Justin V

The only reason that I haven't joined the scramble to get it is because it's available for download on Amazon as part of the Capitol Vaults Jazz Series for $15.49, Of course, the Andrew Hill, Dexter Gordon, Don Pullen, John Patton and Paul Chambers sets can be had for even less. However, not all of the OOP Selects are available for download (i.e., the excellent Carmell Jones).

I didn't realize until learning about this reissue series from this thread that Art Blakey's Big Band on Bethlehem even existed. I found Coltrane's The Bethlehem Years, which includes the Blakey date and Winner's Circle, for $5 at a shop today.

Last night it was Terence Blanchard's quintet with special guests Ravi Coltrane and Lionel Loueke. Tonight it was Donny McCaslin's group, with Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre and Nate Wood. i almost didn't go due to being exhausted, but I am ecstatic that I did. It was simply one of the best concerts I have ever attended. Wildly inventive, groove-based music from a tight, muscular band. I live for shows like this.

http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.asp?number=1005 Looks to be back in stock, however temporarily. I wonder if they haven't updated their site yet, as I was told Friday afternoon that it was sold out.

Hill and Greg Osby were a great match for each other; I highly recommend both albums to anyone who is interested in Hill.

Well, I started another thread about how my Hard Bop disc that just arrived has several chips along the edge of the silver backing. Worried about it further deteriorating and becoming unplayable, I requested a replacement. They just sold out and are unable to replace it. That, my friends, is why we shouldn't wait until the last minute. I can't tell you how many times I almost ordered it over the years when a replacement would've been readily available.

Thanks, guys.

I received Hard Bop yesterday, and when I opened the case, I noticed that the disc has several tiny chips on the edges of the disc's silver coating. While the chips aren't nearly big enough to currently cause issues, I'm worried that what is apparently a poorly manufactured disc will further degrade and make the disc unplayable down the road. I only own half of a dozen big boxes, a handful of Selects and another Single, but I've never noticed a similar issue. What do you guys think? Am I being overly paranoid, or should I request a replacement? Thanks.

I received the Japanese SHM reissue yesterday and started listening to it a little before midnight. After midnight passed, I looked at the back of the album and realized that today makes it exactly 50 years since Out to Lunch was recorded. I didn't realize until I'd read the liner notes how closely Dolphy's death followed the making of Out to Lunch. As a total Out to Lunch neophyte, I've been blown away after two listens. As an Andrew Hill fan, I've long appreciated Richard Davis, but he really outdid himself on this one. I think that the same can be said for the rest of the band, all of whom sound inspired by Dolphy's interesting (and fun!) compositions. I'm not sure how the other editions of Out to Lunch sounded, but this reissue sounds like it was recorded yesterday. I'm looking forward to spending a lot more time listening to it.

I can't tell you how many times I watched Groundhog Day on HBO growing up. RIP.

Dr. Sunenblick does it again. Uptown really seems to be on a hot streak.

I guess I'm at a bit of disadvantage here, being 32 and only into jazz for about 12 years. I've been fortunate to see many of the greats at least once. Some of my all-time favorites and legends whom I've seen more than twice: Lee Konitz 6 times in the last year and a half; Jimmy Heath 5 times; Roy Haynes 4 times; Cecil McBee 4 times; Wayne Shorter 4 times; and, Sonny Rollins 3 times. I've seen Greg Abate 6 times; he plays at least once a year in Cleveland and my hometown, so I've seen him with the likes of Bobby Watson, Phil Woods, Richie Cole and others.

After wanting it since its release on Mosaic, I've finally ordered Art Blakey's Hard Bop. It seems like the easiest way to obtain the material, as the material is otherwise spread out over three albums. Plus, it was previously not issued in stereo and one track only appeared previously in edited form.

Duke Pearson - Mosaic Select, Disc 3

I had second-row tickets for their Detroit show, but it was postponed. I can only hope that the venue actually does reschedule it.

Although it sounds like you have had a bad experience with a pit bull in the past, you can't paint the whole breed with the same brush. I hear too many sad dog stories, so I doubt that I'll be visiting this thread often. Volunteering as a dog walker at a local shelter twice weekly for the last 3.5 years, many of these sad stories involve pit bulls. Prior to going to a local dog park, I was only familiar with the breed by its reputation. i quickly learned that the socialized, friendly dogs at the park defied that negative reputation. Since I began volunteering, I've seen pit bulls come in emaciated, abandoned, scarred and injured, sometimes after being used as bait dogs in dog-fighting operations. Despite having no reason to trust humans, I've seen so many respond positively, recover and go to permanent homes. I've had too many pit bulls crawl into my lap and lick my face off to think of their breed as being bad. Are there incidents involving pit bulls? Yes. However, like any breed, it comes down to how the dog is socialized and trained. I do agree that owners need to have their dogs leashed or otherwise secured. However, much like how no one believes their child is average, no one seems to believe that their dog will run up to a strange person or dog or run into the street if given the opportunity. there are too many variables involved to predict how two dogs will react to each other in such a situation. I walk my dog all over and have encountered a fair number of loose dogs. We've been approached by at least 6 pits, none of whom have attacked my dog. However, the last loose dog that approached us went after my dog. The dog in question was some kind of poodle-ish dog that my dog outweighed by about 50 pounds. That didn't prevent the poodle from going after my dog's back legs.

