Charlie Parker – 'Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes'

 

Back in 2016, when I heard Verve Records was releasing 'Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes', I cynically thought to myself, "Yeah, I've heard that before.", thinking they would be a rehash of poor quality, barely listenable Charlie Parker recordings for serious collectors only (like myself, and some of you).

It turned out, these newly discovered takes were found by Harry Weinger, the VP of Universal Music Enterprises, and former associate of Norman Granz.  Not only that, but these are high fidelity recordings made from Granz's 10-inch full-track reel-to-reel tape dubs of 16-inch acetates when Granz was consolidating his labels in the mid-1950s.

Weinger brought in Phil Schapp the world's foremost expert on Charlie Parker, and eminent jazz historian.  Phil identified and analyzed the new material.

'Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes' is a 2CD set that was co-produced by Phil Schaap, and Harry Weinger.  This set features previously unreleased alternate takes and false starts of Parker's recordings for Verve between 1949 and 1952.  The 69 tracks feature masters and multiple takes of Parker in a range of studio settings, including quartets, quintets, soloing with Machito and His Afro-Cubans, with strings and fronting big bands.  All the sessions were originally produced by Norman Granz for his Clef and Norgran labels, which eventually were absorbed by his Verve label in 1956 at the start of the 12-inch LP era.

I like how these recordings allow us inside the private domain between Parker and Granz as they developed some of the most important music in jazz.  Additionally, fans of between-song banter, who love hearing Bird's voice, will enjoy the brief highlights, including one where guests in the studio are called out by Bird and by Granz for getting too loud.

In his liner notes (included in the freeload), Phil Schaap (right) provides an overview, session-by-session history and track-by-track analysis, further illuminating the creative process of Bird’s genius.  Phil also describes obtaining these tracks from the estate of the late Norman Granz and where they fit in the big Bird picture.

This set might be more of a boon to hardcore fans and scholars, but it does do more to show the human side of Charlie Parker. It sheds light on his work ethic and vision that helped shape a figure frequently reduced to a collection of myths and legends. Perhaps this is a 21st-century perspective, but if it provides a greater understanding of this complex man, and I think Bird would appreciate it.

BIRD LIVES!

For the freeload, tell us how have your musical tastes evolved over time.

Ray Charles - 'The Birth Of Soul - The Complete Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Recordings 1952-1959'

In 1952 Ahmet Ertegun, along with Jerry Wexler, saw the potential in Ray Charles and, recognizing his talent, acquired his recording contract from Swing Time Records.  The contract was purchased for $2,500, a relatively small amount at the time but a significant investment for Atlantic Records.

Ray Charles' early, influential career was largely defined by his time at Atlantic Records, where Ahmet Ertegen put him in an environment where he could flourish, and Ray did the rest.  The importance of this music cannot be understated.

'The Birth Of Soul' is a 3CD set that was released by Atlantic Records in 1991.  The powers that be at Atlantic Records took great, loving care to put this set together.  It's in chronological order, and is definitely the way to go.  The maturation process of the music is amazing.  The accompanying booklet (included in the freeload) is also informative and very well done. This is the collection to get if you are a Ray Charles fan.

You will easily find many of your favorite artist's beginnings here, and that is the Genius of Ray Charles.

For the freeload, what are your top 10 Soul songs?

Happy St. Patrick's Day with Sherman and Van Morrison

 
Every St. Patrick's Day, I think of my friend Sherman.  Funny thing is, he wasn't even Irish.  Sherman was an African American man from up in Harlem.  My husband Jerry and I knew Sherman and his partner Fatima from Manhattan Jazz clubs, and they became close friends of ours. 

Fatima was born in Portugal, and moved to New Orleans as a little girl.  As a young adult, she attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and received an MFA in sculpture.   Her specialty was abstract sculpture, and she also had a catering business in Manhattan. 

