ONE LP

UNCONVENTION22

  • “I can’t remember which one it was!! I like Louis Prima - I had the pleasure of working with him in New York a few years ago on Ed Sullivan’s show. We got chatting and I enjoyed his company - I enjoyed his playing and his singing is excellent - good jazzer!”Acker Bilk: Lyceum Theatre, Crewe, 14th November 2010Louis Prima: {quote}Strictly Prima{quote} - released 1959Acker Bilk
  • {quote}I remember my dad bringing me an Art Pepper LP home one day. It wasn't this one, it was 'Discoveries' - and it knocked me out. I met Tommy Chase for the first time in a pub in Soho and he said 'have you got Art Pepper meets The Rhythm Section?' - I said no and he took round the corner and bought it me instantly - shoved it in a bag, gave it me and I said 'I can't accept that from you.'He said 'don't tell me what I can and can't fucking do!'After the telling the typically colourfull story of how he acquired the album Alan went on to talk about the record. 'The Rhythm Section was Miles Davis' rhythm section and was probably the greatest in jazz at that time - It would be a terribly formidable thing for anybody to just walk in and play with (them) but he did it and he did it so unlike Miles or Cannonball or Coltrane, he retained his individuallity.The record is so exciting - really it's the embodiment of what jazz is about.''Pick the bones out of that!'The Spa, Scarborough, 26th September 2010Art Pepper meets The Rhythm Section: 1957Alan BarnesIt's said that Art Pepper only learned in the morning that the recording seesion was booked, 19th January, 1957.
  • “Double Six - when I was in college in my first year I had formed a singing group patterned along the lines of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross - and Double Six.Double Six changed my life - I listened to them instead of going to class - I think they almost sent me home!Very important music to me, I became friends with Michel Legrand - his sister sang in the group then and Mimi Perrin - thank you Mimi! we’ll all see you soon.So Double Six - very important, lots of people important - but a special place for them.”Al Jarreau: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 26th July 2011Les Double Six - released 1962Al Jarreau
  • “Yes, well this album is called 'Countryman' and it's by a band called The Twinkle Brothers. The reason why this album is of particular interest and why it's so special to me is .. I'm aRasta man, my liberty is one of Rastafari. And as a young Rasta man we faced a lot of trialsand tribulations growing up in Britain. It was in a time - a lot of misunderstanding, therewas a lot of racial prejudice, a lot of discrimination and also a lot of misunderstandings. And so my generation when we talked about .. we like the Rastafari way of life and theRastafari philosophy our parents nearly lost their minds, simply because back in the thirties in Jamaica a Rasta man was deemed as a scum of the earth, as they would say.And in Jamaican society the only place for a Rasta man would have been in and amongst the thieves and the criminals and such like, such was the ..... I don't know how to put it butthey weren't liked and I can see why a lot of times people wouldn't have liked the Rasta Jamaica being a place where it has more churches per capita then anywhere else in theworld. Christianity and religion has a very strong influence on society as a whole and has for many many years so when the Rasta man came along talking about Africa and repatriation to Africa as the motherland that went against the grain, very much so. Especially as Jamaica was a British colony , even though Jamaica changed hands and had many many influences .. Spanish etc ..in terms of as a colony .. colonialism, slavery, the influence was of the British culture. So that said with Christianity, right, the white Jesus, in terms of sovereignty the Queen of England .. when the Rasta man came along and said - 'Well actually we're Africans and we are already kings, queens, princes, princesses, emperors, it's about time we look at who we are ..acknowledge who we are, where we're coming from and rekindle that relationship and reignite that strength and that power' right and you know .. as Royal deities. Let's look at who we are. iif we look into history, the most recent history, there's slavery, there's that .. but if we look back ... further back and bring that forward we are people, we are men and women, we are human beings and we are a lot more mighty than the most recent histories would have suggested. So, it definitely went against the grain and those in the upper echelons of society who look towards the European model of hierarchy it just didn't go well.So, Rastas back in those days... so you can imagine some years l later being in the United Kingdom .. my parents have come here, right, to further themselves economically, tofurther assist all the family back home, you know, when we came along with Rasta they were like 'oh my gosh what's going on here'. Things were tough enough for them being inEngland as immigrants, like I said with the racism and the social inequalities etc. and then when we came along with the Rasta talk that just blew their mind. So you know the termnowadays 'disenfranchised youth' well back in that time, you know, it was a real struggle, you know, being black in Britain was a struggle. And being a black youth in Britain was, you know, almost like that .. you know the term when they say middle child misunderstood and left out and stuff. So we were like the middle child in terms of our parents did not grow up in Britain so with regards to the education system and the psychology involved in grooming people, in grooming a nation of people to think and behave a certain way that was totally over our parents heads, they were coming from islands like Grenada, Trinidad, St. Kitts, Barbados, Jamaica ,etc where the British had an involvement in and the education system there was a lot more strict. The level of attainment was a lot higher, all be that it was British education system that was there the students in Jamaica were scoring so much higher, in relation to what's going on in the UK, and that's because of the discipline of where we're coming from and the cultural aspects of how we saw things from a family structure going right the way through to .... yeah ..so It was hard, really really hard. Going to school, being chastised, going home to tell your parents .. going 'look guess what happened at school'. They'd be like 'What'. Well in Jamaica that don't happen .. you must have done something wrong because the teachers always right, authorities always right. Well we were then struggling with authority here that was looking at us in a different way. They didn't know about us .. we didn't know about them. Our parents couldn't tell us about them because our parents only had one mind set ... we're here to work we'll put up and shut up . We're just here to work. Our parents didn't know police stations and all that kind of stuff, they never got into trouble. We we're getting into trouble our parents thought 'Well it must be you.. it's got to be you. How come there's problems at school and the police have arrested you'.Some of the parents rcognised what was going on and did not turn a blind eye. So it was a struggle all the way along to be understood in a situation that was evolving and you hadno way of knowing which way the pieces are going to fall after these minor explosions and eruptions. Though, that said I felt like I had no place. My mum was disappointed, my father was disappointed ..tremendously disappointed. I was in top class when I was at school; when I was seven years old they said I had the brain of a nine year old I should have been two years ahead and all that stuff. I went to school I was in top class in school, I was the only Carribean boy in my class at school. My parents said 'Oh my gosh he's going to be great he's going to be a doctor, a lawyer, whatever. But how I felt about whatwas happening to me didn't point me in that direction and I saw, and still does that Rastafari liberty, the peace and love, the respect, the acknowledgement of my self that I found in Rastafari .. I recognised that was my way. You know, it didn't mean that not going to school or not whatever.. people had a problem with the fact that I'm saying Rastafari because the connotations of that, coming from Jamaica, is the worst thing that I could have ever decided to do. My parents thought 'Oh my gosh we're finished'. And what happened immediately I wasn't allowed to go to my friends houses anymore. You know you go call for your friends call ... no .. are you coming out.. going up the road ..kick some football whatever then roller skating... all of a sudden my friends parents told their children don't bring him back round here anymore. I experienced that. So you know .. the term 'marginalised'. I had my family, my mum was kicking me out the house, she said 'I'm going to America .. when I get back you comb that hair or you're out'. She came back and she said 'give me the front door key - get out'. You know so ..these are the things. There's a song on this album called 'Countrymen' by the band called Twinkle brothers that actually encompasses a lot of the experience of .. not just myself ..a lot of what other young Rastas were going through. You know there's one of the verses talking about when he got fired from his job, right, and you know, fired without pay.. and it's just because he became a Rasta man he went to work and the boss man looked at him and said 'What..that hair 'and you know.. And then family disowned him, you know, and all these different stories about the persecution basically, because of a personal belief. The final verse on this song says, you know, something like; 'When your boss man discriminates against you, right, and your mother and father rejects you that is the time that Jah, God, Jah the Almighty he will guide and protect you. So I toldthem all to go away with their brutalisation, go away with your discrimination, go away with your victimisation'.So that song told me I will be all right. I'm gonna be just fine as hard as things are.... And being a teenager as well ( laughs). Things are always hard ... puberty ..adolescence ..allthese things thrown in top of , you know, what was happening on the street, if I left Handsworth it was a problem. We moved from Handsworth to Perry Barr - major problem,Police on my case, mad mob chasing me, all kinds of things going on. Get arrested for stupid stuff. Police driving on the street you know. Five a clock in the morning I'd come from Putney .. on the pavement .. driving me down on the pavement. You know, all kinds of crazy things. This song 'Since I threw the comb away' is the name of the song and my goodness I'm still here because of this music and you know .. so that's about it man ..yeah Twinkle Brothers .. “Since I Throw The Comb Away”.Oh yeah big up Will. Yeah bless him. Will is the man. Will came to my house he had ackee and pear and super malt .. yeah . My cousin Will. Rastafari ! yes man. (Laughs)Twinkle Brothers {quote}Contrymen{quote} released 1980
  • {quote}It’s Horace Silver ‘Song for my Father’. My brother had this record and I was a kid. He had a ton of jazz records. This one stood out to me because my father and I had such a great relationship. Then, when he played the record for me, the whole record hit me in a way that I really got jazz. I was too young at the time to really get jazz because I wasn’t a musician yet. Then, when I became a musician, I really thought about the impact that it had on me as a kid. It became one of my favourites because we ended up playing those songs and songs from the record and playing that record quite a bit. Horace Silver became one of my favourite piano players because of his arrangements and his way of creating melodic and harmonic instances that were beautiful. He’s always been one of my favourite pianists.{quote}Amp Fiddler: Band on the Wall, Manchester, 2nd November 2014Horace Silver: Song For My Father released 1965Amp Fiddler
  • {quote}She was my hero, she was my mentor, she was my idol.I got to know her very very well and I was very proud that I did, because she was a real buddy of mine.I think there's a whole life in this voice for her to sing the songs that she sings - I mean you could cry listening to her and I just think she was like a beautiful ebony statue.Great songs.{quote}Annie Ross: At home, New York City, May 2013Billie Holiday: Lady in Satin released 1958Annie Ross
  • Arnie Somogyi: Llandudno Jazz Festival, 25th July 2015. Photographed by William Ellis/One LP Charles Mingus: Ah Um released 1959 Arnie Somogyi
  • {quote}It is so special because, as many people know, that Abbey Lincoln passed away earlier this year [August 2010] and I have always been really inspired by her. From a very early age, she was one of the – you know, after Ella Fitzgerald – she was the next person I really got into. So I am a massive fan of her and I’ve got all her albums. The reason I chose this is because I think this is one of the lesser-known ones but there’s beautiful tracks on here and the one that I really love is “Exactly Like You” because I listened to another version of this by Carmen McRae, which I love, and when I heard this version I loved this equally. You know, it’s the way her sentiment, the way she gets the lyrics across, are so different to a lot of other singers. She is very deep when she sings and you can really hear a lot of emotion. Not in the same way that you can with Billie Holiday but you know it’s coming from a real spiritual sort of place, when she plays and that’s why I love her.{quote}Anita Wardell: The Spa, Scarborough, 26th September 2010Abbey Lincoln: It's Magic - released 1958Anita Wardell
  • “Before 'Catch a Fire' album came out, when I was a little kid, I used to listen to reggae music. I used to like reggae music to an extent but it was mainly kind of your normal stuff you know ' I love you ..blah blah type of thing. And then I was in Handsworth Park - I was talking to my friend earlier about this,I was in Handsworth Park, I was probably about thirteen .. fourteen, fourteen maybe and I heard a track called “Blood and Fire” by a guy called Niney and it just blew my mind because it was different, it was hard core .. it was strong ..it was talking about something positive, you know. As you know reggae is always talking about daily life and the struggles and the fights, you know, that you have to go through to make it in life, you know. And that just summed it up you know.And it kind of, in a sense got me into music, into going 'ooh yeah .. I think I'm going to start a band'. But then when 'Catch a Fire' album came out I thought - ooh they're taking reggae serious. Because before you didn't have guitars, cause I play guitar, they didn't have guitars - rocky solos you know ..cause I like a bit of rock. I used to be into a band called Isley Brothers, simply because of the guitar playing on it.So anything with guitars used to just blow my mind. And it's like this particular “Catch a Fire' album I was like I couldn't believe it - I must have worn out at least two copies of it. Because they had guitars on it, they were talking about consciousness. It was well produced, it had attitude and it made me start Steel Pulse, you know. If it wasn't for this album there probably wouldn't be a Steel Pulse. So that's the importance it has for me.”Basil Gabbidon: Edwardian Tearooms, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 28th January 2019Basil Gabbidon: Producer - Reggae Rockz - the story of Reggae music, a journey from Africa to the U.K.The Wailers: “Catch a Fire{quote} released 1973Basil Gabbidon
