Togashi-Yamashita Duo - Kizashi

Another from the wonderful pianist Yosuke Yamashita, this time in a duo setting with masterful drummer Masahiko Togashi. Impressive stuff .
 The outstanding blog barabara sounds put this up a few years ago. I wish I had known that sooner, as I would have been listening to it the last couple of years. Don't know if it is still there, they have been sadly quiet for awhile.
 Still I landed a nice copy and I thought it was time to share some of the jazz I been digging so much lately with my friends.
 Dig these duets, kids. Yeah there's more solo drum than necessary but the whole damn thing is barely a couple of drinks long and the piano kicks ass. They pulled off a live version of this lp that I would love to hear.

1. Action
2. May green
3. Nostalgia
4. Feelin' Spring
5. Duo Dance
6. We Now Singing

Masahiko Togashi - percussion
Yosuke Yamashita - piano

recorded 4/15-17/80, Tokyo

vinyl rip

Yosuke Yamashita - solo piano

Time and weather influence your listening choices. It's true, just think about it. Anyway it's just before midnight, it's lightly raining after storming all evening. I'm on the back porch hanging mellow. Bourbon in hand, I'm totalling digging some solo piano which just seems perfect right now.

But I chose to not go down the backroads of america but to venture to the land of the rising sun. I been digging this jazz from japan for the last few years. The good stuff is hard to come by, the great stuff...ridiculous.

 Here's a couple of really good solo piano lps. These are a bit more laid back than Yamashita's trio stuff, but perfectly played for a night like this.

The lps are " Alone" and "Breathtake"

Alone
1. Flight Of The Autumn Leaves
2. Communication
3. Paraphrase
4. Closing Theme

recorded Toshicenter Hall, Tokyo, 3/14/74

Breathtake
1. Roihani
2. Echo
3. Mina's Second Theme
4. Breathtake
5. Entlam
6. It Will Be Forever
7. Turning Point

recorded Munich Union Studio 1975

Coleman Hawkins - JATP and more

 

It's a Friday night and we gotta lotta love for Hawkins round Chez Hook this evening. Had a itch needed scratchin' so I threw together these live tracks. Couple of oddball bonus cuts thrown in.

I started off with an old Verve lp that has 3 from a 1950 JATP set, next up another 3 from 49. Rifftide from the second set should be recognized as Hackensack by Monk, obviously from their time together. The first lp finishes off with Hawkins accompanying MJQ on 4 tracks.

Next I tacked on Hawkins set from a Pablo box entitled "The Greatest Jazz Concert In The World", a claim that doesn't actually hold up. Go figure! But it is fun.

Then I slapped on a couple of odd tracks from weird compilations before finishing with a "jam session" from the afore mentioned earth shaking concert. The jam is a Duke staple and I'm pretty sure my cloth ears say Hawkins in sandwiched between the Prez and Benny Carter solos.

1. Yesterdays
2. Hawk's Tune
3. Stuffy
4. Body and Soul
5. Rifftide
6. Sophisticated Lady
7. Bean Stalkin'
8. I Can't Get Started
9. Time On My Hands
10. The Walker
11. Moonglow
12. Sweet Georgia Brown

13. Lover Come Back To Me
14. Blues Changes
15. Skippy
16. Battle of the Saxes

17. C Jam Blues

Stephane Grapelli - Satin Doll

More Grappelli. Lots of fun. Lots of swing. Lots of standards.

Play this when the barbecue is over and everyone is sitting around, drinking nightcaps and watching fireflies buzz by. 

1. Satin Doll
2. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
3. Body and Soul
4. Ain't Misbehavin'
5. Mack The Knife
6. Body and Soul (second version)
7. Pennies From Heaven
8. The Girl From Ipanema
9. My Funny Valentine
10. Blue Moon
11. The Lady Is A Tramp
12. Exactly Like You
13. Ebb Tide
14. You Took Advantage Of Me
15. Loverman
16. I Didn't Know What Time It Was

Stephane Grappelli - violin
Eddy Louiss - organ
Marc Hemmeler - piano
Jimmy Gourley - guitar
Guy Pederson - bass
Kenny Clarke - percussion

produced by Arnauld Froberville
Vanguard records VSD 81/82

Joe Hunt Trio - self titled.

This is a great little record and it is a shame that it has hardly garnered the attention it should, but so goes the music business.

 Here's the deal, I met Joe after buying and/ or bidding against him for something on ebay. He lived near me and I knew no one in the area and contacted him and he was gracious enough to invite me into his home.  We had several afternoons together with a bottle of wine and some of the finest jazz I have never heard elsewhere.
 You see, Joe drummed for George Russell on those great early records. Later he worked with Stan Getz, Evans  and Gary Burton. He never once mentioned it. He and his wife made me feel so comfortable that it never occurred to me to interview him after I put two and two together. I can not say that I have ever met a more gracious couple.
 But mostly he has spent his time teaching and I was lucky enough to catch him during his brief stay in Harrisburg.

Oh yeah, and he introduced me to Clark Terry. Very cool.

I held off on posting this record until it no longer seemed to be carried in the usual avenues. It may still be available through both the piano player and bassist's websites.

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