Jim R

I hadn't looked at the FIFA world rankings for awhile, so I just took a look. Does anyone pay much attention to this? Rank Team Pts 1. Brazil 837 2. Argentina 782 3. Netherlands 780 4. Czech Republic 777 5. Mexico 770 6. USA 768 7. England 743 8. Spain 739 9. France 737 9. Portugal 737 The first thing that occurs to me whenever I see Mexico ahead of the US is that we've done very well against them over the past several years (despite the most recent loss by the US in Mexico City)...

Kenny, thanks for that report. A good report! It sounds like things will be improving for your side. As long as you've got some hope and some passion, the journey should be enjoyable. I share your hopes for some upsets ahead, and one would have to think that it's more and more likely with skill levels rising around the world. And anybody who's willing to even suggest that they might consider thinking about the possibility of perhaps (maybe) giving a bit of support to the U.S. team gets a big from me! I dunno, though... THE FINAL?

mhhh why the question mark behind the host ? we are surely playing the turnament, and just haven't lost against The Netherlands despite an aweful performance (best basis for a coming WorldChampion, isn't is...) The Question mark should be behind England (lously last game against Denmark) Cheers, Tjobbe ← Oops- Sorry, Tjobbe. Looks like I put my foot in it right off the bat. No offense intended toward Germany. The question mark only reflects the fact that I wasn't sure I'd seen a post from any German fans in the past. The threads on the subject here have been quite scattered and inconsistent, and I couldn't remember exactly what fans of the sport had posted, and from where. Also, the topic has often been related to clubs, and not national teams. It seems like many folks do not actually support their home country's team (Brad, Marcus come to mind)... so, I was just unsure of myself in that regard. I saw the reports of the two games you mentioned, by the way. Funny how we sports fans put so much emphasis on the most recent game. Only one game- and those were only friendlies anyway, right?

Well, we're less than a year away now, and qualifying is well underway. I know we have a number of football/futbol/fussball/soccer fans here, but since this board was born after the completion of the last World Cup (Korea/Japan 2002, for the hardcore baseball fans who may be reading this ), I thought it would be a good idea to have an official place to begin discussing the 2006 event. Let's hear about what everyone's teams are doing currently. I know we have supporters of several european teams here (France, Spain, England... Germany?). Who else? How are your teams faring in the qualification process? What's your outlook in terms of your team's chances for success next year? Who are your favorite players? Which important players from '02 might be absent from your squads? Talk about any aspect of the game you like- I'd rather read it from a fan's perspective than getting it from some official website. I haven't seen too much support given to the U.S. team (still trying to earn their respect with a lot of people, no doubt), and I'm not sure that's going to change any time soon, but I'm a loyal follower (have been since we qualified for Italia '90). I still don't yet see the U.S. as a serious contender for the cup, but we are so much deeper with talent now than we were in the 90's, I still look forward to the possibility of once again advancing into the later rounds as we did in '02. Playing on european soil will be very different from the asian experience, and of course the luck (or lack thereof) of the draw will be very important. We were fortunate to have faced arch-rivals Mexico in the second round in '02, as we knew them so well. We also earned some respect at that time in the way we held our own against the Germans in the round of eight. We still have a formidable defense, IMO, anchored by our depth at the goalkeeper position. We still have a very cohesive attack (especially as compared to the teams of the 90's) and are far more capable of playing a possession game, but probably have our greatest weakness when it comes to finishing. We create our share of chances, and we can score when we attack quickly and with numbers, but we don't have many powerful shooters who can score from outside the area, nor any great individual threats who can take on multiple defenders at a time. Although we're currently atop the Concacaf table, the recent win against Trinidad & Tobago was somewhat unconvincing (should have been at least 3-0 or 2-0, instead of 1-0), due to poor finishing. Up next is Mexico (we get them in the U.S. this time, thankfully). Well, that's a start... tell us what's happening with your team!

Brad, it's a gag.

