Music of the week (26/02/01)

I'll try to resurrect this thread but as a new stand has been revealed and as my last two music posts have been ignored....

Jazz in Paris a series of 50 odd CDs of jazz with the theme recorded in Paris(surprisingly).
I bought mine in Paris on recent weekender but they are available in all good recrd stores at 6.00-6.99!!!! This is a bargain.
Miles Davis-Ascenseur pour l,echafaud, the famous movie soundtrack, nice version of the great ones twiddly stuff. For argumants sake it was his bands that were great wasnt it? I mean Plugged Nickel is a Wayne Shorter gig?

Dizzy Gillespie The Giant.. 1973 date from the Dizz, reunited with Kenny Clarke therefore well worth price of admission. Good band with Kenny Drew and Johnny Griffin and some tumbas with Humberto Canto. I like this one.

Art Blakey Jam Session. Art turns up(1959) to have jam session with American musicians resident in Paris at that time. The band comprises Mr L Morgan, Mr W Shorter, Mr B Wilen, Mr J Merrit and on piano His Highness Mr Bud Powell, need I say more? Actually really good CD and I think very good piano from Bud at this more difficult stage.

Mary Lou Wiliams I made you love Paris.. Surprisingly this is my favourite as I have none of her records but am intrigued by her CENTRAL place in jazz. Exremely good blues inflected stuff and anyone who lived the Bohemian lifestyle in Paris in the fifties is OK with me. This fascinating character later had a religous conversion (catholicism?)and gave up music for some time.You really do have to get the religion out of the way early in my experience.I wonder if she ever met Samuel Beckett?

I bought some others but Ive gone on enough. Great series and cheap.Good Sound except on the Donald Byrd (Parisian Thoroughfare) which is like warped record.

John