Do You Hear What I Hear?

Bill Morrissey...one last drink for old times sake

2011-08-06T16:22:00.001-04:00

I haven't taken to posting YouTube stuff or any kind of videos and God knows that plenty of hugely important artists have come and gone during the few short years that this blog has been around. But a couple weeks ago I learned of the passing of Bill Morrissey, a song writer and singer that touched the folk music community and probably beyond, and one that has left more than a handful of what I will call breath taking moments. Poetry that hits home and tunes that drive into your deepest insides. Songs that will make you stop everything you're doing when you hear them. How sad to lose that artistry, that musical companion, so young (60 years old). Many people are quick to describe Bill's work as sad and depressing and although they usually mean it in a complimentary way, I don't think it quite does justice to how Bill Morrissey captured the elements of life, and when powerful words and feelings hit you just right, it's easy to say it's sad. For me, it's just right. It's what life is that flows through his lyrics and sounds. It's thoughtful, sensitive and full of irony and humor, the things that memories are made of, the things that freeze time, that take you back until you are no more, and you feel like the spirit rather than the vessel. So here I have posted a video someone has on YouTube, a song that is so Bill Morrissey and so much one of my go to songs when I need to get perspective. Somehow it always manages to leave me looking up and set for good things. I don't know how Bill does that but for me he does. And to do complete justice to this great song and the memory of the man who wrote it, I also offer the following lyrics that I deciphered on my own (so please let me know if you see any mistakes). I am very grateful for the legacy this man left behind and how he has enriched my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvlQFhm6X9Q&feature=related

These Cold Fingers by Bill Morrissey

Gina left town with the, first snow of the year

He drove her to the airport in his Ford.

And he, tried to propose as he ordered one more beer,

But the P-A drowned his words, and it was time for her to board.

So he walked her to the gate, he took his hat off as he kissed her,

He needed one more drink to take the chill out of his soul.

He said a quick goodbye, then spent two hours in the bar,

Finally paid his tab and kept a dollar for the toll.

(chorus)

Everything slips, through these cold fingers

Like trying to hold water, trying to hold sand,

Close your eyes, make a wish, and listen to the singer,

One more round bartender, pour a double if you can.

It’s 4 o’clock, and the sun’s gone down the drain,

It’s still late winter, but they say it’s early spring.

Lewis reads the gas pumps, Rossi counts the oils,

But me I’m done, so punch the clock and see you in the morning.

There’s nothin’ back at home that ain’t gone greasy with the stove,

I never laughed so hard as when that typewriter broke.

Think I’ll stop along the River Road for a half pint and some beer,

Well everything would be okay if these old dreams would disappear.

(chorus)

The dog can’t move no more, surprised he made it till the spring,

His pain won’t go away, and the pills don’t do a thing.

You’ve known that old hound longer, than you’ve known most of your friends,

And no matter how you let him down, he’d always take you back again

So it’s one tall glass of whiskey, one last drink for old time’s sake,

The dog just lays in bed, and watches every move you make.

Wrap him in his blanket, hold him once more close to you,

Lead him out behind the barn with a borrowed 22.

(chorus)

Singing When You're Stinking From Drinking

2011-07-17T02:41:00.002-04:00

Here's a collection of songs from various artists from around the Danbury, Connecticut area. The theme you will see is...drinking, and the artists cover a wide range of genres. I had the pleasure of contributing the country tune here but all the tracks are great stuff, no matter what your musical preferences may be. Most of the performers can be found on Facebook or MySpace if not other sites, including i-tunes. Now pour yourself a cold one and let 'em rip!

Drinking Songs

Various Artists

"Chowdahouse Inc. Presents DRINKING SONGS"

1 -   Chowdahouse Inc. - Coolest Motherfucker on the Planet
2 -   Not the Kid - Drinking Song
3 -   The Boardlords - I Told You
4 -   MC Sexscene & Homeblind - Give It To You Good
5 -   Brenton Vaughan - Carry Me Home
6 -   Dick Lexus - Hip Hop for the Middle Aged
7 -   Six7 - Deathstarz
8 -   Orangatwang - Fish n' Chips
9 -   Chowdahouse Inc. - Closing Time
10 - Sarianna & The Swell - Drink
11 - The Dalliance - Pain Has Gills
12 - The Reins - Give It Up
13 - Cash Fur Gold - Whiskey and Chex Mix
14 - Don Ryan - Down and Out
15 - Durge - Just An Old Cowboy Again
16 - Si Ombrellone - Moonshine
17 - Mittimus - Diamond Jim's Spirits and Rumours
18 - The Artimus Formerly Known As - Good Friday

Produced by Chowdahouse Inc. (Released July 2011)

If Anyone Can Sing, Les Mc Can

2011-07-16T14:36:00.004-04:00

Since the inception of this sporadic blog of mine, I've advertized my desire to track down one of the early albums by Les McCann called simply, "Les McCann Sings". I believe my familiarity with this recording came from an old 8-track I had of it back in my college years in the 70's. Some of the beautifully rendered ballads on this album provided just the right sort of fodder for those heart broken moments of my early relationships. I can remember sitting in the stairwell of the Computer Center on the Storrs campus at UCONN just singing a couple of those songs inspired by Les McCann's easy vocals and gentle piano playing. I can still hear my voice echoing up that stairwell into the emptiness of late nights waiting for my computer programming cards to finish running in the busy room outside the stairwell. I'd listen for any signs of life so I could quickly shut up to avoid any embarrassment with passers by. McCann's timing is so true and real, his delivery so perfect yet relaxed and comforting. So I wanted to recapture these tracks, so long OOP except for a few cuts on the later collection called "More or Les McCann" released much later (and also OOP). And out of nowhere came Rick with a friendly offer to deliver the tracks in their entirety so I could enjoy them fully once again and share them with you here. This is the kind of thing that makes a blog like this of value to me. Making priceless music available to the discerning listener when it is otherwise dead to the commercial world. I'm very happy to be able to post this beautiful work that ranges from Les' soulful side to his most melancholy. Not entirely different from most of his usual fine work, but perhaps one of the more elemental examples of Les' rare talent that bridges so many feelings and colors. Never a show off, just a man to capture emotions and deliver them to your ears and to wherever you want them to go. I've said too much. Just enjoy it and remember to thank Rick!

Les Sings

Les McCann - "Les McCann Sings" (1961)
Pacific Jazz # PJ-31 / ST-31 (LP)

1. Wonder Why (Nicholas Brodsky/Sammy Cahn) 2:58
2. It's Way Past Suppertime (Les McCann/Vicki Arnold) 3:06
3. 'Deed I Do (Walter Hirsch/Fred Rose) 2:54
4. Since I Fell For You (Buddy Johnson) 3:37
5. But Not For Me (Ira Gershwin/George Gershwin) 2:58
6. I Cried For You (Gus Arnheim/Abe Lyman/Arthur Freed) 2:24

(side 2)

7. Sweet Georgia Brown (Kenneth Casey/Ben Bernie/Macio Pinkard) 2:27
8. Please Send Me Someone To Love (Percy Mayfield) 2:32
9. Next Spring (Marvin Jenkins) 3:21
10.Love Letters (Edward Heyman/Victor Young) 3:16
11.On The Street Where You Live (Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe) 3:10
12.Bye Bye Black Bird (Ray Henderson/Mort Dixon) 2:07

Aug. 1961 at Pacific Jazz Studios, Hollywood, CA (except track 9)
Mar. 1961 at Pacific Jazz Studios, Hollywood, CA (track 9)

Les McCann (piano, vocals)
Herbie Lewis (bass)
Ron Jefferson (drums)

Gerald Wilson (conductor, arranger) (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 & 10)

(tracks 1, 4, 6 & 8)
Harold Land, Teddy Edwards, Buddy Collette, Jack Nimitz, Charles Lloyd (reeds) Jimmy Zito, John Audino, Ray Triscari, Charlie Meeks, Bob Edmondson, John Ewing, and Kenny Shroyer (brass)

(tracks 2, 5 & 10)
Dolo Coker (rhythm piano) Jerome Reisler, Dan Lube, Carl Kalash, Darrel Terwilliger, Myron Sandler, Bobby Bruce, Edger Lustgarden, George Poole, Charles Gates (strings) (track 9) Richard "Groove" Holmes (organ) Ben Webster (tenor sax) Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (trombone)

Richard Bock (producer, audio engineering)
Woody Woodward (cover design, back photos)
Chester Maydole (cover photo)
Vicki Arnold (liner notes)

Hits and Hurts

2011-01-21T00:42:00.001-05:00

Yes, here is yet another Buddy Fite posting, a guitarist with very few recordings but a great sound. I've become a bit focused on collecting all of his meager number of LP's so I had to find this album, even though I knew that 6 of the 9 tracks were repeats of tracks from other albums. As noted earlier on this site, from what I can tell, Buddy only has six LP's as a leader, and of those, only one, "Buddy Fite & Friend", is free of any repeat tracks. So I went ahead and ripped the whole album here, even though only three tracks appear to be unique. Right off the bat I was shocked to hear a vocalist anchoring the first tune, "I Feel The Earth Move". I will say that the singer here does a nice job with earthy, David Clayton Thomas type vocals over a nice bluesy/jazz combo setting where Buddy takes a one minute solo in the middle. Nice enough and definitely different from anything I've heard on any of his other albums, but I have to say I was disappointed to hear something that didn't just feature Buddy throughout. With so few recordings to enjoy, I just want to hear the man play his guitar. Moving into the next few tracks on side one we get back to featuring Buddy, but this whole side is pretty different too in that it concentrates on the bluesy side of Buddy. Each of these three songs offers a different accompanist soloing on saxophone, flute and finally a nice organ over spirited scatting. All very nicely done, all very much in a combo setting, but unfortunately there is no mention of the personnel on the cover. In fact, the recording itself is noticeably of relative poor quality with inconsistencies in the integrity of the sound, volume variations at a few moments, etc. Not terrible, but I guess there's a reason why this seems to be the scarcest of the Fite LP's. Then again, as always, there really is some "tasty" guitar playing throughout. Side 2 opens with what made me completely satisfied that I sprung for a considerable sum to acquire this piece of vinyl. The tune is "Love's Been Good To Me" and Buddy's treatment is creative, unique and very pretty. Along with the opening song on side 1 and Satin Doll, this makes up the three unique tunes for this album. Satin Doll is also very nicely done in an up tempo mode. So for anyone else that has become enamored with Buddy's bright and masterful craft work, I hope you'll enjoy this small dose of new material.While each is indeed a hit with me to varying degrees, it just hurts that only three cuts are additive to the collection. But as hoped, the hits outweigh the hurts mightily...enjoy!

Hits

Buddy Fite - The Hits of Yesterday (1977)

CMI 1005

I Feel The Earth Move
Barney's Blues
Sneakin' One
No Particular Blues

Love's Been Good To Me
Summer of '42
Satin Doll
Willow Weep For Me
Angel Eyes

Buddy Fite - guitar
no other personnel listed

In Bob We Strut

2011-01-17T23:24:00.002-05:00

Here's an early seventies album that seems to be generally MIA and upon my recent reintro-duction I'm all too happy to get it out there where it belongs. I know very little about Bobby Bryant. I see that at least one or two other LP's from Mr. Bryant are out there, but this one, which appears to be his last as a leader according to AllMusic, seems plenty worthy of joining the living. First I must say that of the seven tracks, I think the title track is perhaps the weakest. Enjoyable, somewhat funkified jazz with solid instrumentation, but not much feeling. Easy to dance to. But from there I think the rest is really solid to excellent with some impressive playing in a near big band sort of sound. "A Prayer For Peace" brings some prettier sounds and you start to hear Bobby's chops only to be followed by a beautiful interpretation of Horace Silver's "Peace". Side 2 is full of more great playing from Bobby and his supporting cast. Kriss Kross is pretty heavy stuff, and then a great surprise with "We've Only Just Begun". This Paul Williams/Carpenters tune wound up coming off beautifully with a sweet intro that breaks into a very happening workout including some clever soloing while keeping the tune intact. Another highlight of the album is John Klemmer's "The Beauty of Her Soul". This again features the sensitivity of the musicians to flow in and out of the light and airy butterfly sounds into the classic Klemmer thunder. The album closes with a more worthy "strut" in Bobby's own "Nite Crawler". Funky and full of big sounds including a long guitar workout from David T. Walker (I believe, although Arthur Adams is on board also). All in all I have to say that this is a very soulful album that successfully captures a variety of musical moods. While the "strut" is definitely in evidence, there is much more going on here. I like the mini-big band flavor and was impressed with the solo efforts coming out from all the players. Some of it borders on getting pretty loose while some captures more of a late sixties Blue Note sound. Either way it's really good, strut me...

Trust

Bobby Bryant - Swahili Strut (1971)

Cadet (CA 50011)

Swahili Strut (Bobby Bryant)
A Prayer For Peace (Herman Riley)
Peace (Horace Silver)

Kriss Kross (Red Holloway, Art Hillery)
We've Only Just Begun (Paul Williams, Roger Nichols)
The beauty of Her Soul (John Klemmer)
Nite Crawlers (Bobby Bryant)

Bobby Bryant (trumpet)
Bob Norris (congas)
Herman Riley & Charles Owens (tenor sax)
Carl Lott (drums)
Henry Cain (organ)
David T. Walker & Arthur Adams (guitar)
Willie Allen & Max Bennett (bass)

Personnel on "The Beauty of Her Soul" & "A Prayer For Peace";
Bobby Bryant, Buddy Childers, William Cat Anderson, Albert Arrons,
Oscar Brashear & Freddy Hill (trumpet)
Bob Norris (congas)
Herman Riley & Charles Owens (tenor sax)
Delbert Hill (baritone sax)
Carl Lott (drums)
Henry Cain (organ)
Dennis Budimir (guitar)
Gordon Maron (electric violin)
Willie Allen (bass)
Joe Sample (piano)
David Duke (French horn)
Groven Mitchell, Lou Blackburn, Mike Wimberley &
George Bohannon (trombone)
Tommy Johnson (tuba)

"The Beauty of Her Soul" arranged & conducted by John Klemmer

Don't You Love Her Bradley...

2011-01-15T22:24:00.000-05:00

Want to meet her Dadley...okay, another real stretch at a pun...but if you did love her madly, this Harold Bradley album just might be an appropriate backdrop. I won't pull any punches here, this is music that many would simply tag as easy listening. I found this on eBay several years ago and had no idea what to expect other than the hope that there might be some masterful guitar playing to enjoy. Then, when I ripped it I was a bit disappointed at the unusually reserved playing and also had a lot of LP noise on my vinyl. So I never thought to post it and haven't listened to it again. That is until I just today broke down and got the "ClickRepair" software that has been touted so highly of late. And now, well, it's certainly cleaned up a lot, and now I kind of like this collection of pretty tunes. Yes, it includes beautiful voices and strings lusciously arranged and conducted by Bill McElhiney, and yes, Harold's playing is decidedly deliberate and at times almost painfully slow. But, as the title suggests, this is supposed to be romantic, mood music of sorts, and as such, it has its moments and generally provides some very nice guitar sounds for the intended mood. I know very little about Harold Bradley except that he was apparently a very successful guitarist during the 50's and 60's and beyond. According to the liner notes he was particularly busy as an accompanist to many pop-country artists like Brenda Lee, Connie Francis, Red Foley, Burl Ives, Patti Page, Anita Bryant and Ann Margret. He seems to have country roots but clearly understands the jazz sensibilities as he pretty much displays throughout this album of jazz-pop standards. He makes the guitar sound beautiful and every so often adds a nice run of single notes to bridge his pleasant "chordings". A few of the tunes are a bit weak, but I really think most of them have some worthwhile sounds to enjoy for even the more advanced jazz aficionado, much as I have enjoyed with the likes of Tony Mottola. Anyway, thanks to "ClickRepair", which now opens up a few more obscure LP's from my humble collection, I hope you'll enjoy this somewhat obscure old LP. Maybe you'll love it...as you're walkin' out the Doors...........(ugggghhh)

Tell Me What You Say...

Harold Bradley - Guitar for Lovers Only (1966)
Columbia (CL 2456)

Dream
Autumn Leaves
Dear Heart
Theme From "Picnic"
Love Letters
Moon Mist

Fly Me To The Moon
Serenade In Blue
As Time Goes By
Days of Wine and Roses
Moon River
Vibrations

Harold Bradley - guitar
Voices & Strings arranged & conducted by Bill McElhiney

No man is a failure that has a Buddy...

