Announcement

Tomorrow the beach house is being invaded by one of my daughters, some grandchildren, their significant others, and Denise "The Grease".

In the meantime, here are some Allman Brothers for your dinning and dancing pleasure.

The Allman Brothers Band – The Capricorn Years 1969-1979

This is a Japanese promotional limited-edition, remastered 9-CD album box set.  It sounds sweet.

Link 1
https://workupload.com/file/6sdZ4Lq48fG

Link 2
https://workupload.com/file/Bx4rG99dS3N

Rory Gallagher - 'Live! in Europe' and 'Irish Tour ‘74' [Hi-Rez 24Bit versions]

 

I first became aware of Rory Gallagher during August 1972.  It was in Boston, Massachusetts, at a show on Boston Common.  Rory was the opener on a bill with (Bob Welch era) Fleetwood Mac and the headliner, Savoy Brown.

The concert was part of the "Summerthing Festival", which ran from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, and hosted major acts, as well as a neighborhood-by-neighborhood initiative that also included public art shows, theater, and children's activities.  That summer Jerry, my husband (then boyfriend) and I were living together in Boston, Massachusetts, working on our PhDs.

We attended the show with our friends (and house guests) Jimmy Two Arrows and his girlfriend, Maya, who are both Native Americans, and members of the Native American Church (also known as 'Peyotism' and 'Peyote Religion').  There will be more on Jimmy Two Arrows and Maya in forthcoming posts.

Both Fleetwwod Mac and Savoy Brown were excellent, but Rory's high energy set, stole the show.

Both 'Live! in Europe' and 'Irish Tour '74' are two of my favorite Blues Rock albums.  Rory's guitar is tasteful, and avoids wanking, and I like that his singing is in his natural voice, and not trying to sound African-American.

Apparently, when Bob Dylan first heard "I Could've Had Religion" from 'Live! in Europe' he thought about covering it.  Thinking it was a traditional Blues song, Bob asked around as to the song's origin, and he was surprised to learn it was Rory's original.  I've been told that Bob and Rory had what Henry David Thoreau termed a "mutual admiration society" going on.  It's a shame they didn't collaborate.

If you already have, 'Live! in Europe' and 'Irish Tour ‘74', these Hi-Res 24Bit versions, make for a very nice upgrade.  

For the freeload, what artists or groups did you first discover as an opening act?

Bo Carter & the Mississippi Sheiks

The Mississippi Sheiks, the most commercially successful black string band of the pre-war era, released nearly a hundred records between 1930 and 1935.  Their repertoire encompassed a diverse range of black and white rural music, including hard-edged blues, pop music, hokum, white country, and traditional songs.  The group’s core consisted of fiddler Lonnie Chatmon and singer/guitarist Walter Vinson, often accompanied by Lonnie’s brothers Bo Chatmon (who recorded solo as Bo Carter) and Sam Chatmon.  Alongside Charlie McCoy, they experimented with various instrumental combinations and adopted different names, such as the Mississippi Blacksnakes, the Mississippi Mud Steppers, Chatmon’s Mississippi Hot Footers, the Jackson Blues Boys, and many others.  Additionally, they backed artists like Texas Alexander, Alec Johnson, and even Bo Carter on a few of his recording dates.

The Mississippi Sheiks emerged from a string band formed by members of the highly musical Chatmon family.  The Chatmons resided on the Gaddis and McLaurin plantation, just outside the small town of Bolton, Mississippi. Henderson Chatmon, the family patriarch, was a sharecropper of mixed racial origins who had been a fiddler since the days of slavery.  With his wife Eliza, he reportedly had thirteen children, eleven of whom were sons who all possessed musical talents.

