This week’s theme: All the Things You Are in multiple settings. Featured artists include Art Tatum, Ben Webster, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Eddie Gomez, Tal Farlow, Dan Axelrod, Eddie Costa, Booker Ervin, Tommy Flanagan, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson, Phineas Newborn Jr., Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Clarke, Johnny Griffin, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Art Blakey, Ella Fitzgerald, Horace Silver, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Carmen McRae, Kenny Dorham, Doug Watkins, Dexter Gordon, Barry Harris, Buster Williams, Tootie Heath.

This week’s theme: A Jazzy Christmas. Featured artists include Ray Charles, Betty Carter, Shelly Manne, Shorty Rogers, Teddy Edwards, Victor Feldman, Al Viola, Monty Budwig, Charlie Parker, Kenny Dorham, Max Roach, Al Haig, Vince Guaraldi, Diana Krall, Rosemary Clooney, Dan Axelrod, Dinah Washington, Ramsey Lewis, Isaiah J. Thompson, John Pizzarelli, Julian Lee, Philip Norris, Kyle Poole, Manhattan Transfer, Nancy Lamott.

This week’s theme: Duets. Featured artists include John Cotrane, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Philly Joe Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Art Pepper, George Cables, Al Cohn, Jimmy Rowles, Tal Farlow, Dan Axelrod, Stephane Grappelli, Marc Fosset, Zoot Sims, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Lewis, Hank Jones, George Shearing, Carmen McRae, Rosemary Clooeny, Ed Bickert, Nancy Lamott, Christopher Marlowe, Ken Sebesky.

Hi Al,

A decade or so ago I went on a mission to create the ultimate Jazz Christmas (or Holiday, if you prefer) collection. I dug deep, scoured the darkest recesses of the internet, searched every conceivable keyword on iTunes, etc., and ended up with an 8-CD collection (the days of CD burning!) that I called “Yule Be Swinging”.

A few years ago I recreated the collection on Spotify (some tunes weren’t available, and some come and go) as a 10-hour, 152-song playlist. They’re all my personal selections, of course, instrumental and vocal, and I tried to stick to “classic Jazz”. There are certainly countless tunes not represented (e.g., I didn’t just dump the entire Ramsey Lewis record on there), and I tried to avoid having 10 versions of any one song, for example (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” came close!). Point being, anyone can certainly say, “Man! How can you not have Song X on here?!” And that’s fine; this is just were I landed. That said, I’m always looking for any I missed, obscurities in particular.

Anyway, I thought perhaps Jazz Collector readers might enjoy the playlist as we head into the holidays. I do not benefit from this financially in any regard whatsoever — I’m simply sharing the fruits of my labor, and it’d be nice to know that others are enjoying it. If you’d like to include the link in a post, please feel welcome to. If not, I absolutely understand.

https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fplaylist%2F7aaq0ThlcjdD79wJuLuHbL%3Fsi%3D56846bed3c6c47a0&data=05%7C01%7C%7C1a3106b666be4cb2e9b708dacbf2cda8%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638046540948788073%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=g3t%2FqiOVFd57uCsio3G1NO04vSLtPnCRAQPkfjZk%2BRM%3D&reserved=0

Have a Swinging Holiday!
Japhy

I replied as follows: Hey, Japhy. Thanks for sharing. If it’s OK with you, I’ll post it on Jazz Collector, just as you sent it. Might want to add this gem, below, from an album called Christmas at the Monterey General Store, featuring me on rhythm guitar and my friend Dan Axelrod on lead.  🙂

The post Jazz Holiday Bonus first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]> https://jazzcollector.com/features/jazz-holiday-bonus/feed/ 8 9077 https://jazzcollector.com/features/granz-farlow-verve-the-american-recording-society/ https://jazzcollector.com/features/granz-farlow-verve-the-american-recording-society/#comments Sat, 08 Sep 2012 16:39:39 +0000 http://jazzcollector.com/?p=4531 Here’s a little tidbit that comes courtesy of my friend Dan Axelrod. Dan, as faithful readers of Jazz Collector know, was a great friend and [...]