Finally got around to zeroing in on what track 10 was: Track 3 on this Going back through the thread again, I see that I own track 3, which is by a favorite pianist. Turns out I don't own the CD that track 2 came from, but I'll remedy that! (ditto for track 5) Looks like I was on the right track re #4, and I'm still surprised no matter how many times I spin it. I'll look forward to further info on that. I'm still kind of in the dark re #7. Never had that album. Still no strong ideas on the tenors on 13... (I guess those last two names I mentioned are too late... not sure what I was thinking there -_- )

I've been on vacation, so bear with me here, but... is this the first/original/main thread on this topic? I mean... it seems kind of "quiet" here, considering the magnitude of this discovery...

Which remnds me... the Shearing (trio with Louis Stewart and NHOP) MPS albums still haven't been reissued, to my knowledge.

I'll have to look up the track lists and compare them with what I already have. I bought the "Spotlight On Nancy Wilson" comp a few years back, and liked it so much that I've since bought some of her Capitol discs in complete form.

Um... could somebody pinch me? Is this really happening? I'm still numb from the Dizzy/Bird discovery, the Monk/Trane Carnegie Hall announcement.... ... and... wasn't there something else I'm forgetting?.... Shit, I'd be pretty happy just to hear that Bill Henderson tape, but this is ridiculous. Is this really happening?

As years go by, I'm tending to be less and less inspired to buy the same music over and over again. I know there are those who are more interested in sonic upgrades, but there is still more music that hasn't been reissued at all. I'll never become militant about the whole thing, but I have to say that these types of announcements don't often excite me much. The Stitt material looks promising, though.

← Oops. I know I was negative overall of course, but for the most part, it was just a matter of me not digging the themes. As I said, I found some of it interesting and well executed, so it wasn't all bad to my ears. I think I'm kind of high need in terms of melodic structure and improv, and generally the tea just wasn't right for my cup. The one thing that's sort of confusing me in terms of comparing my reactions to most others is track 8. Maybe I was unfair on that (?), but that was my initial (sincere) reaction. I haven't had a chance to spin this disc again since returning home, so maybe I'll give it another chance.

The thread sits here for nearly an hour without a response, and when I go to post my gag, somebody beats me to it by 30 seconds.

Very happy you came on board, Jim. You were right on with quite a few of your guesses, e.g., the leader on #10 (although I can't place the standard the line is based on either). Check out the previous responses for a couple of the swing, big band IDs, etc. Overall, very little mystery left on this disc, but some questions remain outstanding, e.g., tenors on #13. ← Shucks... thought maybe I'd gotten one. I hate just tossing names out there without any real reasoning (aside from the Basie connection) to go along with them, but were Foster and/or Wess mentioned? I'll have to go back and read more. Nah. In a couple of days I'm sure the whole nightmare will be forgotten. But really, some of it was indeed very good. Some of it was "weird", too... we were on Moorea, and within a short walking distance from our hotel was the huge fenced-off ghost resort of Club Med (closed soon after 9/11). Some of the bungalows still had furniture in them. Very eerie looking. We joked about it looking like a set for Jurassic Park. Hey- my pleasure!

