Allan Songer

Thanks again for bringing this one up. I was confused about the Mignus/Elvin cuts--they're on another Miles "compilation" Prestige LP from the same era, perhaps on that funky 16 rpm disc? I know they're also on a 10" I have that's BEAT and also on one of the Prestige/Fantasy 2fers. Teddy Charles on vibes too. Now I have to go dig out THOSE recordings too. Looks like it's going to be a Miles Davis week for me . . . . I agree with the proto-hardbop comment 100%.

Parker is credited as "Charlie Chan" on the original LP! Didn't want to offend Norman Granz I suppose. Yeah, infant Sonny on tenor with Bird. Really something else. These were from 1952 I think. Some really cool stuff with Mingus and Elvin Jones (EARLY!) from a couple of years later on this LP as well. This is a rarely mentioned Miles Davis LP. I haven't played in a a couple of years AT LEAST, but I'm heading downstairs to give it a spin NOW!

Dude, you just made a REALLY crappy week for me end REALLY well! Bravo!

I'm confused. How does the writer's strike make you busier than usual? I would have thought it be the opposite. In order not to HEMMORAGE cash we have laid off 40 of our 89 employees. Revenue is off about 50% and payroll is our only easily controlled expense. The staff that was laid off was for the most part at the WAREHOUSEMAN level. And that means that with 50% of the volume and 100% of the brute force labor GONE the slack is being picked up by YOU GUESSED IT--upper management! I am pulling and packing orders and trying to run a business and keep from laying off more of the great people who dedicate themselves to us. It really, really sucks. Our web people are gone, our inventory control staff was laid off (and guess who's doing THAT job too?). I am even covering the RECEPTIONIST for lunch some of the time. I laid her off but after three days of hell I called her back and let go one of the IT guys instead! And, because I am spending much of the day in the warehouse, there is always a PILE of everything else waiting for me in my office--30 or 40 voicemails and emails to run through at 5 or 5:30 every evening.. I have been working from 5:30 AM until 7:30 PM and have also worked every Saturday and Sunday this month. And all to lose thousands of dollars every day. Get it now?

If you're coming this way, give me a shout and I promise not to steer you wrong. I'll even tag along if you'd like.

I don't seem to be getting the flyers these days. Got a schedule? I am always up for a burger and some jazz after work--even if work these days is akin to being fire marshall in hell.

Hey Joe. I'm the guy in Long Beach with the Klipsch Cornwall system that I fine tuned SPECIFICALLY to make old Blue Notes sound as good as possible (to my ears, anyway). I am indeed SLAMMED in every way you can imagine due to the ongoing WGA strike, but my weekend afternoons are usually wide open and I would love to have you over to my place so that we could do some listening. I have to tell you, my system is probably not the end-all for your new pressings--I am sure that a modern plastic turntable with a $5000 cartrdige would really do them justice, but it would really cool to hear them here as well! Pop me an email: allansonger@omegacinemaprops.com

Not too many stand out for me, but the one I have played the most is: http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Duets-Live-Dizzys-Coca-Cola/dp/B000O5BP5U/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1198259082&sr=8-1

Laurie Pepper has been making a movie for about five years. I helped out with some vintage props early in the poject, but I think it's stalled. I can't imagine she'll be able to finish it.. Plus, it's not really a "conventional" film. http://straightlife.org/

Bille sang the blues. She also sang pop standards and orginal compositions as well. She is the greatest female jazz singer. Period. I have about 50 Billie Holiday LPs and a whole mess of 78s too. Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop

Uh, actually I'm sitting here depressed as hell at the prospect of laying off 50 people over the nest 2-3 weeks. The writer's are on strike and our business will shrivel to about 10-15% of normal revenue during the strike. It's going to be a long, cold, SH!TTY winter in Los Angeles.

You've been to the "big time" L.A. jazz clubs, Scott. 25 people listening to Jack Sheldon at Jax? 75 at Charlie O's for the likes of John Heard and Roy McCurdy? Maybe 150 people at The Bakery for Benny Golson? That's the state of jazz these days. But next time you come to L.A., try to stay over on a Monday--big band night at Charlie O's is pretty amazing. The Frank Capp big band is there about once a month--very much in the Basie bag.

Made for the Japanese market--at least that's what I remember. Never saw one in the USA, anyway. I don't get it. "Taco'ed?" I thought I'd heard just about every ethnic slur imaginable, but this one is new to me. Sigh . . .