  • {quote}We have this beautiful thing we do called The Fat Afro-Latin Jazz Cats which is our pre-professional program big band and one of the parents of one of the kids – and they’re from middle school and high school heard me say at a show that I’d worn out four or five copies of this record so he bought me one, so it’s a brand new vinyl pressing of Kenya.I wore out four or five copies so I listened to it! - we actually play some of the music - Wild Jungle, Conga Mulence, Kenya, Tin Tin Deo, we play Holiday Mambo.It’s considered the first Afro-Cuban big band Jazz big band record and I think the reason for this is that it has no purpose in terms of being commercial, sell records or just be a dance record – it’s really about the music.Machito was really quite the gentleman and really cared about having this emphasis on his big band and it was about jazz – these guys loved jazz, you know.They were Latin bandleaders who had profound respect for jazz.{quote}WE – Cool - this is lovely setting for the picture.AO – I think so too, with the mirror and the red curtains.WE – There’s going to be two of you Arturo!AO – I love it - it’s two too many – but yeah!“It’s two too many!” - that’s what my wife would say!Of course I don’t agree – there’s not enough of me – God knows my time is squeezed like crazy.We’ve been doing great work with The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; this is in my opinion the best Afro-Cuban, Afro-Latin big bands in existence.We started this orchestra as part of Jazz at Lincoln Centre, we were there for five years and ventured out to create our own organisation and we’ve done incredibly well since then.We’ve created our own non-profit work, our education work, we’ve toured, won Grammys, been nominated for for Grammys.We’ve actually superseded anything we would have been allowed to execute under Wynton’s aegis.So it’s been amazing, we’ve just recorded out fourth CD which is called ‘The Offence of the Drum’ and it’s all about how the drum is the tool – like the internet - that both oppresses us and enslaves us and sets us free and liberates us – to be redundant!It’s literally about how the drum is an incredibly powerful tool and how it has shaped all of our lives in incredible ways.Tonight we’ll be playing a piece of mine called ‘Malecón and Bourbon’ which is an imaginary intersection, The Malecón is of course the famous street in Cuba - the intersection of Bourbon Street in New Orleans and The Malecón and it’s a place where we really discover the roots of jazz and the roots of latin are the same and not one is hierarchically above the other – they’re part and parcel of the same reality.Somehow we got those two artificially separated.At the end of the piece we play a kind of ragtime piece and start deconstructing it – it’s a jazz history lesson backwards.From Cecil Taylor working our way back to Scott Joplin. We end up with Scott Joplin, but the thing about Scott Joplin is that it’s quite right (in the context) and so we just try to get the right edge to it and all of a sudden that is wildly latin – it’s a really cool piece.But then if you’re not going to be a fan of your own music – who is going to be a fan of your music?Though my kids like my music so it’s not all bad!{quote}Arturo O'Farrill: Birdland, New York City, 29th April, 2013Machito: Kenya released 1958Arturo O'Farrill
  • “It had to be Michael Jackson – then I had a tough time picking which record - but this has my favourite song – ‘Man in the Mirror’ – I love it so much.I narrowed it down from Off the Wall, Bad and Thriller - it was difficult to narrow it down even that far.This record means so much to me.”Becca Stevens: The Bay Horse, Manchester, March 2013Michael Jackson: BadBecca Stevens
  • {quote}My One LP - yes, it’s the Eric Dolphy album he did on Blue Note called Out to Lunch!And the album has Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis and Tony Williams. And it is such a phenomenal shift from anything that had been done on Blue Note Records. The compositions and the playing and the quality from Blue Note was always good because of Rudy Van Gelder. And he captured this in such a wonderful way. It just resonated with me, you know? It’s one of those things you want to listen to over and over. And that’s why itbecame one of my favourites. There are many things that I’ve heard but I don’t think anything I’ve heard resonated with me the way Eric’s music did on this particular recording. He seems to have been at a very fine peak in his development and this really made me want to go and be better. Eric Dolphy.{quote}Bennie Maupin: Hollywood CA, 11th April 2014Eric Dolphy: Out To Lunch! released 1964Bennie Maupin
  • Dizzy Gillespie and Dexter Gordon: Blue 'N' Boogie{quote}Well - I've been around for a long time, and during the time when I got started there were no such things as albums so there were no covers!Cause there was a time of the 78 recording with 3 minute at tops for each recording, so whatever the person was going to present they had to present it within the 3 minute framework.Sometimes you didn't get the bridge of the song and they went out and things like that so they had to gear it for the 3 minutes and that's what I grew up with when I started that's what was going and later the 33 1/3 records came into existence - and they weren't 12 inch LPs they were10 inch LPs! And then later the 12 inch LPs came, yeah.And then later the albums came with the album covers at was much later though - it wasn't in the beginning!I had many heroes in the beginning, my first one was probably Coleman Hawkins and then Don Byas, Ben Webster, Lucky Thompson but then one that really got me down the line was a fella named Dexter Gordon.And he made a recording with Dizzy Gillespie and when I heard that my life changed again - it changed when I first heard the saxophone but when I heard that recording Dizzy Gillespie and Dexter Gordon it opened up something else for me cos his style was different from Coleman Hawkins and Don Byas and Ben Webster, it was another sound - even different from Lester Young.Like I said it opened my ears up when I heard that and I started trying to do other things because at that time I didn't have my own interpretation or concept - like money in the bank to reach in and do what you want to do, I had nothing in to reach in to get. So I was eclectic, imitating everyone - piano players, guitar players trying to understand what this thing called jazz is all about.Especially improvisation cos that's what jazz is all about. Nobody comes to hear the melody over and over again - after the first run of the melody they want to know what you've got on your mind musically!And you have to have something to say: you should have - and it takes a while to get to that point.Dexter had something to say in a little different way than the others, and to me, at that time - it's a long time ago - it was pretty hip, pretty hip.And from there you continue keep reaching - reaching then eventually you develop your own sound - whatever that is, and even when you develop your own sound and after a while maybe you even want to modify your own sound maybe wanna hear something else.Then you go through periods like Picasso did you know, like Cezanne came in: with the Cubism - then he went to pointillism and he went through many things.I saw some of the things that he did he did as a student and the anatomy was almost like a photograph - and then later he had one eye up here and one below and the nose over on the side and you maybe ths guy doesn't know anything about anatomy - he did - but he had a different perception as time went on.He went to pointillism which looked like little vertical scratches - I mean incredible what he did!And musically that's what we sort of do as we continue to reach.We think - while we're striving 'at this point' - whatever this point is, 'I'll be satisfied.'But when we get to that point somehow we're not satisfied - we're always striving to best ourselves - to get better at what we do, and to understand our selves better.Because what jazz is all about is improvisation and when you improvise you're bringing into existence things that had no prior existence - it didn't exist.Whether it's 2 notes or whether it's a whole series of notes - your playing them that particular way did not exist.So you have to have - imagination. If you are going to create something that had no prior existence you have to imagine things - because they don't exist!And that's like an adventure I fancy it's like a big game hunting like a safari but we're only we're not hunting live game - we're hunting new concepts - new ways of doing the old things, new ways of expressing yourself.These extrapolations sometimes are just as important as the new discoveries, because you're bringing new life to it and you're presenting it in another way, Dizzy Gillespie during that time when he was coming up, that's what he was doing - he took the old tunes like 'Whisperin' and putting another melody on the chords and calling it 'Groovin' High'.Tadd Dameron took 'What Is This Thing Called Love' put another melody on the chords and called it 'Hothouse'.So this is an exciting time - 'Ornithology' was 'How High The Moon' and then it went on from that to total different concepts, different titles and different melodies.In the beginning we used the old structures 'What Is This Thing Called Love?', 'Whispering' as time went on we did away with those and came up with our own concepts, that's how I came up with 'Whispering' - 'Stabemates' and whatnot.It wasn't 'What is Thing called Love?' any more - It was something entirely different, but we had to graduate to that point because we were going into areas that didn't exist - and we were like the pioneers goin’ into - opening doors along the corridor to see what's behind these doors.It was like an adventure everyday, couldn't wait to wake up to try again.What can I do today better than I did yesterday?Where am I going?You ask yourself all those questions - what is it I want ? What am I trying to achieve?And sometimes we didn't even know that.Everything was so new - so all those early days were like an adventure.And still today - I'm an old guy today - but I've still have my ears open and I still think there are things I would like to that I haven't done yet even in my old age you know And it's still has that sense of adventure to it - yeah.It's creating things - improvising - what you're doing on an instrument or pen on paper - which is a form of improvising. It's exciting and it's adventurous and I think I'm still a part of that because it still awakens certain things within me creatively and I don't want that to die - I don't want to lose that - if I lose that I might as well get a job as a wash room attendant or selling groceries.Yeah - I love this music called Jazz.And as Sonny Rollins said {quote}There's no end to it.{quote}Nobody says - 'well I'm at the end of it and I don't need to study any more - I know all there is to know.'There is no such thing -and no one person knows everything,so we keep going ahead.Some of it's good, sometimes some of it's bad - stinko, and we reject it start over again but it's a great thing trying to arrive at these things.Oh yeah - and when you achieve it - oh it's like giving birth all over again, we wait in that maternity room and wait for the slap on the butt - it's alive!Yeah - it's an adventure of sorts - yeah - and I'm committed, I really am, and I guess like Sonny Rollins said {quote}There's no end to it.{quote}They ask me a lot of times - {quote}Mr.Golson - what is the favourite tune that you have written.{quote}And my answer's always the same {quote}I haven't written it yet.{quote}There's always something to do.{quote}Benny Golson: The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, 17th September 2015Mr Golson cited a recording of Dizzy Gillespie with Dexter Gordon, I deduced Watson that it's Blue 'N' Boogie.The Dizzy Gillespie Sextet with Dexter Gordon released 1945Benny GolsonSpecial thanks to Tommy Smith for kindly arranging the session.
  • “So my album of choice - it's a tough one - always a tough one! But if it has to be one then it would be an album called 'Sunlight' by Herbie Hancock which I first heard when I was 13 years old, on the way to Italy actually.  I was in a car and I'd just bought this record on CD and I put it in my little CD player and I remember being sat next to my dad listening to it on my headphones and it was just a kind of epiphany.  I felt like I was finally hearing a sound that I'd kind of always been looking for almost.  There's something about this album, it basically bridges the gap between instrumental groove and improvisation and then full symphonic classical arrangements and orchestrations.  So it's kind of bridging the gap of these two worlds in the most eloquent and groovy and original way I'd ever heard, you know.  And so, yeah, it was kind of like a very significant moment of inspiration.  I felt like this was my kind of template for a sound when I was like 13...14.  It's something I've, ever since, been striving to kind of recreate my own version of (laughs).WE     And were you playing at the time Bill'? were you playing keyboards then already?“¥eah, yes. I'd pretty much been writing since I was really young and trying to find a sound that kind of satisfied me but I was always, you know, trying to categorize myself whether I was like .. jazz - whether I was making a jazz album or a pop album or, you know, an electronic album.  And hearing this kind of made me realize that actually you know you can have all these genres together, they can work side by side and actually that's really exciting when they do you know.  Actually rather than thinking - categorizing yourself is a constructive thing - I think it can actually be limiting, you know... to kind of disregard genre as such and just sort of embrace all the music that I've come to love anyway is what I've started to do and I feel like this album was the initial inspiration of that.The other thing is, just the visual, the kind of artwork itself is just legendary because it's just him and his kind of, you know, 70's attire with a gold chain and looking like really for disco times with his sort of semi Afro on the cover and then on the back you have this kind of laboratory of keyboards.  I remember just seeing it and just like. looking like the end of the rainbow for me.. just all these incredible analogue synthesizers and a Clavinet and just.. I just think it's such a cool way of kind of identifying where all these sounds came from and it's just him in the middle of this little kind of keyboard laboratory ... yeah great stuff.”Bill Laurance: Band on the Wall, Manchester, 8th March 2016Herbie Hancock: Sunshine released 1978Bill Laurance
  • “Well you know what you said to bring a record and I wanted to bring a dub plate because a dub plate signifies a lot of my life of -you know, voicing artists. Not only for the Master B Record label but for Master B Sound System over twenty five years ago. Starting with Barrington Levy, Super Cat, Buju Banton and so forth. Nicodemus and Half Pint. And so many more. I brought the Sammy Dreadlocks dub plate with me and just the fact that it's a ten inch acetate dub plate and it kind of signifies if you know anything about me you know I love foundation reggae, I love rub a dub reggae and just the fact that we used to have to work so hard to get money to voice these dub plates and pay them.It wasn't like downloading an MP3, you know, you had to fly Jamaica go to the studio, voice the artist, mix the dub plate and then cut it on acetate, ten inch lacquer you know.Whereas with the record label you'd have to build the rhythm, voice the song, mix the song, master the song. And when you master it you make probably the seven inch lacquer in which they make the metal plate off of and they press the record. Cos you know I have my own label and they used to press in Jamaica, and I pressed in Tennessee and in Pennsylvania and everything so. It's been blessed because I've been fortunate enough I've met most of my heroes, voiced them on dub plate or I've voiced them on my label you know so it's great. Hope I answered that good.Sammy Dreadlocks M16 and this is basically years ago when we were cutting dub plates there was a style amongst the sound systems where top sounds would have their own sleeves and being with Massive B I printed these, I think, in Jamaica. We had our logo and our little character on it that was on the record label. Massive B was the records and you know you leave space to write the artists name and so forth and it's you know - doing what you love.”Bobby Konders: Brooklyn, NY, 7th February 2019Sammy DreadlocksBobby Konders