Late to the dance due to a vacation, and not a whole lot of inspiration behind this post I’m afraid, but fwimbw... 1. This is pretty interesting, for the instrumentation as well as the rhythmic variety in the arrangement. I wouldn’t run out to buy this, but it held my interest. No idea who... 2. Fine musicianship, but the tune and the frantic piano style don’t appeal to me. 3. I recognize the tune from Trane’s Atlantic version. This is well played, but doesn’t really hit me. 4. I like this tune a little better than some of the others here, but it still isn’t something I think is very memorable or something I’d want to learn. Good solos, but nothing I’m strongly attracted to. 5. Little Niles... is that a marimba? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think this is very well played, but not that appealing to my taste. 6. Interesting take on HHTM. Rhythmically ingenious, and a fun, challenging theme, but... the solos leave me a little cold- especially the guitar. Oh well. 7. This is kind of pretty, although again it’s something I would have a hard time remembering in terms of the main theme. It moves along very nicely, everybody contributing to an enjoyable meandering trip, but to me this would almost work better as background music... something to relax to without having to pay close attention. 8. This strikes me as almost smooth, like something from a Disney special. Ouch. The main theme does little for me, and the solos less. 9. I don’t care for the tune... not something I would want to learn. Don’t care for the violin solo at all... no use of space. Pianist continues to blow over the changes. Yawns from me. Harmonica is a bit better... could be Toots I suppose, but overall, my thumb remains down. 10. For a moment I thought I might recognize the tune, but it went by so fast I didn’t get it. Impressive chops, not much else here for me. 11. The intro is nearly a minute long, and the theme was not worth the wait, IMO. I have trouble even hanging around for the solos, becaue the structure of the tune never grabs me to begin with. 12. This is better, the way the organ and the tenor play off each other from the start... this breathes. It’s musical. This intro is even longer than that of track 11, but they build some drama, and there’s more meat waiting at the end. Now... what tune is this? I don’t know. Not that great, actually, to my ears. Sounds like an old public domain folk tune of some kind. I prefer the organ solo to that of the tenor. 13. Kind of an interesting tune, but it narrowly misses for me upon first listen... not sure why. Maybe that will become more clear with further listens, or maybe I’ll decide I like it better. Not too crazy about the pianist’s support on the head... the little dissonances aren’t as tasteful as they might have been, to my ears. As with a few of the previous tunes I’ve heard on these discs, it’s difficult to muster a lot of enthusiasm for the solos after failing to be taken by the tune itself. There’s a nice mood generated here, but either I’m not in the mood right now, or it ain’t my style. Many thanks Marty. I didn’t feel as “connected” with the music on this disc, but I’ll still be interested to see what others have posted.

