Blossom Dearie: May I Come In (1964)

Blossom Dearie passed away peacefully in her New York apartment about three weeks ago. I meant to mark her passing before this, but my focus is not what it was. I should jot my intentions down on paper and do a daily check. But I'm sure no-one's worried about my tardiness other than myself. Part of my concern was that, in a platonic sort of way, I loved this dear lady and mourned her leaving us. She was one of a kind. There was and always will be only one Blossom Dearie. My earlier comments (Blossom Dearie At Ronnie Scott's) are relevant to this post also. Had I had the opportunity to sit in that London jazz club and be entertained by this lady in her special and and distinctive way one of my life's ambitions would have been fulfilled. But it was not to be. As a tribute I've chosen one of her rarer recordings. In this one she trades her usual keyboard backing for a small studio band directed by Jack Marshall. In 1964, after a spell from her nightclub appearances, she signed with Capitol for just this one album, "May I Come In". Marshall's arrangements are tight and light and blend beautifully with her "little girl" sound. Rest In Peace Blossom. We miss you.

Tracks:
01) Something Happens To me
02) In Love Again
03) When Sunny Gets Blue
04) Corcovado
05) Don't Wait Too Long
06 I Wish You Love
07) Charade
08) May I Come In
09) I'm Old Fashioned
10) Love Is A Necessary Evil
11) The Best Is Yet To Come
12) Put On A Happy Face

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Maynard Ferguson: Boy With Lots Of Brass (1957)

On my last count I have about 8 Maynard Ferguson vinyls/CDs. Nothing remarkable about that. I'm aware that some of his faithful fans own a copy of every recording issued under his name. No, the fact that I have that many in my library is surprising given my ambivalence towards this remarkable trumpet player/band leader. My first memories of Maynard go back to the early '50s when he joined the Kenton band and began electrifying the jazz world with his seemingly effortless explorations into the sound stratosphere. What a lip the guy must have had. In those days there weren't too many trumpeters that could play in those high registers and keep an accurate pitch. He could play music up there rather than just make a noise. I bought Capitol's "Battle Of The Big Bands" in the '50s on which he's featured playing "What's New". I have shared that vinyl if you want to take a listen. From memory it's among my first posts last August. That one track blew me away. Since then my enthusiasm for Maynard has blown hot and cold. Some of his bands I liked. Some I didn't. His move to jazz rock in the '70s was OK. ( I still play his "Conquistador" album occasionally). But his funk band, High Voltage, left me cold. Of course it wasn't meant to appeal to old fogies like myself. He succeeded of course in reaching a newer younger audience who found this band's flamboyance extremely attractive. He put me back on track when he formed the big band Big Bop Nouveau which he continued with into the final years of his career.

The band on this album was formed in March, 1957. It was a 13-piece unit featuring tombonist Jimmy Cleveland, Willie Maiden on tenor, altoists Jimmy Ford and Anthony Ortega, pianist Bobby Timmons, and vocalist Irene Kral (sister of Roy Kral of the group Jackie & Roy). Irene is heard on four of the dozen standards that comprise the album (tracks 4, 5, 10 & 11). Arrangements are by Al Cohn, Bill Holman and Ernie Wilkins. Interesting to note that on this session Ferguson is part of the band itself rather than using it merely as a backing for his high register stuff.
Side 1:
01) Give Me The Simple Life
02) My Funny Valentine
03) The Lamp Is Low
04) Imagination
05) The Song Is You
06) Jeepers Creepers

Side 2:
01) Love Me Or Leave Me
02) A Foggy Day
03) Easy To Love
04) Moonlight In Vermont
05) I Hadn't Anyone 'Till You
06) I Never Knew

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Frank Sinatra: Sings Van Heusen & Cahn (1972)

In this album, Sinatra sings the songs of the exceptional songwriting pair of Sammy Cahn and Jim Van Heusen, who wrote some of the most beautiful songs from the Great American Songbook. Sammy Cahn is one of my all-time favorite lyricists. He really had a way with words. All these are the songs made popular by the Chairman of the Board and were recorded between 1960 and 1968 with seven creative and the best arrangers/conductors of all-time: Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Mandel, Sy Oliver, Quincy Jones, Neal Hefti and Torrie Zito. Sinatra left his indelible mark of excellence on these songs and made them his own. One of the most influential and humanitarian people in the world, Bono, once remarked: "Sinatra's songs are his home, and he lets you in".

Van Heusen and Cahn received two Academy Awards in the late '50s for the songs "All the Way" (used in the movie "The Joker Is Wild") and "High Hopes" (from the film "A Hole in the Head"). A large number of their songs were recorded by Sinatra. From the late '40s on, Van Heusen was active in music publishing and, over the years, had several publishing companies of his own. The Songwriters Hall of Fame member was also a celebrity on the Hollywood scene and made occasional appearances on television.

Tracks:

01) Ringa-Ding-Ding

02) The Last Dance

03) Imagination

04) Polka Dots And Moonbeams

05) It's Always You

06) Indiscreet

07) Come Waltz With Me

08) The Look Of Love

09) The Tender Trap

10) Come Blow Your Horn

11) Call Me Irresponsible

12) All The Way

13) Swinging On A Star

14) My Kind Of Town

15) I Like To Lead When I Dance

16) The September Of My Years

17) I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her

18) Come Fly With Me

19) Love And Marriage

20) Moonlight Becomes With You

21) Oh You Crazy Moon

22) Star!

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Chris Connor: All About Ronnie (1956)

Although she recorded for a longer period with Atlantic, Chris Connor's Bethlehem years were when she blossomed as one of the finest vocal interpreters of the jazz songbook in the business. She could make a standard her own (witness her spirited jaunt through Cole Porter's "From This Moment On"), and she could also discover the qualities worth keeping in songs that weren't quite standards. All About Ronnie: The Bethlehem Recordings 1953-1955 includes 12 tracks of her mid-'50s best, although despite the title it isn't a true Bethlehem compilation; the 12 tracks were indeed recorded throughout her tenure, but they made up a later album titled Chris that was released in 1957, after she had decamped for Atlantic. Regardless, it has several of her gems, including the title track and the wonderful "Indian Summer," whose buildup (in its Sy Oliver arrangement) serves to perfectly frame Connor's cheery but bittersweet lyric and performance. With only a half-hour of running time, this would have been far better if it had been bolstered with more material and released as a true Bethlehem years compilation, but if you need to have all of Connor's work, this will help fill in the gaps. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Tracks:

01) Miser's Serenade

02) Everything I Love

03) Indian Summer

04) I Hear Music

05) Come Back To Sorrento

06) All About Ronnie

07) Out Of This World

08) Lush Life

09) From This Moment On

10) Don't Wait Up For Me

11) A Good Man Is A Seldom Thing

12) Fly Me To The Moon

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Barney Kessel: Swinging Easy! (1968)

One of the finest guitarists to emerge after the death of Charlie Christian, Barney Kessel was a reliable bop soloist throughout his career. He played with a big band fronted by Chico Marx (1943), was fortunate enough to appear in the classic jazz short "Jammin' the Blues" (1944), and then worked with the big bands of Charlie Barnett (1944-1945) and Artie Shaw (1945); he also recorded with Shaw's Gramercy Five. Kessel became a busy studio musician in Los Angeles, but was always in demand for jazz records. He toured with the Oscar Peterson Trio for one year (1952-1953) and then, starting in 1953, led an impressive series of records for Contemporary that lasted until 1961 (including several with Ray Brown and Shelly Manne in a trio accurately called the Poll Winners). After touring Europe with George Wein's All Stars (1968), Kessel lived in London for a time (1969-1970). In 1973, he began touring and recording with the Great Guitars, a group also including Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd. A serious stroke in 1992 put Barney Kessel permanently out of action, but many of his records (which include dates for Onyx, Black Lion, Sonet, and Concord, in addition to many of the Contemporaries) are available, along with several video collections put out by Vestapol. Kessel was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in 2001, which eventually took his life in May of 2004. He was 80 years old. ~ AllMusic

Tracks:

01) On A Clear Day

02) The Look Of Love

03) Autumn Leaves

04) You're The One For Me

05) I Will Wait For You

06) Corcovado

07) Aquarius

08) Watch The Birds Go By

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Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band: Rare Broadcast Performances

During the two years of its existence, the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band (the greatest orchestra he ever led) performed and recorded frequently, although most of the band's
sessions have been difficult to find ever since, as their work was confined to V-Discs and other armed services-related venues. The group was filled with talented jazz soloists (including trumpeters Bobby Nichols and Bernie Privin, clarinetist Peanuts Hucko, and pianist Mel Powell), had fine singers in Ray McKinley, Johnny Desmond, and the Crew Chiefs, and even featured an occasional 21-piece string section. In the almost two decades since, it has been supplanted to some degree by more generously programmed compilations (some from BMG and also from other companies, taking advantage of the out-of-copyright status of the actual recordings) with fuller and cleaner sound based on newer digital transfers utilizing superior technology. This album is a credit to Glenn Miller not only for his music but also for his foresight in originally hiring Jerry Gray as his lead arranger with his civilian band. Jerry Gray was asked by Miller to go with him into the Army Air Corp (as it was called at that time) and set up the orchestra with a string section. Jerry Gray was lead violinist for Arti Shaw and was also his lead arranger (Begin the Beguine). Jerry Gray was to go with Glenn Miller that fateful day on the flight but he had a cold and told Miller that he would go the next day "with the boys". After Miller was lost Gray led and took over the Miller orchestra which had mostly Gray's arrangements.

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Mel Torme: Sunday In New York (1963)

After taking a host of potshots at the Big Apple on his 1949 Left Coast opus "California Suite", Mel Tormé repents via this album, a buoyant, genuinely affectionate Gotham tribute that effortlessly captures the city's sophistication and energy. While entries like "Lullaby of Broadway" and "Forty Second Street" pay homage to the theatrical tradition, Mel largely favours songs that document the everyday poetry of New York life, evoking with jazzy aplomb the rhythms of a people and place in perpetual motion. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Tracks:

01) Sunday In New York

02) Autumn In New York

03) Lullaby Of Broadway

04) Broadway

05) Brooklyn Bridge

06) Let Me Off Uptown

07) Forty Second Street

08) Sidewalks Of New York

09) Harlem Nocturne

10) New York, New York

11) There's A Broken Heart For Every Light On Broadway

12) Manhattan

13) My Time Of Day

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Mel Torme & Shorty Rogers: Comin' Home Baby (1962)

Although this is a classic from Mel, it hasn't escaped the disapproval of jazz critics and Torme fans alike. Reason for this is the inclusion of the the two R&B numbers that top and tail the song list. Problem is, they say, that these two songs ("Comin' Home Baby" and "Right Now") are right out of focus with the rest of the album. They were both released separately on a 45rpm and became big hits. Someone at Atlantic had the brilliant idea of including them on this essentially jazz oriented vinyl to boost sales. Claus Ogerman did the backings for the two hits, and the great Shorty Rogers was commissioned to do the charts for the remaining 10 numbers. I can't confirm this, but I've often wondered if Atlantic hoped the two hits in question would entice a few Rock 'n' Roll and R&B fans to buy the album and thus be converted to jazz a la Torme and Rogers. Maybe the idea worked. I don't know. Let's hope it did. There is a sister disc to this one called "Sunday In New York" which I have. Will share that too.

Tracks:

01) Comin' Home Baby

02) Dat Dere

03) The Lady's In Love With You

04) Hi-Fly

05) Putting On The Ritz

06) Walkin'

07) Moanin'

08) Sing You Sinners

09) Whisper Not

10) On Green Dolphin Street

11) Sydney's Soliloquy

12) Right Now

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Notice Board

Have had several requests to re-up the Bobby Sherwood "On Tour" album . Happy to say the link's "live" again. Have another rarity from the '40s swing band era coming up. It's an album of rare broadcast performances featuring the Boyd Raeburn band. Both Sherwood and Raeburn led very good bands at that time, but couldn't compete with the likes of Artie Shaw, the Dorsey brothers, Benny Goodman and so on. Because of this, recordings of these two bands are now collector's items. I'll be sharing the Raeburn vinyl soon.

Like to note that a blog buddy of mine from Sweden has kindly supplied a decent image of the Klaus Wunderlich cover to replace my own shabby one I posted a few weeks ago. His web name is "Apple" and he runs an online CD/vinyl site: www.honestjoes.se. Thanks again Apple.
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Carmen McRae: Live At The Flamingo (1961)

This vinyl was released by Ember Records in 1961. Being her first trip abroad it was a kind of milestone in her career. As you can hear she handles the live recording pretty well, ad libbing her way out of the fluffed intro to "Thou Swell" like a pro. On another visit to London in 1977 she wowed them at Ronnie Scott's jazz club. I recall seeing an autographed photo of the jazz diva when I attended the club in 2005. For this '61 gig she recruited London-based drummer Phil Seaman and bassist Kenny Napper. Don Abney was her permanent pianist.

