McCoy Tyner - 'The Real McCoy'

 

I've always been fond of the idiom, "The Real McCoy", to describe something genuine and of superior quality; not a fake or imitation.

Some claim the origin of "The Real McCoy" is linked to inventor Elijah McCoy, whose steam engine lubricants were so good that train engineers wanted his genuine product.

Others claim it comes from Prohibition bootlegger, Bill McCoy who smuggled in Canadian whiskey which was better than so-called "Bathtub Gin", so in speakeasies people asked for "the real McCoy", 

Another theory is that American boxer Norman Selby, known as "Kid McCoy," had a bar fight when someone questioned his identity, leading him to prove he was (you guessed it) the "real McCoy".

As an aside, and conversely Denise "The Grease" uses "Fugazi" (pronounced foo-GAH-zee, in Brooklynese) for something fake or knock off goods, as in "See that Rolex, Babs? It's a friggin' Fugazi. Foggetaboutit…".

Be that as it may.

McCoy Tyner's 'The Real McCoy' was recorded on April 21, 1967, at The Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and produced by Alfred Lion.  This was also McCoy's first release (of eleven) on the Blue Note Records label.

Along with McCoy's sublime piano are, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Ron Carter, and former Coltrane Quartet drummer Elvin Jones.  These are masters at work, and deliver intense interplay on this universally acclaimed jazz masterpiece.

Producer Alfred Lion recalls the recording session as a: 

"Pure jazz session. There is absolutely no concession to commercialism, and there's a deep, passionate love for the music embedded in each of the selections."

 McCoy Tyner's 'The Real McCoy', is the real McCoy.

The freeload is a 24bit/192kHz vinyl rip, done by my eldest grandson here at the button factory over the holidays.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite idioms?

Holiday Announcement

The button factory is about to be invaded by family and friends for holiday celebrations, so I'll be taking a short break.

Posting will begin again on January 5th, 2026

Happy Holidays to one and all!

Bab's Bootleg Bonanza - Van Morrison Edition 'Catalog Strays 1965-2000'

The cover image, obviously photoshopped, shows
Van holding the 'The Genuine Philosopher's Stone' bootleg.

'Catalog Strays 1965-2000' is a 3CD, 51track collection set of various unreleased studio sessions, various guest appearances that Van has done on other artists' CDs over the years, and some of Van's CD singles.

The sound quality is exceptional throughout.

Disc One:
01. Little Girl
(with famous "fuck" fade)
02. Bring Em On In
(genuine stereo mix)
03. Turn On Your Love Light
(genuine stereo mix)
04. It's All Over Now Baby Blue
(genuine stereo mix)
05. I Gave My Love A Diamond
(accidental alternate mix to "Story Of Them")
06. Mighty Like A Rose
(from German only "Them Featuring..." CD)
07. Brown Eyed Girl
(instrumental B side)
08. Ro Ro Rosey
(single version with girl singers)
09. When The Evening Sun Goes Down
(single B side alternate take)
10. 4% Pantomine
(from "Cahoots" with The Band)
11. Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive
(with John Lee Hooker)
12. Redwood Tree
(single B side alternate mix)
13. You've Got The Power
(single B side)
14. Caledonia
(withdrawn single A side)
15. What's Up Crazy Pup
(unknown single B side)
16. Tell Me About Your Love
("Back On Top" CD single B side)
17. Mechanical Bliss
(unknown single B side)
18. Sax Instrumental
("Back On Top" CD single B side)
19. John Brown's Body 
("Back On Top" CD single B side)

Disc Two:
01. I'm Ready
("Back On Top" CD single B side)
02. Dead Girls Of London
(unreleased track with Frank Zappa)
03. Wonderful Remark
(King of Comedy Soundtrack)
04. Mr Thomas
(unknown single B side)
05. All Saint's Day (instrumental B side)
06. Send In The Clowns (with Chet Baker)
07. Moondance
(with Georgie Fame)
08. Cover The Waterfront
(with John Lee Hooker)
09. I Can't Stop Loving You
(with the Chieftains)
10. All Saints Day
(with the Chieftains)
11. Carrying A Torch
(with the Chieftains)
12. That's Where It's At
(with the Holmes Brothers)
13. Serves Me Right
(with John Lee Hooker)
14. Have I Told You Lately
(with the Chieftains)
15. Full Force Gale
(CD single B side)
16. Look What The Good People Done
(Japanese release"The Healing Game "CD single B side)

