The Blue Note Thread

Man, most likely a lesser known Lee Morgan solo but his solo in “A Little Busy” from the Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers album Witch Doctor is so damn good. I swear he’s telling a quick little narrative.

Recommend the whole tune, but Morgan comes in around 3:39 or so.
 
Selaws said:
I mentioned this over on the Jazz thread, but I was listening to a lot of Lee Morgan whilst reading his biography and there's one solo which made me do a double take. If you listen at around 3:10 in 'Larry Young - Mothership' there's a bit when Morgan misses a note and ends his solo short. You can actually hear him say 'Damn!' on the recording.

A bit later in the book it actually references this performance and puts it down to Morgan's laziness, which he was known for. He refused to practice and would usually just rock up to a session and perform. Before that particular session he had not played for a while and his embouchure was stiff and weak as a result, causing him to slip up on the track.

On a side note, his album 'The Procrastinator' was named because of his habit of distracting himself (usually with drugs) rather than practicing with his instrument.
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Funny thing, I love Mother Ship.

This reminds me of a documentary on a pride of lions I saw years ago on the discovery channel. It highlighted the rough life of older male lions. How they’re usually driven out by younger lions looking to takeover a pride and have their own cubs. They showed this older lion who was fighting for his life. Some younger upstarts came into his territory and were out for blood. He did his best, but was defeated. He licked his wounds and hobbled away in defeat. Usually, older male lions die after they’ve been ousted, but not this one. He remained solitary for a while. Still showing an agile prowess that beguiled his advanced age. He was still able to hunt on his own. The narrator quipped that he might be old, worn down, and defeated, but at the end of the day, he’s still a lion.

I feel that way about Lee Morgan. At his worst and lowest point, even when he was nodding off on dope, he was still Lee Morgan. At his worst, he was still better than most.

You know Lee wrote the Sidewinder on the toilet? True story. Love this vid of Bob Cranshaw talking about Lee and the how the record came about. Some nice clips of Lee playing too.

 
btf1980 said:
Funny thing, I love Mother Ship.

This reminds me of a documentary on a pride of lions I saw years ago on the discovery channel. It highlighted the rough life of older male lions. How they’re usually driven out by younger lions looking to takeover a pride and have their own cubs. They showed this older lion who was fighting for his life. Some younger upstarts came into his territory and were out for blood. He did his best, but was defeated. He licked his wounds and hobbled away in defeat. Usually, older male lions die after they’ve been ousted, but not this one. He remained solitary for a while. Still showing an agile prowess that beguiled his advanced age. He was still able to hunt on his own. The narrator quipped that he might be old, worn down, and defeated, but at the end of the day, he’s still a lion.

I feel that way about Lee Morgan. At his worst and lowest point, even when he was nodding off on dope, he was still Lee Morgan. At his worst, he was still better than most.

You know Lee wrote the Sidewinder on the toilet? True story. Love this vid of Bob Cranshaw talking about Lee and the how the record came about. Some nice clips of Lee playing too.

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Great comparison!

Yes I was aware of that actually. He needed a filler track so he scribbled it down on toilet paper and a short while later returned with his most successful track......complete madness isn’t it :LOL:
 
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Selaws said:
I have been meaning to pick up this book - Art Blakey Jazz Messenger by Leslie Gourse but unfortunately it doesn't have the best reviews. A lot of what I have read on Blakey isn't actually positive, so it may be that no one has actually wanted to produce an in depth look at his life as of yet.
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I have this book (along with every book related to Blakey, including the cookbook/memoir put out by his partner), but I haven't read it yet. I'm currently finishing Miles' autobiography and in there Miles says Art ratted him out during a drug bust. I haven't started reading any of my Blakey books yet, but I get the impression he's a bit of an asshole. However, at least Miles says he is a great drummer! Poor Duke Jordan gets mercilessly roasted by him!
 
johnpisme said:
I have this book (along with every book related to Blakey, including the cookbook/memoir put out by his partner), but I haven't read it yet. I'm currently finishing Miles' autobiography and in there Miles says Art ratted him out during a drug bust. I haven't started reading any of my Blakey books yet, but I get the impression he's a bit of an asshole. However, at least Miles says he is a great drummer! Poor Duke Jordan gets mercilessly roasted by him!
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Yeah I remember reading that in the Miles book and being pretty shocked. The worst one I’ve heard is (and this is from memory so please forgive the lack of specifics) when Jutta Hipp visited a club where Blakey was performing. She was there as a spectator and had recently moved over to New York from Germany. Leonard Feather was introducing her to the nightlife and musicians, and Blakey came over to ask if she wanted to perform on stage with him. She was flattered but said she was tired and would struggle to keep up with Blakey’s speedy playing style. Later Blakey introduced Hipp to the audience, and unexpectedly said that she had agreed to play with him. Hipp awkwardly got on the stage and began to play but Blakey came in at break-neck speed and she couldn’t keep up. At the end Blakey stood up, pointed to Hipp and said to the audience “And this is why we dont want the Europeans coming and taking out jobs”.

