One moment worth years (Dave Brubeck) (LP 375 - 380)

Dave Brubeck Countdown: Time In Outer Space (CD, CBS/Sony Music, 19) ***
Dave Brubeck Time Changes (CD, CBS/Sony Music, 19) **
Dave Brubeck Time In (CD, CBS/Sony Music, 19) ***
Dave Brubeck Jazz: Red Hot and Cool (CD, Avid Jazz, 19) ****
Dave Brubeck Newport 1958 (CD, Avid Jazz, 19) ***
Dave Brubeck Jazz Goes To Junior College (CD, Avid Jazz, 19) ***


Genre: Cool Jazz 

Places I remember: HMV (various in England)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Perdido (from Newport 1958)




Gear costume:  Lover (from Jazz:Red Hot and Cool) 

Active compensatory factors: This penultimate wrap up of Brubeck releases that I have on CD takes in two multi-packs: the Original Classic Album series (I've already written about Time Out and Time Further Out) and the Three Classic Albums Plus set (pictured right).

The results are varied - from the worst (Time Changes is the quartet with orchestra and it's mainly the orchestra that takes centre stage) to the best (Jazz: Red Hot and Cool).

No doubt the Red Hot refers to the babe on the cover and the Cool is Dave but this live set is smoking!

Where do they all belong? One more edition of the multi-packs to come with a bumper crop of Brubeck releases.

Electricity (Captain Beefheart) (LP 374)

Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Safe As Milk (CD, Buddha, 1967) ****

Genre: Alternative pop/rock 

Places I remember: HMV  Oxford St, London

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do (via a great great live clip from 1968)




Gear costume:  Electricity  

Active compensatory factors: This is where it all started for the Captain - his debut album and coincidentally, the only album to feature a young Ry Cooder in the Magic Band on guitar.

Its blues based approach and the relative sanity of the music make it a very accessible and pleasant listen.

It has certainly aged well over the intervening 50 plus years - smells fresh as a daisy!


Where do they all belong? I finally bought a CD copy of the album in England from HMV, although the tracks are very familiar thanks to various compilations of his early work.

Little African flower (Duke Ellington) (LP 373)

Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Antonio Sanchez Quartet Live (CD, Concord Jazz, 2009) ***

Genre: Jazz Fusion 

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore Dubai Mall

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Falling Grace



Gear costume:  Sea Journey 

Active compensatory factors: The vibes of Gary Burton play well against Metheny's jazz guitar stylings. 

This is fusion but not of the blistering pyrotechnic type. Instead the quartet goes for some cool grooves - best found on Falling Grace - a real toe tapper as well.

So relax and enjoy this on a summer's day, under the umbrella, reading and sipping a cold one! Like I've just done.

Where do they all belong? One of those side projects for all concerned, in the jazz tradition.

Giant steps (John Coltrane) (LP 366 - 372)

John Coltrane Coltrane (First Trane) (CD, Not Now Music, 1957) ****
John Coltrane Giant Steps (CD, MCPS, 1959) *****
John Coltrane Soultrane (CD, MCPS, 1958) *****
John Coltrane Coltrane Jazz (CD, Not Now Music, 1960) ****
John Coltrane Ole Coltrane (CD, MCPS, 1961) *****
John Coltrane My Favourite Things (CD, MCPS, 1960) *****
John Coltrane Africa/Brass (CD, MCPS, 1961) ****

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: The Warehouse Palmerston North

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Greensleeves from Africa/Brass is a firm favourite of mine.




Gear costume:  My Favourite Things 

Active compensatory factors: All those five stars? Too much? Not when you consider the singularity of the talent on display in every one of these songs.

Classics! One and all!

Repackaging of old Jazz albums has obviously grown as the copyrights have changed over time - good for collectors like me who can suddenly buy multipacks of quality music.

Blue Train is also on this 3CD set of 6 albums (for a bargain price of $10) but I've already written about that one.

These three multipack sets neatly cover some seminal albums from the 1957-1961 period.

Coltrane Jazz appears as a Twofer with Africa/Brass and Coltrane (First Trane) is twinned with Soultrane on another Twofer CD set.

They are each amazing in their own right but Giant Steps is the one I play the most.

The two main pianists on these albums also deserve a mention: Red Garland and McCoy Tyner produce some of their most inspired playing on these albums.


Where do they all belong? More to come from Trane.

You send me (Aretha Franklin) (LP 361 - 365)

Aretha Franklin I Never Loved A man The Way I Love You (CD, Atlantic/Rhino, 1967) *****
Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (CD, Atlantic/Rhino, 1968) *****
Aretha Franklin Aretha Now (CD, Atlantic/Rhino, 1968) *****
Aretha Franklin Spirit In The Dark (CD, Atlantic/Rhino, 1970) ****
Aretha Franklin Aretha Live At Fillmore West (CD, Atlantic/Rhino, 1971) ***

Genre: Soul 

Places I remember: HMV East Croydon, London

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: A Change Is Gonna Come (from I never Loved...)




Gear costume:  So many other highlights on these albums: Do Right Woman-Do Right Man; Save Me; Chain Of Fools; Groovin'; Think: Say A Little Prayer; See Saw; The Thrill Is Gone; Pullin'...and on it goes 

Active compensatory factors: Aretha's passing in 2018 prompted me to buy this 5 CD package (ridiculously cheap it was too, from HMV in the dreaded East Croyden).

Until then I'd been using a vinyl Greatest Hits album for my Aretha go to.

In summary: the three late sixties albums are peerless and indispensible if you want to understand why she is forever the Queen of Soul, the early seventies albums are great as well but those sixties albums cast a huge shadow.

The live album has its moments but I can live without the lengthy Ray Charles section.

Where do they all belong? At the pinnacle of soul music.

Live love all of your days (Pete Ham) (LP 359 - 360)

Pete Ham 7 Park Avenue (CD, Ryko, 1997) *** 
Pete Ham Golders Green (CD, Ryko, 1999) *** 


Genre: Apple Records/Dark Horse/ Ring O Records

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records Auckland

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Catherine Cares (a song for his mother - sounds pretty finished to me)





Gear costume:  No Matter What, Island (on 7 Park Avenue); Shine On, Makes Me Feel Good (both versions on Golders Green)

Active compensatory factors: Pete Ham's story is ultimately a tragic one (he took his own life in 1975), but he left a body of work with Badfinger and in these demos that will live on and he certainly lives on in my heart.

There are a smattering of demos here that did see the light of day with Badfinger versions, but the vast majority didn't, and there are a number of songs on these two CDs that would have made terrific Badfinger songs.

Regardless of that, these demos were well recorded and they contain Pete's beautiful vocals and guitar, and are well worth hearing if you are at all interested in quality pop music.

Rest in peace Pete.


Where do they all belong? That's it, unless you have the Japanese versions of these CD's in which case you have some bonus material.