Mable Hillery

Mable Hillery, born in 1929 in a rural area of western Georgia, was exposed to the music of the church and the cotton fields.  In 1960, she moved to the coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia, where she caught the attention of folklorist Alan Lomax.  Through Lomax, she was introduced to and became a member of the Georgia Sea Island Singers. This connection led her to gain entry to the concert stages, coffee houses, and colleges of the blues "revival" circuit. 

By 1966, she had become a part of the Southern Folk Cultural Revival Project (SFCRP) and primarily focused on the educational aspects of the civil rights movement.  Although her involvement with music continued and brought her in contact with many of its greats, her only studio album was the politically themed 'It’s So Hard to Be a Nigger'.  She recorded it for the British XTRA label during her tour of the UK in 2009. 1967.  The freeload is a 1968 reissue on the German label, Vogue Schallplatten.

Sometime in the early 1970s, Mable met up with legendary Blues  artist Johnny Shines, who by that time had relocated from Chicago to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and also had become involved with the SFCRP.

After teaming with Mable at concert gigs in Atlanta, Dallas and New York City, Johnny lobbied successfully to get her on the bill for the fourth annual Miami Blues Festival in April 1975.  Also on the bill were Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Robert Lockwood Jr., Son Seals and Koko Taylor in its star-studded lineup.

John Fishel, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Eddie Baccus, Jim Fishel, Mable Hillery, Johnny Shines, and Snapper Mitchum at the 1975 Miami Blues Festival

Mabel and Johnny’s set was recorded directly from the soundboard. Johnny’s electric guitar accompaniment complements Hillary’s expressive and dynamic vocals, which draw inspiration from contemporary blues and soul women, as well as from legendary figures like Smith, Ida Cox, and Memphis Minnie.  These familiar songs consistently reinvent themselves, offering fresh and captivating performances.

Sadly, Hillery died of a heart attack barely a year after this performance, at age 46.

In 2018 'Hotter Than A Bulldog Spitting in a Polecat's Eye: Live 1975' was released on the American Music Productions label on 180 gram vinyl, and limited to an edition of 250 hand-numbered LPs.  Due to having low friends in high places, I was able to snag a copy.  

The album is approved by the Estates of Mable Hillery and Johnny Shines, and the audio was restored by Grammy-award winning engineer Andreas Meyer.  Detailed liner notes recount Johnny and Mabel's friendship, political activism, and performance at the 1975 Miami Blues Festival are included with the album (and the freeload).

Both freeloads are vinyl rips of rare records, from The Button Factory Archives.

The phrase "Hotter Than A Bulldog Spitting in a Polecat's Eye" is a simile, a type of figure of speech that directly compares two unrelated things, using wording to explicitly make a comparison e.g., "As cool as a cucumber", "As sharp as a knife", "Tighter than a gnat's ass" you get the idea.

So for the freeload, post a (as in one, that way everybody gets a chance) favorite simile.

John Coltrane & Don Cherry - 'The Avant-Garde'

 

Sessions for this recording took place on June 28 and July 8, 1960, at Atlantic Studios, New York City, they were produced by Nesuhi Ertegün.  It featured John Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxophones with members of the Ornette Coleman Quartet, Don Cherry on cornet, Ed Blackwell on drums, and bassists Charlie Haden and Percy Heath.  These sessions notably marked the first time Trane recorded on the soprano saxophone, specifically on the tracks "The Blessing" and "The Invisible".

Atlantic Records President Ahmet Ertegün was unhappy with the results, and the tapes were unceremoniously "shelved" in the Atlantic Record's vaults for six years.  In 1966 in order to capitalize on John Coltrane's growing fame (who by this time moved to the Impulse label), the tapes were released as 'The Avant-Garde' and credited as John Coltrane & Don Cherry.

Despite 'The Avant-Garde' title, all the music on this album is quite accessible to fans of "straight ahead jazz", and is very much in the spirit of Trane's work for the Atlantic label.  Don Cherry sounds almost conventional but perhaps with some of the more angular styles that he was laying down with Ornette Coleman at the time.

When this album was released many thought it was recently recorded, and would be too heavily tilted towards dissonance, and thusly "ear fatiguing" and "migraine inducing", not to mention "aurally violating" [Myself, I don't mind being "aurally violated" from time to time- Ed].  Because of this and some negative reviews the album did not sell well.