Tracks:
01) I Could Write A Book
02) Body & Soul
03) Thou Swell
04) 'Round Midnight
05) Foggy Day
06) Don't Ever Leave Me
07) Moonlight In Vermont
08) Day In Day Out
09) Lover Man
10) Stardust
11) They Can't Take That Away From Me

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George Shearing: Walkin' (1992)

Just from curiosity did a probe of the blogosphere to see how many have shared this one. Came up with zilcho. There may be one or two, but I couldn't find them. So, who knows, this may be a first for me! But I doubt it really. The Net's a vaste conglomeration of blogs so I may have missed posts of "Walkin'". Anyhow, that aside, this is a "live" performance recorded at New York's Blue Note between Feb 27-29, 1992. Another from that venue is "I Hear A Rhapsody" which I have and will share shortly. In this album George plays bop, ballads and jazz. Along with the title track "Walkin'", which harks back to Miles Davis' classic recording of this in '54, top track for me is "Bag's Groove". In this GS pays tribute to Milt "Bags" Jackson of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Bassist is Neil Swainson and Grady Tate is on drums.

Tracks:
01) That's Earl, Brother (Dizzy Gillespie)
02) My One And Only Love
03) Pensativa (Clare Fischer)
04) Walkin'
05) When She Makes Music
06) Celia (Bud Powell)
07) Subconscious Lee (Lee Konitz)
08) Suddenly It's Spring
09) Bag's Groove (Milt Jackson)
10) Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
11) Loot To Boot (Errol Garner)

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Patricia Barber: Nightclub

If you download this one and have a listen you may be hooked. Then again you may not. I was introduced to this nightclub singer by a friend about 8 years ago. I think it was "Cool Mood" she played to me. I was impressed and went out to see what our local CD store had to offer. This was the only one available off the shelf so I bought it. Whereas "Mood" presented us with a kind of hip album of originals, on this album she draws us into her impressionistic reading of 12 standards. "Bye Bye Blackbird" is a gem. Comparisons have been made between Miss Barber and Diana Krall, but in my book they're worlds apart. I enjoy Krall especially on DVD (I have her "Live In Paris". The presence of John Clayton [bass] and Jeff Hamilton [drums] helped motivate me to buy it and also the fact that my fellow countryman, Alan Broadbent, was music director/conductor for the session. Oh yes ... Claus Ogerman too!). But back to our current share. Barber's style has been described as dark, smokey, sultry and cool. This is not concert jazz a la Krall. It has been nurtured and refined in the nightclub (Chicago's Gold Star Sardine Bar & The Green Mill to name just two). About 2am. The crowd has thinned. Those left are mellowed by a few martinis. The singer senses that she's in the presence of kindred souls so sings and plays her heart out. That's what this album is all about.

Tracks:
01) Bye Bye Blackbird
02 Invitation
03) Yesterdays
04) Just For A Thrill
05) You Don't Know Me
06) Alfie
07) Autumn Leaves
08) Summer Samba
09) All Or Nothing At All
10) So In Love
11) A Man & A Woman
12) I Fall In Love Too Easily

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Al Hirt & Lalo Schifrin: Latin In The Horn (1966)

Here's one for Al (He's The King) Hirt fans. It's a goodie. Lalo Schifrin too!

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Humphrey Lyttelton: Humph At The Conway (1986)

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Sound Of The Movies: George & Ira Gershwin

Disc 1

Disc 2

Barry Manilow: Even Now (1978)

I have two Manilow albums -- this one and "Singin' With The Big Bands". I like them both, but "Even Now" comes out on top for me, partly for sentimental reasons. I bought it as a
vinyl in '78. My middle daughter, Rachael, was 8 at the time and very much into the currently popular top 40 type songs played incessantly on our local radio. All my 3 girls were
raised to the sounds of my kind of music ringing in their ears. While they didn't show open hostility towards the sounds they heard, they didn't go overboard for them either -- except for
Rachael and this one disc. For some reason she loved it and would play it regularly on her little turntable/amplifier unit I built for her. I think "Copacabana" with its disco beat did it for
her initially, but she came to love the other tracks as well. So whenever I give it a spin now I'm reminded of my sweetheart playing the disc in her bedroom. She's 39 now so time
marches on. But back to the here and now.

Barry Manilow is an extremely accomplished artist. He is ranked the number one Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time (with 12 No.1 records), and had 25 consecutive
top 40 hits to his credit on the Billboard charts between '75 and '83. There are not a lot of musicians who have had that many songs on the Billboard charts, particularly when a
majority of them are written or co-written by the artist.

"Even Now" was the second Manilow album to achieve triple-platinum status. The first single, “Can’t Smile Without You” was the first of four songs to reach the Billboard charts.
The others were “Even Now", "Copacabana" and “Somewhere In The Night". "Copacabana" also appeared on the soundtrack for the Goldie Hawn-Chevy Chase film "Foul Play", which also included Manilow’s “Ready To Take A Chance Again". One of the album highlights for me has always been "I Was A Fool To Let You Go", a kind of a Sinatra type saloon song.

Side 1:
01) Copacabana
02) Somewhere In The Night
03) A Linda Song
04) Can't Smile Without You
05) Leavin' In The Morning
06) Where Do I Go From Here

Side 2:
01) Even Now
02) I Was A Fool To Let You Go
03) Losing Touch
04) I Just Want To Be The One In Your Life
05) Starting Again
06) Sunrise

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Mel Torme & George Shearing: Top Drawer (1983)

This album is aptly named -- "Top Drawer" or "Top Shelf" or whatever. Every track is a winner. From Howard Dietz's "Shine On Your Shoes" to Rube Bloom's "Here's To My Lady" and all the inbetweens, Mel and George exibit that wonderful musical rapport that existed between them. Of all my Torme/Shearing collaborations I probably play this one the most. With no vision at all throughout his musical life it's incredible that George can pick up and memorize a piece like Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" just by hearing it played by someone else. His command of the keyboard just by touch is phenomenal. How about his haunting backing to Johnny Mercer's "How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehen" and only George would see (mentally) the harmonic potential in a simple Christmas song like "Away In A Manger". The guy's a genius. As for Mel, I mourned when a stroke cut him down 10 years ago this coming July. This album was a Grammy Award winner by the way.

