Jazz from Geoff
28.4.2020
Another Tuesday, another blog for you to read.
This one does contain some sad news.
Long time Hedsor Jazz supporter and Jazz Angel John Jordan
died of Coronavirus 19 last Wednesday, April 23rd. He had previously
attended Wexham Park A&E for his known heart condition, but sadly on
returning home he became unwell and was transferred back to Wexham Park
hospital where he died a few days later.
I am sure all of you would like to express our sympathy
and sadness at their loss to wife Joan and daughter Mandy. Normally I would let
you all know when the funeral would be, but in these difficult times that event
will be limited to only 10 people anyway. I will pass on the date when I get it
for you to think of him at that appropriate time.
We do live in very difficult times, but I do intend to
keep nagging on about jazz, and to keep providing links to the music that you
can listen to or add to your own collection with via the pages of this blog.
One of our Hedsor regulars has emailed me to say what he
has been doing with his socially distancing time since we last met. What he
wrote is:-
Geoff
I've been binging on the latest Harry Bosch series on
Prime and tonight got to episode 10. Harry (or his creator Michael Connelly)
clearly likes jazz as Harry was playing this on his old fashioned vinyl player.
As you know Pepper was another troubled character but the music is still
wonderful.
Jim
He had previously mailed me about the death of Lee
Konitz:-
Did you miss the passing of Lee Konitz on
15 April from the virus in New York. I’ve spent some time this last week
listening to some of his stuff and while I was never a great fan there is some
good stuff on You Tube. He was also a bit of a comedian in front of the
audience and it looks as if he wouldn’t stop talking sometimes.
Now some new avenues for you to research.
I have been re investigating some of the earlier forms
of jazz, mainly triggered by my mention of Jelly Roll Morton and my purchase of
the JATP 10 CD set from the 40’s and 50’s the other week.
I know I linked to Jelly Roll’s version of Buddy Bolden’s
Blues from the 1938 library of congress recordings he made with folk historian
Alan Lomax, but he did make some more recordings with and without fellow jazz
musicians before he died (in 1941). He made 25 more titles for the General
record label, mostly all issued on 78’s and about a year after he
recorded (for Alan Lomax) the library of congress recordings.
These last recordings have all now been gathered
together on one CD called “The Last Sessions” and they can be found on “Commodor”
CMD 14032. You may have to search for it as my copy was issued in 1997. You will
find a slightly different version of Buddy Boldens Blues here with references
to both a notorious law enforcement man (Judge Fogerty), who made miscreants
sweep New Orleans streets as a punishment, and a reference to Bolden’s trombone
player Frankie Dusen. If only we could hear today what that band sounded like!
Jelly Roll Morton was only 51 when he died. He suffered
for a long time before with a version of Asthma which was thought to have been
caused by a violent attack on him made in a nightclub, where he was stabbed in
the head and chest. The asthma weakened his heart (according to his wife) and
he died of his heart condition. His condition may have been assisted by his
previous lifestyle, I’m sure being the piano player in a brothel may have had
its health risks.
He was without
doubt a remarkable musician, and one has to wonder what might have been jazz
musics outcome if he had lived into a more modern era. These last recordings of
his solo piano do reflect some of that brothel style (I am told!). However the
group tracks on this CD do not adequately reflect the kind of music he was
making in 1926 Chicago with his famous Red Hot Peppers, but they are a great
piece of history.
More modern history can be found back in 2018 when The
Clive Burton Celebration Quintet played us some New Tunes at Hedsor Jazz. These
were recorded on my mobile phone, in glorious mono, and you can revel in the
nostalgic memory of that evening by visiting and downloading the files from my
DropBox folder
When you get to track 11, you will realize that there is
an error in the label for the titles on the sleeve, but you can never have
perfection! Just enjoy the music, because that’s pretty good.
So until I write some more, be good, stay safe, wash
your hands, and we will meet again.
PS, Once again I have no idea why blogger.com changes the background colour sometimes without editorial direction!
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