Here’s a little tidbit that comes courtesy of my friend Dan Axelrod. Dan, as faithful readers of Jazz Collector know, was a great friend and protege of the guitar legend Tal Farlow. Dan sent me a note last week asking the following question: Why did Norman Granz farm out the first issue of The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow out to a record club? My first response was surprise. He did? I didn’t know that. Turns out the first issue of this record — my favorite of all the Farlows — was issued under the auspices of American Recording Society. I’ve had a few records issued by ARS over the years and, if I recall properly, they didn’t have hard covers. The ones I recall owning were Billie Holiday records, but I didn’t keep them because I had the original Verves. I, of course, suggested to Dan that we post the question here at Jazz Collector, but before either of us got around to posting, he did some research and came up with the answer. Here it is:

Granz did the deal with ARS to try to expose jazz to a wider audience of non-jazz fans who had a record club subscription and might try out a jazz record. Apparently there were also some scholarship funds as well. At first he would issue unreleased masters to ARS that wouldn’t compete with his Verve issues. Then he also issued some Verve titles, including the Swinging Guitar. The reason Dan asked was that he listened to the ARS recording and said the quality of the sound was far superior to the Verve issue. What does that mean? For me it’s another item on the want list, looking for the ARS version of The Swinging Guitar so I can compare it to the original Verve pressing I have in my collection.

The post Granz, Farlow & The American Recording Society first appeared on jazzcollector.com.]]>

“Billy Bauer told me he was in the Royal Roost in the early 50’s and Stan on a break returned to the bandstand and without accompaniment daven’d Little Girl Blue and when he was done there wasn’t a dry eye in the club.This ’56 live  Basin Street Cafe rendition (Shelly Manne, Oscar Pettiford, Dick Katz)  evokes a bit of that beauty- if you wanna post.”

stan-getz-little-girl-blue

A few words of explanation. Dan uses the word “daven’d.” This would be something of a Jewish colloquialism, although I’ve never heard anyone else use it precisely in this context. I think it generally means prayed, but in this case

it means something more, something quite personal and other-worldly, which is quite accurate, in my view. Also, Billy Bauer was a jazz guitarist often associated with the Lenny Tristano school of jazz and he was at one point Dan’s guitar teacher and the person who introduced Dan to Tal Farlow, who became his good friend and mentor. There was a time when Dan and I were doing a gig in Queens — I played rhythm guitar (sort of) — and Billy Bauer came to see us and therein lies a story for another day. In the meantime, enjoy this vintage Getz.

Johnny Glasel, Jazz Session, ABC Paramount 165. This was an original pressing featuring Dick Garcia on guitar. The record  and cover were both in M- condition. The price was $86. We had asked if anyone knew much about this record. Turns out our good friend Dan Axelrod knew Johnny Glasel quite well. He was president of the musicians union in New York and a regular on club dates. I’ve asked Dan to fill in the blanks on some of this and he has promised to do that, so stay tuned. 

Sheila Jordan, a Portrait of Sheila, Blue Note 9003. Speaking of jazz guitar (that was Dick Garcia we just mentioned), this LP features some great work by Barry Galbraith. This was an original pressing. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $79.16.

John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic 1311. This was an original black label in M- condition. The price was $154.27. A similar copy sold for more than $1,000 a few weeks ago. What was the difference? Who knows.

Sahib Shihab, Conversations, Polydor 623257. This was an original pressing in M- condition. Price: $256

Billy Bauer, Let’s Have A Session, Ad Lib 5501. This was an original pressing with the red label. The record was in M- condition and the cover was VG++. It sold for $160. I have two personal Billy Bauer stories. Back in the early 1970s, I had a gig as a rhythm guitarist accompanying my friend Dan Axelrod. My musical talents are, to be generous, modest at best, but Dan taught me enough chords to support him while he soloed. At the time Dan was taking lessons from Billy Bauer and one night Bauer came down to see us with a group of his other students.

And, during our first set, Bauer told all of his students to keep a careful eye on what I was doing because I was swinging so well and doing what a good accompaniest ought to be doing. It was, and still is, the highlight of my musical career. Fast forward 30-something years, I’m standing in Tower Records in Westbury, Long Island, browsing in the magazine section. Some little old man comes up to me and asks if I’ve seen the latest issue of Guitar Player Magazine. I point him towards it, he thanks me and says they just did a profile of him. Really, I say. Who are you? Billy Bauer, he replies. A few weeks later, sadly, I got a call from Dan: Billy Bauer had passed away.

Back to the records:

The Return of Art Pepper, Jazz West 10. This was an original pressing. The record was VG and the cover was VG+. Price: $162.50

Booker Ervin, That’s It, Candid 8014. This was an original pressing in M-/M- condition. Price: $255

Here’s that Roland Kirk record I mentioned the other day: Roland Kirk, Third Dimension, Bethlehem 6064. This was an original pressing in M- condition. Price $338

Finally, here’s that Jackie McLean record I threatened to bid on: Jackie McLean, Jackie’s Pal, Prestige 7068. This was an original pressing. The vinyl was VG and the cover VG+. Price: $202.50

I’ll be back with more later. Stay tuned.