  • {quote}Well, what happened with me was I’d had a nervous breakdown in the RAF. You get a medical - the psychiatrist’s word is Law - I don’t know if it still is – that is the RAF psychiatrist. I was medicalled out and sent back home to Glasgow.In the meantime I used to do these little jazz sessions at the military band bit with a trumpet player called Ken Wilkinson. The next thing, I got a ticket sent through to say - ‘I’ve got you a gig at Slough Palais three nights a week, here’s your railway ticket – get on the train, forget about everything else’ - because I was frightened to go out of the house almost at that point. So I went and it was great and it started bringing me out of myself a bit. But the main thing was I was still in a bit of a depression, so I felt bloody awful one time - and I didn’t seem to be making any kind of fluent headway. Well how do you do this?– how does it all work and everything else? So I was at the point of really considering not bothering living anymore and he came in, Ken, because I was staying with him and his wife in a room, and he said ‘Hey, listen to this’. He put on Clifford Brown and I went ‘Ah’ - it was almost as if Clifford Brown was saying ‘Come on, come on, fuck all that, this is it, this is what it’s all about – get your head down and get on with it’It only happened twice in my life. The other time was in France, when I was over in France and I was feeling the same way again (laughs) and this guy put the juke box on in a little French café and the next thing was Bird playing ‘Just Friends’.(BW sings)Almost again like him saying’ Oi, enough of that shit, this is what’s happening now. Let’s get on with it.’But I mean, it’s a bit of fantasising I understood that. But Clifford Brown …all time favourite ‘Blue and Brown’ …that track was it.When I saw this headline that he’d been – 25 years old – this crash.. I was absolutely heart broken. I couldn’t believe it. I’d thought ‘when he comes over here I’m going to not only go and see him but I’m going to talk to him’ and it never happened. But he’s always been the one. I absolutely adore him. His playing is fantastic; still is to this day.Love it.{quote}Bobby Wellins: The Cinnamon Cliub, Bowdon, 9th May 2015Mr. Wellins is holding the definitive publication on the subject. Keeper of the Flame - Modern Jazz in Manchester 1946 - 1972 by Bill Birch.Clifford Brown: Blue and BrownBobby Wellins
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  • {quote}This album is special because of one thing - the time. This is during the time that Bennie Maupin and I were with Herbie Hancock and his Sextet and the music was evolving nightly and so when we did this CD – in those days it wasn’t a CD, it was an album, an LP – with Bennie who we finally called Mwile. That’s his Swahili name.Mwile. The music was an expression of the daringness that was happening in our lives and the way the music was controlling us rather than us controlling the music and we were willing servants to the music. This album was done with no rehearsal. We went in the studio, we had sketches of things, and the blending, the richness of the colours and the blending of the harmonies was just amazing and to this day I haven’t heard anything that warms me more than this.{quote}Buster Williams: Birdland, New York City, 2nd May 2013Bennie Maupin: The Jewel in The Lotus released 1974Buster Williams
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  • Christian Scott: Band on the Wall, Manchester, 18th November 2011Clifford Brown : The Beginning and the End, released 1973Christian Scott
  • {quote}I chose Stevie Wonder's {quote}Songs in the Key of Life{quote} record was one of the first vinyls I've ever heard in my life. And when I heard it, and actually understood what was happening.Musically, it changed my life forever. And the songs now that I listened to it - I still listen to it. And now it has a brand new meaning as a grown man than it did when I was about, you know, maybe eight years old, when I think when I first heard it and lyrically it speaks passed the time it was written - it's so important to what's going on in today's society.The production of the record is, top notch, Stevie Wonder's artistry at this time was going into another, another level, and he was, playing multiple instruments and, you know, he had some of the greatest musicians - Herbie... - so many people are part of this project and this record just means a lot because it shows what can be done when like, you know, when there's a team of people who believe in music and believe in the power of the message of it - {quote}Songs in the Key of Life{quote} stands the test of time. And it will stand the test of time as one of the greatest records ever, in my opinion.{quote}Cory Henry: Band on the Wall, Manchester, 2nd Novemeber 2016Stevie Wonder: {quote}Songs in Key of Life{quote} released 1976Cory Henry
  • {quote}Well actually when you introduced the project, I thought - 'I could really work at this - and that would be too much of a challenge!' Or I could just go with what popped into my head, and a very interesting one did. It's 'Out There' by Eric Dolphy. And the reason I think it was a very influential album for me was the instrumentation really. The unusual sonority of cello, bass, bass clarinet - when he played bass clarinet or flute, when he played flute and a little bit of alto but, you know, the changing around - and the cello.So no chord playing instruments as such but just the way those instruments resonated with each other and the way of playing in the kind of post BeBop style - but nothing very formal . You now when I talk about the instruments you might think of it as sounding more like one of the more formally arranged West Coast jazz things that were kind of in that third stream pocket or something - but it wasn't at all. It was actually very New York, it was a bit odd, a bit scratchy - Ron Carter on cello - playing and so forth. But it had tremendous time and feel and it created a sound Universe for me beyond what I thought of as the instrumentarium - the sound universe of straight ahead jazz and yet it didn't sound like a classical cross over kind of thing - like the things that you know - my father was doing with Leonard Bernstein or even Gunther Schuller. It was its own space. 'Out There' really influenced me to try and find those spaces myself.{quote}Darius Brubeck: The Spa, Scarborough, 27th September 2015Eric Dolphy: Out There released 1960Darius Brubeck
  • “The album is “Sketches of Spain” - Miles Davis in collaboration with Gil Evans, and the reason that I love it so much is because it goes beyond music, beyond idiom, beyond style - and even beyond Spain even though it’s dedicated to the culture of Spain in a certain way.There’s just a feeling on that record between the writing and the way Miles plays that’s just the universal cry of blues, of joy, of humanity and everything .. I mean I get a feeling from that record beyond category and beyond vernacular .. it’s not even jazz it’s art at it’s highest level.I’ve recorded “Sketches of Spain” and played it many times and its a very challenging piece of music, Miles just handles it with such grace and so much class the way he plays the music that .. if itwas only that it would have been a great piece - but the writing is great and Gil Evens .. I mean they surpassed themselves on that record for me.”David Liebman: Jazz Standard, New York City, 5th October 2018Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Sketches of Spain released 1960David Liebman
  • {quote}Well, that record is the world-famous Kind of Blue album by Miles Davis, which was the most-sold jazz record in history. The reason it’s dear to my heart is because Miles Davis was staying at my parents’ house when he made that album. I was in high school and my stepfather was his doctor and I was playing trumpet and going to the conservatory and Miles gave my stepfather the test pressing – you know with no grooves on one side – and so I became enthralled with Miles Davis and then just the music on there is just so classic, you know, with Coltrane on it, you know, and Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb…Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans.Yeah, Bill Evans and Cannonball. It was just like the quintessential music of that era, almost of all time. I mean, it really changed the face of quote-unquote jazz music and really changed my life, because seeing him in person - and he took me to a gig when I was 17, 18 years. He stayed at the house. So that album and just that experience is dear to my heart, you know.WE: Beautiful. Beautiful. That is so special. Thank you.EH: Yeah. Yeah. You know, I could go on and on for hours.WE: I’ll bet. EH: But, you know, I think everybody... with that album and that music.WE: Your experience of Miles staying at your house is so unique.EH: Absolutely….and me playing the trumpet too. It made it ever so much more significant to me.WE: When you were very young at that time, did you talk to Miles about the trumpet, and did he talk to you?EH: Well, he wouldn’t just come by like a normal person and say this is this and this is that, it’s just by observation. In fact I may have played one of his records, you know, and he just smiled and said - 'you sound good but that’s me' [laughs] That was an eye-opener right there, you know.{quote}Eddie Henderson: Universal Rehearsal Studios, New York City, April 2013Miles Davis: Kind of Blue released 1959Eddie Henderson
  • {quote}Okay, sure, thank you. Well, we can start with with my probably very favourite jazz album. I've been fortunate, I've done a lot of recording over the years. But when I was about, on my early 20s, I was working with Buddy DeFranco, the great clarinette player. And actually I started started working with him when he I think, when he left when he left Tommy Dorsey. And and started - I was with one of his first small groups. And that was, gosh, that was in the late 40s in New York City. And trying to think of that the other fellows in the group, well, Teddy, Teddy Charles, vibe player, and great bass player. And and who worked subsequently worked with, with with Bird - Charlie Parker, Teddy Kotich - he was in the band, Harvey Leonard was the piano player and I'm going, goingway, way back. Anyway, throughout the years I would do things with Buddy. Buddy came to California and was out I was out here for quite a while and I did various recordings with him and a lot of gigs around mostly with small groups, which was a lot of fun. And, and we did some, oh, one album, which, which I think is really good. A big order orchestra. It's called {quote}Broadway Showcase{quote} And I think Russ Garcia was the was the arranger and Broadway, Broadway songs, you know, great, great tunes. Oh, my gosh, {quote}We're Having a Heatwave{quote}. And {quote}Who Cares{quote} and great, great, great arrangements of those things. And we did various albums through the years, but one one of my favourites - it was called {quote}Live Date!” -“Live Date!”. And there's a picture, a picture of a lovely young lady on the cover. And I'll give you the personnel. I'm racking my brains now- it's a long time ago. But these fellas - you can't forget them. Okay, it was Buddy DeFranco's All Star Group. And, course, Buddy on clarinette, Victor Feldman - your countrymen on vibes, Pete Jolly playing piano, and Barney Kessel on guitar. And the young - at that time, young brilliant bass player Scotty LaFaro, Scotty Lafaro. Now, is that everybody? I hope I'm not leaving anybody out. Well, I think Herbie Manne was on that too. Yeah. So and, and the record company. I don't remember. I remember doing stuffwith Buddy in New York with a big band for MGM Records. Now that goes way back MGM. This was all this label. I don't know. But, but if you can get your hands on this, this album that that would of course, indicate the the record company and so forth. But that's that's one of my favourites.I like, I like the way it was recorded. And the tunes we did, and playing with, you know, my buddies that I work with for many years and and and we we got along so well, musically andotherwise. And Barney Kessel - greats. Brilliant player and great sense of humour. And, and and we had a ball doing that and, and of course, Scotty LaFaro. Are you familiar with Scotty? Yeah, yeah,he he got killed. Not too long after that. Yeah. I think it was a car accident, if I'm not mistaken.And then through the years I spent two years on the road with a Terry Gibbs Quartet with the great Terry Pollard on piano. And we had let's see, 1953 and 1954. The Quartet was Terry, myself, Terry Pollard, and different bass players. Bill Crow was one and a fella from Detroit, good bass player, Ernie Farrow And then I don't remember the last one. 1954 and 55 - we worked - there was so many jazz clubs back then some right all across the country. It was great. Oh, yeah. And and we worked like I said, we worked 50 weeks, 50 weeks a year. We could afford 52 weeks - all these clubs, and we worked a lot at Birdland. We're almost a house band. Whenever we were back east we were at Birdland because they love Terry, and in our group we work opposite Charlie Parker and Dizzy and Duke, Basie's band. All of the all of the great all of the great stars of that era George Shearing's group and, and are so many - Slim Gaillard were sometimes there be three three different attractions, and that there was wonderful Earl Bostic. And I got to during during that period, I got to know some great drummers of that era, Art Blakey, and Roy Haynes - Roy and I were were good good friends.{quote}Frank DeVito: Viva Rancho Cantina, Burbank CA, 16th October 2018Frank DeVitoBuddy DeFranco And His Septette: 'Live Date!' released 1958
