Wardell Gray - Central Avenue

A friend asked me to repost this lp. It was a perfect opportunity to revisit it as well and I thought it was so fantastic that I decided to revise my much earlier post and give it it's due right here.

 Wardell Gray came of age in that special time between swing and bop. It was the west coast and things were as far out as they were back east just yet. Gray's easy tone and swinging feel make this a delight to listen to. Too bad his early demise relegated him to obscurity to all but hardcore jazz fans.

Other than a couple of alt versions this lp was also released as Wardell Gray Memorial Album. With the additional tracks it will no longer fit on a snigle disc so....
The first disc worth of tracks are the same as the memorial lp, you can skip them if you have a copy.


1. Twisted
2. Southside
3. Sweet Lorraine
4. Scrapple from the Apple
5. Move
6. A Sinner Kissed An Angel
7. Blue Gray
8. Grayhound
9. Treadin'
10. April Skies
11. Bright Boy
12. Jackie
13. Farmer's Market
14. Sweet and Lovely
15. Lover Man
16. The Man I Love
17. Lavonne
18. So Long Broadway
19. Paul's Cause


This bonus disc is the bomb! The first 3 tracks are the unissued sessions from Central Ave. "The Great Lie" is from an IAJRC release. "Stoned" is on a Mainstream comp. The last track is actually Gray's first ever release.

1. Twisted (alt.)
2. Easy Living (alt.)
3. Southside (alt.)
4. The Great Lie
5. Stoned
6. The Chase - Dexter Gordon's All Stars
7. Relaxin' at Camarillo
8. Cheers
9. Carvin' The Bird
10.Stupendous
11. Easy Living



There ya go. The whole shebang! A much better post than the first time around.

Robert Parker - Fats Waller in Stereo

Here's another Robert Parker In Stereo show to tide ya over until I fix a few tracks.

I love this stuff and had no idea I would look back so fondly to when I was stone broke and living in my sister's basement. Still the cheap twelve pack, a little weed and the radio made for a great Saturday night.

Relive it with me cats!!

Johnny Mandell - I Want To Live

I've really been digging into some soundtracks lately so when I came across this in the collection I was psyched. I had completely forgotten that I owned it. It's one of those damn sleeves with no spine.
 Cool west coast jazz just seems to work for this crazy little film and the best part is it works as well without the visuals. It's unfortunate that some of the pieces couldn't stretch out a bit more.
 Dig that groovy cover, cats and kittens.

1. Main Theme
2. Poker Game
3. San Diego Party
4. Henry Leaves
5. Stakeout
6. Barbara Surrenders
7. Trio Convicted
8. Trip To Corona
9. Peg's Visit
10. Gas Chamber Unveiling
11. Nightmare Sequence
12. Preparations For Execution
13. Letter Writing Sequence
14. The Last Mile
15. Death Scene
16. End Title

Jack Sheldon, Al Porcino, Ed Leddy - trumpets
Frank Rosolino, Milt Bernhart, Dave Wells - trombones
Dave Wells - bass trumpet
Vince de Rosa, Sinclair Lott, John Cave, Dick Parisi - french horns
Harry Klee - picolo and flutes
Abe Most, Bill Holman - clarinets
Joe Maini, Marty Berman - bass clarinets
Joe Maini, Bill Holman, Chuck Gentry - saxes
Red Mitchell - bass
Pete Jolly - piano
Al Hendrickson - guitar
Shelly Manne, Larry Bunker, Mel Leweis, Milt Holland, Mike Pacvhenco - percussion
Kathryne Julye - harp

Arrangement by Johnny Mandell

taken from imported lp London SAH-T 6024

Richie "Dick" Garcia - A Message From Garcia

I gotta be honest, even though I saw Evans and Quill on the cover listing I didn't have high hopes for this lp. I bought it mostly for the cheesecake cover. I just assumed the lp would be far to beat to ever offer up. I was close to right (somebody liked side two alot),but it's not as bad as some I have seen and the music was better than I hoped so why not share?
 I have before said I am not a huge jazz guitar fan but I'm coming around. Big clarinet fan though so this seems to hit all the right buttons tonight.
 Anyway the lp was to be relegated to a frame on the wall but it just might have found a home in the collection. Nah, who am I kidding?  That baby's getting framed!

1. Have You Met Miss Jones*
2. If I'm Lucky~
3. Kimona My House+
4. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire*
5. The Deacon~
6. Stompin' At The Savoy~
7. Like Someone In Love+
8. Potatoes*
9. It Could Happen To You~
10.Ev'ry Night About This Time+

  Dick Garcia - guitar
*  A. J. Sciacca - clarinet
* John Drew - bass
*/+ Camille Morin - drums
+ Bill Evans - piano
+ Jerry Bruno - bass
~ Bill Anthony - bass
~ Terry Pollard - piano
~ Gene Quill - sax
~ Frank Isola - drums


produced by Chuck Darwin
Secco Records  DLP-1106

Rich Matteson- Easy Street

I had this lp cued up to be reviewed and submitted almost a year ago but then I decided I didn't like it all that much, mainly because of the Billy Joel cover so away it went. It did tend to creep out occasionally but usually got shuffled back without much fanfare. At one point, it was in my hand to be filed into the shelves but I thought to myself "I remember why I bought this record, and if I stuff it in here chances are it will not see the light of day for sometime."
 You see, I was in a little record store in Green Bay on a visit when the fellow threw this on the turntable. As it played it caught my interest and I asked who it was. The fellow handed me the jacket but I said I didn't recognize the artist. He shrugged his shoulders and told me he didn't either, he was just going through some records he had just bought. I was intrigued enough that I offered him a couple of bucks, if he would sell it to me on the spot without digging through some book.
 I'm assuming the other 50 bucks worth of records in the pile swayed him because he agreed. I had to wait a couple of weeks to actually hear it again because he was on his honor to box up my find and mail it to me. He did...faith in humankind restored.
 Now about the lp...we have a scandanavian quartet backing an american scholar playing the euphonium. What the hell is a euphonium, you say? It's like some crazy cross between a small tuba and an overripe french horn but twisted up like trumpet. Got it?
 Matteson, at the time of this recording was on board faculty at North Texas State University, heralded for their fine jazz program. He passed away in 1993. This record was recorded in Sweden when he was there for a festival.
 Oh and the scandanavians...they're slouches either.
 To this day, I skip the Billy Joel song.


1. Donna Lee
2. Easy Street
3. Just the Way You Are
4. Mikki's Blues
5. I Thought About You
6. Dan's Blus
7. Crib Chimp
8. Without A Song


Rich Matteson - euphonium
Ulf Anderson - tenor sax
Kjell Ohman - piano
Sture Nordin - bass
Egil Johansen - drums

recorded at Marcus Music Studio, Solna, Sweden July 1980
produces by Lars Samuelson

Four Leaf Clover Records FLC 5051

Stephane Grappelli - just one of those things!

 I was so tired of bending over and looking through piles of crap in the "antique mall" that I almost passed up the next stack. But I didn't and lo and behold I walked away with a half dozen lps. And now I am on the back porch, digging the cool breeze as this crazy record plays through the screen door.

 There are two Grappelli records floating around with the same title. This is the Black Lion lp. Live at Montreux Jazz Festival  4/4/73.

1. Just One Of Those Things
2. Misty
3. More
4. Que Restent-ils De Nos Amours!
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
6. Them There Eyes
7. Honeysuckle Rose


Stephane Grappelli - violin
Marc Hemmeler - piano
Jack Sewing - bass
Daniel Humair - drums


Montreux, 4th July, 1973

Black Lion BL-211

 

Happy Birthday, Duke '14

 

Another tribute to Duke. Just some of my favorite stuff from lps laying about, compiled in a less than sober state the weekend before Duke's birthday.
 I tried for a varied mix, with some covers both by Duke and others, some early stuff as well as some later. I'm really happy with the way this turned out.


1. Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me - Duke/Ray Brown - This One's For Blanton
2. Backward Country Boy Blues - Money Jungle
3. Jungle Blues - 30's orchestra covering Jelly Roll
4. Beginning To See The Light - Woody Herman/Erroll Garner
5. Apes and Peacocks - Queen's Suite
6. Mood Indigo - Anatomy of a Murder soundtrack
7. Sophisticated Lady = Billy Mitchell w/ Bobby Hutcherson
8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good - Johhny Hodges w/ Duke's Men
9. Echoes of Harlem - more classic old Duke, live from 1938
10. Satin Doll - Ella/Basie...'nuff said
11. I Can't Get Started - Duke Trio covering the classic tune.
12. Caravan - The Duke/Strayhorn All-Stars
13. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me - Billie Holiday
14. Solitude - Duke/Coleman Hawkins, but Ray Nance deserves a mention here!
15. Single Petal Of A Rose - Ben Webster
16. Sweet and Pungent - Blues In Orbit...Duke's cool.
17. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart - Terry Gibbs Quartet
18. Everything But You - Eugenie Baird w/ Duke's Men
19. Skunk Hollow Blues - Johnny Hodges Orchestra
20. C-Jam Blues - Shirley Scott



If you want a copy of this comp, contact me.

Jay Hoggard - mystic winds, tropic breezes

I first heard this record while the India Navigation blog was being assembled. Somehow I screwed up and only recorded 3 of the 4 songs Of course the link had died before I realized this. I loved the damn disc I burned but I always felt I was being cheated. And then one day...when I am in some far too crowded with junk antique store, I find an immaculate copy of this lp for the outrageous price of 15.00. The owner was as happy to grab my tenner as I was to race outta there with my new treasure!
 It appears that the folk over at OIR posted this way back in 08. With the India Navigation blog history, I think it's time this makes it's reappearance, hopefully finding a few new fans.

From my new vinyl....


1. Mystic Winds, Tropical Breezes
2. The Golden Ashanti
3. Other Side Of The Ocean
4. Listen In Silence

Jay Hoggard - vibes
Cecil McBee - bass
Anthony Davis - piano
Billy Hart - drums
Don Moye - percussion
Dwight Andrews - bass clarinet
Wilson Moorman III - tympani

1982 India Navigation   IN 1049

Pete Rugolo - Music For Hi-Fi Bugs

 Oh, hell yeah. Finally ran across a copy of this in decent shape without some moron wanting an arm and leg for it. Here is a 5 dollar copy, recorded on the first spin after a bit of cleaning.
 Who the hell wouldn't snatch this up for the cover alone?  Just turns out the music is actually pretty cool as well. You know in the Pete Rugolo west coast laid back way.


1. For Hi-Fi Bugs
2. Once In Awhile
3. Fawncy Meeting You
4. These Foolish Things
5. Later Team
6. Oscar's and Pete's Blues
7. Dream of You
8. Snowfall

EmArcy  MG 36082    1956

Robert Parker - Regional Rare

 Here's another of the Robert Parker shows. More great stuff here. I know it's not really cool to dig this early stuff but it really work checking out. And these sessions are as clean as they are rare.
 I have really fond memories of hearing these shows. They would run on the nearby college/NPR station on Sunday evenings. I was living in a basement apartment outside Chicago, mostly friendless and broke. I was learning more and more about jazz from this radio station. I recorded a handful of these on cassettes at the time because I suspected it was something that probably needed time to sink in.
It's always a treat to post one of these shows because it's gonna be playing in the background.
 As usual, dig it, cats!!