Well, I’m later than usual to this party. Just got back from a “vacation” to Tahiti with my wife’s (dysfunctional ) family (the kind of “vacation” where you’re constantly dealing with family conflicts, fighting off mosquitos, dealing with multiple sunburns, airport-hopping and waiting in endless lines, returning on a red-eye and facing the dreaded “restless leg syndrome” on an 8-hour flight), and I am BEAT. I even caught a cold two days before we left. Yeesh. I took most of the BFT music with me on minidisc, and so I had time to jot down some notes on most of the tracks (good thing, becuase I don’t know if I could muster the energy to start from scratch right now). MANY thanks to Marty for compiling these discs, and for adding to the enjoyment of my evening hours during my “vacation”. So, I’m sure I can’t add anything new to the discussion, but I promised Marty I would do this... 1. 1930’s? Swing group with clarinet, tb, growling tpt... very tasty, nice minor mood here. GROOVY rhythmic backdrop. Tons of personality in the solos. Kind of early for me in terms of knowing what the hell I’m dealing with, but I would have to guess that this is an Ellington group, due to the aforementioned personality as well as the general sense of elegance here. Pretty hard not to dig. 2. 1950’s, latin rhythm with ts, tpt,bari, p. Simple but attractive melody... I feel like I should recognize this. I don’t know that I own it, but I’ll bet I own something by this group (assuming they recorded other albums). I’m tempted to say this is Pepper Adams, but the trumpet doesn’t sound like Byrd. Not sure of the ts. If I’d been at home, I might have been able to figure out whether this is in my collection. At any rate, sign me up! 3. 60’s, hard driving piano trio. Harmonically adventurous... much skill on display, but not really my favorite style. 4. Wow... this is a stumper. I know that there have been hundreds of guitarists who have followed Django’s style very closely over the years, but I just can’t get away from the fact that so much of this sounds like the master himself. Although I’m a longtime guitar nut, I’ve never realy been a Djangophile (or even a gypsyphile). So, I’m not very familiar with a great deal of DR’s work. I know he made a few recordings late in his life with electric guitars, and I’m going to say that’s what this is. There are a few moments where it definitely does NOT sound like Django (and I mean in terms of style and phrasing, as opposed to tone), but the impact of the other passages where it DOES sound like him is overpowering me. 5. Very nice minor hard bop exercise. Kind of Horace-like in feel, but not quite Horace. Sign me up for this too (unless I already own it ). I don’t think I do, though. 6. Back to swing... a big band feature for piano. Very nice romp, but out of my area of knowledge, I’m afraid. 7. Sounds like the early 50’s. Composition/arrangement sounds like it might be Tadd Dameron. Nice lush arrangement. I’m pretty sure I have this, but I can’t nail it, being away from my collection. 8. 30’s swinger, pretty hard not to like, but I have no real clue. 9. I really like the instrumentation, and I like the opening vamp, but I’m not sure the solos were strong enough to justify the absence of further melodic development. This little melody would have made a nice intro for something more beefy in terms of thematic structure, IMO. 10. This seems to be based on standard changes, but I can’t seem to place the standard. Nice west coast sound... the Lighthouse Allstars, perhaps? Maybe a Lennie Niehaus group? 11. I know I own this tune, but it’s not not quite familiar enough to idenfify. I don’t care too much for the head, which reminds me style-wise of some of Wayne Shorter’s writing (not a big Shorter fan). Once it goes into the solos, though, I’m more into it. It sounds like Blue Mitchell, and I think the pianist could be Wynton Kelly. PC perhaps, or Sam Jones, but not Cobb. Damn- the only quartet album with Mitchell that I can think of right now is the Bobby Timmons album... 12. No idea. Next... 13. Sounds like a Basie tenor battle, but I’m unsure of the tenors. Is one of them Quinichette? They don’t play it at the beginning, but the line played near the end is familiar... I’m associating this tune with Goodman when he had Charlie Christian, but the title is escaping me. 14. Monkish melody, which I can’t identify, dammit. Sounds like a relatively modern recording... obviously, not Monk on piano. Nice playing by all. 15. Nice bebop trumpet battle. Some Dizzy-influenced licks in there, but not Diz... I can’t say I’m sure who’s playing. I haven’t spent enough time with the cats from that period... Navarro, McGhee, etc. The alto is very solid as well... Bird school, but I can’t think of who this might be. Same for the pianist. What’s really bugging me here is thinking of what these changes are based on. 16. This reminds me of what I’ve heard on radio by the Army / Air Force Bands of Glenn Miller (and no, that’s not a guess, because I’m far from qualified). Pleasant stuff. 17. Another simple melody that doesn’t really engage me. Nice unison and harmony lines, though. I prefer the bari solo over the tenor and the trumpet (and the piano). All kind of brief, though. 18. This reminds me of some of the Sun Ra stuff I’ve heard on BFT’s. The head doesn’t really grab me, but it was the best part for me. Didn’t care for the piano solo at all, and the trombone solo was a couple of notches below that. Sorry to end on a sour note, but overall I found plenty to enjoy on this disc (preferred it over disc 2).

Leny Andrade Nara Leao Elis Regina

Spinning this one tonight...

Saw him in SF back around 1980. Great performer. Great career. Man, I wish I had the batteries some of those guys had. RIP Milton.

Thomas Eagleton Peter Finch Leo Robin

How many tracks on the new version? My TOCJ only has 7. Did they include "Jamey" (the other "unissued" track listed in the discog besides "slightly monkish")? "All the things you are" is listed as "rejected"...

You'd certainly think so. I've lost track of how many different series of BN's have been released in Japan up to now (and I'm only thinking of the jewel cased versions). My TOCJ copies of A DATE WITH go back to 1996, and they may have been out before that (possibly in the "CJ" series of the late 80's ?).

Janet Reno Jay Leno Mark Beno

Zidane is a great player indeed, and I just hope that his decision plays out well for him (and for the French team). I wish everyone here a happy trip through qualifiying and (hopefully) into the finals for their respective favorite teams. After following the progress of the U.S. team since their darker days of inferiority before the 1990's, I was of course thrilled with the showing we made in 2002. Can't wait for next Summer! Germany will be tough... or shall I say, "tougher"

Whoever that cat is with the trumpet, he's got GOOD taste in art! Happy 50th Birthday, Lon!! (Let me know if it hurts... I'm due to catch you in about 6 months )