RARITY # 30

BENNY BAILEY ALL STARS / JOE SCHMID COMBO
ARIOLA 65 122 A (EP)  
Germany / Switzerland, c.1960?

 Considering (i) the nearnest of the end of the world (less than one month left!) and (ii) the fact that free file-sharing is becoming more and more difficult (see Rapidshare new regulations / limitation of free use), I guess I better post what I have while it lasts.

So here is another obscure 45 rpm from Onxidlib's box of surprises.  No need to introduce Benny Bailey and his mates but I'd never heard of the Joe Schmid Combo.  

The A-side is the interesting one. Can't go wrong with a straight blues. Everybody has a short solo (but the bass player, that's not fair!) then the coda and that's it. Short but enjoyable!

The B-side is more lightweight, 50's middle jazz with  vibes and a good flute solo.  Couldn't find any info on the musicians on the web.  

Side A:  Benny Bailey All Stars

Benny (Billy!) Bailey, trumpet
Rudi Flierl, baritone saxophone
Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone
Horst Jankowski, piano
Günther Leimstoll, guitar
Götz Wendlandt, bass
Joe Harris, drums

"Tootie's Blues" (Simon)  3:21

Recorded in Berlin on September 29, 1959.

Side B: Joe Schmid Combo (from Zürich, Switzerland)
(unknown vb, bs, fl, b, dr, as)

"Exactly Like You" (Mc. Hugh)  2:26

Recording date and place unknown.

ARIOLA 65 122 A (EP)

RARITY # 29

FRANCY BOLAND ENSEMBLE
Columbia C 41 368 (EP)       Germany, 196?

 This one is for El  Porco Rojo and comes from a crate of old EP that Onxidlib has received recently.  Expect more rarities and goodies soon!
What to say about this one. I probably repeat myself (old age!) but IMHO the Clarke-Boland Big Band is one of the (if not THE) greatest modern big bands EVER. 

Onxidlib did a superb job in ripping and cleaning this EP. Nice crisp sound!  Enjoy!


FRANCY BOLAND ENSEMBLE

Dusko Gojkovic, flugelhorn (side A), trumpet (side B)
Derek Humble, alto saxophone
Karl Drewo, tenor saxophone
Bubi Aderhold, baritone saxophone
Heinz Kretzschmar, bass clarinet
Francy Boland, piano
Jean Warland, bass
Kenny Clarke, drums

Side A:

1. Rose Room (Williams - Hickman)  2:38
2. East Of The Sun (Bowman)        2:37

Side B:

1. Blues For Koebes (Boland)       4:47

Recorded ca. 1960 in Köln, Germany.       COLUMBIA C 41 368 (EP) 

An old collaboration: Jean Warland (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums) as members of the Jacques Helian Orchestra (France,  in the mid-fifities)
Source: http://jacques-helian.pagesperso-orange.fr/L'album%20photos.htm

RARITY # 28

HELMUT BRANDT COMBO "NORDLICHT"
EP METRONOME MEP 1734 - Germany, 1957

It is with great pride and pleasure that I post today the last installment in a series of three EP recorded by Helmut Brandt Combo in 1957 for the Metronome label, to showcase various jazz styles that were popular at the time (and his own proficiency in the three of them): Swing, Jump and West Coast/Cool. 

1. 
   

• Rarity # 7: Helmut Brandt Combo vol.1: Swing (Metronome MEP 1729).
• Rarity #14: Helmut Brandt Combo vol.2: Jumpin’ (Metronome MEP 1730)
• Rarity#28: Helmut Brandt Combo Nordlicht (Metronome MEP 1734)

The first one came from the vault of Paul D., the two others from Onxidlib’s.  I'll be eternally grateful to both of them for their generosity. 

This third EP features the beautiful ballad “Nordlicht” which is among Brandt’s better known compositions.

