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Mal Waldron (first names count?) Mat Maneri Joe Maneri Marcus Miller Ron Miles Russell Malone Lyle Mayes Jane Monheit

Geri plays very nicely on Franco Ambrosetti's "Movies, Too" also. Haven't picked up the first "Movies" disc, but plan to check that one out as well. She also plays on Bobby Hutcherson's nice '99 date, "Skyline".

Hey Garth - Can you point me towards some good jazz stores in Houston? I was there this past week, but the only place I checked out was one of the Soundwaves stores (the one on Montrose). Fairly good selection of new and used, I thought (though compared to Corpus Christi, your Wal-Marts probably have a better jazz selection). Thanks, Erik

Went up to Houston for the past 4-5 days, on a spring break visit to my sister's. While there I got to try out a new (for me) beer, St. Arnold's. This is their Kolsch beer, and is actually pretty good! Wasn't expecting much from a Houston brewery, to be honest, but they got my attention. Their ales are pretty good as well. Not sure about the lawnmower thing, unless it's a summery connotation. Gonna have to see if this is sold outside of the Houston area...

Just curious, Jim, but are you saying that there is not a single "legit" Miles album that you like better than these bootlegs? Wow! Columbia (or someone) needs to get their hands on these!

At the same time?? What a cacophony!!!

Ed - Sent you a PM. -Erik

If you don't have this one, it needs to be on your short list! It's a fantastic live trio recording from 1976, and was released on CD for the first time last year (Verve mini-LP). I don't have all that many of his recordings as a leader, but this one is my favorite. And don't forget his fantastic CTI recording, Concierto, with Chet Baker & Paul Desmond!

Ok, Naked Lunch caught my eye today when I was picking up Schindler's List. I've never seen this, and don't know much about it beyond the blurbs on the packaging. How is this - the movie itself, and the DVD? I assume since it's a Criterion, it's gotta be a pretty good package.

I'm with Weizen on this one - once you see the hospital's/Dr's/anesthesiologist's/etc. bills, you'll really think you DESERVE a token of their appreciation! By the way, my daughter was born here in Texas, and my son was born in Germany. The cost of having my son was literally HALF (about $10K versus about $5K) of what it was here in the U.S., and Germany isn't exactly a third world country. Something's out of whack with medical costs these days!! Enough of that - CONGRATULATIONS, Pop!!

Coming soon (April 13 in U.S., April 26 in Deutschland): Looking forward to this one!!

Mike - Different strokes for different folks I guess. I think Mag is the best Yes album since Drama, personally. IMO it actually benefits from the absence of keyboards. The only track I don't care for is their one attempt at radio play, "Don't Go". I think the rest is very well done Yes music. I don't care much for what Wakeman's brought to the group, either with the Keys albums or in concert last year. Not sure how they'll do in the studio, if they ever get around to recording a new disc. The five new tracks on the US version of Ultimate Yes are nice, but nothing spectacular (best things are the acoustic versions of Roundabout & South Side of the Sky). Regarding the "hidden" track on Tormato, I've read that it was put on at the last minute, as a tribute to Andrew Pryce Jackman, the arranger of the orchestral part of "Onward", who recently passed away. Apparently there are a number of discs that have problems on that track (mine doesn't). You might take it back to the store you purchased it at, and get a replacement. Peter - If you liked 90125, you might try the follow-up, Big Generator. It's very similar in style (even though it took Yes about 4 years to make it, for some reason). Talk is also from the same lineup, though many think it's mainly a Trevor Rabin solo album, on which Jon Anderson sings. The Rabin-era albums are in a completely different style than earlier (and later) Yes. Alot of 70's era fans have problems with these albums, but I can enjoy them for what they are. Union also has some tracks on it by this lineup, as well as some ABWH tracks, on which Squire was overdubbed (voice only). I'd only recommend this album to a completist, though there are a few moments I enjoy. It's difficult to recommend much of the rest of Yes to someone who likes 90125 though. Maybe The Ladder. Most of the 70's era is so different from 90125 that you just have to try some of it out and see what you think. I'd start with The Yes Album, if you want to dip your toes into the 70's stuff, without diving into the albums with the 20 minute epics on them. Stear clear of these, unless you become a completist: Union, Tormato, and Open Your Eyes. Drama is an underrated album, but the only one on which Jon Anderson is absent, so it probably isn't a good one to try out at first, either.

