David Ayers

Good question. I will be interested to see whether that claim comes out here in the aftermath. However surprised people act this has always been a known threat - the fact that the date may have been known to the authorities adds another twist.

I'm going to pull out both Funny Rat and Daredevil tomorrow. I might as well join in the nostalgia! ← Don't have Funny Rat, but will do my Dried Rat Dog and Daredevil duties this week. ← That's an understatement. In my opinion it sucks ← You guys are messing with my head! 5000 posts about an album that nobody likes!

Thanks Mike! Don't forget the Be Your Own Andrew Hill (BN period) kit issued by John Cage Productions. It included a self assembly piano stool and a cracked fish tank full of broken biscuits. It sounded great in quadrophonic sound but doesn't rechannel well into a 5.1 system (I realise not everyone has 5.1 but I don't want anyone to sink a bucket of $$$ on ebay to get this set and be disappointed with the sound...).

I'm an optimist! I can't help it!

Again, this board does not account for the majority of the jazz buying public in the United States. It is a representation of it, yes. But there are a great many people in this country who are wholly unaware of the many concurrent reissue series in other nations. I think sometimes we forget that the "average joe" is quite a bit less informed about these types of things than your typical Organissimo member. I see the typical US jazz CD buyer not as someone who discusses discographical errors on Internet message boards, but rather people with a more, shall we say, passive interest in the music. It's important to mention that I'm not exactly losing sleep over this or anything. I just think it's worth pointing out is all... ← I'm sure Brandon's right. I don't think that people who don't haunt the internet are that passive either, its just not a priority in their lives to seek out information the way some of us do. This issue will put a Leo Parker release in every Borders and Tower in the country for a year or two in the attempt to persuade people who have bought into other BN artists to try another one. It may well get airplay. And if it sells Rollin' may follow...

I'm actually surprised that there is so much jazz in stores like Borders and HMV. I can hardly believe it's worth the floor space. UK retailers have the concept of 'Fifty Quid Man' - that is, a bloke with spare cash who goes to the shops at the weekend looking to spend £50 ($80) on entertainment products. It may be that some of these guys are into jazz and just keep the racks turning over quickly enough to make it worth it. You much less frequently see cool young people shopping for this stuff! Although some people have the perception that it is getting worse (I think CDs in general are a less good business proposition than they once were) I think that the CD boom put a lot more jazz in the stores (at least here in the UK) than we used to have. So before it started to get worse, it had gotten better. I think that over time, considering jazz is supposedly such a minority music, it seems to have held up quite well, even if of late it has been cut back a bit (that's as I see it here in the UK - when I visit the US the chains are better than here and the specialist music stores are just outstanding).

Of these three, I used to have Conception Vessel and Dance. They may be records that seem more attractive when you don't own them than when you do. Brackeen on Dance for me never really takes off and the whole thing has a slightly studied atmosphere which did not appeal to me. Conception Vessel seemed nice and neutral with nothing much to retain interest. Haden cruised gently and the guitarist did a few guitar-y things. Maybe you can have an effective ECM album centred on drums but I didn't think this one made it.

I'd quite like to talk about some other sets that people may have missed as well... Nothing like salt for an open wound, eh?

So remind me - did the other stuff from One to One make it on to CD outside the Mosaic? I admit, I've lost track.

Last year it was the Morgan/Shorter and Kelly/Chambers sets which sold out suddenly and quickly. In the past the same has happened for Ellington and Stuff Smith. The era of the leisurely countdown and waiting to pull the trigger is over! We are being given a lesson in life about hesitation... or at least I think we are, I'm not sure if I can to commit to that, ask me again next week, pros and cons, etc.

Nice one!

Thanks JK. Wow, my thread idea sure took off. I'm wondering what to try my hand at next.

There are some records that you listen to often but don't think of as being great music and don't even think of as your favorites. They are records you might even hesitate to recommend to someone else. But these are also records that have sneaked up on you and which you wouldn't like to have to do without. These poor records don't get the credit they deserve! I realised this the other day listening to Hank Mobley's Reach Out! I know this record note by note and I drink it in every time I play it. George Benson, Woody Shaw and Hank - maybe these aren't the most outstanding solos they ever played... or maybe in a way they are - this is a cool cool record. So I'm going to give it its due: Reach Out! is one of my favorite records and I didn't even realise. There, it's done. What unacknowledged favorites do you have? Look in your heart and fess up!

Thanks guys! It's very kind of you! I didn't log on all weekend - not because I was drunk but because I was running, cycling and playing footie (= soccer). I was trashed! By the way (as some people know) I should mention I'm not the guy who played bass in Red Snapper, or any of those other guitar-y things. Though I'm thinking of sneaking some aspects of his career onto my CV - just to pad it out a bit...

Speaking of the wristwatch - mine is no longer working. So I'm thinking of bringing all my Conns back to the store to get a refund!

Well, I think it is refreshing to see a good dose of dissing. If we think everything is excellent and every last splat on a flawed outtake is worth preserving, then we can't easily move on and we aren't really interest in music.

Not alone. I now find it quite easy to ignore all EMI jazz issues and reissues. I don't even consider them. It's not as if there is nothing else in the shops. I see this has become a hot topic over at bluenote.com: review of Sonny Clark RVG

Those who are not squeamish about the issues can also go for the master takes on 3 CDs issued by Lone Hill.

I'd add the two Verve (reissued as an ECM double) to that 'essential' list...

I heard them in London and posted about it here. Enjoy!!

True. I love this material and it is a shame its not more easily available. I think a series issue of those Fontanas in Marte Roling sleeves would sell like hot cakes, though it seems that licensing questions make this unlikely.

I traded a load of LPs for this box at Ray's last weekend. Sure looks purdy...

No doubt. Was he the single greatest instrumentalist in jazz of all time? I'd say yes.

No disrespect, but this is the sort of elitism that I feel hurts our cause. Rather than think that the vast majority of people out there are "depraved" idiots who don't understand the superiority of jazz music, I prefer to think of jazz as a specialized - even special - niche that only a few seem to really "get" and appreciate. "Popular taste" is exactly what it is - a common ground enjoyed by the masses - not something to be disparaged. And certainly not something to be bummed about. I tend to agree. In fact I'd go further. Does nobody wonder why jazz 'collectors' are seen as social misfits in cardigans, not some kind of intellectual elite? When I played in a band my interest in jazz got me branded a 'muso' and my solos were called 'laddle-daddle' - no-one thought of me as a hero. I understand why people resist jazz - it IS possible to have other priorities!