Baden Powell swings with Jimmy Pratt

As our Jazz month draws to a close lets ease ourselves gently back towards Brazil and Bossa...

American jazz and swing music were a great influence on Brazilian guitar maestro Baden Powell de Aquino (1937-2000).
This LP dates from 1963, when Baden Powell's collaborations with American jazz musicians were bringing him to international attention. Jimmy Pratt had drummed with a number of Jazz legends, most notably Charlie Parker.

Link:http://rapidshare.com/files/402637372/Baden_Powell_-_Swings_with_Jimmy_Pratt.rar

Here is a link to some info on the recording:http://www.brazil-on-guitar.de/opus/orig/pratt.html

The Hallmarks of Sophistication...

Coming from a relatively poor part of town a lot of the women I knew when I was a kid 'did cleaning' in the bigger houses on the hill. Observing Ma Kartoshka's daily rituals I couldn't figure out how they had the time to do this. Ma made the maintenance of our own modest 5 room house into a 50 hour a week occupation. The old lady who looked after me when I was little sometimes took me with her on her cleaning jobs. She was a widow and seemed delicately old (she would, I reckon, have been about 65 at the time). I would sit in the dauntingly large rooms, chilly and high ceilinged as she sped around with an antique vacuum (itself a novelty)- the bag blown voluptuously full. She looked the part, in a pink checked tabard with a scarf knotted around her head. Auntie- why can't Mr and Mrs so and so do their own cleaning?... the question seemed ridiculous to her. But I imagined that only people who were very old or very ill would need this sort of help. It was only as I got older and girls I knew began to take up such jobs that I realised. The rich were buying leisure time- in fact they were buying the leisure time of the poor...
So I'm quite ashamed to say that I regard having a cleaning lady as a hallmark of sophistication. I wonder if the Kartoshka pad would actually benefit? What good could she do, moving carefully amid the piles of clutter?

On reflection what I probably want is a housekeeper- forget the present pad- some other spacious eccentric apartment, with a matronly Mrs Hudson type installed downstairs to appear with tea and cakes at regular intervals. Elementary!

Rina Zelenaya: There's a young lady to see you, Mr Kartoshka...

Vagif Mustafazadeh (Вагиф Мустафа-заде)

Впервые появившись в СССР в 1922 году, джаз стал самостоятельно развивающимся музыкальным явлением. Для советских музыкантов возможности встреч и общения с американскими джазовыми музыкантами были ограничены. Основные знания о джазе они получали, слушая граммофонные пластинки. Джаз выжил, несмотря на репрессии и критику со стороны такого гиганта пролетарской культуры, как Максим Горький. В период 'хрущевской оттепели' слушатели получили более широкий доступ к джазовой музыке. В 70-е годы джазовые музыканты из СССР начали гастролировать на Западе. Их мастерство и техника исполнения производили неизгладимое впечатление на западную аудиторию.
Вагиф Мустафа-заде родился в 1940г., в городе Баку - столице тогдашней Азербайджанской ССР. Одними из первых музыкальных увлечений для него стали джаз (который он слушал по BBC) и мейхана (особый вид музыкально-поэтического творчества). Вагиф Мустафа-заде начал играть на фортепиано в возрасте трех лет и позднее получил классическое музыкальное образование. Однако именно джаз навсегда остался его самой большой страстью. Не ограничиваясь традиционной джазовой импровизацией, он смешивал ее с элементами мугама - основного жанра народной азербайджанской музыкальной традиции. Вагиф Мустафа-заде стал лауреатом многих Всесоюзных джазовых фестивалей: 'Таллин-66', 'Джаз-69', 'Донецк-77', 'Тбилиси-78'. В 1978 году на Международном конкурсе джазовой композиции в Монако он завоевал первую премию за композицию 'В ожидании Азизы'. Вагиф Мустафа-заде скончался от сердечного приступа в Ташкенте. Ему было 39 лет. Посмертно ему было присвоено звание Заслуженного Артиста Азербайджанской ССР. *Вагиф - арабское слово, означает 'очень умный'.

