Deep Groove

I haven't seen Jodie Christian mentioned anywhere in this thread yet, but his recordings are not to be missed. Christian is certainly not a big name nationally, but he's well known among long-time Chicago musicians and plays wonderful bluesy, soulful jazz piano. All his Delmark recordings are outstanding, but my favorites are: Jodie Christian - Experience (trio) Jodie Christian - Front Line (quintet/sextet)

You've got all of the ones I know. If you can't find something good a JRM, you can't find something good anywhere.

Feedback much appreciated. How's the Donaldson? Thanks!

Is there a noticeable difference between the Classics DAD discs and regular cds? The local used cd store has a copy of Hank Mobley's "Roll Call" on DAD, but I already have the RVG. Will the sound be that much better? Do I need anything other than a standard DVD player and my surround-sound hook-up to appreciate it? Thanks in advance.

I'll take you up on a Hutch Patterns if you see one soon! I haven't been able to find it in any of the stores in my area. Thanks.

How does "Page One" sound? Too brassy?

I'm in Phoenix for my company's sales meeting, and I was hoping to take one of the open times to browse the local cd/record stores. Can anyone make recommendations, especially for used cds or lps? Thanks in advance.

I was perusing the new arrivals at the Groove when I came across this gem of a review... "In our opinion, one of the greatest career moves Gene Harris ever did was to leave behind his 3 Sounds combo and go solo on Blue Note. By doing so, he got into a funkier bag, experimented with lots of modern keyboards, and achieved a tight spacey funk groove that drove some of the label's best output of the mid 70s." I know they're famous for their critical gaffe's...but this one took the cake for me. Maybe I'm the one who's weird, but I LOVE Harris with the Sounds, and I wish he'd kept the original group together even longer than it was...

Just don't tell me it's marriage...

A record store near my house has a Mosaic LP set (the only way they issued it, right?) of the Port of Harlem Jazzmen on sale for $ 18. I've been curious about this one for a while, and have a passable--if not intense--interest in Dixieland jazz. Eighteen bucks sure seems reasonable to me if the music is good... I would love any feedback about the content on this set that you could provide. Thanks!

Thanks to all who recommended the Jazz Record Center; I just got back, and I cleaned up on vinyl! Among the great finds were: Dexter Gordon "A Swinging Affair" BNLA $ 10 Jackie McLean "One Step Beyond" BNLA $ 8 Claire Fischer "Extensions" Pacific Jazz $ 15 Russ Freeman/Dick Twardzik Trio Pacific Jazz $ 20 Thanks for the tips Dan Gould, Dmitry, JohnL, and 7/4...

Oh, and thank you for the tips, Dan!

I tried, but I can't get anything to come up. I've tried setting the bounds as "any time" and "any forum," using various iterations of: new york, nyc, jazz, store, stores, cd, lp, records...ad infinitum, but no luck. If you don't have any recommendations, perhaps you could enlighten me as to what I'm doing wrong with my search. Thanks.

Thanks to the snow last night, all of my meetings today were cancelled, and my flight home was delayed until 7:35p. Bad news for my travel schedule... GREAT NEWS FOR CD SHOPPING!!! I hit Academy Records yesterday, but can anyone recommend a few places to hit the stacks (preferably in the vicinity of mid-town)?

It's snowing here in "The City," and I just back from the first set of the first night of this group's gig at the Vanguard...there were probably a grand total of 15 people who made it through the weather outside this group, and we were all duly rewarded. The set started a little bit slow, with the band doing some tune based on the changes of "Perdido." Moran threw out what a sick (as in amazing) solo, but Byron just kind of noodled around for 10-15 minutes. Maybe there was a direction there, but it was geared to more sophisticated ears than mine, and from the expression on the faces of most of the audience, he clearly lost them as well. I even started thinking, "Too bad the Vanguard serves watered-down Glenlivet"...a stiff scotch could have taken the edge off that laborious (for the listener as well as Byron) solo. However, the second number the band did was a ballad, and Byron was amazing. There's an edge to his playing when he gigs that often isn't there for me on his cd's...Moran didn't avail himself as well on the ballad--could it have been "Say it (over and over again)"?--as he did on the up-tempo number, but Byron was great, and Billy Hart kept it rolling with fierce filling on the cymbals. The best number to my ears, though, was the next one...I'm not certain but I think it was a late Miles piece...and the band just smoked it! Plaxico and Hart introduced the beat, with Plaxico playing this stuttering "Duh-duh...(silence)...dah-duh-duh" bass signature that kept the groove going for the entire piece, and Hart throwing in mad rhythmic figures along the way. Moran started out laying down the riff, and Byron solo'ed above it. Later, when it was Moran's solo space, Byron stepped back and blew the riff figure, leaving Moran free to throw all sorts of his characteristic block chords at the piece. Long and poorly 'ritten review short, they had the whole place noddin' to the beat, which is a lot to say when the room is filled with middle-aged white guys (a demographic I'm soon to join)! The group rounded out the first set with a great blues, which featured Plaxico on the bow--it would have been worth the price of admission alone. In short, and--DISCLAIMER--to this amateur's ears, this was a don't-miss gig. If you live in NYC, it's easily worth the $ 30 door. I'm deeply groovin'...