Charity shop. British Heart Foundation. Good cause. Good price. The good price (£2.99) was for a 3 CD set entitled "The Big Jim Sullivan Trio Plays Jazz From Jazz Café..." This I had to hear. The 47 titles were a nicely balanced mix of jazz standards (Move, Work Song, St Thomas, Four Brothers, Solar ...) gasbook (Polka Dots and Moonbeams, Sophisticated Lady, Here's That Rainy Day ...) and Bossas (Ipanema, Wave, How Insensitive ...). So it looked good.
However, I knew Big Jim was primarily a Bert Weedon type session musician who had played on, according to his website, 1000 hit records. He was also a rock and roller. I had met him a good few years back when he was doing promotions for one of the guitar companies - maybe Ibanez or Fender and he never gave off any jazz vibes so I didn't know what to expect.
Still, at £2.99 for 3 CD's it didn't seem likely to upset the bank manager. The list price is £19.
At this stage I'd like to say that it blew my mind but it didn't. Nevertheless, it was very listenable and Big Jim is a good guitar player but the sound was just a little bit too Bert Weedonish and I don't think he poses any threat to the current crop of local guys.
But for £2.99 I'm not complaining!
2 comments :
I must admit Big Jim's playing is starting to grow on me.
The Jazz Café, incidentally, has nothing to do with Keith Crombie's establishment of the same name in Newcastle's Pink Lane.
Hi Lance
I saw Big Jim with Pacific Eardrum
at the Newcastle Jazz Festival many
moons ago.I thought he was a great
jazz player.
Many years later I picked-up,from a charity shop of course,an album
including Big Jim on sitar!
I seem to remember that his 'big gig' was touring the world with
Tom Jones.
Nice work etc...
Russell
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