Royal Oak

Enjoyed that. I was an REM obsessive between 1987 and 1991, though I didn;t see them live until they'd hit the big time with "Green". I listen to them very rarely, but when I do, it's an incredibly nostalgic experience (listening to "Driver 8" as I type). It's amazing how much you remember of songs you last listened to regularly 25 years ago. Pageant and Reckoning would be my favourite albums.

Interesting reading that. The Durham Light Infantry Museum shuts in two weeks - that was my dad's regiment during his National Service. I promised my son a trip to the Football Museum, so I'm sure I'll be back in the city soon.

I missed that yesterday. In fact, I think I we missed a good portion of the exhibitions as we got there not long before chucking-out time. Shame, I like Francis Bacon. I wonder if it will still be there in six months when we next go to town!

I/we went to Manchester Art Gallery yesterday. The usual stuff really, though there was a robot roaming around one gallery, and some digital art which I didn't much care for. There were a couple of impressive ceramic pieces, including one by Grayson Perry, which my wife spotted straight away. Actually, there was a sculpture by Antony Gormley (he of "The Angel of the North" and the "Another Place" sculptures) suspended from the roof, now I remember. Oooh, not an art exhibition, but this was on display in Manchester Cathedral, which was also part of my mooch around the city yesterday. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/international-womens-day-2016-melted-guns-sculpture-manchester-peace-activist-dr-erinma-1548178

Sorry, melancholy. Wynton Kelly having to play that crappy piano.

"For Once In My Life" on the Jacquet album is a very sad rendition to my ears.

Should go in the "great finds" thread

I arrived via Horace Silver's "27th Man" album. I didn't know Irvine featured on the Mos Def album "Black On Both Sides", which I liked a lot.

Yes, I thought that too. I see that in the original auction, FOUR different people bid over $5000. If the winner didn't pay, why not use "second-chance" offer to the next three bidders?

Is that good or bad?

Well, Kamasi hasn't reached the provincial record shops of North West England yet. No sign of The Epic in either the vinyl or CD section of HMV Stockport this morning. Looks like a trip to Manchester or mail order.

Well, yes. I'm tempted to look for the album in HMV tomorrow. I wonder if the sheer size of the piece (triple album no less) has contributed to people's impressed response, like the feeling you get when you see very large paintings in art galleries.

Doesn't this kind of thing happen fairly frequently in the arts though? A pop group or a new book creates a buzz among the chattering classes, garners mainstream acceptance and then somehow assumes a cultural significance greater than it's original intent or intrinsic artistic value. Chances are the album will quietly fade away after a while and jazz will continue to be as dead as it has been for years, surely?

I'd never heard of this bloke until I read this thread. I've been listening to the clips on Youtube, and my interest is certainly piqued. I hear Frank Zappa in some of it. And The LIberation Music Orchestra.

There's a copy of this on UK Ebay now, from a seller I've bought from before. I'm tempted. I've had the CD for years. Is it me or does Bill Evans quote "Con Alma" at the end of his solo on Jubilation?

I love that album.

Yes it is.

Another new arrival today, in unplayed condition:

Thanks, I will definitely be checking out more

New arrival today, in tremendous condition. I think it may be my very first Bennie Green album.

I bought a copy of that album some months ago on Ebay. Described as "VG+/VG+", it arrived looking like it had been skimmed across tarmac a few times, and the back was rubber-stamped "STOLEN FROM SCIPIO COLLINS" in 5 places.

Lark - it's a source of some embarrassment that I failed my English Lit A level. I remember thinking much of the syllabus was either dull (Austen, Dickens, Shakespeare) or utterly incomprehensible (John Donne, Chaucer). Out teacher tried to pass on her obvious interest and enthusiasm, but to paraphrase Morrissey, "it said nothing to me about my life". I look forward to seeing what my son will be lumbered with when he reaches the English Literature stage of his schooling - year 7 now, so I presume it will be another year or so. Bill - my literary tastes, like my musical tastes, are firmly rooted in the 20th century, so I'm unlikely to try Fielding. In fact, much of my choice of reading material is based on what I find at charity shops.

My English A level was scuppered by Mansfield Park and metaphysical poetry.

Sorry, I meant the current setup. £9 is a steal! I'd go every week just for the scalp massage at that price.