Overall this is a nice album that captures a pivotal moment in 1960 for Trane when he first "dipped a toe" into free jazz.

Tracklist
1. ”Cherryco" (Don Cherry)
2. ”Focus on Sanity" (Ornette Coleman)
3. ”The Blessing" (Ornette Coleman)
4. ”The Invisible" (Ornette Coleman)
5. ”Bemsha Swing" (Thelonious Monk, Denzil Best)


Charlie Haden is on tracks: 1 and 3.
Percy Heath is on tracks: 2, 4 and 5.

The freeload is a reissue from Warner Music Japan Inc. as part of their 'Jazz Best Collection 1000 series', and released 2012 for the Japanese domestic market. This limited edition CD is a 24-bit PCM (Pulse-Code Modulation) remaster—it sounds sweet.

For the freeload, tell us about albums that for better or worse were different than you thought they would be.

Babs Bootleg Bonanza - Good Ol’ Grateful Dead

 

This show was the last of a six-show run at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco on July 18, 1976.  

This show is long time Deadhead favorite.

Fun fact: Backstage, filmmaker and Merry Prankster Dorothy Fadiman dosed the band, so they're trippin' ballz, except of course for Donna Jean Godchaux, who's trippin' tits…

Photo of the actual show.

Set 1:
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
Cassidy
Row Jimmy
Mama Tried
Scarlet Begonias
Looks Like Rain
Tennessee Jed
New Minglewood Blues
Loser
The Music Never Stopped

Set 2:
Might As Well
Samson And Delilah
Candyman
Lazy Lightnin'
Supplication
Let It Grow
Wharf Rat
Drums
The Other One
Saint Stephen
Not Fade Away
Saint Stephen
The Wheel
The Other One
Stella Blue
Sugar Magnolia
Encore:
Johnny B. Goode

For the freeload, caption what Jerry is saying to Bobby

Lightnin' Hopkins - 'Blues In My Bottle' (2026 Remaster)

 

'Blues In My Bottle' was recorded on July 26, 1961, at ACA (Gold Star Studios) in Houston, Texas, it was produced by folklorists Kenneth S. Goldstein & Mack McCormick.  It was released later in 1961 on the Bluesville Records (Prestige) label.  Today's remastered freeload was released on April 10, 2026, on the Craft Recordings label.

At this point in his career Lighnin' normally played an electric guitar, but at the suggestion of Mack McCormick, this album was done on an acoustic guitar, which really brings out Lightnin's distinctive fingerpicking style.  That and along with his free and loose vocals make this a classic in the Lightnin' Hopkins cannon.

I remember seeing Lighnin' in the late 1970s, here in Manhattan with a full band.  At one point during his set someone in the audience yelled out, "Play Buddy Brown's Blues" (the opening track on 'Blues In My Bottle'), and Lightnin' said, "OK, I can do that." his backing band all nervously looked at each other, and Lightnin' told them, "I got this solo.".  Before he played 'Buddy Brown's Blues', he spoke of his mentor Alger "Texas" Alexander (who wrote the song), who he said "Taught me to sing the blues".  Lightnin' looked and sounded a little melancholy talking about "Texas" Alexander, but then kicked out a killer version of the song that got him a standing ovation, which clearly moved him.

Despite the recording’s age, the sound is pristine, the freeload is 24bit/192kHz, and sounds like Sam Lightnin' Hopkins is in the room with you.

For the freeload, let's talk about albums that along with good songs and performances have excellent audio.

Thelonious Monk - 'Bremen 1965'

One Saturday in 1967, I went into Canterbury Records in Pasadena, CA.  As I walked in, the owner Lenny, said hello and told me a joke (this was a ritual every time I visited), it always started, "Babs, did you hear the one about?..."  then Lenny would tell me a joke that was usually corny, but it was the way he told them using various voices, facial expressions etc. made them hysterically funny.

On this one particular day, after the joke du jour, Lenny told me, "I've got something you're gonna love!" and reached under the counter (where he kept the bootlegs) and pulled out a record, and said "Monk live!".  The record's packaging was austere to say the least; a cheap flimsy looking black cardboard jacket, in between the cardboard and the cellophane was a photocopy on yellow paper that in big block letters that read:

THELONIOUS MONK
LIVE IN BREMEN GERMANY
MARCH 1965

Under the text was cartoonish sketch of Monk.