Now why did you have to go and say THAT!!??! It's just that I've heard almost ALL of the various reissues over the years--the fine KING pressings from Japan in the 70's/80's, the later Toshiba pressings, the Classic Records Stereo pressings, the Classic Records 45rpm pressings, the Classic "mono deep groove" pressings, and many others. I have yet to hear a reissue that can beat a nice original. I have heard quite a few of the Prestige 45 rpm pressings and found them to be very good indeed--some titles sounded better than my originals and others fell quite a bit short. But all of them had some problems in the treble for me--a bit too hot. Maybe I'm just USED to how they've always sounded to me after 30+ years of listening, but I don't think I can get past it--perhaps this is MY shortcoming, but it doesn't matter why. So now you come along and tempt me!! LOL! I can't justify buying too many of these, but a few choice favorites will be in the mix I'm sure!

Any time, buddy. Any time. And I'll buy you dinner and an evening at the best little jazz club on the west coast . . . .

BINGO! Drop the needle on a dead mint mono deep groove first pressing Blue Note and tell me again how these new Steve H. 45 rpm versions are "definitive."

Can't do it. Spent too much time, effort and money getting all of the originals. Sold all of my Japanese KING pressings years ago and I doubt these would be any better, really. But I'll bet they're gonna be good. I just hope Hoffman doesn't sizzle them up like he's been known to do . . . .

My favorite LP with Joe:

Wrong 289, Duke. This is a STUDEBAKER 289, not that brand-X crap! Factory forged steel crank, gear driven cam, solid lifters, STOUT forged steel rods--they NEVER come apart, Well, not NEVER--saw one explode running 14 pounds of boost from dual Paxtons once. Studebaker head (with a bit of work I must admit!), Intakes are 2.02, exhaust a puny 1.54. But these flow pretty well for heads designed in 1951 (this version is the "big valve" head brought out in 1957 for the Golden Hawk). Studebaker introduced the all-steel pickup bed in 1937. Chevy followed about 25 years later.

My wifes' '55 Studebaker half-ton V8 pickup is pretty much done! Still waiting on the hood ornament from George Iverson, but it's been shipped--all we have to do is paint the "8" red on it, bolt it on and we're good to go. After 4 1/2 months off the road, this truck will be back in daily service as of Monday!!! It's almost TOO nice to be a daily driver! The interior was done to my wife's specs. Leather with a Pendelton Indian Blanket insert on the back and the famous "Studebaker Thunderbird" painted on the glovebox door. Plus, she wanted RED sun visors, so there they are! I think the truck turned out fantastic-- my wife's from Tucson and this is the Studebaker truck she's always wanted-- it's her "Arizona Desert Truck." Check out the last pic--it's the frame rail mounted dual master cylinder with booster! It fits! Barely! But it fits and works REALLY well!!

I relube the spindle every 2 or 3 years. I changed the belt twice. I oiled the motor once. I've been running this table DAILY for 15 years with ZERO problems. The TD124 is a piece of industrial machinery designed to run 24-7. As long as you USE it and keep it lubed it might well out last you!!!

Send it to Mike Zuccaro. He knows more about the 10B than anyone I've ever met and will be a good deal cheaper than Audio Classics . . . http://members.aol.com/mjzuccaro/myhomepage/business.html I too have one of these--it's a boat anchor--it's a model 10 (as opposed to a 10B) and Mike spent a month with it and couldn't fix it. Sure is pretty, though . . .

Think I'll go spin Possum Head right now!!

The back room at the Lennox Lounge is a great place to hear music--small, great sound (don't really know WHY, but the sound in that room is territic). It's at 125th and Lennox in Harlem. Last time I was there we heard Jimmy McGriff and Reuben Wilson. How was Seet Poppa Lou last night?

Frame up. Started on it mid-April. Got about 200 miles on the motor. Just doing this chassis dyno for fun. It's a 289 with some VERY mildly reworked "high compression" (8.5:1 LOL!) heads. The Stude V8 is a pretty amazing engine--came from the factory with a forged crank and rods, gear driven cam, solid lifters, etc. Never ever once seen the bottom end let go on a Studebaker V8 and that included MANY Paxton blown motors. The weakness is the heads--small valves, siamesed center exhaust ports--but they flow OK with VERY mild porting. Certainly good enough for THIS old pickup! The stock 224 V8 was rated at 145 HP--this one probably puts out about 225 at the crank and I'm hoping for 190 at the rear wheels. My blown '64 Lark type was bored .093 over, had SERIOUSLY reworked heads (I still have them--over 100 hours in them back in the 80s), full floating pins, forged Venolia pistons. It put out about 330 at the rear wheels.