The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

This is a nice jazz piano trio album. They open the album with a lively version of Cal Tjader's classic "Black Orchid," from which the album gets its title.

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...also updating The House Of Mancini with these jewels..
I had a close call with Gunn--Number One! on Discogs today. Had a sealed copy in my cart, from a seller I was purchasing a couple of other items from. But then I noticed it was a mono copy. All I have is a dollar bin copy right now, but haven't really been pressed to seek one out just yet. It's on my "one of these days" list.

Qobuz has it available for streaming, but due to what the record company sent them, they had it labeled as one of the original Peter Gunn albums. (I "fixed" it by adding it to my library in Roon and edited the album title and cover art.) If this version sounds any good, I may download it to have a good digital copy on hand, and get the vinyl whenever I get another order together from a seller that has one.
 
I had a close call with Gunn--Number One! on Discogs today. Had a sealed copy in my cart, from a seller I was purchasing a couple of other items from. But then I noticed it was a mono copy. All I have is a dollar bin copy right now, but haven't really been pressed to seek one out just yet. It's on my "one of these days" list.

Qobuz has it available for streaming, but due to what the record company sent them, they had it labeled as one of the original Peter Gunn albums. (I "fixed" it by adding it to my library in Roon and edited the album title and cover art.) If this version sounds any good, I may download it to have a good digital copy on hand, and get the vinyl whenever I get another order together from a seller that has one.
I bypassed that one -- only because I have enough '60s spy music to last me to age 138. One thing about '60s spy flicks -- if you were a bongo player you worked 24/7 for about a 5-year stretch there.

I recently learnt that The Days of Wine and Roses was issued as a s/t by Intrada in 2013 -- some 50+ years after the fact. Since no s/t was released back in the day, I originally speculated that perhaps Hank didn't have much additional music; however the release is lengthy with lots of titles...

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Rudy, here's a rare one that you and Bobberman may find of merit...

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Cut for Verve in mid-'69, this gem falls somewhere between pop and jazz -- albeit with more pop (singing) and more jazz (lots of odd meter and extended solos) than was expected at Verve at the time. I can't really characterize it other than to report I have nothing else that really sounds like it. It took a few listens to get into it, but I now really feel the muse (sans the one out-of-place novelty tune). Check it out.
 
Rudy, here's a rare one that you and Bobberman may find of merit...

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Cut for Verve in mid-'69, this gem falls somewhere between pop and jazz -- albeit with more pop (singing) and more jazz (lots of odd meter and extended solos) than was expected at Verve at the time. I can't really characterize it other than to report I have nothing else that really sounds like it. It took a few listens to get into it, but I now really feel the muse (sans the one out-of-place novelty tune). Check it out.
I checked this one out on youTube since Spotify doesn't feature it(!@##*), and found Samba For Vicky from the BMB album As Time Goes By originated here. The critics seem to gush over the album, but it seems to be pretty obscure.

Also, sadly, Vicky Hamilton died in 1971...don't know what circumstances led to her death, but it seems very tragic that she died just as her career was beginning to take flight.

CD available on Amazon, but rather pricey...
 
I recently learnt that The Days of Wine and Roses was issued as a s/t by Intrada in 2013 -- some 50+ years after the fact. Since no s/t was released back in the day, I originally speculated that perhaps Hank didn't have much additional music; however the release is lengthy with lots of titles...
I have a few of those Intrada releases and it's interesting to hear how the music was recorded for the film vs. the movie albums Hank released, which were arrangements based on music from the film score. I don't think Days of Wine and Roses really had many musical moments like his other film scores, which is why it never got a soundtrack release. Lots of music for the dramatic cues, but I recall that the main theme was reprised often through the film, and the rest didn't seem to lend themselves well to full-blown tunes like they did in other films.

The film A Shot in the Dark is similar--while it had a strong main title theme and the "Shadows of Paris" montage that started the film, there was not much music in that film at all beyond cues that reused both of these tunes. And both of these were released on a 45 RPM record vs. stringing it out over an album.

"But that was a priceless Steinway!!"

"Not anymore."

