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Phil Sunkel


Late

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Sunkel, going by AMG, only made two albums — both on ABC Paramount. I've heard neither, but would really like to read/hear more about them. Were they ever issued on compact disc at any time?

I would gladly reimburse/compensate/reciprocate to hear this long out-of-print music burned onto disc.

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The two Sunkel albums are pretty good especially the first one (Jazz Concerto Grosso). Garth has already pointed to the Tony Fruscella similarity. That t so many ABC jazz albums remain unissued is a damn shame.

I have the Jazz Concerto Grosso original and the Fresh Sounds reissue of the Phil Sunkel Jazz Band LP.

In addition to Mulligan and Brookmeyer, the first album has a rare appearance by tenor saxophonist Jim Reider (he played also in Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band).

I would have to relisten to the second album which I remember as being a bit less successful. This is a tentet date featuring people like Dick Meldonian, Buddy Arnold and Gene Allen.

The covers of both albums (as those of a lot of ABC LPs) were designed by Fran Scott, who was married to Tony Scott at the time.

Give me time, Late, and I'll make sure you get a burn of those.

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Give me time, Late, and I'll make sure you get a burn of those.

Wonderful! I'm very patient. ;)

Strange, I was just listening to a bit of Fruscella before I made this Sunkel post. I'm still looking for the "definitive" edition (AMCY 1184) of Tony Fruscella, but I'm fairly certain it's out-of-print. That album is a gem.

It seems so many of the artists I'm currently interested in (George Russell, Hal McKusick, Manny Albam, et al.) are on Universal's "do not reissue in order to cause fans pain" list. I hold out hope for the Japanese market though!

In the mean time, any more words on Sunkel are welcome. Or, for that matter, those Decca Jazz Studio / Jazz Lab recordings! I'm exploring this area of the music with a lot of enthusiasm lately.

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It seems so many of the artists I'm currently interested in (George Russell, Hal McKusick, Manny Albam, et al.) are on Universal's "do not reissue in order to cause fans pain" list. I hold out hope for the Japanese market though!

My view entirely, Late.

I've been looking for "Jazz Concert Grosso" for just about ever. I do have the Fresh Sound " vinyl of the other ABC album so I'm halfway there.

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Well, to sing my same dreary song .. I USED to have all of this stuff on vinyl, and sold my entire collection. (I just knew I would not recover from this..) I just never had the time, or technology at that point, to make CDRs ... now I exist on the "kindness of strangers" if I want to listen to this material again.

LATE -- what do you mean by the "definitive" edition of the Tony Fruscella Atlantic album .. didn't Koch reissue that? I have a Japanese mini-LP reissue. It wonderful album, and, of course, all of his "fugitive" material was reissued on the Jazz Factory label, including the wonderful sides with Stan Getz. (What a junkie party THAT must have been..)

Edited by garthsj
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LATE -- what do you mean by the "definitive" edition of the Tony Fruscella Atlantic album ... didn't Koch reissue that? I have a Japanese mini-LP reissue.  It's a wonderful album, and, of course, all of his "fugitive" material was reissued on the Jazz Factory label, including the  wonderful sides with Stan Getz. (What a junkie party THAT must have been ...)

I'm calling (pretty much out of fun) the Japanese edition that you have the "definitive" edition, though I've never actually heard that version, simply based on my positive experience with other discs from that (Japanese AMCY Atlantic) series — most notably the eponymous Warne Marsh album. Sounds amazing. (This series also contains what I consider to be the best sounding version of Giant Steps, outside of original vinyl.)

I don't think Koch reissued the Fruscella, but I would love to be wrong! The only other reissue of this album that I know of (and the one I've heard) is the European edition, reissued in a digipack.

Jack Millman, Tony Fruscella, Phil Sunkel. Who will be discussed next?

And what saxophonists would most closely allign with these trumpet players?

Edited by Late
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Jack Millman, Tony Fruscella, Phil Sunkel. Who will be discussed next?

And what saxophonists would most closely allign with these trumpet players?

