Jim R

MIke, I may have jumped the gun on trying to pick the specific recording (I'll edit my post to indicate that- don't want to waste anybody's time B) ). However, I'm still inclined to think it's Joe Williams. He does sound a little raspy, and it could be somebody else, but I'll say it's Joe late in his career (with a cold ).

That's for damn sure! And while we're on the subject of organists, I was just thinking this morning how many there are whose styles I have yet to learn to identify (the blindfold test is reminding me)...

I think this is #2 (warning to new players- don't look if you don't wish to see what might be the answer): #2 ======= EDIT: ... or, not. I'm still going with Joe, but this may not be the right date...

Just curious... for those of you who are Conn completists- if a title is released as a Conn, and you already have it in another form, do you automatically get it? Do you keep the TOCJ (or whatever other incarnation you have it as) too? I used to base my BN buying decisions primarily on whether or not a new CD issue (from whatever series) had bonus material. Since I did buy a lot of early BN CD's (McMasters) to replace my vinyl, I have also bought some for the sake of sonic improvement. Anyway, I guess I've never even thought about being a completist within any CD series (my taste, and my wallet probably wouldn't allow for it regardless...) Reg, thanks for the link. Up through the Series XIII of 2002, I have about 65 of the titles that have been released in the Conn series (27 actual Conns, and the majority of the others probably TOCJ's).

Yes, that's what I mean. But just count them as Conns. Easier said than done. If somebody can post a link to the complete list (or paste in the list itself), I might be able to tackle the question....

27 Conns. I'm not sure what you mean by TOCJ/RVG equivalents. If you mean titles from the Conn series that we instead have in TOCJ or RVG form, it would take me awhile to figure that out (but I'm sure I have quite a few, as I have always liked TOCJ's) I can't specifically recall getting rid of any Conns (I don't often get rid of anything, which is why I have such storage problems ). From your list, I have both Dizzy Reece titles, the Criss, Walter Davis, the Louis Smith and the Freddie Redd.

Well, this time around I decided to take notes from the beginning, and just post what I had written. This test was a little more difficult for me than Tony's was... 1. Hmm... The Three Sounds, perhaps? B) // gospel type tune (public domain?) // *** Nice feel. 2. Joe Williams - // I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water // ** Love Joe W, but this is kind of monotonous (Joe’s humorous interaction with the audience at the end is the high point for me). 3. 60’s soul alto (quartet); sounds similar to the tune “Stand By Me” // ** Nice melody, not much to sink my teeth into otherwise... 4. Tenor (quartet). Tenor player has blues/R&B roots // Watermelon Man // **1/2 Not my favorite style of jazz, but very good playing. Good solos 5. two tenors (quintet); Wess/Foster? (1st tenor soloist Lesteresque; 2nd a little more bop-influenced). Basie-like piano solo (comping not quite as economical as Basie’s) (Savoy label?) // Blues (unison line)... // *** Good rhythm section. 6. trombone / tenor (quintet) (tenor solos first... Jimmy Heath?) // ? early-mid 50’s boppish theme (very familiar, but I can’t quite place it) Love the tenor part (harmony) on the head- Benny Golsonish writing // relatively clean/modern-sounding recording (I can REALLY hear what the bassist is doing on this!!) **** Very nice 7. trumpet , alto (quintet) Don’t know who... Red Rodney/ Ira Sullivan? // tune is Billie’s Bounce // (LIVE) also a relatively modern recording ***1/2 8. tenor (don’t know... Houston Person?), organ, guitar (Billy Butler-ish comping; Phil Upchurch-ish solo... ??), drums // Since I Fell For You // (Live) ** 9. tenor (quartet) tenor sounds very familiar... nice range... very expressive style, great tone... note-bending style reminds me of Ike Quebec at times (it’s not Ike, though). Very nice piano work throughout // I’ve heard this tune, but can’t place it... // **** Great ballad playing 10. tenor (? almost sounds like an alto at times), (quartet) // ? // *** enjoyed it, but I’m clueless as to who... 11. Piano trio // Footprints // *** enjoyable, not really my favorite style, but very good pianist 12. Organ trio w/ horn section // blues // **1/2 Organ is good... horn arrangement doesn’t do a lot for me; guitar comping- sounds like Grant Green’s style of comping- don’t care fo it, kind of trite, could have done without it on this track (especially since guitarist doesn’t solo anyway) 13. tenor (quartet) // blues // No idea who this is. *1/2 forgettable composition, too loose a feel overall. tenor solo has some energy, but for me this was doomed from the get-go. ========================================================= Random thoughts: Identifying bassists and drummers continues to be a weakness for me. In general I no longer get as much out of strong blues/soul elements (“acid jazz” stuff) as I did when I was younger; and the more cliched the blues elements are, the more bored I get... in general (there can be exceptions) These blindfold tests are making me realize that sometimes I have to listed VERY closely to be able to distinguish an alto sax from a tenor. This is really annoying... can make me feel like an idiot, but maybe I'm not the only one (I HOPE). So far I haven’t gathered enough info here to be able to detect any theme here...