2011-01-11T15:27:00.003-05:00

I thought the Christmas oriented subject line (quoting loosely from Clarence's famous note at the end of "It's A Wonderful Life") was appropriate in this post holiday wash into 2011, especially considering that I just purchased this LP as a Christmas gift to myself. As noted in my earlier posts, I enjoy guitar playing probably more than any other instrument, especially in the jazz vein, and often especially in the interpretation of pop music as is the case with greats like Howard Roberts and even Grant Green among many others. Once again, I want to pay tribute here to one of my most unsung heroes, the painfully under-recorded, Buddy Fite. While some may dismiss it as more pop than jazz, I could care less, and happen to believe it's as creative as most anything when one listens to the finely crafted subtleties of Buddy's comfortable and bright rendering of this collection of mostly well known tunes. His tone is true, metallic, yet warm as he rings through each song like they were old friends. My only disappointment, as I'm just beginning to fully quantify the scant discography of Buddy Fite, is that half the tracks on this record are duplicated on other Fite albums. That is truly frustrating. I am so eager to collect more of his work and find out that apparently all but one of his records include tracks that are shared. None the less, I am grateful for any track that I can add to the collection and this one offers four unique ones; "Girl Talk", "Michelle", "Summer of 42" & "Sunny". The other six can be found on his "Changes" album (also posted on this blog) or "Buddy Fite!" or "The Hits of Yesterday". I included all the tracks here for your full appreciation of this long out of print LP. I can't really pick a favorite here, each is signature Buddy. And although we have to accept that these aren't all new tracks to those of us that already enjoy his other albums, let's just be glad to have even one new Buddy.

One New Buddy

Buddy Fite - Plays For Satin Dolls (1975)

Here's That Rainy Day
I Can't Get Started
Moonlight In Vermont
Willow Weep For Me
A Day in the Life of a Fool

Summer of 42
Angel Eyes
Sunny
Michelle
Girl Talk

Buddy Fite - guitar
Other personnel not listed

More or Les....One of my favorites...

2010-12-27T13:20:00.003-05:00

Well Christmas is on its way out again and I've been remiss with inactivity. I may find a holiday oriented post to make before the New Year celebrations close the door on the season, but I'm more excited about the album at hand, Les McCann's, "More or Les McCann". When I was enjoying my four years at UCONN in Storrs, CT I had among my collection of 8-track jazz and blues, this very same recording. It was not something that was a natural draw to me at first. It's generally quite mainstream stuff, along the lines of Ramsey Lewis' piano trio work with the upbeat pop appeal liberally applied. But somewhere around 1975-76 I was prolifically dumped by my long standing girlfriend and woe and behold, I became pretty obsessed with all things sentimental, which not so surprisingly seemed to coincide with the beginnings of my now much longer standing friendship with all things beer. So during this pathetic period of mine I became unusually captivated by the likes of Bozz Scaggs & Elton John of the pop world (e.g. "Harbor Lights", "Your Song", etc.) and all the typical sentiment that kids my age tuned into on our radio dials in those days. But with my growing passion for jazz and blues I thankfully made friends with this beautiful recording by Les McCann. The entire album is what you might say is fairly typical McCann. Tremendously soulful piano with a perfectly tuned in battery. I always love the comfortable, natural feel of Les' playing. Relatively simple perhaps, but so effective, so satisfyingly easy and joyful. But this particular album caught me most with the few vocal offerings that fit my mood so well during that emotional time that brought with it so many personal changes. Three songs, "Since I Fell For You", "Please Send Me Someone To Love" and "It's Way Past Supper Time" are the three vocal tracks here and each really showcases McCann's indisputable talent and artistic splendor. The songs are of some renown, but they are as good as any other version I've heard in each case. Probably my own personal favorite rendition of each. Again, Les is supremely relaxed and delivers the song like someone just singing to himself. You feel like your just eavesdropping from the shadows and lucky enough to catch the feelings as they ease out of his fingers and mouth. The other element to this album is that there is an addition of orchestrations from Gerald Wilson. Now this album seems to be fairly obscure. Not impossible to find on vinyl, as I recently did, but information on this recording is a bit scant. The gatefold cover itself doesn't offer a reference date of any kind, nor does the vinyl or labels. I always find that to be odd. AllMusic puts the release date at 1967 but other references have it as 1969. It sounds a bit more like 1969 to me but then I also think this is essentially a remix of earlier recordings which had been reconstructed with the addition of Mr. Wilson's orchestra. I know that two of the vocals here were also on the album "Les McCann Sings" from 1961, although I'm not sure it offers the same exact Les tracks. So from the vague liner notes it seems that this album is just dressing up a collection of previous releases, and for the most part I like the results even though I'm not sure I've ever heard the leaner originals. Arguably there are spots where the "dressing" may be a little more than is necessary, but generally it comes off tastefully and serves to accentuate the feeling that Les captures on his piano and in his vocals. The album is a continuous flow of mellow and sweet that ebbs to groovin' and swinging soul. So after so many years of searching for this painfully overdue replacement for my long since unraveled 8-track version from the 70's, I'm so glad to be able to once again listen to this timeless recording and share it here since it is nowhere to be found except OOP vinyl (trust me...). My vinyl has a couple of minor imperfections you will probably detect, but it's otherwise a decent copy to enjoy until someone chooses to re-release this little gem. Les McCann may be an acquired taste for some, but I feel my jazz sensibilities pretty much grew up with his sure handed mentoring. I think he is a much more important figure to both jazz and soul music than most people give him credit for. When it comes to Les, I will always take more...

More

Les McCann - More or Les McCann (1969)

World Pacific Jazz / ST-20166

Someone Stole My Chitlins
Since I Fell For You
Django
Falling In Love With Love

Please Send Me Someone To Love
Lavande
It's Way Past Supper Time
Narobi Nights

There are no credits listed on the album cover except a reference to bassist Herbie Lewis on the track, "Django". Otherwise, the only credit is to Gerald Wilson for orchestral arrangements and conducting.

So Guitar, So Good...

2010-10-23T15:29:00.007-04:00

Well, it's been a tragically long hiatus but at least I'm happy to come back with this particular, long awaited post. This album is one that I've been searching for over the past couple of years since I first saw references to its curious cover art and its well respected, though under recorded, artist, one Lloyd Ellis. Most of us jazz guitar geeks are quite familiar with his other album that proclaims his prowess as the world's fastest guitarist! And so we are anxious for any other examples of his work. In the genre of the venerable Hank Garland and Chet Atkins and other fine country pickers who evolved into impeccable jazz musicians, I knew this other album existed and am glad to finally find it. The recording quality here is not so great but for the moment I will consider this much better than the former MIA status. After enjoying the 12 tunes on this album for the first time, I will say it doesn't disappoint. There isn't much to point out as off the charts, just a very solid, enjoyable listen to some jazz standards delivered with clear and spirited guitar mastery. Some of the tunes are perhaps not the most exciting, mostly brief and familiar. But Ellis brings a real sense of confidence and joy to the recording, and you do occasionally pick up on his country roots which is a nice nuance to me. Certainly you have to remark on his agility and clarity, ripping off some lively lines and licks that just ring without a doubt. Pretty impressive. But before you go, just take a good look at this album cover. His other, better known album, seems odd in that the cover proclaims this respectable jazz artist to be such a speedy rock star type champion of the guitar. That always seemed sort of out of place for a traditional jazz guitar rendering. Now you look at this album and it kind of goes the other way with this Minnesota-like lakefront scene contrasted with the "hip" album title, "So Tall, So Cool, So There". Who thought this up? It really added to the intrigue of tracking this recording down, and now I can remove it from the "Does anyone have this record" list. I think you will enjoy the discovery as well. I might dispute just how "tall" this album is, but it is clearly, so cool, and so there.....so there.

So Here

Lloyd Ellis - So Tall, So Cool, So There! - 1960
Trey Records: TLP 902
Produced by Lester Sill and Lee Hazlewood.

Undecided
When Your Love Has Gone
Typsy Gypsy
Sonny Boy
Take The "A" Train
Boggs Blues

Mad Hatter
Estrellita
Friendly
Skipping Along
Lover Come Back To Me
Perdido

Lloyd Ellis - guitar
John Witt - bass
Dick Odette - drums

The Coulter Club

2010-01-20T18:37:00.006-05:00

Well, long time no see. Too busy seeing all the other great blogs out there to find time for my own. But this album struck me recently as due some exposure. This is the 1970 Soul/Jazz creation of Clifford Coulture. According to our friends at allmusic.com this album, "East Side San Jose", was Clifford's first recording as a leader though another followed in 1971 when both were apparently released. I vaguely recall when I first rescued this from a bargain bin of vinyl that I was a little disappointed with my first listen. I'm not sure I listened to it again in the 30-ish years since! I expect it was probably because I generally wanted little to do with anything in the jazz category that brought with it vocals unless it was Lady "Day" or Eddie Jefferson. Now, so many years wiser, I must say that this is a very enjoyable album for what it is. Cliff delivers some real nice vocals on the first song on each side of the record, "Do It Again" & "Sal Si Puedes". He also does a fine job bringing it on the keyboards throughout this session. All the cuts are at least solid if not excellent, mostly groovin' and funkified with some signature guitar work from one of my favorite jazz/blues men, Mel Brown. Mel offers some chicken pickin' and wah-wah magic that keeps this thing moving and finishing all too soon. The brass and rhythm sections are also tight and mix in perfectly with Cliff & Mel. I picked up a slight "phantom" background sound at times on this LP, sometimes sounds like an intended overdub, sometimes not so much, but if you're just going with the flow you don't even notice it, very faint. My copy has a little crackle here and there but it came out fine I think, you should enjoy it if you like a fun jam session of west coast soul oriented jazz, including some bluesy and expressive singing from Cliff. If you're like me, this should lead to your enrollment in the Coulter Club...

Club

Clifford Coulture - East Side San Jose - 1970
Impulse/ABC AS-9197

Do It Again
East Side San Jose
Prayer Garden
Cliff's Place

Sal Si Puedes (Get Out If You Can)
Big Fat Funky Shirley
Alum Rock Park

(all songs written by Clifford Coulture)

Clifford Coulture - vocals, piano, Fender/Rhodes electric piano, Hammond organ & guitar
Mel Brown - guitar
John Turk - trumpet
Cornelius Bumpus - tenor saxophone
Gino Landry - alto saxophone
Jerry Perez - rhythm guitar
Jimmy Calhoun - Fender bass
Joe Provost - drums
Billy Ingram - drums (Cliff's Place & Big Fat Funky Shirley)

Tasty Licks

2009-08-21T19:00:00.008-04:00

For all you hungry bluegrass fans out there, I have a treat, a tasty one. This next album was among my early favorites in the bluegrass realm. Back when I was able to frequent festivals and keep up with every issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, the band, Tasty Licks, and it's first album (self titled) was a frequent flier on my turntable and car stereo. They have such a unique vocal sound. Jack Tottle and Robin Kincaid both having rather high registers to their voices, yet the results are so natural and relaxed. Of course, with Bela Fleck anchoring the banjo licks on this team, there is plenty of spice and surprises to make for a great bundle of old fashioned bluegrass and exciting new fangled fun. You'll hear some incredible dobro work from Stacy Phillips and bass fiddle man Paul Kahn adds the bottom parts instrumentally and vocally with great aplomb. All in all a real classic in my book. Every song is solid stuff although I am always a sucker for a good cover and I think "Listen To The Rhythm of the Fallin' Rain" is a blast. "Sweetheart of Rainy Days" (by Kincaid) is another killer tune. Ultimately I find the whole album to be a non-stop hit. You'll note a lot of unusual twists to the rhythm throughout many of the songs, odd syncapation that keeps you on your toes. "Lathe Machine" is a very enjoyable instrumental and there's also a wonderful gospel treatment on "If You Don't Love Your Neighbor". I hope you will enjoy getting a taste of what these guys were way back in the late seventies. These were some of the guys responsibile for the relative revolution in bluegrass that we witnessed at the time, right up there with beer can collecting, except much better and here to stay thankfully!

Lix

Tasty Licks - (Self-Titled) - 1978
Rounder 0106

Ridin' The Back Road
Sweet Rhythm Of Highway
Reading in the Dark
Maize
Listen to the Rhythm of the Fallin' Rain
Trains/Leavin' Tennessee

Make It All Right
Sweetheart of Rainy Days
Lathe Machine
Why Did You Say Goodbye
If You Don't Love Your Neighbor
Saturday Night Special

Jack Tottle - vocals & mandolin
Robin Kincaid - tenor vocals & guitar
Bela Fleck - banjo
Stacy Phillips - dobro
Paul Kahn - vocals & acoustic bass
Bobby Hicks - fiddle ("Sweetheart.." & "Sweet Rhythm...")

Let's Go!

2009-08-19T00:01:00.004-04:00

This next album deserved a simple introduction and so I used what is probably the most recognizable cut on the 1984 album of the same name, "Let's Go" by the Connecticut band, The Reducers. "Let's Go", the very first cut on the album really kicks things off with a lot of energy and fun, and for the most part, I think the rest of the album follows suit. These guys often remind me of a slightly simpler version of the Revillos/Rezillos but at times there are quite a few other influences noted that generally seem indicative of the times back in 1984. Some Ramones, even ZZ Top, but most of all it's a rockin' collection of well played, fairly down to basics good music that captures that early eighties "New Wave/Post Punk" feel. I can see where they get their name...reducing things to the best of elements. From a post office box in New London, Connecticut, I give you...The Reducers!

Let's Go

The Reducers - Let's Go! - 1984
Rave On Records TCP-1001

Let's Go
Bums (I Used To Know)
Fashion of the Times
Your Mother
Hippy Hippy Shake

Closing Time
Maximum Depression
Take It Away
(That'll Be) Just Fine
Big Man
Rocks

The Reducers:
Hugh Birdsall - guitar/vocals
Peter Detmold - guitar/vocals
Steve Kaika - bass/vocals
Tom Trombley - drums/vocals

All songs written by Birdsall/Detmold/Kaika/Trombley except "Hippy Hippy Shake"

Freakbaby...the heartbeat of Connecticut

2009-08-15T23:46:00.011-04:00

Here's another band that made the Connecticut scene in the early 90's and touts an impressive lineage that ties in with the likes of 76% Uncertain among others. I really find this stuff to be very unique and would love to have heard more recordings from this group. Fortunately I do have this one 45 to share and I will be curious to see your comments. Go ahead, after all, it's a Freak country...

Freakbaby

Freakbaby - "Full Size" (45 rpm)
Delirium Records - 1993

My Pet Pig (side A)........ Unable To Turn The Bat On Himself (side B)

Here's a little history from their MySpace page...
Started by Martha Hamilton, Elisa Flynn and John Howard in and around Danbury, CT in 1989. First gigs in 1990. Added Todd Knapp on guitar in 1993. Changed name to Jet Jaguar in 1995. Ended 1996. Output: Flathead Longo (Oil Burner Cassette) 1991; Peel b/w Boot (Oil Burner Records) 1992; Retroactive Karma (Chop, Grate, Whip, Liquify comp) 1992; My Pet Pig b/w (Unable to) Turn The Bat (on Himself) (Delerium Records) 1993; Honour The Ugly Dormer (Oil Burner Cassette) 1994; Michael's Type b/w Echo 'n' Preamble (Romance Records) 1996.

Reflex...a natural

2009-08-12T02:14:00.005-04:00

This is another tremendous Connecticut punk band that flourished in the early 80's and was home to a number of musicians who ended up filtering into other outstanding bands that evolved in the Nutmeg State, including "Violent Children" and the great "76% Uncertain". Here is a 45 rpm recording they released in 1983 called "Black and White". The quality rooted in this band's playing and compositions is obvious I think, but you judge for yourself. If you decide you like it then that "reflex" well on your taste in music...rock on! This and other Reflex recordings are included on other blogs but since I had this one I wanted to post it as a link to my buddy Todd who later performed and recorded with Reflex From Pain on guitar and continues to perform with 76% to this day!

Reflex

Reflex From Pain - Black and White - 1983
Death Threat Records (Stratford, CT)

Rednecks
Generic Life
Hangover

Media Control
Chemicals
Holy Pictures

Greg - vocals
Andrew - guitar
Dave - bass
Bill - drums

Reale-in' and a rockin'...