Tracks:
01) Shine On Your Shoes
02) How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehen
03) Oleo
04) Stardust
05) Hi-Fly
06) Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
07) What's This
08) Away In A Manger
09) Here's To My Lady

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Duke Ellington: Swinging Suites (1960)

Won't say too much about this share as there's plenty of info on back cover. Picked it up at our local Salvation Army People's Store yesterday for 50c. Walked away with 45 vinyls all marked $1 each. The lovely lady on the counter whispered that I could have them for 50c as long as I didn't tell her boss! I told her my lips were sealed. Front and back cover scans don't match because my stitching software wouldn't look at the front cover. Maybe because there's no delineated border and too much blank white.

Side 1:

01) Morning Mood

02) Hall Of The Moutain King

03) Solveig's Song

04) Ase's Death

05) Anitra's Dance

Side 2:

01) Misfit Blues

02) Schwiphti

03) Zweet Zurzday

04) Lay-By

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Herbert Marshall & Joan Loring: The Snow Goose

I sometimes see this blog of mine as a kind of lucky dip. Poke around and you never quite know what you're gonna come up with: Family photos -- cute animal pics -- jokes (only one so far) -- Australian bushfire report -- Sam the Koala -- and the music of course. Went on a vinyl hunt yesterday and grabbed this album when I saw it in the bin. I wanted it for two reasons. First, because it was the original recording featuring Herbert Marshall, and second, despite it's age (probably 50+) it seemed in reasonable nick. In my early radio days I compiled then presented a Sunday program called (wait for it) "The Request Session". Folk were invited to write in and request their favourite songs or whatever took their fancy and guess what was a hot favourite

-- "The Snow Goose". This particular version always had listeners diving for their paper hankies and playing it again after all these years I can understand why. It's a real tear-jerker!

It was written by Paul Gallico (1897-1976). He began his career as a sports reporter in the US but moved to England in '36 and started writing fiction. In 1941 "The Snow Goose" was published as a slim novella of some 64 pages and became Gallico's first major success as a fiction writer. It was subtitled "A Story of Dunkirk". In 1947 it was produced as an album of three 78rpm recordings and re-released in the '50s on an LP.

Gallico once told New York Magazine "I'm a rotten novelist. I'm not even literary. I just like to tell stories and all my books tell stories .... If I had lived 2000 years ago I'd be going
around the caves, and I'd say, 'Can I come in? I'm hungry. I'd like some supper. In exchange I'll tell you a story. Once upon a time there were two apes ....' And I'd tell them a story about
two cavemen. In the contest between sentiment and slime, sentiment remains so far out in front, as it always has and always will among ordinary humans, that the calamity-howlers and porn merchants have to increase the decibels of their lamentations, the hideousness of their violence and the mountainous piles of their filth to keep in the race at all."

Herbert Marshall and Joan Loring voiced the two main parts and Victor Young composed and conducted the music.

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Laurindo Almeida & Bud Shank: Brazilliance (1953)

More than seven years before Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd introduced the bossa nova of Antonio Carlos Jobim to American audiences, guitarist Laurindo Almeida and altoist Bud Shank (in a quartet with bassist Harry Babasin and drummer Roy Harte) recorded the intriguing music heard on this album. The performances are very close to bossa nova in their combination of cool-toned jazz and Brazilian rhythms; in fact, these are arguably the first bossa nova recordings, long before even Jobim and Joao Gilberto initially recorded. Only four of the 14 tunes ("Speak Low" is heard in two versions) are not based on Brazilian folk songs, and many of the songs (particularly "Carinoso") are quite memorable. This historically significant album is a gem. ~ AllMusic

Tracks:

01) Atabaque

02) Amore Flamengo

03) Stairway To The Stars

04) Acertate Mas

05) Terra Seca

06) Speak Low

07) Speak Low - (alternate take)

08) Inquietacao

09) Baa Too Kee

10) Carinoso

11) Tocata

12) Hazardous

13) Nono

14) Noctambulism

15) Blue Baiao

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Johnny Mathis "Live" (1983)

Anyone who's scanned thru this blog must have noted the number of "live" albums. Reason is I believe performers often feed on their audiences' enthusiasm and this extra energy comes across as compared with a studio session. Here's another one. It was recorded at London's Apollo Theatre in May, 1983. Hope you enjoy it.

Side 1:
01) I Believe In Love
02) Misty
03) Begin The Beguine
04) Fly Away
05) A Certain Smile
06) Memory

Side 2:
01) The Twelfth Of Never
02) Try To Win A Friend
03) 99 Miles From LA
04) Chances Are
05) Orange Coloured Sky
06) When A Child Is Born

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Andre Previn, Joe Pass, Ray Brown: After Hours (1989)

One of my favourites. Hard to understand why it has been discontinued by Telarc. Has been described as a hidden treasure for those seeking an introduction to jazz. Previn has a huge talent. Ray Brown (bass) and Joe Pass (guitar) were right up there too. Both are now deceased. This is in essence a jam session as the trio had little rehearsal before the recording.

Tracks:
01) There Will Never Be Another You
02) I Only Have Eyes For You
03) What Am I Here For
04) Limehouse Blues
05) All The Things You Are
06) Honeysuckle Rose
07) I Got It Bad
08) Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
09) Cotton Tail
10) Laura
11) One For Bunz

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Duke Ellington: The English Concert (1969)

Before these concerts (November '69 in Manchester) the Duke had not been recorded in the UK since 1933. In these tapes he seemed determined to show off all the jewels in his storehouse of charts. The classics "Take The A Train" and "Satin Doll" restated brilliantly by the band formed the nucleus of his British concerts, but he spiced the mixture with what was then new material. He led a band of acknowledged virtuosi. One of the wonders that made Ellington so unique was his ability to hold a large jazz band together for so many years. Not only this, but this band maintained a totally unique and recognizable character with a nucleus of sidemen that remained more or less constant either in name or kind -- Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Cat (how high can you fly) Stevens (have a listen to "El Gato"), Cootie Williams, Lawrence Brown. This band though was different in that it included organist Wild Bill Davis and a 6th reed man, Norris Turney. He was verstile enough to sit in with the trombone section if needed but also turned out to have considerable skills as a tenorman and flute player. He almost out-blew veterans Paul Gonsalves and Harold Ashby on "In Triplicate".

Although in his early 70s when these sessions were recorded Ellington could never entertain suggestions of retirement. "What is there to retire to?" he once observed when asked about quitting the road. "My band and I travel all over the world, see the sights and see the people. You can't beat that. The road is my home and I'm only comfortable when I'm on the move. New York is just where I keep my mailbox."

