Kathleen Loves Music

 
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Willis Jackson
In The Alley
Muse Records MR 5100

Produced by Fred Seibert

(Read more about this session here.)

[Click on track names for LP transfers to MP3]

Side A
1. Niamani

2. Gator’s Groove

3. Blues, Blues, Blues

Side B
1. Young Man with the Horn

2. More

3. In The Alley

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When I was a budding record producer my go-to guy for album covers was my great friend from childhood, Frank Olinsky, who went on to become one of the most respected and successful music designers of the last 30 years (starting, most famously, with his co-design of the MTV logo). He selflessly went to work on whatever I asked him for, including this unreleased album cover for the unreleased (really tasty) jazz album cut by R&B pianist/singer/songwriter Rusty Cloud (Bo Diddley, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, The Blues Brothers). (Maybe I can find and post the tapes someday.)

Frank’s a great designer, but, in my eyes, an even more incredible illustrator and painter. This cover always reminded me of Eberhard Weber’s “The Colours of Chloë”, but with Frank’s trademark wry humor.

It’s been confusing to some that rather than the individual tracks from my collection I usually post, lately I’ve been putting up whole albums (and bonus tracks) from records I produced for Oblivion Records, the indie label I started with Tom Pomposello, in the 70s (here, here, here, here, and here). There’s a blog that sporadically tries to explain everything over here.

–Fred

Tom Pomposello > Honest Tom Pomposello

Produced by Fred Seibert

Original LP. Click the titles to play.
1. Tommy’s Jump
2. Old Joe Clark
3. Jesus Died on the Cross (To Save the World)
4. Movin’ Too Fast
5. Supreme Court Breakdown
6. Amazing Grace
7. Meeting You
8. St. Louis Blues
9. (I’m) Watchin’ The T.V.
10. Hey Little Girl (Who Made Your Dress?)

Oblivion Records OD-6

Click here to read some of the stories behind this album.

And click here for covers, photographs, and other printed ephemera.

CREDITS, from the original LP cover:

1. TOMMY’S JUMP (3:20)
(By H.T. Pomposello)
Tom. electric mandolin
Michael Altshuler. Guitar
Bruce Kapler. tenor saxophone
Michael “Kid” Avanzini. Bass
David Longworth. Drums
Recorded 9.3.75

2. OLD JOE CLARK (3:23)
(Traditional; arranged by H.T.P.)
Tom. Dulcimer
Kid Avanzini. Bass
Nicholas “Nick” K. Moy. pitch pipe
Recorded 10.6.73

3. JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS (TO SAVE THE WORLD) (2:20)
(Traditional; arranged by H.T.P./Special thanks to John Fahey)
Tom. bottleneck-dobro
Michael Altshuler. Guitar
Kid Avanzini. Bass
David Longworth. drums
Recorded 7.4.74

4. MOVIN’ TOO FAST (6:04)
(By Roosevelt Sykes / H.T. Pomposello)
Tom. vocal & electric [Read more…]

Willis Jackson
with Pat Martino
Single Action

Produced by Fred Seibert

1. Evergreen
2. Bolita
3. Makin’ Whoopee
4. You Are My Sunshine
5. Hittin’ The Numbers
6. Single Action
7. Evergreen (outtake)

Willis Jackson: tenor saxophone
Pat Martino: guitar
Carl Wilson: organ
Jimmy Lewis: bass
Yusef Ali: drums
Ralph Dorsey: percussion

Willis Jackson single handedly pulled me away from the avant garde and towards the soulful, bluesy expression of jazz that was popular in the African American neighborhoods of mid-century America. He didn’t mean to, he didn’t want to, it was just that he was so damn good.

Less a producer than actually a recording supervisor (my credit on this album) I arrived at our first session together with virtually no information on what we were recording or who was playing. Willis was tough and a little paranoid so this situation played out during the three or four sessions we did together. I’d never heard any of his music (it wasn’t cool enough within the jazzbo circles I [Read more…]

Friends > Marc Cohen, John Abercrombie, Clint Houston, Jeff Williams

Produced by Marc Cohen & Fred Seibert

[Note: Marc Cohen now performs on piano as Marc Copeland]

Original LP. Click the titles to play.
1. 5/8 Tune †
2. Black Vibrations *
3. Nursery Rhyme
4. Loose Tune ††
…:::UPDATE, Feb 08: These MP3s are CD quality, 320kpbs:::…

Marc Cohen: electric alto sax, ††add tenor sax
Jeff Williams: drums
Clint Houston: fretted bass, †acoustic bass
John Abercrombie: 6 string guitar, *12 string guitar, ††no guitar

Click here for covers, photographs, and other printed ephemera.
…..
Friends
Oblivion Records
OD-3 (1973)

Click here for covers, photographs, and other printed ephemera.