The Intrada Breakfast at Tiffany's is my favorite of the bunch, since I've wanted to hear a lot of those tunes separated from the dialog.
 
I checked this one out on youTube since Spotify doesn't feature it(!@##*), and found Samba For Vicky from the BMB album As Time Goes By originated here. The critics seem to gush over the album, but it seems to be pretty obscure.

Also, sadly, Vicky Hamilton died in 1971...don't know what circumstances led to her death, but it seems very tragic that she died just as her career was beginning to take flight.

CD available on Amazon, but rather pricey...
Thanks for the added info, Dan --

I completely missed the BMB connection! They cut a second and final LP in 1970 prior to Vicky's death. I only found about them recently during a listening session when one of my friends brought the LP and played for everyone (one fella said it made him think of B66...had they ever done some serious improv and if Sergio could sing...which brought about some chuckles from a few folks). Both LPs have been transcribed to CD in Japan, but are OOP. The debute is pricey; I found a VG+ on Discogs from Japan for $28, which is my upper limit for CDs. The follow-up release was far more expensive. On a whim, I googled the label, Celeste, in Japan. Although the site is not set up for purchases, I thought I'd send them an e-mail to see if they would sell me one. This "last-resort" strategy didn't work in 1980 when I called A&M trying to buy Warm direct from the source as it were; yet, lo and behold, Celeste actually sold one to me (which is on its way) for $22.

I have to say, I do fancy the instrumentation of the group: female and male voices singing in unison (no harmonizing); piano or electric piano; tenor sax or flute; electric bass; drum kit; hand percussion. It was surely cut live with no overdubbing and no orchestral sweetening. I think it clocks in around 47min -- quite unusual for a Verve LP.

I don't think Days of Wine and Roses really had many musical moments like his other film scores, which is why it never got a soundtrack release
Thanks for clarifying. Still need three more Hanks to finish things up:
  • Hatari (Intrada)
  • What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
  • The Molly McGuires (Kritzerland/Baycities)
 
Thanks for clarifying. Still need three more Hanks to finish things up:
I've lost track of what holes I still have in my Mancini collection. I have pretty much everything through the mid 60s, which is all I'm really interested in. But I do have quite a few of the 70s albums. I remember discovering one of his albums through a restaurant visit many years ago--they had a poster for Oklahoma Crude hanging on the wall and I noticed his musical credit on it. I did snag a cheap sealed copy a year ago, but the music didn't do much for me.

One odd thing is how Japan releases some of his titles on SACD. They've focused more on his late 60s and mid 70s albums, but completely ignore anything from the Living Stereo era or even the earlier Dynagroove era.
 
Well hey, look what I found on Qobuz. 😁

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Nice hi-res digital release.

This one will follow, if I'm still awake. 😁 (It's 1:30am here.) If not, I'll continue it tomorrow during working hours. Funny that I gravitated towards this one due to its cover art. And it really grew on me, along with the companion LP a couple of years later. I have this on the Living Stereo SACD (which is a two-fer with the second Bartok album recorded by Reiner--Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta/Hungarian Sketches), the Analogue Productions SACD and LP of just the Concerto, and the long out of print Classic Records vinyl eissue of the Celesta/Hungarian LP.

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I checked this one out on youTube since Spotify doesn't feature it(!@##*), and found Samba For Vicky from the BMB album As Time Goes By originated here. The critics seem to gush over the album, but it seems to be pretty obscure.

Also, sadly, Vicky Hamilton died in 1971...don't know what circumstances led to her death, but it seems very tragic that she died just as her career was beginning to take flight.

CD available on Amazon, but rather pricey...

Just listened to a couple tracks on YouTube. This duo is VERY reminiscent of Jackie & Roy, who put out a bunch of albums from the 50s through the 60s, and then did two albums for Creed Taylors CTi. Those two are TIME & LOVE and A WILDER ALIAS. TIME & LOVE is more straightforward pop with some jazz leanings; A WILDER ALIAS is - - "out there!"

