The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

[Rudy]

One for the "losing my marbles" department. Or a few.

It took me half an hour or more to find Passion, Grace and Fire. This is John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and Paco De Lucia. For albums like this one, I'll file it under the first person listed in the group. So it wasn't under McLaughlin. It wasn't under Di Meola, De Lucia, John, Paco, whatever...I couldn't find it. I looked under "F" since I thought I was looking for Friday Night in San Francisco. Which of course, wasn't the title. And with that album having a black cover, I was looking for a black spine.

I found this more than a dozen spaces away. White spine. As it's on Columbia, the spine is easily identifiable.

And before finding it, I had already scanned the jazz section, along with the 180g section and the pop/rock/funk section. Did I mistakenly put it in the pile in the spare bedroom? I had no clue. I finally found it on a fourth pass through the section near McLaughlin to find it very misplaced.

And while scanning through the records, I found others way off. Modern Romance was before Christine McVie. And here's another dilemma. We know her as McVie, but I have The Legendary Christine Perfect Album...which I would normally put with her better known name McVie. Which I sort of did. Except there was another album found out of order between the two.

I'm told this won't improve over time, so... I do try to file things away properly. But then the brain misfires. At least I am not dropping many things yet (and those are at least while working in the kitchen).

One trick I've been doing lately is, when I pull out an album, I'll pull out the album next to it and leave it sticking out a few inches, so I can get it back in the same place. I have to be careful though, as I put recent acquisitions on the shelf the same way, or I forget to play them.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

One trick I've been doing lately is, when I pull out an album, I'll pull out the album next to it and leave it sticking out a few inches, so I can get it back in the same place. I have to be careful though, as I put recent acquisitions on the shelf the same way, or I forget to play them.

I was doing that at 28, Rudy. Don't worry too much.

 

[Rudy]

I was doing that at 28, Rudy. Don't worry too much.

For a couple of days there, I was stuffing many of the records I had played next to Lee Morgan, since they were sticking out.

Lighting is also an issue. I keep the eyestrain down by keeping the lights on really warm or even a dark red setting at night. I'll pop on the overhead flood lights briefly but that is not as good as a wide-beam flashlight directly on the spines. If I got really ambitious, I would wire up all the cubicles with LED strip lighting. But I'm not sure which shelves I am keeping. (IKEA discontinued the color I had started buying for the family room.)

 

[Rudy]

Tonight: two Ray Barretto albums (La Cuna, Acid), two Eddie Palmieri (Vamanos Pa'l Monte, Azucar pa' Ti), Eddie Palmieri/Cal Tjader (Bamboleate), El Chicano (Viva Tirado), and the Passion, Grace and Fire album it took me over a half hour to find last night.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

My alpahbetical listening yesterday took me to Brenda Russell's debut album (originally on A&M)., then to Nick Drake's criminally underrrated Bryter Later, and Milt Jackson's Burnin' in the Woodhouse.

This morning, it's a string of Donald Byrd---Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Byrd in Flight, Byrd in Hand and next up is Byrd's Eye View.

 

[rbisherw]

Recently picked up the Bob Dylan Complete Budokan (import) Box set. Pricey for only 4 Cds. however beautifully compiled and what can I say, I am sucker for big shiny things.

Wish I liked the music better, though. Not real fond of the arrangements, and Bob seems to be rushing it at times.

 

[Rudy]

This morning, it's a string of Donald Byrd---Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill, Byrd in Flight, Byrd in Hand and next up is Byrd's Eye View.

Electric Byrd is a favorite, and I have Places and Spaces on the way to me now. The latter is similar to the Gambler's Life album by Johnny Hammond in that the Mizell brothers produced and performed on it. I was thumbing through the tracks on Qobuz and I realized part way through "Dominoes" that I had heard the song before--my favorite station WJZZ used to play it back in the day. Added it to my WJZZ Tribute playlist. It's not a stretch to think that Byrd got a lot of airplay here in his hometown, back in the day. I'm hoping Black Byrd one day gets a Classic Vinyl or Tone Poet reissue. (And often, those vinyl releases mean a new high-res mastering will be released.)

 

[rockdoctor]

Today, in honor of Peter Schikele, I am playing "The Dreaded PDQ Bach Collection."

 

[Rudy]

He was almost like the modern-day Spike Jones for classical music. Quite a character!

 

[hannahtobin]

You Have Good Taste hannahtobin.

Don't we all.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Less time to listen yesterday morning (places to be, etc.), but it was Lisa Loeb's Cake and Pie from 2001. I knew of her, don't think I'd ever heard her, and I liked it!

Starting off this morning with Cal Tjader Plays Harold Arlen and West Side Story (1957). Only a couple of tracks in, but a very sedate set thus far---1:30 a.m. cocktail bar vibes.

