Great atmospheric live gig. Dick Morrissey is on fire. Phil Seamen too.
David Illingworth ~ Jazz Journal Vol20 No2, February 1967
Undoubtedly the best Witherspoon album for many a year, though perhaps my pleasure was enhanced by the memory of several performances by Morrissey and Spoon. It is in fact a Quintet on this record; a complete whole, singer and backing. South and Bates create a solid background, and Seamen blasts the session along like an after-burner. The boy from Sutton County Grammar School gives Spoon the best tenor backing he has had since Ben Webster was behind him. On occasions he comes on like the old Fats Domino man Herb Hardesty—a direct rhythm-and-blues attack, but not vulgar. Those who have heard this combination over the past year or so will need no encouragement to buy this LP—the recording has been well done, despite the limitations the warm little room at Barnes may have suggested in this respect. Spoon is in fine form, and this is perhaps, his best recording ever—uncluttered by an all-star backing. The less interesting spots are the fast / Gotta Girl and Kansas City and Percy Mayfield's over-sentimental Someone To Love. But the word is less not least. Buy it.
Jimmy Witherspoon - vocals
Dick Morrissey - tenor
Harry South - piano
Phil Bates - bass
Phil Seamen - drums
01 I Gotta Girl
02 Trouble In Mind
03 Nobody Knows How I Feel This Morning
04 New Down Home Blues
05 Kansas City
06 Compact Car
07 Piney Brown's Blues
08 Big Fine Girl
09 Send Me Someone To Love
10 Lotus Blossom
11 St Louis Blues
Label: Fontana STL 5382
Recorded: May 23 1966 Bulls Head, Barnes, London
Lineage: LP>FLAC
Great to see this here Rodney, I love this album. There are two bonus tracks from the same session issued on the Fontana album 'Americans In Europe'.
ReplyDeletegreat session. fire yes. but this is mono and therefore from TL5382. never seen nor heard the stereo cut. but two more titles from this session in stereo on 'Americans In Europe' once also up Lair. I have dubs of these but Grumpy's must be better.
ReplyDeleteTom Lord's discography only lists a mono number - so it looks like "STL5382" belongs in the mythology with Buddy Bolden's cylinder. Oh, for the good old days of "double inventory". Obviously by the time 'American in Europe' was released *that* nonsense had been knocked on the head once and for all! (and good riddance!). Anyway, thanks to all concerned for posting such a great album.
DeleteThanks very much for this post. I was a regular at the Bull and was actually at this recording. My lp is nearly white through playing, so this upgrade is most welcome.I find it surprising that this session has not been reissued on cd, copyright problems perhaps ?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Rodney and jazzuk!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to write many thanks to grumpy.
DeleteSorry...
Gratefull thanks, looking forward to this one, the comments above are very encouraging.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rodney and grumpy! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteRe stereo issues: very few were sold in the UK in the mid '60s, they were more expensive and so was the equipment necessary to play them. In the US such things were relatively cheap at the time. In the UK by the 70s every release was stereo and some in quadrophonic - I believe they call it a technological revolution!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally I bought my first stereo system in 1966 when I was a student, it cost about £30, paid for with my winnings at roulette! My first job after my student days paid £7.50 a week, puts it into perspective.
Many thanks to Grumpy and Rodney. Tom Lord is wrong. I have a stereo copy of this album - Fontana STL 5382, but not the Buddy Bolden cylinder!
ReplyDeletepretty soon into the mid 60s mono disappeared replaced by so called 'stereo playable mono' -- whatever the -- er --- heck -- that means. what it did mean was that folks with mono gear naffed them up and buying secondhand was also rather like roulette. not to be detected by the eye, you only discovered the rice crispyness on playing. I still have too many in my shelves. I guess stereo is better, especially for recapturing the pungencies of the Bull's Head. I used to get there at least an hour early and occupy the unbacked hunching forward small stool in the middle of the front row. but not in 1966 for I was too young and not allowed entry.in 1966 it must have been peephole smoky cellar roulette ?
ReplyDelete@jazzandylan, any chance of getting together with Rodney for a rip of the stereo version?
ReplyDeleteHi Grumpy. Very happy to do so if it's OK with Rodney.
DeleteEnhanced mono and duophonic, both emanating from the USA, were two other names given to the monstrous idea of reissuing old recordings for people who had spent a fortune on stereo equipment. As with most things American we followed in their wake. It seems the mono signal was split in two, the bass increased on one channel and the treble on the other. To appreciate fully how awful this was, try listening to one of these on headphones. When Kenton reissued his Capitol back catalogue on the Creative World label, he subjected all the mono material to this process, rendering them virtually unlistenable. To their credit, the Japanese would have none of it. If it was recorded in mono, that's how it stayed. As far as genuine stereo recordings are concerned, I recall that as so few people had stereo equipment initially, most record shops only stocked mono recordings but would order you a stereo copy, hence the relative rarity of some early stereo issues.
ReplyDeleteThe plan is to rip the stereo LP when jazzandylan pays me a visit on Wednesday 17 September. The result will be posted here in due course so if you are interested in it, please keep an eye on this post.
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing at all to do with Jimmy Witherspoon but it did take place at the Bull's Head.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago I went to see Stan Tracey and his quartet with Gerald Presencer on trumpet. It was years since I had seen Stan live so I was really looking forward to it.
I went with a friend and we parked up on Lonsdale Road, a stone's throw from the Bull, on the Thames embankment, had a nice meal in a local Italian restaurant and went on to the gig.
Got a good seat near the front and waited for the action. Just before the scheduled start an unkempt, long-haired old man, wearing an ankle length raincoat shuffled on to the stage carrying a Tesco carrier bag. He then proceeded to put out the band parts on the stands for the musicians and then shuffled off. I thought that this was a nice touch, paying some old guy a couple of quid to help him out.
The gig started bang on time, the musicians filed on stage and there was the old man in the long raincoat who sat down at the piano.
It was Stan.
To round off the evening, when we got back to the car some kind soul had smashed the wing mirror and left it hanging by a thread. Ah well, that's what happens when you drive a Rolls Royce. Jealous sods.
Coincidentally, we have a Stan Tracey with Gerald Presencer scheduled for posting next Wednesday. Good story, especially as fictional in parts.
DeleteGerard, not Gerald. Both of us. :-D
DeleteI have many great memories of Bull's gigs. the 'intimacy' meant you were closer to jazz greats than anywhere else. also the small bar extension in the room meant it was relatively quiet. 'Dave' used to collect the meagre fee but I forget the barman's name. anybody ? look forward to hearing these, at last, in stereo. perhaps grumpy could please add the missing two tracks from 'Americans In Europe.'
ReplyDeleteThe barmans name was Conn (a retired burglar !) who always recognised me and my mates when we walked through the door and by the time we got to the bar there were three pints of Youngs waiting for us !! The interval pub for the musicians (and us) was the Waterman's Arms tucked in between the two entrances of the Bull. The pub was owned by a lovely lady and her son, known as "Sailor" was brilliant. Phil Seaman was often there and drank a Merrydown cider (8%) with a scotch in it. I tried to keep up with him a couple of times when we were having a chat, but in the end I stuck to bitter !! Happy days.
Delete@zoot: Americans In Europe is an LP of out-takes from several Fontana albums. As many of the musicians on the tracks are British I assume that Rodney will be posting it here in the future.
DeleteYou are of course a member at the Lair where it's already posted, email me grumpywon(a)gmail.com if you've lost the address.
It is already posted here - 0330 - contributed by one "grumpy". Jazzandylan pointed this out to me. Thinking about including the two tracks with the stereo version of this album when available. They both seem to be in stereo so perhaps appropriate. We'll see. Will repeat at the Lair anyway, however it ends up.
DeleteYes, of course, Conn. Or Con ? Short for --- er-- ? I visit the Lair every day,a world wonder. I have own copy of LP 'Americans' but thought it appropriate that the complete Spoon session be posted here -- in stereo now even !
ReplyDeleteCornelius? I knew someone once called Big Con - he was Irish and big he really was. Good bloke.
DeleteWonderful album. I bought the original when it came out but it's a bit worse for wear now so I was very grateful when grumpy posted a better copy over at the Lair (plus the bonus tracks). I saw Phil Seamen about this time at a pub near Tower Bridge and an abiding memory is a cigarette seemingly defying gravity, stuck to his bottom lip throughout the set. He did look pretty strung out.
ReplyDeleteNew link -
ReplyDeletehttps://1fichier.com/?b02igrxq88