Ken Dryden

Aren Van Coillie of Belgium wrote:

Nice jazz quiz you run - extremely difficult... Is there a place to find the right answers - somewhere on the net?

My REAL question, however, is this one: No one on the entire www seems to know the personnel of June Christy's album Ballads for night people (nor the personnel of her 'more common' big band records - Off Beat, Misty Miss Christy etc). Is there a place to find these line-ups - or do you guys just know them?

Arne:

One thing I am not is a June Christy expert, as I only have the Mosaic box, Something Cool, and maybe a track or two on an anthology. You might check out the listings for each release at allmusic.com, but that's no guarantee that the personnel are listed.

As to the trivia quiz, it would probably defeat the purpose if the answers were posted anywhere. Maybe Alex and I will publish a trivia book some day! One of the reasons to make it harder was that so many people were scoring 100%; I think we have it down to 5 or 6 per month at the most now. Some of the questions come from interviews I've conducted, reading, broadcasts, as well as liner notes and stuff I've just figured out on my own. I haven't asked Alex about how he composes questions, but he has a sense of humor, too. Recently I wrote a question asking which of six musicians nicknamed "Red" had a bass playing brother called "Whitey." Glad you're enjoying the AAJ site; I hope you are checking out pieces by all of the other contributors.

Kenneth Perry wrote:

I've been searching for good versions of "In a Sentimental Mood" by outstanding trumpet players. Can you recommend any CD's that fill this need? I've been looking at many of my trumpet player albums and can't seem to find any. I've also tried the internet so far with no success. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Ken:

Two I'd recommend in a heartbeat: Clark Terry: Duke with a Difference Fantasy/OJC Art Farmer: Foolish Memories Optimism

The latter CD is out of print but should be obtainable through half.com. Clark Terry's CD is easily purchased through Fantasy. I'm sure there are many more great versions, too.

Francisco, in the Bay Area wrote:

Hello Ken! I am just trying to find out what the word "Mazacote" means? Its a song that Mongo Santamaria played. Please help me...Thanks.

Having done my best to avoid studying Spanish since elementary school in South Florida during the early 1960s, I turned to a language professor, who had the following comments:

How in the world did you come across this wonderful Spanish word? It has several literal meanings, as applied in different fields: In construction, it means "concrete"; in cooking, it means a "solid mass"; in zoology, it means a Mexican boa constrictor. It also has several colloquial meanings: a bore, a pest, an eyesore, a monstrosity, a hotch-potch (variously spelled, hodge-podge). I hope this has helped and not just served to muddy the water. (Thanks to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga professor Oralia Preble-Niemi for her detailed answer.).

Patty Cassidy wrote:

For years I've been looking for information about Ranny Sinclair. As a child back in the late 50's & early 60's. I saw her on television and I really loved her. Thought of her years later as I named my first child Ranny. I can't remember what she looked like, wondered if she is still alive, and what her voice sounds like. I saw there is a new release or re-release of Dave Brubeck, which I will get ASAP.

Can you help me with the biography stuff? Help me find a picture, something about her life. I would be very grateful.

Patty:

I can't tell you much about Ranny Sinclair, other than what's written in the compilation by Dave Brubeck, Vocal Encounters, which was released in 2001. She was a dance major at Julliard and was brought to Brubeck's attention by his producer, Teo Macero. She collaborated with the Brubeck Quartet for the television series "Mr. Broadway," and wrote lyrics for a number of Brubeck's pieces, but "Autumn in Our Town," which appears on this CD, seems to be the only recording that I can find that she has released. She has since retired from music. There's a photo of her in the CD's booklet, but I have no way of scanning it for you.

Brian Hammond wrote:

Ken, can you please tell me who recorded the two tracks "Skinned" and "Skinned Again?" I can remember hearing them when I was about ten years old from my brother's records, which no longer exist; it must have be about 1952. Thanks.

Brian:

Both "Skinned" and "Skinned Again" were recorded by Woody Herman for Capitol; they appear in the Mosaic boxed set of Herman's Capitol recordings. The first song has also appeared on a single "Best of" Capitol CD compilation by Herman; while there's a live version of "Skinned Again" on a recent Storyville CD 'Woody Herman & His Orchestra, 1956.'

Johnny Williams, Jr. wrote:

Hi Ken, I am trying to locate a CD by Eddie Harris with no results. The title is "A Tale of Two Cities". I have used all the options that I am aware of. Thanks.

Johnny:

The reason it is so difficult to find this 1991 release on Night Records is that the label wasn't in business for very long after it came out; the other hard to find Night titles include ones by Cannonball Adderley, Les McCann and Rahshaan Roland Kirk. It's been listed on Half.com on more than one occasion so it's worth adding it to your wish list on that site so you can be notified. Also try euclidrecords.com and ebay, but I wouldn't pay a high price for it. As a footnote, another label started by Joel Dorn, (who also founded Night Records), 32 Jazz, folded last year.

Doug wrote:

I am looking for info on the internet to explain the different Brazilian music styles like Samba, Bossa Nova, Mambo, etc. Any ideas where I might find a site?

