Record Collecting

I'm not sure why the jazz duo of Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff weren't better known in the '50s and '60s, when they did most of their recording—or why they still aren't household names. Part of the reason, I suppose, is that the delicate combination of Mitchell (piano) and Ruff (French horn and bass) wasn't exactly a happening sound back then. Delicate and sensitive with touches of classical influence, the duo's jazz wasn't pop flavored in the late '50s or expressive and excessive in the '60s. Today I suspect they aren't well known because most of their albums haven't been released digitally.  I must confess that the scarcity of their albums has kept me from being as up on their catalog as I should be. Back in the '70s, I remember passing on them because there wasn't enough crashing and bashing going on. Hey, I was in my 20s. Now that I'm slightly older, their music makes perfect sense. Recently I had an opportunity to hear their Brazilian Trip, and the music on the album is pure mink-soft joy. Recorded in the summer of 1966, Brazilian Trip isn't really a mid-'60s bossa nova album in the traditional sense. Many of those jazz albums had a splashy commercial sound—a free ride, if you will, the way kids on bikes used to hang onto the backs of buses for velocity. By contrast, this album by the Mitchell-Ruff Duo is caring, loving and fully understanding of Brazilian music's enormous sensitivity.  Essentially, what you have here is Mitchell and Ruff in New York matching tender wits with a group of unknown Brazilian musicians. The lineup includes Mitchell and Ruff joined by Brazilian guitarists Sergio Augusto, Durval Ferreira and Candinho on different tracks along with drummer Chico Batera. What's startling about this album is what it's not: Mitchell and Ruff purposely avoided the bossa trap and instead made an intensely graceful and exquisite Brazilian jazz album. Hopefully Mosaic or Fresh Sound will see fit to release a larger supply of the Mitchell-Ruff collaborations, since so little is available. You may recall that Dwike Mitchell died in April. Willie Ruff is still with us. JazzWax tracks: You'll find Brazilian Trip teamed with Campus Concert (Collectables) here. To sample tracks, go here. JazzWax clip: Here's Dwike Mitchell on piano, Willie Ruff on bass, Durval Ferreira on guitar and Chico Batera on drums playing Chuva...   Chuva And here's Mitchell and Ruff (on French horn) with Ferreira and Batera playing Sonhando...   Sonhando   JazzWax video: Here's a fabulous clip of Mitchell and Ruff. Sorry I can't embed the video here but the person who posted it disabled the code.

PET SHOP BOYS/ATOMIZER Hooked On Radiation Rare original 2003 UK limited edition Spagetti Records/Olde English Vinyl 4-track remix 12", released exclusively through the fan club. Features mixes unavailable on any commercial release. Die-cut cardsleeve. Limited pressing of only 500 copies, all of which sold out within days of being pressed!   BOB DYLAN The Bob Dylan Story Rare original 1966 Japanese only 23-track '' orange CBS label double LP set, pressed by Nippon Columbia, comes housed in the original embossed textured gatefold picture sleeve with integral lyric booklet. The sleeve is strictly graded VG/VG+, with some minor shelfwear mostly on the edges, some foxing on the inside but the lyric booklet is intact & complete. The vinyl is VG-/VG with some minor surface marks and the occasional light scratch which should not affect play. A respectable copy of this extremely hard to find and sought after pressing at an advantageous price.   U2 Achtung Baby - 20th Anniversary Box Set 2011 UK Super Deluxe limited edition 6-CD/4-DVD box set featuring exclusive bonus material including 'From The Sky Down' documentary, previously unreleased material, B-sides, remixes and rarities. The CDs feature the albums 'Achtung Baby' and 'Zooropa', along with two discs of remixes, a disc of B Sides & Bonus Tracks and the 'Kindergarten' version of the album. The NTSC format DVDs include the new documentary, videos, bonus material and 'The Zoo TV: Live in Sydney' concert. This stunning issue also includes a 92-page hardback book and 16 art prints. Comes in a 12½" x 12½" x 2" picture box which has only a few minor storage marks on the edges otherwise superb with all content immaculate, overall a near mint copy of this fantastic collectors item.

