Featured Album:
067 | Gerry Mulligan & Johnny Hodges | Mulligan Meets Hodges | Verve MG V 8367 | 1960
Alternative Liner Notes
Many jazz enthusiasts cite this album as one of the great meet ups in the genre and really if we think about it, it’s a bit of a no brainer. What could possibly go wrong? This recording date in Los Angeles, 17 November 1960 to be precise, saw two giants working side by side, one on the small sax, the other on the big one, and both complementing one another equally. From the opening few bars of ‘Sunny’, it becomes obvious that these two musicians were meant to play with each other, the playful interplay between the alto and baritone skittering along with such ease, its hard to imagine but smiles coming from behind the recording console, whoever that might be, the notes are sketchy. What is known for certain is that Mulligan and Hodges were in good company in front of the said console, with Claude Williamson on piano, Buddy Clark on bass and Mel Lewis on drums. In places these three musicians sparkle, not least on ‘What’s the Rush’, where Williamson’s piano does most of the talking. The compositions are divided equally between Mulligan and Hodges, with the two musicians bringing three originals each to the party. With Gerry Mulligan steeped in the West Coast sound and the one-time Duke Ellington sideman being New York through and through, it must’ve been a refreshing change for Hodges to be flown over to California for this special date. I can’t imagine my record collection without this one in it.
Playlist:
Mean to Me – Buck Clayton (Songs for Swingers)
Sunny – Gerry Mulligan & Johnny Hodges (Mulligan Meets Hodges)
Brilliant Corners – Thelonious Monk (Brilliant Corners)
Topsy – Paul Bley (Paul Bley)
Fat Mama Blues – Mezzrow Bechet Quintet (Gone Away Blues)
Back Beat – Gerry Mulligan & Johnny Hodges (Mulligan Meets Hodges)
Alabama Jubilee – Muggsy Spanier (And His Dixieland Band)
Lullaby of the Leaves – Grant Green (Grant’s First Stand)
18 Carrots for Rabbit – Gerry Mulligan & Johnny Hodges (Mulligan Meets Hodges)
Archive Alternative Liner Notes
Featured Album:
376 | Lindisfarne | Nicely Out of Tune | Charisma CAS 1025 | 1970
Alternative Liner Notes
Though there have been several line-ups of the band over the years, there’s few who could doubt that Lindisfarne’s heyday was back in the early 1970s, with the release of three strong albums created by the original five members of Alan Hull, Rod Clements, Ray Jackson, Simon Cowe and Ray Laidlaw. Once Alan Hull joined the four members of the Geordie band, The Brethren, things began to fall into place with the five musicians soon becoming Newcastle’s favourite sons and in turn one of the country’s finest live acts. Largely ignored at the time, the band’s debut album Nicely Out of Tune found favour only after the success of it’s follow up, 1971’s Fog on the Tyne, which saw the band’s rise in popularity on the rock scene. With its vivid yellow sleeve, the album soon found its audience and its lead song ‘Lady Eleanor’ was reissued and in turn, found its way to number 3 in the UK singles charts albeit a remixed version. Most of the songs were written by Alan Hull, with the exception of ‘Road to Kingdom’ and ‘The Things I Should Have Said’ by Rod Clements, ‘Jackhammer Blues’, by Woody Guthrie and ‘Turn a Deaf Ear’ by the band’s Scots pal Rab Noakes. One or two songs from the album would remain in Lindisfarne’s live set for many years, notably ‘Lady Eleanor’, but also ‘Clear White Light (Pt 2)’, ‘Winter Song’ and a particular live favourite ‘We Can Swing Together’, a phrase later included in the next album’s lead song ‘Fog on the Tyne’ song. Strangely, the band chose to feature a London setting for the cover shot rather than their beloved home town, which dominated the follow up’s gatefold sleeve.
Playlist:
Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival (Willy and the Poor Boys)
Big Ted – Incredible String Band (Changing Horses)
Lady Eleanor – Lindisfarne (Nicely Out of Tune)
Town Feeling – Kevin Ayers (Joy of a Toy)
Primrose Hill – John Martyn and Beverley Martyn (The Road to Ruin)
The Chime of a City Clock – Nick Drake (Bryter Layter)
Song for Juli – Jesse Colin Young (Song for Juli)
Winter Song – Lindisfarne (Nicely Out of Tune)
Dean – Terry Reid (River)
Hometown – Wishbone Ash (There’s the Rub)
I Talk to the Wind – King Crimson (In the Court of the Crimson King)
Clear White Light – Lindisfarne (Nicely Out of Tune)
Archive Alternative Liner Notes
Al Wilko is a radio presenter and singer/songwriter from Doncaster, who has presented radio shows for many years, including specialist programmes covering Folk & Roots music, World music and Jazz, plus Rock music from the pre-Punk rock era, hence his weekly Flick the Dust Off show, which looks at albums released between the mid-60s and mid-70s. Al also spins Jazz and Blues records once a month at the popular Donny Scott’s Jazz & Blues session held on the first Saturday afternoon of the month at the Doncaster Brewery & Tap, together with co-running the Fingers & Frets session, held on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Little Plough in Doncaster. This experimental acoustic ‘sing-around’ encourages performers to leave their visual gadgets and lyric sheets at home.
Al’s radio shows are broadcast weekly on Sine FM:
The Jazz File, Tuesday 8pm, repeat Wednesday 1pm
Flick the Dust Off, Friday 10am, repeat Saturday 9am