As much of a jazz guitar hound as I am, I've never really cared a great deal for Ellis either. Jim's comments above pretty well sum it up for me, and although his sound isn't the only thing about his work that I don't care for, that is part of it for me as well. As with a lot of guitarists (but certainly not all), he changed his equipment a few times over the years. The more he changed it (going from the single coil type pickup on his old Gibson ES-175 to a humbucker, and then giving up the Gibson altogether, and signing an endorsement deal with a Japanese maker), the worse it got, to my ears. I don't necessarily avoid his work, I just don't seek it out like I do with a lot of guitarists. I did pick up his "Conversations In Swing Guitar" CD's (with Duke Robillard), for when I'm in the mood for some down-home bluesy swing. I like 'em mainly because of Duke, though... B)

Forgot to mention this, which I would highly recommend: Royce Campbell - A Tribute To Henry Mancini

I've neglected a more thorough exploration of his work... been meaning to get to it, but keep putting it off. From what I do know, however, I think Free For All is right on. Dreamsville is a nice tune, and another one that pops up quite a bit in jazz is "Mr. Lucky". One of these days, I'm going to grab some of his own works...

Happy Birthday, Dan!! (Better late than never... )

All I got tonight was frozen tamales. B) Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Vibes. Enjoy those boxes!

They were really something in person. I saw them in a high school gym once, and they performed like they were on national TV. Naturally, most of the material on their major label LP's was really watered down and abbreviated, and that was a band that truly excelled at stretching out. All those guys could play extended solos with meat on the bone. Champlin just blew me away the first time I saw them. I had heard a couple of their Capitol LP's, and really had no idea who was playing what for awhile, but seeing Champlin wail on organ AND on guitar (sometimes challenging Terry Haggerty's chops) AND singing with more soul than just about any other white man on the planet... wow. Cold Blood certainly had its following around here, too. I think the girls got off more on Lydia than the guys, from what I experienced, at least. I have to admit, I never saw them live, though. Saw TOP and The Sons numerous times. I was just remembering a night I saw Albert King in a little (tiny) club here in the south bay area. That night he had a trumpet, a trombone, a tenor and an alto in the band. To this day I wonder who those guys were. The arrangements weren't spectacular, but very cohesive and powerful. And of course, hearing Albert wail in a small club is something that I can not only still remember, I can still FEEL. But I digress. B)

I think that's right, Tony. We took our kids up there once after it moved, but it's been so long I can hardly remember! Slightly off topic, but another great Bay Area band that featured a horn section was The Sons (Of Champlin). From what I've heard, they were a big influence on a lot of horn bands, including Chicago (whom Champlin later joined). Champlin was (and probably still is, since they've reunited) an amazingly talented musician. He was an excellent keyboardist and guitarist, an incredible singer, and wrote some good songs as well. The Sons never achieved as much popularity as some of the other Bay Area bands of the period, but I've always thought they were near the top of the heap in terms of musicianship and soul (maybe that's why they never achieved as much popularity... B)).

I hadn't gotten around to reading this thread until today, and did so because I had some PM activity going on (not something I do very often here). I sent out two PM's today (one a reply to Tom in RI; one that I initiated to jmjk), and also an e-mail via the board software (to B-3er). I got the error message when I sent each PM, and also when I sent the e-mail to Jim. I sent the PM's several hours ago, and after I just checked my inbox, I see that I have no replies as of yet. I guess I'm wondering if I should assume that my messages actually got through... ??? To put it another way... HELP !!

Just wanted to mention that I replied to your PM, Tom in RI; and also sent a PM to jmjk. In both cases, I got the dreaded error message... My e-mail address is posted above, in case anybody wants to contact me.

Lon, the e-mail situation is indeed distressing. I haven't received any mail from you for weeks. I'll try sending you one shortly... Jeff, thanks for your input. I'll try to PM you, as your "afterthought" reminds me of an idea I had considered. If you don't get the PM, you can e-mail me at sjrowans@aol.com Noj and Couw, your exchange regarding the Sony discs is a good example of why I think it's more important to focus on compatability than on a perception of "quality". I'm a lot more concerned about consistent compatability in a brand than I am about whether it's going to last 50 years as opposed to 40.