Disc Three:
01. Celtic Spring
(withdrawn CD single)
02. St Dominic's Preview
(1996 TV version with Van on acoustic guitar)
03. I Will Be There
(with Pee Wee Ellis and the NDR Band)
04. If You Love Me
(with BB King)
05. The Healing Game
(with John Lee Hooker)
06. Don't Look Back
(with John Lee Hooker)
07. Travellin' Blues
(with John Lee Hooker)
08. Shenandoah
(Long Journey Home soundtrack)
09. I Don't Want To Go On Without You
(unknown CD single)
10a. That Ol' Black Magic
(Days Like This CD single B side)
10b. Yo [Instrumental]
(Days Like This CD single B side)
11. At The End Of The Day
(Japanese release "The Healing Game" CD single B side)
12. The Healing Game
(withdrawn CD Single version)
13. Before The World Was Made
(unknown CD Single)
14a. Turn On Your Love Light
(with Howling Wolf)
14b. Ain't Nothing You Can Do
(with Howling Wolf)
15. Muleskinner Blues
(Jimmy Rogers tribute album)

This freeload has appearances by: The Band, John Lee Hooker, Frank Zappa, Georgie Fame, The Chieftains, Chet Baker, The Holmes Brothers, Pee Wee Ellis, BB King, Howlin' Wolf and more.

For the freeload, what other artists would you like to have seen, or see Van work with?

Maria Muldaur - 'One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey'

 

Maria Muldaur, has been singing the blues since the early 1960s, and was making so-called "Roots" and "Americana" albums, before those descriptors were "a thing".

'One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey', was released this past July on the Nola Blue Records label.

As Maria remembers in the album’s liner notes:

"When I was a young aspiring singer in the early 1960s, one of the great Classic Blues Queens of the 1920s and ‘30s, Victoria Spivey, took me under her wing and mentored me.  Although, of course, I appreciated it at the time, over the years I’ve come to realize just how important her encouragement and support were to me and so many other musicians!”

This remarkable album transports us back to the 1920s and early 1930s through Maria’s captivating renditions of Victoria Spivey’s songs.  Each tune is expertly performed, capturing the authentic feel of records from a bygone era without the clicks and pops of old 78 rpm records.  

Maria duets with Elvin Bishop on "What Makes You Act Like That?", and with Taj Mahal on "Gotta Have What It Takes". 

The backing band is James Dapogny’s Chicago Jazz Band
James Dapogny—piano, arranger
Kim Cusack—clarinet, alto saxophone
Russ Whitman—clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
Jon-Erik Kellso—trumpet
Chris Smith—trombone, tuba
Rod McDonald—guitar, banjo
Kurt Krahnke—bass
Pete Siers—drums

This is one of my favorite albums of 2025

For the freeload, what are your favorite releases (or re-releases) of 2025?

Stan Getz - 'Sweet Rain' (2025 SACD reissue)

'Sweet Rain' was recorded on March 21 and 30, 1967, with producer Creed Taylor at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

This is one of Stan's best recordings.  The "sidemen" were a trio of highly talented, up-and-coming, and experimental musicians: pianist Chick Corea, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Grady Tate. 

Chick Corea, plays only acoustic piano, and contributes fine, intricate solos.  Ron Carter was the bassist of choice for bands of this nature at the time, and Tate drums crisply, driving the band along while supporting it sympathetically.

As for Stan, he has rarely played better.  The opening track, "Litha" starts off as a slightly Latin based ballad but turns into an impassioned lengthy tenor solo. "O Grande Amor" is a beautiful Bossa Nova but much more flexible than would have been the case five or six years before, and "Sweet Rain", the Mike Gibbs composition, is a lengthy beautiful tune but with plenty of muscle underneath.  Much the same applies to "Con Alma", Dizzy Gillespie's old Latin number, which suits Stan down to the ground, and to which he gives a long, relaxed, if not particularly Latin treatment.

I've been told by many musicians, that during these sessions, Stan was having minor articulation issues due to his heroin, cocaine and alcohol use, which belied his clean cut "Ivy League" look.  My ears don't hear this at all.

