You might like this album, https://www.discogs.com/Fats-Waller-If-You-Got-To-Ask-You-Aint-Got-It/release/5764756 It’s a great collection, with an award winning essay by Dan Morgenstern.
I am a visual artist (including portraiture among other areas) and more often than I would like I find myself cringing at some of the poor artwork/design that grace some jazz album covers. But I get that many of these releases are done with very low budgets and under difficult circumstances - and in some cases they are possibly verging on grey market releases.
Here is a very distracting design. I wonder why no one simply used the photograph as determined by the photographer himself
Simple designs are often the best, and can also be the least expensive. But record companies never seem to employ designers with that notion when using photography. You can go through hundreds of album covers for Louis Armstrong, who was a very interesting subject for photographers, and hardly find any that are worthwhile
Thanks. I actually have the 10" and the RCA LP @Tribute pasted the cover of. I was just thinking I don't have anything that has his rendition of "Jitterbug Waltz," and that set has it. Tidal streams seemingly 20 versions of that song, but none are of Waller playing it. Now streaming the below. Big band and Sister Rosetta Tharpe? Yes please.
I loved that shot of Bud so much. Here is a nicely done postcard Moments apart, but this print blurred his sweat, or else Bud had just started playing and was still dry. It is interesting that the photographer, Herman Leonard, chose to reorient the image in his final print, as signed. He obviously did not want closer cropping. Now, many amateur photographers often say "You ruined it by closing your eyes!" Bud rarely opened his eyes while playing. We can listen to his records, but we can never hear what was in Bud's mind as he played.
You wouldn't see Bud like this. Apologies to the subject, selected at random. Fats Waller, of course, was an entertainer famous for his wide open eyes, so you didn't see him play like Bud either.
. West Side Story⸻Bill Barron & his Jazz Group ❨1969❩ Recorded at Gotham Studios in New York City on March 24th , 27th, and 28th 1963 .
"Biff", in the yellow jacket, was one of the last great film dancers, Russ Tamblyn, who is now 86. Here he is at age 20 And a "better cropped" image. He was born just a little late to become a superstar in film musicals, but had all the talent. West Side Story (1961) was his last film musical, at age 26. Hollywood gave up on musicals.
Duke was also an open-eyed pianist when performing for the public. He wanted to please. But they say when he played in private, he was more contemplative: One of the better Ellington covers
Tamblyn is great ! Love the guy. He was fantastic in the 1954 musical 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' too
I guess it's possible that he would've agreed to using just the intro to fit within the constraints of the LP, but I'd like to see that in writing. They say that it was supposed to be a double-album, but at 56 minutes it would've been on the short side for a 2-LP set. Seems likely to me that he would've wanted a couple tracks plus a full "Nardis" to fill Side 4, and he probably had some other choices to fill out Side 3 that missed the cut in 1996--possibly because the label didn't want to give away too much value from the box set. He had a few new pieces that he played multiple times in that Vanguard run--"Knit for Mary F.," "Tiffany," "Your Story," "Letter to Evan"--obviously with the intent of recording them for the album, but they were left off the highlights CD. Was he really dissatisfied with every performances of all of those? I doubt it.
I sometimes think that if Houston Person had made the very same records for Blue Note, exactly the same music and mastering but with Blue Note covers, that everyone would be talking about him. He is one of my favorites of the last several decades
Just finished Mingus Ah Um and now starting Paul Bley- Turns Arranged vertically for thread optimization. John Gilmore is on it the Bley album, did he ever play with Mingus?
I agree. I saw him once in the late 80’s in St. Louis. The place I saw him was odd. A local tavern in the heart of a very bad neighborhood. The place was a small hole in the wall. Had no stage or anything....just moved a few tables and the quartet was set. I’ve always thought Mr. Person was friends with the owner of the Tavren and doing a favor to build revenue for him.
Here are two more that were recommended to me and that I like: Fats Waller, His Rhythm, His Piano – The Definitive Fats Waller Volume One – Transcriptions 1935 and 1939 – Stash Records (ST-CD-528) Fats Waller – The Real… Fats Waller – The Ultimate Collection – RCA Victor (Sony Music 889853054220). This one doesn’t have any liner notes but it’s good music.
I just finished reading a book about the Woods/Emmons, etc. American Studio band (best know for their work on dusty in Memphis and with Elvis) and I'm sure this was both a challenge to them and a point of pride that they could deal with it. Interestingly enough, they preferred to talk about music as little as possible and just feel their way to the perfect take.
@bjlefebvre JSP has issued several volumes of Fats. I don’t have them but people who are Fats completists swear by them. In addition, Larry Kart, the Jazz journalist and writer, posted this elsewhere: “If you have access to a used LP store, the Bluebird LP Waller sets used to show up there fairly often. If the price is right, nab everyone you see. IIRC the notes are excellent. Also, if you see the Time-Life Waller LP set. In fact just about every Time-Life set is worthwhile -- excellent booklets.”
There are some excellent coverart books around. I am a collector of these too beside the music. An vinyl with excellent coverart has always good music inside is my experience.
As far as I can see on here, no he didn't. Charles Mingus Discography In fact, I'm struggling to think of anyone who did play with both Mingus and Sun Ra - they seem to have moved in completely different circles.