Oops, looks like we were posting simultaneously. Jim, thanks for posting that article. I vaguely recall reading something like it before, and I must say it seems to be logical. Unfortunately, it leads me back to the (trial and error) drawing board. So, if I were to go out shopping right now, I'd have to select from brands that are packaged in small quantities (which could be limiting, in that some brands only seem to be available in large quantities); AND, even if I did know what type of reflective layer and dye were most suitable for my burner, you often can't tell what type a disc is when it's still in its packaging at the store. Well, maybe tomorrow some confirmed HK owners will check in here...

Part of the HK guy's explanation was that some data discs also use the blue dye, and therefore I can't just go out looking for discs with blue dye.

Yeah, I've received quite a few Verbatim discs in trades. Never seen any for sale around here, though (as far as I can recall). As far as the Matsuis, it sounds like they're very good- the only thing is I have no idea if they would be compatible with my burner. FWIW, I'm not even thinking that much about relative prices of discs at the moment. My main goal is just to find out what discs will actually work for me. I forgot to mention- the guy at HK told me that the dye color is irrelevant to the compatability issue. I had thought it was relevant, so I'm kind of feeling lost right now...

Thanks Ron, I'll keep that in mind. There's an Office Max nearby, which is where I've been buying the Imation discs.

Thanks Tom. Is it safe to assume that you use a CDR-20? I used to see Fuji spindles in the same store where I bought the Memorex discs, but I've never tried them. At any rate, I wish there was a way to try a sample disc before taking the plunge on a package of 100...

I think you're partly correct, but there are a few other corrections I would suggest. Here's how I hear the version from UNDERGROUND: Dizzy, he was screamin' Next to O.P. who was beamin' Monk was thumpin' Suddenly in walked Bud and then they got into somethin' Oscar played a mean sax Mr. Byas blew a mean ax Monk was thumpin' Suddenly in walked Bud And then the joint started jumpin' Every hip stud really dug Bud soon'z they hit town, Takin' that note nobody wrote, puttin' it down O.P. he was screamin' Next to Dizzy who was beamin' Monk was thumpin' Suddenly in walked Bud And then they got into somethin' -break for solos- Dizzy, he was screamin' Next to O.P. who was beamin' Monk was thumpin' Suddenly in walked Bud and then they got into somethin' O.P. blew a mean ax Mr. Byas blew a mean sax Monk was thumpin' suddenly in walked Bud and then they got into somethin' Every hip stud really dug Bud soon'z they hit town, Findin' that note nobody wrote, puttin' it down Dizzy, he was screamin' Next to O.P. who was beamin' Monk was thumpin' Suddenly in walked Bud and then they got into somethin'

First of all, let me apologize for bringing this up again. There was a similar thread at Blue Note a few years ago, and of course it's gone now (and I can't remember much detail). I know some of you are well squared away in terms of having blanks that work well in your machines, so this thread may be of no use to you. At any rate, if you are in that category, and also happen to use a Harman Kardon CDR-20, then I would appreciate any input you may care to share here. I've had an HK CDR-20 about three years, and for nearly all of that time I have used one specific type of blank- Memorex (Japanese, white label, blue dye). These have performed beautifully for me as a bread and butter, 1X blank for recording from any source- digital or analog. I have also stumbled upon another brand (Imation) that has been useful, but only for 4X burns from digital sources. These will not work at 1X, so I can't use them to burn from non-digital sources. The thing is, the Memorex discs that I used (and which have always been available in plentiful supplies locally) are apparently no longer being produced in Japan, but rather in Taiwan. At some point I bought a batch of the Taiwanese discs without realizing they were different, and discovered that they do not work in my HK. They no longer use the blue dye underneath, but I don't know if that's part of the problem. With my supply of the Japanese discs now dwindling, I called HK tech support today, and was disappointed to hear that the company does not keep track of what brands are compatible with their burners. The best suggestion they could give me was to try to locate a warehouse somewhere with a stock of those Japanese Memorexes. Even if I could locate some, I wonder how long the supply would hold out... So, I'm basically beginning a search for information regarding what I can use in my CDR-20 for 1X burns. Any and all comments or suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks

ALRIIIIIIIIGHT!! What a great way to start the day at Organissimo. Congrats, Jim. I'll spare you any long speeches about how great it is to become a parent, and simply say that your life is about to get MUCH more joyous (no matter how joyous it already is!).