All Activity

If you've ever thought of taking one of the many Jazz cruises out there but wondered what it might be like, here are the activity schedules from the McBride's World At Sea Jazz cruise that took place Jan. 20-27 of this year. I had a blast and truth be told, got a little more Jazz than I could handle by the end.

Tina Brooks “Minor Move” Blue Note Japan 85th Anniversary UHQCD This session needed a better digital release and this one is it. Tina Brooks deserved a longer life and career.

I swore off physical media, but I suspect that I don't quite have everything that is on this box set, and that some of it may not make it out of the vaults in any other format. Hmmmm...... Just when I thought I got out, they pull me back in.

This album includes a fantastic version of Harry Warren's "There Will Never Be Another You."

Agreed, and many of us fit that description at some point in our past. I remember the cheap 3 LP 'Impulse Energy Essentials' set was critical to my jazz formation when I was 18 years old (my intro to Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Max Roach, Cecil Taylor, Pharoah, Freddie Hubbard etc.), though it would be totally redundant for me now.

Lovely.

Is this a limited edition CD set or can I wait until the end of the year to buy it?

This again:

No worries! The recording sounds really good (it seems we can listen to the full concert:)

Double posting by accident

I bought this when it was released directly from Jaleel’s website and mine is crisp and clear.

Peetie Wheatstraw – Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 7 (4 April 1940 To 25 November 1941)

Horace Silver “Serenade to Silver” 85th Anniversary Blue Note Japan UHQCD

I would not consider the first one as it only has 4 GB of RAM. If you want Windows on your machine, skip the second one, as Windows 11 is a free upgrade from 10 and the only reason they wouldn't have done this is because the core processor is too old and isn't supported on Windows 11. Windows 10 is no longer supported by Microsoft. So that leaves #3. Although I do wonder about the seller. Who specifies a minimum monitor size? If I were buying one, I'd probably check Dell's Outlet first. Here's one there: OptiPlex 7000 (7020) Small Form Factor Newegg.com is a place where I've had good luck. Here's a decent one there: Acer Aspire Desktop Computer

Every few years there is a new group of teenagers who should be (or need to be) introduced to Coltrane.

An interesting article from a sociological perspective, for those who read French: https://aoc.media/critique/2026/02/24/michel-portal-lomnivore/

The Frémeaux box set of Mary Lou Williams

Ts find

I used to be turned off by this kind of “marketing ploy,” but I've come to think it's important to regularly remind people who don't know about them. Most jazz giants seem forgotten now or misunderstood. Better to be a nagging reminder than forgotten altogether.

👍 👍

Ts find

At least ONE purpose is: Money-making bait for starters or casual listeners that they want to lure into buying more later on.

I don't see the point. There are already countless compilations. Best Of..., Very Best Of..., Essential..., Introducing..., Definitive..., yada yada yada... The studio albums are all easy to hear and there's very little that doesn't merit a listen. I don't see what another bunch of dubious compilations add.