 
The freeload, is a 24bit/96kHz rip of the Japanese 2025 limited edition remastered SACD, and sounds wonderful.

For the freeload, what was the last book you read?

Neil Young's Official Release Series - Discs 8.5-12

 

Some of my favorite Neil Young music is contained on these five discs.

'Long May You Run' by The Stills-Young Band (its presence is why this is billed as "8.5").   While this isn't the Buffalo Springfield stepchild the album art suggests, it's worth the price of admission simply for Young's classic title song. 

'American Stars 'n' Bars' introduced the world to "Like a Hurricane"; enough said?

'Comes a Time' was a welcome return to country-rock singer/songwriter territory, and also featured an instant classic in its folksy title track. 

'Rust Never Sleeps' sounded bold in its day, and it still qualifies as one of Uncle Neil's most powerful musical statements.

'Live Rust', an in-concert/film soundtrack, summed up his career to that point in outstanding live fashion.  The remastering on this one is a significant improvement over previous releases, which I was never crazy about sonics wise, but love performance wise.

Each title has been remastered by Chris Bellman from the original analog recordings at Bernie Grundman Mastering.  The sound is vivid and robust. This is the best this music has ever sounded. 

For the freeload, post a snippet (a line or two) from your favorite Neil Young song(s).

There will also be a bonus mystery freeload from everybody's favorite Uncle.
What will it be?
The suspense will kill you…

'The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of'

'The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of' is a two-CD set released in 2006 by the Yazoo Records label.  This is a remarkable compilation of blues, country, and old-time music recordings from the 1920s and 1930s.  Subtitled "The Dead Sea Scrolls of Record Collecting", this collection features rare and hard-to-find songs, many of which were recorded as test pressings and never officially released.

I bought this set, as did many blues fans, for the two tracks: "Mississippi County Farm Blues" and "Clarksdale Moan" by Son House, which had been lost since 1930 and rediscovered in September 2005. This rediscovery has been one of the most exciting events on the blues scene for decades!

As you may have already observed, the cover art is by the legendary figure in underground comics, Robert Crumb, who is an avid collector of vintage 78 rpm records.

The album also includes a 20-page illustrated booklet (included in the freeload). While it's an interesting and fun read on collecting 78s, a subject near and dear to my heart, it gives no discographical information, recording dates, personnel lists, matrix numbers, or even the labels on which the originals were issued — information that I feed on.

I like that producer Richard Nevins' mastering uses only a moderate level of noise reduction, that preservers the character and dynamic range of the original recordings.  While there is some noise due to surface wear and damaged grooves on the shellac records, if you're a fan of early 20th century old-time folk and blues music, you're used to that.

This collection of old-time and blues music, is definitely worth checking out.

For the freeload, who are some of your favorite underground comic book characters?

Sun Ra & His Arkestra - 'Jazz in Silhouette' (2023 Expanded Edition)

According to Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount), in the mid-1930s, while studying to be a teacher in Alabama, aliens took him to Saturn and revealed that he had a greater purpose than teaching.  The aliens explained that he had been chosen due to his extraordinary discipline, as they believed not all humans could handle space travel.  They thought his mastery over his mind and body made him the ideal candidate.  The aliens shared knowledge beyond human understanding with him. Sun Ra was instructed to wait until Earth reached its lowest point before he could share the “equations” for transcending ordinary life.

As Sun recalls it:

My whole body changed into something else. I could see through myself. And I went up... I wasn't in human form... I landed on a planet that I identified as Saturn... they teleported me and I was down on [a] stage with them. They wanted to talk with me. They had one little antenna on each ear. A little antenna over each eye. They talked to me. They told me to stop [attending college] because there was going to be great trouble in schools... the world was going into complete chaos... I would speak [through music], and the world would listen. That's what they told me.

In 1952, he changed his name from Herman Poole Blount to Sun Ra, after the Egyptian sun god; and put together a band, later known as "The Arkestra".

Fun Fact: Sun Ra has one of the largest discographies in music history.  He recorded numerous singles and over a hundred full-length albums, totaling well over 1,000 songs. This makes him one of the most prolific recording artists of the 20th century.