From around 1910 until 1928, seven Chatmon brothers formed a string band known as the Chatmon Brothers. They performed at country dances, parties, and picnics.  As Sam Chatmon recounted to blues historian Paul Oliver in 1960:

"We started out from our parents. It’s just a gift that we had in the family. I played bass violin for them, Lonnie played lead violin, and Harry played second violin. My brother Larry played the drums, and my brother Harry played the piano. And my brother Bo played the guitar too, and he even used to play tenor banjo."

Bo Carter

Bo Carter, a blues musician, made his recording debut in 1928, backing Alec Johnson.  Soon after, he embarked on a solo career and became one of the most prominent blues recording acts of the 1930s, recording over 100 sides. Carter also played with and managed the family group, the Mississippi Sheiks, and several other local acts.  He was known for his double entendre songs, recording dozens of risqué tracks such as "Banana in Your Fruit Basket", "Pin in Your Cushion", "Your Biscuits Are Big Enough for Me", "The Ins and Outs of My Girl" and "Ram Rod Daddy" among many others.

Sometime during the 1930s Bo lost some of his vision, but managed to play gigs here and there as a solo act and with the group, while earning most of his living through farming around Glen Allen, Virginia. During WW II he relocated to Georgia where he got odd jobs with nothing to do with music.

On his landmark trip to the United States in 1960, Paul Oliver came across Bo Carter and recounted the following:

"Sharing a corner in the bare, shot-gun building on South 4th Street where Will Shade lived, was an ailing, blind, light-skinned man whom the occupants knew only as Old Man. By a lucky hunch I guessed he might be Bo Carter and the sick man brightened to hear his name. At first, he could hardly hold down the strings of his heavy steel guitar with its worn fingerboard. But he slowly mastered it and in a broken voice, that mocked the clear and lively singing on his scores of recordings under his own name and with the Mississippi Sheiks, he recalled incidents from his varied life and some of the songs that had made him one of the most famous of blues singers. Baby When You Marry he had recorded nearly thirty years before in 1931 and in the years since he had worked on medicine shows, farmed and begged."

Bo in 1960

As Bo Carter related:

"Well, we called us the Mississippi Sheiks, all of us Chatmons, cause my name’s Bo Chatman only they called me Bo Carter. We toured with the band right through the country; through the Delta, through Louisiana down to New Orleans… …Tell ya, we was the Mississippi sheiks and when we went to make the records in Jackson, Mississippi, the feller wanted to show us how to stop and start the records. Try to tell us when we got to begin and how we got to end. And you know, I started not to make ’em! I started not to make ’em ’cause he wasn’t no muscianer, so how could he tell me to stop and start the song? We was the Sheiks, Mississippi Sheiks and you know we was famous."

'Bo Carter & the Mississippi Sheiks' is a 4 CD set, released in 2011 by the JSP Records label.  This is a nice, but far from complete collection of guitarist extraordinaire, Bo Carter, with and without the Mississippi Sheiks.  There are also a few tracks by Charlie McCoy and Texas Alexander, with Bo.  All tracks were recorded between 1928 and 1940.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite songs with double entendres?

Herbie Hancock – 'Empyrean Isles'

 

Herbie Hancock made his debut on the Blue Note label in 1962 and quickly established himself as a remarkable pianist and a brilliant composer.  He released three exceptional albums ('Takin’ Off' in 1962, 'My Point Of View' in 1963, and 'Inventions & Dimensions' in 1964) before making what is generally acknowledged as his first masterpiece: 'Empyrean Isles' in 1964.

The album was recorded on June 17, 1964.  It was produced by Alfred Lion, and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder at his studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.  The cover was designed by Reid Miles, and the photos were taken by Francis Wolff.

Joining Herbie were his bandmates from the Miles Davis quintet, Ron Carter on bass, Tony Williams on drums, plus Freddie Hubbard on cornet. 

