... with false flitting shapes our minds delude

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

JRR has an interesting track by Barney Wilen with Milt Jackson hammering the piano rather than a vibraphone ... the album it is from is an old favourite and swings madly ... and a track by Herbie Nichols

GSJazz is the LHR story .... more jiving show biz eh just a couple of tweaks more than the 'Sings Basie' album

JLU in tribute to Richard Rodney Bennett who died at the end of last year ... the programme includes his Jazz Calendar Suite ... but no playlist is given ...

Bennett regularly performed as a jazz pianist, with such singers as Cleo Laine, Marion Montgomery (until her death in 2002), Mary Cleere Haran (until her death in 2011), and more recently with Claire Martin, performing the great American songbook. Bennett and Martin performed at such venues as The Oak Room at The Algonquin in New York (which closed in 2012), and The Pheasantry and Ronnie Scott's in London.

Jon3 gets serious about improvising ..

"Trade shoes with the person on your right" and "Play in the style that would be appropriate to accompany a belly dance" - not the usual sorts of instructions to give to a big band, but Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra were certainly up to the challenges presented by Jim O'Rourke's specially commissioned piece.

The work was one of two new commissions by American composers premiered at the fifth edition of GIO's annual festival. Celebrating their tenth anniversary, the orchestra's ever-ambitious and outward-looking approach comes across in these specially composed pieces by two stalwarts of Chicago's rich avant-garde tradition. Guest conductor and trombone player George Lewis first presents Tractatus - a detailed score exploring the difference between 'artistic' and 'everyday' improvisation, a distinction he explains in conversation with interviewer Brian Morton. The second commission - sent by Jim O'Rourke from his current home of Tokyo - is very different, consisting of two decks of playing cards on which are written instructions for the various members of the orchestra. The directions prompt - in the words of saxophonist and founding GIO leader Raymond MacDonald - a "negotiation between the individual and what's written on the card" and produced an exciting and unusual performance from the group. Listen out for shoes in the piano, manic trumpet fanfares, an impromptu round of drinks and a short lecture on haggis!

i hope they spare us the bag pipes ...

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Barney, Barney, Barney....

But a Sinatra track? Did I read that right? Now the floodgates are REALLY open...Scott Walker with Ronnie Scott, The Doors avec Curtis Amy, Matt Monroe with Moira (bongos)....

BN.

Hey, if we can have R.R.Bennet, then why not his cousin, Cliff Bennet and the Rebel Rousers? They had Selmer saxophones to wave too...must be jazz.

[Ian Thumwood]

Bluensik

The Sinatra track appears to be a guest apperance with a Red Norvo small group which includes Jerry Dodgion. Not aware of this track but the line up suggests this track is entirely appropriate for JRR.

Wondered if you had ever heard this Sinatra track before? I have always regretted that he did not record more in thie vein. The line up in simply amazing (Coleman Hawkings, Nat King Cole, Charlie Shavers, Lawrence Brown and Johnny Hodges. If you don't like this track there is no way that you could consider yourself a jazz fan. I'm convinced that Sinatra could have fitted extremely easily in to a complete jazz context. Of all those old singers, Sinatra was easily the most inclined towards jazz even though he did record alot of commercial music which is of no interest to me either. For what it's worth, I would consider Sinatra capable of performing jazz and the references to matt Monroe, Scott Walker, etc is a bit of a smokescreen. Sinatra's popularity amongst jazz musicians suggests that they knew the singer's worth and if you were aware of the "Sweet Lorriane" track or indeed the records Sinatra made with Count Basie ("live at the Sands") I don't think you would question Sinatra's jazz credentials. I would certainly suggest that Sinatra is relevant to jazz and more appropriate that the arguments about five years ago on the old message board to suggest that the woeful Bing Crosby similarly could be considered a jazz artist. I'm not fan of Sinatra although I do like contemporary singers. If you delve deep enough, I would suggest that the argument you have advanced isn't too credible. Listen before criticising.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

..the Norvo group went with Sinatra to Australia, if i am not mistaken the track comes from a Live in Australia Album

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Lester drank himself to death listening to Sinatra sides, Dexter raided the Songs for the Lonely album...Tears out to dry, etc.

I was aving a larf, Ian.

Although I am a big fan of Moira's finely tuned bongos.

BN.

I have seen the future and it's Mal Waldron.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Talking of near jazz vocal, theres a superb set (video) of Julie London, yes Julie, with a cool et small jazz group in Japan or down under on the net. Late sixties.

Stunning.

BN.

[Anna]

Didn't know whether to post here or on the Dancing on the Edge thread, but seeing as it's on shortly today, 18:00 BBC2, repeated Tuesday 23:30, may be of interest to some:
When a handful of musical immigrants from the Caribbean islands came to Britain in the 1920s and 30s, it was the beginning of both musical and political change. Leslie Thompson, an innovative musician and trumpeter, and Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson, a brilliant dancer and charismatic band leader, pooled their talents to start the first black British swing band.

Clemency Burton-Hill reveals the untold story of the black British swing musicians of the 1930s, whose meteoric rise to fame on London's high society dance floors was cut short by unexpected tragedy at the height of the Blitz

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

.. thanks for the pointer Anna ...

[Old Grumpy]

Good selection on JRR, I thought.

Looking forward to JLU too, personally.

Jon3...

...probably not.

OG

[Byas'd Opinion]

I stumbled across "Swinging into the Blitz" more or less by accident.

The first few minutes were a bit so-so, but after that it was really interesting. There was little or no archive footage, but plenty of airtime for a good contemporary band playing some of 'Snakehips' Johnson's music. Elaine Delmar and Soweto Kinch were among the talking heads, along with several people who'd been around at the time.

Now, what about similar programmes on post-war West Indian jazz musicians in the UK, or on the exiled South African jazzers of the late 60s? Or do we have to wait for a glossy but empty drama series to link them up to?

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Hey, a drama about the Bluenotes, Dudu, Harry et al? I'd buy a TV for that...

Except the BBC would cast Lenny Henry.

BN.

[Quarky]

Cerys on 6 with Ahmad Jamal is beating the Jazz programmes on R3 hands down!

Hell, if I want to hear sing a song of Basie, I have it on CD!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I really like Cerys on 6...well its maybe a Wales thing. And, she always has a great enthusiasm for the jazz and blues she's just discovered. My ducks want to marry her.

BN.

[eighthobstruction]

I didn't think it would be long before Clemency was discovered by a wider audience....Strictly Come Dancing by 2015....

....Had a Dudu afternoon yesterday!!....good ol'Harry....lyrical explosive musical narratives....


....for those who didn't catch it http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode..._Show_Special/

[Serial_Apologist]

I didn't think it would be long before Clemency was discovered by a wider audience....Strictly Come Dancing by 2015....

....Had a Dudu afternoon yesterday!!....good ol'Harry....lyrical explosive musical narratives....


....for those who didn't catch it http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode..._Show_Special/

Thanks for savin me time, eighth - spent yesterday catchin up after being offline for 3 weeks. Lovely to be readin y'all agin!