Having first arrived in 1922, Jazz in the USSR was an independently developing phenomenon. Soviet musicians had limited opportunities to meet with American contemporaries, and most of their learning came from records. Despite being criticised by such greats as Maxim Gorky and periods of official repression, jazz survived. In the post Stalin era Soviet audiences got more exposure to jazz music. By the 1970’s, when Soviet musicians were travelling to the west, they were astonishing their new audiences with their technical abilities.

Vagif* Mustafazadeh(Вагиф Мустафа-Заде 1940-1979) was born in 1940 in Baku, capital of what was then Azerbaijan SSR. His early musical interests were jazz (heard via BBC broadcasts) and Meykhana rhythmic poetry. He had started to play piano at the age of 3 and received a formal musical education. Jazz remained his main passion, however. Dissatisfied with improvisational jazz, he began to fuse jazz with Mugam, a traditional Azeri music. He won awards at various All-Soviet Union Jazz Festivals (Tallinn-66, Caz-69, Donetsk -77.Tbilisi-78). In 1978 at Monaco he won the first prize at the 8th International Competition of Jazz Composers for his composition Waiting for Aziza.

Mustafazade died of a heart-attack shortly after a concert in Tashkent. He was 39. Following his death he was made an Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan SSR.

*Vagif is an Arabic word that means Extremely Knowledgeable.

Many thanks to Mrs. Kartoshka for the excellent translation.

Link:http://rapidshare.com/files/402079607/Variff.rar

С днем рождения! Happy Birthday Mrs Kartoshka!

Advantage Mrs King...

In 1971 Billie Jean King became the first woman in sport to top $100,000 winnings in a single year. In 1973 she earned an estimated $150,000 for playing a single match. At the time Billie Jean, age 29, was the worlds number one. Her opponent in this match, billed as 'The Battle of the Sexes', was 55 year old Bobby Riggs, whose time at the top of the men's rankings had come in the 1940's. The match took place in the Houston Astrodome on September 20th, 1973 in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a tennis match (30,472). An estimated 40 million watched on TV, the game being broadcast in over 30 countries. Riggs was a 'hustler' and a publicity maestro. In the lead up to the event he hammed it up in the role of a chauvinist. He had previously beaten Margaret Court, and vowed that despite his age, no woman could beat him, and he promised to jump off a bridge if he lost, although it is rumoured that he bet heavily on his opponent.
King was borne into the arena on a gold chariot, carried by five toga-clad men. True to character Riggs arrived in a gold rickshaw pulled by six young women who were referred to as Bobby's Bosom Buddies.
Billie Jean won with relative ease, a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 straight sets victory.

Eric Dolphy

Whatever I'd say would be an understatement. I can only say my life was made much better by knowing him. He was one of the greatest people I've ever known, as a man, a friend, and a musician... John Coltrane.

Eric Dolphy (1929-1964) , alto sax, flute and bass clarinet, considered one of the pioneers of free jazz
Dolphy was very prolific, from April 1960 to September 1961 he played on 13 LPs. He collaborated with such greats as Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.
He died under tragic circumstances, lapsing into a diabetic coma whilst in Berlin. One version of events has it that the Emergency Room doctor assumed that as an African American Jazz musician his unconsciousness must be due to the influence of narcotics.
This is a recording of a session for
Swedish Broadcast Station, Stockholm, Sweden, made on November 19th, 1961.
Details can be found here...
Link:http://rapidshare.com/files/401471529/Eric_Dolphy_The_Stockholm_Sessions.rar

Art in the Soviet Union-Mikhail Mikhailovich Tarkhanov

Abstract Composition- 193?

Abstract Composition-1932

Abstract Composition-
1933

Mikhail Mikhailovich Tarkhanov, (Михаил Михайлoвич Тарханов, 1888-1962) was born in Ukraine.
When thinking of the art of the Soviet Union it is easy to focus on Social(ist) Realism and The Constructivists. In the early days, however, the avant garde flourished, particularly at Vkhutemas ( Вхутемас: Высшие художественно-технические мастерские), the institute in Moscow at which Tarkhanov studied.
V.I Lenin admitted that abstractions in art weren't really his thing, and doubted the ideological soundness of such work, 'but what do I know?' he quipped, 'I'm an old man'. Later regimes though, were less tolerant of this perceived decadence, and in the 1930s Tarkhanov, whilst producing officially sanctioned graphic designs , privately developed his style of abstract composition, which he called Picturesque-Textured Improvisations.