Each of the four distinctive original pieces composed by Herbie for the album occupies its own unique space.  The quartet launches into the album opener, "One Finger Snap", which features a single opening line that leads directly into blistering improvisations by Freddie Hubbard and Herbie.  "Oliloquy Valley" has a mysterious and mystical vibe. "Cantaloupe Island" with its undulating groove and unforgettable melody, would later become a jazz standard. "The Egg" is an expansive 14-minute epic that flirts with the avant-garde, providing ample space for the musicians to let their imaginations run wild.

Today's freeload is a remastered limited edition from Blue Note Japan, in the UHQCD format, from masterings that Kevin Gray did for the Tone Poet and BN Classic LP releases.  And they sound sweet!  If you freeloaded the previously posted 'Blue Note 85 Reissues', you know what I'm talking about.

In ancient cosmologies, The Empyrean Isles are a mythical archipelago; the subject of legends and lore 
inspired by Aristotle.

For the freeload, tell us what your favorite mythical place is.

1969: The Velvet Underground Live With Lou Reed

"The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band." 
—Brian Eno

The Velvet Underground, with their innovative blend of avant-garde art rock with raw, experimental sounds, coupled with provocative and often taboo lyrical content, laid the groundwork for numerous subgenres and inspired countless artists across various musical movements.  Despite their limited commercial success during their active years, they had a profound and lasting impact on music.

David Bowie, Kraftwerk, Patti Smith, T. Rex, Roxy Music, Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Talking Heads, Blondie, Television, Elvis Costello, U2, R.E.M, Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Replacements, Jane's Addiction, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Nirvana, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, RHCP, Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Beck, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and many, many others were inspired by the Velvet Underground.  The influence is so big & diverse, they've even been sampled by major hip hop artists.
 

'1969: The Velvet Underground Live With Lou Reed' will always be an essential album in the discography of a band short on albums.  About half of the album is from the Matrix (owned and operated by Jefferson Airplane's Marty Balin) in San Francisco, CA; the other half is from End Of Cole Ave., in Dallas, TX.  Those two sources are sometimes alternating from one song to the next as the album unfolds.  Whoever compiled the original reels had impeccable taste. They made great song selections and sequenced them perfectly.  The album is also roughly one third of their discography.

This album really shows their versatility, unlike their four studio albums, it maintains a consistent character.  It has a rough and undoctored quality, reflecting an authentic live performance, yet it projects an intimacy and warmth that makes it highly enjoyable to listen to.

Not to slight John Cale, but I don’t miss him here at all.  From what I’ve heard of Cale era live performances, I think the vibes here would have been considerably more uptight with John on the stage instead of Doug Yule.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Doug Yule era was just as influential as the Cale era, particularly on 80s indie rock, if such things, of course, could be measured.  That said, I wish the Cale era had been documented with a similarly good live recording.

I know quite a few diehard fans, who site this as their favorite Velvet Underground album.

The freeload is a 2 SHM-CD Japanese limited edition, reissue.  This is my favorite sounding version, not that this album is an audiophile's dream by any stretch of the imagination.

But wait, there'a more! Order before midnight tonight, and receive a bonus mystery VU surprise, as my gift* to you. 
What will it be? 
The suspense will kill you, even if you think you have a foggy notion.
*Just pay a separate shipping and handling fee.
Limited time offer, not available in stores. This product may cause uncontrollable urges to dance, sing, or spontaneously combust, may cause death especially if you're an idiot, consult your doctor before use, batteries not included, if you still have an erection after 48 hours you should consult your physician, this blog is not responsible for lost limbs, eyesight, or dignity, use at your own risk. Void where prohibited.

For the freeload, caption what you think, Lou Reed is thinking, in the picture below.

David "Honeyboy" Edwards - 'Delta Bluesman' & 'White Windows'

David "Honeyboy" Edwards was born in Shaw, Mississippi on June 28, 1915.  At the age of 14, Honeyboy left home to travel with the bluesman Big Joe Williams, beginning a life as a wandering musician, which he maintained through the 1930s and 1940s.

