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Thanks, Allen. I'm certainly intrigued enough to keep listening to him.

not gonna get into the OP vs everybody, but I am a little shocked that no one else hears this genius as I do. I can deal with it, but be aware that in New York everyone who has heard Esteban recognizes what I recognize, which is that he is far from just a technician, but a brilliant consolidator of styles, in the same league as Jaki Byard. It's possible that non-musicians don't recognize his skill, but I think it's clear that he is one of the best ever, and I have heard everyone, live or on record, from, I would say, 1923 forward. We can hear bits of Tristano, Monk, Bud and Tatum in his playing, but masked by his originality, and I have heard no other pianist - including, I would add Jaki Byard, who I loved - who can sit, relaxed at the piano like that, with such incredible focus, comprehensive technique, and just plain feeling. Part of the problem is that we have to distinguish between technique and facility (and btw I like Gene Harris a lot but not OP). But Esteban is just on another level, it's almost mystical the levels of creativity that he achieves.

4. I got it, "The Oom is blues" from Quincy Jones "Go West, Man!". Bill Perkins, Buddy Collette, Walter Benton, Pepper Adams, Carl Perkins, Leroy Vinnegar, Shelly Manne.

The person depicted on the upper cover is not him, btw, it is a distant relative from the Thuringian Bach branch, Johann Christan Bach, who was his student in Halle (not his half-brother).

Thanks! A track from one of his 8 Bold Souls albums was included in a (fairly) recent Blindfold Test, and got my attention.

It's "Karachi" from Gene Shaw "Debut in blues". It's on my phone but I never would have imagine it. 👍

https://chicagoreader.com/music/the-secret-history-of-chicago-music/edward-wilkerson-aacm-bold-souls-shadow-vignettes-extraordinary-popular/

In like a lion, out like a lamb! TRACK ONE - Non-silly alto, which is the only kind of alto I really like. Not as common as I would like. This one 100% grooves! TRACK TWO - Yeah, Pete Brown. Listening to this one, I heard a possible link between Pete Brown and Lockjaw? Maybe? No matter, Pete Brown is very worth knowing about! TRACK THREE - Gene Shaw? Pretty distinct player, although it has been so long since i listened that I would not begin to be able to identify the record. But that's a good cut, for sure, and not just for the leader! TRACK FOUR - Lady Q on one of the tenors? Pepper on bari? Sounds like a Thad tune/arrangement. Not familiar with this one at all, but I like it! TRACK FIVE - No thanks. Too much talk, not enough action. TRACK SIX - Wow. Who knew?!?!?! I like this a LOT! Easily sleuthed from the intro: https://folkways.si.edu/conjunto-alamo/buena-vista-swing/jazz-ragtime/music/track/smithsonian TRACK SEVEN - Not to my taste, but that's certainly some skilled pickin'! TRACK EIGHT - I like this one too. Phil Woods before he got silly. The tenor player has a really intense sound, I like it a lot. The whole thing is poppin', nonstop! TRACK NINE - Odean Pope? Don't recognize the band, tho. Interesting, works for me! TRACK TEN - Gesture aplenty. TRACK ELEVEN - Time taken. Appreciated for that. Liking the piano more than anything. Saxophinist is a bit too generic for my liking. TRACK TWELVE - No idea, but I like it a lot. Not Don Cherry, but kinda in the same vibe. I feel that I'm going to have a DOH! moment once this is revealed, I like it! TRACK THIRTEEN - I thought this was some kind of Donny Hathaway basic demo cut. Then I got curious enough to cheat. Oh my! Nice set, as usual. Enjoyed it!

Not technically a reissue, but previously unreleased from the Hat archives: https://mikewestbrook.bandcamp.com/album/the-piano-in-the-room-and-the-blues It's on the "new" AlAy label https://www.alay.ch/ (Note the "non-competition agreement" disclosure that pops up on the alay link 🧐)

Only the Rott String Quartet, not the Bruckner.

Sublime.

Yeah it was Honeck.

Who was the conductor? Manfred Honeck?

This weekend the Pittsburgh Symphony played the Mahler 2. I went twice. It was great. The companion piece, by Boris Pigovat, called Yizkor, was also great both times, and a fitting prelude to the Mahler. More on that here: https://pigovat.com/wordpress/yizkor/

Chansons by Poulenc, Satie, Debussy, Ravel, Honegger, and Messiaen. Lovely.

I thought that was a clear implication that there is OP and then there is Tatum, and there is also "look at what I can do" level.