2009-08-12T01:01:00.010-04:00

During my care free days of bar hopping and night-clubbing, and the constant pursuit of good live music, I can remember a fairly early experience in New Haven, CT at a somewhat short lived new wave/punk club called The Joint. Situated in a basement of a downtown building, you walked down some cement stairs as I recall, down a long hallway into a claustrophobic series of rooms that included a small stage. I'm pretty sure that one of the first groups I saw perform here was a local band called Roger C. Real & Rue Morgue. For this tiny place I recall I was immediately impressed that these guys not only brought a lot of energy to the "joint" but they were pretty polished. Though their music was relatively straight forward, not highly quirky like some of the bands that were making the scene at that time locally, this band was tight and had all their licks down and delivered each song convincingly with plenty of sweat and enthusiasm. It was gut wrenching rock n' roll. I liked them and eventually tracked down the album you see here, "Radio Active". It's been a lot of years since I listened to this album (like most of my record collection), and I don't think I ever saw the band perform again, but this vinyl still sounds great today. Fairly simple, power trio garage rock that falls somewhere between The Who and The Ramones with some hints of The Chords and maybe even some Bruce Springsteen if that isn't too damaging a comment to make. Roger certainly has a dramatic flair for Harley Davidson type rock vocals, gravelly and relentless, in a good way. But G.E. Smith never lets up on his revved up guitar work and drummer Hilly Michaels more than carries his share, as well. I particularly like "Dear Dad" and check out the punk-like attack on "Kill Me". I don't see any clunkers on this LP, it is the Reale deal and I hope you enjoy it. I understand that Roger is still in the Connecticut area but I don't think he is performing these days. Too bad.

Reale Deal

Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgue - Radio Active - 1978
Big Sound Records (NY, NY) BSLP-028

High Society
Dear Dad
Stop and Go
Pain Killer
Kill Me

Reach For The Sky
Madonna's Last Stand
Please Believe Me
Inside Outside
I Can't Control Myself

Roger C. Reale - lead vocals & bass
G.E. Smith - guitar
Hilly Michaels - drums & vocals

Feeling reduced?

2009-07-25T00:58:00.007-04:00

Well cheer up because Tot Rocket and the Twins will reduce you beyond your wildest dreams. No worries, a tit for Tot and we're on our way (Karen Carpenter?). Here again we have some solid rock spilling over from the central valley of Connecticut, although Tot advertises his address as being Grand Central Station. "Reduced" is a pretty undeniable 1980 anthem, while the "Fun Fades..." is a bit more laborious. All and all though this makes a very strong statement for a band ready to go places. This is evidence of some flash and polish, but once again I have no clue as to where they all ended up. If nothing else, "Reduced" is a very worthy legacy which I expect you will thoroughly enjoy...

Tot

Tot Rocket and the Twins - Tot Rocket and the twins (45 rpm) - 1980
Whiplash Records Ltd. (Naugatuck, CT) Trace Elements Music (45-107)

(side A)
Reduced (A.D. Halbreich) VRRNP-787

(side B)
Fun Fades Fast in the USA (R.M. Poss) VRRNP-788

If not your cup of tea, at least the saucer?

2009-07-25T00:45:00.009-04:00

Another apparent Connecticut band making the scene back in the late 70's with this 45 rpm featuring three nice tunes. Nothing earth shaking but solid pop rock with a cover that oddly provokes me I must say...in a good way. I believe I did see these guys play once but that could be the beer talking all these decades later. Suffice to say, I'm glad to have this vinyl testament to their statement and I hope you enjoy it as well...

Saucers

Saucers - Saucers Saucers Saucers (45 rpm) - 1979
Orange Recording & Management (New Haven, CT)

(side A)
What We Do (Marsden)

(side B)
I Didn't Get It (Bell)
Muckraker (Bell)

Next at Bat in the continuing series...

2009-07-25T00:17:00.009-04:00

Next, but certainly not last, here we have yet another great Connecticut band called The Bats and this 45 captures two classic pop gems that have always had me hooked. Although I never saw The Bats live, these two recordings show a pretty slick group providing a highly professional and infectious rendering of their own classic "Popgun" along with a monster version of the Lennon/McCartney timeless hit song "Tell Me Why". To me these two recordings epitomize pop rock, 1980 or 1960 or 2009, no matter, this is just so rock solid and knee melting stuff. I know The Bats did put out a full album but it seems hard to believe they never went any further. The tune "Popgun" is incredible for pop lovers. It is simply credited to "BATT", perhaps the last name of the group's leader I suppose. I know these cuts are available on the web elsewhere but this post must be made to praise these tremendous efforts from a top notch Connecticut group, taken directly from the 45 @ 320. Take aim and fire at this great stuff..."but the shot never kills"...

Bats

The Bats - The Bats (45 rpm) - 1980
Gustav Record (New Haven, CT) GT003

(side A)
Popgun (BATT) (Detour Music)

(side B)
Tell Me Why (Lennon/McCartney) (MacLen UNART)

Time to Q you in...

2009-07-23T23:44:00.006-04:00

#3 in our continuing series on the Connecticut music scene from my fun years, here's another goodie from a band called International Q. I believe I saw these guys at least twice, once at WESCONN in Danbury, CT. These guys were fun, up tempo and infectious. They were a little tighter and practiced than some of the others I heard at the time, but likeable all the same! I think they developed a bit of a following locally but I have no idea what became of them. Once again the only reference to a name here is for the song credits, all being to a D. Pittsinger. I just know that I have always liked the three songs on this 45 from 1981 and I hope you will be all the better for having been "Q'ed" in....you gotta love "Small Talk"!!

IQ

International Q - International Q - 1981
45 rpm - Queue Music

(side A)
What I Got

(side B)
To Be A Boy
Small Talk

All songs credited to D. Pittsinger

Remembering October Days...

2009-07-23T23:21:00.009-04:00

Next on the Connecticut late 70's early 80's local scene hit parade is a great 45 from a band called October Days. I believe I saw these guys at Brothers in West Haven once and they were very enjoyable as I recall. This recording is quite representative of the cool vibes of the music that this whole scene thrived on. A bit dark, a bit rockin', sort of moody but catchy at the same time. I like both cuts and wonder where these guys ever went, if anywhere. The cover and insert material includes only what you see in the above pics and a fold out collage that includes some lyrics, but nowhere does it give any information on the band unfortunately. Both songs are credited to B. Nelson so I'll assume he is probably the guitarist/singer here (looks like quite the leaper in his day!). The recording was apparently from New Haven so I'm pretty sure they were from Connecticut and I saw them here, so there ya go...enjoy!

October

October Days - October Days - 1981
45 rpm - Clutch records (New Haven, CT) - October Days Music

(side 1)
West Coast

(side 2)
Don't Give Yourself Away

Songs credited to Blake Nelson

Good bands are getting Furor and farther between...

2009-07-23T21:42:00.007-04:00

From bluegrass in Japan to The Furors in New Haven, Connecticut. Now for some real fun! I have a very modest collection of 45's including a handful of some recordings made by local bands that were generally part of that late punk/early new wave phenomenon of the late 70's and early 80's. Being, at the time, a recent college graduate with a few bucks to spend on a regular basis, I was lucky enough to make regular trips to the hot spots for this music that were dotting the Connecticut landscape at that time. Places like Brothers in West Haven and the Lithuanian Club in Hartford were among the best clubs to see some down and dirty, raw music. Sometimes you would catch someone of more far reaching fame within the same genre, but most often you would see small, home grown bands trying to make their mark somewhere, and often enough it was pretty special. Although there certainly were some trademark attributes common to many of these enthusiastic fledglings, quite often it was somewhat "no holds barred" with some wild results. Good or bad or in between, it was definitely entertaining. Generally speaking, being tight and rehearsed was not the critical requirement. Energy and good music was all that mattered, usually loud and passionate. Of all the places that my friends and I would frequent during those days, I would have to say the most legendary and earliest among my memories is Ron's Place in New Haven. This might have been one of the first, if not the first, such place I visited. It was small, dark and dirty. The beer was cold, the bathroom typically flooded in urine, cockroaches roaming freely on the tiny bar, floors, etc. The jukebox was loaded with good stuff, classic rock and garage rock/punk/new wave. The dance floor was pretty small too, but managed to vaguely contain some pretty large groups of colliding bodies and aimless soloists who would flail under the hypnotic effects of the music. I remember one night where a bunch of us gathered (mostly strangers to each other) on the sidewalk just outside the front entrance, after closing, and we somehow slipped into a lengthy doo wop outburst that sounded pretty good (or so I thought at the time) until New Haven's finest stopped by to remind us that we were disturbing the peace. But that was sort of what Ron's Place was all about, disturbing the peace, in a harmless and fun sort of way. Why do places like that cease to have a purpose, why don't they just keep attracting throngs from generation to generation? Probably it was due to the public health risk, that I would believe. The core of our group of music hounds would often invite along various unsuspecting and uninitiated friends to enjoy a night at Ron's, but some were pretty uncomfortable with both the environment and the music. We tried. Anyway, to get to the point, I would like to post a few of these great 45's representing some of the talent that we witnessed in places like Ron's when the whole "scene" was really catching momentum and gaining attention from more fans. Kids were exhibiting some of the fashion of the English movement spurred by the likes of The Jam and The Clash, etc. The piercings and extreme hair, the leather jackets, The Ramones and this was just about the time that these artists were making some money selling records in the US. So it was a fun time, arguably not the very start of it, but it was coming of age as the New Wave evolved amongst bigger, glitzier venues. So with my description of Ron's Place still fresh in mind, let's start this off with a 45 rpm effort from a band called The Furors. I am no expert on any of these bands but the record references two names, Holcomb and Dans, and I believe this group was a local duo (guitar and drums with vocals). There are four songs here and I have to say most of it is quite loose and perhaps a bit funny. But I seriously love the tune "A Look For The Honey". I detect a bit of "Monochrome Set" in these guys, just not so polished. I really can't get the "honey" song out of my head. This seems the best place to start because, although not noted on any of the information on the label or cover, scrathed mysteriously on the inner ring of the vinyl it says, "Ron's Place"! I have to assume, since this is obviously a live recording, that it took place at the venerable institution. Have a listen, it's historic...trust me...

Furors

The Furors - Furors Live (At Ron's Place) - 1979
45 rpm - Hit Man Music (Hamden, CT) - Stylus Records
November 26, 1979

(side 1)
Her Other Man
A Look For The Honey

(side 2)
Letters
I Couldn't Pretend

The Furors = Holcomb & Dans ?

Spectrum encore...Live In Japan

2009-07-22T23:38:00.012-04:00

It was so good to finally rip that last post of Spectrum's "Opening Roll" that I had to do the same with my other Spectrum LP, "Live In Japan" from 1981. I had forgotten what a strong album this also is, more of a balanced album with stronger tunes overall I think, although none can match "Red Rubber Ball" from "Opening Roll" in my opinion. I have always been partial to the song, "Sea Of Heartbreak", and Spectrum's version here is no exception, but I also enjoy the gentle "Blue Umbrella", a powerful "Cabin In Caroline", the beautiful "Hickory Wind", the tear jerking "Until You Come Back..." and a really fun instrumental encore in "Sukiyaki". But it's all very good stuff and features a little more of that cowboy jazz side of the bluegrass world with fine vocals and instrumental work on the likes of "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". Since it is a live recording that seems (actually it does stitch together several dates and a couple locations) to capture continuous coverage of the actual concert performances in Japan, with plenty of fan appreciation, I decided to rip each track exactly as it appears on the record, no space between each song, every second of applause. I also created a separate track of the introductions which runs between "Blue Umbrella" and "Smoke That Cigarette". So you'll find 15 tracks even though only seven songs per side are listed on the album cover and labels. I need to find the other work these guys put out, but I believe that "It's Too Hot For Words", with Mike Auldridge, is the only other LP they released before going their separate ways with all that talent. Hope you enjoy this second Spectrum goodie...

Live Spectrum

Spectrum - Live In Japan - 1981
Rounder Records 0184

Cabin In Caroline
Blue Umbrella
(Introductions)
Smoke That Cigarette
Hickory Wind
Sea of Heartbreak
Driving Nails
Pig in a Pen

Roll On Buddy
Until You Come Back Home Again
Ain't Misbehavin'
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Rabit in the Log
End of the Line
Sukiyaki

Bela Fleck - banjo, baritone vocals
Jimmy Gaudreau - mandolin, tenor vocals
Glenn Lawson - guitar, lead vocals
Jimmy Mattingly - fiddle, baritone vocals
Mark Schatz - acoustic bass, bass vocals

Recorded live in Nichifutsu Kaikan Hall, Tokyo (Oct. 28-29, 1981)
except "Sukiyaki" recorded at Hiroshima Fujin Kaikan, Hiroshima (Nov. 2, 1981)

Bluegrass On A Roll...

2009-07-22T00:06:00.008-04:00

Here's an album I've wanted to dedicate to data for a long time and I can't believe I waited this long. But finally here it is. I saw these guys at least once or twice on the bluegrass circuit during the early eighties and owning two LP's, I've looked for CD's from this band ever since, but no luck. It seems that vinyl and cassettes were all they ever released and it's hard to believe Rounder hasn't done more with this band that included the likes of the great Jimmy Gaudreau on mandolin and Bela Fleck on banjo, not to mention Glenn Lawson on guitar and lead vocals. In actuality I would say this is not so great an album as it is a great lineup of musicians. I personally feel that the song selection could be stronger in some cases and I would like to hear more stretching out on the instrumental solos. Although there certainly are great bluegrass harmonies and tasty licks going on, most every song is only 2 to 3 minutes long, short but sweet I guess. But what really made this LP extra special to me is their rendition of an old favorite tune of mine, "Red Rubber Ball" (originally by Cyrkle). I love the song, always have and I think their version is outstanding, fast and tight, and just listen to the great interludes from Bela & Jimmy. Side two offers a similar speed grass blast in the form of the Everly's "Bye Bye Love", which I like nearly as much as "Red Rubber Ball". Otherwise, "I Like The Christian Life", "Are You Waiting Just For Me" and "Lonesome Town" are also strong cuts. The other tracks are fine but keep it from being an awesome album overall. The Cyrkle tune is really one of my very favorite all-time bluegrass recordings though not everyone may share my taste. Bottom line is that these guys were top notch musicians and performers and if you don't have some of their stuff...you should...now you do and you're on a roll!

Roll

Spectrum - Opening Roll - 1980
Rounder Records 0136

Are You Waiting Just For Me
I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore
Little Pete
White Man Singin' The Blues
Lonesome Town
Red Rubber Ball

Gone At Last
I Like The Christian Life
I'm Gonna Make It After All
I Needed You
Crazy Blues
Bye Bye Love

Jimmy Gaudreau - mandolin, tenor & lead vocals
Glenn Lawson - lead guitar, lead vocals
Mark Schatz - string bass, bass vocals
Bela Fleck - banjo, baritone vocals

The Eps and Downs of the 7-String Guitar...

2009-07-05T00:47:00.004-04:00

Well, the good news is we have a great album here of traditional jazz featuring one of the great all-time guitar players, George Van Eps. The bad news is that my copy of this 1967 LP is pretty rough and I have to apologize for the somewhat excessive noise, pops and crackle that I was unable to remove on this rip. Still, I couldn't readily find a better version of this OOP album out there so I decided to post it for now because it really is absolute classic stuff. Van Eps was just so smooth and relaxed that you can't have a jazz guitar collection without a healthy dose of George in it. Of course he had that 7-string thing going on, as the album name proclaims, and that makes it all the more unique. Although the album obviously features Van Eps' 7-string guitar playing, there is also a lot of marimba player, Frank Flynn, which "frankly" I could live without here, but it has it's moments in complement to George's guitar work. The key is just listening along with this textbook guitar playing. Most of it is relatively simple or understated but it's wonderful work and brings these classic tunes to life so effortlessly. So check this out, forgive the poor quality of the vinyl, and let me know if you come across a better copy of this beautiful album as I will be happy to defer to that reference. But until then, I hope you can enjoy it as is...I did!