Honeyboy also performed with Robert Johnson, with whom he developed a close friendship.  He was present on the night Johnson drank the poisoned whiskey that killed him, and his story has become the definitive version of Robert Johnson's demise.  

He also knew and played with other leading bluesmen in the Mississippi Delta, including Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, and Johnny Shines.

The folklorist Alan Lomax recorded Honeyboy in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1942 for the Library of Congress.  He did not record commercially again until 1951.

His discography for the 1950s and 1960s amounts to nine songs from seven sessions.  From 1974 to 1977, he recorded tracks for his first full-length LP, 'I've Been Around', released in 1978 on ethnomusicologist Peter B. Lowry's independent label Trix Records.

Kansas City Red played for Honeyboy for a brief period, and the Earwig label recorded them in 1981, along with Sunnyland Slim and Floyd Jones, for the album 'Old Friends Together for the First Time'.

Prior to his death on August 29, 2011, Honeyboy was the oldest surviving member of the first generation of Delta blues singers.  His musical style was as evocative and vibrant as any of his contemporaries, with its ironic, colorful, weary tonal qualities and cutting, keen delivery contrasted by a crisp, slicing guitar approach.

Honeyboy didn't rely on slickness, inventiveness, or niceties; his riffs, lines, phrases, and licks are as aggressive and fiery as his vocals.

Released in 1992, 'Delta Bluesman' is probably the best introduction to David "Honeyboy" Edwards.  The first half of the CD captures the aforementioned 1942 Library of Congress session recorded by Alan Lomax.  The second half of the CD consists of recordings made from 1979 to 1991, both solo and with a couple of different groups (with Carey Bell, Sunnyland Slim, Aron Burton, and Robert Plunkett).  All the tracks capture Honeyboy's idiosyncratic approach very well, as he wasn't much concerned with counting the "correct" number of measures until the next chord change; he went strictly by feel.  And the "feel" of Honeyboy's music is great, even though he isn't the most technically adept bluesman. 

"White Windows" was released1989, and is my favorite Honeyboy album.  The album showcases his powerful Delta blues style, with solo performances on both acoustic and electric guitar, as well as some harmonica.

This is a well recorded album, Honeyboy's guitar sounds deep, and his gruff voice is clear.

For the freeload, what is your favorite Blues subgenre?

Sonny Rollins - 'Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings'

 

'Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings' was released, by Resonance Records (in cooperation with Sonny Rollins) for Record Store Day, April 2024, as a 3-CD or 4-LP set.

This is the first official release of Sonny's European Saxophone Colossus tour in 1959 with bassist Henry Grimes, and (depending on venue) drummers Pete La Roca, Kenny Clarke and Joe Harris.  Previously, these recordings were only available as bootlegs, with varying audio quality.

What makes the new Freedom Weaver album, and its 26 tracks, so interesting is that they were the last recordings by Sonny before his famed Williamsburg Bridge sabbatical, which lasted from spring 1959 to late 1961.

So by definition, this music that frustrated Sonny and motivated him to create a new approach to his playing.  And by frustrated, I mean tired of the same approach and not satisfying or ground-breaking, which is what he sought to do with his extended break.

Performance wise, make no mistake, Sonny's playing is fluid, agile, and warm, and the risks he undertakes are truly remarkable.

Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
Henry Grimes – bass
Pete La Roca, Joe Harris (*), Kenny Clarke (**) – drums

Tracks, location, and dates:
LP 1
A1. St. Thomas (Nalen Stockholm, March 2, 1959)
A2. There Will Never Be Another You (Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
A3. Stay As Sweet As You Are (Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
A4. I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star (Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
B1. How High the Moon (Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
B2. Oleo (Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
B3. Paul's Pal (Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)

