#Rolf Ericson

[diyeipetea]

Rolf Ericson. JazzX5 Centennial #552 Por Pachi Tapiz [Minipodcast de jazz]

Rolf Ericson. JazzX5 Centennial #552 Por Pachi Tapiz [Minipodcast de jazz]

Rolf Ericson: trompetista y fliscornista (1922-1997) Rolf Ericson nació en Estocolmo el 29 de agosto de 1922. Fue trompetista y fliscornista. Tras tocar en distintas formaciones, a la edad de veinte años emigró a los Estados Unidos. Tocó en las orquestas de Benny Goodman, Benny Carter, Charlie Barnet, Charlie Ventura, Elliot Lawrence y Woody Herman. En 1950 regresa a Suecia para tocar con Anne…

[projazznet]

Charles Mingus ‎– The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is a studio album by Charles Mingus. It was recorded on January 20, 1963, and released in July of that year by Impulse! Records. The album comprises a single continuous composition—partially written as a ballet—divided into four tracks and six movements. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz records of all time.

Charles Mingus – double bass, piano, composer Jerome Richardson – soprano and baritone saxophone, flute Charlie Mariano – alto saxophone Dick Hafer – tenor saxophone, flute Rolf Ericson – trumpet Richard Williams – trumpet Quentin Jackson – trombone Don Butterfield – tuba, contrabass trombone Jaki Byard – piano Jay Berliner – Classical guitar Dannie Richmond – drums Bob Hammer – arranger

[lboogie1906]

Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was a jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival, as well as at jazz festivals all over the world. In the early 1990s, she joined Qwest Records, the label founded by fellow Garfield High School graduate Quincy Jones.

She was discovered by bandleader “Bumps” Blackwell, who hired her as a singer for his Junior Band. Her first show was at the Washington Social Club on East Madison Street. The band (which later included Quincy Jones on trumpet and a young Ray Charles on keyboard) performed regularly in jazz clubs on Seattle’s Jackson Street.

When she was 18, she left Seattle, to tour for a year with the Johnny Otis band. In 1952, she went on tour with Lionel Hampton’s orchestra. After a year with the legendary band, she settled in New York City, determined to make her way as a singer. Her appearance on Gigi Gryce’s 1955 album Nica’s Tempo led to a partnership with trumpeter Rolf Ericson for a three-month Scandinavian tour. Her first album in the US was made after her debut album, recorded in Sweden and released here by Mercury Records under the title Hot Cargo (1958) the dean of American jazz critics, Ralph J. Gleason, began airing it on his hit-making radio show. Her nationally distributed San Francisco Chronicle jazz column, saying: “She is the best new jazz singer in a decade. She has good diction, time, an uncanny ability to phrase well, great warmth in her voice, a true tone and, on top of all that, she swings like mad”, which created a huge sensation. She won the Down Beat “New Star” Award and recorded for Mercury to more acclaim, before dividing her time from the mid-‘60s between America and Europe. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

HAROLD LAND, À LA RECHERCHE DE LA TERRE PROMISE

Né le 18 décembre 1928 à Houston, au Texas, Harold de Vance Land est déménagé à San Diego avec sa famille à l’âge de cinq ans. Land a commencé à jouer du saxophone à l’âge de seize ans durant ses études au high school après avoir entendu l’enregistrement de ‘’Body and Soul’’ par Coleman Hawkins. Parmi les autres influences de Land à cette époque, on remarquait Charlie Parker, Ben Webster, Don Byas, Lester Young et Lucky Thompson.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après ses études secondaires, Land a travaillé avec un groupe dirigé par un contrebassiste local, Ralph Houston, qui l’avait aidé à se joindre à l’Union des Musiciens. Par la suite, Land s’était joint au groupe du trompettiste Froebel Brigham. Dans le cadre de sa collaboration avec Brigham, Land s’était produit au Creole Palace, un club de jazz. Land a d’ailleurs fait ses débuts sur disque à l’âge de vingt et un ans avec le groupe de Brigham. Après fait une brève tournée avec les musiciens de Rhythm & blues Jimmy et Joe Liggins, Land s’est installé à Los Angeles en 1954. Land a fait son premier enregistrement comme leader avec les Harold Land All-Stars en 1949.

Après avoir entendu Land jouer dans une jam session dans le studio du multi-instrumentiste Eric Dolphy, le trompettiste Clifford Brown l’avait invité à remplacer le saxophoniste Teddy Edwards dans le groupe qu’il co-dirigeait avec le batteur Max Roach. Durant presque trois ans, Land avait vécu à Philadelphie, éloigné de sa femme Lydia et de son jeune fils. Pendant cette période, Land avait participé à certains des meilleurs enregistrements de hard bop de l’époque, y compris l’album ''Study in Brown'' avec le groupe de Brown et Roach, qui avait contribué à établir sa notoriété à travers le pays.

En janvier 1956, après avoir appris que sa grand-mère était mourante, Land avait quitté le groupe de Roach pour retourner vivre avec sa famille à Los Angeles. Sans cet événement imprévu, Land serait probablement devenu une grande vedette. Land avait enregistré trois albums avec le groupe de Roach: ‘’Brown and Roach Incorporated’’ (1954), ‘’Clifford Brown & Max Roach’’ (1954) et ‘’Study in Brown’’ (1955).

Comme Land l’avait fait remarquer plus tard: ‘’After being away from Lydia and my son for two and a half years, I figured the best thing for me was to go back home and stay.’’ Land avait éventuellement été remplacé par Sonny Rollins. Au début, Land avait éprouvé des difficultés à décrocher des contrats, ce qui l’avait obligé à se nourrir de biscuits soda et de beurre d’arachide, mais il avait progressivement établi sa réputation pour devenir un des musiciens les plus populaires de la Côte ouest.

Le départ de Land pour la Californie lui avait probablement sauvé la vie. Clifford Brown est mort dans un accident d’automobile avec le Richie Powell le 26 juin 1956. Or, comme l’expliquait Lydia, la femme de Land, ce dernier avait l’habitude de voyager avec Brown à l’époque. Lydia précisait: ‘’If Harold had not come back when he did, he probably would have been in that car with Brownie. He and Brownie always drove together.’’

Land avait rencontré son épouse Lydia à San Diego d’une prestation au Club Romance. Land expliquait: “I met Lydia at Club Romance. She was staring at me and staring at me one night and I ended up walking her home, carrying my horn-for 24 blocks!”

À Los Angeles, Land avait fréquenté la scène effervescente du jazz de la Central Avenue, où le cool jazz de Gerry Mulligan et Chet Baker était en train de faire fureur.

Sur la Côte ouest, Land s’était joint au groupe du contrebassiste Curtis Counce, avec qui il avait enregistré l’album ‘’Carl's Blues’’ en plus de produire ses propres disques sur étiquette Contemporary. Land avait fait partie du groupe de Counce de 1956 à 1958. Parallèlement, Land avait formé ses propres quintets de hard bop, se produisant notamment avec les trompettistes Rolf Ericson, Dupree Bolton, Gerald Wilson, Joe Gordon et Kenny Dorham, les pianistes Carl Perkins, Elmo Hope et Barry Harris, les contrebassistes Leroy Vinnegar, Herbie Lewis, Curtis Counce, Sam Jones et Jimmy Bond, et les batteurs Frank Butler, Louis Hayes, Leon Pettis et Mel Lewis.