Sherman was a writer and wrote jokes for Bill Cosby, Slappy White, Sammy Davis Jr. Godfrey Cambridge, Richard Pryor and others.  He wrote for the newspapers: The New York Daily News, The New York Post and The Village Voice.  He was also a board member on The New York City Council for the Arts.  Sherman was, without doubt, the funniest person I've ever met.

Sherman and Fatima are no longer with us, and I think of them often.

So what does this have to do with St. Patrick's Day, you ask?

Well, on St. Patrick's Day 1975 my husband Jerry, Sherman, Fatima and I dropped some pyramid shaped red "Windowpane", and went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, here in Manhattan.  Needless to say, we had a blast.

Afterward, we headed downtown to McSorley’s Old Ale House to drink beer.  From the moment we walked in, to the time we left, Sherman spoke with a convincing Irish accent, and had everyone he spoke with believing he was Irish.

At one point during the festivities, Sherman shared that he had written a St. Patrick’s Day Survival Guide.  He rummaged through his jacket, pulled out a piece of paper, gave it a quick scan, and then shared the following:

Sherman’s St. Patrick's Day Survival Guide

St. Patrick's Day: the one day of the year when the 2% of the world’s population that's Irish gets the other 98% completely shitfaced.

Leg 1:
7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Rise and shine early.  Take a long, hot shower, and liberally use aftershave, perfume, cologne, deodorant, and powders afterward, because by 3 p.m., you will be excreting raw alcohol and other poisons.  Without proper preparations, you will smell like a three-day dead cat wrapped in a massage parlor carpet.

The bars open at 9AM, so use this time to prepare.  Collect the following supplies and put them in a place where you will easily be able to find it in an impaired condition.  I recommend the bathroom floor, between the toilet and the baseboard heater, since that's where you'll probably end up:

• 1 quart spring water
• 1 bottle aspirin
• 5 pairs Depends (adult diapers)
• 1 bottle Percocet
• 1 gram morphine sulfate
• 1 oz. human adrenaline extract
• 1 precharged electric defibrillator
• 4 Cardiac needles
• 1 trauma surgeon

Brew a strong pot of coffee.  Add 9 oz. Jameson Irish whiskey, drink.  Note that coffee should be drunk liberally throughout the day.  There is a reason that the Irish invented Irish Coffee; unless you ingest a large volume of artificial stimulants throughout the course of St. Patrick's Day, you are going to die.

Arrange to be picked up to be taken to the bar by 8:45 a.m.  I cannot stress enough that you should not drink and drive.  There is no reason to chance losing your license or killing someone in a drunken state when you have plenty of idiot friends willing to take that risk on your behalf.

Leg 2:
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Arrive at the bar right when it opens.  Make sure this is an Irish bar if at all possible.  Almost every city in America has bars called "The Blarney Stone", "Molly McGuire’s", "The Dirty Mick" or "McSomethings-or-Another".  Just try to ignore the fact that the bar is probably owned by Koreans.

Secure a barstool and do not leave it under any circumstances.  The bar is liable to be packed by noon, and real Irish people do not wait in line for drinks, no matter what the consequences.

Order a few more Irish Coffees to spike the stimulant level.  However, you should not order an "Irish Coffee" as you will be given a fruity little glass mug topped with whipped cream and a cherry, and some guy named Seamus will call you a pussy while putting a cigarette out on your neck.  Ask for coffee with whiskey and ask the bartender to leave the whipped cream can, as nothing will add spice to your day like the occasional hit of whippet (nitrous oxide).

Leg 3:
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It's lunchtime!  You may not be hungry, but it's important to eat something, because like Sheriff Bart said in 'Blazing Saddles': "Man drink like that, and don't eat, he is going to die."

If you want to maintain your buzz and not get that hideous, bloated feeling that could slow down your drinking, there are only two options: popcorn or Pop-Tarts.  Both have the carbohydrates you'll need to give you energy, both will soak up excess bile in your stomach, and both have names that are hard to slur.   If you start slurring your words too early, you'll hear the second most frightening phrase in the English language on St. Patrick's Day: "You're cut off".  The most frightening phrase? As on all other days, it is simply "I'm pregnant", especially when followed by "It's definitely yours."