LP 2
C1. Sonny Rollins Interview (Sodra Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
C2. It Don’t Mean a Thing (*) (Sodra Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
C3. Paul’s Pal #2 (*) (Sodra Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
C4. Love Letters (*)(Sodra Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden, March 4, 1959)
D1. I Remember You (Zürich, Switzerland, March 5, 1959)
D2. I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star #2 (Zürich, Switzerland, March 5, 1959)
D3. It Could Happen To You (Zürich, Switzerland, March 5, 1959)
D4. Oleo #2 (Zürich, Switzerland, March 5, 1959)
D5. Will You Still Be Mine? (Zürich, Switzerland, March 5, 1959)
D6. I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star #3 (Laren, Holland, March 7, 1959)

LP 3
E1. I Want to Be Happy (Laren, Holland, March 7, 1959)
E2. A Weaver of Dreams (Laren, Holland, March 7, 1959)
E3. It Don’t Mean a Thing #2 (Frankfurt, Germany, March 9, 1959)
E4. Cocktails For Two (Frankfurt, Germany, March 9, 1959)
E5. I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star #4 (Frankfurt, Germany, March 9, 1959)
E6. I Want to Be Happy #2 (Frankfurt, Germany, March 9, 1959)
F1. Woody ‘n’ You (**) (Aix-en-Provence, France, March 11, 1959)

LP 4
G1. But Not for Me (**)(Aix-en-Provence, France, March 11, 1959)
H1. Lady Bird (**) (Aix-en-Provence, France, March 11, 1959)

The freeload is a sweet sounding 24-bit vinyl rip.

For the freeload, who are some of your favorite drummers?

Cymande - 'Renascence'

 

At this year's Newport Jazz Festival, I was surprised to see Cymande on the bill.  Due to one thing and another, I missed the first two or three songs, but what I did see was a strong and well played set.

For the mere three years they existed in the early 1970s, Cymande were one of the very best bands on the planet, that most people never heard.  They expertly combined a unique mixture of Jazz, Curtis Mayfield conscious Funk, Rasta spirituality, African-inspired percussion and melodic hooks for days.

They were popular in the urban club scenes of New York, London, Paris, and Rome.  I'm told outside of London clubs, Cymande didn't get much traction in their British homeland (Glam may have played a part in this), and broke up disillusioned.  I remember Cymande being the darlings of DJs in the early 70s after hours clubs, here in Manhattan.

In the 1990s, they started getting sampled by the biggest names in hip hop.  Since the 1990s, they have reformed in various permutations up to and including the full lineup for various gigs and recordings.  Their 2016 comeback album, 'A Simple Act of Faith', which wasn't a bad album, but the attempt to modernize their sound, didn't capture them well.

In 2024, Cymande went into the studio and recorded 'Renascence', which recaptures their signature sound.  It delivers nostalgic funk grooves, a nod to John Coltrane, improvisational jams, and saxophone contributions from guest artist Denys Baptiste.  There's also a vocal contribution from neo soul singer/songwriter, Celeste.  British DJ, music producer, and founder of music collective Soul II Soul, Jazzie B, puts in a spoken word performance on the album's single, "How We Roll".

The album has a gorgeous, crystal clear sound (the freeload is a 24bit vinyl rip).

For the freeload, what's your favorite musical comeback?

Sonny Boy Williamson II - 'The Chess Years'

Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) was, in many ways, the ultimate blues legend.  By the time of his death in 1965, he had been around long enough to have played with Robert Johnson, Big Joe Williams, Elmore James and Robert Lockwood Jr at the start of his career, and Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Robbie Robertson at the end of it.

In between, he drank a lot of whiskey, smoked a lot of cigarettes and weed, hoboed around the country, and had a successful radio show for 15 years.  

He entertained audiences with novelties such as inserting one end of the harmonica into his mouth and playing with no hands.  He toured Europe to great acclaim, and wrote, played, and sang some of the greatest blues ever etched into vinyl records.

Simply stated: No one played delta blues harp like Sonny Boy.

Fun Fact: On local gigs in Clarksdale, Mississippi, 13-year-old Ike Turner backed Sonny Boy on piano.