In honor of this momentous occasion, a number of people are doing the Chicken Dance in our honor:

Dr. J - I think it would be worth your time to check out "Magnification". I think you'd be very pleasantly surprised at what you hear! No widdly keyboards at all - just Anderson/Howe/Squire/White with orchestral accompaniment. And it's not overblown at all - relatively subtle, and fits very well together. Worth a spin or two! -Erik

Schindler's List is coming out on Tuesday, Mar 9th, finally (at least for Region 1). DVD Features: "Voices From the List" featurette, 80 minutes "Behind the Shoah Foundation With Steven Spielberg" featurette, 12 minutes Widescreen anamorphic format This one is a first-day pickup for me!

Glad to see you like Magnification, Bev! I have been recommending that album to anyone who ever used to like 70's era Yes. I saw their last three tours in Stuttgart, and the Magnification tour (aka "YesSymphonic") was wonderful, even though technically they cheated and included a keyboard player (a guy named Tom Brislin) along with the orchestra. The 03/04 Rhino remasters are all very good, imho. They all include extra music, as well as significant sound upgrades. Even the earliest titles ("Yes" and "Time and a Word"), while not classic Yes albums, have some interesting bonus tracks. The classic sequence of albums - generally considered "The Yes Album" through "Going for the One" (or maybe through "Drama" if you're generous) all sound GREAT. Even the remaster of 90125 is a significant improvement over the original cd. Unfortunately the remasters appear to end with 90125. I wish they would have continued with Big Generator and ABWH at least, maybe Union as well. I don't have as much a proble with Union as alot of Yes fans do, but it's definitely an album with a split personality. In short, if you like Yes at all, pick up the Rhino remasters of the album(s) you're interested in. They sound great!

I like Sammy, but wonder about him as well...

Passed through Williamsburg briefly a few years back, heading from Norfolk to D.C. The obvious answer (to me anyway), Colonial Williamsburg is worth a visit. Here's a website that covers it fairly well: Colonial Williamsburg. The College of William & Mary is there also, where Thomas Jefferson went to school. Seems like they had a Busch Gardens or something like that there also, but we weren't interested.

Any chance of a live recording from from these dates? ScoJoGo?

My two cents - No matter how hard you try otherwise, there will always be people in this world that you simply don't "click" with. It doesn't matter how good of a person you are, or try to be, or how good they are. It's just the way it is. Dan and Mike seem to be people who don't click. It's ok. IMO it's really not worth spending a whole lot of time confronting each other, because it's not going to change things, just make both of your emotions boil over. Life's too short to spend it challenging and attacking each other, when there are so many other folks out there that we DO click with, and can have healthy relationships (and jazz discussions). I'm here to talk jazz, and other sundry subjects. I also post occasionally on AAJ, and once in a while at JazzCorner (not so much after I finally weaned myself from that "name three people who follow these three" thread ). I like to read posts at all three, and genuinely learn from all three. Occansionally I dip my toes in the politics section, mainly when Alexander posts something that I don't agree with. But even in that case, it's more a philosophical dispute than a personal one - I've never had any reason to dislike Alex personally, and don't expect to. If you don't agree with someone, just move on. Chat with folks you DO agree with instead.

Up for David Gitin & BFrank (and anyone else who may have been there) - How was the Yoshi's show??

It is apparently still the case, at least if you purchase BB at it's "normal" 2 disc price of $27.98. The 4 disc box has an everyday sale price of $23.99. My current offer is "Unlimited $4.99 cds", so the 2 disc BB is currently $9.98, plus s/h.

Dumb question probably, but is there any way for someone to post a complete listing of all of of the BN releases (new studio & live recordings, not reissues) from the last 5 years? I agree with alot of the favorites that people have posted, but it would be interesting to see if there are titles that have been overlooked but worthy. -Erik