By now, you should switch off of coffee drinks to beer.  You have only one option here: Guinness stout.  You may be tempted to order green beer, but remember: beer doesn't always turn green because of food coloring.

Leg 4:
2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

By now, the bar is definitely crowded as people take long lunches and bail out of work early to “tie one on”.  If you're doing your job correctly, the bar should look two to three times as crowded as it really is.

Also, by now, you may be in conversation with some real Irish people, since the person you came with has likely been taken away by ambulance.  Some conversational points to remember when talking to the Irish are: Football, really means Soccer, and you should be more passionate about it than you are about than anything else.  You may want to have another Irish Coffee if your heartbeat has become irregular.

The Home Stretch:
7 p.m. to Closing

Your goal, of course, is to be the last person to leave the bar at closing time.  This will be impossible, since a blood alcohol content of .50 usually equals death, and you should be pushing a .35 or .40 by now.

The only way for a true Irishman to leave a bar before closing time with honor is to be hauled away by the police.  Throw a punch.  It doesn't matter who you hit or why; no one's made any sense since 3 o'clock, anyway.  You will be beaten mercilessly, since your fine motor control has been gone since the late morning, but it doesn't matter since you can't feel anything.

Depending on your community, the police should arrive within fifteen minutes to scrape you off the floor and clap you in irons.  The final impression you leave is the most important: as you are being dragged from the bar, begin screaming that you want to take your drink with you.  You will be a legend, and by now the friend who took you to the bar should have had his or her stomach pumped, and will be able to bail you out.

By following these simple guidelines, your St. Patrick's Day experience will be one you will never forget, if it weren't physically and biologically impossible for you to remember any of it.

When Sherman finished, we were in hysterics, as were people at the neighboring tables, and gave him a round of applause.  Sherman gave me the paper, which I still have, and cherish.

Today's freeloads are from a man whom I'm sure can tell a drunken St. Patrick's Day story or two…

'Veedon Fleece'

This is a nice limited edition, remastered Japanese SHM-CD, from 2008.

'..It's Too Late To Stop Now... Volume I (Live)'

This is a 24-bit 96 kHz Reissue from 2016.

Both make for nice upgrades

For the freeload, tell us one of your favorite "drunk stories"

Joe Pass - "Tudo Bem!"

Joe Pass was best known for his straight ahead jazz solo guitar work.  His ability to improvise bass lines and chords, while crafting his single-note solos, is truly amazing.

Today's freeload is Joe in a different context, with a band behind him, playing Samba and Bossa nova music.

Joe went on his first tour of Brazil in the winter of 1977, which was organized by music promoter Norman Granz.  He came back to the US, totally blown away by the samba and bossa nova music he heard there.  Even though Bossa nova had been popular in the US since the early 60s, Joe had never recorded an entire album of Brazilian songs as a leader.

As a sideman, he had played on Bud Shank’s 'Brazil! Brazil! Brazil!' in 1966, featured Antonio Carlos Jobim’s songs on an Oscar Peterson album, and even contributed to a few Ella Fitzgerald albums.  But Joe hadn’t really gotten into Brazilian music until he went on that Granz-promoted tour.

A year after he got back, Joe put together a band and recorded 'Tudo Bem!' (or All’s Well!) in Hollywood on May 8, 1978.  The session along with Joe's guitar had Don Grusin on keyboards, Oscar Castro-Neves on guitar, Octavio Bailly on bass, Claudio Slon on drums, and Paulinho da Costa on percussion.