Sonny Boy's delivery was sly and world-weary, while his harp playing was full of short, rhythmic bursts one minute and powerful, impassioned blowing the next.  His songs were chock-full of biting and caustic wit, with largely autobiographical lyrics.

By all accounts, he was a moody, bitter, and suspicious man, no one wove such a confusing web of misinformation as Sonny Boy Williamson II.  Even his birthdate (stated as December 5, 1899, in most reference books, but some sources claim his birth may have been in either 1897 or 1909) and real name (Aleck or Alex or Willie "Rice" -- which may or may not be a nickname -- Miller or Ford) cannot be verified with absolute certainty.  Of his childhood days in Mississippi, absolutely nothing is known.  What is known is that by the mid-'30s, he was traveling the Delta working under the alias of Little Boy Blue.

Sonny Boy Williamson I 

Not only was Sonny Boy a pioneering blues harp player, he was also a pioneer in the field of identity theft (nothing new under the sun).  In 1941, he started performing on the King Biscuit Time radio show in Helena, Arkansas, where he gained widespread recognition.  There he adopted the name Sonny Boy Williamson while on the King Biscuit Time show, which was already the name of another popular Chicago blues musician, John Lee Curtis Williamson, later known as Sonny Boy Williamson I). The real Sonny Boy Williamson will the subject of a future post.

Despite his earlier successes, Williamson didn’t record until 1951 when Lillian McMurry’s newly established Trumpet label in Jackson, Mississippi, released “Eyesight to the Blind,” “Mighty Long Time,” “Nine Below Zero,” and “Mr. Down Child,” among others.  These early recordings, now widely regarded as classics of the genre, showcase Williamson at his peak; a laconic, often biting, caustic, and sarcastic vocalist, as well as a masterful instrumentalist.

In 1954, the Chess label in Chicago purchased Williamson’s contract, and he soon moved north, playing club dates in cities such as Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.  His several hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s such as "Fattening Frogs for Snakes", "Don’t Start Me to Talkin’", "Your Funeral and My Trial", "One Way Out" and "99" were followed by successful European tours in 1963 and 1964.  The name game continued; on his passport, he was “Sonny Boy Williams,” and he was frequently billed in Europe as Sonny Boy Williamson II.

He greatly enjoyed the appreciation of European blues fans, touring in England, Denmark, Germany, and Poland and performing in various concerts with the Animals and the Yardbirds.  He seriously considered settling permanently in England, but he returned instead to Helena, where he again appeared on the King Biscuit show.

On May 25, 1965, he was found dead by drummer James "Peck" Curtis after Williamson had failed to arrive at the station for a performance.

He is buried in Tutwiler, Mississippi, where the birthdate on his tombstone is almost certainly incorrect and the death date wrong beyond any doubt.  Several names are listed, but Aleck Miller is given precedence.

'Sonny Boy Williamson – The Chess Years' is a 4 CD set released in 1991 on the Charly Records label, as part of their "RED BOX" series. These are the classics that originally appeared on Checker Records (a subsidiary of Chess Records) between 1955 and 1964.  The CDs are in chronological order, with all the alternatives and unreleased material on CDs 3 and 4.  The last recordings with Buddy Guy's band the summer before he died are amazing, and sound almost contemporary to 2025 ears.

Charly left the original-press sound intact, so they're warm and a little muddy, as they would have sounded coming out of a jukebox in the mid-1950s/early1960s, which gives them a certain vibe and charm.  

I like that Charly didn't have an audio engineer "clean" them up with a sonic process, especially with the dreaded CEDAR noise reduction.  Actually, I like to see the CEDAR logo on the back of a CD; it tells me not to buy it.

For the freeload, what was the last song that was stuck in your head, a.k.a. an "earworm"?

