Back in time to the early years of bebop, with a Swedish clarinetist, an African American master of the tenor saxophone, and the Chicago bandleader and clarinetist Benny Goodman as the man who made it possible. Wow. Great stuff. It's on Dragon so the sound is really good for its age.

Stan Hasselgard & Benny Goodman "At Click, 1948" Dragon cd



Bass – Arnold Fishkind
Clarinet – Benny Goodman, Stan Hasselgard
Drums – Mel Zelnick
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Teddy Wilson
Tenor Saxophone – Wardell Gray

Recorded "live" at Click, Philadelphia, May 24 to June 5, 1948.

Stan Getz Quartet "Stan Getz At Large Plus! Vol. 2" Jazz Unlimited (Storyville label) cd

Like it's companion first volume this reissues the "Stan Getz at Large" Verve concert release with in this case two additional tracks not released before. The sound is very good, slightly different than the Japanese cd version I have from Verve. Fantastic playing--some of my favorite Getz is from this European stay.

A cool morning. Tobi was confronted with a young deer and luckily has learned a little more restraint and stayed by my side rather than chase her off. It's wet out there. . .we had a big thunderstorm and steady rain yestrday afternoon and evening.

Starting off wtih the lovely langorous voice of Lee Wiley, "Music of Manhattan 1951" Uptown Records cd. Mostly air checks in NYC or Massachusetts, nicely recorded. That unique vibrato!



Lee Wiley with Joe Bushkin

So after a month into my shoulder surgery… I was finally able to use my spin clean machine to clean Van Morrison‘s Moondance 180 gram original album that I picked up new on eBay.  

I have to say that on vinyl this album is just amazing!!  This is the first time I’m listening to vinyl since the procedure, so quite enjoyable to finally  enjoy analog listening.

Further revisiting the work of Benny Goodman, this time from 1938 and 1939.

Benny Goodman "Jazz Tribune Vol. 5" RCA 2 cd set, disc 1

My OG LP of this is not in immaculate shape, and I found it hard to resist going for the "Wheels of Fire" Super Deluxe edition released last week.

This Cream 2 LP set was a favorite of my early growing fascination with music--especially the studio material which is rich and varied, full of then cool hip production and the very intriguing forms and sounds of "Pssing the time" and "As You Said."

This new edition is pretty good, I'm listening to both versions of the studio material on disc 1 Mine is the Japanese SHM-CD edition, arrived from cdjapan today.





 

Starting off another nice and cool morning with an LP, the second LP from the mosaic Records box set "The Complete Johnny Hodges Sessions 1951 - 1955"

Great music from 1952 sessions.

Now on to disc 2

Grateful Dead, "Dave's Picks Vol. 57, Uptown Theater, Chicago, 2/2/78"

I always enjoy a show with Jerry playing Wolf.

Ralph Peterson Fo'tet "The Fo'tet Plays Monk" Evidence cd



Bass – Belden Bullock
Drums – Ralph Peterson, Jr.
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Wilson
Vibraphone – Bryan Carrott

Recorded on Nov. 20 and Dec. 18, 1995 at Soundtrack Studios, N.Y.C.

Re-listening to disc 1 of this set, trying to experience add appreciate the two different masterings. Both are good, different experiences--I think I may appreciate the thickness of the non-phase corrected version a bit.

Japanese SHM-CD edition, Cream "Wheels of Fire" Super Deluxe Edition





 

Spinning LPs now, "The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Sidney Bechet" Mosaic 6 LP st, LP 3.

Art Hodes! I love his playing!



Art Hodes 1946

Gerald Clayton "Ones & Twos" Blue Note cd



Drums – Kendrick Smith
Flute, Alto Flute – Elena Pinderhughes
Piano, Electric Piano [Rhodes], Organ, Toy Piano [KinderKlavier], Synthesizer [Moog], Synthesizer [Korg MS-20], Vocals – Gerald Clayton
Trumpet – Marquis Hill
Vibraphone – Joel Ross (3)
Written-By, Arranged By – Gerald Clayton

"Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants" Prestige RVG Remasaters Japan SHM-CD

The discs in this series sound very good to me on my system.



Miles Davis – trumpet
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Milt Jackson – vibraphone
Thelonious Monk – piano
Red Garland – piano
Percy Heath – bass
Paul Chambers – bass
Kenny Clarke – drums
Philly Joe Jones – drums

Released 1959, sessions from 1954 and 1956 (one track only, "'Round Midnight")

Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" Sony SRCS 9108 1996 20 bit remastered LP facsimile cd.



One of the first cd versions I bought, and I still like to play it, the sound is good.

Revisiting a wonderful box set, playing a disc that I have neglected a long time.

Dave Brubeck "Time Changes" Columbia cd



From this box set

I'm going back to one of the recordings that blew my 18 year old mind.

Miles Davis "MIles Davis at Fillmore" Sony SICP 20061-2 Blu-Spec 2 cd set, disc 2

I still have my original 2 LP set, and three digital versions. . . I chose this one to listen to today.

A nice cool, quiet morning. Starting off with an album I haven't played in a while, Geroge Russell "The Status Seekers," Riverside LP

Don Ellis (trumpet) Dave Baker (trombone) John Pierce (alto sax) Paul Plummer (tenor sax) George Russell (piano) Stephen Swallow (bass) Joe Hunt (drums) recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, NYC, January 31, 1962

One of the very intersting Russell albums during these years, forward and swinging in a new way.

Arrived last night and I picked up out of my package box this morning. . . wow, been waiting for this.

Miles Davis "Miles '56" Prestige/Concord 3 cd set, disc 1 playing now.

This set starts off with the final recording of Miles with Sonny Rollins (and Tommy Flanagan and Paul Chambers and Art Taylor) and then moves into the recordings with the Quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.

The sound here is excellent--remastered by Paul Blackmore and restored utilizing the Plangent Process. I've many versions of this music and the music transcends any mastering. . . but I would put this right up there with my favorite versions that I have owned which are the XRCD24 lp facsimile cd releases of the First Great Quintet material.

A great addition to the 100th birthday Miles Davis reissue release series from labels.