Latin Jazz Dance Classics Vols. 1 & 2

Jazz is of course essentially an African American genre- but as it spread across the world it took on different attributes. Whereas in the USA it was an urban black (and therefore necessarily proletarian) phenomenon , when Jazz reached Europe it became the popular music of privileged young people (in England), the preserve of intellectuals (in France) or the subject of analysis regarding the relative merits of its proletarian yet paradoxically decadent qualities (in the Soviet Union). From the outset Jazz was open to cross pollination (fusion) with other genres , Bechet being an early example, and it was in the Latin American countries that provided a rich source for many such projects. In Latin America jazz melded into the rich traditions of dance music...

Vol One: 1. Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Swing Thing 2. Ray Barretto - Descarga La Moderna 3. Cal Tjader - Mambero 4. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Guanco Lament 5. Mongo Santamaria featuring La Lupe - Este Mambo 6. Louie Bellson - Sentido En Seis 7. Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band - Viva Cepeda 8. Pete and Shelia Escovedo - Solo Tu 9. Juan Amalbert's Latin Jazz Quintet - Jackie's Mambo 10. Terry Gibbs - Kick Those Feet 11. Cal Tjader - I Showed Them 12. Mongo Santamaria - Bac
Vol Two: 1.Francisco Aguabella -Shirley's Guaguancho 2.Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers- Heat! 3.Louie Bellson and Walfredo De Los Reyes -Salsa en Cinco 4.Freddie McCoy- Spiderman 5.Cal Tjader- Manuel Deeghit 6. The Latin Jazz Quintet- Out of This World 7. Ray Barretto- Exodus 8. Mongo Santamaría- Mazacote 9. Red Garland Trio plus Ray Barretto- Manteca

Links:http://rapidshare.com/files/401073235/Latin_Jazz.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/401084874/Latin_Jazz.part2.rar

Golf

(click to enlarge)

Has ever a sport done so much for fashion as golf? Being the preserve of the bourgeoisie and steeped in tradition and etiquette golf demanded smart but serviceable attire. Whereas the earliest pros would be decked out as if they were going grouse shooting on the inhospitable Scottish moors, by the middle of the 20th century golf was developing a sartorial code of it's own.
Top line:Here we see Henry Cotton sporting an Argyle sweater and plus fours.Sam Snead has a very rakish American style, the F. Scott Fitzgerald of the sportsworld, whereas debonair Max Faulkner looks as though he's just popped out of the office. Kathy Whitworth shows the move into more chic and daring styles for lady golfers in the swinging sixties. Middle line: Ben Hogan- the master of casual; four unknown gents in the thirties displaying a remarkable example of fairway dandyism; Moe Norman, a true genius of the game- this is the era when sportswear became distinct from the generic casual look- where else could a grown man wear those pants other than on the golf course? Bottom line: Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) and James Bond (Sean Connery) illustrate the contrast between the old and the new. Kathy Whitworth again- modern prints, slim waist, suntan; Kel Nagle, the Australian penchant for hats reached into the present day thanks to Greg Norman; Gary Player typifies the slim clean cut look of the sixties- the first mod- golfer.
In the next few weeks we'll see the US open and The British Open- there will probably be some remarkable outfits on display, but I doubt that any will match the elegance of the bygone days of tweed and hickory shafts.

Advice to girls...

This reminds me of Uncle Carlos- he said his third wife left him when he complained that her stockings were wrinkled. How was I to know she wasn't wearing stockings? he mused...

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

Art Blakey (1919 – 1990), aka Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American drummer and bandleader, one of the originators of bebop. The Jazz Messengers went through several incarnations over some 30 years, but was consistently associated with the development of young musicians who went on to forge successful careers in their own right.

The line up on this energetic LP were together from 1959- 1961.