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  • {quote}Well, I had a short list of four - five actually, five.One is 'Glenn Gould Plays Bach' and you can see from the rather beat up condition of it. It was a gift to me when it new and I can look at the year, but I was probably not more than six or seven years old when I received that - and it's probably scratched to shit. But it really awakened my love of counterpoint and moving voices - and just Glenn Gould's sense of rhythm is so astonishing and you can't say that about certain classical pianists, they don't really. There's just a joy in his playing.And then Miles Davis 'Friday Night at The Blackhawk. When I listened to that record - that's when I decided I wanted to become a jazz pianist. I loved the fact that it was live, the way Wynton accompanies Miles is incredible - the sense of swing, the fact that it's a live album and wasn't edited in the studio - you really hear the whole performance. I love that it was Miles's debut with this band it's the first time they'd ever done a gig and he had the balls to record it and put it out. You know - that's the kind of person he was.Other album? Sonny Rollins Trio - 'Live at The Village Vanguard' with Elvin Jones and Wilbur Ware which I think is kind of the definition of what modern jazz is, and I've listened to that - I think there's two volumes, I've listened to them I don't know how many times - I tell every student I have 'You have to listen to these - this is what jazz improvisation is.'Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' album. You know, that in a weird way led me toward jazz trying to figure out what the chords she was playing were because they weren't major, they weren't really minor. To a high school ear they were very mysterious. Just the way she tells stories and I've set a lot of text and she's kind of my guru for how to take a complicated text and make it understandable - set text. The other album was 'Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus' which is, to me, - I've sort of talked about it as kind of like Duke Ellington on acid. It's kind of a mid sized ensemble and the way Mingus and Dannie Richmond play together is kind of miraculous, and Jaki Byard is on it and I eventually studied with Jaki Byard. So these were the five.I will probably pick ‘Glenn Gould plays Bach’ in the end. You know Bach is the composer that everybody loves - first of all.- you can’t not love Bach. There’s not only the most sublime craftsmanship but, as they say, he wrote for the glory of God. Nobody commissioned him to write these piano pieces he just did this because this is what he did. And he had twenty two children and he wrote with a quill and ink and no copying machines and no music notation software - and candles ... and he created all this universe.I think probably a distinctive feature of my jazz playing is its contrapuntal nature and it was really launched by not only listening to these albums, this three disc set I think, but by playing those pieces and understanding how three independent voices can be a whole universe. The other reason that musicians love Bach is there are no dynamic markings, there are no tempo markings, very rarely there is a slur or an articulation marking but pretty much you have to do it all yourself and there’s no one correct way to do it. When you’re playing Bach you decide how you’re going to articulate the theme if it’s a fugue. Nobody can tell you that’s right or wrong, and as long as you make a case for it - that this is the way you hear it and you’ve really thought about it and you can execute and sell your performance. It’s like there’s no perfect Hamlet or there’s no perfect version of 'Autumn Leaves'. There are many possible versions, it’s just - they’re templates for whoever inhabits them and I think Bach’s music is universal in that way. It’s the music that I always come back to. So I think that’s what I’m gonna pick.{quote}Fred Hesrch: At home, New York City, 3rd October 2018Glenn Gould Plays Bach: The Six Partitas, The Two and Three Part InventionsFred Hersch
  • “John Coltrane's '{quote}A Love Supreme{quote}. I discovered it when I was about 21 and it was listening to that album that made me say I wanted to be a jazz musician - although I was already playing jazz before but I was fooling around - it was listening to that music. There were a few Coltrane albums I heard before that I enjoyed ....{quote}Africa/Brass'{quote}was one - but it was {quote}A Love Supreme{quote} that made me realise the depth, the breadth of this music .... yeah, and it's one of the great classics anyway of our music.”Gary Crosby: Llandudno Jazz Festival, 26th July 2015John Coltrane: A Love Supreme released 1965Gary Crosby OBE
  • “It is, and you know how difficult that is for a musicians and the more eclectic the musician the more…you know, I could say so much about so many influences and the music I come from - Celtic music, Indian music - honours the teachers and people before so I don’t want to give a speech if I could about everybody but what I’m going to do is tell you about one record. I have a CD re-issue of it, it’s called Rosemary Lane by Bert Jansch. And Bert Jansch was one of the seminal people in the English folk scene in the early ‘60s. He eventually played in a band with John Renbourne [checked] and Danny Thompson, the great bass player, called Pentangle. This record led me to that, led me to the idea that jazz and eastern fusion and Celtic or British music could all mix. Nobody worried then about boxes. And so when I was 14 years old, I skipped school a lot and my mom worked downtown, right down here, and there was a place called Jenkins Music and they had this record and the cover of it looked so cool and I just had to buy it. It had him playing guitar and open tunings and playing everything from Corelli to old tunes to songs and, you know, it was folk mixed with something different . And so when I was 14, it led to the direction that led me to Britain later , that had me go there and I just learned the music, played in the folk clubs and met many of these people. Bert Jansch died last year [October 2011] and it was a real loss. He had a successful career in spite of heavy alcoholism and was a real influence on a lot of people. And so, Rosemary Lane of all the records I could think of that I could put my hands on and I was sitting downtown where I found it with someone from Britain, it really puts it all together. That’s very important to me… I was going to say that for I for years performed three or four songs off of this record, you know, at different times and on my new record I just recorded a song from this called “Sylvie” or “I Once Had a Sweetheart”. So it’s with me, all the time, and it led me to so much more and I didn’t know what was there. It shows the thread in my life, the connection to my heritage in Britain and yet mixed with that openness that allows us to play different kinds of music and show those connections.”Gerald Trimble: Aladdin Hotel, Kansas City, MO, May 2013Bert Jansch: Rosemary Lane released 1971Gerald Trimble
  • “I just find that it reaches kind of deep inside.  The name of the album - it's Les Mystere des Voix Bulgares. These are Bulgarian - well I think it's like a national choir now but they sing Bulgarian folk songs - they're also work songs.  They're what people sung in the fields during their labors and they are the most extraordinary voices.  It's kind of a sort of open throat singing.  Great power in the vocals and it's so that you couldn't give anymore - if you were singing they just give everything they've got.  and it just sends tingles up my spine when I hear them sing.  Some years ago I happened to be somewhere and I met one of the singers and her name is Kalinka and she was one of the main singers in the choir.  She was married to Martin Jenkins the guitar player.  So I was actually lost for words when I met her because I couldn't believe my luck having someone that had that special voice.(W - from the point of view of voices would you say it's somethings that's influenced you in your approach to music - or would you say that it's kind of a separate appreciation that you just happen to feel for it?)What I listen to can be coming from anywhere, any genre.  It's just if it touches me it does and that's one of the things that does.  It could equally be a piece of jazz, a bit of reggae, some classical, anything at all as long as it does that thing then I will instantly fall in love with it.”Gerry Conway: The Citadel, St Helens 26th November 2015Les Mystere des Voix Bulgares released 1975 Gerry Conway -The Dylan ProjectFairport Convention
  • {quote}One LP - absolutely Oscar Peterson. He was a very dear friend of mine. He played for us at Birdland on a number of occasions. We became very close and I visited him manytimes at his home at Mississauga in Toronto. And one visit, we were in his studio and he said, ‘I wanna play you a disc.’ So we went into his little room and he had a wall of discs. He actually had recorded perhaps 250 discs, whether they were just a trio or with others. And he always kept a copy, a beautiful library. And he pulled one out and started playing it and he said, ‘What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Nat sounds great.’ It was a Nat King Cole song. And he said, ‘That’s not Nat.’ And I said, ‘Well, who is it?’ He said, ‘That’s me.’ And I says, ‘You’re kidding me.’ And he says, ‘No, this is an album I did after Nat passed away, With Respect To Nat, in 1965, on Verve Records.’ With his trio, with Herbie Ellis, Ray Brown and of course Old P at the piano. And the album is fascinating for me because I get to hear him not only as genius at the keyboard but hear him sing. And when you hear this album, you have to say, ‘That can’t be Oscar Peterson singing.’ You think it’s Nat King Cole. His voice and Nat’s were so similar. And he told me the story behind it, why he did that album. There was a running thing that the two of ‘em had. Cos Nat was an excellent piano player. Whenever Nat would show up at one of Oscar’s gigs, he would invite him up to play and Nat would go wild at the piano. And then Oscar would get up and he would play and he would sing. So one day after the gig, he told Nat, he said, ‘Let’s make a deal. You stop playing the piano that way and I’ll stop singing this way.’ That was it. So they were brothers, they loved each other dearly. And unfortunately when Nat passed away, Oscar was really taken aback. He was hurt to lose a friend like Nat. And this was a way to pay his respects to one of his dear friends, and of course the album is titled With Respect To Nat. And to this day, like I said, to hear Old P singing and playing at the same time, I couldn’t have chosen a more loving and dear album to me.{quote}Gianni Valenti: Birdland, New York City, 2nd April 2014Oscar Peterson Trio: With Respect To Nat released 1965Birdland
  • {quote}Well it was the first time I'd heard big band that sounded orchestral - he seemed to cross all genres - it was jazz no doubt about it, but suddenly it was bigger!Apart from that of course - being a trumpeter and loving that instrument - Cootie Williams on there does that great piece 'El Gato' that Ellington wrote for him and I just used to listen to that over and over - sort of saying now that's how I want to sound on the trumpet.So it's one of those albums you grow up with and it's part of who you are musically.{quote}James Morrison: Wigan Jazz Festival, July 2012Duke Ellington: 70th Birthday Concert (Free Trade Hall Manchester, England) 1969James Morrison
  • “The ‘Donny Hathaway Live’ album is so special because it captures - with full concentration the thing that’s special in live performance. That communication, that exchange of audience and artist.There’s back and forth conversation, the women and the men in the audience are screaming things back to Donny and Donny’s of course responding musically - and responding incredibly musically.You can feel the emotion in the room as soon as the needle hits the record.That communication - it’s not just jazz, it’s not just soul, it’s human to human.That exchange between humanity is just beautiful to see. It happens on Donny Hathaway LIve.”Gregory Porter: Band on the Wall, Manchester, 13th June 2012Donny Hathaway: Live - released 1972Gregory Porter
  • I was very sad to hear of the passing of Jack Bruce and would like to share with you my recollections of once meeting him when he kindly agreed to be in the project and how he has been an inspiration to me from an early age.I’ve played electric bass since I was around 15 when a school friend who was having guitar lessons asked if I would like to try and get a band together.I got a Hofner Senator bass for Christmas and set about learning to play Willie Dixon tunes – twelve bar blues and rock and roll.I had no knowledge of bass except for noticing Paul McCartney only had four strings on his guitar…As my interest in the instrument grew I became aware of other players – Jack Bruce was at the forefront. Even with my very limited outlook I knew he was like nobody else and he became my bass hero with Cream.I heard that he was playing at Band on the Wall in Manchester I decided to approach him with the help of friends at the wonderful venue to invite him to be in the One LP Project.It didn’t start well, Jack’s response to the invitation was not positive – in fact he thought it a stupid idea.I wouldn’t give up and decided as he was on tour - and quite understandably perhaps he hadn't had the time to get the full information so I wrote again clarifying things and emphasising the key interview aspect.It turned out Jack’s initial impression was that it was just a photograph of him with the record.So I understood his initial reticence – particularly from the point of view of a man who had survived everything and every situation thrown at him through the sixties and beyond and wouldn’t waste his time on stupid ideas.He kindly agreed and we arranged that the shoot and interview would take place during the first set when his 'Big Blues Band' with another bassist were playing and Jack would have time to get in, relax and do the session.So I set the light up - in a white room, tested and waited for Jack to arrive, soon he came downstairs with his road manager. I introduced myself to the road manager and was told that Jack would do the shoot after the show, which was not good news in as much as I knew he would be tired and perhaps less inclined to go ahead.I had brought along a mounted print of Charles Mingus’ beautiful carved Barbary Lion bass head for him as a gift and gave it to his road manager, who was so helpful, I'm sorry I can't remember his name. He took the picture into the dressing rooms to give it to Jack who almost instantly he flew out of the room asking me in the manner of a barrister: “Who had the bass?”I was surprised at this question and replied (and quickly I can tell you) - that Sue Mingus had it and I’d photographed it after a performance in the Old Fruit Market in Glasgow.Acquitted of implied charges he thanked me and returned to his dressing room.Exciting times - I’ve no idea why he asked except perhaps in a protective way concerned about who had access to such a unique historic instrument.I stripped the light - a Bron pack and ring-flash, and went up to the concert as Jack was preparing to go on at the side of the stage, I took a few frames but was being very careful not to get in his way.After he went onstage I noticed his spare bass and I thought – now or never – I asked if I could hold Jack’s spare bass – his road manager obviously could spot that I was an absolute fan and said ok.I feel a bit silly telling you this but it's part of the story of how special - and challenging the evening was from my perspective.I held it and silently for a moment then played a couple of notes and handed it back before the spell was broken. I don’t know whether he told Jack what had happened, I think he would have smiled - actually I think he would have laughed.I took some photographs during the performance and a few minutes before the end I went to set the light up again and wait. Shortly afterwards the guys came down the stairs and Jack headed for his dressing room.After around 10 minutes I knocked on the door, really not knowing what to expect. I know it’s tough on the road and every moment you can relax is important, I wouldn’t have blamed him had he finally declined but thankfully when we spoke he was still up for it.The session is usually done in 3 – 4 minutes, I like to work fast to capture the energy as thoughts and emotions come to mind when people connect with and talk about an album that’s very dear to them.Back to Jack, we were at the last crucial stage and I felt we'd been through quite alot together in a couple of hours.I felt somehow and we might be right on the cusp of something special when Jack said: “Do you mind if I’m in disguise?” “No,” I answered, “not at all.”He was offering to do a lot more than he needed to do; he was collaborating with me to create the picture.Jack left for a moment then came back into the white room and stood just as you see him in the portrait, hands just so.The Rock Star - or maybe it was a disguise. Throughout his career he had always played the music he wanted to and if that meant being a rock star from time to time he did it.He spoke about his One LP:-{quote}It's called “L'ascension” by Olivier Messiaen who was a French composer I have loved for most of my life. Why I love his compositions is he shows that music has always existed. Humans only stole it. We borrowed it but it's in nature. It holds the universe together; ask any skylark or ask any blackbird they'll tell you.{quote}I was mesmorized when I heard this prose from a truly great artist. He had transformed what at times had seemed a hopeless quest into an unforgettable touching experience which I shall always treasure - working with a boyhood musical hero of mine who was heroic in his life’s art in so many ways.Jack Bruce: 1943 - 2014Jack Bruce© William Ellis
