colinmce

I think his approach to songs and song form are the basis of Steve Lacy's genius. With both Monk's music and his own I think he offered a totally unique approach to improvisation within and across songs. Kind of like his own insular version of the Tristano school. So the free improvisation on Sortie leaves me cold. But yes, different strokes.

Indeed, Sortie is-- I admit I bought it. And I don't really like it much. Disposibility is the much more enjoyable listen.

Sometimes I wish you weren't able to see completed listings. They haunt the mind ... http://cgi.ebay.com/COMPLETE-GLENN-MILLER-BLUEBIRD-1938-42-CD-SET-/400218044704?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item5d2edab920#ht_500wt_1156

If I may ask Jeff, where did you get all of your obscure Lacy records from?

In case anybody has been wanting to grab this after reading the Penguin Guide and has been unable to find a copy (it has been OOP for years and very expensive and elusive second-hand) it has been reprinted by Nagel Hayer and is widely available on Amazon and Ebay. I'm very excited to finally hear it.

Read about this in the Times. Sounds fantastic: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/arts/music/paul-motian-quartets-tribute-to-modern-jazz-quartet-review.html This is why Ratliff is one of my very favorite jazz writers; how perfect is this description of the MJQ sound?: "diaphanous, concise, glassy with blue streaks"

That one is near the top of my must have list (if you can't tell <---). It's often curiously expensive on Ebay. One day, one day ... I have the music, of course, but you know how that can be.

Ran Blake's is very nice. Good deals on his music, too: Blake :

$6.99 no less!

Warne Marsh - Warne Out Warne Marsh - The Art of Improvising

If you'd like a more open-minded jazz loving poet, try the incredible Philip Levine. I do enjoy Larkin, though.

Thumbs way up on the Carter-Bradford! I definitely thought I'd have to shell out for the 90s Hat Hut CD. edit: now I see the price for used copies has magically dropped from $50 to $30 on Amazon.

Lousy, lousy selection, but I will miss that "free" "extra" CD in the mail each month.

Great Wynton Kelly, too.

Agreed. Doesn't even get any better.

Whoa, great price.

I have seen that. Gerry Mulligan, too. Now where is that mountain of Freddie Slack and Johnny Richards?

I never enjoyed Byrd's playing overmuch, but I decided to put in Transition Sessions the other day and was really impressed. His playing on "Crazy Rhythm" was dazzling. Maybe I need to listen harder.

Tell me about it. There was also a fellow who sold almost every Select and maybe 60+ big boxes on Ebay earlier this year, all with Mosaic invoices included. I wish I knew the secret!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mosaic-Select-Complete-Collection-exc-32-35-3-CD-sets-/230612268509?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item35b18ff5dd#ht_500wt_1156 All the Selects. An amazing deal, really at $33 per set. I have few completist collecting goals, but this is certainly one.

Monk Black Lion/Vogue on LP for the first time. Wow! Already some of my favorite Monk!

Well, me either! Thanks! Even so, I don't see why something has to have never been on CD to warrant reissue. The Blake was issued once, a decade ago, for a short time in France and is still only available secondhand at an OK price. It's an album that's routinely listed on Best Jazz Albums polls and it's just plain very good. I swear I'm not being defensive about "my" choice here, I just think this is an interesting angle in this debate.

I maintain that my suggestion of Ran Blake and Jeanne Lee's Newest Sound Around fits the bill perfectly. Is this oop? It was issued on CD in 2001 and is still findable. So why are we asking for it to be re-issued by Jonathan? Then find me a copy for under $100. The LP of Intents and Purposes was "findable".

A rather arcane question, but I was wondering about the old slimline outer boxes used on Mosaic LP sets. Do all the LP sets (at least the ones that run 3-6 or so LPs) come in these slim boxes or did they eventually transition to using the "regular" sized boxes that the CD issues came in? Basically, are there two different-sized boxes for all LP and CD releases or did they eventually merge, and when? Just curious as I recently bought a couple of the early LP sets and was not expecting the slimmer spines.

I'm not so sure about that. I think it's an interesting debate.