  DEEP PURPLE Shades Of Deep Purple Original 1969 Japanese Nippon Grammophon pressed 8-track stereo LP, unique to Japan high quality laminated gatefold picture sleeve with a completely different design to the more common UK & US issues & Japanesebiography information & lyrics inside. The sleeve is in superb condition with the minimum of shelfwear & NO evident edge scuffing with only some light foxing on the inside, the vinyl is IMMACULATE - A fantastic copy of this extremely rare album!

Jutta Hipp is another forgotten '50s jazz pianist with an odd past. She recorded briefly but gave up on jazz in 1956 for reasons that remain mysterious. The German-born Hipp spent her teens under Nazi rule and performed in Germany after the war. She recorded in Germany sporadically from 1952 to '55, and a year later she caught the ear of producer Leonard Feather, who was in Duisburg, Germany. Feather urged Hipp to come to New York. Hipp did just that—arriving in the early spring. Horace Silver talked her up in New York, and Hipp overnight became the first and only female jazz instrumentalist to be signed by Blue Note. The label first released a live recording that Hipp had made in 1954 with sidemen—New Faces, New Sounds from Germany. She also recorded live in April '56 at New York's Hickory House. Volumes 1 and 2 for Blue Note feature Hipp in a trio setting.  In the summer of '56, Hipp performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and in July she recorded on Blue Note with Zoot Sims—an album that would be her last recording. According to Wikipedia, her nervousness playing with top-flight players caused her to abandon jazz and become a seamstress in 1958, dying in 2003 in Queens, N.Y. virtually unknown. Sounds like a bit of a stretch to me, so I nosed around. In 2006, a summary of Katja von Schuttenbach's masters thesis appeared in the July/August 2006 Jazz Podium magazine (go here). Von Schuttenbach [pictured] had just received her Master of Arts in Jazz History & Research from Rutgers University. According to von Schuttenbach's thesis, Hipp had stage fright and alcohol problems—but her ambitions were the victim of Leonard Feather's amorous pursuits. Von Schuttenbach states that when mentor Feather was spurned by Hipp, he choked off her career: "It appears that the unwilling and resisting Hipp hadturned from protégée to persona non grata for Featherwithin months after her arrival," Von Schuttenbach writes. "He retaliated by writing negatively about Hipp in his still widely read encyclopedias and personal memoir, even claiming that Horace Silver’s influence had destroyed Hipp’s playing style....In 1958 Hipp still lived in New York City but was destitute. She had lost her apartment because she couldn’t pay her rent and she didn’t even have enough money to buy a meal." For whatever reason, von Schuttenbach's assertions in the Jazz Podium go undocumented. It's unclear whether her statements about the Feather-Hipp relationship were based on love letters, interviews with sources who had intimate knowledge of Feather's pursuits, or were merely conjecture. [Pictured above: Leonard Feather] Before coming to the attention of Feather, Hipp developed her piano style in Germany, and until now many of her early recordings were thought to be lost. Jazz Haus found them and has released Jutta Hipp: The German Recordings 1952-1955. The results are rather fascinating.  Though Hipp's playing in 1952 was somewhat wooden, she clearly was deeply influenced by Lennie Tristano's inside-out piano style. Her approach cheers up a bit in '53, on tracks like Moonlight in Vermont and Come Back to Sorrento, but these, too, remain brooding, as if played to a metronome. By 1955, Hipp had become more adventurous and sure of herself. For me, Hipp's Hickory House trio recordings remain undisturbed examples of her adventurous style and soling while her album with Sims demonstrates an acute ear for accompaniment. What happened after these sessions remains foggy, but I hope to be in touch with Katja von Schuttenbach to learn more. JazzWax tracks: You'll find Jutta Hipp: The German Recordings 1952-1955 here. JazzWax clip: Here's Hipp playing Out of Nowhere—recorded in Germany in November 1952, with Hans Koller on tenor sax, Franz "Shorty" Roeder on bass and Karl Sanner on drums...   Out of Nowhere