GVE-7

George Van Eps - George Van Eps' Seven-String Guitar - 1967
Capitol ST 2783

Satin Doll
Prelude To A Kiss
A Blues Serenade
The Very Thought Of You
Kisses
Stop, Look and Listen

Sophisticated Lady
Glad To Be Unhappy
Serenata
Baubles, Bangles and Beads
A Libra Rhapsody
Come Rain Or Come Shine

George Van Eps - 7-string guitar
Frank Flynn - marimba
Jerry Williams - drums

A Guitarra lovers home is his Kessel...

2009-07-02T22:26:00.005-04:00

Well despite the desperate subject line here, there is something good to come of it, and that comes in the form of a 1969 album by Barney Kessel called "Guitarra". Barney Kessel was one of my early jazz guitar heroes largely by way of an 8-track recording of "The Poll Winners" and especially confirmed upon hearing his blazing work on a tune called "Nagasaki". Barney has pretty much made the grade with every recording of his I've heard since. This apparently little known LP is generally no exception, although I would have to say it's not my absolute favorite Barney recording. When confirming that this album is OOP I first thought I had identified it as an obscure recording called "Reflections In Rome" since, like "Guitarra" it was recorded in Rome in 1969 with what appears to be the same supporting cast of European artists. However, "Guitarra" has an entirely different collection of songs than what I found for the "Reflections..." album. Yet I could find no internet information on any album called "Guitarra". So, whether this is somehow one in the same as the other recording from Rome, or whether it is, as it seems, a second recording done the same year by the same musicians in the same location, it seems that either one is OOP and not easily found in the blogosphere. So here ya go, it's a fairly tame collection of relatively short tunes featuring Barney's "guitarra" and some pretty lively organ work from an Antonello Vannucchi. There's some samba and similar latinesque flavors here in keeping with the setting perhaps. Sometimes it strikes me as a little less than exciting but just as you think you might feel a little bit disappointed, Barney will come out with some fun Kessel-isms and reel you right back in to familiar ground...right back home with Barney and his guitarra...

Guitarra

Barney Kessel - Guitarra - 1969
RCA CAS-2404

B.J.'s Samba
Meu Irmao
Malibu
On the Riviera

Lison
Freeway
From My Heart
Swing Samba
Amelia

Barney Kessel - guitar
Antonello Vannucchi - organ
Giovanni Tommasco - bass
Enzo Restuccia - drums

Recorded in RCA's Studio B, Rome, Italy in May 1969
Recording Engineer: Sergio Marcotulli
Produced by Gian Piero Ricci

Released in 1970

What's a buddy without a friend?

2009-06-30T23:45:00.006-04:00

As noted in a previous post, one of my favorite artists, among my most favorite of instruments, is guitarist Buddy Fite. A relative unknown that I discovered only by the chance of uncovering an 8 track tape of "Changes" sitting unappreciated in a crowded bargain bin at some department store back in the 80's. As bargain binners will sometimes find, the occasional decision to buy something based solely on the cover (and, in this case, the price), can pay off in spades, and as my earlier post and comments on "Changes" atest, Buddy, and everything he touched with a guitar, was pure gold to my ears. The album posted today is a later recording called "Buddy Fite & Friend", the friend being drummer Chick Colburn who ably assists Buddy through this collection of ten smooth tunes. With a couple of standards like "All The Things You Are" and "Don't Take Your Love From Me" along with a handful of great pop classics of the 60's like "This Guy's In Love With You", "My Cherie Amour" and "Something", Buddy accomplishes his usual uncanny transformation of these familiar songs into fresh and glowing jazz artworks. I love his bright metallic tone that rings at just the right moments and his knack for smoothly taking off on a theme effortlessly. Most of these cuts feature Buddy playing his signature comping/soloing while beautifully laying down the bass line all at the same time. Then there is usually an overlay of a second guitar track where he typically plays solos or duet parts. His music is never pretentious, sometimes quite simple and comforting, and then at times powerful and uplifting. Check out "This Guy's In Love..." and even "Something" to feel the wonderful ride he takes you on with those strings. While it would be easy to misread this by appearances considering the presence of two Beatle tunes and even, God forbid, two from the The Carpenters catalogue, trust me, Buddy brings out the best of each tune and if you ever liked these tunes at all you will love these versions. And if you didn't like them before, well, I think you're gonna change your mind here. This record just makes me wish Buddy were still alive today to make more recordings like this. I'd love to hear more. I do have another Fite LP I hope to post at a later date, as well. One odd thing I noticed is that track 4 and 5 on this LP were switched from what the cover documents, so I labeled the tracks according to how they were on the actual record, not the cover. Please excuse the quality being very much of LP origins. I did a lot of click removal here and for the most part I think it came out reasonably well, but it is not CD perfect by any means, offered here at 320 to all my blogster friends & buddies...enjoy!

Buddy

Buddy Fite - Buddy & Friend - 1970
Bell 6058 Stereo

This Guy's In Love With You
We've Only Just Begun
All The Things You Are
Didn't We
(They Long To Be) Close To You

I'll Never Fall In Love
Don't Take Your Love From Me
My Cherie Amour
Yesterdays/Yesterday
Something

Buddy Fite - guitar
Chick Colburn - drums
Bob Ascher - trombone (I'll Never Fall In Love Again)

Music to Ponder...

2009-06-26T21:36:00.004-04:00

Scanning my record collection for the next subject to feature on the blog, I pondered numerous guitar heroes for the honor. It can be hard to find something that has preferably never been committed to CD publication. I was somewhat surprised to find, from my search of the web, that this 1976 work by Jimmy Ponder appears to fit the bill. I also could not remember when I had last listened to it so when the first couple of minutes of ripping "Funky Butt" came through I was a little dubious as to whether this was worth the effort. As much as I am a huge fan of Boogaloo Joe Jones, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and many other soulful/pop/jazz guitarists, the late 70's era of politically correct funkified jazz transition had many disappointments in my mind. Even some of the most talented and tasteful of artists suffered through pathetic attempts to contort their natural strengths into commercial success or some failed sense of mid-life crisis. And, as if the name "Funky Butt" wasn't already a pretty good warning, the initial sound here drew a Parliamentary yawn. But slowly I took more notice of the flat out playing of the well known and respected Mr. Ponder, and then the wah-wah magic began to win me over. "Energy III" again flirts with a fusion styled disaster at first listen, but ultimately proves exciting and a nice contrast to the opener. Then the lovely "Jennifer" solidifies my contentment, and so this post makes it here for your own review and opinion. Side two, by the way, follows with a very similar formula of three contrasting songs that are full of Ponder's impressive techniques and general groove. I have to say that the last song, "Sabado Sombrero", is probably my favorite. It brings a variety of stylings where I can hear moments of Wes, Benson and even, dare I say it, Gabor Szabo! Ahhh, this is a winner after all. It also features some simply awesome bass work by the always awesome Ron Carter, relatively simple but beautiful signature playing. You will also notice a good deal of heavy duty keyboard wizardry from another of my soulful jazz favorites, Ron Foster! While on the surface this is clearly more of a contemporary sound with it's special guitar effects and mix of danceable rythms, even though it is now 33 years old, there is truly a diversified composite that includes traditional jazz, soul, funk, rock and pop, all flawless and enjoyable. I pretty much had a hard time not bopping my head throughout, but key for me is that I could really listen to the man's guitar playing, and it brings a smile.

So take the time to ponder...you should grow fonder...sorry about that...

Illusions

Jimmy Ponder - Illusions - 1976
ABC Impulse ASD 9313

Funky Butt
Energy III
Jennifer

Do It Baby
Illusions
Sabado Sombrero

Jimmy Ponder - Guitar
Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Percussion
Ron Carter - Acoustic & Electric Bass (except on Funky Butt)
Sonny Burke - Keyboard (Funky Butt)
Chuck Domanico - Electric Bass (Funky Butt)
James Gadsen - Drums (Funky Butt)
Mickey Tucker - Piano & Electric Piano (except Funky Butt & Sabado Sombrero)
Ronnie Foster - Synthesiser & Clavinet (except Funky Butt & Sabado Sombrero)
Grady Tate - Drums (Jennifer, Illusions & Do It Baby)
Brian Brake - Drums (Energy III)
Jerome Richardson - Alto Flute (Jennifer)
Esmond Edwards - Percussion (Sabado Sombrero)
Strings arranged and conducted by Johnny Pate (Jennifer, Do It Baby & Funky Butt)

Just For The Fun Of Id.....

2009-06-21T12:30:00.007-04:00

I've done my share of combing boxes of vinyl at flea markets and tag sales and somewhere along the way I encountered this odd bit of Id. I had never heard of the album or the band and I imagine that goes for most folks out there in TV land. But the cover and backside offered a hint that this might be an obscure but entertaining collection of psychedelic grooviness that must certainly be worth 25 cents, and I believe the quarter was well invested. Surprisingly this album was apparently dedicated to CD not long ago but I think it's fair to say that obscurity remains the ultimate fate of this fun excursion. Back in the 80's when I first obtained this LP, I made a cassette copy and I have to say, some of the tunes grew on me. While it loosely fits into the "psych" category, in spots it really presents more of a pop-rock appeal than most. There is some blending of sitar and spacey vocals to help keep it unreal but it's generally pretty tame and manages to provide some memorable tunage. From the pop side I would say that "Wild Times" is the obvious keeper here though it is not entirely unlike one or two other top 40 type numbers I might have heard elsewhere over the years. Much of the rest is a little more unique and perhaps pushes the envelope a little. "Stone and Steel", "Boil The Kettle, Mother" are sure to bring a smile (or smirk) and just try making it through all ten and a half minutes of the cover tune. Someone had fun being the guru that did the monologue on that one! There's no information on the cover to tell us about these five musicians. Paul Arnold, "creator, arranger & producer" seems to take all the credit here. This is the monoraul version of the LP, but regardless, I think you will get a kick out of this little timepiece.

The Id - The Inner Sounds of The Id

The Id - The Inner Sounds of the Id - 1967
Monoraul LP - RCA LPM-3805

The Rake
Wild Times
Don't Think Twice
Stone and Steel
Baby Eyes
Boil The Kettle, Mother

Butterfly Kiss
Short Circuit
Just Who
The Inner Sound of the Id

Hot Fun...Re-Done!!

2009-06-21T11:59:00.008-04:00

Not only have I finally gotten back to my blog, but I am finally re-posting my first significant work, Freddy Robinson's "Hot Fun in the Summertime" from 1970. And what better time than this first day of summer.

When I started doing this blog just last year, I rushed in and neglected to consider the output which was at 128 at the time. I went back and ripped another set of files at 320 and they can now be found on the original post at;

November 23, 2008

For some reason, the first side has more vinyl artifacts while side 2 was almost free of click removal, etc. Still, this should be a "bit" better than my original post for those that listen closely. It is a fun album. While "Moonglow" offers a more traditional jazz sound that showcases Freddy's tasteful skills, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" is just plain happy and swinging, and much of the rest is great groovin' with the hard workin' ladies singing some righteous background parts throughout. In short, it's hot fun anytime...enjoy!

Off To Hear The Wizard...

2009-03-27T00:35:00.009-04:00

I haven't had much time to rip LP's the last few weeks but today I was listening to a CD I created from another one of those embarrass- ing 8-track tapes a few years back. At the time I never anticipated posting some of these rips on a blog so I listened with a discriminating ear for imperfections, track breaks, or any qualitative issues that might make me feel unhappy with posting this classic 60's blues rocker instrumental gem from Mel Brown. Eight songs later I decided it was worthy of a post until a better version comes along. With the apparent popularity of Mel Brown's 60's & 70's work I am very surprised that this album seems so hard to find. It has never been committed to commercial CD, long OOP, but with all the recognition this gritty guitarist seems to have, this LP seems unusually scarce. So I decided to add it to this blog until someone can identify a better source. I have the Chicken Fat CD and all Mel's other albums, and I think this one is easily as good or better than any of the others. It's pretty straight forward, simple and pretty raw R&B with tight horns and groovin' support throughout. There are no significant vocals, just a torent of funkified blues guitar licks firing from start to finish. This reminds me somewhat of Freddy King's "Hide Away", which is an all-time favorite. I think this is up there. Keep in mind that this was taken from the lowly 8-track tape so the order of the songs reflects what was committed to that idiom. From what I hear, they were able to divvy things up so as to avoid track change interruptions, a good thing that is greatly appreciated by those of us old school music desperados that committed so many hours of listening to this ill-fated medium. This album starts out with a lively and crisp rendering of "Ode To Billie Joe" and then just sails through one rock-blues workout after another. It's fun, it's infectious, and a great time capsule for the late 60's somewhere between Memphis and Detroit, but you're definitely not in Kansas anymore Dorothy...enjoy!

http://rapidshare.com/files/214017512/WizzyBrown.rar

Mel Brown - The Wizard - 1968
Impulse (8-track: AS 9169)

Ode To Billie Joe
Swamp Fever
Blues After Hours
Miss Ann
African sweets
Stop
W-2 Withholding
Chunk-A-Funk

Mel Brown, Terry Evans (guitar)
Mack Johnston (trumpet)
Clifford Solomon (tenor sax)
unknown (piano, organ)
Ronald Brown (bass)
Paul Humphrey (drums)
Roy Brown (vocals)

Los Angeles, CA, March 21, 1968

Where the deer and the guitars play....

2009-03-08T20:06:00.007-04:00

This post is a unique one in many ways. Offering another vinyl rip from a highly regarded jazz guitarist like Howard Roberts is no surprise, of course. But this one is actually taken from one of my old 8-track tapes, something I did a few years back when I was convinced it was the only way I could ever capture this unusual, fairly obscure recording. Going back and giving it a listen today I decided that the quality wasn't so bad and I don't see much chatter about this particular work anywhere else. The other odd aspect is the content itself. I have a lot of Howard Roberts albums, LP's, CD's, and oh yeah, the 8-track. But this recording strikes me as probably the oddest of them all, which might explain the lack of attention. I really like Howard Roberts' stuff with very little exception. For some reason I am especially taken with his pop cover material of the 60's, much of which seems to be the focus of media criticism more than praise, even though he is always acknowledged to be one of the most highly skilled guitarists of his era. I enjoy interpretations of likable and familiar tunes, pop diddies, when they are treated with subtle creativity and soulful skill as Roberts so often has done over his extensive career. Then there are the more straight ahead jazz outings where he covers more traditional creative jazz works and explores the outer stretches of that genre so impeccably. Here on "Antelope Freeway" however, Roberts really moved into something different. This sort of has a slight psychadelic edge to it with sound bites and other effects all mixed into this meandering tapestry of guitar snippets which are largely rooted in more of a rock/blues side of jazz for sure. When I first rescued this from some 88 cent bargain bin back in the 70's, I have to say I was disappointed that it wasn't more what I was used to in jazz guitar icons. But listening to it again today I have to say that it really is both daring and fairly effective. It's fun and it does contain some really clever, enjoyable music. Some of it borders on brilliant if you are open to this approach at all. But alas, it remains OOP. The track titles were difficult to apply to the recording from my original 8-track; you can't see the grooves to identify transition points and many of the cuts here simply bleed into one another. It makes for a nice overall composition and creative impression but it's hard to tell where one "song" finishes and the next one starts. As a result, I chose to simply record the whole album in two sections/tracks. Checking out references for this album I saw that many reports were similarly confused with name run-ons and differing numbers of tracks all together. Kind of funny. Basically, my first "track" includes the first five cuts from the album while my second "track" includes the last four album cuts. Be my guest if you want to try your luck at distinguishing the details, but in the end, I don't think it matters, either way, you should enjoy a listen. So go ahead and find out why those antelope are crowding the freeways to hear a guitar master having some fun....

http://rapidshare.com/files/206982973/Howard_Roberts_-_Antelope_Freeway.rar

Howard Roberts - Antelope Freeway -1971
Impulse! AS-9207 (LP)

1. Antelope Freeway - Part 1
2. That's America Fer Ya
3. Dark Ominous Clouds
4. De Blooz
5. Sixteen Track Firemen

6. Ballad of Fazzio Needlepoint
7. Five Gallons of Astral Flash Could Keep You Awake For Thirteen Weeks
8. Santa Clara River Bottom
9. Roadwork

Howard Roberts - electric & acoustic guitars
Bobby Bruce - violin
Mike Deasy - electric guitar
Pete Robinson, Larry Knechtel, Mike Wofford - keyboards
Brian Garofalo, Max Bennett - Fender bass
Bob Morin, John Guerin - drums

"I Believe" I hear what you hear...