Art Blakey- drums
Lee Morgan- trumpet
Wayne Shorter- tenor sax
Jymie Merritt- bass
Bobby Timmons- piano
Link:http://rapidshare.com/files/398716181/Art_Blakey___The_Jazz_Messengers_ANightInTunisia_1960.rar

Art in The Soviet Union-Vasili Kirillovich Nechitailo (Василий Кириллович Нечитайло)

Vasili Kirillovich Nechitailo (Василий Кириллович Нечитайло) was born near Rostov-on-Don, in 1915. He was an academically grounded painter, studying at the Surikov Institute. During The Great Patriotic War (1941-45) Nechitailo was amongst the artists evacuated to Samarkand, (now Uzbekistan) - far away from any danger from the advancing Germans. The rationale for this was that the Soviet Government considered these young artists to be 'cultural assets' and desired to protect them from possible harm. Returning to Moscow when the tide of war turned in the favour of The Soviets, Nechitailo eventually graduated in 1944. It was only then that he began to exhibit. Following this 13 years of formal artistic training he himself later embarked on an 8 year career as a teacher at the Surikov Institute. Nechitailo died in Moscow in 1980.
Rather than inexpertly write about Nechitailo's style I'll just let this selection of paintings speak for themselves.

Study of a Man (1949)

Lubotchka the Postlady (1958-1959)

Girl with an apple (195?)

Team Leader (1965)

Blue Shadows(1976)

Kartoshka All Stars...

Lev Yashin- Soviet Union (1954-1970) there have been few challengers to his status as the greatest of all goalkeepers, Yashin was consistent- brave, an athlete and a great stopper.

Cafu- Brazil (1990–2006)** hard to beat and very dangerous going forward.
Franz Beckenbauer- West Germany (1965–1977)* (captain)- The Kaiser was solid in defence and his accomplishments as a midfielder led to him practically inventing the role of sweeper. Would win the ball and then set off on marauding runs- box to box.
Marcel Desailly - France (1993–2004)* strong, solid and stylish.
Paolo Maldini - Italy (1988–2002) the greatest of all left backs, period.

Didi- Brazil (1952–1962)** defined the modern midfielder as we know it- lethal from free kicks, combative, incisive passer.
Socrates- Brazil (1979–1986) superb ball player and an ideal fulcrum.
Zinadine Zidane - France (1994–2006)* the paragon of modern midfield play, tough, skillful and a deadly finisher.

Mané Garrincha- Brazil (1955-1966)**- Mané wasn't always glued to the right touchline- he often cut into the inside right channel and could shoot from range or deliver very telling balls into the danger area.He could head the ball also.
Johann Cruyff- The Netherlands (1966–1978) could have picked him in a number of positions, his finishing alone justifies his place at the centre of a three man attack.
Pelé- Brazil- (1957–1971)*** his range of talents and prolific scoring record cannot be overlooked.

I'm shamelessly nostalgic , so I'll take any criticisms of the 'retro' look of my 11 with a pinch of salt. At first I was concerned that it was a bit right sided (imagine having Cafu overlapping Garrincha!). There is also the argument that Garrincha wouldn't do much tracking back. Cruyff was also accused of sometimes neglecting the defensive aspect of total football. But the midfield has a solid look to it! and the back four is a mobile and formidable unit. If Beckenbauer moved up into midfield with the ball he was usually moving forward with intent, so any gap left at the back was academic. As I've said before- in football there is no right or wrong- only opinion- it's just a bit of fun.
Enjoy the World Cup!

The Hallmarks of Sophistication

My uncle was a lover of new technology, particularly in the field of home entertainment. He was the first person I knew to own a colour television. Not all the programmes were broadcast in colour, of course. But the first time I saw the colour TV I was mesmerised. It seems hard to believe in these high definition days that the majority of ordinary people settled for monochrome sets well into the 1970's.

