Welcome

Fortunately within the EU, the 50 year period of copyright on material issued in and upto the 1st half of the 20th century is expiring, moving this material into the public domain.
In combination with electronic distribution, it is possible to share this culturally valuable material where it would not be commercially viable.
- it is therefore primarily intended to promote the appreciation, the preservation and aid research.

The modest intention of this blog is to allow me to highlight some of this material, to perhaps encourage others to discover and enjoy.
If it creates a valid awareness of our rights to access this material, which has often long out of print or available only in very limited numbers, then all the better.

Background

There is a strong difference in the interpretation and enforcement in different countries, particularly with recent legal cases on each side of the Atlantic highlighting these differences.
Given the aggressive push by organisations and corporations within the United States, to enforce copyright laws (globally, often to their advantage and effectively erode our rights), it is particularly interesting given the attitude of the United States to others copyright during the 18th and early 19th Centuries.

I recommend the article over at wikipedia, to get an overview of the situation, perhaps quite different than you might have thought from impressions given by the Music Industry and their lobbying organs - History of Copyright Law

"In Great Britain's North American colonies, reprinting British copyright works without permission had long happened episodically, but only became a major feature of colonial life after 1760. It became more commonplace to reprint British works in the colonies (mostly in the 13 American colonies). The impetus for this shift came from Irish and Scottish master printers and booksellers who had moved to the North American colonies in the mid 18th century.

They were already familiar with the practice of reprinting and selling British copyright works, and continued the practice in North America, and it became a major part of the North American printing and publishing trade.

Robert Bell was an example. He was originally Scottish, and had spent almost a decade in Dublin before he moved to British North America in 1768. His operations, and those of many other colonial printers and booksellers, ensured that the practice of reprinting was well-established by the time of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. Weakened American ties to Britain coincided with the increase of reprinting outside British copyright controls.
The Irish also made a flourishing business of shipping reprints to North America in the 18th century. Ireland's ability to reprint freely ended in 1801 when Ireland's Parliament merged with Great Britain, and the Irish became subject to British copyright laws.
The printing of uncopyrighted English works for the English-language market also occurred in other European countries. The British government responded to this problem in two ways: 1) it amended its own copyright statutes in 1842, explicitly forbidding import of any foreign reprint of British copyrighted work into the UK or its colonies, and 2) it began the process of reciprocal agreements with other countries. The first reciprocal agreement was with Prussia in 1846. The US remained outside this arrangement for some decades. This was objected to by such authors as Dickens and Mark Twain."

I don't want to get into a fiery discussion regarding opinion on copyright, I'd like to discuss the actual legalities of copyright law and how they effect material now entering the public domain in some geographical areas and how this effects us, given our present communications inter-connected-ness.

Terms of Use

This space for intended to create a place for encouraging the enjoyment and awareness of older music, often long out of print or available in very limited numbers - it is therefore primarily intended to promote preservation and aid research.
Obviously depending upon your present country of residence, downloading and keeping material, in areas other than the EU may breach your country's laws regarding copyright infringement. As a specific illustration, the United States enforces copyright, some 90 years from the date of publishing, whereas copyright in the EU expires after 50 years of either performance or first publication.
I therefore ask you to exercise discretion, I must presume you are adults and part of that is exercising a little self-rule, where applicable
- do not download material if you know it is illegal to do so in your country.

This blog is based within the EU and is therefore entitled to discuss and publish material in order to further that discussion.
Showing posts with label Frank Foster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frank Foster. Show all posts

May 03, 2010

BN LP 5053 | Julius Watkins Sextet - New Faces/New Sounds



From the sleeve notes;

As Julius Watkins said, "I think of the horn as sometimes very romantic, sometimes somber, sometimes a heroic type of expresssion". In these four performances he has shown, very eloquently, just what he had in mind.


