Lester Young’s porkpie hat
A classic cover shot by the brilliant photographer Herman Leonard. On Norgran records featuring Lester Young.
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A classic cover shot by the brilliant photographer Herman Leonard. On Norgran records featuring Lester Young.
Norgran (i.e., NORman GRANz) records compilation lp with Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie and Bill Harris.
What a nice portrait of the beautiful, soulful, jazzy, political and proud Nina Simone deep in thought. The photo is uncredited, but there’s a good chance it was done by Burt Goldblatt who did many for Bethlehem at this time.
Nina Simone and Her Friends (1959) is actually a compilation album of Bethlehem recording stars including Simone and her label mates Chris Connor and Carmen McCrae. The Nina Simone tracks were recorded in New York City in 1957 with Simone singing and on piano, Jimmy Bond on bass and Al Heath on drums. Her four songs here are “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands,” “I Loves You Porgy,” “For All We Know” and the instrumental “African Mailman”.
Good Gracious! (1963) Blue Note 4125 Cover Photo: Ronnie Brathwaite Cover Design: Reid Miles Model: Rose Nelmes Recording: Rudy Van Gelder Liner Notes: Joe Goldberg
Lou Donaldson, Alto Sax; Grant Green, Guitar; John Patton; Ben Dixon, Drums
Side One: Bad John/The Holy Ghost/Cherry
Side Two: Caracas/Good Gracious/Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me
Billy Holiday on Commodore Records Cover Photo: Skippy Adelman Cover Art: John DeVries
A collection of 78 records from two sessions one from 1939 and the other from 1943. Included is the two-sided hit and best-selling record of her career “Strange Fruit” and “Fine and Mellow”.
Billie Holiday to Nat Hentoff as recalled in his book “Hear Me Talkin’ to Ya” — “I don’t think I’m singing. I feel like I’m playing a horn.” “I try to improvise like Les Young. like Louis Armstrong, or someone else I admire. What comes out is what I feel.” Amen.
Cover photo: Charles Stewart Notes by: Ralph J. Gleason
“A wild, swinging, demoniac, funky, hilarious, way-out, continental, down home, home-cooked, volatile, expoobident, grooy, bombastic, stoned, risque, hip, incredible, orgiastic, superstitious, finger-popping, rabelasian, didactic, crowd-pleasing, recherche, humanitarian, nitty gritty, spontaneous, unspeakable Sunday Afternoon with Babs Gonzales at Small’s Paradise (1963) on Dauntless records.
Babs Gonzales (vocalist and raconteur) with Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Clark Terry (trumpet and flugelhorn), Horace Parlan (piano), Buddy Catlett (bass), Ben Riley (drums).
Babs passed away in 1980 in his home in New Jersey. Try to find his book “I, Paid My Dues.” (Good times – no bread, a story of jazz). Expubidence Publishing Corp., East Orange, NJ. 1967.