crisp

I've got it and yearning for the time to start playing it! The discographical information is fairly basic, just recording dates, arrangers and occasionally some personnel, especially on jazzier dates. TBH the info on that discography I linked to above is probably more thorough. If you've any specific questions, I'll be happy to look them up for you.

Sinatra sings it well, but I can't see the point of that song being sung by anyone other than Jim Henson as Kermit. Besides, when it comes to Kermit originals I prefer Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie.

Out today.

Fair enough, I like both of Jones's albums with Sinatra as well, but track by track rather than as albums, if that makes sense. On the Sinatra/Basie that Hefti did the material is also all over the place, but it sounds like an album. Jones's doesn't. I love She Shot Me Down. It has its faults, but it's so great that Sinatra did a traditional ballad album with Gordon Jenkins at this point in his career instead of another duff Old Blue Eyes is Back type of project.

For me, the big difference between Jones and those other bandleaders is that the others maintain their own style and put performers together appropriately. Jones albums always sound like compilations: the arrangement style shifts from track to track and the artists rarely have much in common, other than that they are big names. He's also rotten at putting songs together: compare his Sinatra/Basie album with Neal Hefti's; Basie presumably sees to it that it sounds like the same band throughout (unlike Jones's other Sinatra album, LA is my Lady, which is a mess), but the songs have nothing in common other than that many are other people's hits. I think it was smart of him to become an executive. As a musician he's very mediocre but as a businessman he's brilliant.

There's another big box coming from Sony on the Amazon UK site: Arturo Toscanini, the Complete RCA Collection. Great preorder price of £90.28 for 84 discs. It's released on March 5.

We still have a Waitrose/Delia Smith Christmas cake mix pack that has yet to be used, so we haven't even cooked some of our Christmas food yet!

I agree with the Amazon reviewer on that link about the vocals, however. I've already rejected one set of these albums, so even at this price I'm not sure if it's worth my buying again for a second listen.

My collection is woefully short on Shorty. I keep patiently waiting for Mosaic to do a set of the RCA sessions, which would probably be fairly huge. But the market is glutted with these ropey PD releases from Europe, so who knows if it will ever be viable.

Radio 2 presenter Russell Davies mentioned this anecdote on his show the other week and played the Bailey track in question. It's disappeared into the ether now, but here anyway are the details and playlist.

Original Album Series by Antonio Carlos Jobim is £7.99 at Amazon UK. Includes five albums from his Warner period. Also posted by me in the Wonderful World of Jobim thread.

Jobim's entry in the Original Album Series boxed sets is £7.99 at Amazon UK. Five CDs. It includes Wonderful World and other albums discussed here.

I'm no audiophile -- although I have roughly 8,000 CDs my stereo "set up" is a midi system my father-in-law gave me when he upgraded to separates. However, lossy mp3s are a step too far for me -- I can hear the difference and my ears protest after a while, especially using headphones. I've never tried lossless downloads, but it sounds like one way forward, if, as Shawn says, the majors would offer that option. Until they do, I'll stick with CDs for as long as they are available. Plus I love using my painstakingly compiled CD collection and would never dream of getting rid of it. PS: My iPod Shuffle is great for the gym. I have a regular iPod but never use it now. I don't need that much music on the move.

I emailed them on this issue and was told that the contents are "the original albums" so no need for track listings. I explained that there have been many reissues over the years and some have bonus tracks and some do not, and that it would be useful to have all the tracks listed in one place, but it fell on deaf ears.

Jim, have you heard this album? The cover image tells you all you need to know. For my money, the sexiest moment in a Doris Day record is the very last, spoken, line of As Long as He Needs Me. Not a favourite song of mine, but she brings so much to it.

That's interesting. First time I've heard of a major label releasing an EU public doman set. If I were Mosaic I'd be having a word with Universal about the Armstrong!

I was eyeing up copies of all these in the Paris stores this week. They look good! Do we know yet if they are remastered from original sources or from 78s, LPs or even older CDs?

Good excuse!

Already linked to above.

I thought that re Wilson, then realised I never play the CDs I have of her. Time to get rid.

EMI has a new series of 4 CD boxed sets coming on November 21. Amazon UK has most of them for £10.56, but the Art Blakey is £8.99 and some of the pop titles in the series are even cheaper. Jazz titles on Amazon are: Chet Baker: Chet Baker Sings/Chet Baker Big Band/Chet Baker and Crew/The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/1965 Dexter Gordon: Doin' Alright/Dexter Calling/Go/Our Man in Paris Cannonball Adderley: Somethin' Else/Them Dirty Blues/Cannonball's Bossa Nova/Why am I Treated so Bad (although cover art subs Poll Winners for the latter Bobby McFerrin: Spontaneous Inventions/Simple Pleasures/Bang Zoom/Beyond Words Dianne Reeves: Quiet after the Storm/That Day/Bridges/The Calling Herbie Hancock: My Point of View/Empyrean Isles/Maiden Voyage/Speak Like a Child Joe Henderson: Page One/Our Thing/In'n'Out/Made for Joe Wayne Shorter: Night Dreamer/Juju/Speak no Evil/Adam's Apple Art Blakey: A Night in Tunisia/Moanin/The Big Beat/Buhaina's Delight Cassandra Wilson: Blue Light Till Dawn/New Moon Daughter/Travelling Miles/Belly of the Sun

Cockney Rebel? About an actor who was neither a cockney nor a rebel? I actually turned down a free copy of that one -- it wasn't even worth that. Hence Reader's Digest.

I'm halfway through the Kenneth Williams book -- highly recommended. Never realised before the extent to which his career difficulties were largely of his own making: he turned down so many great opportunities through low self-esteem and insecurity. Stevens writes very nicely and has done his research. It's going cheap in the remainder shops at the moment.

Word to the wise on that Feldman bio: Robert Ross is a terrible writer, unless you like "awesome stunning" hyperbole in place of solid research and sentences that go on forever with about a million clauses. I'd wait until somebody better, such as Graham McCann or Christopher Stevens, tackles it. Sorry.

More jazz and jazz-oriented sets coming on 9 January 2012: Harry Connick Jr Weather Report Preservation Hall Jazz Band