Calumny of The Week

[Serial_Apologist]

Sat 11th April

5.00 Jazz Record Requests

Alyn Shipton'sselection of listeners' jazz choices includes music by saxophonists Stan Getz and Lars Gullin, and a memory of the British reed player Mike Atterbury*, who died in January.

*Of whom I had not heard

6.00 Jazz Line-Up

Claire Martin presents a live session by Mercury Prize-nominated group GoGo Penguin, recorded at the BBC's Pacific Quay Studios in Glasgow. The Mancunian act draw on influences ranging from Shostakovitch to Aphex Twin*.

With Gesualdo as historic intermediary? Er, I'll just get me flippers

Monday 13 April

11.00 Jazz on 3

A gig by Australian trio the Necks, recorded during their three-day residency at London's Cafe Oto.

And scrupulously avoided by Yours truly, he has to say...

Tuesday 14 April (Radio 2)

7.00 Jamie Cullum

Singer Cleo Laine concludes Jamie's series of celebrations of Billie Holiday (1915-59), a week after the centenary of her birth, Laine identifies her favourite recording by Holiday.

Should be worth toonin' in for

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Sat 11th April

5.00 Jazz Record Requests

Alyn Shipton'sselection of listeners' jazz choices includes music by saxophonists Stan Getz and Lars Gullin, and a memory of the British reed player Mike Atterbury*, who died in January.

*Of whom I had not heard

6.00 Jazz Line-Up

Claire Martin presents a live session by Mercury Prize-nominated group GoGo Penguin, recorded at the BBC's Pacific Quay Studios in Glasgow. The Mancunian act draw on influences ranging from Shostakovitch to Aphex Twin*.

With Gesualdo as historic intermediary? Er, I'll just get me flippers

Monday 13 April

11.00 Jazz on 3

A gig by Australian trio the Necks, recorded during their three-day residency at London's Cafe Oto.

And scrupulously avoided by Yours truly, he has to say...

Tuesday 14 April (Radio 2)

7.00 Jamie Cullum

Singer Cleo Laine concludes Jamie's series of celebrations of Billie Holiday (1915-59), a week after the centenary of her birth, Laine identifies her favourite recording by Holiday.

Should be worth toonin' in for

Lars Gullin's "Danny's Dream" (JRR) is a very long term fav of mine. Tip O the chapeau to "Dave Taylor of Purbrook" from this very bored? I think there is also a later arranged version with larger group. Big in Scandi/just sounds pure Sweden.

Made up for the industrial clank of the Clyde Valley Vompers. I hide behind the fridge when that was on. I am old enough to remember when whole nights at local 'jazz clubs' were like 'that'. And flat beer.

Where's my meds? Always read the label.

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

Lars Gullin's "Danny's Dream" (JRR) is a very long term fav of mine. Tip O the chapeau to "Dave Taylor of Purbrook" from this very bored? I think there is also a later arranged version with larger group. Big in Scandi/just sounds pure Sweden.

Made up for the industrial clank of the Clyde Valley Vompers. I hide behind the fridge when that was on. I am old enough to remember when whole nights at local 'jazz clubs' were like 'that'. And flat beer.

Where's my meds? Always read the label.

BN.

Yes, a lovely Gullin track, BN. What about the Diz'n'Bird "Anthropology"? What spectacular stuff, and wit! Presumably this was before the Massey Hall concert? It was up there with it, for me. To hear John Lewis playing at Bud Powell's velocity was a special treat, when we think of the characteristic Basie spareness in the emm jay queue Calum likes so much. The swapped fours we heard at the end must have been something new back whenever that was; I often wonder who started that idea off?

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Yes, Bird et Diz great. In fact the program was mostly fine except les gomper stompers. Brings back awful memories of huge halls, duffle coats, bearded mech engineering students and typhoid.


BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

ta

[clive heath]

This data suggests that while John Lewis did record at the Carnegie Hall with Diz'n'Bird nonetheless for the "Anthropology" track it was indeed Bud Powell and recorded elsewhere.

http://www.discogs.com/Charlie-Parker-Dizzy-Gillespie-Bird-Meets-Diz/release/3694534

I don't know about 4-bar chase choruses but in 1936 on Ellington's "In A Jam" Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams exchange 2-bar phrases. They are preceded by Tricky Sam Nanton's solo decorated by Barney Bigard, followed by Ben Webster on one of his first recordings with Duke and lastly there is Cootie again for a chorus with a break on a daring augmented chord!

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/transcriptions_08.php

[Alyn_Shipton]

Clive you're right. I was misled by the typography on the reissue I used.
Brian Priestley's Parker discography makes clear it was Diz, Bird, Bud, T Potter and Roy Haynes at Birdland in 1951.
Note to presenter - be more careful in future...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

be more careful in future...

one for us all Alyn, one for us all eh .....

[Ian Thumwood]

I'd never thought about the whole issue of trading fours before but wondered if it gained popularity with the early JATP concerts - I'm thinking of something like the Les Paul / Nat "King" Cole jam session.

Whenever I've played in rehearsals, trading fours always seems to be fun but I think it is demonstrative of the fact that it is the largest length of any phrase that can be fitted in to all normal 12, 16, 32 and 64 bar forms.

I caught some of Jazz Line up on the way back from shopping at Marks last night and it was quite bizarre to hear the range of music and how uninspired what a lot of was being played sounded. The Balkan Sun Ra--inspired group was indicative of just how quickly the rest of the world is making something effective so speedily whilst lacking in depth. I imagine that the group would be great live yet soon lose their appeal with repeated listening. It just seemed cosmetic. The Kit Downes / cell duo was great yet I don't feel that it was jazz. To my ears, it was symptomatic of what Classical music could be if it unbuttoned itself somewhat. I liked it yet it did raise the same questions that Gwylim Simcock used to do on the old board when Trevor Cooper used to slaughter this kind of Classical / jazz combination.

Jazz Line Up is a bit hit and miss, I find. Sometimes the sessions are a good over-view of the mainstream whereas the "cuddly" presentation is often off-putting and too convivial. It is a bit too cliquey as well and presents the music with a softer edge than say "Impressions" or even Humphrey Lyttelton.

[Alyn_Shipton]

When it comes to trading eights, one early example is this - by Venuti and Lang. The last chorus and a bit has Jimmy Dorsey on trumpet (he also plays alto and clarinet on the track) and Adrian Rollini on goofus, having previously played a vibes solo...

[Ian Thumwood]

"Pink Elephants" is terrific. The performances with Eddie Lang are quite forward looking which contrasts with the ensemble being propelled by the bass saxophone which produces a sense of archaic anarchy. These sessions have an almost surreal quality about them as they seem such a departure from the jazz mainstream. When Lang comps the ensembles play with a degree of relaxation that sounds very modern for the time but the good natured humour of the music is what grabs you more than anything else. It is easy to overlook the musicality of these records as they are such fun.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Pink Elephants" is terrific. The performances with Eddie Lang are quite forward looking which contrasts with the ensemble being propelled by the bass saxophone which produces a sense of archaic anarchy. These sessions have an almost surreal quality about them as they seem such a departure from the jazz mainstream. When Lang comps the ensembles play with a degree of relaxation that sounds very modern for the time but the good natured humour of the music is what grabs you more than anything else. It is easy to overlook the musicality of these records as they are such fun.

Wheneabouts would they have been, Ian? early 1930s?

[clive heath]

I can offer you another fun Lang-Venuti outing with Frankie Trumbauer on Bassoon called "Running Ragged" or "Bamboozlin' the Bassoon" (1929)

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/transcriptions_10.php

as well as 4 tracks by the larger ensemble (1933) with Jack Teagarden tmb and vocals on

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/transcriptions_04.php

The 4 Teddy Wilson tracks (1933) on

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/transcriptions_06.php

have a young Billie Holiday.

[Serial_Apologist]

Many thanks Clive!

[Alyn_Shipton]

The Elephants were 1933