pls .... Quote
Ken Dryden Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 It will be a memorable Mosaic set. I've long been a fan of Ed Bickert and Don Thompson, in addition to Paul Desmond. If you haven't picked up the privately issued home recordings of George Shearing, which features duets with Thompson (along with a few Shearing solos), it is worth acquiring. Quote
Ted O'Reilly Posted September 5, 2019 Report Posted September 5, 2019 (edited) On 9/5/2019 at 8:09 PM, sgcim said: Thompson had a lot more visibility than Ed, because he toured with John Handy back in the 70s (including the well-known Monterey jazz festival performance), and then toured with George Shearing for a while. Ed barely left Toronto! Expand ...as he wished -- Ed was a homebody, pure and simple. He made a solid living, raised a beautiful family and slept in his own bed every night. Though many implored him, he wasn't interested in a life on the road. I personally think that if he had taken that trek, his music would have be somehow diluted, or lessened in some way through repetition. That's certainly not the case for all artists but I think it would have been for Ed. Don played with everyone, including -- on the road -- Handy, Shearing (for much more than 'a while'), Jim Hall; and many others who came through Toronto and wanted him to play in their groups. But as in Bickert's case, why, unless for purely musical reasons, admiring the leader? For the most part, there was no reason to. He got to play a couple of weeks with everyone who came through the city (say: Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Jay McShann, Zoot, Al, Rosolino, Fred Hersch, Don Friedman, etc. etc.) and in the afternoon play a film score or jingle or pop recording, and make some more bread and pension money AND sleep in his own bed. Meanwhile, have their own music made with their 'local' friends on gigs they could control... Most of the world has no idea of what a solid musical scene it was in those guys' heydays of the 1950s on for a few decades. Not even a half-step behind New York or LA or London. (Oh yeah: we have universal medical coverage and WAY fewer guns. Too many, but WAY fewer.) Edited September 5, 2019 by Ted O'Reilly typo Quote
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