Track List:

01. "Corcovado"
02. "Tears (Razao de Viver)"
03. "Wave"
04. "Voce (You)"
05. "If You Went Away"
06. "Que Que Ha?"
07. "The Gentle Rain
08. "Barquinho"
09. "Luciana"
10. "I Live to Love"

At first, this album sounds relaxed, with light and breezy grooves (which they are).  But, on a closer listen, you'll realize how complex, and also how on fire, Joe Pass and company are.  They just make it "look" easy.

For the freeload, tell us about albums you like that find the artist/group in a genre other than the one they are known for.

'Searching For Odell Harris'

 

For years and years, whenever I spoke to people who were knowledgeable of Mississippi blues, the name Odell Harris almost always came up.   Writer Robert Palmer (no, not the singer) enthusiastically told me of the two times he saw Odell, first on a friend of Odell's front porch, and then in another friend’s living room.

Odell Harris was a reclusive legend, who never made a record, so for most people, the only way to hear Odell was to visit a Mississippi juke joint, and even if you did, he was infamous for not showing up.



Apparently, Albert King was Odell’s uncle, and his cousin was Soul singer/songwriter, William Bell.  His two of his closest friends were fellow North Mississippi Hill Country Blues musicians R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough.



Jeff Konkel founder of The Broke & Hungry Records label, and his team caught up with Odell, in November 2006.  Odell made it clear it was then or no time, so the engineer set up his recording equipment and started the tape rolling the tape.  The acoustics were rough, there was a rowdy audience, and Harris preferred to fool around than to take the recording seriously.  It took hours before Harris took the recording seriously.  Then around four o'clock in the morning, hours into the session, the audience quieted down or left and Harris settled in for this session of ten vocals and two instrumentals.  This would be the only recorded evidence of the legendary bluesman.


If you like your blues authentic, down, dirty and raw, you’ll love 'Searching For Odell Harris'.  Accompanied by a second guitarist, Bill Abel, and trash can drummer "Lightnin’ Malcolm" Harris delivers one gem after another.  No one cut really stands out over the others, although the first cut, "Train I Ride" is a good introduction to his raw, unpolished style, heavy on funk.  I don’t know whether Harris plays the guitar solos or Bill Abel (who was also recording engineer for the session) but they’re pretty good.



Like bluesmen before him, Odell makes each standard his own.  They are also a couple instrumentals, songs that were created right on the spot.  This recording isn't finely polished, and Odell is sometimes out-of-tune.  But, as "Lightnin' Malcolm" said of the set:


"Some of it wasn't even in tune, but it was, like BETTER than in tune".

Odell disappeared from sight again shortly after this session was recorded. Some time later, he was slated to perform at a blues festival but never showed. The next notice about was his obituary, dead in Louisiana at age 75.

For the freeload, post a few of your favorite Blues double entendres.

The Complete Blue Note Lou Donaldson Sessions 1957-60

 

Lou Donaldson, known to friends and fans as "Sweet Poppa Lou" was one of the greatest alto saxophonists of all time.  His musicianship, humor, and showmanship earned him international recognition as a performer with a worldwide following.  He also played a significant role in both the development of hard bop and its evolution into soul jazz.  Lou's blues-drenched alto was a force in jazz for more than seven decades.

Alfred Lion, co-founder of Blue Note Records, heard Donaldson playing at Minton's Playhouse and invited him to record for his label.  First as a sideman with the Milt Jackson Quartet, who became the Modern Jazz Quartet. 

Lou was instrumental in bringing Clifford Brown and Horace Silver to Blue Note, and made the recording with Art Blakey, 'Night at Birdland', considered one of the first in the hard bop genre.  He was also instrumental in getting many legendary musicians their debut sessions with the Blue Note label, including Grant Green, Blue Mitchell, John Patton, Ray Barretto, Curtis Fuller, and Donald Byrd.

Lou pulled a distinctive, honeyed tone from his alto sax, and blended the lyricism of the swing-era "swoon" of Johnny Hodges with the quick-fingered velocity of bebop architect Charlie Parker.

