Justin V

That sounds like it should be very interesting. Thanks for mentioning it.

Happy Birthday, Mr. DeJohnette!

I didn't realize that Chuck Loeb had studied with Coltrane's teacher, Dennis Sandole, who recommended him to Jim Hall, or that Loeb had played with Stan Getz. I think I just have an album or two with him as a sideman, but I'd be interested in hearing a straight-ahead leader date. Rest in peace, Mr. Loeb, and thank you for the music.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bradford! I bought the duo disc from the Carter/Bradford Mosaic Select a couple of months ago, so I will give it a spin tonight.

I went to a local store and got all of this for about $31 after tax. Many of the albums were albums I've meant to check out for a while, and all but one album were $4 or less (the Green/Clark was $6). Heck, the Baker album was the double-disc version and was only $3. I can't believe my haul.

Benny Golson - The Philadelphians: This is an underrated gem.

I saw her a few years ago in Detroit when she performed a duo set with Cameron Brown and she knocked my socks off. I like living in a world where Sonny and Sheila sing to each other.

This is hard to process. Although I got to see her perform several times, most recently in November, I wish that I had seen her perform more when I had the chance. I plan on exploring more of her work and revisiting the recordings of her that I already have. Rest in peace, Ms. Allen, and thank you for the music.

Everyone seems to be enjoying some great music today. I am currently listening to: Stanley Turrentine - Rough 'N' Tumble: I am a sucker for Turrentine playing Duke Pearson arrangements. It really is quite amazing to think of the caliber of band they put together for this session (a master stroke by A&R man Pearson), from established Blue Note leaders to many of the sidemen who contributed so much to Blue Note's success. The session sounds so vibrant, with Bob Cranshaw being particularly well-recorded and Mickey Roker providing that happy, driving swing for which he was known. It saddens me to think of the recent deaths of Cranshaw and Roker and the fact that only McCoy Tyner and James Spaulding are still with us.

Congratulations to the winners.

I hope Chick had a happy birthday!

I'm glad that he is doing okay. I saw him perform with Vijay Iyer last year and it was a spellbinding set.

Thanks, guys. I should receive the external drive this week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Okay, this has happened with 3 or 4 different DVD drives for laptops and is an intermittent problem, but when I rip a CD, sometimes my DVD drive will leave a tiny scratch. Since it is an intermittent problem, I have never been able to isolate whether it is more likely to occur when the laptop is on my lap versus a table or when I am using the computer for another task while a disc is ripping. While it has never resulted in a disc skipping, it is still an annoying issue. I recently ripped 10 discs without an issue, but it then happened when I ripped the single disc from the Threadgill Mosaic that I received this week. In the long run, I'd probably be more likely to somehow scratch a disc while sticking it in the computer multiple times to play it if I didn't rip any discs, but I've now ordered an external drive to see whether it is less likely to scratch discs. My theory is that laptop DVD drives might be engineered to be a little snug, which could somehow result in the scratches. Has this ever happened to anyone else, or do I just have horrible luck?

That Bee Hive set is an abundance of riches. That Hartman album is sublime. Now playing:

That's a nice one. If you haven't yet heard it, I highly recommend this double-disc solo album:

Mark Morganelli - Speak Low, with Kenny Barron, Ron Carter and Jimmy Cobb.

Thelonious Monk - The Complete Riverside Recordings, Discs 9-12: I stopped by Half Price Books and found these 4 discs for $9.99 (and then got 20% off!). All of the material on these discs is new to me, so it is whetting my appetite for the full box and serves as a reminder that I need to spend much more time with my Monk Blue Note box.

I once worked in a retail pharmacy. I had a boss who was into stuff like Clapton and the Allman Brothers. I could occaionally sneak in some jazz (Russell Malone, Oscar Peterson and Enrico Rava(!)) and blues (Howlin' Wolf, Carey Bell, Hubert Sumlin and Sonny Landreth). We tended to play a ton of Clapton, Allman Brothers and some of Gregg's solo work. Having grown up listening to and playing various forms of rock but having started getting more into improvisational music, Gregg Allman made what could often be a tedious job more tolerable. Thank you for the music, Mr. Allman, and rest in peace.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Shepp!

I haven't heard as much of The Three Sounds as I would like to, but Bill Dowdy's tasty drumming and incredible rapport with his bandmates contributed greatly to their music. Thank you for the music, Mr. Dowdy, and rest in peace.

He is one of my favorite drummers. I long wanted to see him perform live, but I never had the opportunity. Thank you for the music, Mr. Roker, and rest in peace.

Rest in peace, Mr. Cornell, and thank you for the music.

I just saw this old post of mine. Having since seen Antonio Sanchez with Pat Metheny several times and twice with Gary Burton, I am now a fan. One album that began that shift of opinion was Kenny Werner's Balloons, a live date with Randy Brecker, David Sanchez and John Patitucci.