Keep (it) Swinging: Blue Flamingo: The Spanish Tinge.

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.) BLUE FLAMINGO: COLLECTOR IN DREAMS BLUE FLAMINGO: GROSSIER IN DROMEN BLUE FLAMINGO: EEN SPAANS TINTJE

Jazz music seems to be not-done nowadays.... young people have their own music - jazz music doesn't fit into their culture. Jazz music is for eldery grey men. The Rotterdam record collector Ziya Ertekin loves to share his recordings by playing it. No LPs nor CDs, but "old fashion" 78 rpm recordings from his collection. He plays his records on a 1957 Garrard RC-88 with a Fender Vibroberb for some extra amplification. His most favourite records are now reissued on a CD released on the Excelsior label. Old Wine in New Bottles

Ziya Ertekin (photo courtesy Jan Van De Ven)
On the album three lengthy mixes, titled Oriental Nitty Gritty - The Spanish Tinge & The French Connection and Ritmo & Blues. Today I'll tell you more about his The Spanish Tinge & The French Connection. You can read more about the other selections at Blue Flamingo: Collector of Dreams.

The Library of Congress Recordings: One of the CDs with the complete set refering the Spanish Tinge.

The Spanish Tinge selection starts with a short fragment of Jelly Roll Morton's 1938 Library of Congress Recordings. These famous Library of Congress Recordings are stored on fourty-four 78rpm records and contain a lenghty interview with Jelly Roll Morton by Alan Lomax, held in 1937. Jelly Roll Morton, who labelled himself as The Creator of Jazz, told the story of Jazz in his own words and a small fragment of that interview was used as a starter for this mix: Maybe you noticed the Spanish Tinge in this tune, Morton says: This got so much to do with the typical jazz idea; if one is not able to put these things of Spanish and West Indies tunes into their music they will never be able to get the right seasoning for jazz; Jelly Roll Morton explains on Spanish Swat - Jazz; a melting pot of cultures. First I felt sorry that Ziya only used such a short fragment of this famous Morton interview, but, as I told before, when I had finished listening this album ........... like the hidden tracks on some Verve albums , Jelly Roll Morton continues his story while playing La Paloma in Blues tempo (on the b-side of Circle 28). Really a great surprise.

On his website Ziya tells about his adoration for the music of Lionel Belasco, the Caribbean piano player, calypso composer and bandleader, who was one of the first to make records around 1914. Great, because I had never heard about this great early piano player until Joergen pointed me to a CD titled Lionel Belasco: Goodnight Ladies and Gents ( The Creole Music of Liuonel Belasco) posted in a contribution titled: Lionel Belasco. Ziya tellis on his website that he fell in love to the Belasco composition Juliana, he found on a Columbia record. He tells about his visit to Port of Spain in Trinidad some years ago, hunting for calypso records and his meeting with cuatrista Robert Munro (a cuatro is a small four-string guitar), who took up his instrument again and is still active nowadays. I found a picture of Robert Munro I love to share and Ziya filmed the man playing his beloved tune Juliana.
In this selection you can find music from Trinidad as played by Alphonso et son Orchestre Typique Antillais and Cuban orchestras like Don Azpiazu and his Havana Casino Orchestra, the man who introduced this kind of music in the States early 1940s. And of course you can listen to the "famous" Juliana tune, as played by Lionel Belasco y su Orquesta.

Robert Munro
When I first read about Ziya Ertekin, who plays his 78s as DJ Blue Flamingo, in The Jazz Bulletin of the Dutch Jazz Archive ( NJA Bulletin number 68 page 43), I was anxious to learn more about this man and his projects. Now, after I've heard the record and read his stories I'm convinced that we have a lot in common. His fascinating for music developed from free jazz to John Coltrane and from Coltrane to Duke Ellington. Toen ik The Mooche van Duke Ellington hoorde op 78-toeren, wilde ik alleen nog maar 78-toeren horen. ( = When I first heard The Mooche by Duke Ellington on a 78rpm record I knew it: No more LPs or CDS, but only 78rpms for me ......)

I share his fascination for music from the Caribbean, which reveals itself in my case in my adoration of Brazilian Choro music. I enjoy the way he shares his collection ( the transfer and sound of this selection is really great). I feel the same passion for jazz and other related music in his record and website. ( this morning it was not active - sorry) Don't forget to visit it: it has great stories ( unfortunally for you the stories are all in Dutch - maybe you should take a course ..... ) and label shots.

Blue Flamingo - 78 r.p.m. Blues, R&B, Hot Jazz, Rumba Negra & Exotica: Three musical journeys compiled by 78 r.p.m. record collector & DJ Ziya Ertekin alias Blue Flamingo ( Excel96143.)

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Nederlands ( To the English translation )
CHARLIE PARKER: 88 kaarsjes

Als Charlie Parker nog steeds bij ons zou zijn geweest ( hij overleed op 12 maart 1955 op 35 jarige leeftijd) dan zouden er vandaag 88 kaarsjes op zijn verjaardagstaart gestaan hebben. Charlie Parker, beter bekend als Bird, groeide in die 35 jaar dat zijn leven duurde uit van een getallenteerde altsaxofonist, die de altsax en de jazzmuziek voorgoed veranderde tot een haast mytische legende, zwaar gedrogeerd en eenzaam gestorven aan de gevolgen van zijn verslavingen. Het lijkt toeval, maar werd niet op deze zelfde dag, 50 jaar geleden, een jongetje geboren, die ze Michael noemden, die opgroeide binnen een muzikale familie, beroemd werd en nu, "oud", verminkt en eenzaam, als een karikatuur van zichzelf, zijn vijftigste verjaardag viert op zijn landgoed?

Hans Koert - keepswinging@live.nl

BLUE FLAMINGO: EEN SPAANS TINTJE

De Rotterdamse platenverzamelaar Ziya Ertekin deelt zijn verzameling met iedereen die het wil horen, door zijn platen te draaien; geen LP's of CD's, maar ouderwetse breekbare schellakplaten. Zijn mooiste platen heeft hij nu overgezet op CD, zodat nu ook thuis geluisterd kan worden.

Maybe you noticed the Spanish tinge in this tune ( = Misschien heb je het Spaanse tintje wel gemerkt in dit nummer), zegt Jelly Roll Morton met een ietwat nazale stem op één van de Library of Congress Recordings: This got so much to do with the typical jazz idea ( = Dit heeft alles te maken met het begrip jazz) if one is not able to put these things of Spanish and West Indies tunes into their music they will never be able to get the right seasoning for jazz (= .. als je niet in staat bent om elementen uit Spaanse of Westindische nummers te gebruiken in je muziek, dan zul je nooit je Jazz "op smaak.) Als je het hele artikel wilt lezen vind je het eerste deel als: Blue Flamingo: Grossier in Dromen en het tweede als Blue Flamingo: Een Spaans Tintje.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl