Stuff I'm Looking For

First: If you're promoting Chinese porn sites, please fuck off and die. I don't mean to be that way, but scum like you are ruining the purpose of the web. I'm a big boy -- if I want porn, I'll find it. Please don't post your swill here.


I'm looking for any and all Marvin Peterson. I've got a few (MPS, Berlin, Angels) but really looking for the hard-to-find vinyl. Man! Why is that guy not worshiped!?!?

Art Blakey with John Gilmore. I had it on cassette, but my cassettes were damaged in a flood two years ago.

New adds: Anything on Argo, Xanadu, and heck, let's reiterate, Horo. Also, anything from Nimbus West -- the vinyl stuff especially (I'm happy to give them the money for their discs). In particular, the solo Tapscott LPs and Dadisi Komulafe.

I'm always open to trades (meaning you don't have to post your links) and if you're looking for something, feel free to post it here. If you have digital files but lack a web server (and/or faith in rapidshare and the like), drop me a line.

Photo Credit: © Jon Hammond, Boston Phoenix

The Cookers

Live at Sculler's

Boston, MA, June 14, 2012

A very solid set of music from this band. Several originals as well as some vintage Jazz Messengers tunes. Particularly nice work from Harper and McBee. Evidently, a review of the most recent release described Billy Hart's solos as "tepid". Weiss took the liberty of announcing that prior to the band playing Free For All. Mr. Hart was having none of it and played like he had something to prove. He proved it. Someone was taking photos using a light to line up the shots (though no flash on the shot itself). Billy Hart was not impressed and made it known; listen carefully during his solo. Craig Handy was a bit off and behaved like a disinterested child throughout much of the evening, which is too bad, because he's a helluva musician. Other band members were casting glances among themselves at his behavior.

Track List

1. Capra Black (Harper)
2. The Peacemaker (McBee)
3. Free For All (Shorter)
4. Croquet Ballet (Harper)
5. Sweet Rita Suite (Cables)
6. The Core (Hubbard)/Priestess (Harper)

• Billy Harper - tenor saxophone
• David Weiss - trumpet, announcer
• Eddie Henderson - trumpet
• Craig Handy - alto saxophone, flute
• George Cables - piano
• Cecil McBee - bass
• Billy Hart - drums

Zoom H4N Wav-->Audacity-->320 KBPS MP3

Wynton Kelly and George Coleman - In Concert

This is another one I picked up years ago. It's from Jimmy Cobb's tapes, and the sound quality is only fair, but the music is outstanding. No idea why this one has not shown up on CD, but I've been unable to find it. Other material was released from this set, but I don't think it is as good. The band, especially Big George, is in fine form here.

1. On A Clear Day
2. On The Trail
3. Theme

George Coleman - tenor sax
Wynton Kelly - piano
Rob McClure - bass
Jimmy Cobb - drums

Recorded at 'Famous Ballroom', Baltimore Maryland, September 22, 1968.

Affinity AFF 54

Johnny Griffin - A Night In Tunisia (Freedom)

The companion set to this one, You Leave Me Breathless, surfaced here awhile back. I've search for this for years, finding the odd track showing up on another album, and even an edited version of one track. Here's the full album in it's original needle-drop glory. J-Griff was a badass among the badest, and nowhere is that more evident than here.

1. All The Things You Are
2. A Night In Tunisia
3. Exactly Like You
4. Indiana
5. Rhythm-a-ning

Johnny Griffin - tenor sax
Kenny Drew - piano
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - bass
Albert Heath - drums

Recorded March 30/31 in Copenhagen

Freedom 147.308

Charles McPherson - New Horizons

If you're a hardcore be-bopper, this probably won't suit your fancy quite as well as Live In Tokyo, but if you're a child of that 70s period of Jazz, this is about as good as it gets. Tucker is in top form as a sideman (his strongest role, IMHO) and McBee is unconscious, as usual. This is a great period for McBee, and while maybe a step past prime for Freddie Waits, he's still burning and this is a very solid, straight ahead Jazz date during a period when the rhodes and crossover were favored. McPherson is sort of the forgotten soldier -- no one seems to discuss him much and he's always been under recorded. There are no anthems here, and I won't use the word 'clinic' to describe this music because there is nothing clinical about it (a fault much of the 70s/80s Jazz seems to suffer from). This is honest, productive, interesting and enjoyable Jazz, the way it was intended to be.

1. Promise
2. I'll Never Stop Loving You
3. Night Eyes
4. Horizons
5. Samba D'Orfeo
6. Dee Blues

Charles McPherson - alto sax
Mickey Tucker - piano
Cecil McBee - bass
Freddie Waits - drums

Recorded September 28, 1977

Xanadu 149

Charles McPherson - Live In Tokyo

FYI: File has been fixed and re-upped.

This is another Xanadu, with similar personnel to the Billy Mitchell date. Again, simple, grooving Jazz. It's hard to go wrong with Barry Harris. There is no new ground broken, but this swings impeccably and there isn't a wasted moment on the date.

1. Tokyo Blue
2. East of the Sun
3. Desafinado
4. Orient Express
5. These Foolish Things
6. Bouncing With Bud

Charles McPherson - alto sax
Barry Harris - piano
Sam Jones - bass
Leroy Williams - drums

Recorded April 14, 1976

Xanadu 131

Billy Mitchell - The Colossus of Detroit

The sound on this always killed it for me, but my father absolutely loves this record. He's searched in vain for it on CD for years. It's been on my list to digitize, and now, I'm in that mode, so here it be. Killer lineup, and simply a solid Jazz record, in spite of the sound. Can't understand why this stuff hasn't seen the light of day, yet. Micheal Cuscuna, where are you? Track 5 is an understated duet with Harris, but track 6 is absolutely BURNIN'!!!

1. Recorda-me
2. I Had The Craziest Dream
3. I Should Care
4. Unforgettable
5. How Am I To Know?
6. Be My Guest

Billy Mitchell - tenor sax
Barry Harris - piano
Sam Jones - bass
Walter Bolden - drums

Recorded April 18, 1978

Xanadu 158

More Xanadus to come shortly