Doug: The All Music Guide (allmusic.com) is a good starting point. Search the site by style and you'll find a description of each of them, along with links to representive artists within each genre.

Mel Tullgren wrote:

Wondering if George Duke's 'Faces in Reflection' on BASF LP ever made it to CD, also the incredible Phil Woods/Michel Legrand 'Images', I believe it was on an RCA LP, side 2 of that with "Clair de Lune" and the lengthy 'Images,' it was just wonderful.

Mel:

George Duke's 'Faces in Reflection' has never been reissued on CD; in fact, Duke sent me a copy of this long out of print LP after he played in Chattanooga 6 or 7 years ago.

As for Phil Woods/Michel Legrand's 'Images', it also hasn't been reissued. About the only RCA title of Woods to appear on CD was a horribly truncated reissue of the 2 LP set 'Live at the Showboat' (called "Live" in this incarnation) on their defunct subsidiary Novus. This title seems unlikely to be reissued, so I'd look for it on LP.

Jerold D. Wright wrote:

I've been trying for ever to find a copy of 'The Waiting Game' by Tina Brooks, his last album for Blue Note. Thank you.

Jerold:

There's a good reason you've had trouble finding this release. It's first appearance was as a part of the limited edition Mosaic boxed set 'The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Tina Brooks.' It has never been released as an individual LP or CD in the U.S., however, Blue Note in Japan put it out on CD in 1999, though it seems like it is out of print. It may yet come out on Blue Note domestically. As for the Mosaic boxed set and the Japanese version, ebay and similar auctions are likely your best sources.

Sounds like something I need, too!

Federica Vassallo of Italy wrote:

I'm new to jazz; my boyfriend introduced me in this magic world two months ago, I'm discovering jazz day by day and it is fantastic. I've just a little question for you: who is the author of "So What"? I've seen on internet a discography rich of musicians singing and playing it, but I wasn't able to find who composed and wrote this wonderful song. Can you help me, please? Many many thanks!!

Federica:

Miles Davis is the composer of "So What."

Tenosys Global Konnect Ltd wrote:

Where is the group Crusaders?

Writer from Tenosys:

If you mean what are The Crusaders (previously the Jazz Crusaders) doing presently, I'm sad to tell you that they disbanded in 1988.

Vincent Siauw of Singapore wrote:

Hi Ken. I have a cassette of Herbie Hancock & Foday Musa Suso 1980s album "Village Life". I wonder whether it has ever been released in CD or will it be ever available in CD? Any suggestion where I may be able to get the CD of it?

Vincent:

This 1985 LP was reissued on CD by Columbia in 1992, but it is evidently out of print. You will have to search websites selling used CDs in order to locate it. I haven't run across anyone carrying it.

William Weathers wrote:

I have a great number of quality vinyl LPs that I would like to sell. How can I determine a fair market price for them? Wher do I locate a buyer? A record store that buys such items?

William:

First of all, make a list by artist, including the title, label and catalog number. Then go through each of them and grade the cover, noting any obvious flaws: Clipped corner, hole punched, writing on cover, spilt seam, taped cover, etc. Do the same for the disc itself, noting condition: scratches, writing on label, etc. Use Goldmine standard grading, which should be available on their website. Compare similar products on sites that sell LPs, though this may be very time consuming to do if you have a lot of titles. Please note that any web site or record store will be unlikely to pay more than a dollar or two for most LPs, because they have to make a profit on them. The problem with selling them to a website is the additional shipping expense that you will incur. One such dealer is eucldirecords.com, though he does get out from St Louis on record buying trips (again, a traveling buyer has to pay the expenses of travel, so you're still not going to get market price for your LPs). I might suggest using a free classified in All About Jazz that gives a brief description of how many records you have and what styles of jazz they are, with maybe a small sample of the better known artists. I've done better trading with dealers at records shows for LPs I want, frequently trading something I've replaced with a CD reissue and getting an out of print LP I didn't have.

Giovanni Turner wrote:

Does any jazz artist do a rendition of "A Change Is Gonna Come," originally by Sam Cooke? I'm looking for something with no vocals. I'm planning an event for Black History Month on February 20th and a have a singer who will perform "A Change Is Gonna Come," however, she'd prefer not to sing acappella. I've so far been unable to find the original instrumental (if it ever existed) and I am not versed enough in jazz artist to do anything but a cd by cd search. Unfortunately, our student group does not have enough funds to retain a live band. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Giovanni:

I can't vouch that most of these CDs have instrumental versions of the song, but they are all by jazz artists and available from CDNow and possibly other web sites: 1. George Benson: Livin' Inside Your Love 2. Elvin Jones: It Don't Mean a Thing... (instrumental, but there's a drum solo in it!) 3. Eddie Harris: I Need Some Money/Fathaed Newman: Bigger is Better (compilation) 4. Jack McDuff: AChange is Gonna Come/Fathead Nemwan: Double Barrel Soul (compilation)

Have you thought of hiring a pianist and trying to acquire the sheet music? Try Hal Leonard on line to see if it is available.

Peppe Libero wrote:

I know that Bireli Lagrene and Paco de Lucia played together, but I don't know if they have recorded something. Can you help me?