  • WE - Mr Mayall - we've got a Cripple Clarence Lofton album here and I wonder why is his records are so special to you?{quote}Well it was just a very different kind of style he had and err you know that was the only album you could get at the time. So, you know, he didn't make too many other songs than the ones that are on there. So definitely a good 'un.{quote}WE - Would you say that he was a formative influence on you getting into the career that you took sir?JM - Not necessarily but he was certainly an influence on sort of the ideas that, you know, that I tried to do myself.{quote}John Mayall: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 21st November 2017Cripple Clarence Lofton: Jazz Immortals 1 - 10{quote} vinyl. Release date unknownJohn Mayall
  • “It was impossible to make a choice! This is Charlie Parker with Strings – a compilation of all the Charlie Parker with Strings – not just the one studio performance there’s some live performances.Someone at The Charlie Parker organisation that used to give the benefits for Charlie Parker - the Foundation that his wife started, made this compilation and they gave them out to some of the sponsors and people who came to support that organisation.There are recordings from the Apollo Theatre and different venues.It’s a unique collection – as you know - it’s Charlie Parker man, Charlie Parker one of the geniuses of our music so - you know I’ve heard people say ‘if you don’t play no Charlie Parker you ain’t playing Jazz!’Everybody takes a little bit of Charlie Parker in their improvisation.”Jimmy Heath: Langston Hughes Library, Flushing, New York, 30th April, 2013Charlie Parker with Strings Master Takes, recorded 1947 - 1952Jimmy Heath
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  • “ I remember getting this as a present from my sister on my 11th birthday.And I just remember how excited I was - and I listened to that record thousands of times.It wasn’t my first Dizzy Gillespie record but I think it was one of the most important because I couldn’t stop listening to it.Dizzy - Roy back and forth, Dizzy - Roy back and forth.So - there you have it!”Jon Faddis: Wigan Arena, July, 2014Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge: Soul Mates released 1954Jon Faddis
  • “This LP was recorded in 1956 with Horace Silver (I chose it) because it was my first. When I first came to New York I had the opportunity to record this album and I enjoyed all the music that he had written for it so it will always be one of the most special albums I’ve ever recorded - Horace Silver and all the musicians that participated on the album.”Louis Hayes: Ronnie Scott's, London, 9th February 2017Horace Silver: 6 Pieces Of Silverreleased 1957Louis Hayes
  • “Miles at his height in the 50's before jazz took another turn - this album, along with the other Miles' of this period was really at the height of the elegant era of jazz: Then it went somewhere else that was equally amazing.But I really love how the combination of soulfulness and intelligence that these guys played with - 'Trane and Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe, Cannonball and Miles - just an unbelievable group and this record is just - Philly Joe - Paul Chambers - they're just killin’ on this record.{quote}Marcus Miller: Band on the Wall, Manchester, November 2011Miles Davis: {quote}Milestones{quote} released 1958Marcus Miller
  • {quote}Miles Ahead - the title says it all - Miles was ahead of everybody else! {quote}Blues for Pablo’ - there's depth in that you know. The treatment that Spain received from Franco is awful.So we can tell the story in that album and then tell whatever Miles did.Miles got into it himself - he said 'it sounds as if like I'm Spanish' you know. He's into it, he’s really into it.I told Judith that people are gonna think that those lyrics* wrote themselves - cos they come from nowhere, but they cover a whole lot.WE - {quote}Your current project with Pete Churchill based on Miles Ahead - so that record has inspired you both to discover and create your own response to the album.{quote}Jon - I like those things that open.Jon starts to sing, laughs and says - “Now after that you gotta have somethin’! You and me are gonna work! Soon as I find out how to write!!”Judith enters the room. Jon “What you got?” Judith - “I have some albums – the Miles Ahead, Freddie Freeloader, Evolution of the Blues Song, Thelonious Monk, the first Hendricks, Lambert and Ross, another Miles Davis Porgy and Bess then I have Basie from ’41 to ’51.”WE - “The cover (Miles Ahead) matches your jacket Jon!!”Judith – “Yes the colours are right!”Jon laughs – “Oh man!”After the photographs were taken Jon spoke warmly about two of his close friends Kurt Elling and Erroll Garner.How Kurt seized a great opportunity at one of Jon's vocal workshops when Jon asked for a volunteer to come onto the rehearsal room stage. Kurt sprang up and their friendship began. Jon thought about 'His brother' - Erroll Garner.“When Erroll Garner came back home from tour he would call me up to sing. When we met we'd embrace and say {quote}I love you man.{quote}'Concert by the Sea' is a great favourite of Jon's, he asked his Judith to play the recording - he was moved to mime Erroll playing an invisible piano, his heart was with his great friend.On the wall hangs the powerful poetic picture of another old friend. John Coltrane playing soprano sax signed by one of my favourite photographers - the peerless Roy DeCarava.It's a masterpiece in a moment. Jon talked about it how DeCarava seemed to have made the notes visible - they were {quote}flying from the horn.{quote}Jon Hendricks: At home, New York City, 26th March 2015Miles Davis: Miles Ahead released 1957Jon Hendricks*Jon Hendricks and Pete Churchill have been working on a major piece based on Miles Ahead which will be performed by the London Vocal Project in New York and London. MoreRoy DeCarava
  • {quote}This is fantastic because…the first thing, you know, my father was in gospel music so we always grew up in that and then, you know, the church music and then we started playing, I guess back then we’d call it rhythm and blues or doo-wop. But then one day I was over at somebody’s house and I heard Charlie Parker playing “Just Friends” and he was just flying through the air on his beautiful music and I say “What is that?!” and they say “That’s jazz and he’s on improvisation” and I said “Wow! I’ve gotta learn how to do that” and that was the beginning of it.{quote} Lonnie Liston Smith: Richard Goodall Gallery, Manchester, 7th October 2010Charlie Parker with Strings: 1949,1950Lonnie Liston Smith
  • {quote}In the seventies it was very popular among friends of ours to listen to American comedians.There were quite a number of them. There was Victor Borges and many others whose name I don't remember but we did spend lots of time listening to these records. Then I suddenly discovered Lenny Bruce .Lenny Bruce was more aggressive,was very political and very tough. He was really an anarchist in a way. I was very impressed by his work especially from a political point of view.At that time there was a need for that sort of aggression and criticism of society.Among the establishment he became terribly unpopular because of his criticism of society and (way of) life itself.To some degree it relates to the situation I came across in South Africa, but in general I saw it as a worldwide criticism of the establishment.{quote}Jürgen spoke later about what he considers to be his most important photographs - those he took of Nelson Mandela on his return to his cell on Robben Island where he had been held for seventeen years.{quote}As I watched (Mr.Mandela) and took a few frames I suddenly realised 'what goes through this man's brain now - seventeen years being stuck in this little place?' Looking out of that window, what does he see looking out of that window?And then I said 'thank you very much' and he turned around and he gave me a little smile, it wasn't his normal smile - it was his coming out of deep thought and contemplation of sorrow passed and so on.It was very personal.I think that was my most important two pictures, him looking out and turning around and having that little smile. That was a very different smile from his natural smile.{quote}Jürgen Schadeberg: Belgravia Gallery, London, 23rd June 2014Lenny Bruce: Busted! Live 1962Jürgen Schadeberg
  • Kenny Burrell: Distinguished Professor Of Ethnomusicology, Director of Jazz Studies, UCLA{quote}The record the maestro recorded in Paris in 1963 there are many great things on this recording.It starts off with Rockin'n Rhythm which we all know has gotten it's own wings after Ellington.Written in 1929 - hello! - Zawinul and those guys were do it later.Star Crossed Lovers from the Suite,the Theme from the Asphalt Jungle movie,couple of pieces featuring Cootie Williams, Concerto for Cootie, Tutti For Cootie and The Suite Thursday another suite by Ellington and Strayhorn.One that I particularly like - well I have to say it's one of favourite pieces in all of Ellingtonia - and all music is Tone Parrallel To Harlem known as Harlem Suite.This was commissioned in 1950 by Arturo Toscanini of The NBC Symphony Orchestra of New York. Ellington at that point was pretty popular and also gaining recognition as a serious composer so that's why he got the commission - at the time he was fifty one.That piece has been recorded in many formats including symphony orchestras both here and in Europe and on various occasions by Ellington himself with his band - this happens to be one of my favourite versions of it.First of all I love the composition, I think it's one of the most outstanding musical compositions ever written, certainly (ever written) by Ellington.It's a through composed piece of material - and it is jazz, not a lot of improvisation in this piece because it's through composed.But the main thing about this - it is a great extended composition of jazz music - that only Ellington could do.I would encourage anyone to listen this, it happens to be my favourite version of it - and this a live performance in Paris in 1963.One of the things you should listen to this piece of music is the huge variety of time changes - the huge variety of harmonic changes - the huge variety of tonal colour - of shifting around.It's amazing how he could get such variety with fifteen musicians - it's unbelievable, but he managed to do that and that's why he's considered many the greatest - not only the greatest jazz composer of the twentieth century but the greatest composer of the twentieth century and this is coming from some serious classical musicians who feel that way - let alone jazz musicians who feel that way.The classical people are starting to say this is some new - material done in a highly sophisticated way that has never been done before - so that's why I wanted to talk about this record!It's like all great art - the more you listen, the more you look - the more you hear, the more you see - I never tire of hearing this.Listen closely and something else reveals itself.{quote}Kenny Burrell: University of California, Los Angeles, 7th May, 2013Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert released 1973Kenny Burrell
  • “Well, its called “Wings” and its by Michel Colombier he was a movie (score composer)… he did a few jazz records too and Herbie Hancock and those guys played on it …but he did a lot of movie sound tracks but he and Herb Albert became tight and Herb wanted him to do a record that was like .. expressed the whole world ..and it is. I’s a blend of pop feeling of the time …1970 but Stravinsky, Brazil '66, The Beatles ..but none of that at the same time. It’s just one surprise after another. It’s very dramatic and it is my favourite record. It’s a flow of ideas from different types of sounds but he almost outdoes everybody that it’s derivative of ..it’s amazing.”Kenny Werner: Jazz Standard, New York City, 5th October 2018Michel Colombier: Wings released 1971Kenny Werner
  • “There was a woman I heard in 1959 - a woman called Elizabeth Cotten L-I-B-B-A - Libba Cotten and she played a thing called 'Wilson Rag' but also played 'Freight Train'.She was the person who gave the world Freight Train and I heard her name when when she a representative of hers sued Chaz McDavitt and Nancy Whisky because they claimed to have written it - and she wrote it and she won the law suit. And then I heard the record and bought this record. It was on Folkways Records and it was on 'Negro Folksongs and Tune's... it was of its time!And its second track was Freight Train and I just remember listening to that - listening to it - and thinking - I want to one day play as lyrically as that - that's how I would love to play. I didn't understand until later on that she played left handed and upside down. She always wanted to play and her brother had a guitar and he wouldn't allow her to use it c'os it meant having to switch the strings all round - so she just learned to play upside down and fashioned this way of playing that was just beautiful, beautiful beautiful thing, very delicate and beautifully lyrical and I thought ‘if I can ever play like that I'll be a happy man’. And that's one of the people on my record.”The other two were singers, one of them was a Yarmouth fisherman called Sam Larner. He was about 80 when I saw him singing - he was just amazing..WE - “When was that Martin?”“When was that... I reckon it was 1958 or 1959. So I was 17 - I might have been 18 - and I just heard this old man singing and he sang a music I couldn't have dreamed of. Just absolutely beautiful stuff because English folk music - the real thing- is very, very odd, it's really odd and I kept thinking 'nobody can sing a tune like that - that's the weirdest tune I've ever heard in my entire life. It was his way with a song called 'Henry .... he didn't call it ' Henry Martin' but it was his way a Henry Martin story and it was just beautiful and I walked home thinking 'it's crazy - nobody can sing a tune like that and I was Lah lah -ing the tune to myself as I went along thinking ‘'nah.... you can't sing a tune like that' .... I didn't see the joke for 20 years you know. ( laughs).And the other one was this - he's a traveller a Scotts traveler/singer you know called Davy Stuart (Hutchison) who I used to do lots of gigs when I used to tour up in Scotland a lot - lovely bloke - he was a traveller and he was wonderfully bonkers and he played a huge piano accordion when he sang and his chording was from another planet. It was just - when I first heard it I thought it was all wrong but as I got used to it I thought it can't be done any other way - it's got to be his way or the highway. (Laughs).WE - “Created his own kind of .......MC - “Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely right. What he did was right for him and he was another one of those old men who had a passion about his singing. I hear it now and I'm just .. I still get.... I still get goose pimples - every hair on my body stands on end - I haven't got much left but what there is stands up to attention when he starts to sing. And my favourite song of his is a thing called ‘MacPherson’s Farewell’ about a fiddler who's being hanged and err, they wind the clock on a quarter of an hour because they know the reprieve is coming. So they put the clock on a quarter of an hour. So they hanged him and before they hanged him he took his fiddle and he smashed it saying 'no one else shall play this and whack! - smashed it. This bloke sings that song - absolutely beautiful - Davy Stuart.”WE - “Martin - that’s so wonderful to hear, thank you - so special.”MC - “Put those three names on that record - ‘Libba Cotten with Sam Larner and Davy Stuart’.No such album - never will be - unless I do a sensational remix! Nothing’s impossible these days!”WE - “Martin is it a big tour?”MC - “Well - it's been going on for about 54 years so far ... it's not over yet!”Martin Carthy: Band on the Wall, Manchester, 3rd July 2015Libba Cotten: Negro Folksongs and Tunes released 1957Martin CarthySam Larner
