Johnny Burch & John Cox

[Jazzrook]

Here are recent Jazz Journal reviews of albums by the Johnny Burch Octet & John Cox:

https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2019/05/12/johnny-burch-octet-jazz-beat

https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2019/05/07/fat-john-honesty

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Richard Williams blog, c. a month ago ...

http://www.google.com/amp/s/thebluemoment.com/2019/04/18/fat-john-john-burch/amp/

[Jazzrook]

Richard Williams blog, c. a month ago ...

http://www.google.com/amp/s/thebluem...ohn-burch/amp/

Many thanks, BN.
Excellent writing from Richard Williams, as usual.
I'm tempted to take a chance and order the Johnny Burch Octet CD.

JR

[Serial_Apologist]

Many thanks, BN.
Excellent writing from Richard Williams, as usual.
I'm tempted to take a chance and order the Johnny Burch Octet CD.

JR

I can't overstate how joyful I am that this material has been released. John Burch very kindly did me a cassette of the Octet rehearsal presented here, along with his own (very battered) recording of "Roarin'", at a time when it was unavailable, a much-cherished rarity, asking me to promise not to copy it. I can confirm that the Octet is pretty mind-blowing stuff. Both versions of "Early in the Morning" (later featured as a vocal feature by the Graham Bond Organisation, which of course included Baker and Bruce), starts out mournfully over clopping beats in unison before the arrangement lifts proclamatorily, and Bondy launches out in 6/8 against a 4/4 medium tempo into a blistering solo over modal riffs that had my blindfolded friends saying without hesitation, "Dolphy! That's got to be Dolphy! What is this? Previously unreleased Mingus?" When I've told them they've nearly fallen off their chairs. Bond just puts his all into his solo spaces here; the others are pretty good, if not quite in his league: the Nigerian-born Felana coming across as a good Clifford Brown stylist; Robinson - standing in for Dick Heckstall-Smith - comes across much more extrovert than the Lester Young influence he always claimed, closer in spirit to Dexter; and Mumford was probably the best British trombonist before the advent of Paul Rutherford and Malcolm Griffiths in the modern zone here. The one disappointment is Moule, hesitant and out-of-tune; but he is not much featured. Jack Bruce shows his nimbleness, flair and responsiveness on acoustic, the instrument on which I always prefer him tbh; and the pre-rock Ginger probably swings in the Blakey manner here as much as his would-be mentor Phil Seamen did on all the stuff I have of him. Assuming Birch wrote the arrangements, they alternate in style between Basie and Mingus, having the latter's firm middle-to-low register weightiness that provides strong launch pads for the soloing.

I'm surprised to learn Steve Voce hadn't previously heard of Pete Lemer, given the fine work he has done for Harry Beckett, Barbara Thompson (not just Paraphernalia), Annette Peacock, Francis Moze (Magma) and Phil Miller (In Cahoots), though I guess that reflects his interests being mainly elsewhere. Mumford is on the Fat John Cox date - a band also tagged Mingus-influenced at the time - and we are fortunate in having early examples of Ray Warleigh, who sadly died a few years ago; Tony Roberts, later associated with Danny Thompson in Whatever, and also with Southampton-based pianist Ray D'Inverno; and trombonist Chris Pyne, brother to that fine pianist Mike Pyne, and later associated with the circle of musicians associated with Kenny Wheeler. Recordings-wise, Pyne and Warleigh first come into my sights on the 1965 John Stevens Septet session for the BBC - a track from which was included on the excellent CD that accompanied Duncan Heining's book "Trad Dads, Dirty Boppers and Free Fusioneers". I might well order this.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Johnny Burch trio with Ray Warleigh, Chris Pyne, Red Price, "Groovin' High" live London, 1960s. Not sure who the busy drummer is, will check...

http://youtu.be/VBYJwWvKGUU

* Drums Alan Green, who I think played with Garrick. Tune's ATTYA.

[Serial_Apologist]

Johnny Burch trio with Ray Warleigh, Chris Pyne, Red Price, "Groovin' High" live London, 1960s. Not sure who the busy drummer is, will check...

http://youtu.be/VBYJwWvKGUU

* Drums Alan Green, who I think played with Garrick. Tune's ATTYA.

Wowee - thanks Bluesie! Just listening to this now - pretty good, isn't it! The drummer sounds like it could be Jon Hiseman - those rolling infills are one of his characteristics. Possibly Alan Jackson. Haven't heard of Alan Green - possibly someone else under a pseudonym for contractual reasons.

[Serial_Apologist]

Red Price - first I've ever heard of him!

https://cafesaxophone.com/threads/red-prices-daughter.15084/

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Red said of Lord Rockingham’s band “I’ll let you into a secret: we used to tune one tenor sharp, one flat, one baritone sharp and one flat…. and that’s how we got that f***ing awful sound”...I do like that quote! I think he played with Eddie Cochran etc on the radio broadcasts of that fatal UK tour? He was on loads of Brit R&R sessions. I've got a feeling he played with an early Blue Flames but I could be wrong.

[Tenor Freak]

Didn't Graham Bond do a tune called "Bring Back the Burch"?

[Serial_Apologist]

Didn't Graham Bond do a tune called "Bring Back the Burch"?

Correct.