Some Gift Sources for the Hard-to-Please Fan
Looking for some help with your holiday shopping?
If you’re a jazz fan, three East Coast mail and phone order services may be the answer.
The Montclair, N.J.-based Jazz Store, owned by Marsha Brecker, offers the usual assortment of jazz albums, but specializes in videos, books and posters.
Besides arcane items, such as the hard-to-find “Lester Young: Song of the Spirit,” Brecker’s stock of more than 300 titles also includes popular videos such as the recently released “Jazz Masters Vintage Collection” series in the A-Vision line. Video prices range from $14.95 to $74.95. Information: (201) 509-8834.
Stash-Daybreak is a jazz CD-LP heaven. Not only does the New York City firm owned by Bernie Brightman, head of Stash Records, stock the expected items, such as new releases on the major labels, there are loads of imports and unusual offerings.
These include a 14-LP Bix Beiderbecke set, “Bixology,” which sells for $50, and CDs from the French Classics label, featuring collections by Chick Webb, Teddy Wilson and Benny Carter, and others for $18.98 each. The firm’s 120-page catalogue also includes a smattering of videos. Information: (800) 437-4684.
The Stamford, Conn.-based Mosaic has been issuing classy box sets of archive material for 10 years. An example of its wares is the just-out “Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio,” an 18-CD/27-LP package featuring about 80% vocals, according to Mosaic co-owner Charlie Lourie, who runs the label with Michael Cuscuna.
Mosaic’s descriptive brochure lists more than 30 limited edition sets--only 7,500 sets each of CD and LP are pressed--including “Stan Kenton: The Complete Recordings of the Holman and Russo Charts” and “The Complete Recordings of the Stan Getz Quintet With Jimmy Raney.” Prices range from $9 for a single Pete Johnson/Earl Hines/Teddy Wilson LP to $270 for the Cole set. Information: (203) 327-7111.
Rim Shot: An exhibition of 15 drawings and four paintings by the late Miles Davis will be on exhibit at Kimberly Bodnar’s Gallery 5 in Santa Monica through Jan. 11.
Critic’s Choice: Trumpeter/conga drummer Jerry Gonzalez--who leads his Manhattan-based Fort Apache Band Tuesday at Steven’s Steakhouse in the City of Commerce--has a unique take on Latin jazz. As he’s demonstrated on his two recent Sunnyside label CDs, “Rumba Para Monk” and the just-out “Earthdance,” Gonzalez starts with pure jazz material and infuses it with Latin rhythm and feeling. The result is a happy marriage of Latin and mainstream jazz mediums that manages to remain true to both sources.
For his Los Angeles debut, Gonzalez brings in an all-star unit: the superb keyboardist Larry Willis; ex-McCoy Tyner saxman Joe Ford; drummer Steve Berrios, who has played with Dizzy Gillespie; and the leader’s brother, bassist Andy Gonzalez. The band will play tunes from both albums and its all-too-brief performance should make for very provocative listening.