2009-03-02T20:16:00.006-05:00

Whatever that subject line might mean, I do want to say that this is a special posting with bittersweet connotations. The fun part is that this includes the download from what I believe is a scarce record that features none other than Noel Regney conducting one of his own compositions. As explained earlier in my blog, Mr. Regney is the co-composer of "Do You Hear What I Hear", the Christmas classic that gave some inspiration for this blog. As I also said earlier, Noel was a personal friend of my parents. He attended parties at our home and I heard him perform on piano on several occasions. So when I was clearing out my parents' house in preparation for the sale of my childhood home, and I just happened upon this beat up old LP literally rotting away amidst the rubble in the garage, I was pleased with the discovery. At first I had no idea what it was, torn and tattered and covered with scribblings I did not expect the record within to be playable. But when I realized it was Noel Regney, I had to see what kind of shape it was in. The answer was, so-so, I guess. Didn't look horrible, still in the slip cover sleeve, but upon playing it I could see it might be a questionable call for posting this for the public. Click removal can be a wonderful thing, of course, but with my modest resources, it can't solve the world's problems. But then, this was something a little bit special, and as it turns out, as I hoped, and despite the fact that the classical world is probably not my greatest passion, I really liked the music. I think that it's safe to say that this work is religiously inspired with six sections that blend together quite nicely. I was truly surprised at the quality of the instrumentalists and the vocalists on this recording. Very much a professional work with beautiful results. Unfortunately the condition of this particular piece of vinyl does a pretty good job detracting from that beauty I'm afraid. I did my best, and if I didn't think it was worthy of a listen, I wouldn't post it, regardless of the Regney connection. I think it's doable. I'm sure there are some pristine copies of this LP, probably at the Westport Library or at the Unitarian Church, etc. But until I come up with one of those, this is all I got, and I'm glad to have found it. There is a heavenly pastoral feel to much of it but it also delivers some rather modern sounds in a folksy sort of way. It was more interesting to me than some of this style of music can be, very relaxed and gentle, yet compelling. That's enough of trying to describe what you are about to hear. Listen to it yourself, forgive the crackle-pop that does distract in sections. You really should enjoy it .....I Believe.

http://rapidshare.com/files/204635834/Noel_Regney-Westport_Unitarian_Church_Choir_-_I_Believe_In_Life.rar

Noel Regney - I Believe In Life: A Cantata For Our Times - 1977

With The Westport, Connecticut Unitarian Church Choir
Tree Of Life Records (June 30th, 1977)

1 - The Lord Is In His Mansion
2 - Invocation
3 - Prayer
4 - Meditation

5 - Hope
6 - Credo

Noel Regney - conductor

Gena Rees - soprano vocal soloist
Jane Nordli - alto vocal soloist
Arthur Sjogren - tenor vocal soloist
Joel Jones - bass vocal soloist

Viviane Bertolami - violin
Toni Matts - trumpet
Harriet Salerno - piano
Stephen Anderson - organ

The Choir of the Westport, Conn. Unitarian Church - vocals

This post is specially offered in tribute to Noel Regney as friend and artist

I like this Carver more than just a whittle...

2009-02-27T23:20:00.007-05:00

More bad puns, what can I say? But if you are a fan of classic, quality 60's country music, then here is some good stuff for ya, no joke. I picked this album up somewhere many years ago with no idea who the guy was, but my love of honky-tonk and related music made me think that the album cover looked promising enough to part with the change it probably cost me. I was immediately surprised to hear such good quality stuff from this unknown (to me) artist. It's not quite honky-tonk as much as it is classic country of the 60's when it was recorded. Reading up on Johnny Carver more recently I have learned that he had a pretty long and successful career although he never quite made it to being a household name. He had some chart success and seems to be well respected within the inner circle of country artists (just ask Faron Young from the back cover picture included in the download). This one album is all I know of him and, from what I can tell, none of his albums are in print at this time. There does seem to be a skimpy collection out there on CD but I was surprised to see that it didn't include any work from this album. To me this album stands up there among the better albums I have heard from this genre. I might draw a slight comparison to Buck Owens, but this is probably a bit less edgy than that great Bakersfield sound Buck crafted. This album is full of short pop country with great instrumental support. Unfortunately the cover gives absolutely no credits but I would bet this one includes a collection of Nashville all stars. It's a shame they don't let the instrumentalists take a few more solos because the playing is impeccable throughout, but mostly serves as just background to Carver's solid vocal work. There is plenty of pedal steel, electric guitar, even some vibraphone, fiddles, Cramer style piano, good stuff. All the songs are short and sweet, mostly 2 verses with a couple choruses, not much more than 2 minutes each, like a punk rock album from the 70's! But I think the quality of the songs themselves is very good, especially side two where every tune is a keeper in my estimation. Side one isn't far off. My favorite cuts are probably "Lie To Me" (very memorable tune) and the lonely "Apartment #9". Of course, "Sybil's Rights", though not my favorite melody on this album, gets kudos from an old punster like me. I'm glad I finally got around to preserving this one in digital format and I hope you will enjoy it as well, at wheast a whittle...

http://rapidshare.com/files/203457678/Johnny_Carver_-_You_re_In_Good_Hands.rar

Johnny Carver - You're In Good Hands With Johnny Carver - 1968

Liberty Records LP-12380

Your Lily White Hands

Sybil's Rights

So Goes My World

New Lips

What If It Happened To You

You're In Good Hands

Lie To Me

Senses

Apartment #9

The Tip of My Fingers

You Are That Something

Don't Monkey With Another Monkey's Monkey

(no credits available)

Wilkins It For All It's Worth...

2009-02-25T20:42:00.007-05:00

Alright, that subject header is a bad pun and doesn't make a whole lot of sense but then one could say, when it comes to guitar playing, Jack Wilkins really does it for all it's worth. Foregoing my usual diatribe here, I will get to the point; Wilkins can flat out play. Ever since I heard a cut off of his album Merge, back in the early 80's, I knew he was a keeper. Unfortunately there is far too little of his work out there. You don't see him that often as a side man and he only has a handful of albums to his name. But what's there is generally great, just as you will hear in this album, "Captain Blued". This is a curious recording in that I can find very little evidence that it was ever made! It's produced by Creed Taylor on the Greenstreet Record label and it includes the accompaniment of one of the best alto sax guys you could want, the great veteran Phil Woods, along with other familiar names like Harvie Swartz on bass. Yet there is little mention of this recording anywhere. Doesn't appear to be available these days, so I felt it my duty to let folks hear what they might be missing. Some of these songs, like "Captain Blued" and "Mexico", were also recorded (different versions I believe) on other albums so you should be able to find some of that out there to buy on CD. This particular LP is definitely another winner for Wilkins. Not only is his work effortless, creative and inspiring, but the tunes are all enjoyable and nicely arranged. Add to that the wonderful voicings from Mr. Woods and great contributions from all the other supporting cast (with a good deal of solo work for all) and I will predict that you will be glad you gave this a listen. Although this is all generally straight ahead jazz, you will find diversity in the moods and stylings here. Many exciting moments to enjoy. It should make you want to hear more of this master guitarist and he does have a site that offers listens and downloads from many of his other albums, including a bunch of live gig cuts. So I hope you will agree that this guy is the cream of the crop, and cream leads to milk, and there I go milkin' it for all it's worth...

http://rapidshare.com/files/202617025/Jack_Wilkins_-_Captain_Blued.rar

Jack Wilkins - Captain Blued - 1984

Greenstreet Records GS-2004

Captain Blued

Mexico

Funny Blues

Dailey Double

Chopin Etude

Some Time Ago

Jack Wilkins - guitar

Phil Woods - alto saxophone

Albert Dailey - piano

Harvie Swartz - bass

Akira Tana - drums

Ted Moore -percussion

Drive-In Me Crazy...

2009-02-22T12:51:00.011-05:00

Well there aren't many of these left around these days, drive-in movies that is. If you're over 40 years old you should have a fair recollection of that special experience that collected hundreds of people, in their cars, in a big old paved lot to watch one giant screen once the sun let down it's glowing curtain. Kids would run through the maze of cars and gather in special play areas where there were often swings and "dizzy-go-rounds", monkey bars and assorted other items of liability. Teenagers would hang out in their cars, free of adult supervision and do what teenagers want to do when unsupervised. Adults would settle in for an evening of popcorn, hot dogs and hamburgers (the ones that didn't actually dance and party), soda pops (some of them could dance too) and a relatively inexpensive night out to entertain the family. I remember seeing "Hard Day's Night" starring The Beatles as a particularly standout drive-in experience but there were countless others including my own teenage adventures for the likes of "Mandingo", all complete with that clumsy hunk of metal precariously dangled from the top of one of the windows (which you may have had to keep pretty well closed to keep out mosquitoes) that kept your car anchored at its post. And which post did you choose? Ahhh, the ambling about the lot looking for the best available space. Something with a decent view of the screen, not too close, not too far, decent proximity to the bathrooms and snack bar, consider the neighboring cars and the potential anxieties as you quickly profile the occupants of each. It was normal practice to explore several potential spots before settling on a final destination. Then you just had to hope the damn speaker box you got would work. Some didn't work at all, some had bags over them (out of order) and some were crackly or didn't have enough volume. All of them sounded pretty lousy but that was part of the charm I suppose. And that brings us to something that sounds pretty darn good, Mr. Freddy Robinson. As my original music post on this blog was my most coveted Freddy album, this one, "At The Drive-In ", is not quite so scarce, but it again features some fine guitar work and more of Freddy's distinctive vocals, as well. What drove me crazy here was that this is not a particularly pristine copy of the album. I bought it as a NM but it is more a VG at best. I had to do a lot of click removal and there is still a share of crackle here and there but I wouldn't post it if it were really bad so I think it is a passable version until a better one comes along. There must be other postings out there but I haven't come across one. Actually I see where a few of these tracks appear on a recent, long overdue, collection of Freddy's work called "Bluesology". I am looking to buy that as it includes quite a few never before released tracks, and i recommend you do the same. But if you want a good sample of what Freddy does with his unique mix of R&B and jazz, then check out this OOP recording from 1972 and I think you'll enjoy it, despite the less than perfect quality here. Taken from the LP at 320kbps , hopefully it will be drive-in' you crazy too, in a good way....

http://www.mediafire.com/?5vtjt2jnyty

Freddy Robinson - At The Drive-In - 1972

Enterprise - ENS-1025

It's The Real Thing
Sweet Clara
Miss Black America
Creepin' Lightly

I Found My Soul Last Night
At The Drive-In
Wonder What It Is
Bluesology

Freddy Robinson - vocal, guitar & harmonica
Al Vescovo - guitar
Harold Mason - drums
Paul Humphrey - drums & percussion
Joe Sample - piano & organ
Wilton Felder - bass
Monk Higgins - organ
Bobbie Hall - conga & percussion
Alex Brown & Clydie King & Vanetta Fields - vocals

Only Child Syndrome...

2009-02-15T12:53:00.007-05:00

Many years ago, there was a child born in Waterbury, Connecticut. A proud set of parents beginning a family amidst the historic confines of Yankee tradition and the comfort of the industrial plateau. It wouldn't be long before the kindergarten years would find this same young boy coming to terms with what would be a lifelong pronouncement of, the only child. And yes, this "only child" would be me, now entrenched some 52 years in this cozy little world that has managed to define me in the eyes of Catholic families everywhere, in the minds of struggling street smart urchins, and even deep within my own shadowy world of unbridled imagination and introspection. I soon came to understand that "only child" was generally not a moniker to be proud of, especially among peers where it usually was applied to someone thought to be unfairly privileged, someone unusually coddled, a "momma's boy", protected and insulated from the spirit of the real world below. These connotations seemed to build up in my little head as I progressed through those first few years of grade school and it became a source of embarrassment, at least in my mind, that I worked hard to avoid or erase. Early on it came with undoing any effort my mother put into my appearance. She would lay out the clothes and I would do my best to dismantle the intended choreography. Sometimes I just managed to do a last minute switcheroo before bolting out the door for school, sometimes I just had to tear everything apart between the backdoor and the schoolyard, the clip-on bow tie, the knee socks, the jaunty cap, oh God, it was horrible, but fairly easy to address (or undress as the case may be). So other than the inescapable class photo days, I managed to avoid segragation, and from that point it was just being a kid with no siblings. Although the lack of Christmas day competition and singular annual birthday festivities certainly made their marks on my tendancy to expect attention, these same conditions also resulted in the inevitable lack of attention. It was easy for a family of three to operate as three independent entities, especially as I got older and could take care of myself. This was great for developing a certain confidence in survival and self-sufficiency, it proved a fertile field for my creative juices and entertaining imagination, but it also made some of the social challenges a bit more uneasy than they should be. On the one hand I was devoid of the interactions a larger family would naturally offer, while on the other hand I was somewhat unabashed in my constant mission to weasel into other people's privacy. I had enough of my own privacy so I just assumed everybody else was just as much in need of some outside interaction as I was. So I would be throwing stones at my neighbor's window trying to get my buddy to come out and play. I would knock on every door until somebody would open it wide enough for me to squeeze by, and then let the games begin! So some families took me in like some homeless wretch, I would raid their fridges, sit down to dinner and break bread, watch TV with them, run around and get in trouble (but I never would get the whoopin'), I became an appendage to more than one neighborhood family, and somehow some of these poor victims remain close friends that seem to recall those days fondly if not with a certain humorous disbelief. As far as I was concerned, it all worked out fine, I generally found ways to deal with my supposed disadvantage of what some might call an incomplete family, while at the same time enjoying the advantages of the freedoms that same situation created. My parents and I were like three separate entities all dashing about on wildly different missions on a day to day basis. I had a lot of independence, even for those days, often wandering most anywhere I wanted. There weren't many restrictions or penalties for me...fortunately that never got me in any real trouble so I guess I/we were lucky that way. It also meant that I really came to love my situation. While I came to understand the special qualities of a larger family with siblings and firm traditions and schedules, I also have relished my somewhat unique combination of chaos and calm. I have come to crave activity and social interaction but I also need my own time to be quiet, to lose myself in that same world that followed me from cradle to college. That vast world that speaks to me through all the noise in a singular voice, and fills the shadows with color and light. I have always said that I could stare at wallpaper and be relatively entertained. Boredom is inexcusable to me, there should be no such thing. Life has too much to offer, never a dull moment, depending upon your outlook. And speaking of something to offer, here I offer you another great OOP album from Cal Collins. This one is a solo effort, just Cal and his guitar, and it's a gem, from the vinyl at 320kbps. You can hear the gentle, warm feeling just melt from the strings. This is an easy going but so impressive work from Cal Collins. Bluesy, relaxed, and yet some flurries of ideas come at you at times that will have you shaking your head (that's a good thing). If you like swinging traditional jazz guitar, there is some great stuff here for you to check out...enjoy it...all by yourself.

http://rapidshare.com/files/198458984/Cal_Collins_-_By_Myself.rar

Cal Collins - By Myself - 1979

Concord Jazz CJ-119

By Myself

Where Are You

What Is This Thing Called Love

Stairway To The Stars

No Moon At All

P.S. I Love You

Sunrise, Sunset

The Gypsy

All The Things You Are

The Nearness Of You

Route 66

Jackson County Blues

Guitar Lovers Against Violins

2009-01-30T00:29:00.000-05:00

Back to guitars...Elek Bacsik was a very unique artist within the jazz realm and I had come to know this Hungarian born, cousin to Django Reinhardt no less, as a guitarist. Although I was vaguely aware that he was similarly known for talents on the violin, the instrument he started on apparently, I had become accustomed to his guitar and expected more of my favorite instrument featured on this LP, "I Love You", when I bought it. Well, such was not the case. It turns out that only one song of the eight on this album features Elek on electric guitar while all the others have him on violin or the violectra. So, once over the general disappointment, I can say that this long OOP album is a very worthwhile listen none-the-less. Like Elek's guitar style, his violin work is gritty and notably different within the traditional gypsy-ish jazz genre. This has Grapelli-like sounds but it isn't quite that either. He sounds like he is very loose and having fun. There's a certain careless quality that translates into an emotional feel and the list of accompanying musicians is very impressive on the Bob Theile Music recording. This is apparently the first American recording that Bacsik made and he didn't do much after this from what I can tell. He has a couple albums available on CD, it's all good, but I remain partial to the guitar as always. But I don't really have anything against violins...maybe just a little anarchy anyway....enjoy.

http://rapidshare.com/files/191431128/Elek_Bacsik_-_I_Love_You.rar

Elek Bacsik - I Love You - 1974

Bob Thiele Music - #BBL1-0556

I Love You

I Can't Get Started

Donna Lee

Season of the Rain

Tea For Two

Valse Triste

Blues For Elek

They Can't Take That Away From Me

Elek Bacsik - violin, violectra, guitar

Hank Jones - piano

Richard Davis - bass

Grady Tate, Elvin Jones - drums

Oliver Nelson - alto sax

Bucky Pizzarelli - Spanish guitar

Ray Mantilla - timbales & percussion

Richard (Pablo) Landrum - congas & percussion

Home grown and the post-holiday impression...