"In tomorrow's world, men will not need artificial instruments such as jets and space ships.  In the world of tomorrow, the new man will 'think' the place he wants to go, then his mind will take him there." 
— Sun Ra, Jazz in Silhouette album notes

Jazz in Silhouette is the ultimate record of Sun Ra’s Chicago days in the late 1950s.  Recorded in 1958 and released in 1959, the album, Ra’s third, is like a final chapter for his bebop/hard-bop phase, as his interstellar traveler persona started to take shape at the end of the decade.  Sun’s compositions here show off his talent for crafting memorable jazz pieces, even as arrangements like "Ancient Aiethopia" hint at new directions in blending primitive-futurism.  After Ra moved to New York in 1961, he began to explore different musical paths beyond jazz, but 'Jazz in Silhouette' full of excitement.

Many of these early works, like "Images", "Enlightment" and "Saturn" would become staples in Arkestra’s setlists for the rest of Sun’s life. These recordings spotlight the incredible tenor sax playing of John Gilmore and introduce the legendary playing of Marshall Allen and Pat Patrick; all three would stay with Ra for decades (as would bassist Ronnie Boykins).  On the extended "Blues At Midnight", each horn soloist stretches out like they’re playing live in a club.  Here, Sun Ra and the band capture the spirit of Chicago jazz from the time, with their lilting melodies, intertwining chords, and surprising dynamic shifts.

This expanded edition is a 2CD set that has the full original album in the widely known mono mix and non-album bonus tracks from the period, some never-before issued, as well as rare stereo mixes.  It also features the original space nymph cover art, which only appeared in cropped and washed-out reproductions on the El Saturn Records label (Sun's own independent label).

Along with Sun Ra on piano, celeste, and gong are:
Hobart Dotson — Trumpet
Pat Patrick — Baritone sax, flute, percussion
Charles Davis — Baritone sax, percussion
John Gilmore — Tenor sax, percussion
William Cochran — Drums
Marshall Allen — Alto sax, flute
James Spaulding — Alto sax, flute, percussion
Ronnie Boykins — Bass
Bo Bailey — Trombone

Sun Ra’s application to NASA’s art program.

For the freeload, who are some of your favorite musicians, whom are shall we say eccentric?

Phoebe Snow - 'Phoebe Snow'

 

One chilly Autumn afternoon in 1974, I stopped for a caffe mocha at the Caffe Reggio on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village.  While I was sipping my coffee, smoking a cigarette, and thumbing through a New York Times someone left behind, over the radio I heard:

"The dirty city mist
Has seeped too deep inside
It took me on some kind
Of heady ride
They told me Charlie Parker died
And I don't want the night to end"

Those lyrics caught my attention, and when the song ended, the DJ said, "We just heard 'I Don't Want the Night to End' from Phoebe Snow."

Up until then, the only Phoebe Snow song I knew was her hit, "Poetry Man", which I liked, but not enough to buy the album.  This was probably due to over saturation; you heard the song everywhere you went, in stores, restaurants and coming out car radios during the summer of 1974.

So on my way home which back then was a few blocks away from the Caffe Reggio, I took a detour, to a record store over on 8th Street, and bought Phoebe's self-titled first album.

When I got home, I rolled up some primo Columbian buds, and put Phoebe on the turntable.  The first thing that struck me was Phoebe's remarkable vocal range, her mellow earthy tone and how in just one breath, she could go from a girlish giggling teenager vibrato, to a knowing bluesy growl.  Also, how every song was good upon first listen, how well recorded the album was, and how the entire album was difficult to categorize, as it goes effortlessly from folk and pop to soul, jazz, and blues.  

When the second side ended, I flipped it over and started listening to it once more, and then turned my attention to the liner notes. The album was co-produced by Phil Ramone and Dino Airali (which accounts for the excellent audio). Three names that jumped up off the notes were jazz legends, Zoot Sims on tenor saxophone, pianist Teddy Wilson and Chuck Israels on bass.  Dave Mason is on electric guitar and David Bromberg is on resonator Guitar (Phoebe is no "slouch" on acoustic rhythm guitar, either).

Because of the sonics on this album, it would become one of the recordings I used to audition audio components in the mid to late 1970s.  If you freeload this album, you'll see why.

The freeload is a sweet sounding 24bit/174.4kHz remaster from 2013

For the freeload, let's talk about artists and bands whom are difficult to categorize.