When I returned home, and took the LP out of its jacket, it was poorly pressed on low grade vinyl.  None of this was surprising, as such was the state of "unofficial" records in 1967.  I put it on my turntable, lit a joint, and gave it a listen. The audio was more or less passable, but performance was outstanding.  The tracklist was CD1 of today's freeload.  A few years later I was given a cassette tape of the full show (CDs 1 & 2), which along with the LP didn't survive the ravages of time…
 

'Bremen 1965' was recorded on March 8, 1965, at the Sendesaal Concert Hall / Studio F in Schwachhausen, Bremen, Germany.  It was released on December 12, 2025, on the Sunnyside Records label.

This was Monk's first major world tour, shortly after he signed with Columbia Records, and this recording is much more than just an archival curiosity.  This is a stunning live performance from Monk with nicely extended tracks with plenty of space for solos.

The group here is that classic Monk quartet from the mid 60s – Charlie Rouse on tenor, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums.  This quartet was known for its almost "telepathic" playing.  Charlie Rouse's tenor lines weave around Monk's motifs and mercurial humor with solos that are almost worth the price of admission alone.  Larry Gales and Ben Riley anchor all the angularities in Monk's piano.  There are moments of risky collective improvisation, and due to the aforementioned "telepathy", and those risks pay off in spades.

The set features takes of "Just You Just Me", "I'm Getting Sentimental", "Well You Needn't", "Rhythm A Ning", and "Criss Cross" that are all past the ten minute mark – plus slightly shorter versions of "Sweet & Lovely" and "Epistropy.  

'Bremen 1965' nicely fills a gap in Monk's recorded chronology. This should be in your Monk collection.  It also has very nice sonics.

For the freeload, tell us a joke.

Bob Dylan – 'Japanese Singles Collection'

 

ボブ・ディラン = Bob Dylan
日本のシングル集 = Japanese Singles Collection

Good selection of songs, right? 
Track 15 of CD1 is rare and a nice inclusion.

The 'Japanese Singles Collection' was released in March 2020 for the Japanese domestic market on the Sony Music Japan International label.  It was released to coincide with Bob's planned 14-date 2020 Japanese tour, scheduled for April 2020 in Tokyo and Osaka, that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The tour was set to feature small, intimate venues like Zepp DiverCity and Zepp Namba.  A sticker with the fifteen tour dates is attached to the front shrinkwrap.

The 31 singles in this collection from 1965 through 1985 are in Japanese domestic market release date order, not chronological order.

The audio (in Sony's Blu-spec 2CD) has really impressive sonics.

For the freeload, post one verse from some of your favorite Zimmy's songs.

Two From "Big" Bill Broonzy

 

'The Bill Broonzy Story' was recorded at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, Illinois on July 12-13, 1957.  It was produced by Bill Randle, and released as a five LP set on the Verve Records label in April 1961.

This is a wonderful collection by one of the giants of traditional acoustic blues.  It was recorded just before his surgery for lung cancer, that would silence Bill's voice a year later.  Many Blues fans fondly refer to this album as "Big" Bill's "Last will and testament".

The songs are Bill's favorite blues songs, and are introduced in a studio conversation with Bill Randle, and writer Louis "Studs" Terkel.  Bill's reflections and anecdotes about his life, his career transition from rural Arkansas fiddle player, the musicians he knew as well as the history of the blues, and American roots music are nothing short of captivating.

Now I should point out that ethnomusicologists, Blues historians, and members of "The Blues Police" (they're out there) often note that Bill's reflections and anecdotes are "yarns" and "factually questionable".  Whilst I do not dispute this (some of it anyway), Bills stories provide a vivid and entertaining first-hand account of the African-American experience in the early 20th century.

Be that as it may…

My older brother gifted me the 5LP collection for my14th birthday in 1961.  A few years later, I lent it out and never saw it again.

The freeload is a 3CD set, released on the Verve Records label in 1999.