'The Complete Blue Note Lou Donaldson Sessions 1957-60' was released by Mosaic Records in 2002, as a numbered limited edition 6CD box set.These sessions gave us the albums:

• Wailing with Lou
• Swing and Soul
• Lou Takes Off
• Blues Walk
• LD+3
• The Time Is Right
• Sunny Side Up
• Lightfoot
• Midnight Sun
• Gravy Train

In typical Mosaic Records fashion, the sonics are excellent, as are the packaging, and the 20-page booklet (included in the freeload).

For the freeload, tell us what your favorite sweet treat is.

The Beatles - 'Help!'

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to the summer of 1965...

In June, I graduated from high school, and in September I would start my freshman year at Caltech.  In August, The Beatles released their second movie, ‘Help!’, which at the time was a pretty big deal.



One evening that August, my high school sweetheart David and I had a date to see ‘Help!’ in downtown Brooklyn.  David came to my house to pick me up, we were holding hands walking down Pierrepont street in Brooklyn Heights, to David’s car.  Walking towards us was Denise "The Grease's" older brother, Vincenzo, whose nickname was, Vinny "The One".  He was wearing a dark "sharkskin" suit, and looked as dapper as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra rolled into one. 

I introduced David to Vinny, who looked David up and down, sizing him up, and said to me, "Excuse us for a minute, Babs, I need to talk to David in private". Vinny then put his arm around David’s neck and walked him a few yards away from where I was standing.  I tried to hear what was being said to no avail.  Vinny walked David back to me, and said to me, "Enjoy the flick, Babs" and gave David a playful punch on his arm and then said, "Davey boy and I are gonna be good friends, right Davey?"  David, who looked as white as a ghost, his hands shaking, gave a nervous laugh and shook his head in agreement.  This upset me, and I said to Vinny, "What did you say to him?  He’s a really nice guy!"  Vinny held up both his hands, as if I was pointing a gun at him, and said, "Whoa Babs, I told him where it’s at, that’s all!" and then put a five dollar bill in my hand.  As he walked away, he mumbled "Fuckin' A" to himself.  I tried to hold David’s hand, but he wouldn’t let me.  What also upset me was that I planned on sneaking David into my parent's basement later that evening, and it didn’t seem like that was going to happen.



When we got in David’s car, I asked him, "What did Vinny say to you?".  David told me, "He said, if I touch one hair on your head, both my arms will be broken, but he wouldn’t do it, so I’d never know when or when it was coming."  and then David said, "He's got a pistol under his suit jacket, and made sure I saw it!"  His eyes welled up, and said, "I think, I should just go home."  I told David that Vinny thought he was doing the right thing, meant well, and I assured him nothing bad was going to happen.  After a few minutes, David calmed down, and we went to see 'Help!'

After the movie, we went for a bite to eat, and I told David how Vinny looked out for me and his sister, Denise "The Grease", who David knew.  And also how whenever I saw Vinny he’d give me a five dollar bill (Based on 3.93% average inflation from 1965 to 2025, $5.00 in 1965 has the buying power $50.58 in 2025), and once when "The Grease" and I were going to by records, he gave us ten dollars each.  I left out that "The Grease" and Vinny's father was a Cosa Nostra Caporegime, so he wouldn’t stroke out right there in the restaurant.

In a few weeks, David and I were both leaving Brooklyn to further our education; I was going to Pasadena CA, and David was headed to New Haven CT.  That was our last date, 

I did, however, sneak David into the basement for our last tango on Pierrepont Street.

David went on to take over his family’s textile business in Manhattan’s Garment District, and is now retired, living in Boca Raton, Florida.


In his late twenties, Vinny "The One" took the Omertà oath of silence, was "made", given a "crew', and then spent the majority of his life in and out of incarceration. 