Musicians
Conrad (Conny) Jackel, trumpet
Helmut Brandt, baritone saxophone
Gert Mann, piano, vibes
Erich Gerosch, bass
Heinrich Schroeder, drums

Tracks
1. Bami
2. Storyville Bounce
3. Tipsy Driver
4. Nordlicht

Recorded in Berlin on August 25, 1957  (METRONOME MEP 1734).

ONE TRACK #1

Mystery track by "Radio Dans Orkest" (Belgium, 19??)

BRT Jazz Orkest (from Guy Dossche website)

Superb modern Belgian big band track in the line of the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band with a groovy organ solo.

The rip comes from Sunbop who wrote “ … rare one by Etienne Verschueren’s Radiodansorkest.  Not mentioned in Robert Pernet's discography and the numbers don't have any name.”  

I can't post the whole session as some tracks are badly distorted. 

Title : ? track 2 ?
Band: Radio Dans Orkest ((Radio Dance Orchestra)).
Source :  non commercial recording for Radio broadcast (BRT).

If someone has information on this session or could provide a rip of the whole LP/ session, please drop me a message. 
Recommended reading : Guy Dossche webside (in Dutch).

p.s.  I suspect that this recording is by Francis Bey Radio Dance Orchestra rather than Etienne Verschueren's (but they were basically the same group of musicians).

RARITY #27

DAVID AMRAM - ALBERT MANGELSDORFF GROUP
(Acetate, 1954)

David Amram

This rip of a rare acetate was sent to me by onxidlib a while ago.  The session took place in 1954 during Amram 's military service  as a GI stationed in Germany.

Actually there is a book awaiting to be written on  US Jazz musicians doing their military services in Germany in the 50s/60s and their collaboration with the burgeonning local modern jazz scene. (Perhaps it already exists but then I'm unaware of it).

A word of warning on the audio quality of this post. It's an acetate so it's pretty bad.  Paul D. had a few attempts at cleaning it but after listening to the results we decided to post the original rip with surface noise & all as - IMHO - the cleaning was altering the quality of the music.

Musicians:

David Amram, french horn
Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone
Attila Zoller, guitar (3,5), piano (4)
Harry Schell, bass
Karl Sanner, drums


Note: some sources say Jutta Hipp plays on "Dave's Blues".
see also The Attila Zoller Discography here.


Tracks

1. The Way You Look Tonight  (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields) 3:38
2. Perdido  (Juan Tizol, Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder) (interpolating Ravel's BOLERO)  3:16
3. Sonny Boy  (Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Ray Henderson, Al Jolson)  2:33
4. Dave's Blues (David Amram?) [late start due to damaged lacquer] 1:31
5. If I Had You  (Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Ted Shapiro)  2:42
6. Blue Skies  (Irving Berlin) 2:40

Recorded at the AFN Studios, Frankfurt in autumn, 1954.
Ripped from an acetate (label > Presto)

Recommeded readings: Interview of David Amram at 80 in JazzWax

If you are interested in Amram's  Classical works, check this website: "Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie can be downloaded for free from Symphony Silicon Valley's website featuring a great live performance conducted by Paul Polivinick.

Check also YouTube for live performance of other works (In Memory of Chano Pozo, Ode to Lord Buckley)

I was planning to post next  the Mangelsdorff Septet recorded  live by the Bayerischer Rundfunk @ Stadttheater, Lindau (Germany) on November 20, 1961 but someone did it before me. 
It is a great concert with a superb line up:  

• Albert Mangelsdorff (trombone)Joki Freund (saxophone)
• Heinz Sauer (saxophone)
• Günter Kronberg (saxophone)
• Emil Mangelsdorff (saxophone)
• Günter Lenz (bass)
• Rune Carlsson (drums) 

If you like European / German Jazz, don't miss it.  Check Many Fantastic Colors.  

RELAX MAX !

MILKSHAKE BANANA (Belgium, 1980)

This is the first album recorded by this Belgian combo after they won the first International Jazz competition at Hoeilaart  in 1979.