Here's some more old vinyl from the Button Factory Archives.  This one was released in 1967 on the Archive Of Folk Music label.  It's a nice collection of "Big" Bill's sides.  The freeload is a 24bit/96kHz rip.

For the freeload, who are some of your favorite folklore legends?

Joe Henderson - 'The State Of The Tenor: Live At The Village Vanguard Vols. 1 & 2'

 

Both volumes of The State Of The Tenor: Live At The Village Vanguard, were recorded on November 14, 15 and 16, 1985.  Volume 1 was released in 1986, with Volume 2 being released in 1987 on the Blue Note label.

This is a substantial collection that illustrates skilled musicians in peak performance, original song selections and arrangements, captivating interplay, and exceptional sound quality. 

As with all late period Joe Henderson, the playing overall gives the impression of sophistication and calm.  But amidst all of this, there is a fiery, questioning, anguished, boundary-pushing musical connection and expression.

These recordings are in a trio setting with Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums, whom are both Jazz legends in their own right.  Ron Carter's playing is (as always) masterful, weaving moments of tension, lyricism, delicacy, and dissonance into his baselines and solos.  Al Foster's drums are varyingly subtle, loud, obnoxious, and seamless when the moments call for it.

Joe's playing is masterful, always accessible yet simultaneously questioning and unexpected.  I’ve been listening to these two volumes since their release, and they remain fresh and intelligent even after hundreds upon hundreds of repeated listens.

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

Bab's Bootleg Bonanza - Steely Dan Edition

Here's a very nice Steely Dan "Boot".

Not much to say about this one.  As you can see, it has a good setlist (I saw three shows from this tour, and the setlist varied from night to night.)  The performances are excellent, as are the arraignments, and so is the quality of the audio — everything we expect from a Steely Dan show.

For the freeload, what's your main form of entertainment?

Super Black Blues

A few days ago I was shopping for fruits and vegetables over in Chinatown.  One of the fruit stands was selling Huolong Guo (Dragon Fruit) and pineapples, and I stopped to buy some. The fruit stand had a boombox that was tuned to Q104.3 FM "New York's Classic Rock" [the new elevator/supermarket music - Ed], and as I was paying for the fruit, Foghat's version of "Big" Joe Turner's "Honey Hush" came on.  It occurred to me, I haven't listened to "Big" Joe in quite some time.

When I got back to the button factory, I looked for and old favorite, 'The Best Of Joe Turner — 14 All-Time Hits' on the Atlantic Records label, which I thought I had on CD.  In the middle of some of Big Joes CDs was 'Super Black Blues', something else I haven't listened to in quite some time.  So I put in the CD transport, and continued my search for 'The Best Of Joe Turner — 14 All-Time Hits'.

'Super Black Blues' is a blues all-star album that was recorded in Los Angeles CA, on October 17, 1969.  It was produced by Bob Thiele, and released on the Bluestime label, a subsidiary of Bob's Flying Dutchman label.

This is a gem of a Blues album with T-Bone Walker on vocals and guitar, Joe Turner on vocals, Otis Spann on piano, Ernie Watts on tenor saxophone, George "Harmonica" Smith on harmonica, Arthur Wright on guitar, Ron Brown on bass, and Paul Humphrey on drums.

There are just the four tracks on 'Super Black Blues', but such is the relaxed nature of their musical interplay (not unlike Miles' 'Kind Of Blue'), they stretch out to over 10 minutes more than once as the musicians and singers trade breaks and verses.  The only "short" song is also the only song not credited to T-Bone Walker, it's a delicious reading of the standard 'Here Am I Broken Hearted'.  

There are different blues styles East Coast, Kansas City, Mississippi, and Chicago blues—that blend perfectly.  The overall vibe of this album, is Blues Masters having fun and showing off. And why not?

The sound quality is superb — something we expect from Bob Thiele.

Simply stated, 'Super Black Blues' is an album that belongs in every blues collection.

I (eventually) did find my copy of 'The Best Of Joe Turner -14 All-Time Hits', but on vinyl.  This was originally released in 1962, and as far as I can tell never released on CD, there are quite a few best of Joe Turner releases out there, but his one is my favorite.  It also has lots of sentimental value, I bought this album in either '67 or '68 at Canterbury Records in Pasadena, CA, which was a short walk from California Institute of Technology.  I ripped this album (24bit/48kHz) and will be part of the freeload, it has that nice warm "tubey" sound.