This has definitely been a very interesting thread for me, as were the ones on the Jazz Workshop and Jazz Studio series. Well certainly, we could talk about Hal McKusick, and his work beyond the Workshop album. All of his albums, especially the Quartet album with Barry Galbraith on Bethelehem, and the two on Prestige (only one of which "Triple Exposure" - OJC-1811) has been reissued. He did not leave a great body of work, but what there is, is most enjoyable, and great improvisation. (BTW, he is still active in a limited way .. ask Mike Fitzgerald).

Dick Johnson, on alto, also had two fine early albums, one on Prestige and one on Emarcy which I liked. Dusty Groove ("The Bastards") have an expensive reissue of the Emarcy available -- I need to treat myself, I think.

There are other many sax players who fall through the cracks on this list .. I am amazed how little discussion there is of Stan Getz ... a true giant of modern jazz.

... and there is always the mysterious Earl Andreza .... that one album on Pacific Jazz, reissued recently, raises all sorts of questions ... which no one seems to be able to answer...

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Dick Johnson, on alto, also had two fine early albums, one on Prestige and one on Emarcy which I liked ... I need to treat myself, I think.

johnso_dick_musicfors_101b.jpg

I know another trumpet player who would fit into that line above ... Dick Collins! Two fine albums for RCA. Haven't heard that Prestige comp yet.

Edited by Late
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Dick Johnson, on alto, also had two fine early albums, one on Prestige and one on Emarcy which I liked. Dusty Groove ("The Bastards") have an expensive reissue of the Emarcy available -- I need to treat myself, I think.

The other Dick Johnson was not on Prestige, but on Riverside.

That album was 'Most Likely... Dick Johnson'.

Johnson was good but the rhythm section on that one was dynamite: Dave McKenna, Wilbur Ware and Philly Joe Jones.

Another album that needs a reissue. As far as I know, it was only reissued in Japan in LP days. I have one of those.

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See Brownie, my memory IS fading .... I should have checked. My copy of that RIVERSIDE album went in my first purge in 1991 .. when jazz auctioneer Jeff Barr bought all of my original Blue Notes, for about $17 a piece!! He also took most of my original Riversides and Prestiges ... he left the original west coast stuff which was not much in vogue at that time ... those went in the final purge in 2001! Here I am, crying over spilt milk again.

But seriously folks .. I wonder if those Dick Johnson's will ever be reissued in the U.S. His later albums for Concord are not up to those early exciting efforts, although he is a very fine musician, and led the Artie Shaw ghost band for many years.

Brownie ... in another thread I mentioned those Decca's with the "animal covers" .. are you familiar with those, especially the only album with Barry Galbraith as a leader?

Edited by garthsj
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I know another trumpet player who would fit into that line above ... Dick Collins! Two fine albums for RCA. Haven't heard that Prestige comp yet.

Late, both of those Dick Collins albums have been reissued as CDs by RCA in Europe. They are available for sale on the Blue Moon site. But then .. you probably know this already ...

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Brownie ... in another thread I mentioned those Decca's with the "animal covers" .. are you familiar with those, especially the only album with Barry Galbraith as a leader?

That Barry Galbraith album was on my wanted list for quite a long time. I'm a big fan of that master guitar player and the fact that the great Bobby Jaspar and the great Eddie Costa were featured on the date was good enough reason to get that one. The search proved successful.

I cherish that copy now. Love the music. The cover is nice.

One Decca animal cover I hate is the 'Piano A La Mood' LP by Bernard Peiffer. The music is incredible (Peiffer was up there with Martial Solal at the top of the list of French jazz piano players). But that leaping poodle on the cover :excited: Wonder what Peiffer thought about that photo!

My copy still has a purchase sticker from NYK's Jazz Record Center. $5. Great buy!

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  • 6 months later...
  • 2 years later...

I have the Fresh Sound cd. Contains both albums. The Concerto Grosso sounds fine. The other tracks are much less interesting, the sound is puzzling too, sounds like it's running slightly slow. Worth getting for the Grosso especially if you like Mulligan and Brookmeyer, in fact it sounds like a Mulligan date in places.

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I see that I started this thread back in 2004 with the dangerous proposition of wanting to hear this music ... on a recordable compact disc, that is.

I have the Fresh Sound disc now — actually listening to it as I type — and the music is fine. I actually like both ABC albums quite a bit.

I'd enthusiastically recommend the music here to anyone with an interest, say, in Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band.

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Dick Johnson, on alto, also had two fine early albums, one on Prestige and one on Emarcy which I liked. Dusty Groove ("The Bastards") have an expensive reissue of the Emarcy available -- I need to treat myself, I think.

The other Dick Johnson was not on Prestige, but on Riverside.

That album was 'Most Likely... Dick Johnson'.

Johnson was good but the rhythm section on that one was dynamite: Dave McKenna, Wilbur Ware and Philly Joe Jones.

Another album that needs a reissue. As far as I know, it was only reissued in Japan in LP days. I have one of those.

I've never understand why Dick Johnson is forgotten. The two albums are :tup:tup

Anyway other talented and forgotten : Buddy Childers. Billy Usselton (unique album on Kapp) Barry Galbraith (yes : Guitar and the Wind !) Paul Moer. Jack Millman. Billy Byers. Bob Hardaway. Joe Burton...and all those i still don't know !!!!!

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Anyway other talented and forgotten : Buddy Childers. Billy Usselton (unique album on Kapp) Barry Galbraith (yes : Guitar and the Wind !) Paul Moer. Jack Millman. Billy Byers. Bob Hardaway. Joe Burton...and all those i still don't know !!!!!

A number of those albums have been reissued by Fresh Sound and are still available. Just search their website:

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/

The Billy Usselton was a very nice surprise. Hardly heard about him before purchasing the FS CD. Really enjoyable one!

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Anyway other talented and forgotten : Buddy Childers. Billy Usselton (unique album on Kapp) Barry Galbraith (yes : Guitar and the Wind !) Paul Moer. Jack Millman. Billy Byers. Bob Hardaway. Joe Burton...and all those i still don't know !!!!!

A number of those albums have been reissued by Fresh Sound and are still available. Just search their website:

http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/

The Billy Usselton was a very nice surprise. Hardly heard about him before purchasing the FS CD. Really enjoyable one!

Fortunately, i have all those in original press. Anyway i'm still looking for one Joe Burton on Joday, MIke Cuozzo on Jubilee (i have the Fresh Sound CD) and some LaPorta, another :tup:tup player. Everest session is nice, but impossible to find a clean copy. And the Will Davis trio on Sue, my #1 "neitherseennorheard" record... :huh:

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Fortunately, i have all those in original press. Anyway i'm still looking for one Joe Burton on Joday, MIke Cuozzo on Jubilee (i have the Fresh Sound CD) and some LaPorta, another :tup:tup player. Everest session is nice, but impossible to find a clean copy. And the Will Davis trio on Sue, my #1 "neitherseennorheard" record... :huh:

Of the obscure pianists mentioned , I only have the Moer on Del-Fi .

The Burton on Joday is available on CD if you just want the music ( and I know you don't ) .

I don't think the Will Davis has been on CD . Here's what it looks like :

WillDavisTrioonSue.jpg

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Fortunately, i have all those in original press. Anyway i'm still looking for one Joe Burton on Joday, MIke Cuozzo on Jubilee (i have the Fresh Sound CD) and some LaPorta, another :tup:tup player. Everest session is nice, but impossible to find a clean copy. And the Will Davis trio on Sue, my #1 "neitherseennorheard" record... :huh:

Of the obscure pianists mentioned , I only have the Moer on Del-Fi .

The Burton on Joday is available on CD if you just want the music ( and I know you don't ) .

I don't think the Will Davis has been on CD . Here's what it looks like :

WillDavisTrioonSue.jpg

Its a dream to see it. Thank you very very very very very very much. I'd love to own it more than my True Blue or Mobleys (i exagerate a little). is it yours ?

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