Eumir Deodato was so taken with Jackie Cain's vocals that he wrote the song "Jackie, All" for her - another thing in common with "Samba For Vicky".

Like this duo, he often sang an octave lower than her, but with a good bit of really nice harmony too. Here's a track from TIME & LOVE, from GODSPELL, "Day By Day". Love the way it starts as a slow ballad and then kicks into a 5/4 rhythm a few minutes in.

 
I was looking through my Joe Sample and Crusaders catalog to see what I was missing, and got off on a tangent.

From the Crusaders' Free as the Wind, a favorite Joe Sample track--"It Happens Everyday":



Lee Ritenour did it on one of his early albums, Rio:



And our CTi pal Hubert Laws does a really nice version on Say It With Silence:



I ended up playing the rest of the Hubert Laws album while I was at it. It's not "pure" jazz by any means, but a good album to unwind to as it features horns and strings.
 
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Nice hi-res digital release
You can't beat those RCA/Red Seal recordings from the golden age (1957-1963) with a stick! (I had a friend whose daughter switched from oboe to bassoon to better her chances at a music scholarship. Given the bassoon is probably the most unpopular orchestral instrument, there is less competition, yet every university orchestra needs to fill a couple bassoon chairs.)

I ended up playing the rest of the Hubert Laws album while I was at it. It's not "pure" jazz by any means, but a good album
I really tried hard to appreciate Laws' CTi releases...just never could find the handle on those; nevertheless, he's surely an excellent flautist.

This duo is VERY reminiscent of Jackie & Roy,
Yeah, a couple folks noted that -- yet my friend who brought the LP over felt that what distinguished Mackay and Hamilton was their focus on unique original material and the polyrhythmic undercurrent. (He said he bought the LP new back in the early '70s.)
 
You can't beat those RCA/Red Seal recordings from the golden age (1957-1963) with a stick! (I had a friend whose daughter switched from oboe to bassoon to better her chances at a music scholarship. Given the bassoon is probably the most unpopular orchestral instrument, there is less competition, yet every university orchestra needs to fill a couple bassoon chairs.)
A high school friend of ours actually graduated with a degree in bassoon studies. Ironically I'm thinking he probably hasn't touched a bassoon in years. 😁

Those great old Living Stereo, and the Mercury Living Presence releases, are all excellent considering their vintage. The only drawback is sometimes the RCA vinyl mastering chain where they cut it to disk using those old Westrex cutting heads, which could "slur" things a bit at times. I notice it more on the LSP series recordings than the LSC, when compared to more modern releases. Digital reissues often sound better since they are taken right from the master tapes, like the well-regarded Living Stereo SACDs from about 15-ish years ago. (They have a CD layer, so they will also play in CD players.) Only problem now is that the scarcity of those releases has driven the prices up. But there was at least one large Living Stereo classical box set, and I recall Van Cliburn had one to himself. They've all sounded really good.

I should post a comparison one day of the original Living Stereo cut of the Perez Prado/Rosemary Clooney LP A Touch of Tabasco. I purchased the ORG 45 RPM pressing (mastered by Bernie Grundman) at an audio show a few years ago on a whim, but only recently did I pull out the original to compare--it sounds dead in comparison. Some of the masters on those Latin themed RCA LPs were on the bright side--I was surprised at Tito Puente's two Dance Mania which were anthologized as Best of Dance Mania with alternate takes--they are very bright compared to the original LP masterings (and subsequent CD reissues which used the LP master).

I really tried hard to appreciate Laws' CTi releases...just never could find the handle on those; nevertheless, he's surely an excellent flautist.
There is one of his CTi releases I like, but the others didn't do much for me either. They were a little too "out there" for me. But with his flute all over seemingly every other CTi record out there, maybe he (and/or Taylor) felt they needed to expand things a bit. The track I posted is definitely more mainstream, more accessible, and perhaps closer to what I thought his CTi records might have been.

Quite a talented family though. His brother Ronnie Laws (sax) did well on his albums--our local jazz radio station played quite a few of his throughout the late 70s and early 80s. "Always There" was the tune that most jazz listeners recognize and seemed to be in perennial rotation here. Sisters Debra and Eloise also sang vocals and had their own albums, and both were actresses as well (especially Eloise who appeared on stage quite a bit).
 