Horrible thing to do if true.
 
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Selaws said:
Yeah I remember reading the hat in the Miles book and being pretty shocked. The worst one I’ve heard is (and this is from memory so please forgive the lack of specifics) when Jutta Hipp visited a club where Blakey was performing. She was there as a spectator and had recently moved over to New York from Germany. Leonard Feather was introducing her to the nightlife and musicians, and Blakey came over to ask if she wanted to perform on stage with him. She was flattered but said she was tired and would struggle to keep up with Blakey’s speedy playing style. Later Blakey introduced Hipp to the audience, and unexpectedly said that she had agreed to play with him. Hipp awkwardly got on the stage and began to play but Blakey came in at breach-neck speed and she couldn’t keep up. At the end Blakey stood up, pointed to Hipp and said to the audience “And this is why we dont want the Europeans coming and taking out jobs”.

Horrible thing to do if true.
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I’ve heard that story too but not sure if it’s 100% true or not. Shitty if true but not unexpected.
 
Selaws said:
Yeah I remember reading the hat in the Miles book and being pretty shocked. The worst one I’ve heard is (and this is from memory so please forgive the lack of specifics) when Jutta Hipp visited a club where Blakey was performing. She was there as a spectator and had recently moved over to New York from Germany. Leonard Feather was introducing her to the nightlife and musicians, and Blakey came over to ask if she wanted to perform on stage with him. She was flattered but said she was tired and would struggle to keep up with Blakey’s speedy playing style. Later Blakey introduced Hipp to the audience, and unexpectedly said that she had agreed to play with him. Hipp awkwardly got on the stage and began to play but Blakey came in at breach-neck speed and she couldn’t keep up. At the end Blakey stood up, pointed to Hipp and said to the audience “And this is why we dont want the Europeans coming and taking out jobs”.

Horrible thing to do if true.
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This is one of the stories I hope becomes more illuminated in one or more of the books I have. I would hope there is more to it than this, or that it's exaggerated, or at least some explanation from his perspective. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it is as shitty as it sounds, though. Lots of these guys were drug addicts that just did horrible shit to people. To reference the Miles autobiography again, he himself admits to repeatedly beating women, pimping women, and just using women in general for their money to get drugs.
 
Hey y'all. What is the general opinion on the BN "Reissue series" from the 70's?

I recently purchase this Sam Rivers record, which is a double LP containing 2 previously unreleased sessions: one which was later released as "Dimensions and Extensions" in the 80's, and one which is actually a Andrew Hill date featuring Rivers, which was later released as "Change" in the 90's.

I grabbed the record mainly for the first date "D&E", which I assumed would sound better than the eventual DMM release it got a decade later, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the sound quality. I don't regret buying this album, after all the music is great, but the jacket, design, and mastering leave me a bit underwhelmed. I do think its cool to have this "odd" release of 2 previously unreleased sessions that would later be released individualy, tho.
 
agutierrezb said:
Hey y'all. What is the general opinion on the BN "Reissue series" from the 70's?

I recently purchase this Sam Rivers record, which is a double LP containing 2 previously unreleased sessions: one which was later released as "Dimensions and Extensions" in the 80's, and one which is actually a Andrew Hill date featuring Rivers, which was later released as "Change" in the 90's.

I grabbed the record mainly for the first date "D&E", which I assumed would sound better than the eventual DMM release it got a decade later, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the sound quality. I don't regret buying this album, after all the music is great, but the jacket, design, and mastering leave me a bit underwhelmed. I do think its cool to have this "odd" release of 2 previously unreleased sessions that would later be released individualy, tho.
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I have the Freddie Hubbard - Here to Stay release from this series and I remember it sounding pretty good. Here's what London Jazz Collector has to say:
Michael Cuscuna opens up the Blue Note vaults: the two-fers

BN LA456-H2 1075Notable amidst this sea of variable quality reissues and a handful of new releases, the Blue Note vaults at this time yielded up many previously undiscovered original recordings from the Blue Note years, including sessions by Andrew Hill, Booker Ervin, Sam Rivers and many other gems discovered by Michael Cuscuna.

Around 1975, United Artists released these for the first time, in light brown gatefold package double album “two-fer” series. The series adopted a variant of the UA blue label, using a white b encircled by “THE BLUE NOTE RE-ISSUE SERIES”, a misnomer, as all the tracks have never previously been issued. The sound quality on some of these two-fers is bright fresh and exciting (Van Gelder recordings), whilst a minority are somewhat lacklustre. Booker Ervin’s Back From The Gig is a stellar recording, essential.

samrivewrsinvolution_gatefoldin_1600
 
johnpisme said:
This is one of the stories I hope becomes more illuminated in one or more of the books I have. I would hope there is more to it than this, or that it's exaggerated, or at least some explanation from his perspective. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it is as shitty as it sounds, though. Lots of these guys were drug addicts that just did horrible shit to people. To reference the Miles autobiography again, he himself admits to repeatedly beating women, pimping women, and just using women in general for their money to get drugs.
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This is probably what happened. It was civil rights era. White people were encroaching in on there music and probably making more money.Their music and they were considered low class. While at the same time there were geniuses. Furthermore, the culture of that era was very competitive and there guys were as good as it gets. They didn't want to suffer fools on their territory.
 