Land travaillait avec Counce lorsqu’il avait enregistré son premier album comme leader intitulé ‘’Harold in the Land of Jazz’’ en 1958.  Participaient également à la session les trompettiste Froebel Bingham et Rolf Ericson, le pianiste Carl Perkins, le contrebassiste Leroy Vinnegar et le batteur Frank Butler.

Land avait enchaîné en 1959 avec ''The Fox'', un album de hard bop qui comprenait plusieurs pièces qu’il avait composées avec le pianiste Elmo Hope. Considéré comme un des meilleurs enregistrements de Land, l’album témoignait de son originalité comme compositeur ainsi que de son profond sens du blues. L’album avait été enregistré avec un groupe composé d’Elmo Hope au piano, Dupree Bolton à la trompette, Herbie Lewis à la contrebasse et Frank Butler à la batterie.

Durant cette période, Land a aussi co-dirigé des groupes avec Bobby Hutcherson, Blue Mitchell (avec qui il a enregistré l’album “Mapenzi” pour les disques Concord en 1977), Oscar Brashear (avec qui il a enregistré l’album  “Xocia's Dance” sur étiquette Muse) et Red Mitchell (1969-1971). Au printemps 1960, Land avait également enregistré avec le quintet de Cannonball Adderley et le guitariste Wes Montgomery. La section rythmique du groupe était composée du pianiste Barry Harris, du contrebassiste Sam Jones et du batteur Louis Hayes. En plus d’avoir joué avec le big band de Gerald Wilson et accompagné les pianistes Hampton Hawes et Carl Perkins, Land avait aussi accompagné Kenny Burrell et Thelonious Monk (avec qui il a enregistré l’album live ‘’At the Blackhawk’’ en 1960).

Au début des années 1960, Land s’était retiré progressivement de la scène et avait commencé à écrire des musiques de film. Il avait également collaboré avec un quintet de saxophones.

Durant cinq ans, Land s’était rendu à chaque année en Europe pour jouer avec une section rythmique italienne composée du contrebassiste Marco Marzola, un musicien bouddhiste avec qui il chantait souvent sur scène. En 1961, Land s’était joint aux Giants, un groupe dirigé par le trompettiste Shorty Rogers. En 1961-62, Land a aussi co-dirigé un quintet avec le contrebassiste Red Mitchell, un ancien collaborateur d’Ornette Coleman. Les autres membres du groupe étaient le trompettiste Carmell Jones, le pianiste Frank Strazzeri et le batteur Leon Pettis.

Jusqu’alors caractérisé par un son plutôt doux et mélodieux, Land avait modifié son approche de l’improvisation sous l’influence de John Coltrane. C’est probablement de cette époque que datait l’intérêt de Land pour le jazz modal. Land expliquait:  "John definitely inspired me with his intense spirit, and I usually say that spirit moved me so much that I became a little more intense in my own musical presentation. At the same time, I was trying to maintain a certain individuality that I hope I have managed to do." Lorsqu’on parlait à Land de ses influences, il mentionnait immédiatement le nom de Coltrane. Il précisait: ‘’Of course, Trane. But early influences included Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Don Byas, Lester Young and a guy who never got his just due, Lucky Thompson. I can’t name any tenor players who are saying much today because I don’t listen to radio or play new albums much. But John Coltrane, I always liked his constant dedication and constant searching.’’ Sous l’influence de Coltrane, le jeu de Land était devenu beaucoup plus intense, plus particulièrement dans les hauts registres. Ce changement de cap était particulièrement évident sur l’album ‘’Mapenzi’’ enregistré en 1977 avec le trompettiste Blue Mitchell.

De la fin des années 1970 au début des années 1990, Land avait fait partie des Timeless All-Stars, un sextet commandité par les disques Timeless qui avait aidé à le faire connaître à l’extérieur de la région de Los Angeles. Le groupe était composé de Land au saxophone ténor, de Curtis Fuller au trombone, de Cedar Walton au piano, de Buster Williams à la contrebasse, de Billy Higgins à la batterie et de Bobby Hutcherson au vibraphone. Le groupe, qui était sous contrat avec les disques Blue Note, avait aussi fait des tournées aux États-Unis et en Europe. À la même époque, Land était parti en tournée avec son fils Harold Land Jr. au piano, Hutcherson et Higgins. Land se produisait aussi régulièrement au Hop Singh's de Marina Del Rey dans la région de Los Angeles, ainsi qu’au Keystone Korner de San Francisco. Au cours des années 1970, Land avait également accompagné le chanteur Tony Bennett.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Après la mort de Thelonious Monk en 1982, Land s’était joint au T.S. Monk Tentet, qui était alors dirigé par le trompettise Don Sickler. C’est Sickler qui avait invité Land à venir jouer comme soliste avec le groupe. Land s’est produit avec le groupe dans la plupart des festivals européens majeurs. Durant cette période, Land avait également participé à un concert et à des ateliers à l’Université Stanford avec le pianiste Mulgrew Miller, le contrebassiste Ray Drummond et le batteur Billy Higgins.

À la fin des années 1990, Land s’était produit avec ses propres groupes sur une base plus régulière. Durant les trois dernières années de sa vie, Land a enseigné le jazz à l’Université de Californie à Los Angeles (UCLA). Land s’était joint à UCLA pour donner des ateliers en 1996. Il ne s’agissait pas de la première expérience d’enseignant de Land, qui avait donné des cours de saxophone dans les années 1980 dans les high schools de Los Angeles.

Passionné de tennis, Land continuait de se garder en forme en se rendant sur les courts trois fois la semaine, les lundis, mercredis et vendredis. Les seules choses qui pouvaient gêner sa routine étaient la température et des ‘’ennuis mineurs’’ comme ses participations à des festivals, à des tournées, à des concerts dans les clubs ou à des sessions d’enregistrement ! En fait, Land était tellement au sommet de sa forme qu’à l’âge de plus de soixante-dix ans, un réparateur de Sears qui était venu chez lui pour réparer sa machine à laver lui avait fait remarquer: ‘’I know you from somewhere. Oh yeah, you busted my butt on the tennis court, and I’m only 35 !’’

Ouvert aux nouvelles technologies, Land avait été approché un an avant sa mort par Dan Atkinson, le vice-président d’Audiophotic, une nouvelle étiquette de jazz. Après avoir appris que le quartet de Land devait se produire à Stanford, Atkinson avait convaincu le directeur de la compagnie David Phillips que le groupe était la formation idéale pour inaugurer son studio à la fine pointe de la technologie. Bénéficiant d’un processus d’enregistrement à la fine pointe de la technologie de l’époque, l’album ‘’Promised Land’’ avait été enregistré au studio de la compagnie à La Jolla, en banlieue de San Diego. Particulièremen fier du produit final, Phillips avait commenté: ‘’There’s no compression at all, no noise reduction, no equalization and no over-dubbing.’’

Land est mort d’une attaque en juillet 2001 à l’âge de soixante-treize ans. Il laissait dans le deuil son épouse Lydia, son fils Harold Land Jr. et un petit-fils. Saluant sa contribution au jazz, le guitariste Kenny Burrell, le fondateur et directeur du programme d’études de jazz de UCLA, considérait Land comme un des principaux pionniers de l’histoire du saxophone dans le domaine du jazz. Il avait ajouté: “He was a vital and well-loved member of the jazz faculty here at UCLA.”