A high school friend of ours actually graduated with a degree in bassoon studies. Ironically I'm thinking he probably hasn't touched a bassoon in years
That narrative plays out time and time again. Everyone I know who earned a music degree and works in "the biz" is a bottom feeder doing stuff that's not their musical passion; while all my other friends who are either more successful or followed their musical heart did not earn a music degree.


there was at least one large Living Stereo classical box set, and I recall Van Cliburn had one to himself. They've all sounded really good.
There were 3 of these goodies. The first one has lots of couplers to fill out the CDs. Once the powers that be gauged the unexpected success of the first box, the second was assembled sans any bonus material (given such material would adversely impact future sets). The third set came a few years later (2017 I think) and was regarded as "crumbs" by some of the moldy figs on the classical forums -- though it far and away has the most beautifully authentic mini-LP sleeves I've seen -- even beats out anything I have from Japan. In any event, among the three sets, there are 180 RCA Red Seal issues here. You are correct in that there were also sets specific to conductors and performers -- for years I eyed the Fritz Reiner set (just to have as Reiner is my all-time favourite conductor) but between the first two volumes (he's not on the third -- he's not a "crumb") you're only missing a small number of his LPs.

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Some of the masters on those Latin themed RCA LPs were on the bright side--I was surprised at Tito Puente's two Dance Mania which were anthologized as Best of Dance Mania with alternate takes--they are very bright compared to the original LP masterings
Yes. Bright-sounding CDs were the selling point back in the '80s -- because that's what made them "superior" to LPs (in addition to no noise floor, et al...). Puente had Doc as a ringer in his trumpet section on some of those dates, and, man, talk about bright (and I run through a tube amp with EL84s)!


There is one of his CTi releases I like, but the others didn't do much for me either.
I liked his three Atlantic releases from the '60s (of course, but I'm biased towards 1955-70 music); there is one '70s release I like: Wild Flower -- but it's not really jazz.
 
That narrative plays out time and time again. Everyone I know who earned a music degree and works in "the biz" is a bottom feeder doing stuff that's not their musical passion; while all my other friends who are either more successful or followed their musical heart did not earn a music degree.
I believe my ol' school pal is working in the entertainment industry successfully in some capacity but no, there's no living to be made off of playing the bassoon, unless you have a gig with a famous orchestra (vs. playing in a community orchestra just for fun). Another schoolmate, though, studied flute and woodwinds and she's been working at Disney World for at least 20 years now. (She'd be hard to miss--she's probably the only redhead in the flute section. 😁) Funny since we had a lot of talented musicians in our school bands, but very few continued in music. Not surprisingly though, we had an extremely talented rhythm section in jazz band, and all three of them are educators. (The twins, keys and guitar/bass, teach in Texas and North Carolina respectively, and the drummer teaches and plays locally for a major university.)

You are correct in that there were also sets specific to conductors and performers -- for years I eyed the Fritz Reiner set (just to have as Reiner is my all-time favourite conductor) but between the first two volumes (he's not on the third -- he's not a "crumb") you're only missing a small number of his LPs.
Reiner is definitely one of my favorites. Bernard Haitink is another, and he's had a few sets of his own out there (a 7-CD, a 10-CD and a "symphonies" set).

It's great that the record companies have given us "vault dumps" like this--putting out large sets where the cost per CD is maybe $3-$4. And not just in classical either. The big Miles Davis set, when it was first released, could occasionally be found at that price level. And I think I bought my Brubeck Columbia set similarly. My 9-CD Bill Withers set likewise was inexpensive and ironically was almost cheaper than the single import CD I had bought just a year prior!

