Milt Buckner rare studio footage (1976)

In 1976 Milt Buckner was on tour in Europe with his Lionel Hampton Alumni band, a mix of old veterans from the Hampton band such as Arnett Cobb or Eddie Chamblee and younger french musicians.

In Paris they made a stop at the Barclay Studio to record what was to become Eddie Chamblee’s LP “Ten Years After” for the Black & Blue label (one track was later released on a Black  & Blue CD of previously unreleased material by the Alumni band, see details in my Milt Buckner discography).

Black & Blue LP 33097

Only recently I discovered some highly interesting footage from the Barclay studio in Otto Flückiger’s large collection of material related to Milt Buckner. Apparently someone had a camera with him on April 30 and filmed the band while it was relaxing and rehearsing. Unfortunately I do not know who is responsible for this footage. It might have well been dutch Milt Buckner fanatic Kees Bakker. If you watch some of the videos of Milt Buckner that I put up on my youtube account – which definitely were filmed by Bakker –, you will notice that they have the very same camera noise.

In this rare and precious seven minute glimpse into the Barclay studios you will encounter: Milt Buckner, Wallace Davenport, Buster Cooper, Earl Warren, Arnett Cobb, André Persiany, Roland Lobligeois, Panama Francis, Eddie Chamblee and visiting guest Sam Woodyard. Enjoy!

Milt Buckner takes the A Train twice (1975)

Milt Buckner in the 1970s. Location, exact date and photographer
not identified. From the Otto Flückiger collection.

For some weeks in 1975 Milt Buckner had an engagement at the Hotel Novapark in Zurich, entertaining the hotel guests of the bar on piano and organ. My friend Otto Flückiger took the opportunity and made the one hour train drive to Zurich to talk to Milt and maybe record him. Otto was at the Novapark on November 6 and November 8. All in all 34 tracks were recorded by Otto – Buckner had a wide repertoire: From Siboney to Yes, We Have No Bananas. I especially like the two joyous renditions Buckner plays of Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train”, which I am presenting you here. It is to be hoped that more people than Otto realized what a great musician they heard here.

So here’s Milt Buckner playing Take The A Train on November 6, 1975:

And here is the November 8 version:

Enjoy!

Wendell Cull(e)y writes to Milt Buckner

Trumpet man Wendell Cull(e)y (1906–1983) played in Lionel Hampton’s orchestra from 1944 to 1949, a period in which Milt Buckner was Hampton’s pianist. Culley (as his name is mostly written) and Buckner seem to have kept in contact over the years. There is a letter in Otto Flückiger’s files about Milt Buckner that Culley wrote to Buckner in August 1971 (the letter arrived after a longer journey).

(click to enlarge)

I decided to present this very interesting letter in full, since I think it contains nothing of a too personal nature. In addition I have some very nice other documents to offer here that somehow have a connection to this letter.  But let’s start with a question first: Who is “your former vocalist named Jerald” (??)” on the first page? Although being quite knowledgeable about Buckner’s career, I have no idea.

Lionel Hampton feat. Milt Buckner, Prague 1977

Four years ago I found in Otto Flückiger’s archive a 20 minute clip of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra playing Air Mail Special in Prague 1977 with Milt Buckner featured on the organ. It soon turned out that sound and  picture lost their synchronicity during the upload to youtube. At that time I did not see what I had done wrong, so I decided to not go through the digitizing process again and leave it the way it is.

But now yesterday I found out that even more footage exists from this concert. So I digitized all 43 minutes that are there (it still ends rather abrupt, so there probably is even more footage extant). Besides Hampton and big-mustached Milt Buckner you get to see and hear Cat Anderson on trumpet, Pauel Moen and the legendary Eddie Chamblee on saxophones, guitarist Billy Mackel and drummer Frankie Dunlop.

Enjoy!

Milt Buckner Acetate: Flying Home

Here is another track from the mysterious set of KAKE acetates featuring a 1953 Lionel Hampton concert as well as some solo piano tracks by Milt Buckner. Here you get Milt playing Lionel Hampton’s classic “Flyin’ Home” in a wonderfully agitated solo piano version. If anyone does know anything set about these mysterious acetates, do not hesitate and tell me!

Enjoy!

Milt Buckner: Too hot?

I recently acquired some photographs that allow me to tell a little story.

On Wednesday June 27, 1962 Milt Buckner brought his organ into Chicago’s Eden Roc Night Club.

(Click to enlarge) Press photo taken on July 8, 1962.
Photo: Anderson/Chicago Daily News

Ruth remembers Milt Buckner

Some days ago I received a very nice email from Ruth Gilson who has – as she says – “been an avid Milt Buckner for years”. Ruth who is now 80 years of age wanted to know if I would like to read about her personal interactions with Milt Buckner when he was booked into her local Holiday Inn Supper Club for a month every year. And of course I wanted to read that! 

Lionel Hampton at Strand Theatre 1948

UPDATE (August 19, 2012): The handwriting on the Srand Theatre photograph is not by Otto Flückiger, but by Milt Buckner (see comments section).

When I was down at the archives last week looking for documents in relation to Don Redman’s 1946 tour, I accidentally found a batch of gorgeous photos of Lionel Hampton’s band in 1948 and 1949 at New York’s Strand Theatre as well as from  the Howard Theatre Washington 1948.

(click to enlarge)

The photograph above was taken at the Strand Theatre in N.Y.C, between January 23 and February 1948. Unfortunately the photographer is not known (to me at least). On the edge of the photo Milt Buckner himself noted down the names of the musicians to be seen. I photoshopped the edge just enough to make his handwriting (very pale pencil) readable again. Too make identification easier, I have cut up the photo into several parts below.

Milt Buckner News!

I have added some information to all three parts of my Milt Buckner discography. There are some new photos, some old photos in better copies than before, as well as information about some previously known and some previously unknown recordings from broadcasts as well as from records or notes in Milt Buckner’s diaries. For example, there is this entry:

which led to this LP (details are in the discography):

I have also added an unreleased 1947 session for Don Gabor’s Continental Records, featuring a Lionel Hampton small group with Arnett Cobb and others, but without Hampton.

Does anyone have an idea who might have the masters for these Continental tracks– if any do still exist?

I have also made discographical – and photographical – additions to part 2 and part 3. So it’s worth having a look there. I have noted the last changes on top of each part.

Milt Buckner in Switzerland 1967

I know some of you are here because you are interested in Milt Buckner. Well, this really fantastic footage is not from the Otto Flückiger archives, it comes from Youtube user bioskopvozdovac. It shows Buckner with some swiss guys playing for the Swiss television journal “Carrefour in” 1967. It is just so great to see Buckner in high quality that I had to post it here:

 

Enjoy!