Harold Land avait influencé de nombreux musiciens au cours de sa carrière. Le groupe de rock progressif Yes a même inclus une pièce intitulée ‘’Harold Land’’ sur son premier album publié en 1969. Dans un blog publié le 20 septembre 2010, le batteur Bill Bruford avait écrit au sujet de la chanson: "Harold Land was a hard-bop tenor saxophone player, dead now, but quite why we named a song after him I can't remember."

Grandement influencé par John Coltrane, Land est aujourd’hui considéré comme un des meilleurs improvisateurs de l’histoire du jazz. Autant Land était exhubérant sur scène, autant il était timide et réservé sur le plan personnel. D’une certaine façon, on pourrait dire que le jeu très expansif de Land au saxophone contrastait avec sa grande gentillesse, sa personnalité romantique et sa profonde spiritualité. Décrivant son adhésion au bouddhisme, Land expliquait:

‘’That was the major change in my life and the greatest thing that ever happened to me and my family. I can thank Buster Williams for getting me interested in it. Buster was staying with us when he was working with Herbie Hancock, who is also a practicing Buddhist. That’s 27 years ago, Lydia {my wife} just informed me because I can’ remember what happened 27 minutes ago. She’s been chanting with me for the pas 20 years, and our son, Harold Land Jr., has been doing it ever since I began.

It affected me spiritually, physically and materially, but I didn’t realize that it influenced my music until different people began coming up  to me and they’d say, ‘Wow, I really hear something different about your playing it sounds so great - there seems to be another source of energy.’’ Consequently I would tell them what they were hearing was the result of my chanting two times a day - from the Daimoku.’’

Les convictions de Land étaient particulièrement évidentes sur l’album “The Peace-maker” qu’il avait enregistré pour les disques Cadet en 1967. Land précisait:

“Those thoughts must have been deep in my subconscious for a long time. It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it, that I would write ‘The Peace-maker’ even before Buster officially introduced [Buddhism] to me. It’s like I had been searching for something, leaning towards it, then I found Buster. That was probably the most significant tune I’ve written because of its connection to my Buddhist practice. In addition to chanting for good health, good fortune and safety, there’s world peace. That’s one of our main goals. I have no way of knowing how ‘The Peace-maker’ affects people listening to the recording, but in clubs I notice the place quiets down, people seem to be moved-they get reflective and maybe they’re looking within themselves and at the world around them and thinking what peace is all about.”

Ironiquement, Land n’avait jamais vraiment expliqué ce que la pièce-titre de l’album “The Peace-maker” signifiait dans le contexte de ses croyances. Attribuant cette omission à sa personnalité peu expansive, Land avait déclaré: “You know, maybe I should explain it, but I don’t usually talk too much, as you might have noticed from these interviews.”

Très peu connu à l’extérieur de Los Angeles avant sa collaboration avec le vibraphoniste Bobby Hutcherson, Land n’avait pu dissimuler une pointe de regret lorsqu’il avait fait remarquer: “I know I would have received much wider acceptance if I had been based in New York.” Musicien polyvalent, Land avait tenté de faire la symbiose entre le bebop, le hard bop, le post bop, le swing et le cool jazz. Reconnu pour sa technique impeccable et son jeu particulièrement fluide, Land était aussi à l’aise dans les pièces hors tempo que dans les balades.

©-2023-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

BRETON, Pierre. ‘’Land, Harold.’’ Universalis.fr., 2023.

FORDHAM, John. ‘’Harold Land, Saxophonist celebrated for the elegance of his jazz.’’ The Guardian, 31 juillet 2001.

‘’Harold Land.’’ Wikipedia, 2023.

‘’Harold Land.’’ All About Jazz, 2023.

RATLIFF, Ben. ‘’Harold Land, 73, Saxophonist Who Made a Splash in the Bop Era.’’ New York Times, 30 juillet 2001.

SHIVERS, Harvey. ‘’Harold Land.’’ Jazz Times, 2023.

[jazzplusplus]

Hommage à Duke Ellington en 1992 par le Danish Radio Big Band dirigé par Ole Kock Hansen, avec de nombreux solistes internationaux : Jesper Thilo (ts), Buster Cooper (tb), Rolfe Ericson (tp), Arne Domnerus (as), Bengt Halberg (p), Clark Terry (tp)

[the-infinite-jukebox]

Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Album Review)

(Review #44, April 29th [2021]) Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus is a release by jazz double bassist Charles Mingus. Among the late Mingus' discography, albums like Mingus Ah Um or The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady are often given the title of Mingus' strongest release. However, this 1964 release is a pretty good competitor for said honor.

One thing that may be somewhat important to recognize is that different parts of the album were recorded with different groups of musicians. While musicians such as trumpet player Richard Williams and pianist Jaki Byard are consistent performers throughout the album, tracks "I X Love" and "Celia" were recorded with slightly different lineups. This includes changes such as replacing Walter Perkins on drums with Dannie Richmond. However, no matter what the exact details of the band's lineup are, they sound pretty incredible. The highlight here is, in my opinion, the album's alto saxophone rather than Mingus himself. On tracks 1 and 4 through 7, the alto sax work is done by the legendary Eric Dolphy. On tracks "I X Love" and "Celia," the instrument is instead used by Charlie Mariano. No matter which saxophonist is being discussed, both sound great. However, I will admit that I am somewhat partial to Charlie Mariano's playing style. He especially shines in the closing moments of "Celia," which gives him time to play (mostly) solo. That isn't to say Dolphy is that much inferior. He sounds truly fantastic on tracks like "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul." It really is all a matter of personal preference and opinion.

Charles Mingus himself is a great musician as well. While he does do some quite good occasional piano work (as stated before the majority is done by Jaki Byard), he really shines on the double bass. The tracks that arguably feature this the most prominently are "Hora Decubitus" and "Mood Indigo." The later is a track that is mostly built around his bass prowess. The cut really shows off just why Mingus is remembered as one of the legends of jazz. There's also some really fantastic drumming on the album. The majority of the album was recorded with Walter Perkins, with "I X Love" and "Celia" swapping Perkins out for Dannie Richmond. Both sound great, but I am admittedly partial to the performance of Perkins. While it is my favorite track on the album, I still feel the need to say that Perkins does some truly outstanding drumming on the cut "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul."

The non-saxophone brass instruments here, while less notable, still add an extra layer to the album. Brass instrumentalists on Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus include: trumpet players Eddie Preston, Richard Williams, and Rolf Ericson, trombonists Quinten Jackson and Britt Woodman, and tuba player Don Butterfield. Tracks like "Celia" and "Theme for Lester Young" have some great brass work throughout them. While the brass instruments of the album excluding the alto saxophone are often extremely subtle, they add to the ambience and overall atmosphere of the release.

Mingus self-composed the album, of course. It was also arranged with Bob Hammer. Two of the tracks here, "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul" and "Theme for Lester Young," were both originally created for and featured on the album Mingus Ah Um (the later was titled "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on the album). While I quite like Mingus Ah Um as a whole, I have to admit that I do prefer their Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus counterparts. Both Mingus and his fellow musicians sound much more engaged on this album's versions of the tracks. Most every song on Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus is a re-working of another, older track by Mingus. However, these two are arguably the most drastic improvements.

Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus is often forgotten about by Mingus fans and critics alike in favor of releases such as Mingus Ah Um. However, I think that this release is on par with and perhaps even better than Mingus' most popular albums.