  • Full title - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes{quote}Well, it’s a recording of Ronnie and Sonny Stitt that was done in 1965 in the old place in Gerrard Street. And it was a spontaneous union. They were having quite an argument in the office at the back of the club prior to Sonny going onstage. It was a musical dispute. And it was time for Sonny to go on the stand, so he turned around to Ronnie and said, ‘You wanna take it on the bandstand?’ And Ronnie said, ‘Absolutely!’ And the two of them stormed onto the bandstand and what ensued after that was one of the most electrifying evenings that any of us had heard probably ever, because of course they were nuts mad at each other and they were trying to outdo the other and it was amazing. The whole evening was absolutely incredible. And the irony is none of us realised it was being recorded, we were so wrapped up in the music. And I remember saying to Ronnie afterwards, ‘If ever there was a night that should have been recorded, this was it! It’s an absolute sin that this...(laughs)...isn’t there for people to listen to. ‘ And we were lucky. It was recorded. And it was a memorable evening that I don’t think anyone who was there will ever forget. And the other extraordinary thing is that when this was released, actually after Ronnie had passed away, cos of course the 50 years thing had gone by... But Valerie Wilmer was there that night and she took the photograph that was...is...on the cover of the CD. It never was an LP cos it wasn’t released during the time when it would have been an LP. And the picture is completely remarkable because she captured Ronnie playing some quite exquisite changes and Sonny Stitt looking at his fingering and looking completely mystified and perturbed which was such a wonderful summary of what actually was happening that night.So that’s... It’s my favourite CD. Clearly, I was mesmerised when it came out and very grateful that it had been recorded.{quote}Mary Scott: Hotel Pennsylvania, New York Cit, 3rd April 2014Ronnie Scott and Sonny Stitt: The Night Has A Thousand Eyes recorded at Ronnie Scott's, Gerrard StreetReleased 1997 Mary Scott Global Music
  • {quote}Well, in the first place that was the first live recording that I've done, you know, after, after taking some time out from business and recording with several other labels prior to this recording.And just the chemistry, everything was right. Actually, Lorraine Gordon pursued me and she said she's trying to find me for three years. And I can tell you how many people she's, you know, tried to, to get me to work her club - Village Vanguard. And so one day - she got my card from somebody and she called me on the phone herself. And I remember I was, was sleeping and woke up and she says, Well, I always imitate her - 'Mary Stallings?' I said yes, she's speaking. She says 'oh boy. I've got her. I've got her on the phone right now.'And she was so excited. And I said, Lorraine Gordon from the Village Vanguard?She said, 'Yes, I was going to explain it. I've been trying to get you girl for for three years and finally I gotcha.'So anyway, I got a chance to perform - work at her club and at the same time I was fortunate enough for the Richard McDonald from the Maxjazz Recordings to summons me - he came out to San Francisco to hear me because he knew I recorded with Concord - I did three projects and he found I was not going to be with anymore because Carl Jefferson, the owner of the recording company, passed away. So anyway, he told me he would love to do some projects with me and I said - oh, of course!So we did some business and and at the same time Lorraine said ‘It will to be wonderful. You know I've never had another singer to perform and you know, I'm not I really want you to do this.’ And I said oh Lorraine!So it was really great. So History - she made this happen with along with with MAXJAZZ. So I was thrilled to do it because this is my favourite because it's live. It's really truly I think me. Closer to being me. I'm better myself you know when I can tell a story to people around me and they were just embracing me that night, you know - the audience and, and working with Eric Reed for the first time because I've heard of him so many years you know, this young kid out here killin’ it.So we came together and did a couple of concerts together and out of out of that this happened. Yeah, so it is my favourite because as I say is closer to being me.You know - (it shows) the many faces of Mary Stallings I feel, because it shows my roots, my gospel roots, but I kind of have a thing for classical music, and I think there's one song that kind of gives the range of what I really do.Because just hearing me, you know, ‘straight’ I(but) to really know me is a variety of things that I feel and I have purposes for most of things that I do sing and sometimes some helped me to embellish a little bit more than then I would normally do.So, like I said, it's just a good feeling and good people in the audience and it was just so excellent night. A night for me to really remember.”WE “Wonderful. Thank you Mary, just lovely.” Mary “Oh it's my pleasure.”Mary Stallings: Ronnie Scott's, London, 21st January 2020Mary Stalling: {quote}Live at The Village Vanguard{quote} released 2001Mary Stallings
  • “Well actually Fred Locks is the artist, which is Fred - Locks, and I should think it's his first album when maybe I was like around - I could say about nine - ten years old, maybe. Well yeah it's Fred Locks is {quote}Black Star Liner{quote} and that album is like what I would call, I would call it Rasta La you know. It's one of the first albums that I really got inspiration from and knowledge of it like, you know, of Rasta and like them.Well I was born in Trinidad, right. I was born on the island of Trinidad San Fernando way down in the south and I grew up at that tender age - I left Trinidad when I was thirteen. At that time at that young age I used to be amongst some notorious Rastas, you know. As a youth you know you always want to be around the big man. The big man - the bad man, the big man. Know what I'm saying?So I would, in the night I would wait till they go into party and follow them, you know, cos most of time, most of the time we walk like for miles to the party. I would like wait on corner in the bushes and wait till they, you know, and follow them and then after when we get to the party - actually they would see me and like 'yo go home, go home boy'. And I would like - I would go hide and like wait and I would like follow them like still like a half a mile after them and when they reach the party then I would like show up again and they would be like ' but I told you to go home'. 'But I'm not going - I want to go party. ''But you have no money'.bYou have to jump over fences and stuff to get in those parties, yeah. But coming back to Fred Locks, as a little youth nine .. ten years old .. one of my elder sisters - Judy..she passed away from cancer a few years ago..she had a boyfriend who was a Rasta, yeah, and he had a sound system called House of Dread HiFi. Like you know cos I, a lot of people wouldn't understand I've been seeing this sound system thing from when I was a tender age even before I came to America, even before I went to Jamaica I've been experiencing and witnessing these things in Trinidad as a little youth, you understand me. And so my sister's boyfriend would bring over records and leave for her to play, yeah. Like you know Big Youth album with the red, gold and green teeth and you know -what is it called..Natty Dread yeah. And you know the Fred Locks and you know mostly in that time, growing up in that time, the most popular songs were like of Joe Gibbs label, in my time -growing up in Trinidad it was Joe Gibbs label. Those 12{quote} disco mixes were like the most popular music like, you know, the combinations with Dennis Brown and Prince Mohamed and like Culture and Nicodemus, you know stuff like - those 12{quote} disco mix. Mighty Diamonds, Like a River etc, and you know. Those kind of 12{quote} disco mixes with the singer and then the DJ like, you know. The singer and then Trinity after, you know. But then there was another side like a culture side,yeah, which I really took to cos I had the opportunity of playing the albums cos as I said my sister's boyfriend used to bring them over and leave. And when she goes to school, when I would come home from school ..I would try to get home from school as early as possible, right, cos my father had a thing - we called it gram.it's this long, t's like maybe a couple of feet long the speakers are on the front - you know what I'm talking about ..and in the middle you lift up the lid and there's a turntable down there in there with the knobs and stuff,yeah. So that's where I started from. I would pray for my father not to come home early from work and try to get home before my sister gets home so I could play those records and Fred Locks is one of them like, you know. I really love that record like to the maximum Blackstarliner .to this day, you know. I even left Trinidad with it as a little youth, like, the guy who owned it Hans gave it to me you know.And so yeah, and even coming to America -well actually I left Trinidad and migrated into the US Virgin Islands, yeah, and I came to New York where I got my diploma, yeah. And so when I came to New York I happened to me, like two blocks away from where I lived ..I came to New York in Brooklyn Sterling Street and Rochester my sister lived there and then next to that I woke up. William - would you believe, the next day I woke up I walked two blocks over to Utica Avenue and it was like my dream come true. Would you believe William who was standing on those corners..Sterling Place and Utica Avenue two blocks from my house - people who Ive been dreaming of seeing. I've been playing their records from when I was a little youth. Nicodemus, Louis Lepkie, Lee Van Cliff Cliff. Like these are like - agh!!what! And then every day they would, cos they have friends that would you know be on those corners from Jamaica ..those people from round that area they ..every artist that comes from Jamaica they know them all. They know the artist very well so all the artists come round here and check them, so I would be like yeah well that's the place to be. So I would be there every day, you know, started hanging out getting to know people then, you know, people getting to know me and I would just fall into it,know what I mean. Fred Locks was one of the first like main reggae albums that inspired me, that made me love reggae music. Not even Bob Marley at the time but it was Fred Locks yeah. So Big Up Fredlocks, yeah man. Even to this day.I need to add to it that after migrate you know to New York and happen to be working in a record shop, this reggae record shop, in Crown Heights Utica, Crown heights Brooklyn one block from ..between Utica and Scenectady It was called Rockers Forever. And I was very very very very good at selling records, you know, very very good at selling records and cassettes. Live dance hall cassettes and I would make custom cassettes for customers who come in and like ' I need these songs and these songs' and they would be like so satisfied and I was really into it from, even as I said from a little boy House of Dread HiFi when I was ten year old. I used to jump my fathers - when my father go to sleep at night open up the back door - jump over and I said go follow..you know - those guys and stuff. I would go far away to quite out of town - follow them on the truck with the sound ..they'd be like, you know 'Put that in the case and put that in the case and go put on this record and stuff', as a little boy. So you know it always stuck with me it was in my blood. Actually when I moved to the Virgin Islands I moved with a like a box of records, there was those same Joe Gibbs 12{quote} and stuff that I was telling you about. And those people in the Virgin Islands they didn't know anything about those music all they knew about was Bob Marley, Third World, Culture, you know the group Culture, stuff like that. Like cultural music and then I introduced, we call it rockers. In high school I used to make cassette tapes and stuff and it was the most popular cassette tape, it was like new music to them. And I came to America and as I said then, talking about Fred Locks now, so while moving to Crown Heights, working at the record store there was this guy who had a sound system called Addis HiFi, which you would know as Addis international now, Addis HiFi that's how it started. The owner of Addis HiFi used to come around to the record store and buy records every Saturday and then he used to just love how I sell records and how - you know. And one day he came and said 'Man do you want to join my team, you want to join my sound system, man you bad in the record store, like you bad ass in the record store. You want to join my sound system'? I was like whaaat! I'm like yeah ok. On Monday there's a holiday, there's the sound systems going to string up outside around the corner just come around and get yourself familiar. And I went around there ..that was it..that was history. And then I became part of Addis HiFi. And so I met the great Danny Dread the famous selector , Danny Dread from Volcano, Papa Roots, King Atarney. One of the original foundations selector of dancehall Danny Dread. And so he mentored me, right so, I grew up on that team. He mentored me and I develop that skill, right. Actually we started I used to be a DJ on the mic first with Supercat and Nicodemus and Tenor Saw and Chuck Turner and everyone who came to New York used came around there by Addis HiFi and practice every night, there was like a party every night. And so the sound became very famous. We started taking on ( class town clash) dates and so I became one of the baddist ass class selectors in the world over the two decades. You know you could look me up , Google me , you know LionFace aka Babyface formerly of King Addis. And so Dub plates. Just to close it off talking about Fred Locks again and so dubplates was a thing that I used to be like .. I lived for dubplates. I was the first one to voice like Billboard hip hop dub plates. I used to be like 'what can I do that the rest of sound systems not doing..what can - to take myself up to another level..like you know. So I used to study about dub plates like ten days a week - there's only seven days in a week ..I used to study about dubplates from morning to morning. I used to be searching for artists that never voiced a dubplate yet etc etc . I always used to be like 'who we haven't heard yet on a dub'. and that's how I always went that way and then I came across .... Gosh I've never voiced Freddy ...I was like Fred Locks ..gosh William ..Fred Locks my reggae hero he's never voiced a dub yet. And then he would happen to be in New York and I called him, I got a link with him and I called him like 'Fred Lock can you get ..' and he said yes. And we went to Long Island Philip Smart studio, Philip Smart has passed away, and he voiced the first two dubplates for ever in the world for Addis international and so we kept that relationship.Anytime I go to Jamaica I go visit him out in Harbout View where he lives, you know. Yeah so that's Fred Locks , you know. And also you know along with other artists too kind of inspire me and has played a part in my growing up and, you. Know, Steel Pulse. You know in high school like when I moved to the Virgin Islands as I said they only knew about culture not rub a dub music you know and so Steel Pulse was one of the main reggae bands that people in the Virgin Islands theyyouths they knew in the Vigin Islands along with Aswad. Aswad is Brinsley and Drummie and Gad and man I love those people William man like. Aswad it's like ..man I love ..man Aswad. David Hinds Steel Pulse you know. That's my high school growing up right there and that who played an important part I my reggae growing up and being. Right!”LionFace: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, 9th February 2019Fred Locks: {quote}Black Star Liner{quote} - released 1976The Real Lionface
