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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!

August 30, 2025: Doreen Ketchens, Pete Escovedo, Riverfront Jazz Festival, Fair Park, Dallas August 31, 2025: The Texas Tenors (Shelley Carrol, Jason Davis, Quamon Fowler), Riverfront Jazz Festival, Fair Park, Dallas September 2, 2025: Isiah J; Thompson Quartet, JazzTX, San Antonio September 6, 2025: Xuefei Yang, Unity of Dallas Andrew Griffith Quartet, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth September 11, 2025: Miguel Zenon Quartet, Parker Jazz Club, Austin Ben Lamar Gay, Damon Locks, Sonic Transmissions Festival, Draylen Mason Music Festival, Austin September 12, 2025: Ibelisse Guardia Feragutti and Frank Rosaly's Mestizx, Sonic Transmissions Festival, Austin Scottish Rite Theater, Austin Miguel Zenon Quartet, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Houston September 13, 2025: Miguel Zenon Quartet, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Houston Clarence Johnson III, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth September 20, 2025: Bnois King, Denton Blues Festival September 21, 2025: Mathias Latin, Denton Blues Festival September 23, 2025: Mdou Moctar, White Oak Music Hall, Houston September 24, 2025: Mdou Moctar, Radio/East, Austin September 27, 2025: Quamon Fowler, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth October 1, 2025: Jon Cowherd, Parker Jazz Club, Austin October 5, 2025: Kushal Das (sitar), Abhijit Banerjee (tabla), Unity Church of the Hills, Austin October 9, 2025: Paul Cornish Trio, JazzTX, San Antonio October 10 2025: Paul Cornish Trio, Monk's Jazz Club, Austin Stanley Clarke, Carver Center, San Antonio October 12, 2025: Joy Clark, Little Freddie King, Bobby Rush, Crescent City Blues Festival, New Orleans October 17, 2025: Walter Smith III Quartet, Wortham Theater, Houston October 21, 2025: Lila Downs, Jones Hall, Houston October 23, 2025: Joe McPhee, No Idea Festival, Dallas October 24, 2025: Jackie Venson, Tulips FTW, Fort Worth Camille Thurman Quartet, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas October 24-26, 2025, Joe McPhee, No Idea Festival, Austin October 29, 2025: Chuck Redd, Parker Jazz Club, Austin November 10, 2025: Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas November 12, 2025: Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Meyerson, Dallas November 14, 2025: Nicholas Payton Quartet, Wortham Theater, Houston Wynton Marsalis, Grand Opera House, Galveston November 15, 2025: Wynton Marsalis, Hogg Auditorium, Austin Mike Stern Band, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas Kunal Gunjal (Santoor) & Amit Kavthekar (Tabla), ICMC, Plano November 16, 2025: Wynton Marsalis, Hobby Center, Houston February 22, 2026: Branford Marsalis Quaret, Wortham Theater, Houston March 7, 2026: Pat Metheny Side-Eye, Wortham Theater, Houston March 13, 2026: T.K. Blue and African Rhythms Alumni, A Tribute to Randy Weston, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas March 21, 2026: Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival, Southside Preservation Hall, Fort Worth March 26-29, 2026: Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee April 2, 2026: Kaia Kater, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, Arkansas April 10, 2026: Coltrane at 100 (Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Ndudzo Makhathini, Matt Garrison, Jefftain Watts), Cullen Theater, Houston April 23-26, 2026: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 30-May 3, 2026: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 9, 2026: Hiromi's Sonic Wonder, Cullen Theater, Houston May 16, 2026: Chucho Valdes, Paramount Theater, Austin

I at one time did ship CD's to Europe, but had some nightmare experiences with some of the non-USA post offices (Italy was especially memorable), and decided it just wasn't worth the stress and trauma. Plus, as you point out, rates have skyrocketed.

Italian Postal Service has just announced that they will not ship small parcels to US. For sure one can ship FedEx and UPS, usually more expensive then Italian Post.

The Piano Works. Preludes

Last night in Brooklyn Steve Baczkowski, Brandon Lopez & Chuck Roth Baczkowski is among the greatest saxophonists on the planet. the opening unaccompanied solo to start the short second set was one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard. Brandon was beyond even his very high standards. Most intense playing I’ve heard from him a while. And besides John Edwards, no bassist brings it like Brandon Lopez. Too bad I don’t see Edwards live. I’m very grateful I see Lopez play at least 10-15 times a year. Probably more than that. He’s playing shit that no one else even knows exists. Chuck Roth was a bit differential but it’s understandable. First time playing with Steve. Chuck was typically brilliant again playing stuff I’ve never heard him play before. Like Brandon but to a lesser extent, I’m gifted to be able to see the *great* Chuck Roth play often probably at least once a month for the last 2 plus years. No one has ever played the guitar like Chuck Roth. tonight at The Stone Trevor Dunn, Webb Crawford & Chris Corsano

The Are Murders - Netflix

Patty Griffin: Crown Of Roses