Derek Raymond's The Crust on its Uppers

I've just finished Derek Raymond's 1962 London crime novel The Crust on its Uppers. It's a novel about three Etonian/Oxonian morries of the SOHO manor who become involved in a slush scheme. This fascinating work begins with a three page Glossary of poetic underworld argot.

Read it whilst learning a new language.

Diary -- The Minor Key

22 May 2017
Today, I'm engaged in listening to the 1959 Live at The Blackhawk recordings by Shelly Manne, leader and drums, and His Men -- Joe Gordon, trumpet, Richie Kamuca, tenor saxophone, Victor Feldman, piano, Monty Budwig, bass. These outstanding recordings are 4 hours and 40 minutes in duration.
23 May 2017
Sonny Stitt knew more tunes than anybody. Miles Davis and his quintet, featuring Sonny Stitt on alto and tenor saxophones, appeared at the Minor Key in Detroit, Mi. in May and September, 1960. In that same year the John Coltrane quartet and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers appeared at the Minor Key on multiple occasions. I saw Messrs. Coltrane and Blakey perform numerous times at the Minor Key. I remember (?) seeing Miles Davis at least twice there--once with Sonny Stitt (fabulous playing by Stitt) and once with J. J. Johnson.   

Detroit Music, Musings

Today, 20 May 2017 I needed some Detroit music. I started with trumpeter Donald Byrd and his Blue Note recording Off to the Races featuring Jackie McLean (alto saxophone), Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone), Wynton Kelly (piano), Sam Jones (bass), and A. T., Art Taylor (drums).
    Next I went to the Donald Byrd Sextet with Yusef Lateef (tenor), Bernard McKinney (euphonium) and Barry Harris (piano), Alvin Jackson (Milt's brother, bass) and Frank Gant (drums). This live recording was took place at The New World Stage in Detroit (Highland Park?) on August 23, 1955. Circa 1957/8, friends and I peeked in on the music happening at The New World Stage in Highland Park. Abe Woodley (vibes) and the group were performing Bird's Blues for Alice, one of my favorite Charlie Parker compositions. I heard Donald Byrd perform at the Minor Key club circa 1960. When I was in New York in 1961, living in a loft at 326 Bowery, I ran into Barry Harris on my way to the Original Five Spot Cafe. We were both on our way the check out Ornette Coleman who was performing at the Five Spot.
    In the fall of 1961, a former girlfriend and I walked from her house on Puritan Street in Highland Park past Klein's Show Bar on 12th Street one evening. Yusef Lateef was performing at Klein's that evening -- sadly we keep walking. Before Yusef Lateef left Detroit for New York, I had the pleasure of taking with him over coffee at the Minor Key. I remember the night/morning at the Minor Key when Yusef Lateef got into a profound tenor saxophone session with Clifford Jordan -- Detroit verses Chicago.
    Order your copy of Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit 1920 - 1960 by Lars Bjorn with Jim Gallert (University of Michigan Press).    

Misha Mengelberg (RIP)

The Dutch pianist and composer Misha Mengelberg, age 81, has died. I best remember him as the pianist on Eric Dolphy's 1964 recording "Last Date". Misha Mengelberg was a force in the Dutch avant-garde music scene.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/arts/music/misha-mengelberg-dead-dutch-jazz-pianist-composer.html?ref=todayspaper

What I've Been Doing to Avoid 'Politics'.

For the past couple of weeks I've been attending to Trump-matters in the Washington Post, Guardian, New York Times and The New Yorker - good stuff in all. But the reporting on the Con Man can be for one, for me, unhealthy, troubling, depressing, a straight-up waste of energy and time. Is there a pharmakon for my troubles? Yes, the Muse, Music. Enormous amounts of chamber music is just the thing: Schoenberg and Bartók string quartets, Dexter Gordon and Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis, Glenn Gould, Billie Holiday, Pierre Boulez's Le Manteau sans Maitre, Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Lot's and lots of music.

The O. J. Simpson documentary on ESPN is also worthwhile. My wife and I did 3 hours last evening - only 5 hours to go.

- see Zadie Smith's http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/crazy-they-call-me -,

Terry Teachout's Unlikely Duke

A few years ago I picked up Terry Teachout's then recent (2013) biography of Duke Ellington. I looked at the first pages, thumbed through the book, put it back on the shelf; saying to myself, "This is not for me" - there was an nasty smell about the book.
     Duke Ellington's nephew, Stephen James has taken steps to set the historical record straight in a thoughtful calling out of Mr. Teachout and his Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington. Mr. James' essay is to be found online at
                                http://jjs.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/jjs/article/view/77
     As I mentioned to a friend today, when we were growing up musically we had WQXR's John S. Wilson to contend with. Today Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal is our burden.
     For those who desire to know, David Schiff's The Ellington Century and, of course, Gunther Schuller's writings on Ellington and much else are the places to go.

Bud Freeman & Chicago Cats

I've been listening to tenor-man Bud Freeman's 1929 - 1940 recordings with Pee Wee Russell, Jess Stacy, Jack Teagarden, Grachan Moncur, Gene Krupa, Big Sid Catlett and many other midwestern worthies - some Benny Goodman, Bunny Berigan, and Tommy Dorsey too. Bud Freeman's tenor, his use of vibrato, reminds me of Anthony Braxton while his ensembles with Pee Wee Russell and Jack Teagarden  remind me of Mingus.

The pianist, Jess Stacy's music has been closely attended to me lately. He was many years Benny Goodman's main piano-man. Stacy was married to the great and wonderful singer Lee Wiley for three/five years. Her performances of "Sugar" and especially "Steamboat Tennessee" with Stacy and friends are captivating. Take a look at Will Friedwald's insightful study Jazz Singing: America's Great Voices From Bessie Smith to BeBop and Beyond.