T.D.

Thanks, John. Have briefly skimmed the tracks, expect to enjoy it when I listen all the way through. #11 is the only obvious one...no spoilers for now, but a Brit organist who's somewhat topical these days (reissues) plus a well-known and respected vocalist. 👍

CD copies of this [Complete Oblivion] box seem weirdly scarce. I missed the opportunity (months ago) to preorder cheaply from importcds and now am having trouble finding it from reasonable sources. [Added] CD version finally showed up at Amazon, but for about $10 more than the old importcds preorder (granted that might not have gotten filled). I may have to hold my nose and go the Amazon route.

Yes, it's long been on the want list and a reasonably priced CD finally surfaced.

That was my favorite, too. I haven't listened to GB's vocals in ages (unless he randomly pops up on radio), but thought he was OK back in the '70s when he was topping the charts.

Thanks. Both these albums are good, I've listened to some of each on Youtube. Passage (the first one, piano + percussion) is much more to my taste. Legend of the sea - myself (the second one, more instruments + some voice) reminds me of 12-tone chamber music, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (I recently went on a Second Viennese School binge), but is a sound world I rarely visit these days.

I got e-mail saying that my preorder is being processed. Presumably my credit card has been charged. The message promised a follow-up when the package is shipped. But in light of dismal experiences with Mosaic's shipping subcontractor (receiving wrong item among other things), I'm not holding my breath.

Damn. Thanks for posting that. I've owned that Jarrett album forever. Used to like Steely Dan a lot, had tired of them by "Gaucho" (lyrics got too arch and music too polished), but still heard that tune an awful lot. Kicking myself that I never noticed.

It's not great. I wouldn't say lightweight, but it underperformed my expectations. Part of it is that I'm having trouble getting a handle on Kako's playing. Certainly a fine pianist, but he sounds highly classical-oriented (he has written a lot of film scores and "composed music") and thus far I prefer other pianistic partners (Satoh, Y. Takahashi, etc) for Togashi. This (quartet) recording with Kako is better IMO: Cheap but weird package: 1 fusion album (Guerilla Band) and 2 straight-ahead standards sets (Rebop and Just Us). They are good recordings, though.

Michael Bisio sent this out today: On Sunday, December 10, 4pm as part of The Lace Mill presents series I will have the pleasure of performing with pianist John Blum. John is a visionary pianist who seldom leaves NYC … Not to be missed John Blum is a Jazz Pianist/Composer born in New York City who has been performing internationally for over 30 years. He is known for his explosive high voltage pianism, and as a musician who aims for the very personal. Blum's Piano technique is an amalgam of Cecil Taylor and McCoy Tyner, decidedly percussive but with relentlessly fast right-hand linear structure. He plays with such forcefulness and rapidity that he sounds like Conlon Nancarrow’s player piano rolls, interpreted via human hands, freed up into a liquid state. His antecedents are apparent: Boogie-Woogie, Harlem Stride, Be-Bop and Free Jazz, but John has absorbed all of these styles to find a unique voice that defies classification. This is interesting! I have (and enjoy) Blum's quartet CD on Eremite but know little about him.

On bandcamp. I enjoy older vintage Sakata, didn't know what to expect here, but it sounds rather good.

I don't know much about Paul Chambers, but I recall that Miles Davis, in his autobiography (the Quincy Troupe ghostwritten one), basically said that Mr. PC was so messed up that he was bound to have a short lifespan. He cited (iirc) an incident where Chambers was so drunk that he passed out in a restaurant with his face in a plate of spaghetti. Agreed on that Strata-East Mosaic, there's something spooky about some of the discs. The Wilbur Ware session didn't impress me so much, and the interview was so weird that I only listened once. Wikipedia said that Ware had a bout with heroin addiction and was incarcerated for a spell.

I knew nothing of this. But it got a writeup today on Bloomberg News, of all places.🤣 I subscribe to Bloomberg for news, esp. financial. Link (should be viewable via incognito/private windows) https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-11-17/andre-3000-s-flute-album-is-exactly-what-hip-hop-is-about BTW, check the author's CV: A.D. Carson is an associate professor of hip-hop and the Global South at the University of Virginia. His albums include "V: Illicit" and the academically peer-reviewed "I Used to Love to Dream."

"The Bastards" had this for $2.99, so it went in the cart

The Mosaic website ain't what it used to be (could say a lot more, but refrain...😢). I also expected a lot more in the way of discography there.

LP was the very first ECM release

Is it not clear from the Mosaic site? https://www.mosaicrecords.com/product/classic-don-byas-sessions/ This set of Don Byas recordings from 1944 to 1946 are gathered from sessions either led by Byas or where there is a significant solo or obbligato by him in the role of a sideman. This historical set is divided into three sections: The Savoy and National sessions which are owned by the Concord Music Group; The Timme Rosenkrantz home discs; and miscellaneous 78 labels where no ownership has been determined. The collection includes 193 tunes, including 40 previously unissued anywhere. 193 tunes spread over 10 CDs...if you figure a generous 70 minutes playing time per CD the average tune runs 3:38. So it must be almost all short tunes.

I've been buying various 1,800 yen 3-CD Japanese bundles, most from Euro labels like Timeless and Enja. Latest Hod O'Brien:

This just arrived. Excellent and very well recorded (or remastered?), outstanding sound quality. First listen currently. So far it seems a little too fusion-oriented for my taste.