When was Colour TV introduced in your country? Check the list...
1950 United States
1958 Cuba (suspended until 1975 following the 1959 revolution)
1960 Japan
1963 Mexico
1966 Philippines, Canada ( Colour broadcasts from the United States were available from 1953)
1967 United Kingdom, France, West Germany
1968 Soviet Union, Netherlands
1969 Denmark, Ireland (Colour broadcasts from United Kingdom available from 1967)
1970 Sweden
1971 Yugoslavia, Belgium, Poland
1972 Brazil
1973 New Zealand
1975 Australia, Spain
1977 Italy colour broadcasts were available from abroad since 1967.
1980 Portugal, Argentina
1981 South Korea
1982 Pakistan, India
1984 Turkey

Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus (1922- 1979)- a colossal figure in Jazz. This is a compilation album and features an array of fantastic musicians. I'd like to be able to highlight them all, but I'm no Jazz scholar, and plowing through the Mingus discography would be a vast undertaking.

1. What Is This Thing Called Love -8:10

2. Spur Of The Moment -3:50

3. Yesterdays -10:14

4. The Sound Of Love -5:54

5. It Might As Well Be Spring -5:31

6. So Long Eric -4:32

7. Farewell, Farwell -5:57

8. Back Home Blues -13:01

9. Four Hands -11:47
Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/391916410/Charles_Mingus_The_Sound_of_Love.rar

Saul Bass

Saul Bass' work is most often associated with the great Alfred Hitchcock. He worked on 3 Hitchcock movies between 1958 and 1960, the first of which was Vertigo.
Another influential design was that for Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder (1959),(the movie that James Stewart's father wanted banned!).
The poster for Spike Lee's 1995 movie Clockers is clearly based on this image. Designer Art Sims claimed this was a homage to Bass, but Bass was unimpressed.

Dream Teams...

I'm breaking my resolution to avoid posts on football during World Cup month: I'll excuse myself by pointing out there are still 4 days to go...>One of the most futile, frustrating and yet inexhaustibly enjoyable pursuits open to the football lover is the selection of 'all time greatest' teams. In football there can be no right or wrong, only opinion, and it is impossible to select such teams given the changes that the game has undergone. Modern players are fitter, the ball is lighter, pitches better, they don't have to put up with the rough treatment that wash dished out in the past. Modern defensive play is better organised and I believe the general level of individual skill is greater than ever.
I'm not going to commit myself to naming my all time 11 yet, but let's look at some others.
In 1994 FIFA selected this team, which lined up in a 4-3-3 formation:

Lev Yashin- Soviet Union (1954-1970)
Djalma Santos- Brazil (1952–1968)**
Franz Beckenbauer- West Germany (1965–1977)*
Bobby Moore- England(1962–1973)*
Paul Breitner - West Germany (1971–1982)*
Johann Cruyff- The Netherlands (1966–1978)
Michel Platini - France (1976–1987)
Bobby Charlton - England (1958–1970)*
Mané Garrincha- Brazil (1955-1966)**
Ferenc Puskas - Hungary & Spain (1945–1956/1962)
Pelé- Brazil- (1957–1971)***

At the FIFA World Cup in France 1998 Mastercard got 250 journalists to select their Team of the Century.Again the formation was 4-3-3:

Yashin
Carlos Alberto Torres- Brazil (1964-1977) *
Beckenbauer
Moore
Nilton Santos- Brazil (1949-1963) **
Cruyff
Alfredo di Stefano - Argentina, Columbia, Spain (1947–1949/1949–1954/1954–1962)
Platini
Mané Garrincha
Diego Maradona- Argentina (1977–1994)*
Pelé

In the build up to the 2002 World Cup FIFAworldcup.com selected the following on the basis of online voting by fans:

Yashin
Paolo Maldini - Italy (1988–2002)
Beckenbauer
Roberto Carlos - Brazil (1992–2006) *
Roberto Baggio - Italy (1988–2004)
Zinadine Zidane - France (1994–2006)*
Platini
Maradona
Romario - Brazil (1987–2005)*
Cruyff
Pelé

Unlike the previous selections, which were quite logical and balanced, this is a crazy set up that would never work in reality. 3-4-3
3 at the back- Maldini on the right? Roberto Carlos was strong going forward but couldn't defend, Beckenbauer buried in the middle of a 3 man defence?
4 number 10's in midfield-
11 great players, but not really a team.
Anyway- Joao Kartoshka will reveal his all time 11 in the near future...