Justin V

Disc 1, Session A: I found Discs 1-6 for a great price on eBay last year. I'll probably never own the whole set unless I sell the physical discs to finance the download purchase. At any rate, I'm happy to at least have such a healthy chunk of prime Jamal.

My guess would be John Ore, but that is purely a guess.

The K2 has the mono version of 'Autumn Leaves', Take 2, which runs around 3 minutes. The Keepnews version has the mono version of Take 9, which runs over 5, and then omits Take 2, which was used for the original mono LP. So, 3 new alternates, with the new mono take not acknowledged as being new. It is just an odd choice to release what should have been the definitive version of the album only to admit one track. Maybe they felt 4 versions would be too much or the longer mono take was preferable/sufficient, but it is still odd.

Indeed. I am now listening to it for the second time. I think I'll end up grabbing a physical copy. It is a shame that they didn't do a follow-up album.

Bill Evans/Toots Thielemans - Affinity: I am finally taking advantage of my Prime membership to do some streaming. I had assumed that this was a duo recording, so I was surprised to hear the full Evans trio plus saxophone. At any rate, the Evans/Thielemans pairing works as well as one would expect.

I have the K2 version of Bill Evans' Portrait in Jazz. Surprisingly, it hasn't been made completely redundant by the the later Keepnews Collection reissue. The Keepnews Collection version introduces three new alternates while omitting the mono version of 'Autumn Leaves' (Take 2), which was the originally preferred take. Oddly enough, the new take of 'Autumn Leaves' on the Keepnews Collection reissue is the mono version of Take 9, but the credits on the back do not list it as being previously unissued. Is this omission/substitution mentioned in the Keepnews Collection liner notes? It seems odd that there would be an orphaned take.

I've been listening to every session twice before moving on, so I am listening to this one again.

From Ken's sale: James Williams - Meet the Magical Trio Lew Tabackin - Tenority Don Braden - Organic Leroy Vinnegar - Walkin' the Basses Don Pullen - Kele Mou Bana Frank Morgan and Bud Shank - Quiet Fire

Closing the night with Mr. Natural, with Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Bob Cranshaw, Elvin Jones and Ray Barretto. This set is propelling itself to among my favorite Mosaics already. Every single session has an inspired lineup.

Paul Kogut - Know It? I Wrote It!: This is a fun organ trio date. I've had it for a few years and have been hoping Kogut would play in Cleveland.

Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests: It had been some time since I'd last listened to this and this is the second spin since yesterday. I am pretty flummoxed by Scott Yanow's two-star review as this might be my favorite Peterson album. I plan on revisiting more Peterson this week.

Bill Evans - Conversations with Myself: I've probably only listened to this 3 or 4 times before this in 10+ years. I think that was my loss, as it is beautiful.

Fifth - The only recording by this collective featuring pianist John Chin (one of my favorite recent discoveries), Tivon Pennicott on tenor, Stacy Dillard on soprano, Spencer Murphy on bass and the late Lawrence Leathers on drums. It is divided between modern, melodic compositions and free improvisations. The funny thing is that I haven't listened to the physical CD, as the Bandcamp download included several bonus tracks.

The Japanese version with bonus tracks. My heart swelled with pride when my daughter, who will turn 17 months on Thursday, heard 'Zoltan' and tried to sing along.

Erwin Schmidt - Dorothy's Valentine: I bought this after Georghe posted about the death of Walther Großrubatscher, the drummer on the date. Based on this excellent album, he deserved to be more widely known. Fans here of piano trios should check it out.

Like many people, I grew up reading Dr. Seuss. As a parent to a toddler, I now get to introduce her to the world of Dr. Seuss. Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! was a childhood favorite.

Disc 9: Stitt with Harold Mabern, Ben Tucker and Roy Haynes. That is how to start a Monday.

Allen, we get it. You don't like her, but you rarely have anything positive to say about other musicians you don't know personally. It smacks of bitterness and jealousy at this point.

Ugh. Younger, married and with little space. I am putting in my extravagant order for three discs. Going with John Hardee, Sammy Benskin and Oliver Jackson. I feel great about those choices, but it was hard not to go nuts with that catalog at those prices.

Disc 1 (The John Hardee tracks)

I found this in a store for 8 or 10 bucks within a year before Bluiett passed. I am finally making my way through a full listen. Talk about tone!

Cannonball Adderley - Them Dirty Blues: This has become my go-to Cannonball album and is becoming an all-time favorite. It is a trip going from the more familiar Timmons/Jones/Hayes team to the tracks with Barry Harris. In terms of performance, choice of material and sound quality, the album is flawless, IMO.