Heather Laurie of Peterborough, Canada wrote:

Hi Ken. I'm trying to find the song Diana Krall sang at the end of the movie "The Score" on compact disc. The song is called "I'll Make It Up As I Go" written by David Foster. I've looked everywhere for it. It's not on the soundtrack for the movie or on any of Diana Krall's CDs either. Would you know where or how I could purchase it?

Heather:

Evidently, Verve Records (Diana Krall's label) wouldn't grant their star a release for the song to appear on the soundtrack, or they wanted too much money. It seems unlikely that Diana would have rejected the additional exposure. It is rather unlikely that the song will come out on one of Diana's CDs, though not impossible.

I've found no trace of the song anywhere on the web. Your only way of obtaining it seems to be to buy the DVD or VHS of the movie itself.

Brian Isaacs of Lehigh on Sea Essex, England wrote:

Jazzbo Colliins was around in the 1950s He specialized in jazz nursery rhymes. Do you have any information on him?

Brian:

Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins was a well known jazz DJ who made a few vocal appearances narrating on recordings. The two I have are "The Bebop Fables" (A Parody of Aesop's Fables, with music by pianist Steve Allen and wacky Spanish translations by Slim Gaillard), a now out of print LP on Doctor Jazz; and a guest appearance on mandolinist David Grisman's "Jazzin' with Jazzbeaux," which is found on the 3 CD set DGQ 20 from Acoustic Disc, and was released a year or so before his death in 1997 from pancreatic cancer. A list of stations which he worked for can be found at the following link: http://www.440int.com/namesc2.html

Brian Hope Huntingdon of Cambs., U.K. wrote:

Any ideas on where or how I might get hold of a copy of The Bob Brookmeyer Quartet - Blues Hot and Cold?

Brian:

That 1960 Verve LP, which is on my want list as well, is going to be hard to find. It will likely only show up on auction lists.

Bill Yost of Spanaway, USA wrote:

I have searched for the album Basie Plays Hefti in CD format but it appears that it has never been released as a CD. I have located the album but the condition is marginal. Has Basie Plays Hefti ever been released as a CD? If not, why not?

Bill:

Basie Plays Hefti was reissued as a part of the 10 CD Mosaic boxed set The Complete Roulette Studio Recordings of Count Basie, but that limited edition set is already out of print. The reason it has not appeared as a single CD is probably an economic one; Basie recorded over 28 LPs worth of music for Roulette and the conglomerate that now owns the rights to it (EMI) is sporadically releasing titles which they believe will turn a profit. I believe that Basie Meets Hefti will eventually come out by itself, but it's a guess as to when.

Henning Y. Andersen of Malmö, Sweden wrote:

I've been looking for a CD for a long time: Elmo Hope: Jazz on Rikers Island. Do you know if that one is in print on some obscure label?

Henning:

This title was originally released as Sounds from Riker's Island on an Audiofidelity LP and was reissued in 1980 by Chiaroscuro on LP as Hope From Riker's Island. I am unaware of any CD version of this live date at the famous New York prison, unless some label like Fresh Sound has bootlegged it.

Sem Nome of Porto Alegre, Brazil wrote:

What is the most performed and recorded song in jazz history? "Autumn Leaves"? "Round Midnight"? Any Other?

Sem:

I don't think that there's any definitive way to answer your question, but one database I checked showed 999 recordings of "Summertime" and 974 of "All the Things You Are." A handful of other songs, including your suggestions, had much lower totals. Of course, there's no way to deduce how many of them are jazz recordings!

Bob Bednar of Jacksonville, FL wrote:

I played with the legendary jazz guitarist Billy Bean in Philadelphia in 1956. Billy is now inactive but some rehearsal recordings he made with John Pisano and with Walter Norris have recently been made available thru String Jazz, a British label dedicated to guitar jazz. I have all that involve Bean. What I am unable to secure are copies of the two Decca recordings (Makin' It, and Take Your Pick) that Pisano and Bean made in 1958. I do not think that they have been reissued on CD, but I would accept lp or cassette tape versions if available. Thanks.

Bob:

The two Decca LPs don't seem to have been reissued and it seems unlikely (though not impossible) that Verve Music Group, which now owns all Decca masters, will put them out any time soon. You'll have to shop auction lists in all likelihood, as I don't think LPs of this vintage will show up on the average sale lists.

