1. All That Jazz (2:00)
2. Gossip (1:46)
3. Night Music (2:08)
4. Like Wow (1:53)
5. Two Little Kooks (2:04)
6. Two Beatniks (2:18)
7. Kerazy (2:04)
8. It Ain't Grendalstag (1:54)
Beat poetry and jazz fans may recognize some of these titles immediately. They're all from Don Morrow's 1961 Roulette release, GRIMM'S HIP FAIRY TALES. Only you won't find a bit of Morrow's vocals on this, as these are the raw studio recordings of Mort Lindsey and his band, which included Doc Severinson on trumpet and Phil Bodner on reeds.
This is a 78 RPM acetate, either for review by the suits or perhaps as playback for Morrow's recording session. Whoever owned this before me scratched off the artist name, and it was only by cross-referencing the track names that I was able to figure out what it was. Those are my handwritten notes on the label. Typos in the track names are courtesy of whoever put it on there ("Kerazy" should be "Kerouazy").
Like most acetates, this one's got some heavy surface wear, but also some surprising fidelity throughout the spectrum. I've left in the odd bits of control-room chatter, and astute listeners will hear Lindsey count in the beat on "Two Beatniks."
This is some terrific bite-sized jazz from Lindsey, who worked extensively in television and film, notably arranging Gay Purr-ee and winning a primetime Emmy for A Happening in Central Park.
The finished album is prized by collectors of beat-era jazz, although Morrow was accused of lifting the concept from Al "Jazzbo" Collins. Here's your chance to enjoy the tunes without the vocal overdubs.
nice! thanks for the upload
Posted by: mike | February 06, 2009 at 08:55 PM