2CDESSENTIAL GOLDGREAT ARTISTS’ GREATEST PERFORMANCES PRESENTEDON 2 CD SETS FOR ONE LOW PRICE! (Through 4/30/10)SLIM HARPO, Excello Singles AnthologyA & B sides to every one of his Excellosingles – “King Bee,” “Buzz Me Baby”,“Rainin’ in my Heart,” “Baby Scratch MyBack,” etc… 44 tracks (B583)ELLA FITZGERALD, GoldWhile it’s nearly impossible to summarizeMs Fitzgerald’s career in just 40 tracks,this is a great place to start.(B9511)STAN GETZ, Gold26 tracks of hard pop and a healthydose of Bossa Nova(B11333)SARAH VAUGHAN, Gold30 trx from “If You Could See Me Now”to “Send In <strong>The</strong> Clowns,” this, too, is agreat place to start…(B9454)MAYNARD FERGUSON, EssentialContains 30 tracks from his EmArcy,Roulette, Columbia, Concord recordings.Truly career spanning!(C05164)JACO PASTORIUS, EssentialWith solo tracks as well as appearanceswith Weather Report, Joni Mitchell andPat Metheny. 27 tracks.(C01287)JOHN MCLAUGHL<strong>IN</strong>, Essentialw/ solo tracks as well as appearanceswith Mahavishnu Orchestra, CarlosSantana, Shakti, Tony Williams, Trio ofDoom, Miles Davis and more!23 tracks (C06831)VARIOUS ARTISTS / Jazz Divas – Gold35 tracks of the best tracks by the greatwomen singers. Ella, Billie, Peggy, Sarah,Dinah, Morgana, Nancy, Etta, Nina, Betty,Blossom (who needs last names?)(B9747)THE CRUSADERS, Gold – from the Jazz Crusaders(Freedom Sound, Young Rabbits) to the later pop-influencedCrusaders tracks (Street <strong>Life</strong>, Soul Shadows) thiscovers all aspects of their long and varied career. 30 trx(B8268)AL DIMEOLA, Anthology 2 1/2 hours of material fromDiMeola’s solo career including 4 previously unreleasedlive tracks. 20 trx (C63556)ASTRUD GILBERTO, Gold - 36 genre defining trx –includes <strong>The</strong> Girl from Ipanema, Corcovado, Dindi, andmany more – (B11284)MAHALIA JACKSON, Essential 37 tracks from theundisputed Queen of Gospel music. (C89067)ETTA JAMES, Gold 36 classic tracks from her Chess catalogueand more! At Last, All I Could Do was Cry, Trust inMe, Pushover, etc… (B8127)TAJ MAHAL, Essential 36 tracks covering most of thebluesmans’ career (C94967)N<strong>IN</strong>A SIMONE, Gold 35 great trx - from her definitivereading of I Loves you Porgy, to Four Women, Don’t LetMe Be Misunderstood, Mississippi Goddamn, My BabyJust Cares for Me, and so many more classics – they’reall here… (B9408)BESSIE SMITH, Essential 36 trx w/ guests LouisArmstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins, BennyGoodman, Jack Teagarden… (C64922)2-CD SETS just$17 99each!D<strong>IN</strong>AH WASH<strong>IN</strong>GTON, Gold – 40 trx from her earlycareer and into the late 50s. (B9453)VARIOUS ARTISTS, Motown Classics - Gold – fromMoney (That’s What I Want) to Papa Was a Rolling Stone,this 40 track compilation has just about all the “A” listMotown tracks from their 1st golden period. (B3120)VARIOUS ARTISTS, More Motown Classics – Gold –wow…Martha, Marvin, Miracles, Temps, Stevie, Diana,Gladys, Smokey, Tops, Isleys, these 40 trx are right upthere with the first volume! (B8967)VARIOUS ARTISTS, <strong>The</strong> Motown Story – 40 classics &their stories as told by the people who made them!Including 25 #1 hits! Introduced by exclusive interviews.From Money (That’s What I Want) to Someday We’ll BeTogether. (there will be overlapping of this with the other2 Gold volumes offered here) (B1016)GONNA LOAD UP?REGULARPRICE:H$12!GET THE JRM TOTE FOR 1/2 PRICE WITH ANY PURCHASE OF $ 30 OR MORE!
