Seb Palmer

I have my uncle Terry to thank for introducing me to these guys. I mentioned that I like plainchant. He loaned me a CD of this exact recording. And I loved it. Still do.

I’ve now got a fair few CDs by this French combo’. I believe they’re based out of Moissac, the cloisters of which are the picture on the cover. Moissac is mentioned, and indeed viewed, in Kenneth Clark’s superb Civilisation.

I’m not Christian. Nor even religious. But I do love this music. I’m not a fan of religious Oratorios. Religious opera? (Indeed, any Opera*) Eugh!

* The only opera I’ve found palatable is the odd piece (Nessun Dorma, a few bits of Wagner), or the Light Operas of Gilbert & Sullivan. And I’ve only been won over to the latter, I think, thanks to Mike Leigh’s superb Topsy Turvy.

The lyrics are all in Latin, and none too catchy. All those monotonous ‘Allelujas’! But since it’s all nonsense, anyway, I’m only really here for the melodies, harmonies, and the overall calming and contemplative vibes.

I need to revisit as much of the Ensemble Organum that I have, and get to know it all a bit better, methinks. At present I think this is my favourite of the discs I own. Is it partly on account of the timber of an all male choir?

Certainly there’s a marked difference between the unison anonymity of this sort of vocal music, as compared with the ‘stars vs chorus’ of opera, which to my mind is like a religious analogue of the modern day musical. Another genre I’m mostly averse to.

The above news from Amazon is super exciting! After eight days straight of work (after the enforced hiatus resulting from the death of Ruby), I’m taking today off.

The earlier this new poichase arrives, the better. Given that I’ll be free to read and peruse it. I did extra shifts just to raise the necessary funds to allow me to buy it.

So excited… can’t wait!

Fabulously and aptly moody music from Miles and crew here, on the expanded OST recordings for Louis Malle’s movie.

The sessions were in Paris, in 1957 (I think?), and find Miles with a trio of French jazzers – Barney Wilen (tenor sax), René Urtreger (piano) , Pierre Michelin (bass) – and fellow American abroad, Kenny ‘Klook’ Clarke (drums).

This CD augments the official release with lots of outtakes. 26 tracks in all, nine of which are ‘duplicates’, albeit in alternate take form.

But tracks 1-10 don’t repeat at all. Making them a straightforward listen. This is my first listen to this in donkeys years. And I probably listened to an unexpanded version, back whenever…

But so far, it’s fab…

Woah!!!

As he himself says, during the talking segment (at the end), we’re used to seeing Carter McLean on smaller kits. This new yellow one is, by contrast, a real monster!

He’s an absolutely phenomenal drummer. With chops to burn, but he always plays with exquisite touch and feel. So very, very musical.

You can really see and hear how much these awesome new instruments are inspiring him. The kit looks and sounds utterly amazing. And he’s clearly having an absolute ball.

During the talking section at the end of the video, he explains everything about the kit: the sizes, the finish (a tribute to Tony Williams and Elvin Jones kits of the ‘70s), the build (three ply: maple, poplar mahogany).

Two kick drums, a 20” and a 24”. I can’t see the display head in the bigger kick. But the 20” has a very groovy Yellow Submarine printed graphic.

Videos like this are, simultaneously, super inspiring, and rather off-putting. The former because they show the pure joy of musical expression. The latter, because the standard is so high.

Anyway, what a kit! And what a drummer! Thanks for sharing the love and the skill with us all, Carter.

Ah… it’s great to have one’s expectations met. Or better yet, exceeded. And this disc does both. I’m sat listening to it as I type. And it’s just fantastic!

The excellent little booklet that comes with this expanded re-release album features numerous images from the contact sheets of the boys playing at the venue. And also, rather wonderfully, this:

I think there are fourty-four numbers in this three set odyssey! Talk about an embarrassment of riches. And the list is annotated, presumably in relation to notes made on listening back to recordings.

One thing that makes a striking contrast with The Contenders, who I looked at and listened to briefly recently, ‘cause Walt and Champ were involved, is how the original contributions by all three members of UWB are uniformly brilliant. Whereas I didn’t like the non-UWB contributions to The Contenders.*

I love all three of the guys! They’re beautiful, talented, soulful. The works. Deschamp Hoods’ stuff I find particularly beguiling. He does a Bach thing with David, on his ‘feature’ spot (not on this disc), and his ‘Mock, Mock, Mockingbird’ here is stupendous.

David Ball, the lone survivor of the trio, went on to solo success. Walt and Champ both kept up musical endeavours, on the fringes of success/recognition. Rather sadly, Champ Hood was working on his only solo project as leader – Bon Haven – when he passed. I must get it.

And, with perfect synchronicity, we hit another Hood original – ‘The More I See You’ – right on cue! It’s great that Lyle Lovett championed these guys. There’s a bit of Lovett stuff on YouTube with Walt and Champ as featured guests.

To my mind the only ‘immortal soul’ aspect of life – and it’s not some kind of ectoplasmic entity – is how we may or may not, as Napoleon rightly observed, live on in history, via the monuments we leave behind, and the memories that live on in others.

And what monuments these three have left behind! Playing as I type is the utterly gorgeous lightly jazzy ballad ‘Desiree’. I usually loathe arco bass in jazz and folk, etc (often horribly out of tune!). In this track David bows his bass, and Champ plays fiddle… and it’s sublime!