 

[Rudy]

That Tjader album pairing is kind of odd and knowing Fantasy, a track or two was probably removed from the running order (as they did on similar two-fer CDs). The West Side Story thing, aside from a couple of tracks like "Cool" (one of my favorite of all Tjader tracks from any era), it's a pointless exercise in redoing the musical (especially "America")...and I've grown to dislike some of Clare Fischer's arrangements over the years. Some is OK but others veer off into dated kookiness, like the Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil record on Verve, partially ruined by some woman not singing but "oooo-oooo-ing" through half the tracks.

So yeah, there are a lot spicier Tjader records out there, and these on the two-fer are from a couple of early-era Fantasy albums I rarely return to.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

That Tjader album pairing is kind of odd and knowing Fantasy, a track or two was probably removed from the running order (as they did on similar two-fer CDs). The West Side Story thing, aside from a couple of tracks like "Cool" (one of my favorite of all Tjader tracks from any era), it's a pointless exercise in redoing the musical (especially "America")...and I've grown to dislike some of Clare Fischer's arrangements over the years. Some is OK but others veer off into dated kookiness, like the Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil record on Verve, partially ruined by some woman not singing but "oooo-oooo-ing" through half the tracks.

So yeah, there are a lot spicier Tjader records out there, and these on the two-fer are from a couple of early-era Fantasy albums I rarely return to.

I ended up ditching it and moving on---to Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings ---a gem from 1961.

 

[Rudy]

That means Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil may be coming up soon.

Working/training from home today so I'll probably spin a few Tjaders along the way. I've been playing the Fantasy LP Greatest Hits Volume 2 which the second half of the Fantasy CD pairing both of his Greatest Hits albums (but dropping "America" thankfully). I still haven't found the box of missing records where Volume 1 and Los Ritmos Calientes must be hiding. (I'm fairly certain I didn't sell/trade the latter, but I did keep Volume 1 and in fact, may have two copies.)

 

[Michael Hagerty]

That means Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil may be coming up soon.

Hmm...not on Apple Music.

Cal Tjader Sounds Out Burt Bacharach came up yesterday. Could just be me, but department store music.

This morning, beginning with Candid Kyle from Kyle Eastwood. It's certainly good---don't know if I need to hear it a second time.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Moved on to Lee Morgan's Candy (1957) and now Monica Salmaso and Dori Caymmi's Canto Sedutor from 2022---four cuts in and I LOVE this. Reminiscent in places of Lani Hall's Brasil Nativo.

 

[Rudy]

Official YT upload:



Qobuz also has it. Could just be an issue with search too--Tidal's search was (is?) notoriously bad. Sometimes the only way I could find an album was to pick an obscure and unusual song title from the album and search for that. (And these were far from obscure albums!)

The cream of the (Verve) crop will be when you get to the "S" album titles and find Soul Sauce, Soul Burst, Soul Bird: Whiffenpoof and Soña Libre...and Several Shades of Jade which has arrangements by Lalo Schifrin (so it's a bit unusual).

The "E" list will bring El Sonido Nuevo: The New Soul Sound, which is the Verve album recorded with Eddie Palmieri, so it's essentially Tjader with Palmieri's La Perfecta band. Basically a salsa album with vibraphone (and Bamboleate returns the favor with Tjader/Palmieri in the Tico label). Great bonus track to look forward to, though--"Los Bandidos" from the Along Comes Cal album (which has never seen a digital reissue). That and "Samba do Sueño" are probably my two favorite Verve tracks. Thankfully both are on compilations.

This morning, beginning with Candid Kyle from Kyle Eastwood. It's certainly good---don't know if I need to hear it a second time.

I've liked his recordings that I've heard so far.

 

[Rudy]

BTW, I just realized the CD/digital version of Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil has a different track order than my LP. "Vai Querer" and "Elizete" are swapped on the LP--the label matches the music on the record, but the jacket's listing of sides A and B are how they appear on the CD version. Other vinyl versions on Discogs have the same track sequence as the CD (although one entry does not show photos of the labels). I got this record as part of a gift from a Tjader collector so it's possible he bought it right after release.

I had another release of this album called Cal Tjader that was on the budget Metro Records label (an MGM label--Verve was owned by MGM at the time) where it was reduced to ten tracks. (Metro's 500/600 series records were abridged versions of the originals.)

 

[Bobberman]

BTW, I just realized the CD/digital version of Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil has a different track order than my LP. "Vai Querer" and "Elizete" are swapped on the LP--the label matches the music on the record, but the jacket's listing of sides A and B are how they appear on the CD version. Other vinyl versions on Discogs have the same track sequence as the CD (although one entry does not show photos of the labels). I got this record as part of a gift from a Tjader collector so it's possible he bought it right after release.

I had another release of this album called Cal Tjader that was on the budget Metro Records label (an MGM label--Verve was owned by MGM at the time) where it was reduced to ten tracks. (Metro's 500/600 series records were abridged versions of the originals.)

As you know A lot of those Budget labels made Abridged versions like Pickwick ( among others) did and was notorious for reducing the amount of tracks

 

[Rudy]

As you know A lot of those Budget labels made Abridged versions like Pickwick ( among others) did and was notorious for reducing the amount of tracks

Yep. At least Metro was part of the same company as Verve and MGM Records (and possibly others). Kind of like Camden's relation to RCA.