2009-01-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

My guess is that the majority of folks out there, though declining in numbers they may be, are still pretty soft on the whole Christmas holiday ordeal. I mean that most of us, no matter how hardened by the relentless march of time, get a certain refreshing childhood joy out of Christmas trees and lights, various decorations and gatherings with friends and families, presents wrapped colorfully and cards in the mail with assorted artistic renderings that attempt to capture the "true" spirit of Christmas. From the religious to the pagan to the weather oriented themes, and the just good old kind-spirited messages of peace and good will. They tend to weaken the knees of most of us still, I think. Maybe I'm wrong, as I see the stream of holiday cards continue to decline steadily, the party invitations wane, the messages becoming more generic and less intense in commercial and personal terms alike. Or maybe I'm just becoming old and unpopular! But here we are in the aftermath of yet another season of the Christ Mass, all born of some odd mix of druid ritual, post harvest and a clashing of multitudes of other coincidental celebrations generally focused in the western world on the baby in a manger, the hope and quiet of a black-blue night illuminated by an unbelievable light, the peace of the knowing animals and the awesome sight of angels and inconceivable love and compassion. Where is faith in all this, what is the consensus of mankind, where do we as individuals end up in this incredible picture of what we might all hope? Well, for the time being it is right here, 2009 AD, a largely ignored posting in a largely inconceivable internet world, a trail of Bing Crosby and Manheim Steamroller tunes fading into another new year. The cookies and the expanded waistlines taking their place in the reality of a familiar but uncertain calendar, a procession of more holidays, more, or less, cards, and so much unfathomable humanity piled into our anxious hopes for happiness and our endless fear of the unknown. So the Christmas season has stroked our unsettled hearts once again, come and gone like Santa, like the 24 hours of "A Christmas Story", like my friend Eric who died at the age of 49 in a shocking moment hidden innocently in the afterglow of holiday revelry. Christmas reminds us so much of how human we are, of what we have come to expect and what we will forever miss. It is like gasoline on a tiny fire that burns off so quickly. We huddle in the warmth pretending that it might not extinguish, knowing full well it will, knowing, long before the flame settles. And for me, there in that momentary swell of brightness, there is the image I have crafted of my life. Be it Jesus, or my father, or my very own countenance superimposed on the elusive volume that recounts my story, there burns the sum value of what erupts year after year, December after December, before and after, until the dinosaurs return I suppose. Christmas is just a painting that we perceive deep within. It's purpose is to remind us of what most comforts us before tackling the next spanse of time and energy. It's a dreamlike state that puts the old year to rest, with all it's memories and all the memories it had put to rest before it, and so on. Ideally it hits each of us hard at some striking of the clock, where we stand trembling in our bed clothes, cold from the darkness yet warm from the faith that we vaguely understand the goodness in each of us. Life will never be all together perfect, of course. Nor will Christmas and it's ongoing story. But we do know the story, we look forward to it every year, we need it to replenish. Whether it be Charlie Brown, Ebenezer, or the candle glow of a midnight mass, we reach for the star that seemingly parts the darkness. We wonder if we feel it's warmth, we hope for those who have gone before us to be waiting, we breath perhaps our last as another Christmas season is lost in the dying flames. And with that I offer you another little piece of myself, some "home grown" free form music I created with my friends Matt & Mike of Mittimus. I'm the obnoxious guitar in the forefront most of the time while Matt provides the highly tasteful other guitar and bass parts and Mike lays down some awesome drums & percussion. This is a departure from my primary purpose here on the DYHWIH blog, but I thought someone just might have an interest and leave a comment that isn't obscene. This was recorded on December 7th, 2009, Pearl Harbor, Christmas tree having just been erected, and it was a particularly fine one this season.........

http://rapidshare.com/files/187508048/Mittimus-Durge_Objects_Below_part_1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/187508050/Mittimus-Durge_Objects_Below_part_2.rar

Mittimus and Durge - Objects Below

(derived from "Hot Cookies" - 2008)

Cow

Beer Cookies

Noise

Bass Blow

Loop

Whatami Playing

Lanushka

And now for something completely different...

2009-01-18T01:09:00.000-05:00

As anyone can see, I don't exactly stick to one flavor when it comes to music, or much of anything else for that matter. So following a burst of jazz guitar we come to an album that has always been one of the favorites in my eclectic collection. The group is Huxtable, Christensen & Hood and "Wallflowers" is the first recording I ever encountered, and one of only two I own, by these ladies. Unfortunately I only have a cassette from which this share is taken, but I think the quality is passable enough to confirm their wonderful harmonies and feeling. Most of this music is what I would call traditional/folk and celtic in style although there are a couple of somewhat contrasting tunes like "First and Only Tango" and "Oldest of Friends" which somewhat defy easy categories. This music is rich and steeped in history, relationships and traditions. I really can't think of many vocal groups I enjoy any more than these ladies although I would suggest a group like Trapezoid (another of my all-time favorites) would compare. There's some seafaring and blacksmithing, childhood rememberances, undying love and a bit of everything timeless. Once again, it's just not right that this group wouldn't have more material out there and that recordings like this aren't available on CD. So I felt compelled to include this one on my blog in hopes that a few of my friends in blogland will be able to smile along to these beautiful voices as I have for probably 20 years or more. Please remember to let me know what you think, don't be a stranger, or a wallflower...

http://rapidshare.com/files/185232902/Huxtable__Christensen_and_Hood_-_Wallflowers.rar

Huxtable, Christensen & Hood - Wallflowers - 1980

Philo Records PHC-1053

.....................................................

Banks of the Sweet Primroses

The Truth From Above

Lake George 1922

Sheepcrook and Black Dog

The Week Before Easter

I'll Weave My Love A Garland (The Loyal Lover)

Oldest of Friends

Came Ye O'er Frae France

The Flying Cloud

Mon coeur se recomande a vous

The Blacksmith

Great Dream From Heaven

First and Only Tango

Cal Collins On My Mind...

2009-01-18T00:45:00.000-05:00

Why not a twofer with Cal Collins? I will try to post at least one other LP of his as well, but for now let's settle for the two (along with my previous post of "San Francisco") that I digitized a couple of years ago including this wonderful work called "Blues On My Mind". This was the first album I ever even heard of by Cal, and once I heard it, I was a fan. He always sounds relaxed and sure with unique subtlety in his ideas. There's not much else needed to be said, every song here is a treat. Until this guitarist gets his just rewards to have his work put to CD, you'll just have to settle for this offering straight from the vinyl. Hope you don't mind....

http://rapidshare.com/files/185222572/Cal_Collins_-_Blues_On_My_Mind.rar

Cal Collins - Blues On My Mind - 1979

Concord Jazz CJ-95

Blues On My Mind

Imagination

Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise

I Love You, Samantha

Marie

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

My Melancholy Baby

Ruby

Cal Collins - guitar

Larry Vuckovich - piano

Bob Maize - bass

Jeff Hamilton - drums

San Francisco Cal

2009-01-18T00:04:00.000-05:00

Cal Collins is a jazz guitarist that I wasn't aware of during my early years of following such music. As obsessed as I was with jazz guitarists through my college years and beyond, I continue to discover new names and amazing talents as the years progress. I came across my first Cal Collins album a few years back and for $3 figured there's always room for another jazz guitarist in the collection, but I was more impressed than I might have expected. He combines a natural blues feeling over some plain old righteous traditional jazz interpretations. I now own several of his albums, all of which are out of print LP's that have yet to see a commercial CD output, and all of them are very good. He has a fair number of recordings to choose from and I just don't get why there is so little exposure. Some company will eventually release these for contemporary consumption, but until then, please enjoy this great piece of San Francisco in the state of Cal...

http://rapidshare.com/files/185231010/Cal_Collins_-_Cal_Collins_in_San_Francisco.rar

Cal Collins - Cal Collins in San Francisco - 1978
Concord Jazz CJ-71

Blue Haze
How Long Has This Been Going On
Laura
Sometimes I'm Happy

Miles' Theme
Blue Prelude
Exactly Like You
Deep In A Dream
So What

Cal Collins - guitar
Monty Budwig - bass
Jeff Hamilton - drums

For guitar lovers...

2009-01-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

Here's another guy that is often maligned unfairly as being strictly an easy listening specialist but he brings plenty more to the party. Tony Mottola was quite the studio master in his day and he put out quite a stable of albums, some of which were more challenging than others. At the very least, he shows great tone and touch, and this pretty album, that obviously sticks to the quiet side of things, offers lots of nice work that any guitar lover will enjoy. Mottola was Perry Como's guitar accompanist for 16 years and you can see somewhat of a parallel there, smooth and sweet. Sure, much of this could easily fit into any elevator "mix-tape", but man I would be happy to just surf floors for the afternoon if this kind of stuff was playing. I mean, this is definitely some beautiful jazz guitar playing. It may not be my favorite in this genre, but it is solid stuff that deserves credit from anyone that knows good music. So if you're truly a guitar lover, then you need a Romantic Guitar...here ya go...

http://rapidshare.com/files/185243814/Tony_Mottola_-_Romantic_Guitar.rar

Tony Mottola - Romantic Guitar - 1963
Command records SMAS-90526

Tenderly
Let's Fall In Love
If Ever I Would Leave You
Mitzi
Always and Always
Alone Together

Speak Low
You Are Too Beautiful
I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
Fly Me To The Moon
Misty
It's A Lonesome Old Town (When You're Not Around)

Tony Mottola - guitar
Dick Hyman - organ
Bucky Pizzarelli - rhythm guitar
Bob Haggart - bass
Don Lamond - drums
Bob Rosengarden - bongos, vibes
Don Arnone - guitar

Loggin In...

2009-01-16T23:03:00.000-05:00

Well here goes my first 70's pop-country-folk-rock album posting. As much as I profess my obsession with jazz, great musicianship, and some of the more outrageous reaches of the musical world (or universe for the sake of my fellow Arkestrans), the truth be known, I am also a lifelong

sucker for many other more mainstream and pop culture artifacts such as we have here. Now anyone that remembers the 70's as clearly as I do (well maybe those four years at UCONN weren't quite so clear) surely recalls Kenny Loggins of the very successful Loggins & Messina Band. Well, that's not the Loggins we have here. Although he is apparently Kenny's cousin, this Loggins is Dave Loggins and he had a pretty big hit of his own with "Please Come To Boston" back in those days. In fact, I went with the masses and openly admired that tune with Dave's expressive vocals ranging from deep to high so effortlessly, good lyrics, too, I thought at the time. So a few years later when I encountered a sad little cut-out 8-track tape by Dave Loggins for sale at a music store I quickly invested the buck or two to investigate and was soon glad I did. Although it did not include the big hit song I was so familiar with, it did offer a very well crafted concept work that I would suggest comes somewhere between Jonathon Edwards and Jimmy Buffet, maybe a touch of Jesse Colin Young. The songs are all decent I think, for the genre, some a bit stronger than others, but generally they keep to a pleasant island theme centered on a love interest, while maintaining a solid folk warmth with some pop-rock voicings that keep things a bit more interesting than the average faire. He does have a very unaffected voice in my opinion, it's sincere in feel and expression, and engaging along with some good lyrical content (though a couple songs arguably offer less than unique words). I remember listening to this on the old 8-track player in my '74 LTD (cop car deal is cool when you're 21) and my favorites were Goodbye Eyes (#1), Ship In A Bottle, Breeze, Please Remember Me, and the title song about Paradise. Once I lost track of the 8-track technology of yesteryear I searched faithfully for a CD of this album, but surprisingly it has never been re-released and remains hard to find, even on vinyl. I did finally snag this LP from e-Bay. Unfortunately there is a slight defect in the vinyl on the start of each side, but it's minimal. A few of the songs here are offered on a best of collection called The Good Side of Tomorrow: 1971-1984. As AllMusic notes there, Loggins can tend toward sounding similar from song to song, but overall he is a unique artist in his quality of voice and he interjects enough subtleties to each tune that I personally think he satisfies the listener for the length of an album like this one. If you enjoy these tracks I would recommend that you buy any of his other albums which are available on CD, including the fore mentioned collection which brings with it the big hit about hopeless love from Boston. But it really seems a shame that this album from 1977 has been neglected. Hopefully you will enjoy it like I have, although you may need a '74 LTD to fully appreciate the feeling that it holds...

http://rapidshare.com/files/184645970/Dave_Loggins_-_One_Way_Ticket_To_Paradise.rar

Dave Loggins - One Way Ticket To Paradise - 1977

CBS/EPIC PE-34713

Please Remember Me

Goodbye Eyes

Don't Treat Me Like A Stranger

Ship In A Bottle

One Way Ticket To Paradise

(note that "Ship In A Bottle" & "One Way Ticket..." are combined in one track because "Ship" leads into "One Way")

Breeze

The Ballad of Cowboy Twenty

Crowd of Lonely People

Color of the Mood

Three Little Words (I Love You)

Dave Loggins: Guitar, Vocals

Kenny Malone: Drums

Gayle Whitfield: Saxophone

Jack Williams; Pop Bottle: Bass

Reggie Young; Steve Gibson; Johnny Christopher: Guitar

Randy Goodrum: Synthesizer, Keyboards

Yvonne Hodges; Sheri Kramer; Diane Tidwell; Bergen White; Buzz Cason: Vocals

Johnny Gimble: Violin

Puttin' up a Fite...

2009-01-14T23:12:00.000-05:00

Alright, enough messin' around, time to post something that I consider special. As I have mentioned in several other posts, I am particularly drawn to guitar based music, especially in jazz where the possibilities and range of techniques and attitude can be so wide. I have lots of jazz guitar albums including everything from the classic easy listening side like Al Caiola, Billy Strange and Tony Mottola, to the more challenging sounds of Sonny Sharrock, Derek Bailey and Joe Morris. I really love it all, and right near the top of my favorite albums list is a relatively obscure recording by a fairly unsung jazz guitar hero named Buddy Fite. I stumbled upon this discovery in an 8-track tape bargain bin back in the 70's and his technique and sound have mesmerized me ever since. This album particularly impresses me but Buddy has several others that I will hopefully post later. Now I am sure that some folks will check this out and immediately think Al Caiola and company (not that that's such a bad thing), elevator jazz complete with strings and other dressings. But if you give this a full listen and don't get a smile from the great touch that Buddy displays, the unique feel that comes out of this mix of jazz classics and up tempo romps, then I suggest you probably need a few more years for your ears to mature. This is really sweet stuff, and unique in many ways despite some of the apparent trappings. Unfortunately the album does not list any credits although there isn't anything else to really pay much attention to other than this great lead guitar work. The supporting cast does a fine job of providing very appropriate backdrops to Buddy's work, but this is clearly all about Mr. Fite. I actually transferred this album from that original 8-track to my computer several years ago but I was happy to finally get the vinyl thanks to eBay and here is your chance to see if you think I'm crazy or if this really is (was) a special player and a great recording that was sadly never dedicated to CD. But I warn you, if you agree with me or you don't, you just might have a fite on your hands...enjoy at 320kbps.

http://rapidshare.com/files/183467711/Buddy_Fite_-_Changes.rar

Buddy Fite - Changes - 1970

Cyclone Stereo CY4110

Evil Ways

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Wave

Finger Pickin' Good

I Can't Get Started With You

Have You Met Miss Jones

Changes

(Black Orpheus) A Day in the Life of a Fool

Moonlight In Vermont

Cry Me A River

El Jefe (The Chief)

Don't lose your Head...