He died of lung cancer and pneumonia on May 24, 1974, a month after his 75th birthday, and was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetary, The Bronx, New York City.

Gunther Schuller wrote, "Ellington composed incessantly to the very last days of his life. Music was indeed his mistress; it was his total life and his commitment to it was incomparable and unalterable. In jazz he was a giant among giants. And in twentieth century music, he may yet one day be recognized as one of the half-dozen greatest masters of our time."

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Frank Sinatra: Frankie At The Movies (Disc 2)

Continuing with my policy of sharing unusual and/or discontinued vinyls and CDs, here's one from a series which features music extracted directly from movie soundtracks. I have seven of these CDs. This one has songs from three of Sinatra's musicals: "Step Lively", "Anchors Aweigh" and "It Happened In Brooklyn". How "Good News" snuck in there I'll never know. What's the connection with Frankie?

Now, if enough interest is shown in this series I'll share more, probably the first disc of this album and the other six. They are: "The Great Ziegfeld", "Judy Garland & Betty Grable" (Mother Wore Tights/The Dolly Sisters/Till The Clouds Roll By etc), "Judy Garland" (Babes On Broadway/Love Finds Andy Hardy/Little Nelly Kelly etc) , "Movie Box" (Thousands Cheer/The Fleet's In/Thank Your Lucky Stars etc.), "Kelly & Astaire" (Second Chorus/You Were Never Lovlier/For Me And My Gal), "George & Ira Gershwin" (Girl Crazy/Cover Girl/Shocking Miss Pilgrim/Rhapsody In Blue).

These are budget discs so the soundtrack transfers are pretty basic. Little or no enhancement here. You can get a line on quality if you download this sample.

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James Last: Live From St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin (1984)

Here's another rare vinyl I picked up at the school bunfight mentioned in an earlier share. Found few references to it on the Net. Pleased to have it. I attended Mass in this same cathedral about 3 years ago when on a visit to Dublin. Was impressed with the acoustics then and more so after listening to this album. This time James dispenses with the flashy trumpet solos and soaring strings. He's in a classical/religious/trad mode here and as such pulls in his musical horns if you will. It's quite an enjoyable listen, but would have liked at least one more number from Noirin Ni Riain and the Monks of Glenstal Abbey. The Cathedral itself has a fascinating history. Click on the back cover to bring it full screen and read the bit at the bottom.

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Cleo Laine & Dudley Moore: Smilin' Through (1982)

This album is the result of two top entertainers from the UK getting together in London in 1982 for a session of ballads and traditional pop. At recording time Dudley Moore was perhaps more familiar than Cleo, at least in the US, for his comedic roles in a number of films. He was a pianist and composer of no mean ability. Cleo Laine had been a singing talent of the first order since the '50s and often performed and recorded with husband and sax player John Dankworth. Dankworth is heard on one cut on this album. While Moore dashes off some nice solo work on "When I Take My Sugar to Tea" and an Erroll Garner-like "I Can't Give You Anything But Love", it's Laine's wide-range, full-throated and expressive voice that dominates the session. She sets the table for "I Don't Know Why I Just Do", recalling a few lines from "Love Me or Leave Me", and squeezes every ounce of feeling from "I'll Be Around". Then there's a fun, hip, overdubbed scatting '60s girl-singer rendition of "Before Love Went Out Of Style". The album's highlight track is a bluesy "Soft Shoe", where Dankworth chips in with his soprano sax and Laine and Moore engage in congenial patter. Moore's rhythm section players are Ray Brown (bass) and Nick Ceroli (drums), which is the icing on a tasty musical cake. ~ AMG

Side 1:
01) I Don't Know Why & Love Me Or Leave Me
02) When I Take My Sugar To Tea
03) I'll Be Around
04) Strictly For The Birds
05) Before Love Went Out Of Style
06) Soft Shoe

Side 2:
01) Smilin' Through
02) I Can't Give You Anything But Love
03) It's Easy To Remember
04) Play It Again Sam
05) Be A Child

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Sam The Koala: Symbol Of Hope ... Or Just A Cutesy Survival Story?

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25038852-661,00.html

Earl Klugh: Midnight In San Juan

A while ago I decided to explore a new sub-genre for me -- Smooth Jazz. At first I was quite underwhelmed. Plenty of smooth ... very short on jazz. Big on the sweet sound ... but formless. Hear one you've heard 'em all. Then I discovered Acoustic Alchemy and The Rippingtons. At least with these two groups each track didn't sound like a clone of all the others. Then came Marc Antoine, Grover Washington Jr, Bob James and Spyro Gyra. Getting better, but no ... I wasn't hooked. Pat Metheny was something else, but the group's not really into smooth jazz ... more jazz fusion. So this is where Earl Klugh comes in. I guess strictly speaking Earl's not in the smooth jazz camp either. He's more pop jazz I suppose. But hey ... enough of these arbitrary compartments. If these guys make a sound you dig, go for it. Klugh makes a sound I dig. Not always, but on this album it's at least four stars from me. And look who's in the backing lineup -- Elaine Elias (keyboards), Paulinho Da Costa (percussion), Chuck Loeb (guitar), Jean Toots Thielmans (harmonica) and arranger Don Sebesky. I can't keep still listening to "Kissin" On The Beach" (side 1 trk 3). And how about "Rhythms Of The Soul" ( side 2 trk 1).

Side 1:
01) Midnight In San Juan
02) Every Moment With You
03) Kissin' On The Beach
04) She Never Said Why

Side 2:
01) Rhythms Of The Soul
02) Jamaican Winds
03) Theme For A Rainy Day
04) Take You There

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Glen Gray & Casa Loma Orch: Please, Mr Gray

Back to my music. Absolute therapy for me. Hope you like this rather rare album from the '60s Capitol stable. Sure it's just another re-creation disc so familiar to big band buffs in those days. But ... there are some nice solos here taken by some of the top players around during that decade: Pete Candoli, Mannie Klein (trumpets), Milt Bernhart, Joe Howard (trombones), Gus Bivona and Chuck Gentry (reeds), Ray Sherman (piano), Nick Fatool (drums), Mike Rubin (bass) and Jack Marshall (guitar).