This past summer, "The Grease" had a cook out in her backyard out on Long Island.  When I arrived sitting at the picnic table was Vinny now in his mid-eighties, and recently paroled.  He looked totally haggard, walked slightly off kilter, and no longer "The One".  He was however still cocky as all hell.  




After a small seven-course Italian-American meal, we did shots of grappa, and reminisced about a Brooklyn that no longer exists.

Today's freeloads are:

This version was taken from The Beatles USB Stick, with 24 bit/44.1 kbps audio. 

The Beatles USB Stick, was released in December 2009 as a limited edition of 30,000 units.  Pictured above, it's a small metal Apple that contains a USB drive with all 13 of the band’s studio albums in stereo in both 24 bit 44.1 kbps FLAC format and 320 kbps MP3, plus all the 'Past Masters' songs.  It also includes the 13 album mini-documentaries which came with the remastered CDs, and the complete digital booklet artwork.

Next is

The Beatles - 'Help! - Deluxe Edition' is a 3CD collection from Purple Chick.  This collection has stereo and mono versions of the album, plus outtakes, movie and alternate mixes, and acetates. Overall, the audio is excellent.

This is Pop Music of a very high order.

For the freeload, what are your thoughts on the movie 'Help!'?  Have you seen it with 21st century eyes?

Nina Simone - 'You've Got To Learn'

 

"The High Priestess of Soul," Nina Simone, was a multifaceted artist who excelled as a singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist.  Known primarily as a jazz singer, her music skillfully blended various genres, including gospel, blues, folk, pop, and classical styles. 

Among all popular singers, Nina held a profound and enduring association with the Civil Rights Movement.

"You can't help it. An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times."
—Nina Simone

'You've Got To Learn' was recorded live, Saturday, July 2. 1966 at the Newport Jazz Festival.

This performance has been talked about in jazz circles for half a century.  Tales of her captivating set, which held the audience so captivated that they refused to let the next act perform.  The revamped version of her passionate "Mississippi Goddam" made all made me wish I was there, or at least be able to hear Nina’s performance.

Turns out, Nina's set was recorded, and Newport Jazz Festival promoter George Wein donated the tapes of Simone’s performance to the US Library of Congress, where they remained forgotten until Wein’s passing in 2021.  Historian Nadine Cohodas then rediscovered them.

Across seven songs and 33 minutes in length, this album is short, but very much on the sweet side; in fact, it's utterly sublime.  Not only has none of the material been made available before, it's also of the very highest grade – easily surpassing 'Nina at Newport', the famous live album from the 1960 Newport festival.  While that LP highlighted Simone's instrumental skills, this album's all about her singing, and how it intersects emotionally with her political engagement.

The Newport Jazz Festival had always brought the best out in Nina Simone.  When she took to that famous stage on July 2, 1966, the audience was treated to the full range of her artistry - from the opener, a breathtaking version of “You’ve Got To Learn” to an electrifying performance of her signature protest anthem “Mississippi Goddam”. Unwilling to let her leave the stage, and after sustained applause, her fans were rewarded with the show-stopping encore, “Music For Lovers”.  This previously-unknown and unreleased recording showcasing Nina’s exceptional performance makes it clear why hearing Nina Simone in concert was one cool experience.

While it’s hard to feel like we’ve discovered a new fold, wrinkle, or tear in Nina Simone’s richly cataloged life and music.  But 'You’ve Got to Learn' is a hearty document of how music can motivate a political moment.  The most crucial of these songs reverberate throughout history, particularly today as history coils in on itself, repeating the same cruel pattern.  Nina’s music and voice still have the ability to deliver us toward human decency.

The freeload is a 24-bit/192 kHz vinyl rip.

For the freeload, tells us about your favorite recordings that sat unreleased for years.

Babs' Bootleg Bonanza #1

 

This might become a regular feature, each time with a trio of eclectic of bootlegs.

Babs' Bootleg Bonanza #1 is a very nice mix of bootlegs from Thelonious Monk, Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell.  All three are soundboard recordings that all things considered have very good audio.

