Born Under The Sign Of Jazz Public Faces Private Moments

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Randi Hultin
Sanctuary Publishing, 2000 (first published in 1998)
Paperback. 400pp. b&w illustrations
£12.99

RANDI HULTIN, journalist, was married for thirteen years to Tor Hultin, pianist, composer and arranger, who was at the time Josephine Baker's accompanist, and who also liked to play jazz. He held 'open house' jam sessions, and eventually Randi herself was hooked. The visitors included the Basie band, the Stan Kenton musicians, Dizzie Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Ray Brown and Roy Ellis, who played bass and guitar for hours.

In 1956 Randi Hultin started to write about jazz. When she and her husband parted, she still held the jazz open house sessions, and helped to get musicians to visit Norway, including Keith Jarrett, Charles Lloyd Quartet and Phil Woods. Many pianists left wonderful tapes, like Sonny Clark, Hampton Hawes, Jaki Byard, Tommy Flanagan,

In the sixties many musicians rehearsed at her home, or stayed there - like Clifford Jordan, Jimmy Heath, Art Farmer and Phil Woods. Over the years she had hundreds of hours of fine jazz on tape, cassette, Super 8 and video. Many interviews have also been saved on tapes - like Sonny Rollins.

One character who made an impression was Eubie Blake, who was ninety-four when he and his wife visited her in Oslo. Many hours of his music, talking and singing were left on tape.

The attached CD contains 38 tracks, comprising interviews and musical excerpts from the likes of Phil Woods, Stuff Smith, Sonny Clark, Jaki Byard, and a 6½-hour jam session by members of the Basie band.

"An amazing scrapbook of anecdotes, photos and drawings, plus a priceless CD" - LONDON EVENING STANDARD

"From Louis Armstrong to Zoot Simms every jazz musician who has travelled to Scandinavia has become a friend of journalist Randi Hultin. One seldom has the opportunity to hear these jazz stars in such informal circumstances, and it is a joy to vicariously join the party at Randi's" - DAVE BRUBECK

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