Side 1:

01) King Porter Stomp [Benny Goodman]

02) Starburst [Gene Krupa]

03) Little Rock Getaway [Bob Crosby]

04) Afternoon In August [Billy Butterfield]

05) Topsy [Count Basie]

06) When Buddha Smiles [Jan Savitt]

Side 2:

01) Back Bay Shuffle [Artie Shaw]

02) V.I.P.'s Boogie [Duke Ellington]

03) John Silver [Jimmy Dorsey]

04) Embraceable You [Bobby Hackett]

05) Begin The Beguine [Eddie Heywood]

06) Swanee River Boogie [The Commanders]

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Australia's Agony: Mass Murder?

Deviating from my usual here. I feel compelled to express my condolences to the folk and families caught up in this appalling tragedy taking place just across the sea from here [New Zealand]. We are close enough to be partially blanketed in the amber smoke a few days ago coming from the huge fireball which engulfed the state of Victoria situated on the south-west tip of Australia. While we are fiercly competitive with the Ausies in our sporting and commercial endeavours, we have much in common and refer to each other as "our cuzzies across the Tasman". I understand the death toll will be horrendous. It's only now that the rescuers are able to penetrate the blackened bush. They are finding burnt-out homes and cars etc with the incinerated remains of their owners. Apparently folk making a dash for it in their cars were overtaken by the flames moving at an unbelievable speed. Whole families were lost in this way. Arsonists are being accused of starting some of the fires and the Press is headlining it as "Mass Murder". The cutting above is from one of our major newspapers. Only ten tragedies highlighted out of probably hundreds.

"Everybody's gone. Everybody's gone. Everybody," cried Christopher Harvey, a survivor from the town of Kinglake which was mostly razed. "Their houses are gone. They're all dead in the houses there. Everybody's dead". ~ The Dominion Post

Anyone wishing to contribute to the various relief funds set up in Victoria may find the following address helpful:

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1008100/Latest-bushfire-information

Barbra Streisand: The Broadway Album (1985)

Watched an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show a few years ago. She had Barbra Streisand as her guest that day. I was intrigued at the reverence shown to this diva. Couldn't help making a comparison with the respect some British folk have for their Royal Family. After listening to this album I can better understand why this is so. She is a superb interpreter of showbiz songs. Here she has chosen some of the best to come out of Broadway. It wasn't easy making the choice. There was such a wealth of material. She studied and sifted. She learned and she sang and finally came up with the numbers on this vinyl. A reunion with Peter Matz who did most of the arranging/conducting helped to put the seal of excellence on this enterprise. Was quite disappointed that the disc quality wasn't up to much. Have de-clicked. If you have never heard this album before I strongly recommend you do right now.

Side 1:

01) Putting It Together [Sunday In The Park]

02) If I Loved You [Carousel]

03) Something's Coming [West Side Story]

04) Not While I'm Around [Sweeney Todd]

05) Being Alive [Company]

06) I Have Dreamed-We Kiss In A Shadow-Something Wonderful [The King And I]

Side 2:

01) Send In The Clowns [A Little Night Music]

02) Pretty Women-The Ladies Who Lunch [Sweeney Todd]

03) Can't Help Loving That Man [Showboat]

04) I Loves You Porgy-I's Your Woman Now [Porgy And Bess]

05) Somewhere [West Side Story]

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Jonah Jones: Swingin' At The Cinema (1958)

A re-rip/upload of this vinyl I posted about 6 months ago. The link was down. Wasn't going to bother but I think it may be more popular than I thought. A former radio colleague of mine who now lives in Australia saw it listed in my blog and whooped for joy as he's been looking for it for years. Joy turned to devastation when he found the link didn't work. So ... here for you Joe and any others who may be interested -- Mr Jonah Jones at the movies. Tried to clean it up a bit by de-clicking etc.

Side 1:
01) True Love
02) Tammy
03) Gal In Calico
04) Around The World
05) Love Is A Many Spendoured Thing
06) Colonel Bogey March

Side 2:
01) An Affair To Remember
02) Secret Love
03) Three Coins In The Fountain
04) Fascination
05) All The Way
06) Lullaby Of Broadway

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Klaus Wunderlich: Wunderlich In Concert (1981)

Decided to dust off my one and only Klaus Wunderlich. Well ... get it right Kelly! Actually I do have two don't I? (see Chris Waxman in my artist list). But this is my only up-front Wunderlich. Had forgotten its quality wasn't exactly "as new" so gave it a clean up, but don't expect Hi Fi. According to the cover, Klaus undertook a tour of England and Germany in the spring of 1979. For this he used the HELIOS Wersi. This disc presents cuts from that tour "live" without the aid of technical enhancements. Only the last medley makes use of the "rhythm machine" which is part of the organ's features.

Side 1: (see back cover)

Side 2: (see back cover)

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Stan Getz & Friends: A Compilation (1954-73)

This compilation lets us listen to Stan Getz in different settings with small groups which include Oscar Peterson with vibes player Gary Burton and jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell ("Bronx Blues") and with his original bossa nova collaborator, Charlie Byrd ("Desafinado"). Some of Astrid Gilberto's recordings included here are not with Getz but with the Gil Evans Orchestra ("Once Upon A Summertime" and "Look To The Rainbow") and with Don Sebesky ("Manha de Carnaval" and "Shadow Of Your Smile"). Brazilian singer/composer/guitarist Joao Gilberto is heard also without the others, soloing on "Avarandado". Others heard are Luiz Bonfa ("How Insensitive" and "Sambalero") and Laurindo Almeida ("Once Again").

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George Shearing: Light, Airy & Swinging: (1974)

Tracks:
01) Love Walked In
02) If
03) Too Close For Comfort
04) Speak Low
05) Emily
06) A Beautiful Friendship
07) Once Upon A Summertime
08) Cynthia's In Love

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Si Zentner: Big Band Brilliance (1960s)

Yet another Si Zentner album. There are plenty around especially placed in lounge-type blogs similar to my own. I grabbed this one at a school book sale bunfight. Certainly didn't buy it for the cover. It's pathetic. Festival Records must have run out of ink when they copied this one off the original Sunset cover. No, I bought it for the Bob Florence arrangements. He collaborated with Zentner from '59 to '64 when they were both contracted to Liberty. Florence arranged the trombonist's '60s smash "Up A Lazy River", the last commercial gasp of the big band era. Although this vinyl has probably been around for 45+ years it's in great shape -- nice clean sound. Ripped at 320.

