Let's end March with a rare reunion of a band for the ages, celebrating an anniversary today.
I have about four or five friends who claim that their all-time favorite Jazz platter is John Handy Recorded Live At the Monterey Jazz Festival from 1965.
They aren't lying, it's up there for sure.
The fivesome that made it stayed together as a band until January of 1967, when they broke up and went their separate ways.
Since then, up to the point of today's share, they had only played together once, which was in Oakland and was documented on a live album.
Two years later, they reconvened across the Bay as part of the SF Jazz Festival, for a residency at a then-new (and now defunct) club in The City.
I remember this well, as I was too broke to go and unhappy about missing such an opportunity.
Michael White, Maestro of the violin, is gone now, so there won't be any such opportunities any longer.
What can I say? At least there's soundpeople mixing shows with the good sense to document the living history taking place in front of their consoles.
John Handy Quintet
Storyville
San Francisco, California USA
3.31.1997
01 set I introduction
02 All the Things You Are
03 Cherokee/It Could Happen To You
04 John Handy announcements
05 unidentified Blues: traditional American music
06 Spanish Lady
07 band introductions & set break outro
08 set II introduction & tuning
09 New Thing
10 I Will Leave You
11 My Funny Valentine
12 unidentified Blues
13 If Only We Knew
14 band introductions & outro
Total time: 3:01:27
disc breaks go after Tracks 05 and 10
John Handy - alto saxophone
Jerry Hahn - guitar
Don Thompson - bass & piano
Terry Clarke - drums & percussion
Michael White - violin
live 16-track soundboard mix by Peter Oshman & Marcus Buick
856 MB FLAC/March 2021 archive link
856 MB FLAC/March 2021 archive link
That's it for March, so let's get ready for an April to remember... but not before checking out this 24th anniversary special, if only we knew!--J.