I have to admit to not having listened to this recently and thought I should before posting. I find this a very pleasant outing, not just because of Julius Watkins, but because of the sidemen; Frank Foster is in good form and Perry Lopez is excellent on guitar - quite Tal Farlow in his style and sound to my ear.
Quite why the French Horn could be seen as so unusual, I'm not sure - if marching bands had had French Horn, then I'm sure it would have been there at the beginning in New Orleans along with the Saxophone and Trombone. Perhaps not the most agile instrument though.

For specific tracklistings, have a look at the excellent Jazz Discography Project

1 comments

Players & Places: , , , , ,

March 08, 2010

BN LP 5045 | George Wallington And His Band



Dave Burnes (tp) Jimmy Cleveland (tb) Frank Foster (ts) Danny Bank (bars, fl) George Wallington (p) Oscar Pettiford (b) Kenny Clarke (d) Quincy Jones (arr)
Audio-Video Studios, NYC, May 12, 1954

allmusic have some interesting background on him

"George Wallington was one of the first and best bop pianists, ranking up there with Al Haig, just below Bud Powell. He was also the composer of two bop standards that caught on for a time: "Lemon Drop" and "Godchild."
... He arrived in New York in the early '40s and was a member of the first bop group to play on 52nd Street, Dizzy Gillespie's combo of 1943-1944.
After spending a year with Joe Marsala's band, Wallington played with the who's who of bop during 1946-1952, including Charlie Parker, Serge Chaloff, Allan Eager, Kai Winding, Terry Gibbs, Brew Moore, Al Cohn, Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, and Red Rodney.
He toured Europe with Lionel Hampton's ill-fated big band of 1953, and during 1954-1960 he led groups in New York that included among its up-and-coming sidemen Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean"


The Lionel Hampton connection will bring us neatly to the next release, which is Hampton's Jazztime in Paris.

For specific tracklistings, have a look at the excellent Jazz Discography Project

1 comments

Players & Places: , , , , , , , ,

March 01, 2010

BN LP 5044 | Elmo Hope Quintet - New Faces/New Sounds, Volume 2



Freeman Lee (tp) Frank Foster (ts) Elmo Hope (p) Percy Heath (b) Art Blakey (d)
Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, May 9, 1954

Frank Foster is back again, so is Percy Heath - but you have Art Blakey sitting in on the skins. Elmo Hope is in good form. I couldn't find anything in Cook's Blue Note bio about this session.

For specific tracklistings, have a look at the excellent Jazz Discography Project

1 comments

Players & Places: , , , , ,

February 22, 2010

BN LP 5043 | Frank Foster - New Faces/New Sounds, "Here Comes Frank Foster"



Benny Powell (tb) Frank Foster (ts) Gildo Mahones (p) Percy Heath (b) Kenny Clarke (d)
Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, May 5, 1954

from his bio;

Born September 23, 1928 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Frank Benjamin Foster III began his long musical career at age eleven, when he took up the clarinet. Two years later he began playing alto saxophone, advancing technically to the point of performing with local dance bands at age 14. He began to compose and arrange at 15, and led his own 12-piece band while still only a senior in high school. Foster attended Wilberforce University, then left for Detroit in 1949 (with trumpeter Snooky Young) where he played with such local musicians as Wardell Gray.
Upon finishing his military service in 1953, Foster joined Count Basie's big band (replacing Eddie Lockjaw Davis) on the recommendation of Ernie Wilkins.


So after the May 5th date (Wednesday), Frank Foster also appears on BN 5044 (May 9, 1954 - Sunday), he also recorded for Prestige, (Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, May 11, 1954)(Tuesday), then Blue Note again, BN 5045 (May 12, 1954 - Wednesday) - so a busy week. Then again on BN 5053 (August 8, 1954).

On this date you get a good part of Basie's brass, with Foster and Powell - for me this is a pleasant date and perfectly enjoyable, but certainly not electrifying - but Leonard Feather found it a, "delightful set of performances" - you can judge for youeselves.

For specific tracklistings, have a look at the excellent Jazz Discography Project

2 comments

Players & Places: , , , , ,

Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)
Related Posts with Thumbnails