I opted for the cheapest shipping method available, so I won't be able to obsessively track my shipment's progress.

I'm currently waiting for these to arrive: Duke Pearson - Now Hear This: Although I own Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band on CD, it is missing 3 songs from Now Hear This that have never been available on CD before this SHM reissue. Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch: This is one of those albums that I should already own but don't. With the SHM reissue including two previously unreleased tracks, I'm glad that I waited. Sam Rivers - A New Conception: I've almost bought the Sam Rivers Mosaic a few times because I wanted to hear this, so I'm ecstatic over it seeing individual reissue. I'm betting that Hal Galper fits with Sam Rivers well, as Galper seems to fit with everyone.

Stuff Smith - The Complete Verve Stuff Smith Sessions, Disc 1

I caught The Cookers in Detroit on Saturday, with Donald Harrison manning the alto spot (Gary Bartz was on alto when they played the Detroit Jazz Festival last year). It was an amazing show. It really is a significant achievement to assemble such an all-star band and make it into a touring group. I think that the band is comprised of some of the greatest living jazz musicians performing in an ego-free manner. I'd make the long drive just to see a trio of George Cables, Cecil McBee and Billy Hart; the group, as a whole and individually, is just too good to miss. I had the opportunity to chat briefly with McBee, Harrison and George Cables afterward. I talked a bit with Harrison about his nephew Christian Scott, who apparently first recorded with his uncle at 16. I had a chance to tell McBee how much I adore Michael White's The Land of Spirit and Light, on which McBee is astounding. He was very gracious and came across as a true gentleman. Cables lived up to his reputation as a super-nice guy and talked for a bit about his travels. I'm always nervous when talking to musicians I admire, but I was glad that I had the opportunity to tell them I appreciated their work. On Sunday, I made the trip back to Detroit to catch Jimmy Heath with the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble. The concert opened with a three-song set by a group from the Detroit School of Arts. They were some talented, mature kids who have a lot of potential. The U of M jazz ensemble always has some talented kids. One drummer in particular really impressed me, and I found myself wishing that their only female member, a baritone saxophonist, had more opportunities to solo after her fun, earthy solo on 'Gingerbread Boy'. After the U of M band played three songs, Heath came up for a quartet reading of 'On Green Dolphin Street' and big-band versions of 'A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing', 'The Voice of the Saxophone' and 'Gingerbread Boy'. Jimmy Heath, as always, was a blast to see. From his sensitive tribute to Coleman Hawkins and his funky take on Strayhorn's tune to his skilled deployment of the various sections of the ensemble on 'Gingerbread Boy', he's a masterful composer/arranger/saxophonist. I don't think that he gets as much recognition as he deserves. I'm looking forward to listening to his new big-band album, Togetherness: Live at the Blue Note. It was a great weekend for music in Detroit.

Sunset and the Mockingbird: The Birthday Concert is easily one of my favorites. Flanagan, Peter Washington and Lewis Nash were something else as a group. I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but the same trio recorded Lady Be Good...For Ella, a heartfelt excellent tribute to Flanagan's former employer, Ella Fitzgerald. I haven't heard the other record they did together, Sea Changes. I also highly recommend Alone Too Long, which I think was Flanagan's only solo album.

Other than what's been recommended already, I'd say: and Invitation has Clint Houston and Billy Hart.

Bley's Canadian citizenship might be a factor there. I forgot that I started about who deserves to be named an NEA Jazz Master 7 months ago. I addressed that issue there: "How long has Bley lived in the US? Since the '50s or '60s, I presume. According to NEA's page, "the recipients must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States," which I'm assuming Bley is. It's worth noting that Toots Thielemans, who is deservedly an NEA Jazz Master, became a US citizen in 1957. It seems that anyone can nominate one person a year, and nominations remain active for 5 years. Perhaps one of our in-house journalists, or anyone else for that matter, could further the cause of a deserving musician."

I love his playing on this:

I saw Han Bennink with Mary Oliver tonight, which was the first time they've played Cleveland. I've seen the ICP Orchestra twice (without Misha the most recent time), but I'd never heard Oliver at length given the number of other musicians involved. She was impressive on violin and viola, using the bow like a slide at one point. Han was his usual joyous self, playing the floor and other assorted objects and swinging like crazy. He even sang a Misha Mengelberg song about hares! The concert was billed as the ICP Duo, which was fitting; considering the number of Mengelberg compositions and the irrepressible nature of the performance, it felt like an ICP show. He did a little Q&A and talked about the first time he saw Ayler. Apparently, Sunny Murray used Han's set (rented for 35 guilders) for The Hilversum Session and played with knitting needles! It was a fun night; my wife, who found the full ICP Orchestra to be chaotic, liked it. If I were a braver man, I would've joined the throng of people chatting it up with Han and Mary afterward, but I'll settle for a memorable, intimate hour of music.