Wednesday, January 31, 2007

New and Improved

The second box of vinyl arrived from my friend Emery. Now playing: The World Saxophone Quartet Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, December 1985, an '86 release on Black Saint. Somehow my ear has been tuned to pick out the now-clear separation between Hemphill and Lake, which in past hearings of the WSQ was never particularly clear to me.

The list, ones I've heard:

Oscar Peterson in Russia- two lp's with Jake Hanna and Orsted-Pedersen...more on Peterson in an upcoming post
David Murray Trio, The Hill- Joe Chambers and Richard Davis
David Murray, Spirituals- Dave Burrell, Fred Hopkins, Ralph Peterson, Jr.
Metheny/Coleman, Song X- On first re-listen, I don't like it. Can't stand Metheny's playing. Go figure.
Oliver Lake, Heavy Spirits- unbelievably gorgeous. Olu Dara playing some lines clearly influenced by Freddie Hubbard; quite surprising. More on this recording in the future too, probably.
Albert Mangelsdorff, Hamburger Idylle- with Elvin Jones, Eddie Gomez, and the unfortunate Wolfgang Dauner on piano...otherwise, killer stuff.
Albert Mangelsdorff, The Wide Point- even more killer, no piano this time; a wonderful multiphonic version of Mood Indigo

not listened to yet:

Fats Navarro w/Tadd Dameron- 2 records on Milestone
Archie Shepp and Orsted-Pedersen- Looking at Bird (duets, 1981)
Jimmy Smith, The Sermon!
Sun Ra, Nothing Is
Ronald Shannon Jackson/Decoding Society, Eye on You
RSJ/Decoding Society, Decode Yourself!
Arthur Blythe, Illusions
Dizzy Gillespie, In the Beginning (amazing looking 2 record set, recordings from 1945 and 1946)
Rashied Ali/Frank Lowe, Duo Exchange- who knew there was a Lowe/Ali duet recording?
The Genius of Bud Powell- 2 records on Verve
Duke Ellington/Ella Fitzgerald, The Stockholm Concert, 1966
Charlie Parker, One Night at Birdland (2 records, June 30th 1950)
The Bix Beiderbecke Legend, 2 records on RCA, mostly Bix early with Goldkette and Whiteman
Bill Evans, Montreux II, live 1970
Dizzy Reece, Manhattan Project- I'm not even sure I've ever heard Dizzy Reece.
Eddie Palmieri, Sueno
Eddie Palmieri, Palo Pa Rumba
John Coltrane, Coltrane Time (the legendary session with Cecil Taylor...my vague memory is it didn't really work, musically, so I look forward to hearing it again)
Henry Threadgill Sextet, Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket
The Quintet: VSOP (Hancock, Hubbard/Carter/Shorter/Williams)
James Blood Ulmer, Freelancing
Fats Waller, Piano Solos 1929-1941
Teddy Wilson, Statements and Improvisations 1934-1942
Lester Young/Roy Eldridge, The Jazz Giants '56 (2 records, Verve)
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration (4 records from Columbia, looks like it spans 1923-1928. What possessed Columbia to put this amazing set out?)
Oliver Lake/Julius Hemphill, duets "Buster Bee" on Sackville, 1978
Charles Mingus, Mingus and Duke- a 1957 performance and a 1964 performance
Freddie Hubbard, Here to Stay- one of the old double album Blue Note reissues, including Hub Cap and some previously unreleased stuff
Elvin Jones, The Prime Element- another Blue Note reissue double album; what's strange is none of the material was released before this album was put out...
Jelly Roll Morton, 1923/24, includes all of the classic Gennett recordings
Lee Morgan, The Sidewinder
David Murray Big Band, Live at Sweet Basil, Vols. 1 and 2...I was there 2 of the 3 nights, at the callow age of 23.

As with the last box, this list astounds me. I haven't included about 9 records that I have but that are in unplayable condition, replaced with pristine copies. Thank god Emery not only has impeccable taste but also took meticulously excellent care of his vinyl (as opposed to me over the years, especially a trip across the country in August with 115F temps and the resulting catastrophic warping).

I'd write more but now I'm checking out Dameron's arrangements and Navarro's lead lines.....

No comments: