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