I've got a Japanese Chick Corea that sound pretty good ,Circling In . That would be some great music though/ Rivers and Hill !!
agutierrezb said:
Hey y'all. What is the general opinion on the BN "Reissue series" from the 70's?

I recently purchase this Sam Rivers record, which is a double LP containing 2 previously unreleased sessions: one which was later released as "Dimensions and Extensions" in the 80's, and one which is actually a Andrew Hill date featuring Rivers, which was later released as "Change" in the 90's.

I grabbed the record mainly for the first date "D&E", which I assumed would sound better than the eventual DMM release it got a decade later, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the sound quality. I don't regret buying this album, after all the music is great, but the jacket, design, and mastering leave me a bit underwhelmed. I do think its cool to have this "odd" release of 2 previously unreleased sessions that would later be released individualy, tho.
Click to expand...
 
johnpisme said:
I have the Freddie Hubbard - Here to Stay release from this series and I remember it sounding pretty good. Here's what London Jazz Collector has to say:
Michael Cuscuna opens up the Blue Note vaults: the two-fers

BN LA456-H2 1075Notable amidst this sea of variable quality reissues and a handful of new releases, the Blue Note vaults at this time yielded up many previously undiscovered original recordings from the Blue Note years, including sessions by Andrew Hill, Booker Ervin, Sam Rivers and many other gems discovered by Michael Cuscuna.

Around 1975, United Artists released these for the first time, in light brown gatefold package double album “two-fer” series. The series adopted a variant of the UA blue label, using a white b encircled by “THE BLUE NOTE RE-ISSUE SERIES”, a misnomer, as all the tracks have never previously been issued. The sound quality on some of these two-fers is bright fresh and exciting (Van Gelder recordings), whilst a minority are somewhat lacklustre. Booker Ervin’s Back From The Gig is a stellar recording, essential.

samrivewrsinvolution_gatefoldin_1600
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kafunis said:
I've got a Japanese Chick Corea that sound pretty good ,Circling In . That would be some great music though/ Rivers and Hill !!
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Thanks for your replies!

I mean, this is by no means a BAD pressing, but I just find it a bit lacking in some frequencies, and the bass sounds specially distant, which is a pitty in a piano-less recording (the first session, not the Andrew Hill one) where the bass is essential to the harmonic structure of the performances.
 
There's a guy over on the MMJ FB page who apparently got ahold of some coming SRX test pressings and is stoking some serious hype! I'm gonna need to listen to a my copies of a bunch if the coming titles and talk myself down. Listening to the new Moanin' will be the real test though!
Screenshot_20200123-173742_Chrome.jpg
 
johnpisme said:
There's a guy over on the MMJ FB page who apparently got ahold of some coming SRX test pressings and is stoking some serious hype! I'm gonna need to listen to a my copies of a bunch if the coming titles and talk myself down. Listening to the new Moanin' will be the real test though!
View attachment 30297
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I did needle drops of the MMJ Blue Train and MMJ Blue Train SRX. Here are some short clips.

Signal chain was Thorens TD-125 mk ii --> Dynavector 17d3 --> Don Sachs tube phono section

Blue Train - One Pressing FLAC
Blue Train - The Other Pressing FLAC
I'm Old Fashioned - One Pressing FLAC
I'm Old Fashioned - The Other Pressing FLAC

Blue Train - One Pressing mp3
Blue Train - The Other Pressing mp3
I'm Old Fashioned - One Pressing mp3
I'm Old Fashioned - The Other Pressing mp3
 
johnpisme said:
There's a guy over on the MMJ FB page who apparently got ahold of some coming SRX test pressings and is stoking some serious hype! I'm gonna need to listen to a my copies of a bunch if the coming titles and talk myself down. Listening to the new Moanin' will be the real test though!
View attachment 30297
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Who cares what some pleb whose interconnects only cost $8000 thinks?
 
seeirwin said:
I did needle drops of the MMJ Blue Train and MMJ Blue Train SRX. Here are some short clips.

Signal chain was Thorens TD-125 mk ii --> Dynavector 17d3 --> Don Sachs tube phono section

Blue Train - One Pressing FLAC
Blue Train - The Other Pressing FLAC
I'm Old Fashioned - One Pressing FLAC
I'm Old Fashioned - The Other Pressing FLAC

Blue Train - One Pressing mp3
Blue Train - The Other Pressing mp3
I'm Old Fashioned - One Pressing mp3
I'm Old Fashioned - The Other Pressing mp3
Click to expand...
Please tell me "the other pressing" isn't the SRX...
 
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