Dr. Jeff Monroe of Barletta (BA), Italy wrote:

Ciao Ken,

I'm a Jazz DJ here in bell Italia and am a fan of Charles Tolliver. I am looking for "Paper Man" from Arista Freedom/ Black Lion on CD. A buddy has the original album which I dig completely but would like to find the CD. Does or will it exist on CD?

Dr. Jeff:

Although there were quite a few Black Lion and Arista CDs reissued from the 1960s, Charles Tolliver's Paper Man doesn't seem to be one of them. 1201 Music is putting out the old Black Lion catalog now, but it is hard to say how far they'll venture into the avant garde portion of their catalog.

Dr. Jeff Monroe wrote:

Ciao Ken, it's Dr. Jeff from Italy. I sent you an inquiry about Charles Tolliver recently. I would like to know if these titles by Bobby Hutcherson are or will be on CD: "Knucklebean" and "Live from Monteux", Blue Notes '77,'73 respectively. Thanks Ken, I made an order from Euclid on your reccomendation for the Tolliver LP.

Dr. Jeff:

Bobby Hutcherson's Live from Montreux has already been reissued on CD (in 1994) but it is currently out of print. I don't believe that Knucklebean has ever appeared on CD. Neither of them is scheduled to be reissued in the U.S. between now and April 2002. You might check sites dealing in Japanese Blue Note reissues (they tend to run around $30 each) to see if it's available. Try www.redtrumpet.com. I've done a lot of business with Euclid and they are extrenely reliable and rather reasonably priced for out of print LPs.

T. Matheny of Chapel Hill, NC wrote:

I read that Benny Goodman played (composed?) a song called "Birth of the Blues" -- read it in a book about a woman who requested it on her local classical music station because, she said: "It is a classic." But I cannot find it anywhere. Could it be part of a title or under a different title?

T.:

Benny Goodman recorded the song for Columbia in 1941 (It has appeared on LP but evidently not on CD) and performed it on a Mutual Radio Network broadcast later that year; the broadcast version appeared on a VJC CD, Roll 'em Live, but it is unfortunately out of print. He performed it at least once on television but this version hasn't been commercially issued to my knowledge.

The song was co-written by B. G. DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson.

Germán Piniella of Havana, Cuba wrote:

About 20 years I heard Gato Barbieri's "El Día que me Quieras." I seem to remember it was an "a capella" recording, but I'm not sure. Is it? Is it on CD? Can this particular piece be downloaded from any site. Thank you for your time.

German:

The song you are seeking recorded by Gato Barbieri is available on his CD "Fenix," which was first released in 1971. I have no idea if a download is available or if is an unaccompanied sax solo.

Michael Lueras wrote:

I am looking for this album: Opus de Jazz/Opus de Funk.by Milt Jackson, with Frank Wess and Kenny Clarke.

Michael:

The two Milt Jackson releases I'm aware of came out separately under different labels. Opus De Jazz was a 1955 date for CD which has been reissued on CD (Savoy 109) and is currently available from CD Now. Opus De Funk is a two LP reissue of the 10" record Milt Jackson Quintet and an LP Milt Jackson Quartet, combined with another LP Invitation (the latter which has since been reissued in Fantasy's OJC series under its original name). I haven't run across a release by the exact title you've named.

Dana Krelle of Los Altos Hills, CA wrote:

Would you know where I might find a CD or vinyl of Count Basie's "Ev'ry Little Beat Helps" ? Sammy Nestico arranged many of the charts. It was a super album (I played the title chart in high school jazz band) and I haven't been able to find it since. Thanks very much.

Dana:

I have been unable to find an album or song by the title of "Ev'ry Little Beat Helps," though I did find evidence of a song "Ev'ry Little Bit Helps" copyrighted in 1904. It must have been recorded for one of the more obscure albums by Basie after 1967 and evidently hasn't been reissued on CD.

Ray Shindler of Atlanta, GA wrote:

I just need a suggestion where on the net to search for the LP edition of Dave Grusin's soundtrack to "The Firm." I already have the CD, but need the LP. Thanks for any help.

Ray:

As far as I can tell, GRP quit issuing LPs prior to the 1993 release of "The Firm." Since you're in Atlanta, you might want to check the soundtrack bins at Wax 'N Facts and Wuxtry (though the latter store tends to be rather overpriced). On line, give Euclid Records a try.