(see the list of winners since 1979 here).

Slick, very well played but verging a little too close to smooth jazz for my liking.  Very much a product of the late seventies / early eighties with obvious Brecker Bros. influences.

It features four originals by band members and three compositions by, respectively, Ron Carter, Lalo Schiffrin and Didier Lockwood.

Michel Herr was the producer/musical supervisor of this album.

Tracks :

1. Eighty One (Ron Carter)
2. Expectations (Johan Vandendriessche)
3. Nailbiter (peter Vandendriessche)
4. Unicorn  (Lalo Schiffrin)
5. Cool Bird (Johan Vandendriessche)
6. Relax Max (Michel Ardui)
7. A.G.D.c (Didier Lockwood) 

Musicians :

Johan Vandendriessche - baritone sax, flute, guitar
Peter Vandendriessche - soprano, alto, tenor sax
Michel Ardui - keyboards
Maarten Weyler - electric bass
Koen Vandendriessche - drums
Frank Michiels - percussion 

Recorded in Belgium, released in 1980.
LP (Racoon 500 131).

WE LOVE IT LIVE & FREE

WESPELAAR SWING FESTIVAL - 2012

It may be a bit late for a post about two concerts that happened several months ago but since a friend sent me this picture she found in a Flemish newspaper (Het Nieuwsblad) showing the Boogieman and his daughter in the crowd at the Wespelaar Swing Festival in late August this year, I guess I have to confirm that we were there, for two evenings. 

The first visit was to catch the Fabulous Thunderbirds – very disappointing, over-amplified, playing so loud the music was not even enjoyable anymore.  I had seen them in New Orleans in the early eighties (Jimmy Vaughan was still in) and it was so much better, one could actually HEAR the music.  Why do they have to play like everyone is stoned deaf nowadays?

The second evening was to catch the Blind Boys of Alabama and it was just pure MAGIC.  When these guys start singing one does feel goose bumps (also known as kiekebich' in Brusseleir).  Fabulous!  

Blind Boys of Alabama (Wespelaar - August 2012)

We were invited backstage afterwards and had the opportunity to meet the great Jimmy Carter (not the former President). Superb evening!

Jimmy Carter (Blind Boys of Alabama)

Having fun

NOT YOUR USUAL BLUESMAN …

JULIO FINN BAND
RAINBOWS ALL OVER MY BLUES
LP BARCLAY 920 241T (1970).

A little-known album by American blues expats’ in Paris.  The album was released on the French BARCLAY label and was not distributed outside of Europe.   

BUT WHO IS JULIO FINN ? 

It may come as a surprise but Julio Finn is NOT  … Jerome Arnold as I had written here earlier on the basis of erroneous  information gathered from the web (see Stefan Wirz comments).

Si ce n'est toi, c'est donc ton frere!

.Et oui, according to Salla Day - whom I thank profusely for setting the record right (see comments)  - Julio Finn is Augustus Arnold and therefore the brother to harmonica player Billy Boy Arnold, and to Jerome Arnold, bass-player for Howlin Wolf and the first incarnation of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
Thereby Julio Finn is NOT the man who played bass at Newport 1965 for Bob Dylan's debute electric performance.  .

Jerome Arnold who is NOT Julio Finn

Julio Finn who is NOT Jerome Arnold

I could not get much biographical details about Julio Finn.  It seems that he moved from the States to Europe (France?) by the late 60s/early 70s. where he played harmonica with jazz acts, including Archie Shepp (for instance on the album Black Gipsy) and the Art Ensemble of Chicago (Certain Blacks, recorded in Paris in 1970). On the 1970 eponymously-titled album by Archie Shepp & Philly Joe Jones, Finn is credited as composer of the 21-minute-long ‘Howling in the Silence’, on which he contributes vocals as well as harmonica. 