Little Walter - The Complete Chess Masters (1950-67)

"Little" Walter Jacobs, a true master of the blues harp, dominated the Chicago blues scene from his arrival in 1946 until the end of the 1950s.  As a soloist, he pushed the boundaries of the instrument, creating unique sounds and textures.  And let’s not forget his soulful voice, which was both gritty and captivating.  Walter was also a talented songwriter and a skilled bandleader.  In the post-war era, he became the undisputed king of the blues harp, inspiring future harp legends like Charlie Musselwhite, Rod Piazza, and Kim Wilson.

For a brief period, Little Walter held the coveted position of Chess Records’ biggest and best-selling star, surpassing even Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf combined.  From 1952 to 1958, he achieved a remarkable streak of fourteen Top Ten R&B chart hits.  Even his recordings later recordings showcase his remarkable presence, his willingness to take risks, and his exceptional talent as both an instrumentalist and vocalist.

Like Chicago blues itself, Little Walter faced a decline in his fortunes in the 1960s.  His career was initially overshadowed by the rise of rock & roll, but his decline was further exacerbated by his bouts with alcoholism, which ultimately led to his untimely death in 1968. He was just 37.

'The Complete Chess Masters' is a 5CD set, it was released in 2009 on the Hip-O Select label.

At the risk of sounding like I'm splitting hairs, technically speaking, the title 'The Complete Chess Masters' is a slight misnomer.  Little Walter issued the majority of his sides on Chess' subsidiary label Checker Records, with his full LPs appearing on Chess.

It is no exaggeration to say that Little Walter was the electric harp, what Jimi Hendrix was to the electric guitar.  Little Walter redefined what the instrument was and what it could do, pushing the instrument so far into the future that his music still sounds modern decades after it was recorded.

This is a tremendous five-disc set, that proves Little Walter remained capable of surprises until the end -- and that he's a major artist whose legacy only seems more formidable when it's heard as a whole, as it is here.

For the freeload, what are you currently listening to?

John Coltrane - 'Living Space'

 

'Living Space' was released in 1998, and consists of five posthumously released tracks recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 10th and 16th, 1965.  These recordings feature Trane's so-called Classic Quartet, so along with Trane on tenor and soprano saxophones (natch) we have, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums.  The sessions were produced by Bob Thiele and Trane.

Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane & Jimmy Garrison

Posthumous studio releases can be a strange business.  Most of the time they're little more than record companies milking as much as possible out of an artist's back catalog.  This includes unreleased material, outtakes, alternate versions of songs, and other "gems" that amount to little more than "scrapings from the barrel" or "crumbs from the master's table" type of affairs.  Now don't get me wrong, sometimes with artists of a certain musical stature these can be fascinating insights into the artist's work.  Other times, it becomes all too clear why the material sat on a shelf for years and years.  Occasionally, a collection of outtakes emerges that is just as good as the material released during its time.  This collection is one such example.

1965 was a fertile year for Trane, as he pushed and pushed at the boundaries of jazz convention.  His releases from that year range from the classic among classics, 'A Love Supreme' to arguably the defining album of free jazz, 'Ascension'.  The change in style evident between these two classic albums didn't happen overnight, and 'Living Space' goes some way towards documenting the shift in 'Trane's sound.

"Living Space" is unusual in a few respects; it's the last time Trane played soprano on a studio recording (at least as far as we know), but doesn't have much in common with his other soprano features, which tended to be catchy waltzes, such as"My Favorite Things", "Afro Blue", "Chim Chim Cheree", "The Inch Worm", etc.  On the title track, Trane overdubbed his playing at the beginning and end of the tune; the two soprano saxophones are slightly out of sync, creating a very eerie and trippy sound.  It's interesting to hear Trane apply his increasingly free playing to the soprano, especially since he focused on the tenor almost exclusively (in the studio) from 1964 onward.

This album is a dreamy, melodic, and exploratory blend of all Coltrane’s periods.

The freeload is a 2015 limited edition remastered reissue of the original 1998 release from the Japanese "Impulse! Classics 50" series, and has excellent sonics.  It also has a very nice booklet with liner notes from Trane (and Ornette Coleman) scholar, David Wild, and is included in the freeload.

For the freeload, what are some of your favorite unreleased, outtakes, or alternate versions of songs, that were posthumously released.