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I’m spinning the Japanese Acoustic Sounds series SHM-SACD of John Coltrane “Crescent,” UCGU-9077. For my system it’s the best digital version I own, I also own a reissue LP that sounds pretty darned good.

This is my reaction too. Even PoD, which I should know backwards the number of times I've heard it, reveals new delights every listen. Thanks, I didn't know of this. There's been a couple of very good UK bands playing Hill repertory recently, not yet recorded though.

Two gems

Nice. Arabesque put out some really good music while it was in operation.

Andrew Hill - Live at Montreux (Arista-Freedom, 1976)

Icehouse - Icehouse plays Flowers

Two important missing links in my Tapscott collection:

The remake is showing in the area all this upcoming week. Being fond of films set in NYC (blurb shows Denzel Washington on a subway), I may venture to watch it.

Billy Higgins - Bridgework (Contemporary, 1987)

ZIM Records ZM-1008 - Zoot Sims/Dick Nash Octet " Nashville" - rec. 1955 - Engineers: Ben Jordan & Jerry Pierce

Brunswick Records BL 54021 - The Tony Scott Quartet " Tony Scott In Hi-Fi" - rec. Sept. 1953

This very good album came out with little fanfare a couple years back-- unfortunately it's only available on a bespoke LP edition that may be out of print, but you can hear it on bandcamp and other streaming platforms: https://newvellerecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-prayer-for-andrew As much as I listen to his 60s BNs, I just as often come back to the later small group albums, especially the three later BN dates and Dusk on Palmetto. I am still hoping we can get a recording of his trio with John Hebert & Eric McPherson. I have often wondered if this was the live AH release Michael Cuscuna had mentioned ca. 2009 before Blue Note stopped making CDs. There are a few other fascinating trio recordings out there:

I’d give my right pinky finger to see Brandon, Steve & Gerald Cleaver again. Saw them in December 2019. Maybe one day Cleaver will come back to NYC. Brandon & Steve are off to Europe today for 2 gigs. One in Antwerp tomorrow and the second in Amsterdam on Saturday.

I saw Steve Baczkowski and Brandon Lopez last year at a Tubby's show Clifford put together. It was badass. Agreed on Lopez (italics added).

Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith, Defiant Life (ECM)

Thanks. Objectively the film is likely to have merit, but remakes of classics are generally polarizing. For my taste (which may be bad), Paul Schrader is probably a contrarian indicator. This remake reminds me in an ironic way of a funny Opera News article I read decades ago. The author was bemoaning the rigidity of the opera repertoire and lack of original works. He wrote something like "Imagine if cinema worked the same way as opera...film buff discussions would tend to statements like 'This new Gone with the Wind is pretty good, but Spike Lee's was much better'..."

Re-listening to this excellent SACD. Joni Mitchell “Hejira” Mobile Fidelity Lab SACD Following on with some Joni Mitchell music. Herbie Hancock “River–The Joni Mitchell Letters”. Verve cd

Hill’s chords, rhythm, and sense of melody, much of which work in a churning cloudlike or allover sensation, direct while also indirect, are fascinating to me. I’ve never heard anyone else like him.

Hooray for Pee Wee!