The Jams

The radio can be a real drag to listen to, but here in Boston we are fortunate enough to have a handful of really good stations, thanks to the proliferation of universities in the area. Every morning, after n.p.r. news, I like to listen to WHRB, the Harvard station, because they play outrageously good jazz until 1 p.m. One d.j. in particular shares my taste exactly and has a proclivity for l.p.s, so you get to hear pops and scratches even in your car. This saves me the trouble of dealing with the record player while I'm puttering around the house.

Today, a guy I'd never heard before came on. Two songs into his first set, he played something with the most disgusting noodling guitar I've ever heard. It was indescribably bad.I don't know who it was, but it sent me running for the record player.

This was a blessing in disguise, as I wound up rediscovering this l.p. in my collection, which I actually forgot I had:

Talk about the Jams with a capital J! It's a bit blurry in this picture, but this was recorded in Stockholm in November of 1962. If I were posed with one of those silly questions like 'If you could only bring one jazz record with to a (fill in the blank)" this would rank high on the list. Taking into consideration the personnel and the date on this record, I don't think I need to say more. Any jazz fan will understand.