Final Rating: 4.5/5 (Absolutely Amazing)

[kevindurkiin]

Samba, The Easy Way

VA – Samba, The Easy Way (2017)

01 Tony Hatch & The Satin Brass – Latin Satin (2:57) 02 I Marc 4 – Momenti D’Estate (2:23) 03 Das Orchester Peter Jacques – Avenida Copacabana (2:03) 04 Andre Penazzi – Samba Da Madrugada (3:11) 05 Dick Hyman – Jazz ‚N‘ Samba (2:38) 06 Wojchiech Karolak & Zbigniew Kalemba – Samba (2:55) 07 Gianni Oddi – Una Giornata A Rio (2:21) 08 Lado’s Latin Combination – Chucito (2:22) 09 Orchester Dave Martin – Verena (3:24) 10 The Fritz Maldener Orchestra – Pernambuco Samba (2:01) 11 Heinz Kiessling – Strange Feeling (2:20) 12 Bud Sherman And His Music – Black Pepper (2:25) 13 Helmut Zacharias – Lion’s Samba (2:41) 14 Harry West And Strings – Brazil-Strings (2:47) 15 Rolf-Hans Muller – Viva La Samba (2:50) 16 Rolf Ericson – Maids Of Balboa (2:43) 17 Luis Faraz‘ Tropical Band – Samba Tamba (2:31) 18 Orchester Henry Monza – Purling Spring (2:24)

Samba, The Easy Way published first on https://soundwizreview.tumblr.com/

[mosaicrecords]

Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: Montreal, 1964

A chance to soak in a full Ellington concert footage from 1964 up in Montreal, Canada over CBC television. The program entitled “Festival - The Duke” was announced by long time broadcaster Byng Whittaker and features some wonderful Rolf Ericson, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton and Johnny Hodges.

-Scott Wenzel

Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter

[tysonrunningfox]

Tired, Hungry, and Chiefly

This chapter is my pride and joy.  You think you’ve seen Eret be bad at women?  No you haven’t, he peaks here.  Wait, no he doesn’t, there’s that time he’s gonna super awkwardly bring up marriage at a bad time but whatever. And the poor boy can’t be trusted with his little mini stoick thing he’s got going on.  Someone help him.  The baby boy.  

Tumblr | AO3

“Is it broken?”  I feel stupid asking the question as I stare at the dam Sven wants help with.  I’ve never looked at a dam for this long before, of course I understand the basic idea of it, that it stops water from flowing and makes a pool that we can draw from more easily, as evidenced by the channel taking water down the hill to the fire suppression system.  But there’s also water trickling through the front of it, a smaller stream than the one uphill, sure, but isn’t it supposed to stop the water?  

“No,” Sven shakes his head, “we just need a bigger reservoir behind it, the chief gave permission for a secondary channel down by the hanger in case of fire and when we try to fill both,” he shrugs, “it doesn’t work.”  

“Ok…” I sigh, “dumb question, but why don’t we just stop all of the water coming through it?  Can’t we grab this water.”  I dip my toe in the trickle through the front of the rocks and Sven looks at me like I’m stupid.  

“If we fully dam the creek and get more rain than we expect, that’s a flood for sure.”  

“But wouldn’t it just go the new way you tell it to?”  I point at the diverted channel and Sven shakes his head, obviously frustrated.  

“Well, no, it’d flood the dry riverbed and eventually the North fields and the village itself, most likely.”  

“So we can’t do that.”

“No.”  

“What exactly do you need again?”  I rub my forehead like that’ll make it think faster or de-clutter the thoughts that are already there.  I’ve been on my own with this stuff for a week and a half now but it feels like a lifetime, or at least like I have a lifetime worth of everyone else’s problems jamming up my brain.  Bang nudges my hand and I pat his nose.  

“You ok, chief?”  

“Acting Chief,” I correct, because the opposite of what people say almost always sounds better. Acting Chief sounds ineffective when I don’t know what to do but Chief sounds like I should know what to do. There’s no winning with it really. “Just a headache.  I’m fine.  It’ll be better when we figure this out, so what exactly do you need? Again?  Again again?  Sorry.”

“We need the pool behind the dam to be bigger.”  Sven speaks slowly in a way that would usually offend me, but it’s about all I can keep up with right now.  “So conventionally, that means we need to make the dam wider and taller, but I don’t know what rock to use and we can’t spare the dragons to go off island for it.”

“Right,” I look around like I keep forgetting to, the absence of wild gronckles fluttering around more ominous than it should be.  “What kind of rock do you need?”  

“Any of the bedrock around here works best.  Big pieces,” he holds his arms out wide to tell me how big, “are good, but I’ve used them all.”  

“Big pieces…”  I think to myself for a minute, but I’m apparently too tired to be contented in thinking about a list of places I’ve seen the biggest, hardest rocks and my mind tries to wander.  The chief would know the answer, if he were saying anything other than the blandest small talk I’ve ever had to suffer through. Fishlegs might know, Hel, Rolf might now and I should probably check in on the dragon catalog anyway.  That’s just another thing that got pushed aside in all of this, that and the fact I haven’t talked to Fuse about our plan in weeks. Fuse…Fuse!  “Oh!  Fuse Thorston is about to blow out that wall at the edge of the wood bin, by the new dock, I wonder if there’s a way to make it crumble into big enough pieces for this.”

“That’s an idea,” Sven shrugs, and in some ways I like talking to him more than other people, because he tells me when my ideas are stupid instead of just taking pity on the young, frazzled Acting Chief and letting me get away with being wrong. “I’ve used a lot of her rubble before, it’s usually a little small but it’ll do.”  

“I’ll ask her if there’s any way to make it bigger.”  I swing onto Bang, “and I’ll let you know what she says.”  

“We need this by the end of summer!”  He calls the deadline after me like I’m not stressed enough about it and I steer Bang a little higher than is really necessary, closing my eyes as we cut through a cloud and cold water condenses on my face.  My beard’s getting long again, just on the cusp of annoying, and I make a note to shave it later, you know, if I have a single instant at home and awake enough to remember.  

The easiest way to avoid Aurelia and the chief’s sad, dead eyes is to get home late and wake up early. Unfortunately, there’s more than enough to do to fill pretty much all of that time, so that means I don’t see Stoick or Mom either.  And maybe that’s something I’m avoiding too, because at this point I’ve left her alone with this far too long if she isn’t as ok as she’s been acting.  I hate that somehow, I’m at this point where I’m in a position to doubt what my mom tells me, to read into it more than she might want me to.  

But she’s been ok. She’s been keeping up with the house, Stormfly’s saddle is shiny and her axe found its way back inside after spending a couple days in the demolished trunk out front.  Maybe she’s doing what I’m doing and keeping busy to avoid thinking about anything and maybe that’s all anyone can do sometimes.  

I land at the edge of the square, pointed towards the Thorston house and walking quickly enough to avoid any reasonable interruption, but when someone grabs my hand with an irrationally strong grip and crows in my ear, I know it’s not reasonable.  

“Oh, Eret, I just need to ask you for the quickest favor!”  It’s Mrs. Ack, her wrinkled arms almost mystically strong as she hooks her elbow through mine and reaches up to pinch me on the cheek.  Or she tries, I think she gets mostly beard because of her height and slumped back and the fact that there’s not much unbearded cheek at the moment.  It hurts anyway and I rub my face when she lets go.  

“I’m a little busy right now, Mrs. Ack.”  

“It’s really the smallest favor,” she drags me towards the farm stand on the other side of the square and I look almost wistfully over my shoulder at the barely visible roof line of Fuse’s shed.  It’s quiet there.  I bet if I asked, she’d let me hide for half an hour.  I wonder if she’d mind if I took a nap, honestly.  “I was just thinking to myself how I’d bought too much heavy food when I saw you landing just nearby.”  She squeezes my arm the way she pinched my face, “you just remind me so much of your grandfather.”  

“Stoick the Vast was known for his food carrying abilities?”  I laugh and try to loosen her grip on my arm, but it’s pointless. I’ve learned that in the last couple of weeks.  Vikings are stubborn and cutthroat and can’t fathom being wrong, but when it comes to Viking women, that’s all a horrible understatement.  And it gets worse with age, for me to tell a woman over eighty that I don’t want my cheek pinched at this exact instant is essentially an act of war.  

“He was always so ready to help.”  Mrs. Ack has no visible problem picking up a basket and setting it in my arms and before I can start walking towards her house, her arm is back through mine even though she’s dragging me more than she appears to need help walking.  

This is the part of being even acting chief that I wasn’t prepared for.  When I was helping the chief out, I usually had a directive, I was doing one small thing to completion to the best of my abilities.  But when I’m alone out here, I’m always being pulled a million ways at once, and it seems like the strongest pulls, literally when considering Mrs. Ack’s fingers digging into my arm, come from the least important places.  

But I don’t exactly resent the few smaller errands I end up with a day, the grocery carrying is new but there’s always a terror in Mrs. Ericson’s tree or a yak in Mrs. Jorgenson’s house that they end up wanting help with.  And they usually feed me and try to coerce me to stay for tea and even though they’re pushier than most of their husbands, they’re generally more complimentary on the kind of job I’m doing and at this point, I’ll take what I can get. If my praise is coming in the form of Mrs. Hoarkson shoving her homemade apple bread into my mouth and commenting on how I can’t keep growing if I’m running myself into the ground, at least I’m both full and tired.  

“I’ll take that back,” Mrs. Ack drops my arm and nimbly plucks the basket from my hands with one arm, setting it inside her house on the floor and shushing an old Nadder that whines when disrupted from its nap in front of the fire.  “Do you have time to come in for a cup of tea?  I have leftover pie from last night and if I may say, you’re looking too skinny, chief.  You can’t spend so much time taking care of all of us that you forget to eat.”  She pats my face again and I laugh.  

“I’m just skinny, Mrs. Ack, unfortunately no amount of pie is going to change that.”  I take a step back and avoid another cheek pinch, if only narrowly.  “And maybe some other time.  I’ve got a lot to do today—”

“Can I at least send it with you?”  She walks further into her house and starts wrapping up something in waxed parchment. Her husband grunts about giving away all the food and she shushes him.  “It’s just Eret, Sigurd, if he doesn’t slow down and have some pie he’s going to blow away the next time he takes off!”  

“I’m really fine.”  I take a step back from the door but she practically sprints after me, shoving the food into my hand and patting my arm.

“Come by any time, chief, we’ve always got an extra seat at the table since our Burpa moved in with her son last year.”  

“Thanks.”  I’m probably not going to take her up on that, but at the same time it’s nice to know I have some option to be very well fed even if tensions get too high at home.  “Have a good rest of your day.”  

She squeezes my arm before letting go and I hear her chewing out her husband interspersed with brief seconds of praise that I try and take in while they last, because if I let them sink in maybe it’ll be a cushion the next time someone directly calls me stupid or naïve or laughs when I try to tell them to do something.  I unwrap the pie almost immediately, eating it as I walk back across the square towards the Thorston house.  

“I thought Mrs. Ack was going to lock you up inside her house and never let you out.”  Someone appears beside me fast enough to startle and I drop my pie, barely catching it in the other hand and crushing it slightly.

It’s Ruffnut and when she looks at my clumsiness with vague disgust, it makes her look more like Fuse and less at the same time.  Mostly it makes me miss Fuse’s fond annoyance at my antics, even though it’s only been a few days since I’ve seen her.  

“She seems convinced she can feed me out of my skinny phase,” I look down at myself, the bony lines of my ribs practically visible through the shirt that’s somehow tight on my shoulders and loose everywhere else.  Maybe it’s a holdover from when Mom was…incapacitated and the chief was getting someone else to do all the laundry.  It must have shrunk and then stretched funny.  “I told her it’s not a phase.  What can I do for you, Mrs. Ingerman?”  

“Oh come off of that,” she rolls her eyes, “I wiped your butt.  It’s Ruffnut, whether you’re some fancy chief or not.”  

“Acting Chief.”  

“Yeah, you are acting like a chief but I’m not going to hold it against you.”  

“Do you need something?” I shove the slightly crushed pie in my mouth and almost choke on a crumb, coughing after I manage to force it down.  

“I was just checking that you’re actually that clueless,” she shakes her head, “and not letting yaks into the Jorgenson house just to check up on the misses.”  

“That was so weird,” I laugh, “it left really willingly too.  Which was good because I know about as much about livestock as I do about—”

“Women?”  She raises an eyebrow and everything about the way she’s looking at me makes me uncomfortable.  It’s like she’s both on my side and against it and I have no way of knowing which way she’s facing at any exact instant.  “Yeah, I’ll bet.”  

“I was going to say being chief but, I mean—”

“Women works better.” She rolls her eyes and shifts her basket to her other hip. She looks young like Mom, but in a different way, like she stole it from other people’s youth by teasing them until they willingly handed it over.  “Don’t let some grandma pinch your arm off before my niece comes to terms with how clueless she is, alright?”  

“I uh…” I frown, “I’m going to go talk to Fuse now if she needs help with something.  Not that I usually have more clues than she does, but—”

“That’s gotta be the Astrid part, right?”  She’s talking through me more than at me and I get that all too familiar feeling that everyone knows something I don’t.  “Hiccup figured it out eventually and it wasn’t as obvious.”  

“You’re being super cryptic and not helpful at all…”  

“Odin, that’s always weird,” she shakes her head and sighs at me like I’ve caused her great personal distress.  “When you do the…the talking thing, like that.  Ugh.  Anyway, I’m not going to ruin the surprise for anyone, so I’ll see you around. Also, just in case you didn’t know, Terrors don’t actually get stuck in trees.  They can fly, just, by the way.”  

“I know terrors can fly,” I call after her but she doesn’t stop, a fact I’m frankly glad about because I wasn’t enjoying that conversation.  “But I did think that one was weird,” I mutter to myself, licking a spot of filling off of my thumb and feeling oddly like I’m being watched. It’s probably Mom, probably ready to jump out and tell me off for my manners, because even chiefs can’t escape those.  

Right before I turn to walk up to the Thorston place, I spot Hotgut out of the corner of  my eye, landing hard in front of the forge, belly probably full of something heavy and explosive.  Fuse slides off of her and I change direction, clicking when Bang doesn’t follow immediately.  He’s been sluggish too, well, that and clingy to Mom any second I let him out of my sight.

Smitelout drops whatever she’s doing, literally, and leans over the window to talk to Fuse.  Fuse has one of those wrinkled drawings and Smitelout frowns at it, trying to smooth it on the windowsill.  

“Ok, but how does blowing up an island help anything?”  Smitelout asks at full volume right as I get there and I shush her, earning a spectacularly dirty look.  