I might go back and amend some of these UWB star ratings to six. I can’t say how much I love this stuff. Cannot recommend these cats enough!

* Ironically, having said this, there’s a track on here, ‘Snowing Me Under’, credited to Steve Runkle, which is brilliant.

FOOTNOTE:

This already brilliant CD ends with a beautiful track by Brazilian composer Moacir Santos. I’ve heard this track dissed as MOR elsewhere online. Couldn’t disagree more. I love the music of Brazil. And it’s clear Walt and co. did too. Way to go, guys!

My father had Your Mama Don’t Dance on vinyl, when I was a kid. What a terrific album! The above photo is from the same sessions that produced the cover for the aforementioned Mama.

The first recordings I’ve found Kynard playing on are three Pacific jazz releases. He’s a featured side man on two, and as leader on one.

After these Pacific Jazz recordings came a string of releases on the Prestige label, which find Kynard now well established as a leader.

I believe I have a CD that combines Soul Brotherhood with Reelin’ With The Feelin’? And a few others in mp3 only format.

Three more albums as leader would follow, on Bob Shad’s Mainstream imprint.

And this is where I discovered him (thanks, dad!):

I’ve now got several other albums by Kynard, in various formats. I thought it’d be nice to gather together what I could about the man and his music in a single post. Including a complete(-ish?) pictorial discography.

For more info on Charles, check this website, Kynard.com. Another one taken far too soon, aged just 46. The above linked bio’ doesn’t say exactly how he passed, only that ‘The good Lord called Charles E. Kynard home July 8, 1979 as he sat at the organ that day playing the music he loved so much.’

At least he went out swingin’!

It seems that 1973’s Your Mama was his last official solo LP. He appears on just one cut – opener, ‘Smiling Faces Sometimes’ – on another Mainstream release, 1974’s Booty.

Discogs.com lists two more releases, called Nostalgic Trip Vol. I and II. Both of these appear to be all Gospel stuff. These look like they may be ‘private press’ releases by the Kynard family? There are no dates for these. I’d love to hear all of this stuff!

I posted the following as arather lengthy reply/riposte to a post by Dean Rudland on Facebook, in which he waxes lyrical about a compilation album that was a formative influence on him.

Great story!

I’d like to share a counterpoint. Why? Because so many folk I read about come from the Mod or Punk end of things. Which both are and were deemed ‘cool’. And that wasn’t my own experience!

I came to all things jazzical from more of a Hippy/Rock perspective!

One of my first musical loves was Thin Lizzy. And they had funk n soul aplenty! ‘Call The Police’, from Shades of a Blue Orphange is funky unison riff heaven. And ‘Still In Love With You’ is a soul ballad par excellence (Sade covers it!). ‘Nightlife’, and ‘Jonny the Fox’ continue their digging into the funky soul bag. People think of Lizzy as dunderheaded rockers. It was always their mellow soul I liked best.

And acts like Cream, Led Zep, and Santana? They are drenched in black American music. Cream’s funky rendition of Albert King’s ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’, and Santana’s Woodstock ‘Soul Sacrifice’ are the two reasons I started drumming.

But when it comes to the records in your parents collection, I was blessed inasmuch as my dad had these:

In Flight, by George Benson; Silk, by Fuse One; Your Mama Don’t Dance, Charles Kynard…

The best ‘compilation’ I recall from that era was by a hippy country/Americana outfit, and was called ‘Woodstock Mountain, Music From Mud Acres’, with folk like John Sebastian (Lovin’ Spoonful, etc), Happy and Arty Traum (what names!), and loads more.

That was on a cassette. On the other side? ‘Dawg Music’, by virtuoso mandolinist, Dave Grisman. With Stephan Granelli guesting on some cuts. Man, both these albums blew my young mind, and sent me on lifelong journeys of impassioned love for the art of musical creativity.

It’s largely thanks to the Grisman/Mud Acres stuff – as well as a live of jazz, of course – that I have such a passion for ‘bull fiddle’. So much so I own and play one!

Today’s Tee. Hidden under today’s sweatshirt. what’s the point, eh!

I love my blue Musicwise sweater! It’s one of a number if tops I’ve bought over the years from Jonny Trunk.

One in the eye for the Puritans who imagine that our own admittedly debauched era invented sexuality.

Lil’ is my kind a gal! Mo’ power to you, Lil! ♥️

Well, this is good! I recently set up my Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz kit. All my kits had been packed away, for quite a number of months. And I hadn’t been playing for a good long while prior to packing them up.

A few fairly recent events in my life had precipitated the worst depression of my life so far. And I’ve had a few such episodes over the years, alas. Both energy and desire had vanished from my life.

It was all I could do to survive, from day to day. There was nothing left in the tank for such past passions as musical creativity, or even just maintenance level practice.

I’d decided it was all just a delusional waste of time and energy. I was crushed, and beaten, by the vicissitudes of life. I’d come to the conclusion I should jack it all in.

And as a result of such thinking, and poverty, I’ve already sold quite a substantial chunk of gear. Some of which decluttering is probably a good thing. But I’ve also parted with stuff I’d far rather have kept.

But I feel that I might be gradually emerging from the slough of despond. The desire to set up my kit and play it came upon me. And it feels good. I’m rustier than a… erm, rusty thang!?

But you gotta start where you’re at. Ain’t no place else one can start from!