Charles Mingus - 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'

Charles Mingus was born on April 22, 1922, in Nogales, Arizona and raised in Los Angeles, where he received double-bass lessons from Red Callendar.  He also studied classical music under Herman Rheinshagen of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, which played a significant role in his compositional thinking alongside gospel songs and the blues.  In the 1940s, Mingus toured with New Orleans musicians Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory.  Later, he briefly collaborated with Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington.

If Charles Mingus had been an improvising instrumentalist alone, he would have become a jazz legend solely for his exceptional bass playing.  However, his bass playing also provided him with a profound understanding of the low soundscapes and inner harmonies of jazz composition.  Consequently, his melodic approach was deeply influenced by the blues and gospel music that he grew up with.

'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz records of all time, and one of Mingus's major masterpieces.  It's a six-part suite that blends various musical styles, including jazz, blues, and even hints of flamenco.

The album was recorded in one day on January 20, 1963, in New York City.  However, years ago, Michael Cuscuna told me that he believed that Mingus had Charlie Mariano overdub more alto saxophone, the next day.  The album was produced by Bob Thiele, and the recording engineer was Bob Simpson.

Mingus, being Mingus, had his Psychologist, Edmund Pollock write the liner notes:

"When Mr. Mingus first asked me to write a review of the music he composed for this record, I was astonished and told him so. I said I thought I was competent enough as a psychologist but that my interest in music was only average and without any technical background. Mr. Mingus laughed and said he didn't care, that if I heard his music I'd understand. This is the uniqueness of this man: he jolts with the unexpected and the new. He has something to say and he will use every resource to interpret his messages. After all, why not have a psychologist try to interpret the projections of a composer musician? Psychologists interpret behavior and/or ideas communicated by words and behavior - why not apply this skill to music? It's certainly a refreshing approach that Mr. Mingus suggests.As Nat Hentoff has stated, "Mingus is ingenuous," ever growing, looking for change and ways to communicate his life experiences, his awareness and feelings of himself and life. His early and late life sufferings as a person and as a black man were surely enough to cause sour bitterness, hate, distortions and withdrawal. Yet, Mr. Mingus never has given up. From every experience such as a conviction for assault or as an inmate of a Bellevue locked ward, Mr. Mingus has learned something and has stated it will not happen again to him. He is painfully aware of his feelings and he wants desperately to heal them. He also is cognizant of a power dominated and segregated society's impact upon the underdog, the underprivileged and the minority. Inarticulate in words, he is gifted in musical expression which he constantly uses to articulate what he perceives, knows and feels.

To me this particular composition contains Mr. Mingus' personal and also a social message. He feels intensively. He tries to tell people he is in great pain and anguish because he loves. He cannot accept that he is alone, all by himself; he wants to love and be loved. His music is a call for acceptance, respect, love, understanding, fellowship, freedom - a plea to change the evil in man and to end hatred. The titles of this composition suggest the plight of the black man and a plea to the white man to be aware.

He seems to state that the black man is not alone but all mankind must unite in revolution against any society that restricts freedom and human rights.

In all three tracks of Side I there are recurrent themes of loneliness, separateness and tearful depression. One feels deeply for the tears of Mr. Mingus that fall for himself and man. There can be no question that he is the Black Saint who suffers for his sins and those of mankind as he reflects his deeply religious philosophy. His music tells of his deep yearning for love, peace and freedom. A new note has crept into his music. Where once there was a great anger now one can hear hope. As with much of his past music, Mr. Mingus cries of misunderstanding of self and people. Throughout he presents a brooding, moaning intensity about prejudice, hate and persecution.

In the first track of Side I there is heard a solo voice expressed by the alto saxophone - a voice calling to others and saying "I am alone, please, please join me!" The deep mourning and tears of loneliness are echoed and re-echoed by the instruments in Mr. Mingus' attempt to express his feelings about separation from and among the discordant people of the world. The suffering is terrible to hear.