Yes. Bright-sounding CDs were the selling point back in the '80s -- because that's what made them "superior" to LPs (in addition to no noise floor, et al...). Puente had Doc as a ringer in his trumpet section on some of those dates, and, man, talk about bright (and I run through a tube amp with EL84s)!
I wouldn't say they were deliberately bright (like a couple of the Rhino box sets I have, or those Ultra Lounge CDs from Capitol that had smiley-face EQ curves to them), but I'm thinking that's what came right off the masters, and RCA's original mastering engineers in the 60s toned them down. Dance Mania Vol. 2 (which was originally under a different title, and never released in the US originally) has that "dark/dulled " later 60s sound from RCA that I don't care for. The Tito set I mentioned might even be from the original 3-track master. The Clooney/Prado was cut right from the masters as well, and it's amazing how good those old tapes sound after decades.

The tubes do help out here as well... (waves in KT120 🙋‍♂️)
 
since we had a lot of talented musicians in our school bands, but very few continued in music. Not surprisingly though, we had an extremely talented rhythm section in jazz band, and all three of them are educators
The HS band I was in was quite awful. I never kept up with any of those folks, I heard one guy went to Berklee, but dropped out during his first year. A good friend of mine exhibited both technical and artistic talent, which the director was unable to recognize -- he became a very good songwriter and arranger, but had no financial success. College was different. I played with a handful of folks who went on to sustain their livelihood as music performers for a spell in their 20s...I can only think of one fellow who seem to make a financial living -- purely based on performance and devoid of teaching -- beyond age 30. Most of the musicians I met were following college. Again, I can think of perhaps three or four who could sustain a humble lifestyle solely via music performance abetted by modest record sales. Not one of these folks have a music degree and none of them have children...I recently read about how Robert Schuman's mother was worried that his talent would "betray" into a lifetime of financial struggle -- and that was two hundred years ago (round about 1820).

...Bernard Haitink is another... It's great that the record companies have given us "vault dumps"...
I recall there were eventually 3 Mercury sets -- which addressed their entire classical output (I only have the first set) -- as you know, Haitnik is all over the Mercury label.

I agree. In addition to Miles, I seem to recall Columbia issued vault dumps (good descriptor -- I'm going to start using this) for both Cash and Tony (Bennett). Such things always make me immediate pause and check my budget; yet, I normally don't pursue given I don't like having duplicates or buying multiples trying to find that one definitive issue. (In Miles' case -- I already had it all (up though In A Silent Way); Cash and Tony were both over-recorded so there's just too much stuff I wouldn't much appreciate...)

smiley-face EQ curves to them
That about nails it!
 
I was looking through my Joe Sample and Crusaders catalog to see what I was missing, and got off on a tangent.

From the Crusaders' Free as the Wind, a favorite Joe Sample track--"It Happens Everyday":



Lee Ritenour did it on one of his early albums, Rio:



And our CTi pal Hubert Laws does a really nice version on Say It With Silence:



I ended up playing the rest of the Hubert Laws album while I was at it. It's not "pure" jazz by any means, but a good album to unwind to as it features horns and strings.

Definitely one of my all time favorite songs and I have all these versions of it I first heard the Crusaders version in 1985 and it stood out for me so much and I later heard Ritenour's version I enjoyed it too and finally Hubert Laws version they are all excellent
 
Got a few vinyl shipments over the past week or so. Today's three arrivals:

  • I finally nabbed a copy of SP-12014: Bryan Adams, "Let Me Take You Dancing." I have a used copy that was too worn for my liking, but I found this as a sealed Canadian pressing. And it plays perfectly.
  • The Jacksons--"Shake Your Body Down To The Ground (European Mix)" was a mix that I didn't recall existed, but I only had the other 12" single with the different mix, and it's a bit worn (got it that way decades ago, DJ copy). The differences must be slight as nothing really stands out. (It's not like the "Walk Right Now" 12" from the same album, which features a different mix in the synths.)
  • Since the same seller had an inexpensive sealed copy, I grabbed Kevin Eubanks' The Heat of Heat. Looks like many of these GRP releases were pressed on Quiex vinyl, as this one is the slightly translucent brown.
Yesterday's shipment was two records. I only really wanted the record I picture below, but since both of these were considerably less expensive than the cheapest Discogs copy, I took a gamble. It paid off--I cleaned this LP and it plays back in nice, clean quality.

