Justin V

CD.

When I was at Amoeba in LA 6 months ago, I ended up passing on both Heaven on Earth for 10 or 15 bucks and a chunk of the Young Mosaic for 25 or 30 bucks. When you are at places like Amoeba or Princeton Record Exchange, tough choices must be made. I rationalized it by telling myself that I could pick up the download, but I wish that I hadn't decided to be cheap.

Roy Haynes - Cracklin': I have wanted to hear this one for years and finally bought the Japanese version. This is vintage Roy and worth the wait.

I have two of his albums and they are a lot of fun. I wish that I could've seen him perform live. Thank you for the music, Mr. Gonzalez, and rest in peace.

Amir ElSaffar - Two Rivers: It's been a few years since I've listened to this, but it is just as brilliant as I remember. I'll finally be catching ElSaffar live in two weeks (from the front row, no less).

George Russell - The 80th Birthday Concert: Aside from a track on a Bill Evans album of odds and ends, I am unfamiliar with Russell's music.

Gillespiana/Carnegie Hall Concert was the first jazz album I ever bought, so Schifrin holds a special place in my heart. I recommend Lalo Schifrin & Friends, a 2007 album with James Moody, James Morrison, Dennis Budimir, Brian Bromberg and Alex Acuna.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Rollins!

Satoko Fujii - Jo: I enjoyed my first listen to this one without looking up the personnel first. I received one of her albums a few years ago and my dog ate it when it was still in the shipping envelope.

I listened to Alegria yesterday to celebrate. I hope Wayne had a great birthday.

Your acting like you are the only one here listening to new and exciting music or catching it live (when, in fact, you listen to a pretty narrow spectrum of improvised music) is getting old.

Sonny Stitt - The Complete Sonny Stitt Roost Studio Sessions: I am listening to the session with Hank Jones, Roy Haynes and (likely) Tommy Potter. I bought this a few months ago for $75 on Amazon, without the box or giant book. I probably could have snagged it for a bit of a better price had I waited, but it is such a nice set that I still feel like $75 was a bargain.

Menza has apparently played in Buffalo several times in the last year, but without a website listing his tour dates, it'll be a little tricky knowing when and where he is playing. I hope to catch him again.

Don Menza & His '80s Big Band - Burnin': I was fortunate enough to catch Menza in Buffalo last weekend. I went from roastin' in the sun at the outdoor concert to Burnin'.

Art Davis was an excellent bassist. If you haven't heard it, check out his A Time Remembered, which has Herbie Hancock, Ravi Coltrane and Marvin 'Smitty' Smith. It says a lot about Davis that Herbie would do a sideman date at a time where he didn't record often in that capacity.