David Ayers

You're going to have to tell us what it was! Our own anecdotes aren't going to sound very interesting if we don't say what record we were looking for. "I was looking for a record for a long time. I found it. The end." It's a mini adventure. Seriously, we'd all love to know - please share and don't be shy - I promise there isn't one person on this board who has not been on a similar quest for years if not decades...

All you have to do is beg and beg and beg and beg for five years and your wishes are suddenly granted.

I'm very fond of Reach Out! It's one that grows on you when others fade...

Good luck with the bike Ed! I rode a Trek 1200 for two years until it was demolished by an airline. Only problem was the wheels - the rear one gave out rather quickly - it may be those on the 1500 are better. I now ride a 5200 (no problem with the spiffing Bontrager wheels). Different world framewise but still the same good quality Ultegra components. I just completed the London Triathlon on it.

Those Strata Easts were sloshing around the system for a long time here in the UK - easy to find and cheap. Is there really so much stored demand for them? I think some of the titles exist as cheap Charly releases also, though I'm not sure 100% which is which.

Thanks for the info. I'm surprised - I had no idea. The Rough Trade version is definitely murky!

Are You Glad to be in America? was on Rough Trade and was my favorite of those I ever heard. The first Columbia was OK as a toned down (and gated!) version of the same sort of thing; Odyssey lost me - just too tame. I used to have the live CD on In + Out but sold it. Actually it was good - well recorded, very vivid 24 bit sound - but I'd moved on and didn't really listen to it any more. Tales of Captain Black is a bit studio bound but is another good vivid recording. I have the LP - it was also a CD from DIW. Worth hunting down, not least for presence of OC as well as Jamaaladeen Tacuma. It is certainly the most musically ambitious and is probably better than AYGTBIA, though not so typical due to the presence of strong personalities.

However compositions remain in copyright even when the actual sound recording does not. Royalties are owed to credited composers (who only lose copyright a fixed period after they die - if then). I wonder whether these composer royalties are paid by disconforme etc.? My impression is yes, but I could be wrong. CD-R copying also denies the music publisher (and therefore the composer or composition owner) revenue, as well as the owner of copyright in the sound recording (who *may* be paying a royalty to, at most, the session leader). On this board we emphasise the question of performer royalty a lot, but composer royalties are in general more financially significant. And don't forget that that the owner of the sound recording is likely to be taking *much* more from the deal than the performer in relation to these historic recordings.

Aaarghh! You don't want to know how much the Japanese imports cost me - especially after the Mexican Green one was snapped up by entrepreneurs almost immediately and then sold on eBay - at shall we say a rather exobitant price? - three years later - ouch! ← Tha Japanese ones are cute though! But if you aren't sentimental, there's just time to get over to ebay, maybe, before they devalue?

These are now available for pre-ordering at amazon.co.uk price £7.99 due August 8. Go!

Yes it is a pity. That festival seemed like a permanent fixture - let's hope Rotterdam makes as good a job of hosting it as Den Haag did!

Great news. Certainly, the sound on the Japanese CD version of 100% Proof was a bit disappointing (and I missed the CD of Mexican Green altogether). These reissues are going to be fantastic!

Thanks for the reviews guys! It is ten years since I went to the NSJ festival. I'm sorry to hear it is moving from Den Haag as I have been planning another visit for some future year. Well, I have never been to Rotterdam so that could be a new experience for me. What is the reason for the move to Rotterdam? I thought this festival was quite important for the city.

After a slip like that you risk being banned from the board....

After hearing the first disc, I'd say!

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.