Thelonious Monk Quartet
November 12th, 1962
The Village Gate, New York City

1. Rhythm-a-ning (cut at start)
2. Body and Soul
3. Evidence
4. I'm getting sentimental over you
5. Body and Soul
6. Jackie-ing

Thelonious Monk - Piano
Charlie Rouse - Tenor saxophone
John Ore - Bass
Frankie Dunlop - Drums

Led Zeppelin
September 28, 1971
Festival Hall
Osaka, Japan

01 Heartbreaker (cuts in)
02 Since I've Been Loving You
03 Black Dog
04 Dazed And Confused
05 Stairway To Heaven (end cut)
06 Please Please Me
07 From Me To You
08 Celebration Day
09 Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
10 That's The Way
11 Going to California
12 We Shall Overcome
13 Tangerine
14 Down By The Riverside
15 The Grand Ole Opry
16 What Is And What Should Never Be
17 Moby Dick

"Percy" - vocals
"Pagey" - guitar
"Jonsey" - bass
"Bonzo" - drums

Checkout the covers of the Moptop's "Please Please Me" and "From Me To You"

Joni Mitchell
November 6, 1995
The Fez
New York, New York

CD1

01 Introduction
02 Refuge of the Roads
03 Hejira
04 Sunny Sunday
05 Happy Birthday, Joni
06 Just Like This Train
07 Moon at the Window
08 Magdelene Laundries
09 Lead Balloon (instrumental--in progress)
10 Crazy Cries of Loves
11 The Three Great Stimulants
12 Cherokee Louise
13 Happiness is the Best Facelift

CD2
01 Song For Sharon
02 Turbulent Indigo
03 Love Puts on a New Face
04 Night Ride Home
05 Amelia

Joni Mitchell with Brian Blade on drums.

This was Joni's first gig in almost a decade, and the first to feature Joni's modified Fender Stratocaster hooked up to a digital Roland VG8 unit.  As Joni points out, her absence from performing live was that she typically uses 30-50 guitar tunings for her complex repertoire, necessitating as she puts it: "endless re-tunings plus an army of extra guitars I had to bring on the road in what had become a truly exhausting process."

For the freeload, what was the first bootleg you had?

Miles Davis Live - What It Is: Montreal 7/7/83

In the summer of 1975, after performing for over three and a half decades, Miles Davis retired from music due to ailing health and general burnout.  He didn’t pick up his horn again until sometime in 1980.  During this period, by his own admission, he kept himself occupied with various activities, including women, cocaine, cognac, occasional showgoing, women, beer, sleeping pills, speedballs, Percodan, Seconal, a brief stint in jail for failing to pay child support, and, of course, more women.

But even legends experience moments of vulnerability.  So when he decided he had had enough of his highly charged lifestyle (and with some persuasion from Columbia executive George Butler), he assembled a band, booked studio time, and made up for lost time.

The initial results of Miles Davis’s "comeback" were mixed.  His first album after the hiatus, "The Man With the Horn" was released in 1981.  It featured two different bands. One band included keyboardist Robert “Bobby” Irving III and Miles’ nephew Vince Wilburn on drums.  The other band featured guitarist Mike Stern, bassist Marcus Miller, saxophonist Bill (no, not that Bill) Evans, and drummer Al Foster, who was the only holdover from Miles’ 1970s groups.  As a result, the album straddled the line between Miles’ desire to update his funk-fusion sound from the previous decade and his attempt to try something entirely new—in this case, incorporating snappy funk-pop into his repertoire, even including a track with soul vocals.

Fans were generally delighted to see Miles back, but there were a few areas where he needed improvement.  For anyone who had followed his journey up to that point, two things were evident: he had some catching up to do in incorporating the sound of the 1980s into his music, and his trumpet chops weren’t quite back yet.  By his own admission, he hadn’t completely overcome his drug and alcohol addiction, so it would take a year or so of performing shows and eventually making positive changes before he started sounding like himself again.