“There’s a thermal vent under the island that it seems like the dragons are trying to get to.”  Fuse explains casually, voice low, and I hope she’s not still dwelling over Aurelia.  I hope this isn’t fake confidence, because that’s not something she’s ever supposed to have.  

“How could you know that?” Smitelout scoffs at an appropriate volume and I lean in slightly like my back could possibly shelter anything we’re doing.  The drawing is just a shell, thankfully, nothing that’d give it away as anything out of the ordinary.  

“We found some old drawings that said that island wasn’t there a few hundred years ago and now the sick dragons keep diving into the volcano—”

“Ok, ok, I get it. Let’s blow the bitch then.”  

“We’re trying,” Fuse rubs her temple, dirty bandage on her first finger stretching halfway up her nail. Her fingertip leaves a dot of soot behind next to a freckle and I don’t believe she’s ever been clueless in her life. “That’s what that baffle you worked on is for, it’s a directional amplifier and I can’t get it quite right yet. We need something really big to get a vertical fracture that’ll actually opens something up—”

“And that’s your shit,” Smitelout cuts her off and I glare at her, “and the twerp likes hearing about it, apparently, weird flirting, again—”

“Can you just help without all the commentary?”  The arm closest to Fuse feels hot, like I can tell she’s uncomfortable, like bringing up flirting makes it worse for no reason that makes sense.  Maybe it’s because it’s Smitelout and because Aurelia just did what she did, maybe Fuse feels weird trusting someone who’s clearly delusional.  

I can’t say I don’t share that fear.  

“You need six of these?” Smitelout looks at the drawing again, “I assume you can’t pay, given that this is some kind of secret…”  

“How much do you want?” Fuse rolls her eyes and I shake my head, leaning my elbow on the counter.  

“It’s Smitelout,” I scoff, “the answer is probably your house, your shed, everything in your shed—”

“I’ll do it for free if you go away, Twerp.”  Smitelout looks smug, like she pulled one over on me and I sigh.  

“I think I might be able to manage that,” I push off of the counter and look at Fuse, half frozen for a second as I dig for something in the mess of my short term memory.  “I had to talk to you about something.”  

“What is it?”  

“I don’t remember,” I laugh, “it’s been a day.  I think your aunt might have threatened me.”  

“Which Aunt?”  She frowns and I didn’t know she had more than one.

“Which do you think?”

“Oh my gods, go flirt somewhere else,” Smitelout bellows, smacking her hammer against her anvil like she can spook us away like wild Terrors, “you’re scaring away customers.”

“Nope, just your personality, Lout.”  I start walking with Fuse anyway, unsure if I should address the flirt comments or not. “I don’t know why she finds the idea of me flirting so funny. Like yeah, it would probably be a disaster, but that seems to be the only thing she can find to make fun of.  Which…come on,” I gesture to myself and wish I hadn’t said anything.  She glances at me like I’m crazy, cheeks suddenly red like she’s thinking about making the quietest escape possible and I scratch the back of my neck, “uhh, that thing I had to talk to you about though.  What was it?  I know this…”

“How would I know what it is?”  She frowns, eyebrows knit together and how did Smitelout think we were flirting? She’s looking at me like I’m the dumbest thing she’s ever seen.  

“I know you don’t know.” I smack my forehead a couple of times with the heel of my hand, “I swear, I get why the chief carries a notebook around all the time now, how am I supposed to keep everything straight?”  

“Maybe get a notebook.”

“Super helpful, Fuse, I hadn’t thought of that.”  I gripe, and I keep going back to the flirting comment, because it’s so stupid and disruptive because I know I have something real to talk to her about and now I can’t think of it.  “Wait! I remember.  Sven needs rocks to shore up a dam and I asked you to go ahead and column the corner of that wall and I was wondering if there’s any way you could like…leave bigger sized rubble when you take it down so that we don’t have to find dragons that can search for stone off island.”  

“How big?”  She slows down, dragging her feet slightly as that practical engine lights up behind her eyes.  I hold my arms out and accidentally bump her in the arm but she doesn’t notice or if she does, she doesn’t care because Smitelout is an idiot above all things.  

Some things remain the same, at least.  

“About like…eh, maybe? I think a bit bigger or smaller would be fine, but we don’t want like…pebbles.”  I sigh, “I’m not being descriptive enough, am I?”  

“No, I get what you’re saying.”  She bites her lip, snaggletooth peeking out slightly as she narrows her eyes, counting something only she can see.  “Maybe some smaller charges at the top and bottom spaced a little wider than that. There’s always going to be that vaporization bubble but if I could try and get sort of a grid on it…”  

“Vaporization bubble?”

“Some of the rock vaporizes if it’s close enough to the bomb.”  She grins, her eyes lighting up like I just told her she could blow something entirely new up.  I’m glad she’s looking better, like she’s not dwelling on Aurelia, and I’m really hoping the Mrs. Ack’s of the island hold off long enough that I can ask her about it.

“That’s awesome.”  

“Right?”  She laughs before falling serious for just another moment, “and I can try it, I mean, no promises.  I’ve never tried to control rubble size before except, you know, making it smaller than could fall on someone and kill them but…I’ll try it. I’ll let you know when he could expect it to be done when I figure that out.”  

“Thanks,” I laugh, “did you know that you make things really easy?  There’s more arguing in carrying old Mrs. Ack’s groceries than in getting you to do something crazy and impossible.”  

“It’s not impossible,” she shakes her head, “I don’t know if I’ll get it right the first time but if building materials are a thing we’re looking to optimize—”

“Something crazy then.”

“They’re not very big charges—”

“Ok, there we go, there’s the Viking stubbornness.”  I laugh and she doesn’t seem sure if she should laugh with me.  It’s frustrating, because I can’t tell if that’s just Fuse being Fuse or if she’s still upset and I wish I were funny enough to draw that line a little more clearly because all that’s left for me to do is ask, and that feels like ruining probably the only pleasant conversation I might get to have today.  But it’s the right thing to do and as I’m becoming a boring slave to that idea, I sigh and try to figure out how I can best get this over with quickly.  “Also, just…how are you doing?”  

“Why are you saying that so significantly?”  

“Because I should have just asked how you’re feeling about the whole Aurelia thing and I’m an idiot.” I sigh, trying to read her face as the question sinks in.  

She thinks about it a little longer than she usually does and shrugs, “I’m not happy.”  

“I’ll talk to her again when I see her, alright?”  

“If you’ve already talked to her, I doubt you’d have anything new to say for trying it again.”

“Not everyone’s brain works as fast as yours, Fuse, I’m frequently left coming up with excellent come backs days to weeks after a conversation actually ends, so I’d be willing to bet I’d surprise myself.”  I can feel myself talking funny, not funny like I’m trying to sound like someone else, just…odd.  It’s like I want her to correct me, to tell me that I’m smart or something, which is kind of a failed attempt from the start in a conversation where I couldn’t remember an important conversation from three hours ago.  “I won’t though, if you don’t want me to or—”

“You’re checking in on me.” She stops and cocks her head, braid falling over her shoulder.  It’s tangled and only holding onto what seems like about half her hair at this point, the rest tucked behind her ear and sticking to the front of her vest.  

“You were upset.”  

“But it wasn’t your fault.”

“Well, not directly, but…I still care when you’re upset.  You’re my friend.  One of my best friends, really.”  

She halfway smiles, brows still furrowed like she’s waiting for me to say something else and unlock a last, mystery piece of some puzzle.  

“What?”  I wipe my beard, “do I have pie on my face?”