THE AMAZ<strong>IN</strong>G MULTI-<strong>IN</strong>STRUMENTAL GRACE OF IRA SULLIVANMichael Zwerin says in the linernotes to one of Ira Sullivan’salbums. “He would pick up a newinstrument one day, be able tocommand it the next” You’re notsupposed to be able to have anembouchure (lip) for both brassand reed but he does it.I first heard Ira Sullivan a fewdays after I moved to Chicago inthe fall of 1958. <strong>The</strong> Gate of Hornwas a folk club before folk musicwas popular. Albert Grossman hada piece of it and was smart enoughto have Joe Segal do Monday night jam sessions. I knew Ira Sullivan’strumpet from his LP on ABC-Paramount with the Billy Taylor Trio. I wassurprised to learn the tenor man was Ira. <strong>On</strong> the next set he switched toalto sax. Eventually I have heard him play all the instruments in a jazzcombo plus the Autoharp!Segal often featured sidemen from the travelling groups playing theSutherland Hotel Ballroom (47th & Drexel): Art Blakey, Miles Davis,Horace Silver, etc. who always had great sidemen, some of whom hadrecords of their own.If the Sutherland couldn’t supplystardom to those nights, there is adeep pool of great talent in Chicagoand Joe knows the scene insideout.Excellent pianists such asRichard Abrams, John Young, JodieChristian, Harold Mabern, EddieHiggins and Chris Anderson,supported by equally great bassists,backing up the best Chicago hornslike Paul Serrano, Eddie Harris,Gene Esposito, Rich Corpolongo,Harold Ousley, Cy Touff etc.I eventually discovered that In 1956 Ira recorded with J.R.Montroseon Blues Note (15387-$12.99, CD and $34.99, LP) A year later, he dida Fantasy album with Red Rodney (#24758,$16.99), worked 7 months inArt Blakey’s band in 1957 (is heard accompanying singer Rita Reyes ona sadly-rare Columbia album .as well as Drum Suite, Columbia #82876CD $9.99). He had often worked with Charlie Parker at the legendaryBeehive in Hyde Park and was on a Bird bootleg released in Germany.Ira obviously preferred to be with his family than on the road.In 1958 and 1959 Joe Segal produced two fine albums by Ira for<strong>Delmark</strong>. <strong>The</strong> first one released was with Johnny Griffin-Blue Stroll (CD#402,$14.99). <strong>On</strong> the long Bluzinbee track Griffin played all three saxes(alto,tenor,baritone) as did Ira — plus trumpet and peck horn. Griffin’swork on each sax was immediately identifiable as Johnny Griffin. Iraseems to have a multi-personality — each horn is a different guy. (I’vegot to mention that one of the legs on Wilbur Campbell’s drums foldedup so he did that last minutes of that track at a 45 degree angle. It didn’taffect anyone’s playing.)<strong>The</strong> second album (#422-Nicky’s Tune,LP or CD $11.99) featuredNicky Hill who sounded unlike any tenor I’d ever heard. Had he lived, hemight have been a founding member of the AACM —- he took his hornwell beyond bop. He never recorded as a leader but can be heard withthe original MJT+3 and Sonny Stitt on Argo. Nicky was also on the VJalbum, Ira Sullivan at Birdhouse.Joe Segal later came back to work at Seymour’s Jazz Record Mart.