David Ayers

The Warner Classics offer on Teldec and Erato full price titles at jpc.de is a phenomenon - at least, if you are greedy and click-happy, as I am. 4.99 EUR for single disks, many 2/3 CD operas for 9.99 EUR. I thought I had got out of the accumulating habit but sadly no. Any other classical fans take advantage of this offer?

too SMALL!! but they are TINY!!!!

Here is the Times review of Monday night: First Night reviews October 29, 2004 Jazz Mingus Big Band Clive Davis ath Ronnie Scott's, W1 AT ITS best — that is to say, most of the time — the Mingus Big Band is an irresistible force of nature. When the elements do not all fall into place, on the other hand, the New York orchestra can resemble a mighty Saturn V rocket that stubbornly refuses to leave the launch-pad. Sparks fly, the ground shakes, our ears ring, but when the smoke clears our eyes are still fixed on the ground. This was one of those sets. By the end of the week normal service will probably have been resumed. (If you want to add your handclaps to posterity, the band plans to record a live album in the club towards the end of its stay.) But even allowing for the fact that the musicians are in the business of celebrating the workshop aspect of Mingus’s legacy — none of his compositions is ever set in stone — this performance had the air of an occasionally meandering rehearsal, with one or two of the players looking less than fully engaged with the job at hand. That said, even a substandard display is preferable to some of the ultra-tight but lifeless big bands that ply the circuit. This ghost band is certainly made of flesh and blood. And amid the good-humoured turmoil it is quite possible to spend most of the evening simply admiring the thunderous but effortlessly precise double-bass playing of Boris Koslov. His loping phrases set proceedings off at full tilt on the opening version of Pedal Point Blues, Donald Edward’s cymbal ringing like an alarm bell as Ronnie Cuber’s baritone saxophone nudged the horn section onwards. Tensions proved just as exhilarating, once Koslov had finished delivering lengthy instructions on how to negotiate his arrangement. There was less to be said for the rambling Pinky, and it was a mistake to make room for two slow-burning songs from the trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy, the band’s eccentric-in-chief. His wayward, guttural singing extracted ample humour from an old favourite, Oh, Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me. But it was difficult to see that Paris in Blue, supposedly a parody of a Broadway musical romance, was worth salvaging. The audience enjoyed the burlesque, however. The best is yet to come.

It's a song, recorded for Debut with Jackie Paris. The lyric is intended to be a kind of ironic summary of the moods of a broadway musical.

Maybe nobody ever got as far as the last disk?

Fair enough. For a moment there I thought there had been a massive backlash against Woody and that I had missed it. That said, his vocals seem to have received some negative comment...

Have I missed something? I thought this Herman material was regarded as pretty essential. Can you or somebody remind me why I am supposed not to like it? I can be a bit slow on the uptake sometimes...

My 'other' vote was for Maynard.

3 Trumpets: Eddie Henderson, Alex Sipiagin, Kenny Rampton. 3 Trombones: Conrad Herwig (trombone), Ku-umba Frank Lacy (trombone; vocal on Paris in Blue and Atomic Bomb), Earl McIntyre (bass trombone; tuba). 5 Saxophones: Craig Handy (alto; flute), Wayne Escoffery (tenor), Abraham Burton (tenor), Ronnie Cuber (baritone), Jaleel Shaw (alto). Piano: David Kikoski. Bass: Boris Kozlov. Drums: Donald Edwards. Set list: 1. Pedal Point Blues (arr. Stubblefield) 2. Pinkie (don’t come back from the moon no more looking for love, man) 3. Paris in Blue (arr. McIntyre) 4. Tensions (arr. Kozlov) 5. Oh Lord Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me (first set only at Ronnie’s 26 October 2004) Personnel checked against information from http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com I only stayed for the first set - it was too late for me! Exciting, also showing some rough edges and no worse for that. They are making a recording later in the week to be issued as 'Live at Ronnie Scott's'.

OK, they are not that great, and I am only listening for old times sake, but yes there is a new series of these on Tuesday at 6.30 on Radio 4, with most recent episode available here. Look after your residual inner nerd.

I'm always struck by those ones where the content and meaning of the original is reversed or ignored in favor of creating a feelgood songbite. 'Born in the USA' (chorus only) is miserably travestied as an affirmative anthem, and that ELP 'come and see the show' thing, actually a futuristic song about the complete destruction of nature, is aired at EVERY baseball game as a ditty about going to baseball. Hasn't Bob Dylan let one go for an advert recently? I'm trying to remember...

Well, you got me there. It isn't a thrilling selection! But I was thinking on the same lines as you, that such a system could have application in jazz where material has already been transferred for CD but the CD is no longer in print. On the topic of releases in the 1990s - it is quite true that everybody at that time complained that standard repertoire was being released right left and centre by everyone, and that quite often the new versions were redundant because they were less impressive than earlier recordings. However, the last five years have seen very limited releases of standard repertoire from the majors, and I wonder if people will look back to the 90s as a time when at least records got made. Do we need Ashkenazy's Shostakovich? Well we need some new Shostakovich recordings, and some reflection of the fact that all modern orchestras play this material.

Those are the lyrics? They sound like the explanation! I thought lyrics were supposed to imply things, not just stick them in your face. (Hm - I just re-read my post - I think I've got the basis of a pretty good song there...)

Yes, I mean the original copyright holders could. I have also been touting the idea that Mosaics which have returned to the original copyright holder could be reissued as box sets in paper sleeves with only a discographical booklet, in a format similar to that used for reissues of classical recordings. No-one has taken me up on this yet! In classical music there is an established market for these sets which are sold at budget price, and in some cases are not even reissues but newly edited sets. It may be that jazz sells less, or it may be that the companies realise that they can keep the unit cost higher for jazz than for classical (because the perceived value is higher), but for whatever the reason the (legitimate!) budget box has yet to come to jazz. In fact, I think the readiness of jazz collectors to pay a premium for CD versions of LP titles is a notable feature of the jazz reissue market.

Speaking of John R.T. Davies, here is his site which is being kept going for the time being (for those of you who haven't already seen it).

iclassics on demand offer legitimate CD-Rs (without artwork) of OOP Universal Classics titles. This is an interesting development. Has anybody used this or a similar service? The service costs $10 per disc - and yes, I do know you can make them yourself for less! I can imagine such a service for (e.g.) OOP Mosaics...

I am always prepared to call a spade a, er, thingummyjig - you know, a whotsit.

Speak of the devil, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is here!

There must be more posters who are regarding McMaster remasters as a lesser "evil" than RVGs... Some truth in that. I really kicked myself for selling my McMastered Dialogue before acquiring the atrocious RVG. I wouldn't dream of 'upgrading' an RMM to an RVG.

For a long time I didn't rate this session - at all. And I played it several times and gave it a every opportunity to grow on me. So after that I left it alone. Two weeks ago I played it again and was enchanted. Now I daren't play it again in case the spell wears off and I go back to disliking it!

I'll take along this swiftly forged I.D. in the name of Mr Sidney E. Winder and let you know how they sound later!

Euro-Mosaics RULE!

Indeed. And who will provide the customer support for these Euro-Mosaics?

It was only a bargain if they sent you 12 CDs! maybe you need to do a recount...

Jazzdaly - thanks for the line-up and welcome to the board!!! Ubu - thanks for the link.