  • “Yeah, it's a Donald Byrd record called “Off To The Races” - Blue Note release.I want to say maybe the late 50s. But for me, it was one of the first records that really exposed me to Donald Byrd’s sound and he's one of my major influences his clarity and his ideas and his shapes.And also on that record Coltrane is featured - he’s on the project as well. And you know, his sound is powerful and I'm a huge fan of Coltrane as well.So that's one of my favourite Donald Byrd records - the first one that came to mind when you asked me,yeah.”Marquis Hill: Nate Holden Performing Arts Centre, Los Angeles, 19th October 2019Donald Byrd: {quote}Off To The Races{quote} - released 1959Marquis Hill
  • {quote}Here’s To LIfe - Shirley Horn - it's been one of my favourite albums since it came out about 20 years ago. When I first heard it I was attracted to Johnny Mandel's string arrangements which were typically lush. What was so interesting though was that Shirley Horn really takes her time when she sings. It’s almost like Mandel had listened to her phrasing and matched that. I’d be interested to find out whether he actually put them on afterwards or whether they did it together because the kind of sinuous feeling of them both is just incredible. Also it’s Shirley Horn - who I’ve always loved, who really personalises a song and tells the story of the song as well as telling her own story at the same time.I just think it’s a beautiful reflection of the ups and downs that we all go through, it’s great - it resonates with me.Beautiful.{quote}Mike Walker: Todmorden, 26th October 2011Shirley Horn: Here's to Life released 1992Johnny MandelMike Walker
  • {quote}It's Miles Davis 'Four and More' and the reason why it's so special for me because I remember the first time I heard it as a kid. Listening to that live performance blew me way because you know I had been listening to a very different style of trumpet playing and improvisation. Those guys just kept me in a tail spin trying to figure out what they were doing, where they were going and I remember I was trying to get a handle on what jazz was so I would play each track - and this was back in the days of vinyl albums so you're trying to find that spot on the record with the needle! So I used to play 'em over and over and over again.I would play you know, like ‘Four’, I would listen to Miles play then I would only listen to Herbie, go back then only listen to Ron, go back, only listen to Tony. I kept doing' man until in my mind the whole album man, that album had such an impact on my life you know because it was so forward thinking in the realms of this music - and think about the date that it was recorded.To think that it still stands the test of time today speaks volumes about how important it is.{quote}Terence Blanchard: The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow 30th June 2011Miles Davis: Four & More - released 1966Terence Blanchard
  • {quote}When asked to pick an album that had the biggest impression on me, I found it difficult to choose from all the great jazz recordings that had inspired me. Instead I decided to pick an album from the classical world, one that has had a life time influence on my musical thinking. Of all the composers from the first half of the 20th century has long been Bela Bartok and I will never forget hearing for the first time his six String Quartets; long considered the greatest contribution to the genre since Beethoven. On first listening I couldn’t believe there was only a string quartet playing; it sounded like a full string orchestra, such was the power and richness of the writing. Bartok’s Quartets are full of exciting harmonies dissonances and wild almost jazz like rhythms. Later, on first seeing the scores, I began to understand how he achieved such dynamic and often” savage” power from only four instruments. However, it took me over thirty years of intensive study before I was able to figure out a way to incorporate some of his techniques into a jazz format. This long search eventually led to my Miles Music album “Janus”, featuring my jazz quartet plus a string quartet. The string writing in “Janus” is heavily influenced by Bartok and especially by the 4th String Quartet, arguably the greatest masterpiece of the six.{quote}Peter King: Theatr Brecheiniog, Brecon, 7th August 2010Béla Bartok: The Fine Arts Quartet: String Quartets No. 5 - 1934 No.6 - 1939Peter King
  • {quote}It’s the best playing of Duke Ellington I ever heard in my life. It’s really beautiful. You can hear him humming on “Sophisticated Lady” in the background and it’s heart wrenching - it’s so beautiful. On something like “I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” he starts off with some real slow playing of it in free time just by himself and then the band pulls it in after he plays the first verse and it feels like somebody’s just taking a romp through the park on a warm summer day. And then “Caravan”, which has that Latin beat to it, he just really grooves on it and leaves a couple of measures out and then comes back in. And those measures he leaves out are so important and so strong – he just did the right thing all the time – he was totally intuitive. He’s a real hero. You see, I don’t play that kind of music; I come from the slow blues of Jimmy Yancey . I accompanied Jimmy’s wife, Mama Yancey, after he died. I learned on the streets first and then I took a couple of degrees in music later. I love classical music but it kicks my ass in so badly when I try to play it so I memorise stuff. So I am more wired to play improvised music so this is the kind of stuff I play- but I don’t play like Monk but I just love what he plays. Most of the stuff I love is what I can’t do!{quote} [laughs].Erwin Helfer: Katerina's, Chicago, 14th May, 2013Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington released 1955Erwin Helfer
  • “I’m choosing this one because it’s so much about ‘The Now’ and I feel like I’m so much about ‘The Now’ as opposed to the past. I mean.... we all have so much that we carry with us from the past and it totally informs our future but as you know, this is California. California light. It should be about ‘The Now’, I want to be in ‘The Now’ and that’s why I’m doing this one.”Caroline PM Jones: At her studio, Culver City CA, 30th March 2015Lana Del Ray: Born to Die released 2012Caroline PM Jones
  • It is special for a couple of reasons. When I was asked to pick my favourite record I sat at dinner – Mike Chadwick told me about it – and I sat at dinner for about an hour trying to think of it and I couldn’t come up with anything - like my singularly favourite record. So I decided to pick like a record that was one of my favourite somethings.So this is my favourite bass record, actually, as a bass player. I think every track, the bass playing and the key bass playing to me is like absolutely perfect, like everything that I ever have wanted to be as a bass player, you know is on this record, both key bass and electric bass. The other reason why it is special to me because this dude is the mentor of my mentor, Bernard Wright.So Bernard is the guy who kind of totally shaped the way that I think about music and play and Don Blackman was Bernard’s mentor, growing up together in Jamaica, Queens. So I feel that there is kind of like, you know, maybe a little bit of that kind of lineage sentimentality, I guess, you know, about it but yeah absolutely, just an incredible record from back to front - you got it!Michael League: Band on the Wall, Manchester, July 2013Don Blackman: Don Blackman 1982Michael League: Bandleader Snarky Puppy
  • “Well, it's Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”, I'm sure loads of people chose this one - I had to chose it because it had a profound effect on me. I don't know how many other albums I'd bought before then but I think the first one that I ever bought and I saved up for when I was at school was “Ella and Louis with the Oscar Peterson Trio.” And I was also very affected by Dave Brubeck’s quartet with Paul Desmond and I found that I was listening to the solos, I was learning the solos, I didn't realise they were improvised because Paul Desmond was so clear in the way he played and you could actually copy it. But, I think I joined a club and we saved up so much a week and then this guy would come round and he'd say 'Well this albums new ... and this ones new .. and I can order it for you' , and he said 'there's a new one by Miles Davis, John Coltrane “Kind of Blue” and I thought 'Oh have to have that!'{quote}.Norma Winstone: Midland Hotel, Manchester 26th July 2018Image Courstesy of the Royal Northern College of Music One LP SeriesMiles Davis: {quote}Kind of Blue{quote} released 1959Norma Winstone
  • {quote}My favourite recorded series of works - it's an extensive collection of beautiful beautiful music that was written in the 11th century.It was written by a woman by the name of Hildegard Von Bingen and the greatest performance of those particular works is by a vocal group called Sequentia.These are Gregorian chants and it's just some of the most beautiful spiritual music you've ever heard.{quote}Pat Martino: Band on the Wall, Manchester, 23rd May 2013Hildegard Von BingenSequentiaPat Martino
  • “The album is Horace Silver, the artist, and it’s called Silver N’ Wood. It’s one of a series of albums he recorded in the late 70’s. Basically his quintet was augmented by other woodwinds and instrumentation, which was quite different to what he normally did. He normally composed for a quintet and he felt comfortable with that format. So, with the orchestration on this series of albums on Blue Note, he enlisted the help of Wade Marcus to do the orchestration to help out. Why I chose it is because these series of albums, as with most Horace Silver albums, are very uplifting to play. They make you feel good about yourself. There’s something energising about Horace Silver’s music.It was around the time I was coming to Ronnie’s for the first time. I came to Ronnie’s for the first time in 72 and saw Zoot Simms there and lots of other fantastic musicians of that period. I came to see Horace Silver’s quintet with Larry Schneider and Tom Harrell, fantastic line up. This music composed for this series of albums, which never came out on CD, was issued shortly after that period. So we’re talking about 74 onwards is when I saw the band. Glorious music, trumpet and tenor front line with the rhythm section and Horace’s music, as ever with this augmented line up, was very uplifting. Makes me want to dance when I hear it.”Paul Pace: Ronnie Scott's, London, 5th February 2015Horace Silver: Silver 'n' Wood released 1976Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
  • {quote}My very special choice is the Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar. A great work, a great choral work, and particularly I’ve chosen the performance recorded by Sir John Barbirolli, beloved of Manchester of course, and led the Halle for years, and with Dame Janet Baker as the angel, I wouldn’t have anyone else, although I did see and hear Kathleen Ferrier when she sang it in concert, with Richard Lewis who I thought was a great tenor, and Kym Borg. I love the record, it means a very great deal to me, and I have given it to people on significant occasions.{quote}Dame Patrica Routledge: Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 14th February, 2017
  • Orbert Davis, co-founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.{quote}This is Clifford Brown with strings, I was a teenager when I first heard this incredible album - the depth is in it's subtleties - and Clifford is so perfect with the string writing of Neal Hefti.It's a true blending of classical and jazz.The first thing I knew - this is funny – I recognised the name Neal Hefti from the Batman theme!For me as a trumpet player I study Clifford Brown - as an arranger I study Neal Hefti, so this brings both those worlds together - and it did so when I was back in high school when I discovered this recording- this is my One LP!{quote}Orbert Davis: Symphony Centre, Buntrock Hall, Chicago. 15th May, 2013Clifford Brown with Strings: arranged and conducted by Neal Hefti released 1955Orbert DavisChicago Jazz Philharmonic
  • “Columbia Records made a fantastic anthology which was drawn together by Harry Smith way way back - am talking about the 1950’s - '50, ’51, ’52.It contained a small sample of something like four or five dozen folk singers - real folk singers - not like me - I’m a singer of folk songs - but they’re the real ones; from allover the United States. From way down in the bayous of Florida and from up in Minnesota and it had just a snapshot kind of of each one of them.And I still remember a lot of those (sings snippet) ‘He Got Better Things For You’ which was gospel. Then you had (sings snippet) 'Fishing Blues' - wonderful songs.So - Harry Smith - 'The Anthology of American Folk Music'.”Peggy Seeger: On stage, Band on the Wall, Manchester, 18th June 2015Peggy Seeger: The Anthology of Amercian Folk Music- released 1952Peggy Seeger
  • {quote}That’s an interesting question: why is so special to you? I suppose the thing is, you know, musical education , as a human being, especially with the culture that we have in England, is vital really and I suppose it sort of defines your character, the people you hang out with, the interests. You know, it is a sort of look into your psyche, if you like, and I don’t know whether it’s a good or bad point that the album I’ve picked is Nico The Marble Index. I think I have always been drawn to groups that are very, very difficult and Nico musically on her own when she worked with John Cale was always quite a difficult – what you’d term difficult to listen to or difficult to interpret musically.{quote}Peter Hook: Photographed at home, south Manchester,Nico: The Marble Index released 1968Peter Hook
  • {quote}At this time I was probably about 15 or 16. And I was just really getting into music and when I heard 'Road Runner'.This track by Junior Walker on this album, just turned me around Just couldn't get enough of it, played it about a 100 times.{quote}WE: {quote}And is that that make you think about the bass?{quote}{quote}Not really, I didn't even know what it was - I just love the feel of it. You know, the way that everything's working drums, bass, guitars, the sax - of course Junior Walker. I couldn't really break down what it was that I love, but I just loved it.{quote}Pino Palladino: Ronnie Scott's, London, 27th September 2011Various: Motown Chartbusters Vol. 3 released 1969Pino Palladino
  • {quote}So many - but I would have to say 'Body and Soul ' by Coleman Hawkins, when I was 13 years old. And I heard it, I got an allowance from my father I got 75 cents a week. I told him get me an advance .... I bought three copies of 'Body and Soul'. I hid two and played one out for the people in the streets to hear and it turned out the first time I heard Thelonious Monk was with Coleman Hawkins. And I was so happy in 1959 he recorded for me and he played my music. So if I picked one that would be it. And there's so many but I would pick that one.{quote}Randy Weston: Moss Theatre, Santa Monica, 21st October 2017I understand that Mr Weston was referring to the 78rpm EP released in 1939. Coleman Hawkins: Body and Soul - recordings made between 1939 and 1956.
  • {quote}It’s Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf – actually also on the album is Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra as well.When I was about 9 years old my father took me to see a performance of Peter and the Wolf. I just thought it was so magical because here’s somebody telling a story to music and I just was in raptures. It was the actual inspiration for me all my life to want do stories to music which is what I went on and did – Journey to the Centre of the Earth and King Arthur * and those kind of albums. It was purely thanks to that trip to see Peter and The Wolf.I always thought Prokofiev was a total and utter genius and fell in love with all his music from that day on. The interesting thing is this particular album has David Bowie narrating it – I mean I’ve got so many versions of different people narrating it, but because of my close relationship with David working with him, being a friend and he does it extraordinary well – he really does do it well. He has almost the perfect voice for doing it. To me he even beats Peter Ustinov’s version which was pretty sensational which I’ve got and some appalling versions like Barry Humphries!What’s interesting about this particular version with David Bowie is – as I said also on the record is Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to The Orchestra – which I’ve narrated, I’ve done it with a couple of orchestras.But what’s really nice for me as well is I live in Norfolk only about 35 minutes from The Red House where Benjamin Britten was, so I visit there a lot. I know them all there incredibly well, in fact I’ve modelled my music room – outside in an old rebuilt carriage (store) – almost identical to Ben’s room – Benjamin Britten’s room. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of his students and people who worked in choirs and things and that with him – that’s really nice.And so to have this particular album that has both the piece of music that probably inspired me to compose in later years, to have David Bowie doing the narration – such a great friend and having worked with him on so much stuff, and then as a bonus track having The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, living so close (to Britten’s Red House) – and some of Britten’s choral work – great influence – to me it’s the perfect album.{quote}Rick Wakeman: Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 25th June, 2017
  • {quote}The reason this album is special to me is because the producer of the album - J Dilla is my favourite hip hop producer and I got the privilige to actually work with him before he passed away in 2006. To work with him - watch him make music - watch him in ‘the lab’ and see how he works.J Dilla is probably the only producer I know that changed the way musicians actually play their instruments. Normally a producer will just take from the musicians and do their thing - but J Dilla actually changed the way musicians play music.So this particular album Fantastic Volume 2 - when it came out, was to me the first time a record that made people start playing in that hip hop way behind the beat - kind of sloppy hip hop way - all that stuff started with Dilla - you know what I mean.This record has all of my favourite people on it - D'Angelo’s on there - Common - a lot of people on this record. It also means alot because of the time period it came out, and how it influenced the way I play doing my Trio and my Experiment band - just the way we feel the beat, his drum patterns, drum sounds, the way he samples piano and where he decides to put it - it's placement is what makes it just very very special. So I've kind of patterned alot of the stuff - especially when we play J Dilla beats we pattern alot of our stuff around his idea of where the beat is - so I think he was definitely ahead of his time and a genius of his time. So that's why I chose this record.”Robert Glasper: Hilton Garden Inn, Glasgow 28th June 2012Slum Village Fantastic, Vol. 2 - released 2000Robert Glasper
  • “The album is entitled ‘Water Babies’ by Miles Davis, and the reason that album is special to me is it’s the first album I heard Tony Williams on – yeah – that I sort of hap hazardly discovered in my fathers record collection.That album just completely blew my mind. Blew my mind cos I didn’t, hadn’t, realised a drummer could be so ... express themselves the way he did. There was lots of imagery in his drumming and that was the first time that I actually heard a drummer playing like that – you know – conceptually playing like that – you know – colours, but time and you know – really using the entire kit as a – you know – all the textures.{quote}W {quote}It was like a landscape almost{quote}Rod {quote}Yeah – absolutely – absolutely exactly – a landscape of different colours and textures and using the cymbals. But that particular record is definitely one that really changed my whole thinking in terms of drumming and what the possibilities are you know – so, yeah”Rod Youngs: Llandudno Jazz Festival, 26th July 2015Miles Davis: Water Babies released November 1976.Recorded June 7, 13, 23, 1967November 11–12, 1968Rod Youngs
  • {quote}Well, the album I’ve chosen is the first Gordon Lightfoot album and the reason I chose that is I started playing guitar the spring of my junior year in College, so that would have been 1969. And the album that got me into playing guitar…was this album.This was the album that inspired me to want to play guitar and I attribute everything else I’ve done with my career to be a function of learning to play guitar and becoming obsessed with guitar. So I thought the most appropriate album was the album that got me into playing guitar to begin with.{quote}Roger Sadowsky: In his workshop, Long Island City, New York, 29th April, 2013Gordon Lightfoot: Lightfoot! released 1966Sadowsky Guitars
  • “This is the first jazz recording I ever heard, it’s not even bebop! It’s a rebopper! ‘Charlie Parker’s Reboppers.'There’s a whole story behind this record.Charlie Parker alto, Miles Davis, trumpet, Curley Russell bass and - who’s on piano? Hen Gates that was Dizzy – he couldn’t give his real name – and Max Roach on drums.So it was Curly (Russell), oh my God – can you believe that?So on the other side is {quote}Bille’s Bounce{quote}, same personnel.I always sang as a little kid, I never knew what kind of music I wanted to sing and then after I moved back to Detroit to be with my mother and go to high school, there was a jukebox downstairs from my school.I was always playing music there, you know, putting nickels in.So I knew most of the artists and their songs that made them famous – not that I was tired of hearing – but I was looking for something else and I saw this. I saw this and I said ‘Oh – Charlie Parker and His ReBoppers, I wonder what that is?’So I put my nickel in – four or five notes and I thought – and oh my God, this is the music I’ll dedicate my life to.Whether I sing it, teach it, support it – whatever, it doesn’t matter, I’ll just dedicate my life to that music.I’d finally found the music that I wanted to do where I felt I could get into and really mean it.And I’ll tell you, I got goose bumps when I first heard the first four notes, I was like whoa – it was almost like being elevated you know.That was ‘Now’s The Time’.And the funny thing about this record that’s so beautifully framed now is I was doing a concert maybe two summers ago and there was a wonderful poet on before us, his name is Billy Collins.He recited his poetry and afterwards it was going to be me and Cameron Brown the bass player, that’s a duo I have.I’ve been doing bass and voice since the fifties.I’m the originator of bass and voice – not to brag – but to say hey to singers and bass players ‘you know can do music this way too. And there are people doing it now – which is great.This was an outdoor concert and so we were in this big house where we got dressed, got ready and relaxed until we went on.It was just Billy Collins reciting his poetry and me and Cam.So my friend, (Peter) - this drummer and a wonderful artist, he knows I’m a Bird freak - and he draws birds – all kinds of birds he’s done - they’re beautiful he sends them to me or gives them to me.It was Peter, I said ‘Peter it’s good to see you man’He said ‘ Yeah I have a present for you – I said really? I said ‘what is it?’ He said ‘yeah open it up’And so I opened it up – it was this, all framed beautifully.I got so emotional and I thought oh my God - I don’t think I can go up there and sing right now!But I waited a few minutes, I hugged him and kissed him and thanked him.I said ‘Oh my God this is the most wonderful gift I’ve ever been given - except of course the music and my daughter (laughs).So that’s the story of that record!”Sheila Jordan: At home, New York City, 11th February 2014Charlie Parkers Reboppers - The Koko Sessions by Devon {quote}Doc{quote} WendellSheila Jordan
  • “My record of import is one I heard in 1962 when I heard the melody played by Yusef Lateef on oboe.I later found out the record he made on this disc was called ‘Going Home’ which is one of the movements from a Dvorak Symphony.So I went out and bought the disc – that would have to be done by Leonard Bernstein and The New York Philharmonic when they do the four movements of the Dvorak New World Symphony - and among these four movements is that melody called Going HomeThe story is that Antonin Dvorak came to the States - to New York, heard some blues people and went back to his hometown in Europe and wrote this melody – we call it ‘Gong Home’I’ve since recorded it on a record of mine called Orfeu with Bill Frisell on guitar, Houston Person on saxophone and my working quartet.It’s a great view of a classical melody interpreted by jazz musicians who are always, going home.”Ron Carter: At home New York City, 1st April 2014Antonin Dvorak: New World Symphony composed 1893Ron CarterLeonard Bernstein
  • “First of all blessed love and greetings William. Greetings to all the ones who are tuned in here and now and that will be tuning in later on. I am Sister Carol the original Roots Star out of Kingston Jamaica, yeah.And I brought here with me today my second album entitled “Black Cinderella” on the Jah Life record label.And this record means a lot to me because not only the song - my very first single that debuted me to the world, it's also the name of the album and it's also personifies who Sister Carol really is as a “Black Cinderalla,” The Goddess within this time, You know, and like I said its my record label 'Black Cinderella', my clothing line “Black Cinderella”, my production company “Black Cinderella” and I also have a sound system that I'm now playing called Cinderblack.This record it means a lot to me, you know, and I brought it here today to be a part of the One LP vibration because not only it’s a classic but it's really a true collectors item. And something that I'm really proud of and this was thirty five years ago and thirty five years later we can still look on it and say wow the work still stand up strong’, fresh, vibrant, full of message, full of vibes, same energy that transcend from that time to this time. So I give thanks, yeah - Black Cinderella.”Sister Carol: Orcho Rio, Jamaica, 18th February 2019Sister Carol
  • “Well, it's Charlie Mingus’s “Mingus AhUm”. And it was what turned me on to Mingus. So I'm a bass player as well as being a jazz organiser and it's a classic bass players album you know all the tunes “Better Get it into Your Soul”, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”, Boogie Stop Shuffle”. {quote}Fables of Faubus{quote}, {quote}Pussy Cat Dues{quote} they’re all classic Mingus arrangements and classic Mingus bass playing. I found it in Norwich Market when I was 17 - not bad eh? Yeah, been with me ever since and I play it all the time.”Steve Crocker: Leeds College of Music, 21st July 2019Charles Mingus: {quote}Mingus Ah Um{quote} released 1959Steve Crocker - Jazz Leeds
  • STEVE-GADD-wb_-WILLIAM-ELLIS
  • “There’s so many of course, I guess one that just came to my mind is “JuJu” by Wayne Shorter - there are so many amazing songs on that record .. on all of his records. But for the classic Wayne Shorter records, I love that one. And ‘Infant Eyes’ (on {quote}Speak No Evil{quote}) for me, that’s one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Also love “Deluge” and “JuJu” and ”Twelve More Bars to Go”. All of them – it is such a strong collection of songs and the playing is just unbelievable. Wayne’s sound on “Infant Eyes” (on “Speak No Evil”) is so special. I mean it’s easy to fall in love with Wayne in all of his different incarnations, but the sound that he gets when he’s playing a song written for his daughter when she was very young or recently born… you can hear that in that melody. That album really captured an incredible moment in Wayne’s career, it’s just amazing.”Terri Lyne Carrington: Jazz Standard: New York City, 5th October 2018Wayne Shorter: {quote}JuJu{quote} realeased 1965Wayne Shorter: {quote}Speak No Evil{quote} released 1966Terri Lyne Carrington
  • “It’s very easy, actually - it's Kate Bush “Hounds of Love” which is really my favourite LP because it is conceived for for the LP format.It has two sides that are quite different. The second side - the B side has songs about all that water based on a Lord Tennyson poem. So I love the idea of really using a format like that like saying, ‘here's one thing’ and then on the other side, ‘there's another thing’.And of course, you know, I'm a big Kate Bush fan. I admire her writing. I admire her lyricism and her mysticism in her lyrics very, very much. I think this this is a sort of a breakthrough record in pop music in general because it also deals with layering of sonic space, also doing some ambient layering - Eberhard Weber is playing bass on this record and that should tell you something about what the sonic space is that in these songs. And it's a very iconic record because of where it was in my life in '85 - I graduate high school and so that record was sort of at the at the cusp of becoming a musician/artist coming from childhood. So it's a very important record to me that way I think musically It is so esoteric and weird - that as a pop record at the time, I don't know if it was received in a way that it that other records that other pop records can be received because it has so much content - and so much weird content weird - I mean, in a good way, yeah - and not understandable on first, second, third or fourth listening. And it was only when I took on Kate Bush’ repertoire for my project in which I sort of took her on as a composer and rearranged and reshuffled her music for a jazz ensemble - for a small jazz band, that I understood some of the songs.I mean, “There's a Dream of Sheep” is one of the songs it's a very beautiful, almost lullaby kind of song and I wasat offices a lovely little, littlelullaby, but it actually is a song From the perspective of somebody who is drowning or dying in a shipwreck, or in a plane crash in the ocean, and wanting to be saved, and praying or hoping to not fall asleep, that's an incredible metaphor for life, you know, to not fall asleep and drown, but to just stay awake. And I didn't understand that as you know an 18 year old ago, ‘this is a pretty song’.So the depth and the scope of her work only became apparent or only became really clear to me when I delve into it as an arranger as an interpreter, not as a listener only. So that's why I wanted to choose this record.”Theo Bleckmann: Moss Theatre, Santa Monica CA, 20th October 2019Kate Bush: :Hounds of Love{quote} - released 1985Theo Bleckmann
  • WE We’re with Mr Vinny Fodera. We’re in Brooklyn, in the Apple.VF: The Big Apple.WE: The Big Apple. Thanks for that. And so Vinny, what have you chosen very kindly as your one LP? What are you going to share with us and why is it so special to you please?VF: I chose Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced [laughs] and I must say it was very difficult to choose only one. But the reason I chose it, although I was actually very profoundly enlightened some years earlier by The Beatles - I was a young tad of a lad - and they sort of opened my mind to music, I chose the Hendrix album because it’s actually more relevant to my professional life. When I first heard Jimi it blew my mind – as I’m sure it did many people – and listening to his playing and his technique made me very aware for the first time of the guitar itself, not only just the [inaudible] but the songs. I was fascinated at how he achieved the tones and sounds and effects that he did and which led me to investigate the guitar itself. I realise that in the hands of a master like him the guitar could be a very powerfully expressive tool. So in a very real way that led me…it actually began a love affair with guitars and basses and gear of all sorts which has culminated in my current career as a luthier so I really sort of owe it in some large measure to that early influence by him. So, thank you, Jimi! And it’s still a turn-on. I still listen to him and try to play and catch some of what he was doing. Endlessly fascinating. That’s it.Vinnie Fodera: In his workshop, Brooklyn, New York, May 2013The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced, 1967
  • WE “ Mr. Stanko you’ve chosen an album you love very much, I wonder if you can say what it is and why it’s so special for you please?TS “All life for me is ‘Kind of Blue’ - very simple. What is most important - beautiful sound and Miles - ‘Kind of Blue’.” Tomasz Stanko: Kirk Douglas Theatre, Culver City CA, 29th March 2015Miles Davis: Kind of Blue released 1959Tomasz Stanko
  • {quote}This album is called ‘The Best of Muddy Waters’ and it’s the seminal Chicago blues album with contributions by most of the people of note and are actually from Mississippi who had made the journey to Chicago. So you have the pure Mississippi blues in electric form for the first time. Muddy Water on slide guitar and vocals, Otis Span on piano, Little Walter on harmonica and of course Willie Dixon on bass amongst many other fine musicians - but they are literally the best in their category in my opinion and it’s a splendid example of working together – in a way that is so relaxed and so natural absolutely disciplined in a way that no revival band has ever been able to approach in my opinion - sheer quality, and this has all the classic tracks. I played with Willie Dixon in Hollywood, I went there to represent Europe in the Little Walter Memorial Concert. All the surviving members of the great Muddy Waters and Little Walter bands were there – The Aces and The Dukes and quite a lot of other people like Lowell Fulson and Lee Oskar who was the harmonica player with War who invented a completely different form of harmonica playing and everybody connected with blues – the last remaining time and they’re all dead now apart from Lee Oscar, that was back in 1990. I went for two weeks and stayed for nearly a year.” Victor Brox: Richard Goodall Gallery, Manchester, 7th October 2010 Muddy Waters: The Best of Muddy Waters - released 1958Victor Brox
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