Ron S

All you guys (including those from New Haven ) come (back) to Philly, and we'll take you on a grand tour of all the area has to offer, e.g., largest urban park in the country if not the world--no joke/9,000 acres, 3rd largest art museum in the country, some of the most beautiful exurban areas in the country per AAA guide, one of the best restaurant cities in the country per Gourmet magazine, lots and LOTS of beautiful and interesting historic areas, one of the best symphony orchestras in the world, amazing jazz tradition (I could go on and on, but you get the idea) . . . . But FIRST stop: Alan Lankin's house!

Sorry to offend any residents of this city, but I visited it in January and thought it was terrible! Well, it ain't no New Haven, if that's what you mean.

Hey, prior to my 20 plus years in Michigan, we lived in IA, IL, IN, WI, MA and IL again. I know more about all those places. Always staying one step ahead of the law?

Well, you should be able to figure out MY recommendation: Seriously, though, there are lots of reasons that Philly is a great place to live--way too many to list here. In fact, it's been a a pet peeve of mine for many years that Philly has been so underrated and underappreciated by the rest of the country. I even had a column published a few years ago in the Philadelphia Daily News about how the city needs to do a much better job of promoting all that it has to offer. If you want specifics, let me know and I'll be glad to give you the full sales presentation.

Yet for some reason the Verve issue of the Tal Farlow set is being widely distributed in the US at an incredibly low price. Caiman--through Amazon--now has it for $47.83 (plus $2.49 shipping), and says they have SIXTY COPIES in stock here. I'm still scratching my head over this deal , but really enjoying the set I purchased from them.

That really depends on where you work.

And when should we start placing our orders?

That's exactly what happened with the Tal Farlow set, which is why you can get the identical set--except that the spine of the outer box doesn't say "Mosaic" and has a different number--in the US for less than half what Mosaic is charging.

You guys should work your way into opening for Joey at one of his homecoming shows in Philly. A lot of us would come to see YOU, and MAYBE stay on for the rest of the show. Besides, it would give Joe G a chance to try out my new Gripmaster.

She does a pretty nice supporting role here, too:

Thanks for sharing so eloquently your enthusiasm about this set. I've been thinking about getting this set for a while, but you've just pushed it up to near the top of my Mosaic wish list. B-)

WHAT??? Wasn't Benny Golson the best because you got to sit next to ME??? Err, I don't want to cause you any pain, but...

As someone who seems to be in a perennial mid-life crisis, I find all of that very encouraging. B-)

Alan, that Arkestra show at the Sedgwick sounds very interesting. Maybe I'll meet you there again, and we can also hook up with Chalupa (and any other Board Member who wants to join the fun).

Oh, I didn't want to hijack my own greeting to Brownie! And I wasn't sure who all would get it! But since you did, Ron, I'll bring him back, Dizzy-Gillespie-chin tribute and all! "About time off fom the Board -- I'll have to make myself do that for the next week or so, due to WORK!" WORK ???!!! "Yes, WORK!" Thanks! Seeing him made me think of Dobie, and Zelda, and . . . . well, my old avatar:

DAMN, this would be a great web site to have a Bulletin Board. Too bad nobody's put one here.

Hi, Guy! So glad to see you pop in! [About time off fom the Board -- I'll have to make myself do that for the next week or so, due to WORK! ] What happened to Maynard???

But is your needle BIG enough to FILL those deep grooves?

Just checked out your web site and listened to the MP3's. Your songs are great, and so is your playing. B-) But if you don't mind a little suggestion, I think you'd play just a teeny-tiny bit better if you used the GRIPMASTER (echo: Gripmaster, Gripmaster) once or twice a week.

Hmmmmm . . . . I guess I killed this thread with my last post.

Those "ignore" buttons can get a little sticky.

Sounds like it's time for a Martin Scorsese-directed biopic, which will earn more money than DeLorean ever earned with his car, or any other "enterprise" in which he was involved.

Alas, it was spree-free. I suspected as much, but wanted to be prepared just incase. Travelling with a 2 year old leaves little opportunity to shop! But he will get older, and my sister-in-law ain't leaving Bucks Co. Thanks for the input, all! Sorry I did nothing with it Where (generally) in Bucks is she?

Holy Shi . . . .

Brad, it's obvious that you're not into classic jazz guitar. Are you into the Farlow set at all? Wes Montgomery? Kenny Burrell? Barney Kessel? Herb Ellis? Anyone else?