(He had worked there prior to my purchase of it.) and showed me how toreally get into modern jazz. After I missed an historic occasion at theGate of Horn sessions, he told me about a guy who came from Cincinnatiwho played multiple horns — at the same time! Not a gimmick, but realmusic. I was sold on Roland Kirk too when I heard him the followingMonday but I didn’t have any money to record him. Joe produced aRoland Kirk album for Argo and — who else could cope with Kirk’smusic? — Ira Sullivan as the other horn. (It’s on MSM #37191, $11.99(LP) or Gambit 69210 (CD) $16.99.)Ira seemed so totally Chicagoan that I was surprised to learn that hewas born in Washington, DC in 1931. His father was a jazz fan andamateur pianist. In his very early childhood, Ira started playing hisfather’s trumpet.In Chicago, his dad took him to hear Gene Krupa at the ShermanHotel. He met Red Rodney backstage, asked him why he didn’t stand upwhen he soloed. Red said, “I do”. (Red was 5’1” tall.) It was thebeginning of a long friendship.His first record date was a 78 rpm on the Chance label with ConteCandoli in 1953.Ira’s “hang” in the 50’s was the French Poodle, one of the manyChicago bars that deserves a book/ movie of its own. If he didn’t leadthe band, he would sit in. It was the principal modern jazz spot on thenear north side next to the library at Bughouse Square, owned by a guywho kept a half-dozen poodles in the rear of the place. But Ira mightshow up (and perhaps sit in) anywhere good jazz was being played.When Ira comes to Chicago he’ll select a music bar for whatever nightshe’s not scheduled at Joe Segal’s Jazz Showcase.Ira moved to Florida in the early 60’s because his wife, Charlene,needed a climate change for her health. (She recovered and has hadtwo kids since.) He has a business that lets him leave town when hewants to play somewhere else and became a principal player on thelocal jazz scene, often working with another expatriate Chicagoan,guitarist Joe D’Orio. Ira has been a teacher and inspiration to many ayoung jazzman in the region. When he recorded Horizons for Atlantic in1967 the sidemen were from Florida. (JRM has the Discovery reissueLP $11.99. Collectibles CD 6619 is $16.99.)In the early 80’s Red Rodney convinced Ira to tour the states andEurope and record with him and recorded a wonderful series of LP’s.Most appeared on Muse, many sadly unavailable except for Spirit Within(Wounded Bird #6020) and Sprint (Wounded Bird #6261-$14.99 each).In 1983, Ira Sullivan With Strings Attached appeared on the label of thesame name (#01) and then reissued on Pausa 7169. (JRM has themboth $8.49 each.)In the 90’s on various trips to Chicago’s Jazz Showcase, Ira helpedproduce <strong>Delmark</strong> albums of Lin Halliday and Jim Cooper as well asappearing on one of Frank Catalano’s first albums, to wit:L<strong>IN</strong> HALLIDAY-DE-449-Delayed Exposure (w. Jodie Christian) $14.99DE-496-<strong>The</strong> Continuum (w. Jodie Christian) $14.99JIM COOPER- DD-446-Tough Town $11.99DD-457-Nutville $11.99FRANK CATALANO-DE-501-Cut It Out (Guest) $14.99Several locally distributed albums featuring Ira have been pressedwith local Florida musicians but we do not have full details at presstime.After fifteen years in Florida, when Joe Segal finally operated his ownclub, Ira started playing the Jazz Showcase and appearing on jazzcruises which Joe promoted. So he came back to Chicago afterrecording for the $-heavy Horizon/A&M label. Ira worked on <strong>Delmark</strong>projects featuring his old friend Lin Halliday and new acquaintances JimCooper and Frank Catalano. With Ira’s permission, we are re-creditingsome of these albums.I must mention that Ira encouraged <strong>Delmark</strong> to record ragtime geniusReginald Robinson.Ira’s religious but doesn’t pushhis beliefs on you. But he usuallyends a night’s performance withAmazing Grace. I’ve heard himplay it on just about any instrumentyou can name(including bagpipes).He is an amazing and gracefulmusician. A legend whom jazzwriters agree deserves better thanhe has gotten.(CSI-Miami ought to build one oftheir TV shows around him!)- Bob Koester5
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