Tag: Larry Willis

Jazz Vinyl, Autographs, Questions, Obits and Memories

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I’m watching a few items from the Jazz Record Center eBay auction that is closing later today, starting with Max Roach, Jazz in ¾ Time, Mercury 80002. This is an “original” Stereo pressing, quotation marks to signal that the original stereo pressing is not the same as the original album. The Stereo pressing was issued later than the original mono, and with two fewer tracks. What makes this more interesting to me is the Max Roach dated autograph on the cover. Pretty nice. It’s also a favorite record of mine. My father had a copy that he played often, and, of course, look at the personnel, Roach, Rollins, Dorham, Ray Bryant, George Morrow and another pianist named Billy Wallace, whose credentials, I have to admit, I had to Google. Here’s an interesting thread. Anyway, I’m thinking of even bidding on this record in honor of dad, who would have been 94 next week. Read more

A Jazz Master Class

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Gary BartzSo last night I had a blast seeing some great live jazz. This is the story:

I was planning to go to dinner and a movie with The Lovely Mrs. JC when I sat down at the kitchen table at about 4:30 p.m. to do The New York Times crossword, which is always a challenge on Friday. I was able to get it done fairly quickly and decided to swing over to the listings to double check on the time of the movie. While there, I figured I would look and see what was doing on the jazz scene, not that I go to live jazz so frequently these days. I usually tell people I don’t go as often because most of the artists I would prefer to see are dead, but that is probably just a lame excuse for the reality that I am still working hard, still getting older and don’t stay out as late as I used to in my halcyon years. Still, there is some unfortunate truth to my rationale in that I much prefer seeing and listening to the artists and music that we write about here at Jazz Collector.  And there are, unfortunately, very few of them left to actually see.

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