Side 1:
01) Star Eyes
02) Walkin'
03) Demons And Dragons
04) Pagan Ritual
05) Wonderland By Night

Side 2:
01) Lover
02) Tiki
03) Blue Moon
04) Perfidia
05) The Volga Boatman

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Tony Bennett: Something (1970)

I love this cover. This is one of the last albums Tony did for Columbia. It was re-released on CD in '95 but has been discontinued which is pity because not only was it one of Tony's favourites (it was hand picked to be included in the Tony Bennett Masters Series) it has also brought ongoing pleasure to thousands ever since it was originally released. I play my copy quite regularly. Great sounds too from Peter Matz and the orchestra. Peter never received the accolades accorded to Nelson Riddle, Billy May or even Don Costa. The reason I think was because his name was not bracketed with the top jazz vocalists of the '60s & '70s like Sinatra and Fitzgerald etc. But he got close. He was contracted mainly to Columbia. Did some fine arrangements for Streisand. Watch for an album featuring them both which I plan to post soon. He (Matz) was apparently Noel Coward's pianist in the '50s. Nice arrangements of Beatles songs (tracks 1&2) and some show and film songs with which you may not be familiar. I'll indicate the shows and films on the track listings. By the way watch for a loving tribute to Louis Armstrong (side 2, track 6) who died of a heart attack in 1971.

Side 1:
01) Something
02) The Long And Winding Road
03) Everybody's Talkin' (from film "Midnight Cowboy")
04) On A Clear Day (from film of same name)
05) Coco (from Broadway musical of same name)
06) Think How It's Gonna Be ( from Broadway musical "Applause")

Side 2:
01) Wave
02) Make It Easy On Yourself
03) Come Saturday Morning (from film "Pookie")
04) When I Look In Your Eyes (from film "Dr Doolittle")
05) Yellow Days
06) What A Wonderful World

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Billy Butterfield Jazz Band: Swinging At The Elkes' (1978)

Another "live" one. What can I say about this? -- "Nothin", I hear you cry. "Belt up and let's just hear the music". "Ok I get the message, but, but ...". "No buts buddy boy, you're not on da radio now ya know. Just button up". "Right".

Side 1:

01) I Want To be Happy

02) Sweet Sue

03) I Cried For You

Side 2:

01) Someday Sweetheart

02) I Can't Get Started

03) Carolina In The Morning

04) China Boy

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The Lettermen: ....And Live!!! (1967)

This for "WKC" and all Lettermen fans who may be just passing through. I like it. Good backing and that elusive something that most "live" recordings have. Maybe "elusive" isn't the right word here because anyone with an ounce of snouse can detect the energy and spontaneity that comes through on these recordings. If the audience is fired up it feeds into the performers. I guess this may be another campus concert. It hints as such on the back cover but doesn't say when or where. Quite a contrast to The Four Preps campus concert I posted recently. Liner notes on that one were written by Los Angeles DJ Bill Ballance who provided plenty of info. Also on this album it makes no mention of who did the backing arrangements. I like to know. We get Wilson Brown as the vocal arranger, but the orchestra frontman remains nameless. But despite all this it's a nice record of yet another campus circuit concert so popular in the '60s. Oh yes -- it features the group's top medley - "Goin' Out Of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

Side 1:
01) Up Up And Away
02) This Is My Song
03) Windy
04) Goin' Out Of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You
05) Sally Was A Good Old Girl

Side 2:
01) Meditation/Quiet Nights
02) If She Walked Into My Life
03) What Now My Love
04) I Believe

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Chet Atkins: Chet Atkins' Workshop (1961)

I grabbed this vinyl (another cheapie) on two counts: First I'd read somewhere that it was Chet's best-selling album and second, that it was pressed in Italy by RCA Italiano! How it ended up down here in this bin I'll never know. Maybe if it could speak it might have an interesting tale to tell. But there it was for $1. There's a nice concise review of it on the "All Music" site which says it all miles better than I can, so I salute them by reprinting it here.

"Chet Atkins, the country boy whose catholic tastes deserve some of the credit (or blame) for pushing country music toward the pop mainstream in the '60s, serves up exclusively pop and jazz material on his 1961 album "Chet Atkins' Workshop". "Whispering" and "Lullaby of Birdland" are two of the jazz standards, while instrumental renditions of the Debbie Reynolds hit "Tammy" and Doris Day's "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" are pure pop. Atkins' relaxed fingerpicking works the material into a smooth consistency that sometimes belies the complexity of his technique, but the album is an engaging listen and an effortless-sounding intersection of diverse styles. Atkins was an album artist, and "Chet Atkins' Workshop", though failing to produce a charting single, made the Top Ten and became his best-selling LP".

Wikipedia reference to the album is more technical:


"Atkins is once again pictured on the cover in his home studio in Nashville. The liner notes are by David Halberstam, then writing for "The Tennessean" in Nashville, Tennessee. They discuss Chet's practise of recording rhythm tracks in the RCA studio and then going home with the tapes to perfect his guitar part in his own studio. "The workshop resembles a small-scale Cape Canaveral. In it is approximately $8000 worth of electronic and electrical equipment, much of it built by Atkins himself: a small maze of mixing panels, a three-channel stereo tape recorder, a one-channel recorder... This is the lonely man's room and Atkins, when he is working, is a lonely man. 'Can't take my time in the studio. We're making money there and when you are making money you can't really take your time.' Here he can retire for days on end to be handed an occasional sandwich through the door by his wife, Leona, but he's here to stay with his guitar and his sound and his sandwiches."

Side 1:
01) Lambeth Walk
02) Theme From "A Summer Place"
03) Whispering
04) In A Little Spanish Town
05) Sleep
06) Marie

Side 2:
01) Hot Mocking Bird
02) Lullaby Of Birdland
03) Tammy
04) Goofus
05) Bonita/ Whatever Will Be Will Be

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Sergio Mendes: Sergio Mendes (1983)

Fantastic! That says it all for this '83 album released by A&M Records. This is that Mendes sound that took the world (me included) by storm in the '80s. This sound of his was unique. No-one copied it successfully. Leza Miller's vocals blend so beautifully with it. Male soloists are Gracinha Leporace and Michael Sembello who also wrote "Dream Hunter" and "Life In The Movies".

Side 1:

01) Voo Doo

02) Never Gonna Let You Go

03) My Summer Love

04) Carnaval

Side 2:

01) Rainbow's End

02) Love Is Waiting

03) Dream Hunter

04) Life In The Movies

05) Si Senor

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Chris Waxman: Organized (1960s?)

