RETURN

Been out running every day since my return from holiday. Not as high mileage as I would like, but some fairly good runs none the less.

Including Tuesday's club run that turned into a nine mile route at a fairly high pace (well higher than I was originally looking for). A pace I couldn't quite keep up with. At one point I got a bit of tightness in my calf and I had to stop and stretch. I'm just attributing this to the change in my gait during my time with my bad knee.

Today I went out for my run early on and did an eight mile circuit that took in Innerwick.

Later on we were out to do a quick recce of part of the course that the club is running on Sunday. I knew the part of the route all too bloody well, but Anne wasn't quite sure and wanted to acquaint herself with it. So the two of us went a wee jog by Pitcox and Biel and along the part that I now call "Wounded Knee".
Now that summer is over (thank feck) the club re-starts its monthly 5k handicap tonight. I'll give that a go - it's usually a good indicator of how the training is going

Meanwhile on planet "jazz"... When we were away I got myself a 4CD/8 album box set of Kenny Dorham sessions. Lovely stuff. Late fifties hardbop from a, not necessarily underrated trumpeter, but an often overlooked one. I hang my head in shame that my collection of Dorham albums was until now woefully small and I'd been a tad reliant on "evaluation" copies of other peoples collections. So this collection, that comes in at just under £8, is a great deal.

Most of the sessions here are your traditional bop quartet or quintet combos of piano, bass and drum joined by one or two horns, one being Dorham on trumpet obviously. But there are couple of albums thrown in that change the mix a bit. "Two Horns, Two Rhythm" sees the removal of piano from the combo and the quartet here is just trumpet, alto sax, bass and drums.

The other unusual album is "Jazz Contrasts". It's Dorham's contribution to the ubiquitous "with strings" album stage that all horn players seem to go through - but with a twist. Instead of being joined by an entire string section the quintet are joined by Betty Glamann on harp (on this set Sonny Rollins is on sax). Less "boppish" than the other entries in the box set and a bit heavier on ballads (as are most "strings" albums) but this is a really nice album. A beautiful version of "I'll Remember April" that runs to just over twelve minutes and isn't one second too long. Too fast for a ballad, a bit too languid for bop (at times) ... but a speeded up bossa, Max Roach is on drums and drives this one like a train.