re-post .Mix inspired by the excellent Motor City Burning documentary.1. Looking at You - MC52, City Slang - Sonic's Rendezvous Band3. Heavy Music part 2 - Bob Seeger System4. Wait a Minuite - Tim Tam & The Turn Ons5. Farmer John - Tidal Waves6. Who Do You Love - The Woolies7. Respect - The Rationals8. Nowhere To Run - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas9. Law of The Land - The Temptations10. Funky Dollar Bill - Funkadelic11. 96 Tears - ? And the Mysterians12. Journey to The Centre of the Mind - Amboy Dukes13. 1969 - The Stooges14.Generation Landslide - Alice Cooper15 .Nothing is the same (Get it together ) - Grand Funk Railroad16. Keep on Rocking - Death17. Consolation Prizes - Iggy Pop; James Williamson18. The Motor City Is Burning - John Lee Hookerlink

Solo album number three . Sonically it's very different from his first two 'Glam' albums. Another Green World is an early example of 'ambient' music. Of the fourteen tracks , only five are songs.. .review below..1.Sky Saw – 3:252.Over Fire Island – 1:493.St. Elmo's Fire– 3:024.In Dark Trees – 2:295.The Big Ship – 3:016.I'll Come Running– 3:487.Another Green World– 1:288.Sombre Reptiles – 2:269.Little Fishes – 1:3010.Golden Hours– 4:0111.Becalmed" – 3:5612.Zawinul/Lava– 3:0013.Everything Merges with the Night – 3:5914.Spirits Drifting – 2:36 A universally acknowledged masterpiece, Another Green World represents a departure from song structure and toward a more ethereal, minimalistic approach to sound. Despite the stripped-down arrangements, the album's sumptuous tone quality reflects Eno's growing virtuosity at handling the recording studio as an instrument in itself (à la Brian Wilson). There are a few pop songs scattered here and there ("St. Elmo's Fire," "I'll Come Running," "Golden Hours"), but most of the album consists of deliberately paced instrumentals that, while often closer to ambient music than pop, are both melodic and rhythmic; many, like "Sky Saw," "In Dark Trees," and "Little Fishes," are highly imagistic, like paintings done in sound that actually resemble their titles. Lyrics are infrequent, but when they do pop up, they follow the free-associative style of albums past; this time, though, the humor seems less bizarre than gently whimsical and addled, fitting perfectly into the dreamlike mood of the rest of the album. Most of Another Green World is like experiencing a soothing, dream-filled slumber while awake, and even if some of the pieces have dark or threatening qualities, the moments of unease are temporary, like a passing nightmare whose feeling lingers briefly upon waking but whose content is forgotten. Unlike some of his later, full-fledged ambient work, Eno's gift for melodicism and tight focus here keep the entirety of the album in the forefront of the listener's consciousness, making it the perfect introduction to his achievements even for those who find ambient music difficult to enjoy.linkBrian Eno – vocals, synthesizer, bass guitar, guitar, percussion, drum machine, pianos, keyboards, organs (Hammond, Farfisa), Yamaha bass pedals, sound effectsJohn Cale – viola on Sky Saw, Golden HoursPhil Collins – percussion, drums on Sky Saw, Over Fire Island", and Zawinul/LavaRobert Fripp – guitarsPercy Jones – fretless bass on Sky Saw, Over Fire Island, and Zawinul/LavaRoderick Melvin – keyboards, Fender Rhodes pianoPaul Rudolph – bass guitar on Sky Saw"and I'll Come Running, guitar on Zawinul/Lava, snare drum on I'll Come RunningBrian Turrington – bass guitar, piano on Everything Merges With the Night