When I saw this album (top one) in the cheapie bin last week for $1, I was aroused -- not by the teeny wee ladies dancing on the keyboard (read somewhere that because they cast no shadows they must be teeny wee vampiresses and should be dispatched forthwith with toothpicks through their teeny wee hearts!!). But I digress. No, it was curiosity. Who in heaven's name was or is Chris Waxman. Couldn't wait to get home and do some research. Guess what I discovered. The arcane Mr Waxman is none other than the darlink of the keyboard, Klaus Wunderlich. Suggestion is that it was some sort of contract dodge as this was Wunderlich's one and only LP issued in the UK under the pseudonym of Chris Waxman. So there. Can't put a date on it. Probably '60s. Before I discovered who Waxman was or wasn't, I had a listen and concluded that he was a pretty hot organist which made me even more curious as to who he might be. Just talking covers -- posted the Wanderley one as well to illustrate how easy it was to pinch someone else's album title. Which came first. That's the $64,000 one.

Side 1:

01) Mas Que Nada

02) Matchmaker Matchmaker

03) Lara's Theme

04) Love Is Blue

05) Honey

06) What The World Needs Now

Side 2:

01) Up Up And Away

02) The Impossible Dream

03) Highway Speed (Wunderlich original)

04) Strangers In The Night

05) Can't Take My Eyes Off You

06) Born Free

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Shirley Bassey: The Bassey Beat (1973)

Want to get this posted before I "hit the hay" as we say down under. In other words it's past my bedtime. Wonder if this is a relatively rare Bassey. Could find very little about it on the Net. All I know is that it was released by United Artist Records in '73, was produced by the great tenor sax player Dave Pell and backing arrangements were done by Sid Feller. Of the tracks, my favourites are "Dommage, Dommage" (side 1 tk 2) and "I Must Know" (side 2 tk 6). "Dommage" sounds Italian but is composed by one P Vance! Doesn't sound too Italian to me. But hey -- I love the change of tempo to 3/4 time about half way through (Nice one Sid Feller). And the "Must Know" song was penned by a jazz icon of mine, Neal Hefti.

Side 1:
01) The Impossible Dream
02) Dommage, Dommage
03) On A Clear Day
04) If You Go Away
05) That's Life

Side 2:
01) Now You Want To Be Loved
02) Going Out Of My Head/You Go To My Head
03) Softly, As I Leave You
04) A Time For Us
05) The Joker
06) I Must Know

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Tommy Dorsey Band: Fab Arrangements Of Tommy Dorsey In Hi Fi

Here the spotlight's on Warren Covington rather than Tommy Dorsey. Warren stepped into maestro Dorsey's shoes when he took over the TD band in 1958 following Tommy's death. He was no stranger to the swing band business. Initially he was in the "bone" section of Horace Heidt's Musical Knights, served with the Coast Guard in World War II, then on discharge joined Les Brown and Gene Krupa. "Cov" then opted for the security of studio work, playing in the staff orchestra of CBS radio and television for nearly ten years, until coaxed back onto the road. As it turned out Covington not only kept the Dorsey band going, but got one of the very last hits to come out of the swing ensemble with "Tea for Two Cha-Cha" in 1959. With strong support from Decca, the Covington-led band pumped out a healthy batch of albums well into the 1960s. The handwriting was on the wall though and Covington pulled the plug around 1965 heading back to the studios in New York. He led his own band in New York City clubs in the late 1960s, toured with a late incarnation of the Pied Pipers around 1973, and ran a supper club in Ocean City, Maryland, for the summer crowds in the late 1970s. This album is from his '60s period with Decca. That's him doing the vocals on side 1 (4) and side 2 (6). Forgive me for posting the two covers. I think the Festival one (top) is pathetic. Decca's is a tad more professional.

Side 1:

01) Song Of India

02) Liebestraum

03) Hawiian War Chant

04) My Baby Just Cares For Me

05) Easy Does It

06) Opus One

Side 2:

01) Boogie Woogie

02) Satan Takes A Holiday

03) Swingin' On Nothin'

04) Swanee River

05) The Dipsy Doodle

06) I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

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Benny Goodman: Carnegie Hall Concert (1938)

If you think this live recording from Carnegie Hall might interest you dig around the Net. There's a ton of info on it. I'll just say this: I bought it because I knew it was a landmark event in Goodman's early career. After a slow start in 1934 he slowly built a reputation especially among students and others in Chicago and New York (Paramount Theatre), culminating in this famous concert in Carnegie Hall. Benny had employed talent scout John Hammond to bolster the quality of his sidemen. Added were such potential luminaries as Harry James, Gene Krupa and black musicians Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton. Later, guitarist Charlie Christian was to help bring about a second revolutionary sound. But that's another story. With this download of course we get 9 extra tracks from a follow-up Carnegie concert on Oct 6, 1939.

Disc 1:

Disc 2:

Notice Board

Fixed Sharebee links. Thanks for feedback.

Notice Board

Just opened up this morning to find that all my Sharebee links are down. Whether it's just me or whether their site is down don't know. Will do some tests. Other links seem OK. Will get back to you later.

Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen: The Kenny Ball Show (1962)

This is me wearing my trad jazz hat. Have always been a fan of British groups led by Kenny Ball, Humphry Lyttelton and Alex Welsh especially if they're live performances. There are two places where you can play jazz: In public and in private. "Public" means either the jazz club or the concert platform. "Private" includes the bath, the loo or somebody's front room. Or it can mean the recording studio because that too is private in the sense that the performer is playing for himself, not directly for his audience. This was the first Kenny Ball album to have been recorded before a theatre audience, and you can tell right from the start that Kenny and the lads thrived on public performance. The occasion was an entirely suitable one: A Sunday concert (April 1, 1962) before a capacity audience 0f 2500 at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool. Six of the ten tracks include vocals either by Kenny or banjoist Paddy Lightfoot. One of them, "Swing Low", is a duet demonstrating the difference between two people who sing together and two people who merely sing simultaneously. Messrs Ball and Lightfoot had a real jazz affinity.

The lineup is:
Trumpet: Kenny Ball
Piano: Ron Weatherburn
Bass: Vic Pitt
Clarinet: Dave Jones
Banjo: Paddy Lightfoot
Drums: Ron Bowden
Trombone: John Bennett

Side 1:
01) Old Miss Rag
02) Kansas City Stomp
03) Basin Street Blues
04) Alexanders Ragtime Band
05) Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Side 2:
01) Saturday Night Function
02) Whistling Cow Blues
03) Oh Mary Don't You Weep
04) I Shall Not Be Moved
05) Dinah

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