“Thanks,” she grins, slow and quiet like her smiles ever are and I feel better for opening my mouth, for once.  I don’t have to worry how she’s feeling because I know.  “And no pie, you’re clean.”  

“Thanks,” I say because that feels like a compliment even though it’s not, really, unless I’m someone who doesn’t believe in myself to get food into my mouth without messing it up. Which, fair, but not necessarily encouraging.  

“Eret,” my mom appears beside me and rests her hand on my shoulder and I jump like she just caught me doing something wrong.  I turn to look at her and she’s giving Fuse a pointed look and I step out from under her hand.  

“What?  What’s up?”  

She raises her eyebrows at me and looks at Fuse again like it’s something she can’t say in front of her and I almost blurt out that I tell Fuse everything anyway, but that’s volunteering her for something without asking first and with my family involved? Well, it could be bad.  

“Can I come find you later?” I ask her and she looks between me and my mom, shrugging.  

“Sure, I’ll let you know what I come up with.”  

“Yeah,” I nod, “good. Thanks for, you know, making it easy and stuff.”  

“Sure…” She lingers for a second, glancing at my mom before deciding not to say anything else.  

“What?”  I turn back to my mom, trying not to let a sudden flash of irritation creep its way into my voice.  “Is something wrong?”  

“Don’t you have some work to be doing?”  She raises an eyebrow like she knows something I haven’t told her and I look over my shoulder like Arvid or Aurelia is going to be lurking there, armed with something they promised not to share when we were on better terms.  

“Like what?  Do you need something?”  

“You volunteered for this, Eret—”

“What are you talking about?”  I gesture after Fuse, “I was just talking to her about the wood bin, she’s doing something the chief asked her to before—well, he asked her to and then Sven needs rock for some dam and I was asking if she could, I don’t know, help me out with that and she said she could.”  

“And Smitelout—”

“She was overcharging Fuse for the special thing I’m asking her to do,” I half lie, “I fixed it.”  

“And Mrs. Ack—”

“Come on, Mom, you’re going to say I’ve been goofing off with Mrs. Ack?”  I roll my eyes, “she asked for my help with carrying something, I’m just trying to help people which, last time I checked, is the gist of my job.”  

She stares at me for a second like she’s looking for a lie and I scratch my face, taking a step back and looking over my shoulder for Fuse.  Maybe I should have asked about that nap in her shed, because I’m about that exhausted at this point.  

“Can Fuse do it?”  

“Can Fuse do what?”  

“Whatever you asked her to do.”  Mom raises an eyebrow, “because you were asking her to do something, right?”  

“Oh, yeah, she’s going to try.  Apparently it’s going to vaporize some rock but—”

“That’s encouraging.” She sounds angry in a way that almost means something and I wonder what I’ve missed at home while avoiding it as much as possible.  

“I thought it was kind of cool, honestly.”  I mime my hands blowing apart and make a sound like what I’d imagine vaporizing rock would sound like.  Kind of a whoosh.  “Just…as a concept.  Just…boom and the rock is gone.  And the crowd goes wild…”  

She’s unimpressed.  

She purses her lips at me and crosses her arms.  

“Have you told Sven that Fuse is working on it?”  

“Well, no, because she just finished telling me that she could do it.”  I gesture up the hill where Fuse went, “and then you interrupted the end of our conversation and that brings us up to the present.”  

“Is that an attitude?”

“Is trying really hard to be cooperative even though you’re interrogating me for no reason an attitude?” My voice cracks slightly and I clear my throat.  “Because if so, yes, this is an attitude.”  

“I like this attitude. It’s good.  Keep it up.”  She nods at me and I fidget slightly under the odd weight of her gaze, like she’s trying to scan my brain for something I missed.  

“I’m just trying to keep things together.”  I shrug, “I’m probably messing everything up but…”  

“Go talk to Sven, maybe make sure he has a secondary plan in case Fuse can’t do what she thinks she can.”

I cross my arms, “the secondary plan is send dragons off island to search for stone.”  That’s a challenge I hate posing, I hate wanting her to say something other than I know she will.  

“Well, what’s wrong with that plan?”  

“Lack of dragons, Mom. That’s one question I do know the answer to.”  

She frowns but I’ve hit the one subject she won’t argue with me about because like everyone else I’ve tried to talk to, she’s not willing to admit I have a point because somehow, that magically might make it right.  I don’t think it works that way but Hel, I could be wrong.  Maybe if I found some optimism I could turn this whole thing around. Maybe Acting Chief means the kind of power everyone wants it to be.  

“Fine.  Are you going to be home for dinner tonight?”  

I shrug, “I don’t know, Mrs. Ack did invite me—”

“You should come home for dinner.  Stoick hasn’t seen you in days.”  

“He hasn’t seen Bang in days, you mean.”  

“Well,” she tugs on the tight shoulder seam of my shirt and frowns, “you two are kind of a package deal so…”  

“I’ll be home.”  I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes.  

“Good.  I’ve got new clothes for you.”  

“Fine.”  I take a step back and she looks almost hurt, “I mean thanks. I’m sure they’re good.”  

“See you at home.”  

[sgurumiyaji]

最近、Teddy Edwardsにハマって、すっかりご無沙汰気味だったこの方、昨日届いたモンゴメリーランドのお陰で聴き直したらやはり良いですね。相方のRolf Ericsonてよく知らなかったのでネット検索したら、スウェーデン人の白人だったのでビックリ。ランドの相方はいつも素晴らしいトランペッターだけど、演奏の粘り腰から黒人だと勝手に思ってました。
今日はレッスンがお休みとなり一日レコードを聴きまくる日となっております。楽しい。 https://www.instagram.com/p/CIuuTtQp6Lm/?igshid=1b0ra3kia3lx1

[nasu-no-hana]

Charles Mingus / The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) ミンガスはどれも好きですは、これはかなり好きな方です。 写真２　きのうの晩、鶉を捕まえて来たmimi。すぐにnanaに奪われて呆然。写真でよく見ると泣きそうな顔。 写真３　nana、野生に戻っています。 #CharlesMingus – double bass, piano, composer #JeromeRichardson – soprano and baritone saxophone, flute #CharlieMariano – alto saxophone Dick Hafer – tenor saxophone, flute Rolf Ericson – trumpet #RichardWilliams – trumpet Quentin Jackson – trombone Don Butterfield – tuba, contrabass trombone #JakiByard – piano #JayBerliner – Classical guitar #DannieRichmond – drums Bob Hammer – arranger #cdcollection #vinyl #vinylcollection #coverart #albumart #33rpm #lp #nowspinning #nowplaying #アナログ盤 #レコード #records #jazz #postbop #modaljazz #modernjazz #ImpulesRecords #1963 #coffee #コーヒー #cat #猫 #鶉 (宮古島) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCfaEzuJio7/?igshid=1ntqpdzuevhvn

[projazznet]

Charlie Parker – Charlie Parker In Sweden 1950

This recording finds Charlie Parker in brilliant form playing with a small group filled with talented young Swedish players (including trumpeter Rolf Ericson).

Alto Saxophone – Charlie Parker Bass – Thore Jederby Drums – Jack Noren Piano – Gosta Theselius Trumpet – Rolf Ericson

[lboogie1906]

Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was a jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival, as well as at jazz festivals all over the world. In the early 1990s, she joined Qwest Records, the label founded by fellow Garfield High School graduate Quincy Jones. While a teenager, she was discovered by bandleader "Bumps" Blackwell, who hired her as a singer for his Junior Band. Her first show was at the Washington Social Club on East Madison Street. The band (which later included Quincy Jones on trumpet and a young Ray Charles on keyboard) performed regularly in jazz clubs on Seattle's Jackson Street. When she was 18, she left Seattle, to tour for a year with the Johnny Otis band. In 1952, she went on tour with Lionel Hampton's orchestra. After a year with the legendary band, she settled in New York City, determined to make her way as a singer. Her appearance on Gigi Gryce's 1955 album Nica's Tempo led to a partnership with trumpeter Rolf Ericson for a three-month Scandinavian tour. Her first album in the US was made after her debut album, recorded in Sweden and released here by Mercury Records under the title Hot Cargo (1958) the dean of American jazz critics, Ralph J. Gleason, began airing it on his hit-making radio show. Her nationally distributed San Francisco Chronicle jazz column, saying: "she is the best new jazz singer in a decade. She has good diction, time, an uncanny ability to phrase well, great warmth in her voice, a true tone and, on top of all that, she swings like mad", which created a huge sensation. She won the Down Beat "New Star" Award and recorded for Mercury to more acclaim, before dividing her time from the mid-'60s between America and Europe. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck0cd2prT6S/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[blackkudos]

John Simmons

John Simmons (June 14, 1918 in Haskell, Oklahoma – September 19, 1979 in Orange, New York) was an American jazz bassist.

Life

Simmons played trumpet at first, but a sports injury prevented him from continuing on the instrument. He picked up bass instead, landing his first professional gigs a mere four months after starting on the instrument. Early on he played with Nat King Cole and Teddy Wilson (1937), then moved to Chicago, where he played with Jimmy Bell, King Kolax, Floyd Campbell, and Johnny Letman. He played with Roy Eldridge in 1940 and spent 1941-42 playing at various times with Benny Goodman, Cootie Williams, and Louis Armstrong. In 1942-43 he played in the CBS Blue Network Orchestra, then played with Duke Ellington (1943), Eddie Heywood (1945), and Illinois Jacquet (1946), in addition to doing much studio work.

He continued to work as a studio musician for much of the 1950s, and also played with Erroll Garner (1950–52), Harry "Sweets" Edison (1955), Art Tatum (1955), and the Rolf Ericson/Duke Jordan band (1956). One of his last associations was with Phineas Newborn in 1960; ill health forced his retirement not long afterwards.

In addition to the above, Simmons also recorded with Lester Young, James P. Johnson, Hot Lips Page, Ben Webster, Billie Holiday, Sidney DeParis, Sid Catlett, Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Benny Carter, Bill DeArango, Al Casey, Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Thompson, Thelonious Monk, and Erroll Garner.

He is the father of Addie Simmons, and NBC New York newscaster Sue Simmons.

Discography

With Louis Bellson

Skin Deep (Norgran, 1953)

With Tadd Dameron

Fontainebleau (Prestige, 1956)

Mating Call (Prestige, 1957)

With Roy Eldridge and Benny Carter

Urbane Jazz (Verve, 1955)

With Maynard Ferguson

Jam Session featuring Maynard Ferguson (EmArcy, 1954)

With Matthew Gee

Jazz by Gee (Riverside, 1956)

With Milt Jackson

Wizard of the Vibes (Blue Note, 1948)

With Phineas Newborn, Jr.

Piano Portraits by Phineas Newborn (Roulette, 1959)

I Love a Piano (Roulette, 1959)

With Buddy Rich

Buddy and Sweets (Norgan, 1955)

The Wailing Buddy Rich (Norgran, 1955)

Wikipedia

[faschingsvanner]

Välkomna alla nya medlemmar i Faschings Vänförening!

Tack för att just du stödjer Fasching med ditt medlemskap - en viktig insats för klubben för endast 250 kr/år och som ger dig 25 % rabatt på inträdet på Fasching mm. 

Faschings Vänners styrelse jobbar ideellt, medlemsavgifterna går oavkortat till fortsatta kvalitetshöjningar på Fasching, senast den nya foajébaren och en ny fasad mot Kungsgatan 63. I år firar Fasching 40 år och vänföreningen kommer bl a stödja en bokutgivning om Fasching - en jubileumsbok som vi hoppas kommer att finnas i alla vänners hem! Säkert en uppskattad födelsedagspresent och julklapp!

Våra nya medlemmar är registrerade under maj, juni, juli, augusti och en bit in i september och presenteras i bokstavsordning. I skrivande stund är vi sammanlagt 1101 stödjande och aktiva jazzvänner i föreningen - fantastiskt bra - hurra och tack alla!

Annika Ahrnstedt, Rolf Almström, Gunilla Almström Persson, Marianne Andersson, Bo Arnström, Björn Arvidsson, David Arvidsson, Fia Bergdahl, Liselott Bergmark, Åsa Bergquist Håål, Lars Bergström, Gabriella Bering, Stefan Billing, Helene Bloch Plainer, Lennart Brorson, Kristina Claesson, Carin Dahlberg, Urban Dahlberg, Ingegerd Ekendahl, Sanna Eklund, Rickard Engström, Ulf Ericson, Mia Ernberg, Lars Fanqvist, David Finer, Calle Fjellman, Stefan Friman, Denis Gaydashev, Martina Gerbino, Curt Gustafson, Leif Gustafsson, Simon Hammar, My Hedhammar, Nils-Erik Hedin, Samuel Hedin, Thomas Hedin, Annelie Heinberg Walsh, Mia Henriksson, Håkan Hildingsson, Jan Hillerström, Tina Hillerström, Britt-Marie Hjelm, Mikael Hollner, Lennart Holmgren, Thomas Huhn, Mikael Jungqvist, Magnus Jägerström, Ludvig Kimby, Ulrike Knoop, Marja Knut, Christoffer Källberg,

Massimilian Lattanzi, Per Leander, Stefan Lindgren, Harald Lyth, Marcus Meyer, Francine Lee Mirro-Finer, Stefan Nordqvist, Linda Nykopp, Inga-Maj Olofsson, Mikael Olsson, Satu Olsson, Irene Persson, Rikard Pettersson, Johan Rahimi Kull, Mahsa Rahimi Kull, Lena Reilly, Paul Reilly, Göran Rosenberg, Barbro Rosengren, Karin Runevad, Maria Sandgren, Rolf Sandström, Olivia Schneider, Kari Silvennoinen, Sharmila Singh, Madeleine Sjöstedt, Elisabeth Staaf, K-G Stolt, Anders Sundkvist, Kristina Svahn, Emilie Tamm, Margareta Theander, Ulrika Tiderman, Henrik Trost, Magnus Vilhelmsson, William Wahlberg, Cathrine Wahlström, Görel Wallinder, Anders Wallinder-Mähler, Björn Wedholm, Jonas Wennström, Nikolaus Widebäck West, Mattias Wik, Björn Zachrisson, Hèléne Zachrisson, Ulf Zachrisson, Peter Zethraeus, Alexander von Yxkull, Pär Åberg, Carl Erik Åckander, Magdalena Öhrn, Lars-Johan Östblom. Vi ses på Fasching! 

[sinophonicjazz]

August 14, 1961 (also Aug. 16) - Buddy Rich (Rolf Ericson, Sam Most, Mike Maineri, Johnny Morris, Wyatt Ruthers) record session for Verve (Blues Caravan).