In 1981 he was asked to write the sleevenotes for the UK label Charley’s album Crying and Pleading, by his brother Billy Boy Arnold. He agreed, mentioned their relationship in his notes but still signed as Julio Finn. Interested in gay rights and in black history, he wrote the 1986 book The Blues Man: The Musical Heritage of Black Men and Women in the Americas, which was published in London by Quartet Books. 

Finn still keeps open his playing and academic options, and still ranges widely without abandoning the blues. In 1998 he played harmonica on the Linton Kwesi Johnson album Independent Intavenshan; in 2000 he was the respondent at a panel discussion on ‘The Blues as Individual and Collective History’ at a conference on ‘The Blues Tradition’ at Penn State University.

The band / 

Credits

Harmonica, Vocals – Julio Finn
Vocals – Chicago Beau
Saxophone – Jimmy Conley (B2 only)
Guitar [Lead] – Eddie Tuleja
Piano – Ron Altbach , Memphis Slim (on B2 only)
Bass – Didier Alexandre
Drums – Wells Kelly

Lincoln T. Beauchamp, Jr. AKA Chicago Beau is also a bluesman with a keen interest in jazz and in writings: As a writer, Chicago Beau has written numerous articles and three books: Great Black Music-The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Blues Stories, and BluesSpeak: Best of the Original Chicago Blues Annual,  published in March 2010 by the University of Illinois Press. He was working with trumpeter Lester Bowie on his Autobiography at the time of his death. 

Eddie Tuleja, Ron Altbach, Didier Alexander and Wells Kelly recorded an even more obscure blues rock album as KING HARVEST on the Calumet label (“I can tell”).  If anybody has this album, I’d love to hear / post a rip.  

Tracklist

1. Chicken Shack Written-By – J. Finn ?????? 4:17
2. I Wish You Would Written-By – Billy Boy Arnold 7:10
   Vocals – Chicago Beau
3. Misha's Blues Written-By – J. Finn 6:12
   Vocals – Julio Finn
4.  Think You're So Fine Written-By – L. Beauchamp 3:09
   Vocals – Chicago Beau
5.  Change My Way Of Living Written By – E. Cobb 3:31
   Vocals – Eddie Tuleja
6. Memphis-Chicago Blues Written-By – L. Beauchamp, P. Chatman 8:45
   Piano – Memphis Slim / Saxophone – Jimmy Conley / Vocals – Chicago Beau
7. Women's Liberation Blues Written-By – J. Finn 3:50
   Vocals – Chicago Beau
8. Ain't Nobody Gonna Steal My Jellyroll Arranged By – J. Finn 4:00
   Vocals – Chicago Beau

Chicago Beau

Thanks to SALLA DAY (see comments) for litfing the mystery of Julio Finn true identity. 

BOSNIA CALLING

DUSKO GOYKOVICH – IT’S ABOUT BLUES TIME
(Discos Ensayos, Spain, 1972)

Recorded in Spain in 1971 (and issued on Discos Ensayos in 1972), this session finds Dusko inspired and  in great form, playing with a small combo of first-division European players (2 Dutch, 1 Spaniard, 1 German + Dusko).

N.B.: LINK DELETED -  Contrary to what I thought, this album is still easily available from Fresh Sound for less than 10 €.  Do yourself a favor and get it HERE

IT'S ABOUT BLUES TIME

Dusko Gojkovic (tp) 

Ferdinand Povel (ts) 

Tete Montoliu (p) 

Robert Langereis (b) 

Joe Nay (d)

Barcelona, November 8, 1971

Ensayo (E) ENY-48

1. It's about blues time
2. Old folks -
3. The end of love -
4. Bosna calling -
5. You know I care (dg out) -
6. Nameless tune -

Note : Ferdinand Povel as Ferdinand Powell on the sleeve.

The track “Bosnia Calling” has been compiled on Spiritual Jazz vol. 2 (Jazzman)

Check Robert Langereis playing with Ben Webster on this YouTube video.

JAZZ IN MOROCCO