 

[Rudy]

"Change! Makes you want to hustle..."

I got a few records from the Blue Note store. Yeah, I know...after my last one-month refunded fiasco. Blue Note 85th anniversary sale. This time the order took a week from the day I ordered it until it arrived at the door.

I was looking through titles and gave this Donald Byrd album (Places and Spaces) a play on Qobuz. Quite a surprise was the track "Dominoes." That one was played on our local jazz station, even several years after the album was first released, and I haven't heard it in, what, 40 years now? Like revisiting an old friend. I also noted that the Mizell Brothers produced and performed on this record, and based on what I liked about one of my favorite records from last year (Johnny Hammond, Gambler's Life), this one is similarly good, and I ordered it in the Classic Vinyl series. (Appropriately it has the original blue label with black "b" logo from the 70s.)



I'm very limited for time this week but will report on the other three I received over the weekend (and catch up on AOTWs, which I've had almost no time to work on).

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Too jammed to post or listen for long yesterday, but heard Horace Silver (featuring J.J. Johnson)'s The Cape Verdean Blues and a marvelous classical album I was exposed to in the break room at work (where we play our Classical/Jazz station, KXPR)---Alison Balsom's Caprice.

For those not familiar with Ms. Balsom's work (I wasn't):

Alison Balsom | Official

2013 Gramophone Artist of the Year, three time winner at the Classic BRITs and also three time winner at the Echo Klassik Awards, Alison Balsom OBE has cemented an international reputation as one of classical music’s great ambassadors and is ranked amongst the most distinctive and ground-breaking mu

www.alisonbalsom.com

This morning? Starting off with Lee Morgan's iCaramba! from 1968.

 

[Rudy]

Cape Verdean Blues and iCaramba! are two favorites.

 

[Harry]

I'm listening to a really odd compilation album via a playlist from my own collection. It's called MUSIC MAKES THE MOVIES. It's got all A&M artists doing songs from movies, compiled and released in Mexico on RCA/Camden.

A1	Liza Minnelli–	Ven El Sábado En La Mañana / Come Saturday Morning
A2	Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66*–	Lo Que El Mundo Necesita Ahora / What The World Needs Now
A3	Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band*–	Los Problemas De Tu Mundo / Windmills Of Your Mind
A4	The Sandpipers–	Amor Fugaz / That Night
A5	Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass–	Río De Luna / Moon River
B1	Claudine Longet–	La Feria De Scarborough / Scarborough Fair/Canticle
B2	Burt Bacharach–	The Sundance Kid
B3	Quincy Jones–	Probablemente Mañana / Maybe Tomorrow
B4	The Sandpipers–	Libre / (Born Free)
B5	Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass–	Hablando Con Los Animales / Talk To The Animals

Many of these are rather atypical tracks from their various albums. The two Sandpipers tracks were likely plucked from the SECOND SPANISH ALBUM considering this was a Mexican release. The track listed as Quincy Jones is from the JOHN & MARY soundtrack and featured Evie Sands. I found that one on the Evie Sands CD that Rev-Ola placed it as a bonus track.

One nicety for my playlist version is I could use the non-CSG'ed tracks for the three that originally had it.

 

[Rudy]

I picked up the aforementioned Donald Byrd Places and Spaces and have liked it quite a bit, more so than I thought I would. It could be that I'm becoming a Mizell brothers fan, as soul/R&B/funk are up my alley and this album lays that on top of Donald Byrd's jazz trumpet. Johnny Hammond has another album with the Mizell brothers called Gears that I've heard a few times, but haven't really explored. I believe it is one of those records in the Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf series, and I may grab one before they disappear.

But the Byrd album was part of a four-LP order from the Blue Note store (as they were having an 85th anniversary sale). One of the titles was a replacement for my Sonny Clark Cool Struttin' album, as the reissue I bought (which was from either the 70th or 75th anniversary series) was in mono...and hey, I just don't like monaural records unless they were originally recorded that way. This one was the Classic Vinyl series, and in full stereo.

The other two are Lou Donaldson. From the Classic Vinyl series was Alligator Bogaloo. (Side note--I don't know if "Bogaloo" was intentionally misspelled, or if it is a typo of "Boogaloo" that has persisted across the decades.) The other was the freshly minted Midnight Creeper in the Tone Poet series. Both of these have familiar names as sidemen--George Benson (guitar), Lonnie Smith (B3 organ), and Leo Morris (aka Idris Muhammad) on drums. Both of these albums sound similar, in a good way.

There are more Donald Byrd releases coming this year in both the Classic Vinyl and Tone Poet series. I did not see Black Byrd in the list, but a couple others from that era are coming along, including Kofi. Looking forward to those.

If I include the four free records from the Blue Note store I got earlier this month, my net cost for the Classic Vinyl titles was around $10 each, and $14 each for the Tone Poets. It's 1983 all over again.