'Miles Davis Live - What It Is: Montreal 7/7/83' was a June 18, 2022, Record Store Day drop.

The show was recorded live on July 7, 1983, at Theatre St. Denis, Montreal, Canada, as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

In 1983, as you'll clearly hear, Miles got his trumpet chops back.  And speaking of chops, the backing band is guitarist John Scofield, saxophonist Bill (no, not that Bill) Evans, bassist Darryl Jones (future Sting, Madonna, and Rolling Stones collaborator), drummer Al Foster and percussionist Mino Cinelu.  They were on a break from Miles' 'Decoy' recording sessions, so they were "well oiled" and ridiculously tight.

There’s nothing slick or mediocre here: "Speak (That’s What Happened)", "What It Is" and "Hopscotch" are right out of his mid-70s playbook, with frantic tempos, percussion, and best of all, Miles kicking the crap out of his solos.  Also, Miles developed a technique of playing trumpet with one hand, using the other to accentuate his jabbing figures on synth, approximating both Prince's synths circa 'Dirty Mind' and the brass sections Gil Evans used to arrange for him.  Which is fitting, because the melody on "Speak (That’s What Happened)" was itself arranged by Evans, based on an improvised John Scofield figure from an earlier session.  As with all the best Miles shows, the (roughly) 85 minute set ebbs and flows organically.

For the freeload, what are of your favorite musical "comebacks"?

Muddy Waters - 'Hoochie Coochie Man' (1964 Live Show )

 

I found this CD for sale in a gas station in Kennebunkport, Maine sometime in the late 1990s.  It had a price tag of $2.99, and I thought it was just another of those public domain things with skimpy info, crappy graphics and the wrong song titles (and I was correct on several counts).  But for $2.99, I figured what the hell, bought it and threw it in the glove compartment.

A week later, I was back home in Manhattan, and put it in the CD player, lit a joint and was completely surprised.  Instead of a rehash of old, public domain Muddy Waters studio recordings that happened to be lying around, this CD is actually a rare show from 1964.  I did some research (and by research, I mean a quick interwebz search) and found out that it's from the L'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix in Paris on July 25, 1964.  This 55-minute set that sounds more like it's at an intimate Juke Joint than a festival.

This is the real deal: stripped down blues with spare guitar, piano, and harp that all just…. hangs…. together…. by a thread.  It would take Mick, Keef and Charlie another four years and massive amounts of "Sweet Lady H", Jack Daniel's and Coke (no, not cola) to nail this timing.

The sound quality is excellent, though, strangely, there's hiss and phase between the songs, but only when the audience is applauding.  When the music starts up again it's crystal clear, like you're right in front of the band, circa 1964.

Along with Muddy's vocals and slide guitar, are:
Otis Spann on piano
Sammy Lawhorn on guitar

Luther Johnson on bass
Frances Clay on drums
George "Mojo" Buford on harmonica

In typical cheapo "Grey Market" CD fashion, the liner notes do not mention George "Mojo" Buford playing harmonica, but instead claim that George Smith is on saxophone.  He is not, nor is there, any saxophone to be found anywhere on this recording.

Set List
Once again, in typical cheapo "Grey Market" CD fashion, some titles are incorrect.  I've put the correct titles in parentheses next to the song.

01. "Country Boy"
02. "Baby Please Don't Go"
03. "Hoochie Coochie Man"
04. "Sittin' And Thinkin" ("Tiger In Your Tank")
05. "19 Years Old"
06. "County Jail"
07. "Long Distance Call"
08. "Rock Me Baby"
09. "Sweet Little Angel" ("Trouble No More")
10. "Rosalie"
11. "All Night Long" ("Rollin' And Tumblin'")
12. "Early Morning Blues" ("I Feel Like Going Home")

For the freeload, tell us when you first heard Muddy Waters, and what you thought.