LWayne

John Sorry to hear this. I have not been laid off, but have changed jobs frequently over last 10 years after having had my "dream job". I am 62 and realize that I would be a target during any corporate downsizing. Personally, I feel as ambitious as ever, and would want to "retire" only by my own choice. Retire in quotes is deliberate, because I have been a consultant a couple of times over the last 10 years and enjoyed it very much. The money was equivalent/ better to what I was making as a corporate employee and I did not have the sense of connection with the company which I found to be very liberating and allow me to focus on end product without any concern for politics. Start to network, call vendors, suppliers, customers that you supported and think highly of you. You will be surprised at their understanding. Let me know if you want to talk. I am here. Best Regards, LWayne

Really enjoying this after the first spin. Particularly the first CD-Milford Graves and Wadada Leo Smith duo. MIlford's drumming is a force of nature, as always. Thumbs up! LWayne

Seems to be sold out now. LWayne

I finally found the Japanese CD through Dusty Groove after having it on my "notify" section for years. It is very hard to find. LWayne

RIP Mario. Really enjoyed his recordings although I wish I would have seen him in concert. LWayne

Would have sprung for the $3.50 tickets! LWayne

Very unfortunate. The legends are dying out. Glad I have fond memories of hearing him live. LWayne

Contacted her through Facebook and was not enamored with response. Finally promised to replace the defective LP, when I just wanted a new gatefold, but I have yet to receive a replacement by mail. Will give benefit of the doubt, but hardly stellar customer service. Very wary of this label. LWayne

Any contacts at Omnivore Recordings that I can contact. Bought the LP, but the cardboard sleeve has a tear. The email form on the Omnivore Recordings website goes to an independent fulfillment center that is useless. No offer to provide a new jacket, just advice to return to the brick and mortar store where I purchased. I had previous problems with cardboard gatefold covers with Resonance Records for a Record Store Day release, and they replaced it immediately.. Doubt the fulfillment center will contact Omnivore as they promised. It has been two weeks. No to take matters into my own hands. Like the recording a lot. Just wish there was better quality control and that missing notion called customer service. LWayne

And a very current example from last year Immanuel Wilkins "Omega" And another enjoyable debut from last year Micah Thomas "Tide"

Good point. Re-released commercially through ECM. My number two is their number one...

Listening to my favorite ECM album!

Really enjoying this CD. Maybe the best for this trio. Looking forward to the vinyl release for the live tracks. Rare for me to buy both CD and vinyl of same release, but justified! LWayne

Haven't listened to this in a long time... LWayne

Newly released Charles Tolliver "Compassion" LWayne

Original pressing of this LP. Outstanding!

Watched both nights. Very enjoyable, but liked Friday night better. Played many Paul Motian tunes. Reminiscent of Motian-Lovano-Frisell playing the Vanguard annually. Would be interested in set-lists from both nights, as no announcements from stage, if available. :LWayne

Looking for decent copy of Stanley Cowell's solo "Live at Cafe des Copains" LP. Willing to buy or trade for equal value. If not, will need to go Discogs route. Hoping a board member might be willing to part with a copy. Thanks, LWayne

Oh no! Definition of a legend. Always enjoyed watching him play. Grace under pressure. LWayne

Saw both the Friday and Saturday sets. Thought they were exceptional! LWayne

Too many to consider. Feeling guilty now. LWayne

Great list. Would add the following: Carla Bley, Life Goes On Bill Frisell/ Thomas Morgan, Small Town Craig Taborn, Avenging Angel Michael Formanek, Small Places Paul Motian, Time and Time Again Dave Holland Quintet, Extended Play Vijay Iyer, Break Stuff LWayne

This is absolutely crushing. I am beyond sad. He was a very good friend of mine and we just exchanged email greetings yesterday on the event of my birthday. Fortunate to have seen him play many times and to have attended many shows with him as well (note my Avatar). He was tremendously warm and witty. Had a dry sense of humor and was a keen observer of irony. This REALLY hurts. Love you Frank! LWayne

As the year winds to a close, I wanted to start a "best of" thread. Despite the pandemic, this was a wonderful year for new releases. More depth of recordings than previous years. Of my top ten, the first six never left my CD player: 1 Carla Bley Life Goes On ECM 2 Bill Frisell Valentine Blue Note Records 3 Maria Schneider Orchestra Data Lords ArtistShare 4 Thumbscrew The Braxton Project Cuneiform 5 Liberty Ellman Last Desert Pi Recordings 6 James Brandon Lewis Quartet Molecular Intakt Records 7 Immanuel Wilkins Omega Blue Note Records 8 Micah Thomas Tide Self-Released 9 Matthew Shipp Trio The Unidentifiable ESP Disk 10 Charles Tolliver Quartet Connect Gearbox Records If this list was expanded to top twenty, there would also be Nels Cline Singers "Share the Wealth" and Charles Lloyd "Live at the Lobrero" included. Surprisingly, this would make Blue Note my choice for top label as I have pretty much passed by many of its releases in recent years. Three reissues/previously unissued gems to mention as well: Sonny Rollins "Live in Holland", Charles Tolliver "All Stars", and Bill Evans "Live at Ronnie Scott's" Although the pandemic relegated much of my listening to livetsteam broadcasts, I was fortunate to catch several great concerts in person at the beginning of the year: 1. Charles Tolliver Quintet. An Die Musik. Baltimore MD. Feb 29, 2020. Wonderful to hear the maestro along with Buster Williams and Lenny White play some of my favorite Strata East songs. 2. Ethnic Heritage Ensemble "Raise Your Spirits" Tour. First Unitarian Church, Pittsburgh PA. Feb 24 2020. Is there a more charismatic performer than Kahil El Zabar? 3. Joshua Redman "Still Dreaming" Quartet. August Wilson AACC. Pittsburgh, PA. Feb 15, 2020. Tight quartet paying tribute to the Old and New Dreams repertoire. So many great livestreams to consider, but some of my favorites were: 1. In Order to Survive, Vision Festival-Healing Soul- William Parker always amazes. James Brandon Lewis and Rob Brown were a formidable duo of saxophones. 2. Thumbscrew, Roulette-Playing music from the new CD as well as previewing the forthcoming 2021 album. One of the best trios around. 3. Miles Okazaki and Trickster-The Jazz Gallery. Tight group at its peak. Both sets were amazing. His "Trickster Live" recording via Bandcamp was also a highlight. 4. Tom Harrell Trio, Village Vanguard-although some streaming problems during the broadcast, his lyrical compositions and thoughtful playing were amazing. 5. Mike Reed's Loose Assembly, Constellation-Group contained all of Chicago's finest playing some challenging, but rewarding, music. Would love this to be a recording. Happy Holidays! LWayne

William Parker