'The Best Of Joe Turner -14 All-Time Hits' has blues, jump blues, jazz, R&B and early rock and roll, a genre which "Big" Joe helped invent. It's been said, that if Joe was a good-looking Caucasian dude with lots of teeth, he'd be would have been a "household name".  So it goes…

For the freeload, let's talk about some of your favorite so-called "Super Groups"?

Miles Davis - Live in 1969 (Antibes & Rome)

 

Miles in 1969
Photo by Guy Le Querrec.
A print hangs in the Button Factory.

In 1969, Miles Davis embarked on a transformative journey, breaking free from his previous musical identity and embarking on one of the most exhilarating career trajectories in modern music history.  He ventured into uncharted territories, giving birth to entirely new genres and embarking on musical quests that continue to captivate audiences to this day.

Miles's band on this pivotal point on which his career would turn were, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette.  This line-up became known as "The Miles Davis Lost Quintet" as it did not record in the studio in this configuration.  

While Miles' 1970–1972 bands were funkier and the gigantic 1973–1975 ensembles took abstraction to its limits.  The 1969 quintet was the first and only to delicately balance the frantic bop of Miles’ pre-electric period with what would become one of the most revolutionary albums in music history, Bitches Brew.

'1969 Miles: Festiva de Juan Pins' was recorded live at La Pinède, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, France, July 25th, 1969.  It was produced by Teo Macero, and released in October 1993, for the Japanese domestic market.

Tracklist
1. Directions
2. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down

3. Milestones

4. Footprints

5. 'Round Midnight

6. It's About That Time

7. Sanctuary

8. The Theme

The Davis Quintet toured Europe in October-November 1969 as part of the Newport Jazz Festival in Europe produced by George Wein. 

'Gemini' is a bootleg, that has one song, a 45-minute version Miles' composition, "Gemini".  In typical bootleg fashion, this CD claims to have been recorded live in Paris, November 3, 1969, but this is a Radio Televisione Italian (RAI) radio broadcast from Teatro Sistina, Rome, Italy on October 27, 1969.

Be that as it may the performance and audio is sweet.

For the freeload, what were you doing in 1969?

Tom Waits - 'Nighthawks at the Diner'

'Nighthawks at the Diner' was at recorded at The Record Plant in Hollywood, CA. on July 30 & 31and released in 1975 as a double LP on the Elektra/Asylum Records label.

This is Tom at his peak as a beat-poet, barroom philosopher.  It blends moody, late-night jazz with spoken-word monologues and storytelling, evoking a smoky, intimate, 2 a.m. lounge ambiance, featuring characters like drunks, dreamers, and hookers, and delivers a highly atmospheric, almost cinematic experience.

Tom wanted to record a live album. Asylum Records founder David Geffen whom at the time was pushing Tom into a jazzier direction came up with the idea of staging it in a studio to emulate the atmosphere of a small club. Why they just didn't record it in an actual small club, is beyond me.

Be that as it may…

They rented the back room of the Record Plant, which had a large seating area and a glass booth for the recording equipment.  Four shows were planned for the last two days of July 1975 with a different audience attending each show.  Admission was by invitation only, though free tickets were handed out at Tom Waits’ old haunt, the Troubadour in West Hollywood.  As such, the crowd was filled with friendly ears conducive to his charms, from hip Elektra-Asylum employees to existing fans of the musician.  The back room of the Record Plant was set up like a nightclub: big tables with candles, checkerboard tablecloths, peanuts, pretzels, wine, and beer. 

Tom's backing band was Pete Christlieb on saxophone, Bill Goodwin on drums, Jim Hughart on bass, and bandleader Mike Melvoin on piano.  All were elite session musicians who recorded with Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Vince Guaraldi, and many others.  The interaction between the band and Tom is wonderful. You can hear this innate connection between the musicians 51 years later; their patience, trust, and responsiveness are remarkable.

The opening act for all the four shows was an old-fashioned tassel twirling burlesque stripper named "Dwana" [sigh…—Ed] who was an old friend of Toms.  What could be more appropriate for the warm-up for a Waits show than an old school stripper?