2009-01-12T21:58:00.000-05:00

Well I'm finally back for more fun here in 2009. I have lots of good stuff I want to post but I don't have lots of time to do it in. I need to figure out what music, if any, is not available commercially, then transfer from vinyl to digital, hoping that I can work around several issues with my old turntable and amplifier. The turntable turns on when it feels like it. Bring the arm over, sometimes it starts up, mostly it doesn't. Sometimes I have to do it 10-15 times or more before I get contact. Then, it doesn't always come up to speed. I think it simply varies between 45 and 33 randomly but I'm not sure that it doesn't choose some places in between at times! It's even been so bold as to simply stop all together, mid stream. Hearing Eddie Jefferson slide lazily down to a drunken baritone out of the blue is disheartening. So, uncertain as to what I can do to fix this old 1970's player, I have scored a free stereo from my mother-in-law. It's one of those pre-bundled multi-component deals in the glass case on wheels deals from the 80's. Has hardly ever been used, literally, so it should be sufficient for my purposes, except it's missing a needle, which I stupidly discovered as I witnessed the cartridge swiftly skating across my favorite Buddy Fite record last week. Oh the horror! So I need to hunt down a proper needle and get on with it. Nothing fancy but hopefully serviceable. Which leads me to my next musical posting. A barely serviceable "B" side from a blue-eyed soul man and country wailer known as Roy Head. I had heard his name over the years but I couldn't tell you what he ever accomplished in music. Apparently he did alright for himself with some charting singles in the 60's and a wide range of genres to his credit over many albums. The "A" side to this single (45 rpm) is a Jimmy McCracklin tune called "Get Back", not to be mistaken for JoJo or any other man/woman combination. The song is a catchy R&B tune, simple but delivered with convincing energy by Roy and his Memphis-type rockers which include a sultry sounding lass singing along with Roy at just the right orgasmic moments. It's catchy and likeable, solid 60's material but this is available for purchase on more than one of the currently available collections of Head hits you can buy. I'm not sure where or when I acquired this single but I'm glad I didn't lose track of it over the years and will definitely investigate more of Roy's work. So, as for the posting, you will unfortunately have to settle for the "B" side of the single here, which coincidentally happens to also be "Get Back", only it's the instrumental version! After hearing the exciting vocal version I had high hopes for this being some Steve Cropper, Booker T type extravaganza, but alas, it seems it is little more than the "A" side without lead vocals. Sort of the karaoke version!?! Get back! You gotta be kidding! Well, I figured maybe the "B" side has some interest to a few folks out there. At least it doesn't appear to be available on any current CD's, and why should it be? So here's the microphone, do your best Roy Head imitation and enjoy this understandably rare recording...(not sure if it's really rare ($2.99 on eBay!) but it probably should be, know what I mean?)...

http://rapidshare.com/files/182648203/Roy_Head_-_Get_Back__instrumental__-_Single_45_rpm_-_side_B.mp3

Roy Head - Get Back - Instrumental - 1965

Single - Scepter 12124B (45 rpm)

A Very Merry Cosmic Chicken...

2008-12-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

I chased this album on eBay for some time, one of those recordings I remembered that a friend of mine had back in the good old days, I just wanted it. I have always admired Jack DeJohnette, pretty much everything he has done appeals to me. I find his work generally to be creative, wide ranging, and I particularly like the way he has been involved in the fusion of jazz and rock among many other efforts. Although this album, "Cosmic Chicken", is not particularly scarce, it was surprisingly difficult to capture, but once I got it I was not disappointed with the reacquaintance. Of course, having John Abercrombie and Al Foster added to the mix doesn't hurt. I had remembered this one as having some unabashed rock inspired workouts but it really is not not so base. As usual, Jack & company make the most of the forum and create some adventurous energy and I think you will enjoy it if you don't already have this in your collection. Another album that seems a shame to be OOP but leave a comment and let me know what you think...unless you're chicken...

http://rapidshare.com/files/175983949/Jack_DeJohnette_-_Cosmic_Chicken.rar

Jack DeJohnette - "Cosmic Chicken" - 1975
Prestige P-10094

Cosmic Chicken
One For Devadip and the Professor
Memories (unaccompanied piano solo by JD)
Stratocruiser

Shades of the Phantom
Eiderdown
Sweet and Pungent
Last Chance Stomp (an abridged history of jazz in five movements)

Jack DeJohnette - drums, keyboards
Alex Foster - alto & tenor sax
John Abercrombie - electric guitar
Peter Warren - bass

Not so uptown country music...

2008-12-21T00:55:00.001-05:00

After my last post of Ray Edenton country guitar music, I had to follow up with this Kelso Herston album, with none other than his "Guitar Kings", which include the two guitar monsters, Mister Guitar "A" and Mr. Guitar "B". With all that suspense you can imagine that, similar to the Edenton country guitar album, this is no barn burner. You won't hear too much that resembles a scorchin' Junior Brown solo, but again, this is laid back solid pop country played by some real pros, and they get the simple point across in good old country style. Kelso was an outstanding studio / session player but also accomplished great things as a producer, among other things musical. There's not too much else to say. I can't nail down the date on this one but maybe someone out there can help me out on that. There's apparently a few recordings in this "series" of Guitar Kings sessions but details on them are pretty scarce as I searched the internet. I'm posting it just to satisfy folks out there that might share my passion for anything guitar and wonder what this somewhat obscure album sounds like. Listen for the moments, they are there, but don't hate me if you miss 'em! (share some comments!!)

http://rapidshare.com/files/174728276/Kelso_Herston_-_Guitar_Country_Style.rar

Kelso Herston & The Guitar Kings - "Guitars Country Style" - 196?
Time Records #S/2084

Nobody's Darlin'
No Letter Today
(Don't Your Conscience Ever Bother You) Hang Your Head In Shame
Kentucky Waltz
Night Train To Memphis
Slippin' Around

Mockin' Bird Hill
It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)
If You've Got The Money
You Are My Sunshine
I Love You So Much It Hurts
(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I

Kelso Herston - guitar
Jerry Kennedy, Fred Carter, Moss Wayne, Mr. Guitar "A" & Mr. Guitar "B" - guitars
Hargus Robbins - piano
Henry Strzelecki & Buddy Killen - bass
Murrey Harmon - drums
Charles McCoy - "utility instruments"(?)

How to meet those uptown girls...

2008-12-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

So I'm a frustrated guitar player, strictly amature, and I love listening to guitar music of almost any variety. But I think I often most enjoy the purest forms of sound that the instrument is capable of producing. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything fancy (like those uptown girls, for instance) but just pure (like some of them country girls that had coal miners for daddies). I recall my first listening to some of George Benson's early CTI stuff and then soon after that discovering Johnny Smith, not that they are all so simple, of course, but the purity of their notes really struck home. From there I went on to embrace the likes of Gabor Szabo (admittedly not for everybody), Buddy Fite, Chet Atkins, Joe Pass and Barney Kessel, and on and on, so many talented players and such sweet sounds. Eventually I went so far as to obsess over pop/easy listening greats like Al Caiola and Tony Mottola. So I came to investigate most anyone I came across known for guitar playing skills and that eventually led me to Ray Edenton, a studio/session man for many years with only a few credits as a leader. This next album is one of them, nothing really showcasing his true talents but it has its moments if you appreciate the basics. So if you have an interest in some relatively light country guitar music, check this one out, preserved at 128 I'm afraid, but I think it sounds fine for this sort of thing. The cast of musicians here does read, as the album back states, "like a Country Music " 'Who's Who' ", but you have to be a little suspect when you see Boots Randolph in any line up, as far as I'm concerned. It generally disappoints but it does have a nice feel that hits the spot at times so...close your eyes and just picture them wild uptown girls rippin' it up on a Saturday night, guit it?

http://rapidshare.com/files/174728277/Ray_Edenton_-_Plays_Uptown_Country_Music.rar

Ray Edenton - "Play Uptown Country Music" - 1962
Columbia CS 9265 (CL 2465)

I Don't Love Nobody
Mississippi Sawyer
Eighth of January
Lil' Liza Jane
Sally Goodwin
Sally Ann

Cincinnati
Bad Times
Joe Clark
Liberty
Turkey in the Straw
Fire on the Mountain

Ray Edenton - guitar
Grady Martin & Harold Bradley - guitars
Boots Randolph - saxophone
Charlie McCoy - harmonica
Floys Cramer - piano
Buddy Harmon - drums
Bob Moore & Joe Zinkan - bass

When Christmas comes to our house, Chubby and Rydell join in the fun...

2008-12-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a few more Christmas tunes from well worn 45's I have saved from my 1960's memory. The main one here that I recall most is "When Christmas Comes To Our House" , sung by Dottie Evans with the Brigadiers Quartet and written by Light/Kurzhene. It's nothing earth shaking but I don't think you'll find too many versions of this tune out there (I could be wrong) and it is a pleasant rendition. It was one of four songs on a 45 rpm EP including work by an Artie Malvin as well as a couple of classics from the Waldorf Music Hall Orchestra. But those other three cuts are pretty forgetable, especially in such poor condition as this, so I offer just the Dottie tune and hope you like it too. I did throw in another single here, one from the duo of Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell from 1960. Neither tune was holiday magic for me, I prefer the more straight forward "Jingle Bell Rock" to the attempted comedy of the odd "Jingle Bells Imitations", but they are curiosities from some big names. I expect both of these holiday tunes are well traveled in the Christmas compilation archives over the past 48 years but this single was in decent shape and might be new to you for a little fun. Enjoy and keep the Christmas spirit each and every day, at your house, our house, the out house and everywhere!

http://rapidshare.com/files/174104824/Christmas_on_45_s.rar

Dottie Evans with the Brigadiers Quartet -
"When Christmas Comes To Our House" - 45 rpm EP
Waldorf / Music-Hall #MH 45-165A (track #2)

Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker - "Jingle Bell Rock"
1960 - 45 rpm - Cameo #C-205-A

Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker - "Jingle Bells Imitations"
1960 - 45 rpm - Cameo #C-205-B

And to all a goodnight, Gracie...

2008-12-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

While I'm on this roll through my scratchy old 45's I had to include this next single from Charlie Gracie back in 1956. I wasn't really aware that this guy was apparently a fairly influential 50's rocker that is held in high esteem by the likes of Elvis and the Beatles, etc. He had a couple of hit records early on and his second hit was on the single I offer here, "Fabulous". Now, while Fabulous is a pretty likeable recording, the reason this record is included in my "childhood record hall of fame" is for the flip side, a bit more rowdy piece of work called "Just Lookin'". Actually, with all the scratches noted here from my old copy, and the kitchen sink sound fidelity, I think my MP3 is all the more infectious for this tune. Listen to the tone on his guitar break. I read that Charlie was pretty well known as a guitar player as well as a vocal star. So while this may not be a rare recording (although I had always thought it was something obscure), and while the quality is typical of the rest of my 45's posted here, I just wanted to share and maybe turn a few bloggers on to this rockabilly type crooner/guit-box player. I definitely plan on buying a proper collection of Gracie material as soon as I can. I included the #1 side here but the real focus should be "Just Lookin'"...just listen...

http://rapidshare.com/files/174104825/Charlie_Gracie_-_Single__45_rpm_.rar

Charlie Gracie - "Just Lookin'" - 1956 - 45 rpm (side B)

Cameo #107-B (H8-OW-4720)

Charlie Gracie - "Fabulous" - 1956 - 45 rpm (side A)

Cameo #107-A (H8-OW-4719)

Something Happened..........

2008-12-15T19:49:00.000-05:00

I hate to digress from the holiday theme here, but while going through these old scratchy 45's of mine, some just bring back too many good memories to put off. So this next 45 is from a band I never heard of (before or since I received the record when I was a little kid), "The Sparks". Of course I am familiar with "Sparks" from the 70's/80's and I like them a lot too, but this group from the 50's may not have recorded much more than this single I am offering next. The song I loved from the start is side 1, "Something Happened" (written by William Collins). It's a fairly classic 50's style pop rock tune with Sedaka like harmonies and lots of reverb on the guitar. It's kind of an infectious song that has always stayed with me so now I release it onto the rest of the world. The flip side is included, "Robin Red Breast" (written by Bill Comstock), but it is that folk rock psuedo Mitch Miller/Brothers Four sort of ditty that never hit me for much, but it's here for you to check out. Hope you enjoy side 1 like I first did, one listen and.....something happened....

http://rapidshare.com/files/173464206/The_Sparks_-_Single__45_rpm_.rar

The Sparks - "Something Happened" - 1958 - 45 rpm
Arwin #MM-114-45 (21533)

The Sparks - "Robin Red Breast" - 1958 - 45 rpm
Arwin #MM-114-45 (21534)

Christmas vacation, will you ever come Backus?

2008-12-15T18:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a little something that was also part of my childhood collection of 45's. It comes from the talented voice of Jim Backus who was the best known voice for Mr. Magoo, a character that is indelible in my TV heritage, product of the 50's/60's that I am. Here again, the quality is poor as I never handled these little records thinking I might one day care about recording them into digital format to share on a blog out in "inter-space". But the primary purpose for posting this now is because of the connection kids typically have between the Christmas season and a break from school...a vacation. So here I present "I Need A Vacation" by Mr. Backus, also known as Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island among many other memorable and well loved characters (Jim died in 1989). I remember bringing this 45 to college one year so we could play it over the cafeteria PA system. It got a good laugh that time and has always been fun to give a listen. I have included the better known flip side of the single, "Delicious!" which is included on the 1974 CD called "Jim Backus The Comedy Classics" (ITP Records). So if you like this stuff, buy the CD, but "I Need A Vacation" is not on that CD or available anywhere else that I know of. The quality of my recording of "Delicious" is really poor, especially over the first half for some reason, but you've got to admit, you just can't listen to it without laughing out loud at some point, even with all the scratchy background. I just listened to it twice and was crying both times (as in laughing). The female part in "Delicious!" is not identified on the record label and from what I have read it sounds like it was rumored to be Phyllis Diller, and it does sound quite a bit like her. However, the sources I've read now declare the sexy lush to be none other than the great Hermione Gingold (not so great to you if your not at least my age). She and Jim are something special on this outrageous recording. But the vacation song is a lot of fun too and this may be one of the only places you'll find a recording of it, so enjoy it, send it to college with your kid and enjoy the short vacation this Christmas. This music reminds us all that you've got to have fun, be a little crazy, remember to laugh and smile...

http://rapidshare.com/files/173464207/Jim_Backus_-_Single__45_rpm_.rar

Jim Backus (with Mort Garson and his Group) -
"I Need A Vacation" -
1958 - 45 rpm - Jubilee #45-5330 (45-JB-11322)

Jim Backus and Friend (Hermione Gingold)
with Appleknocker and his Group - "Delicious!"
1958 - 45 rpm - Jubilee #45-5330 (45-JB-11321)

Set at 45 and add some seasoning.....

2008-12-14T23:27:00.000-05:00

So how can I resist adding some Christmas cheer to the blog that is obviously partially inspired by this special time of the year? "Do You Hear What I Hear" just has to include some token Christmas music to ensure balance and ultimate purpose, or something like that. With only ten days to go I wanted to be sure to add the following mini collection of some very rough recordings from my battered collection of my childhood 45's. To this day I think of "Tinker Town Santa Claus" by the Cricketones as a holiday classic, a standard. But I have yet to meet anyone else that has ever heard of it. I think it is an excellent tune with some laughably enjoyable lyrics. The flip side of the single was a version of Rudolph that was just too roughed up to bother with here, but I did throw in both sides of another single by an artist simply referenced as Santa Claus & his Helpers. Santa and the gang do a memorable job on side 2's "Santa's Laughing Song" which I recall best, and on the flip side the same North Pole crew deliver the carefree, "Santa, The Happy Wanderer". These are pretty rough, never handled with much care, but I wouldn't post them if they weren't pretty special to me in my old age. Hope they prove worthwhile for your holiday listening pleasure. And if anyone knows any history on the artists, please fill me in! I should have a few more to add before Christmas arrives....but on with the music, I don't want to "sound like I'm singing in a hole..."

http://rapidshare.com/files/173464209/Christmas_45s.rar

The Cricketones - "Tinker Town Santa Claus" - 45 rpm
Cricket #CX-6B (Pickwick) Side 2
Cast and Orchestra directed by Warren Vincent and produced by Roy Freeman
Written by Freeman & Thigpen

Santa Claus & his Helpers -
"Santa the Happy Wanderer" - 45 rpm
Columbia #4-40577 (ZSP36552) Side 1
Written by Stillman & Moller

Santa Claus & his Helpers -
"Santa's Laughing Song" - 45 rpm
Columbia #4-40577 (ZSP36553) Side 2
Written by Zaret & Kay

The Chick that almost got away......

