Ron S

In Philly, it's WRTI (Temple University's professionally-run NPR affiliate). REAL jazz from 6PM-6AM. (There's also a so-called "smooth jazz" station in Philly that isn't worth mentioning here). WRTI used to have 24-hour jazz, but gave the 6AM-6PM hours over to Classical when the all-classical station here sold out to another format. Frankly, it's ridiculous that Philly, the 4th largest radio market in the country--and home to world-class classical music institutions (Philadelphia Orchestra, Curtis Institute, etc.) and an incredible jazz tradition (Coltrane, Getz, Lee Morgan, Sun Ra, Golson, Philly Joe Jones, and on and on and on . . .) doesn't have either a full-time classical OR a full-time jazz station. Oh well, WRTI says that when they begin broadcasting digital radio, they'll be able to offer both classical and jazz streams during the day. WRTI has local jazz DJj's, and their star in that regard is Bob Perkins (6-9pm), who sounds like he's been doing it for decades. They also carry the NPR jazz shows. WRTI.org

Thanks for the Venus dealer recommendations. My next question is, why are these recordings of "mainstream" artists (Charlap, Barron, etc.) not more readily available in the U.S., either through licensing/partnering with U.S. labels or through direct distribution? I apologize if this is already a well-worn topic on this or other BB's, or if it's otherwise just one of those questions for the ages. Don't forget, I'm just a Newbie. Well, I WAS a Newbie when I first posted this, but I've since posted my 10th message which apparently metamorphosed me into a full-fledged "Member". I'll have to find another excuse for dumb questions.

Do you guys have any favorite online U.S. sources for Venus releases? TIA.

Depends on how much you weigh, I guess... Hmmmm . . . . "small tear along the spine" adds at least $36 . . . . a TOTALLY CRUSHED spine must be worth hundreds!!

"Current bid: US $99.99" "THE COVER HAS A SMALL TEAR ALONG THE SPINE." I guess this is worth at least $36 more than a brand-new set purchased directly from Mosaic because of this additional "patina."

You can listen to it here: "Fresh Air" Albert Ayler segment

But with that many you (hopefully) got free shipping! At least that's how I always rationalize buying a bundle of CD's from AllDirect.com at one shot.

I completely agree with the others. The Jazztet sessions (first 4 discs) reveal a certain refinement and inventiveness that is probably somewhat unique among Hard Bop groups. Also a nice surprise for me were the 2 discs devoted to the quartet sessions led separately by Farmer and Golson (1 CD/2 LP's each)--it's great music and compliments the Jazztet stuff very well. The first half of the 7th disc is Golson's LP "Take a Number from 1 to 10," an interesting concept with each track adding an additional instrument to the mix (starting with a solo track by Golson and ending with a 10-member group that includes Farmer), which I think also fits in well in this set. My only disappointment is the second half of Disc 7, which is an album of Art Farmer backed by an orchestra--nice playing by Farmer, but a bit incongruous with the small-group feel and inventiveness of the rest of the set. Still, on the whole it's a great set.

Maybe if we ALL start calling him, the next Select will be Kenny G (alternate takes only, of course), or, better yet, they'll do an entire full-blown 8-CD box devoted to Lawrence Welk.

Another of the great mysteries solved. Next up - dollar stores As in, when will we start finding Mosaic sets in dollar stores, and what will the price be?