PAUL WELLER Like Water Needs A Flower 2010 UK Record Store Day limited edition 4-track 12" vinyl EP, 'A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Mix' by the Amorphous Androgynous including 3 mixes of Aim High, also includes Pieces Of A Dream. Housed in a illustrated picture sleeve **Strictly Limited to 500 Copies ONLY**   THE FACES Pool Hall Richard 1974 Japanese 2-track Warner 'Burbank' label vinyl 7" single also including I Wish It Would Rain [With A Trumpet], comes with a unique fold-out 'Tetsu Yamauchi & Rod Stewart' picture insert produced for the Japanese fans, also has the lyrics for both songs on the inside along with biography text and picture discography on the reverse.   THIN LIZZY Wild One - The Very Best Of Thin Lizzy 1996 Japanese 29-track promo sample 2-CD set, issued to radio stations and reviewers ahead of the actual release date. Including a bonus 10-track live CD featuring Bad Reputation, Opium Trail, Are You Ready, Chinatown, Got To Give It Up and Emerald. Custom 'Sample' printed inner rim on each disc, comes with a 28-page picture sleeve booklet with Japanese text biography and lyrics, plus obi-strip.

Yesterday I posted on composer, arranger and pianist Nils Lindberg's 1962 album Trisection, a superb but almost unknown 12-piece jazz recording. I also provided a bit of background on Sweden's 100-year love affair with jazz. Today, a conversation with Nils on Sax Appeal (1960) and Trisection (1962)—two of his early jazz albums recorded in Stockholm: JazzWax: What was your major influence when writing and arranging Sax Appeal?Nils Lindberg: The songs I wrote for Sax Appeal were inspired by the feeling in Swedish folk tunes. For example, the tune Curbits was built on the chords of just such a song. My arrangements, however, were inspired by Woody Herman´s recording of Four Brothers. I liked the records made by Herman´s Third Herd very much. JW: Did you listen to jazz radio in Sweden when you were young?NL: Oh, yes. I first heard American jazz after 1945 when the American Forces Radio started broadcasting from Germany. Many Swedish jazz musicians also listened to the network. During World War  II, no U.S. jazz records had reached Sweden, so when the war was over we were very grateful and excited to listen on the radio and buy and listen to American jazz records.  JW: Which American records and arrangers most influenced you leading up to Trisection?NL: Gil Evans and his [Birth of the Cool] recordings with Miles Davis. JW: Where did you write the music for Trisection?NL: After working very hard as a pianist in dance bands in Stockholm, I went up north in 1961 to Dalarna, Sweden, where my parents’ home is located and where I was brought up. Dalarna has a beautiful landscape and a strong folklore tradition. I composed the music there during the summer of that year. JW: Did you have a strong sense of what you wanted to write?NL: I had no vision whatsoever of what Trisection should be or sound like. I just wrote this suite as I felt it. Of course, the traditional fiddlers in Dalarna and my interest in jazz were strong inspirations. [Pictured above: Dalarna, Sweden] JW: Given your exceptional command of the jazz orchestra, why did you not travel to the U.S. to work, the way musicians like Lalo Schifrin and Michel Legrand did, in the movies and TV?NL: I had a family and three sons, so I had to work here in Sweden. I also had no opportunity to go to the U.S. No one asked. Through vocalist Alice Babs, Duke Ellington had listened to my music and asked me to write for his band. He also recorded my Far Away Star with Alice Babs.  [Pictured above: Dalarna, Sweden] JW: Duke Ellington toured Scandinavia quite a bit.NL: During Duke´s Scandinavian tour in 1973, I played piano on all concerts with his band. After the tour he asked me to work with him in U.S., but he diedsome months after his offer, so who knows what might have happened. Since then, I have played many concerts in the U.S., mainly at colleges and universities. JazzWax tracks: As mentioned yesterday, you'll find three Nils Lindberg albums—Sax Appeal, Trisection and Symphony #1 and Jazz From Studio A—on a single download called Nils Lindberg: Essential Swedish Jazz Masters. You'll just have to rearrange the tracks a bit, as outlined in yesterday's post. JazzWax clip: Here's Curbits from Nils Lindberg's Sax Appeal...   Curbits

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