2008-12-13T02:37:00.000-05:00

I recently rediscovered my box of old 45's and was happy to find a few from back when I was just a grade schooler, probably about 45 years ago, in fact. The first one I had to relive was this one by an otherwise unknown to me duo of "Lee and Paul". I vividly recall both sides of this beauty, the bizarre and fun Easter novelty song, "The Chick" and the pseudo polka pop rock hip-swinging "Valentina, My Valentina". It's not too obvious from the record itself but oddly enough it appears that the novelty tune is the "A" side, if you go in order of the reference numbers on the label. This well worn mini-vinyl was a part of some stack of dated 45's my mother bought for me one birthday or Christmas and I certainly got her money's worth out of them. Wish I still had them all but there's a few that didn't get away over the years like this one that I think you will get a kick out of. I tried to do a little research on Lee and Paul who, as noted on the song credits, are primarily song writers, Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. They cowrote a number of successful songs including another novelty tune, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, and Tracy (Cuff Links) among quite a few others that seem to add up to a credible career. Don't think this record here was much of a hit. But if I ever make a movie I will definitely find some way to work Valentina into one of the happy-go-lucky scenes where I walk along the Riviera with some bikini babes in the bright sunshine followed by a carefree parade of vacationers and lazy fishermen as we wind our way between beach blankets and colorful umbrellas. As you can see, the song is simply inspirational, see for yourself...

http://rapidshare.com/files/172904883/Lee_and_Paul_-_Single__45_rpm_.rar

Lee and Paul - The Chick - 1959 -
Columbia #4-41337 (ZSP 45738) Side A

Lee and Paul - Valentina, My Valentina - 1959 -
Columbia #4-41337 (ZSP 45739) Side B

Show Me Da Do, Bro...

2008-12-01T01:13:00.000-05:00

Shopping for vinyl can be such a crap shoot. You find something you may have heard of, or at least your familiar with the artist, and you check out the grooves, blow a vew specs off the surface and decide to let go of your "dough", and off you go home to set needle to vinyl and hope for the best. Usually, when you part with your hard earned cash, you have high expectations, despite some natural skepticism. And so it was with Tut Taylor, the venerable dobro master. And here is the album burned at 128 so you can judge for yourself, but I couldn't help feel a little let down that he didn't go to town a bit more. It actually is a respectable bit of music, a little bluegrass, a little country, and at times just a touch of muzak to boot, there lying the disappointment. But overall it is very well played by Tut and his fellow hay-chewing chums. There's no doubt that this is a masterful group of musicians. I just wish they would have cut loose once in a while here, but instead it's fairly tame. I think it's worthwhile none the less, it has it's moments and is nicely executed for what it is, hopefully you will enjoy this work which seems to be otherwise unavailable from what I can tell. So sit back and listen to Tut, along with Roland & Clarence White and friends. Let 'em ease you through some smooth licks and keep your dough for those Christmas cookies!

http://www.mediafire.com/?zxn5jjgnmm2

Tut Taylor - Dobro Country
(with Roland & Clarence White) - 1964

Tut Taylor: dobro
Roland White: mandolin
Clarence White: guitar
Billy Rae: banjo
Victor Gaskin: bass

Monkey business beats no business in this economy...

2008-11-28T00:20:00.001-05:00

Having to work for a living is becoming a real drag these days. Guess the financial mess we're in now helps illuninate just how spoiled most of us have been here in the United States. But thankfully, there are some fallbacks to help us through tough times, things like listening to two great guitarists laying down some smooth musings like this next album. Another OOP LP that I found in a record store a couple of years ago. Frankly I was a tad disappointed, it's not exactly challenging, but it is leisurely good listening if you enjoy the expert touch of electric guitarists... like Billy & Johnny on "Makin' It". Not sure what is with the monkey cover here, who was he makin' it with? Especially odd for this mainstream, generally pretty album. But this is good jazz that should be of particular interest to guitar nuts like me. Listen carefully and you will hear some nice stuff, and it should definitely help lower your blood pressure after a day of aggravation at the job...lowering your cholesterol will require turning it up a notch or two, Art Ensemble or Marion Brown perhaps?

MonkeysMakinIt

Johnny Pisano and Billy Bean - Makin' It (Guitar Duets) - 1958

Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good)
Cirrus
Indian Summer
Little Old Lady
When I Fall In Love
Our Waltz
While The Music Plays On
Flute Cocktail
Symphony
The Song Is You
I See Your Face Before Me
Crazy Head

Partial listing of personnel;
Billy Bean: guitar
Johnny Pisano: guitar
Paul Horn: flute
Gene Estes: vibes, drums
Calvin Jackson: piano
Hal Gaylor: bass
Larry Bunker: drums
Fred Katz: piano
Red Callender: tuba
William Green: clarinet

Thanks......

2008-11-27T11:51:00.001-05:00

Every day of the year warrants a grateful expression of wonder at what the world has to offer. While it's so easy to get caught up in all the ridiculous wasted energy and egotistical ambitions of so many people, it's not so difficult to simply relax into the many things that have hit the heart since the beginning of memory. So on this Thanksgiving day, 2008, I make this dedication to the spirit of good people and good music. This is yet another inexplicably OOP record by the talented Toshiko Akiyoshi. Since I discovered her big band with former hubby Lew Tabakin, I have been a great fan and was happy to land the following trio album which apparently has never been put to CD. Her playing is so fluid, and although this album features all "cover" tunes by some of the jazz greats like Miles, Powell, Gillespie and Brubeck, I think she is a tremendous composer/arranger as well. I recommend any of her work and I think you will enjoy this one despite the low bit rate here...feel free to give thanks...

Giving

Toshiko Akiyoshi Trio - Dedications - 1979

Side One:
Toshiko Akiyoshi: piano
Bob Daugherty: bass
Jimmy Smith: drums

Solar
Swinging Till The Girls Come Home
Israel

Side Two:
Toshiko Akiyoshi: piano
Andrew Simpkins: bass
Peter Donald: drums

Two Bass Hit
Enigma
In Your Own Sweet Way
Tempus Fujit

Post Roy Syndrome...

2008-11-25T00:18:00.000-05:00

Well, by now, anybody bothering to read my posts may be fairly frustrated with my run-on sentences that have little or nothing to do with the respective musical offering. So I'll try to spare you here a bit and simply say, this album is one of those calls where it may have been best to leave it to posterity and free of the internet. But I found it in a record store in Florida and was more than a little intrigued to see "Little" Roy (I'm a complete sucker for great steel guitar) along with the well respected studio guitarist, Kelso Herston, and the next thing I know I had parted with ten bucks and was anxious to give a listen. Well, it's a disappointment overall I'm afraid. I had high hopes, ten dollars worth, but Roy does very "little" here to impress. While there are some moments for him and some of his cast, the playing is largely elevator fare with a generally regrettable vocal chorus that repeats the featured lines from many of these tunes. But I love the pedal steel / steel guitar so much, and this understandably being OOP and uncommitted to CD, I figured, what the heck, here you go. For once I won't apologize for the 128kb rip from this dated LP. Proceed with caution but maybe a few of these tunes will hit the spot. Roy sure can play, he just makes it hard to be sure on this one....

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=df9f7003104803d5d2db6fb9a8902bda

"Little" Roy Wiggins - 18 All-Time Hits - 1966 - Starday (SLP 392)

Medley: Candy Kisses/A Prison Without Walls/Show Me The Way Back To Your Heart
Alabam
Seasons of the Heart
Medley: Goodnight Irene/On Top of Old Smokey
Satisfied Mind
Y'All Come

Medley: Faded Love/Maiden's Prayer
You Are The One
Medley: Beautiful Brown Eyes/I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes
The Window Up Above
Medley: Chained To A Memory/I'm Throwing Rice (At The Girl I Love)/You Don't Know Me

"Little" Roy Wiggins: steel guitar
Kelson Herston: guitar
(other musicians unidentified by instrument: Fred Carter, Pete Wade, Billy Linneman, Harold Weakley, Vic Willis, Tommy Hill, and The Ray King Singers)

Moses was a good dog...

2008-11-24T21:26:00.000-05:00

Music so often blends with moments in our lives. Maybe as obvious as seeing a band perform the music live, or maybe what was playing on the radio when you heard that Elvis died, or what you had on your stereo when you broke up with what's her name back in your teens. Certain songs and sounds recapture events and people as vividly as any photograph. I remember shortly after my father passed away that it struck me one evening that music just didn't have the same impact, it didn't conjure the same childlike happiness as it used to, and maybe I was right. But generally speaking, with time, music, like all feelings, rekindles and must remain a defining force, and I think I managed to get over it, though not as easily as I got over what's her name. So this leads me somehow to an album that I only listened to for the first time when I burned it not all that long ago. So go figure. It's a good one that features my favorite instrument, the guitar, played by someone who can really play it. Jerry Hahn is another under-recorded master and only a few recordings are available. This album, Moses, was never on CD to my knowledge is really enjoyable. It includes a lot of different techniques and some different feels on the electric guitar. Another 128kb offering from the LP, but it will give you a taste of some special music. Hopefully it will eventually equate to some special person or event in your life......BTW, Moses was the name of an English Mastiff that belonged to a good college friend of mine from New Jersey. He was a big lug, and a good dog, so was my friend...enjoy;

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=df9f7003104803d5d2db6fb9a8902bda

Jerry Hahn - Moses - 1973 - Fantasy 9426

Moses

Prime Time

Slick & Sharp

Blues Suite

Full Moon and Empty Arms

Sunshine Superman

Joy Spring

All Blues

Honey Suite

Jerry Hahn: guitar

Mel Graves: bass

George Marsh: drums

Merl Saunders: organ, synthesizer

From Sun Up To Hoe Down...

2008-11-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

Like everything, variety is also the spice of music. Even when you think you just can't get excited about a certain style or genre, all of a sudden, given the opportunity, you find yourself listening to something that just breaks through. Then you are energized to find out what else there is like it which leads to more stuff that isn't exactly like it which leads to more stuff that isn't anything like it and whammo, back you are to another total surprise discovery. Most of my childhood experience with music was guided by the radio and television and an occasional school play or other musical production. I evolved to the early 70's well entrenched in the popular rock and folk of the day, probably most admiring the likes of James Taylor and Steve Miller, some of which remain old reliables in the CD collection. But my musical epiphany really started with a good friend, one with an already broader range of musical exposure. He played Herbie Hancock's Headhunter album. I knew he was into jazz and I occasionally listened but found much of it difficult to relate to, a difficult segue from The Rolling Stones. I'm not sure which song sealed the deal, Chameleon I think, but with that Hancock album I was soon finding it hard to keep still to that funky good stuff and the fun improvisations that framed it. My first response was to question that this could be considered jazz, in the same realm as Ella & Coltrane where I had failed to truly relate. But more listens to a few more items carefully selected from my buddy's budding collection and you just don't turn back, do you? So Jazz was my first real breakthrough and probably remains my first obsession, but pretty much everything followed in the years to come, in pretty quick succession; Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Classical, Honky Tonk, Reggae, and all the subfiles there of. So while I will say that Sun Ra remains one of the most highly revered among my favorite musicians, there is plenty of other good stuff to talk about and share. In trying to keep with only material that seems totally out of print and unavailable, I am suggesting this second post of Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys as a great example of the heart of Bluegrass and music in general. Joe sings such free flying lead and harmony parts with great sincerity. I always enjoy a certain carefree feel in his mandolin playing as well. "Sparkling Brown Eyes" may not be his best album, but it's hard to pick from the few he has out there, and this one is not available on CD. Not sure why he's been avoided so. Sorry this is another 128kb as one of my early recordings but Joe doesn't need too much hi-fi treatment, just a mandolin and some bluegrass boys!! Enjoy;

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=df9f7003104803d5d2db6fb9a8902bda

Joe Val and The New England Bluegrass Boys - Sparkling Brown Eyes -

1982 - Rounder Records 0152

Lonesome Road Blues

Silver Haired Daddy of Mine

Out in the Cold World

Going Home

Ribbon of Darkness

Yellow Rose of Texas

Sparkling Brown Eyes

God Loves His Children

T for Texas

The Angels Rejoiced

Fair and Tender Ladies

Vision of Mother

Joe Val: mandolin; lead & tenor vocals

Dave Dillon: rythm guitar; lead guitar on "T for Texas"; lead vocals

Paul Silvius: banjo; baritone vocals; finger style guitar on "God..."; bass vocals on "Going Home".

Eric Levenson: bass

Dave Haney: rythm guitar on "Silver..." & "The Angles..."; tenor vocals on "Silver..."; lead vocals on "The Angels...".

Sonny Miller: fiddle

Jazz...for the record...Freddy Robinson

2008-11-23T12:56:00.004-05:00

Music finds its way into the lives of most everybody one way or another. As a business person in sales I often find music the quickest common denominator in breaking the ice and getting to know people. It's particularly helpful to be open minded to all kinds of music and to enjoy most anything in terms of styles or genres. And so the journey forward and back in music. How did the treasure evolve and where will it lead next? Each experience another adventure like a day in the life. Who can ever recall just where it started in their life, but somewhere there is an audio experience that translates into wonder, emotion. And then there's another, and another and eventually it's like walking and we all develop our own styles and preferences. For me, I can recall moments of impersonating the popular performers of the time, a singing 4 year old trying to recreate the gravelly tones of Louis Armstrong and later pretending I was the powerhouse Tom Jones singing "What's New Pussycat" (if only I knew). Then there were the teenage years of discovering 45's and some LP's, experimenting with my own acoustic guitar to try my hand at Donovan and Simon & Garfunkel, etc. Eventually there came the bands and playing in some local bars and clubs, The Beatles to Allman Brothers, along with original endeavors, eventually playing out the string into a pass time that keeps a low profile. But the steady influence of the rest of the world's music has lived on through it all. The never ending collection of 8-tracks, cassettes, records, CD's and MP3's, etc., is a source of personal expression and pride. And now, with this new blog, I want to document some of my thoughts along with offering some occasional treasures for fellow listeners to enjoy and share in my excitement about the world of music I call home. Of all the great albums I might consider to initiate my postings here, I offer an elusive work by the funkified Freddy Robinson. I saw Freddy perform with John Mayall & His Bluesbreakers back in the 70's and I have tried to find all of his recordings since. This one has been particularly tough to track down and it's now re-ripped at 320 (6/21/09 update) so have a listen....

Freddy Robinson - Hot Fun In The Summertime - 1970

Liberty LST-11007= Pacific Jazz PJ 20176

Caprice's Green Grass

Moonglow

I Want To Hold Your Hand

I'm In Love

Hot Fun In The Summertime

Someday We'll Be Together

Becky's Rainbow

The Creeper

Fred-Hot

Recorded 1970 in Los Angeles;

Freddy Robinson: guitar

unknown: piano

Henry Franklin: acoustic bass

Wilton Felder: electric bass

Paul Humphrey: drums

Al Vescovo: guitar

Bobby Bryant & Freddy Hill: trumpets

Tom Scott: alto sax

Bill Green: sax, poss.

Clydie King, Darlene Love & Edna Wright: vocals

Sid Garp's string section

Welcome Fellow Listeners...

2008-11-18T01:25:00.001-05:00

With the holiday season already descending upon America, what better way to initiate this blog than under the name of a personal favorite Christmas song. In fact, the composer of the tune was a friend of my family, Noel Regney. He actually co wrote the song, Do You Hear What I Hear, with his wife and lived in Connecticut during his later life when my parents befriended him. He played piano and sang at the Ridgefield Inn as I recall. I remember him as a very nice gentleman. And so, there is the inspiration for the blog name. My own ID is inspired from quite a different source, none other than the great Herman "Sonny" Blount. I was fortunate enough to have seen Sun Ra with his Arkestra a couple of times and only wish I had made the effort to see him more often. But what I did experience certainly was special as are all his recordings from my experience. So from traditional Christmas tunes to the supremely bizarre and wonderful jazz from timeless space, I christen this blog in the name of peace and the joy of the listeners everywhere. Thanks for stopping in. I will be documenting some of my music collection, mostly LP's and hope to post some of the interesting OOP's.