I had a meeting in Charing X this morning with IPPR which went well. Then I walked across the bridge to RFH. I had about ab hour before my date arrived. I went into Foyles and bought Richard Williams book on KoB - went back to the RFH bar and started to read it over a beer. Judging by the first 60 pages it is an excellent study. The stuff about MD and B Evans in the late 40s was news to me. RW also thinks that the the MD/BE collabs of the 50s define a completely new genre of music. This is helpful as I am talking about them at OMN in Gt Miss this Sunday. Margaret showed up on time and we went back to the RFH to talk about all the things that had happened since we last met around 1976.

On the basis of the RW book I have put on Round Midnight which was the first MD album for Columbia. I had forgotten that the classic 1st 5tet albums had been recorded for Prestige. I used to have a 1970s reissue of these which I have foolishly let go in vynil. Maybe Round Midnight isnt quite as good as these Prestige recording which effectively define modern jazz for many musicians. The best track on RM in my view is Dear Old Stockholm - the tune which anticipates the KoB method.