The other record was the next year's installment, Lab 76. More on Lab 75 below.

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I hope I'm not repeating this here, but the Lab 75 album is notable for one big reason. This is a university jazz big band ensemble, and they feature one album per year. (I believe they are still releasing yearly albums.) In 1975, Lyle Mays was in the ensemble. And not just playing keys in the ensemble--he arranged the entire album, and composed all but one of the tunes. A first for the university, and the first of numerous Grammy nominations for Lyle. His efforts here led to the album being nominated for a Grammy, the first nomination for a university jazz band. Lyle had just met Pat Metheny the year prior at the Wichita Jazz Festival, but they wouldn't work together until Pat recruited him to play on his Watercolors album a couple of years later. And then, of course, they would form the Pat Metheny Group shortly thereafter.

So Lab 75 is Lyle's first work, a great launch for his career.

And finally...late last week, I finally after years of 1) looking for a clean copy of this and 2) kicking myself for not buying it new in the early 80s when I saw it sitting in the record bins for months...

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Yep...this label only appeared on this set:

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So I finally have the 10" 2-record set of this album. It was maybe a little more than I wanted to pay, but the seller claimed it was "unplayed" and from his collection. While it doesn't have the shrink with the hype stickers, it did come with the poster (which I'm leaving folded), and the vinyl does look to be mostly untouched. (I'm waiting for the 10" adapter for my record cleaner to get back in stock before I can clean it. It sounds a little noisy but the records need a good cleaning.)

That checks off one bucket list item...
 
Playing lately at Rancho d'MrBill:

YMO or Yellow Magic Orchestra's debut A&M/Horizon release... This was after Horizon sort of transitioned from a jazz-oriented label into a label for music that was difficult to categorize. (And not just YMO -- just check out Gordon Michaels, Ben Sidran or Dave Grisman who were on this later version of Horizon).



While searching for other info I found a lot of interesting info about the three gentlemen in YMO plus a ton of performance videos from the last 4 decades.

But the weirdest thing I found was OMY or Oriental Magnetic Yellow, a sort of tribute group whose music is actually as a good as YMO. As soon as I saw the cover I knew I was going to be in for a treat! A trio of Japanese music students did this (as well a covers of subsequent YMO albums) its more a pastiche of YMO than covers or spoofs.



Kind of reminds me of what Senor Coconut did with Kraftwerk (the next synthtechelectronica I'm going to throw on the music machine)

--Mr Bill
 
"Computer Game" was the big YMO hit, even on funk/soul radio.



Kraftwerk's Computer World is my favorite of theirs--"Pocket Calculator" and "Numbers" were also played a lot on same station. Good times!
 
These two s/ts were just issued -- Jones in late '60s mode: The Banning ('67) is very melodic and memorable while The Italian Job ('69) exhibits a European feel; here, it's clear Quincy worked hard to write an authentic "non-American" s/t.

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This just arrived today: the 2nd and last album from Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton. This session was cut, APR-MAY 1970. It's not as quirky as the debute: only one selection is in an odd meter (all else is 4/4 or 3/4). The hand percussionist is out, so the cross-rhythmic aspects are gone -- indeed the songs swing more in a straight-ahead manner. Chuck Domanico, Joe Pass, and David Bailey are at the session and Ira Schulman is back on reeds. This time out, there is harmonizing and double tracking and three numbers are solo vehicles. One thing is certain: Vicky is a very strong singer with a pair of pipes and a wide range. In the lower alto depths she's husky (reminiscent of Donna Fuller or Sue Raney) and toward the soprano end she is smooth but never piercing (at times she is reminiscent of Lani Hall -- just more full bodied). Dave has one selection all to himself and I have to say, he is a damn good singer. The release is a concept of sorts as it seems all the songs (save the two instrumentals) seem to contain the word, rainbow. Vicky wrote / co-wrote eight and there were two covers. As Dan pointed out, it's tragic that she passed the next year (1971) and at such a seemingly young age. (She and Dave were married and the fact that Dave was also blind no doubt added to his personal grief over her loss...)

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