Peppe:

I know very little about Paco de Lucia although I remember Joe Pass telling me about a tour he was doing with de Lucia and other guitarists from different fields of music. I've found no information that proves that Lagrene and de Lucia recorded together, although it is possible they were part of a guitar summit concert, much like the one that featured de Lucia and Pass, that was recorded for radio broadcast but not commercial release.

Anton Schinabeck wrote:

Could you tell me if there is any chance of getting the music sheet of Dave Brubeck's 'Unsquare Dance' without having to buy a whole book.

Anton:

Dave Brubeck's music is only sold in book form, according to a good friend of mine who edits all of his choral works. That goes for his jazz compositions, too.

Keith Campbell wrote:

There was an album of Basie and Joe Williams issued in the late 50s or early 60s with Basie on organ and Joe singing. There were no other musicians, just Basie and Joe. I think it was recorded after a main event; most people had left, Basie started doodling on the organ and Joe started singing. I lost this album many years ago. I can't remember the title but would love to know where to find it either in CD or vinyl.

Keith:

The CD you're looking for is Memories Ad Lib, though it may be tough to find. Roulette did a really cheesy low budget reissue in 1984 with an extremely poor reproduction of the original artwork on the front cover and there's just an insert card, no booklet. This CD reissue has been unavailable for some time, though I was lucky to find a copy of this studio session. Half.com has a listing for it but nobody has it in stock, neither does anyone on the ebay list. You might try Euclid Records (euclidrecords.com).

James Crosby wrote: I have the "Echoes of an Era" LPs featuring Corea, Henderson, Hubbard and Clarke been issued on CD. As I recall, there were three or four in the series. I also recall that Nancy Wilson and/or Chaka Khan were featured on an LP apiece.

James:

I found that a CD by Charlie Palmieri called Echoes of an Era was reissued in 1996, but is probably now out of print. I've found no verification of any CD reissues of the series of Elektra LPs called Echoes of an Era since the beginning of the CD era. Sorry!

Matthew Elliott wrote:

I have very recently become hooked on jazz, especially the originators of this great art form. In researching different vocal jazz artists, I realized that there is an Etta JAMES and an Etta JONES who both sang the terrific song "At Last". Because both versions sound exactly the same to me, and since I am still "wet behind the ears" when it comes to this awesome music, I am in need of clarification. . . . . are these two ladies one in the same?? Me and some friends have been passionately debating over this since two of my friends had the song played as their "first dance" song at their recent wedding. It seems to me that they are two different women who simply sang the same song almost identically. If I am correct, then can you tell me who sang the song first?

Matthew:

They are two different artists. Etta Jones, who is more of a jazz singer, died recently, while Etta James falls plainly into blues rather than jazz. James' version may be the better known one, but I'm not sure.

Mitch Forte wrote:

I am looking for a cd recording of 'Loran's Dance' performed by Idris Muhammad. It appeared on his "Power of Soul" vinyl LP. I have the original vinyl album. A compilation called CTI: Acid Jazz Grooves contains the original Idris Muhammad version. I've scoured the web to no avail for this CD compilation. Do you have a source for out of print music?

Mitch:

I can't find any record of CTI: Acid Jazz Grooves, but I can tell you that the Idris Muhammad CD Power of Soul will be out on CD in the Sony Legacy series this spring (I already have the cardboard sleeved advance copy). So I'm not sure if that's an answer to your question, although I believe that the version of "Loran's Dance" that is the original is on Muhammad's album and not on the CTI compilation you're seeking.

Dinesh Joshi of the U.K. wrote: I hope you can help me. I have an old trio recording without a label or track listing. I have been told it features McCoy Tyner on piano, Joe LaBarbera on drums, and an unknown bassist. Can you identify this song? Did LaBarbera & Tyner ever play together? Many thanks.

Dinesh:

To the best of my knowledge, drummer Joe LaBarbera has never made a recording with McCoy Tyner. It is far more likely that the pianist (and leader) of the track you have is Bill Evans, with Marc Johnson on bass. Although he only spent two years (1979-1980) as a member of the Bill Evans Trio, the group toured quite a bit and was recorded on numerous occasions. There are countless LPs and CDs covering their work together, both commercial and bootleg releases. It will be difficult to identify the track without hearing it.

Kenneth Perry wrote:

Would you be kind enough to list some of your favorite CD's by trumpet players. I know that this is a personal choice of course but nevertheless I may have missed some good ones along the way. It really doesn't matter if they are the featured artist on the album or if they are part of the group. Thank you very much. Where can I research others opinions on this same question? I have a number of reference works such as Musichound Jazz; Penguin Guide to Jazz; The Playboy Guide to Jazz; Jazz Styles by Mark Gridley; Rolling Stone's Jazz and Blues Album Guide to name some of them. Any other sources would be valuable of course. I love most Jazz from most periods if that's any indication. Thank you so very much.

Ken:

The best reference on trumpeters would be Scott Yanow's Trumpet Kings (Backbeat Books) which came out in the past year. He includes both in print and out of print releases. Similiar information is in the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz, which is probably the most thorough compilation of jazz reviews.

I'm afraid comprehensive recommendations would take more time than I have to do this column!