David Ayers

By the way the Buddy Rich 'single' is down to last chance. Shipping to UK on one CD is $15. Hm...

Ah Dan. So *that's* how you charm the ladies.

I'll just wait for the torrent, since that's the protocol on this board these days. Isn't it?

When you can snatch the pixel from my hand, grasshopper...

Hm. You want to access it but you dont want to pay... Jim's got tips on that kind of impasse in the Gigi Gryce thread!

Time was this board defined itself against music theft.

Absolutely perfect. Thank you.

OK UK-ites, make yourselves useful. I am going to sell off some Mosaic big boxes and need packaging. I can source LP mailers but those aren't deep enough. Have any of you guys found off-the-shelf mailers here in UK to send this stuff out? PS I don't *think* I'll sell them directly on the board as some are scarce and sealed and AFAICS fetch good prices on ebay. That said, I don't like ebay...

Can now be ordered direct from Music Melon (http://www.musicmelon.co.uk/gallery.asp?collectionid=13).

Yes - and I will introduce myself (lucky you!).

And yet, life goes on. 'Albums' are/were a calling-card and not a principal source of revenue for anybody. So the issue of selling recorded music is tangentially related to the promotion of music (in terms of modern jazz: different argument for the 30s - reminding me that you lot have always been all over JSPs from Europe though the same copyright issues apply - and exceptions for maybe Miles and Brubeck). New music thrives. Brian Eno (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9608716.stm) seems to be saying something like this. Even as far as recorded jazz music goes, it is not just that ECM as a kind of mainstream-modern label keeps going strong, but many independents put out lots of issues - PSI, Smalltown Superjazz, Intakt, Okka, Jazzwerkstatt, etc. These labels do not make a living for musicians, and it is true that CD music sales are set to decline, but the notion that (perfectly legal) Gigi Gryce reissues from over 50 years ago are affecting, say, Paal Nilssen-Love's professional prospects is wide of the mark. People love to go to attend concerts of any kind. Everything I ever go to is full. Outside the concert there are CDs on sale. People pre-investigate on youtube, and via d/l legal or illegal. Musicians make plenty out of concerts, little out of records. I guess they don't make much out of the folks here who are proud of all the FLACS they steal, depriving of royalties composers (who it *seems* labels like Real Gone DO pay) as well as in some cases musicians. Look how many people welcomed the Sony issue of the Miles 'bootleg' concert. Those people had already heard the music. That means they stole it, but no-one gives them a hard time about it. Jonathan Horwich revealed his reissue sales are at about the 1500 mark, if that. Even some years ago I was getting last chance Mosaics which were numbered under 2000. Whatever business labels are doing ('xeroxing other people's work', on a hand-loom presumably, since the producers seem not to be actually composing or playing anything themselves) they are not playing into any kind of mass-market. Which is fine, but it means this stuff is for hobbyists, which is also fine (that includes me), but the implications for the practice of music are not significant. I bought the Mosaic Berigan when the pirate issue was available for peanuts; I own the Three Sounds CDs in cute little reissues from Japan but shan't cry foul over Real Gone's efforts. Music is doing fine, the market for huge numbers of reissues is very narrow. In any case the sheer number of reissues reflects a kind of over-production that was tied to different times and practices. I actually think jazz and improv do well considering they are so musician-centered... but that's another theme of mine - the over-rating of jazz by 'fans' - which is linked to this of course, but...

Hm yes I must admit I am going to jump back in for another reconditioning of the Quads. Those other names don't do it for me, I'm afraid...

Would love to see Joe. Can't be there. Damn.

Go for it. Ignore the hypocrites.

I'll check out those tips. that said, I am not interested in niche product. Too variable, and I feel like I am paying for somebody's hobby. Oh and I need 100W RMS into 8ohm.

Sounds like you might be in the market for a dealer as much as for an amp. Consider visiting a few local dealers to find someone you trust, then listen to what they have or recommend. I'm not sure where you are; if you're in London, maybe this isn't a big deal, since most major brands are going to be represented there. But if you're in a smaller city and want local support, the dealer may be the most important choice. Well I tried to find a dealer... and the one I found I did not trust at all. That was outside London. Central London doesn't work for me for this kind of thing. One reason I never went back to the dealer I started with was he scratched one of my test CDs - audibly and in my presence, as he took it out the CD drawer - then pretended he hadn't done anything. Hilarious. I still remember the look in his face. Another one didn't tell me a key fact about a piece of equipment he sold me, which would have been a dealbreaker, and which he must have know would have been. So he's out too. I think the main reason I don't trust dealers in general is they are selling you CD systems, and they know CD is not up to the systems they sell. So they know what I or anybody knows, which is that all expensive systems do is show up limitations in the medium. Now if they admitted that up front I could have a conversation, but they don't. Hence they are not honest, hence I can't trust them. If anything, I want to downscale my system to the medium. Even though I have SACD there is not enough music in that medium I care about to make it worth investing in. I sometimes listen to vinyl which is a reason to keep the Quad, and I guess the other thing about Quad is they don't only offer a service but will give you other fixes if you ask for them - or they used to anyway...

Retro, and I already have retro!

Ah yes you pointed out decware to me before, but I need something based here with the proper support. In any case I am not really looking for high end, just the right balance between warmth and transparency.

Well, I think you might be right.

Jazzloft still showing in stock this morning - whether or not they have copies.... Thanks for the tip but ... they won't and in any case I only buy over here either in-store or occasionally online when there is guaranteed stock and short delivery times. Amazon uk list it but don't have it. I don't collect so stuff like this is only ever an impulse purchase for me. In any case I know the music well. Why don't you buy JETman's spare copy? Tha answer to that question is in his post and in mine, grasshopper.

Ok so my Quad amp/pre-amp are past it. But where to go for simple stereo? I thought really a straightforward integrated amp like a Marantz would be good enough for my present needs. So I check them out. What a joke. $3000 amps that don't support either bi-wiring or a second set of speakers. Oh but they do have two 'tape loops'. What? Who can remember what those are even for?? So integrated amps, marketed in UK, bit more serious, not too fancy a budget. Is there anything or is hi-fi like the LP and CD more or less a thing of the past? Should I just get Quad to scrub up my current stuff and make it last another few years?

Jazzloft still showing in stock this morning - whether or not they have copies.... Thanks for the tip but ... they won't and in any case I only buy over here either in-store or occasionally online when there is guaranteed stock and short delivery times. Amazon uk list it but don't have it. I don't collect so stuff like this is only ever an impulse purchase for me. In any case I know the music well.

I can't even find one to buy.

Legit. If you are interested in Broetzmann, check his website where these are listed!

Allen's right. That is not a fussy audiophile gripe. It almost as if they go out of their way.