Tom Waits’ one-liners, non sequiturs, surprisingly sweet asides, scatting, self-deprecating stories, observational humor, and sadness all contribute to a perfect personality portrait in 'Nighthawks at the Diner'.

Waits’ wandering words paint a vivid picture of a funny, broken boozer, almost transcending the music itself.  The recorded evidence shows that Waits had truly developed his stage persona, characterized by a joking, rambling, Beat-rhetorical style reminiscent of Charles Bukowski poetry or Lenny Bruce routines. This showcases a whiskey-soaked, and gravelly-voiced persona, with long, often humorous, spoken-word introductions that sometimes overshadow the songs.

The freeload is limited edition CD-sized gatefold mini LP replica Japanese reissue from 2010, It was remastered by Isao Kikuch for the Japanese domestic market, and it sounds terrific.  If you've freeloaded any of my previous Tom Waits posts, you know what I'm talking about.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite Tom Waits quotes and lyrics?

Muddy Waters – 'Live (At Mr. Kelly's)'

 

'Live (at Mr. Kelly's)' was originally released in September 1971 on the Chess label.  It was recorded on June 11 and 12, 1971 during Muddy's three-week engagement at Mister Kelly's nightclub in Chicago, and was produced by Ralph Bass.

For some reason this album gets "lost in the shuffle", which is a shame because this is an essential live blues album, with Muddy and his band on top of their game.

Along with Muddy on vocals and slide guitar (natch) are:
Paul Oscher on harmonica
James "Pee Wee" Madison on guitar
Sammy Lawhorn on guitar
"Pinetop" Perkins on piano
Calvin "Fuzz" Jones on bass
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on drums
This band defined Muddy's sound for the 1970s

Also on the album is James Cotton who guested on one of the nights and plays harmonica (what else?) on "What Is That She Got," "Strange Woman," and "Boom, Boom".  On the original 1971 Chess release, James is credited as "Joe Denim" to circumvent contractual issues.  It's interesting to hear both James' and Paul Oscher's distinctive harmonica styles.

Mister Kelly's was located on Rush Street in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood.  It was one of the hotspots of Chicago nightlife in the 1950s through the mid-1970s.  The nightclub offered top-notch entertainment, showcasing both established talents and emerging stars who later achieved international fame.  Legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Mort Sahl, Barbra Streisand, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, and Richard Pryor graced the stage at Mister Kelly’s.

Some blues fans say that this live album should have been recorded in a Southside blues club.  While I don't necessarily disagree with that, I think that Mister Kelly's had better acoustics (the album's audio is excellent), and a three-week engagement at Mister Kelly's was financially rewarding for Muddy.  And after all, he was in the music business, right?.

Today's freeload is the 1992 CD reissue.  Tracks 10 ("She's Nineteen Years") and 12 ("Long Distance Call") are bonus tracks, not on the original 1971 release.

For the freeload, let's talk about albums that have been overlooked or "lost in the shuffle", but are essential in their respective genres.

Art Pepper - 'An Afternoon in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert'

 

"Do not go gentle into that good night", Dylan Thomas wrote it and Art Pepper in his later years lived it.  In 1980, Art was 54; his health was poor, but his creativity was at its peak. 

'An Afternoon in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert' is a 2-CD set, that was recorded on June 29, 1980, at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in Norway.  It was produced by the award-winning "Jazz Detective" Zev Feldman in collaboration with Laurie Pepper (Art's widow) and the Art Pepper Estate.  It was released on May 9, 2025, on the Elemental Music label.

Art Pepper's sound changed over the course of his career.  There was the cool almost Lee Konitz sound of the 1950s, through to the jagged John Coltrane influence in the 1960s to the driven, go-for-a-broke, passionate sound of his latter years.

Art toured almost constantly; by the 1980s he'd adopted an experimental dimension on-stage in his solos.  Art's backing band was Bulgarian pianist Milcho Leviev alongside bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Carl Burnett.  This quartet brought a deep-blue, hard-swinging, intuitive approach to loosely frame Art's playing, and is a master class in accompaniment.

An Afternoon in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert picks up the afternoon after a show at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London ended at 1:30 a.m., and they were whisked to Norway, without time to sleep, in order to make this afternoon set as the closing act at Norway's Konigsberg Jazz Festival.

You know how some double albums feel like an eternity to get through?  This one is just the opposite, it's so enjoyable that the next thing you know it's over.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite double albums?

Traffic - 'On The Road'

So just what did Babs get up to on her road trip?



Speculation over at False Memory Foam was…

Mr Grimsdale wrote:

"worrying about the cost of petrol, eating overpriced crap from the garage...

"

Farquhar Throckmorton III replied:

… read that as "garbage".



Swear to Dog, I had the same dyslexic moment.

vincentsear wrote:


"haute cuisine and truck stops."

Sounds like Steely Dan lyrics

Bombshelter Slim wrote:


"Asking for directions from strangers and arriving at her destination safely and ahead of schedule!

"

We actually did arrive safely and ahead of schedule.
 
When my husband Jerry and I did road trips, no matter where we were in the continental United States, for "shits and giggles" Jerry would ask strangers "Do you know the way to Passaic, New Jersey?" followed by, "What time does the police station close around here?"  On toll roads and bridges, at the toll booth, he’d pay the toll for the car behind us, take off really fast, and the car behind us would try to catch up to us, to see who we were.



mcultice wrote:


"No good, no doubt."

No shit.



Andy T wrote:


"Blue pills and red pills x
"

Sativa gummies for the drive to and from Florida.  Spliffs and frozen drinks on the beach.

  Martinis, Negronis, red Bordeaux, white Burgundy and spliffs in the evening.

cityghost96 wrote:


"Dodging those pesky drones.

"

Freaking drones!



notBob wrote:


"Getting a mild sunburn & a major buzz.

"

Who doesn't like nice tan lines and a major buzz?

Farquhar Throckmorton III wrote:

"
Listening to Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra on th' Pinto 8-track.

"

Have you been talking to Sundar Pichai again?



Farquhar Throckmorton III wrote:


"Picking up Rutger Hauer on a rainswept road at night.

"

I'm picturing Denise "The Grease" telling John Ryder (as we say in New York) 'where it's at':
"You're gonna sit in the back between Patty and Michelle.  You’re gonna act like a perfect gentleman at all times, or I’ll pop a cap in your dick quicker than you can say…um…um…yo Babs what’s that word you use for dick?"  "Do you mean Schwanzstücker, Denise?"  "Yeah that’s it…quicker than you can say schwanzstücker with…um …um…yo Babs what’s those two little dots over the u called?"  "Umlauts, Denise."  "Yeah that’s it…I’ll pop a cap in your dick quicker than you can say schwanzstücker with friggin’ umlauts!  Capiche Blondie?"

Eric S. Wrote:


I'm hoping Denise the Grease is along for the ride...as for Rutger in the rain, I imagine he and Babs will watch the attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion and C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate....like tears in rain. But no dying, we need her. kbaithx.



"The Grease" rode shotgun. 


I’d hang with Rutger and "dose" our drinks (200 µg each) just for laughs while watching those glittering C-beams




Bambi wrote:
"Apart from chilling at the waters edge Babs will be on the beach perfecting the Wicked Pickett Soul Train dance at a breathtaking speed - a girls gotta keep fit."

A girl does indeed, Bambi.

[False Memory Foam is a music blog, I highly recommend.  It's good clean fun - Ed]

Be that as it may…

Traffic's 'On The Road' was originally released (as double LP on initial European releases, and a single U.S. release) on the Island Records label in 1973.  The album was recorded in Frankfurt Germany, on Traffic's Spring tour of 1973, and captures their extended, jazz-fusion-influenced sound perfectly. 

The lineup includes core Traffic members Steve Winwood on vocals, guitar, and piano. Jim Capaldi on drums, vocals, and percussion. Chris Wood on saxophone and flute. Backing musicians are Reebop Kwaku Baah on congas and percussion, and the Muscle Shoals rhythm section: Roger Hawkins on drums, David Hood on bass, and Barry Beckett on keyboards.

The freeload is a remastered limited edition SHM-CD, released for the Japanese domestic market in 2008 as part of USM Japan's 'Rock Legend Series'.  It has excellent sonics.

As a bonus, I'm adding

This is the 2CD deluxe edition.

For the freeload, what's street traffic usually like in your neck of the woods?