RDK

I really enjoyed the screenplay, but I haven't liked a Tim Burton film in years. I think the idea of a "fun and satirical" version of DS is fine, but Burton pushes this way over the edge imo.

How's the sound quality on the live Parker stuff? Are these all airchecks and/or similar to the live Savoy box set?

"Rolling in the Deep" is, imo, a terrific song. I also really like her cover of The Cure's Lovesong."

So many women! Are you bragging or complaining, Jim?

I'm under no illusion that very many of those 240K FB "fans" will purchase any new Mingus product - hell, the votes are still in the double digits - but "liking" a page does mean that its content shows up in your newsfeed (unless you specifically block it - and why would someone block a page that they specifically requested to follow?). If nothing else, a lot more people are hearing about this on FB than they are from, say, here or any other jazz board.

I don't know how meaningful these numbers are in regards any poll or potential sales, but there are over 244,000 likes/subscribers to the Mingus FB page.

With prices like this in a dying CD market, I don't blame folks for voting for downloads. Currently... Digital downloads (52 votes) 4 CD box set for $68 (11 votes) 6 CD box set (with additional music) for $102 (40 votes)

If he had a royalty deal (not likely) with Verve, Universal would be on the hook for the royalties, not Mosaic. I didn't mean to imply that it was Mosaic's fault, but i think most would have expected him to be paid royalties from whomever was obligated to pay him, in this case Verve. If it really is that rare to be paid royalties (or at least not uncommon not to be paid them), then doesn't that undercut much of our argument against the Euro-labels (and others) that are "taking advantage" of PD laws? Not meaning to downplay the involvement (and investment) of producers such as yourself, Chuck, but often the biggest argument against the "import" labels (or even web blogs) is that the artists aren't getting their fair share.

Funny, but I bought a copy that looked just like that - sealed too! - from the dollar bins at K-Mart back in 1978.

Not strictly Blue Note, and somewhat hearsay, but years back Buddy DeFranco had (and perhaps still does) a website and message board. Someone once asked him about royalties from the Mosaic box, and at the time Buddy claimed that he never saw a penny from it.

Agree with all of the above! I was just thinking along these lines the other day, when I ran across several used copies of BN Connoisseurs and remembered that finding those way back in the day was the thing that originally brought me to the old Blue Note Board... and then, of course, here. I'm not as active as I once was, but I still drop by almost every day. I have to echo Al and Cary's comments about Facebook too - it really helps connect with you guys on a more personal level by seeing photos and getting to know some of you outside of jazz (and too often politics ). It was great to hook up with Al over the summer, during my brief run through Texas; I hope to meet more of you on my travels in the future. For all its crappy weather and politics, the many people I know in Texas are all really swell!

Thanks for that one!

Great story, Joel!

Remember the words of Leap Day William: "Nothing that happens on Leap Day counts!"

I almost picked this up the other day after I noticed that Amazon copies were going for over $100, but then I discovered that a new edition is coming out soon. At least I think so given the very confusing and apparently disappointing nature of the previous release... http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/popculture/all/44931/facts.jazz_covers.htm

Mine too. It's gotten to the point where I just don't think about it that much anymore. If there's something that I want and it's at a price I can afford or think it's worth, then I'll buy it. If not, then maybe I'll download it (legitimately or otherwise). Honestly, most of the stuff I download I soon forget about or don't really like anyway. I also have nearly 40 years of music-buying to fall back on, and have been buying more used CDs than ever over the last few years 'cause they're so damn cheap. I've also gotten over the unreasonable expectation that I need to hear and/or have everything - I won't live long enough to accomplish that anyway. What I do still enjoy is opening my ears and hearing new things, whether I ultimately value them or not - be it decades-old music, new releases, or live performances. Put that all together in a blender with my meager sheckles and you get my musical stew. I try to be fair about it, but I'm far from perfect.

I'm assuming that the "sources" for these collections mostly come from existing CDs, so the sound should generally be pretty good except for whatever tweaking ("mastering") they might do, right? In any case, I already have so many classic Blue Note and Prestige, etc. albums that so far none of these cheap collections have even been tempting.

And here I was wondering when we can finally stop calling music that's 50+ years old "modern jazz."

A "nuclear storm," EMP or whatever might destroy hard drives, but it shouldn't affect CDs at all. On the other hand, I don't care what medium you're storing your music on, but it'll be hard to hear any of it without electricity. Maybe we should start buying up sheet music. That said, I've been buying tons of CDs lately - but mostly because I'm finding them for only a buck or two... much less than most legal downloads.

I just hope America can recover from the tragic death of Ms. Houston. On the plus side, I hear there was a ceasefire in Syria during Stevie Wonder's tribute song.

It's extremely pretentious, no doubt about it, but boring? Well, you've got to be in the mood for it, sure, but for the most part...NO, actually. The few parts I found a little tedious on the first viewing I rather got into on the second and began to downright like on the third. It is also one of the most divisive films I've seen in a long time - I know many who loved it and several who insist that it's the best film they've seen in years. Yeah, I found it boring, but I'm not sure I was really in the mood for it at the time either. That said, it's one of the more interesting films I've seen in ages, and though I didn't really care for it it's sparked many intense conversations. Whether you end up loving it or hating it, it's one of those films I'd recommend to anyone who truly appreciates contemporary cinema.

Sounds like my kinda film! Also sounds like some women I know.

I found it beautiful to look at and very provocative at times, but also extremely pretentious and boring as hell.

He sure does. I don't think it's a load of crap at all. But either way, it won't affect my tastes in music.

If anyone's interested in the McCabe's show, be advised that the last one sold out. So get your tix early! Unfortunately my favorite source for picks - Brick's column in the L.A. Weekly - is no more. It's still early for March, but let me check.