CREDITS, from the original LP cover:

Recorded December 1972, by successful exploitation of Columbia University’s WKCR. To everyone who has ever been there, thanks folks.

Produced by Marc Cohen and Fred Seibert
Engineering: Fred Seibert
Brains behind the engineering: Don Zimmerman
Microphones behind the brains: Marc Seiden
Pal: David Reitman
Graphics: the Oblivionettes co-starring Sue DeLaney
Photography: Trebor Trepla, Fred Seibert, and Robert Alpert (Mark Focus Jr.)
Advice: Don [Read more…]

Johnny Woods
Mississippi Harmonica

Produced by Tom Pomposello and Fred Seibert

Original 45rpm single. Click the titles to play.

1. Long Haired Doney
2. Three O’Clock in the Morning
…..
Oblivion Records
O#2 (1972) [45 rpm single]

Click here to read some of the stories behind this record.

And click here for covers, photographs, and other printed ephemera.
……
Original credits

Johnny Woods: harmonica

Recorded Thursday, April 27, 1972, Olive Branch, Mississippi, by Tom Pomposello

Remastered by Fred Seibert

Graphics by the Oblivionettes featuring Susan DeLaney

Cover photo by Tom Pomposello

This recording was made possible by a special grant from the Dick Pennington Blues Foundation

Addition copies of this disc can be had by sending $1.00 (plus 25 cents for postage and handling) to:

Oblivion Records
P.O. Box X
Roslyn Heights, New York 11577

©(P) 1972
……
Original liner notes

During the spring of 1972, I spent some time in Mississippi visiting with my friend and teacher Fred McDowell. Now Fred had promised to show me around and introduce me to a few of his musical [Read more…]

Joe Lee Wilson
Livin’ High Off Nickels and Dimes

1. The Theme/Aquarian Melody
2. It’s You Or No One
3. Strollin’
4. Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul
5. God Bless The Child
6. You Make Me Want To Dance

Arranged by Joe Lee Wilson

The selections on this record are excerpted from a live radio concert on Columbia University’s WKCR.FM.NYC.
Recorded on July 16, 1972.

Joe Lee Wilson. Vocals
Ray McKinley. Piano
Bob Ralston. Tenor saxophone
Stafford James. Bass
Napoleon Revels. Drums
…..
Click here for covers, photographs, and other printed ephemera.

Original LP credits and liner notes
Oblivion Records OD-5

Joe Lee Wilson
Livin’ High Off Nickels and Dimes

Joe Lee Wilson. Vocals, Ray McKinley. Piano, Bob Ralston. Tenor saxophone, Stafford James. Bass, Napoleon Revels. Drums

Produced by Fred Seibert

Production Consultant. Honest Tom Pomposello
Advice and Consent. Richard H. Pennington, Jr.
Engineering. Don Zimmerman
Editing. Fred Seibert
Rerecording. Bob Blank. 3.26.74
Mastering. John Bittner
Pressing. Wakefield Manufacturing

Cover design. Susan Rivoir
Graphics. the Oblivionettes
Photography. Bridget Deale, Fred Seibert, and Enea Cairati
Confucius, Nick Moy and Sherry Wolf*
*courtesy of Bonitza Melodies

Should this disk [Read more…]

Hank Jones
Groovin’ High

Produced by Fred Seibert

1. Algo Bueno
2. Anthropology
3. Sippin’ at Bells
4. Blue Monk
5. Groovin’ High
6. I Mean You
7. Jackie-Ing

Hank Jones: Piano
Sam Jones: Bass
Mickey Roker: Drums
Thad Jones: Cornet
Charlie Rouse: Tenor Saxophone

As soon as we saw the incredible reaction to our first release with Hank Jones, Bop Redux , in 1977 it was clear to Muse Records’ founder Joe Fields and me we needed to record a sequel. Hank’s absence from the scene for 25 years (in the CBS Orchestra) had only made him better, and the yearning for the emotion and craft of originators of bebop was burning a hole in the hearts of 70s jazz fans. We moved recording from my base at CI Recording in Manhattan (the former Mercury Records studios) to Rudy Van Gelder’s in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, the most famous studio for jazz in the world.

The moment of discord with Hank came when I insisted he replace [Read more…]