In track B, the music starts with a tender theme. It is a duet dance song in which many emotions of relatedness are expressed - warmth, tenderness, passion. The music then changes into a mood of what I would call mounting restless agitation and anguish as if there is tremendous conflict between love and hate. This is climaxed by the piercing cries of the trombone and answering saxophones as if saying the "I" of personal identity must be achieved and accepted.

Track C begins with the happiest of themes. Here Mr. Mingus himself plays a classical piano reverie backed by a lyrical flute and cymbals. It is sweet and soft and has a lightness rarely seen in Mr. Mingus’ music. But once again the music shifts into a tonal despair and brooding anguish. The theme suggested by the title is the peace and happiness of the free person contrasted with the pain and tears of the black man. Mr. Mingus uses many forms of technique and instrumentation to reflect his meaning. He told me his use of the Spanish guitar was meant to mirror the period of the Spanish Inquisition and El Greco’s mood of oppressive poverty and death.

Side II develops all these themes in a very carefully worked out musical composition in concert style, repeating and integrating harmony and disharmony, peace and disquiet, and love and hate. The ending seem unfinished but one is left with a feeling of hope and even a promise of future joy.

Mr. Mingus thinks this is his best record. It may very well be his best to date for his present stage of development as other records were in his past. It must be emphasized that Mr. Mingus is not yet complete. He is still in a process of change and personal development. Hopefully the integration in society will keep pace with his. One must continue to expect more surprises from him.

Edmund Pollock, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist"

Tracklist: 

Side A
1. Solo Dancer 
(Stop! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!)
2. Duet Solo Dancers 
(Heart's Beat And Shades In Physical Embraces)
3. Group Dancers 
([Soul Fusion] Freewoman And Oh This Freedom's Slave Cries)

Side B
1. Trio And Group Dancers
(Stop! Look! And Sing Songs Of Revolutions!)
2. Single Solos And Group Dance
(Saint And Sinner Join In Merriment On Battle Front)
3. Group And Solo Dance
(Of Love, Pain, And Passioned Revolt, Then Farewell, My Beloved, 'til It's Freedom Day)

The Players:
Charles Mingus - bass and piano
Rolf Ericson, Richard Williams - trumpets
Quentin Jackson - trombone
Don Butterfield - tuba
Jerome Richardson - soprano, baritone saxophones and flute
Dick Hafer - tenor saxophone and flute
Charlie Mariano - alto saxophone
Jaki Byard - piano
Jay Berliner - guitar 
Dannie Richmond - drums

The freeload is a 24-bit/192kHz vinyl rip.  It was mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes.  Throw in all audiophile record adjectives - wide, tall, dynamic, deep, etc.

This is the version you should have.

For the freeload, tell us about your hobbies.

Dire Straits SACD Collection

 

The first time I heard Dire Straights was in a loud and crowded bar in Greenwich Village, at the sorely missed Googie's on Sullivan Street.  Googie's played music in the form of an FM rock radio station played as background music at a low volume.  As I was talking with friends, I heard what I thought (filtered through the noise of the crowd) was some new Bob Dylan music, and I wondered who was playing electric guitar.  Was it Robbie Robertson? Ry Cooder maybe?  The next day, I found out the song was "Sultans of Swing" by a new group called Dire Straights, and the singer/guitarist/songwriter was Mark Knopfler.

I'm not the biggest Dire Straits fan, and to me, Mark Knopfler has always sounded like Bob Dylan and J.J. Cale's "love child".  Mark doesn't have Bob Dylan's charisma, but he is more exciting than J.J. Cale, but not by much.

"Brothers In Arms" era Dire Straits

Also, is it me, or is Dire Straits really Knopfler and those guys playing with him?  I don't know, it's all so middle-of-the-road, meh.  As always, your mileage may vary…

So here's the Dire Straits SACD Collection, the files are big, but the sonics are very nice indeed.  From this collection, I made my own "greatest hits", which all the Dire Straits I really want or need.  

If you're a Dire Straits fan, you'll love these.

For the freeload, what are your thoughts on Dire Straits?