Chuck Nessa

Buicks have horrible acoustics.

As soon as possible, both guys will be in Rudy's studio cutting volumes 2 and 3.

And in a way, that is my point. You can not simply draw a line that says "All downloading is wrong." As a guitar and history teacher, I see how disgustingly widespread downloading and copying is. Especially since now there is no physical difference between copied and real cds because it all ends up on the ipod anyways. It is rampant, and it is VERY dangerous. But to take a party line that says all downloading is illegal and immoral will cause kids to completely ignore what you are saying. And this is what the music industry has done. AS a result, what they say is a complete joke, to be mocked and ridiculed by the average kid. I tell my students that yes i do download, but if I like the music I buy it, not only to support the artists but also the record companies that do take on quite a bit of risk to release that music. I also talk about sound quality and the like. I KNOW they respond better to that than just chastising them like im their Grandpa. If someone says "you can have this for nothing" that's fine with me. If you say "I can have this for nothing and MIGHT buy something from you at a later date" I have a huge problem. That's the diff.

I can't give numbers (Uptown's not my company) but 45,000 seems low at this point for the Monk. The Diz/Bird has not sold THAT many, but BN has a large promo budget and power to stuff cds into stores like Wal-Mart and Target. I'm sure they will triple sales of the Uptown cd but they need to do that much to cover their corporate overhead.

Many musicians did/do take cash now as opposed to a royalty deal. I don't have a big problem with this. Maybe the "opportunistic" person was the musician. The "Lomax-level deals" as you put it are a whole 'nuther situation. I do know of a situation where a well musician offered to do a cd date for $5000 and the label owner offered $20,000 without royalties and the guy turned it down. Believe me when I say the "star" messed up big time on this deal. Do you know who designed and built your house? Do you pay them royalties? People are hired to "make something" and sometimes the contract includes royalties and sometimes not. These are business propositions for all involved. Since the post connected to my response involved a BN recording, it is fair to note Bruce Lundvall offered/granted an artist royalty (about 20 years ago) to all "past" BN artists and the label has been paying them. I am in now way a defender of corporations but................

As someone with first hand experience of a couple of suicides and circumstances leading up to the act, I would say it is very difficult to "guess" the mental state of the person directly involved. As to the gun, it is easy to imagine a family member wanting to "deny" suicide by removing the weapon.

Please explain how technology trumps "right and wrong". Please provide some statistics to back up your "excuse". That might solve your problem and lead to "an honest discussion about the negative implications". I'm certainly not "out of touch with how music is consumed today" but am bothered by some of the consumption. I fear for all creative endeavors when reward is denied to serve "the beast" of consumption. Ad nauseum indeed.

Much of this seems to be rationalization and cheap politics. One can find examples of anything and everything to excuse anything and everything. I'm sorry Rod but if stealing from Elmo Hope is bad and stealing from someone who pays money to Elmo Hope is (maybe) ok, where do you draw the friggin' line and who gave you that power? I'm much more interested in what is "right" than what's "legal" but under the current system the only chance to get what is "right" is to use the legal system. Sadly that costs more than most of the "victims" can afford and they just lose. As Alexander has demonstrated, this does seem to be a "generational thing" and that scares the shit out of me. It is bad enough the world is in creative doldrums but to have the potential audience think the product is their "right" is really scary.

Nothing to be sorry about. Witnessing probably pays better than the music biz. $40 a day (plus milage) is "high cotton" for me.

He always did.

Bringing this back up to announce I am the proud owner of 2 (count 'em) subpoenas to spill my guts in court Jan 31-Feb 3.

Gee John, didn't know you were such an old fart. Never made the Litweiler/Yancey link before.

TMI.

I was envious when I saw the original post. Sadly I can't make it. If you have the chance, give Cecil my greetings.

Musicians are famous for not showing up.

That stuff has circulated for years about all the labels. In the mid '60s I heard BN kept Ike Quebec around to "supply" the musicians so they were ok for the record date. Too many "stories" to stop them all.

That cover reminds me of Lester Bowie telling me "If they make a movie about Pops and Freddie doesn't play him, they're fucked up".

Please provide details on the Segal "party". I'd like to attend.

Yes, I didn't mean to imply that.

Do you know if his mama is? Do you know anything about this?

Relax Al, and accept who/what you are. Why look for approval?

He also wanted to be removed from the musicians asking for money.

I already figured that out.

I had no idea Warne died while playing. Yes, but the name of the club was Donte's.