Charles Mingus

On the turntable tonight .....

Stumbled across this in an antique mall where my longtime local record store (now closed), keeps a booth.

From 1966 on the Fantasy Records label. 'Right Now,' a live recording from one of the greatest names in jazz history, bassist, Charles Mingus. 

Saturday Vinyl Finds

The working day over, I ran to the local record store / drum shop, this afternoon to see what I might find ....

I've had a thing for jazz acoustic bass players lately. Stumbled across three that qualify.

I went through a saxophone phase (but not soprano) and then a trumpet/trombone phase and it's since evolved into an acoustic bass phase. There was a piano period in there at some point also. I can't visualize a drum or flute phase but who knows?

The shop owner informed me that these records just came in to the shop. Like I've said more than once before: "Timing is everything."

And I was excited to find another on the ECM label.

1) Oscar Pettiford - 'Blue Brothers' .... from 1973 on the Black Lion Records label. I love these little known but often fascinating record labels.

2) Dave Holland - 'Emerald Tears' .... from 1978 on ECM Records.

3) Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen - 'The Eternal Traveller' .... from 1985 on Pablo Records.

None of these were there the last time I was in. This is one memory issue that I don't have struggles with.

This is my idea of an exciting Saturday these days. Time spent quelling addictive urges, flipping through hundreds of previously owned records resulting in two or three vinyl discoveries. (Even had I found only one, it would have been exciting.) There are few places I'd rather be. And few modes I'd rather be in than full-on vinyl nerd mode.

Kham Meslien

I noticed a person that I follow on Twitter, tweet about this recording, and because I've been obsessed with Jazz bassists of late ......

Kham Meslien - 'Fantomes ... Futurs.' Recently released in September and on vinyl. 

It feels like I ordered it a decade ago and it finally arrived today. It had been so long that I was thinking I had ordered a compact disc so was puzzled as to what was in the vinyl shaped packaging on my doorstep. Though I'm feeling ecstatic now that it's vinyl. 

Kham Meslien plays double bass, both bowed and plucked. Fascinating listening. Amazing album cover photo, overriding any possible uncertainty or hesitation towards deciding to purchase. 

The French album title translates to: 'Ghosts ... Future.'