1959 Milt Jackson/ Percy Heath/ Barney Wilen/ Kenny Clarke “Jazz Sur Seine” on Phillips

Found this badboy in the wild, just hanging mintish in the bins, last week in Washington DC. Well, any classic French be-bop is an instant buy. Anything with Barney Wilen is snapped up. Anything with this absurd a lineup is no question. Any banging mono OG priced appox 80% below market is instantaneously acquired. So I bought. Even though I’ve had the CD of this w/different cover for many years. It sounds great, HEAVY wax in a thin cover. Well, I had 2 hours to dig on this trip, so hit two spots deep in the city. It was a gorgeous sunny, crisp fall day. It looks absolutely nothing like it did when I lived there in my 20’s. It was peaceful and serene and really not in need of National Guard intervention, even in deep Adams Morgan where the best records are to be found, and where a certain President is deathly afraid of the hue of the residents. Dude in one shop and I went from talking Fela (was playing when I walked in) to Gamelan Monkey Chants and Phrygian Chords. I almost bought a super groovy but creepy Dictator-Worship record lauding the Congo’s monstrous Mobutu Sese Seko, but in the end it was too much like buying Jared Kushner’s rockabilly record. On the flight home my carry-on luggage was full, and it wasn’t with dirty clothes. I maintain that DC, LA, Oakland/SF, and Detroit are the best spots in the country for great vinyl at human prices. You can add Chicago, N’awlins, Memphis, and Austin to the second tier. Anyhow, this record is just straight giddy bop, and I love it.