Gordon Brown

Two of Peter & Gordon's early albums, Woman and Lady Godiva, were combined on this single-CD reissue by Collectables.
Woman (1966). There's but one original on this album, and maybe it's no coincidence that this effort, "Wrong From the Start," is the best song on the LP other than "Woman." "Wrong From the Start" is nothing great, but at least it's straight-ahead period rock with organ. Most of the album, in contrast, nearly drowns in fatuous orchestral production. The selection of cover material isn't much better, sometimes giving the impression the pair was trying for the all-around entertainment market, including as it did songs like "Somewhere" (from West Side Story)…

Time and time again, the Manhattan Bop Police have claimed that a jazz album isn't legitimate unless it is recorded in the 212 area code. But if that's true, why did so many jazz heavyweights - from Dexter Gordon to Bud Powell - spend so much time living and recording in Europe? Why have so many important jazz indies (Steeplechase, Storyville, Owl, Black Lion, Timeless, among countless others) had European addresses? The fact is that if you're a serious jazz connoisseur, your CD collection is probably full of recordings that were made in Europe. Ray Brown certainly spent plenty of time performing overseas; Ludwigsburg, Germany, in fact, is where Brown recorded Summerwind, a 1980 session that finds the acoustic bassist forming a quartet with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin (one of the reasons jazz musicians are proud to be from Chicago), pianist Monty Alexander, and British drummer Martin Drew…