Peter Friedman

Not true. I have a couple of players that play SACD's very well with no HDMI connection involved. One is a Marantz and the other a Sony.

Don Friedman has made a lot of good recordings. The 3 below are among my favorites. Prism (trio) - ABeat Circle Waltz : Then And Now (trio) - BRC Waltz For Marilyn (quartet with Peter Bernstein) - Jazz Excursion

I also have an Oppo and it is a terrific player for both SACDs and DVDs.

The Holberg Suite has long been one of my favorite pieces by Grieg. Will play it this morning along with the string serenades by Dvorak and Elgar.

Though I prefer these two pieces in their original string quartet form, it is both interesting and enjoyable to hear how they sound when arranged for string orchestra. Schubert - "Death and the Maiden" D. 810 Dvorak - "American" Op.96 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Charles Rosekrans - Telarc

The Center For Creative Photography at The University of Arizona here in Tucson maintains the archives for the photographs and tapes of W. Eugene Smith. I saw in the local paper that the Center had put together an exhibit of Smith's Jazz Loft project. Yesterday I visited the exhibit. There are marvelous photographs , all taken in Smith's New York City Loft, of musicians such as Thelonious Monk, Hall Overton, Charles Mingus, Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, Jim Hall and many others. Music from Smith's tapes, recorded at the loft, was being played in each of the rooms where the photographs and tapes boxes were displayed. I found especially interesting the photos of Monk and Overton rehearsing the Monk Big Band in preparation for the famous Town Hall Concert.

I too have the American Savoy/ Denon CD.

Respighi - Ancient Dances and Airs / Suite No.3 for Strings - Antal Dorati / Philharmonia Hungarica - Mercury Lovely melodies from the past based on Italian and French music for the Lute.

In a few instances I have had problems with the sound at the end of CDs over 74 minutes. it does not happen with every CD at that length, but when it does happen it is a definite drag.

Some other CD's by Joe Williams that I enjoy include these: Prez & Joe - Prez Conference - GNP Ballad and Blues Master -- Verve Every Night - Verve The Overwhelming Joe Williams - RCA includes Ben Webster, Zoot,Coleman Hawkins, Clark Terry, Howard McGhee, Junior Mance

Here is another very nice CD by Dick Hafer. Dick Hafer Quartet - Prez Impressions - Fresh Sound With Ross Tompkins, Dave Carpenter, and Jake Hanna,

I agree with Brownie, they are all very good. Two of my favorites that have not been mentioned are the Barry Harris and the Tommy Flanagan CDs.

After reading all these comments it strikes me that the 2 opposite points of view are both partially correct. From my perspective, yes interpretation certainly does matter, but is by no means everything. A marvelous Interpretation of a composition one does not find interesting, or dislikes is of no value to the listener. To follow up on Jim's food analogy, an important question is why do I select a rib steak to purchase at the market rather than a strip steak. And don't forget the quality of the meat itself, is it choice or prime cut of meat. The interpretation of Beethoven's piano sonatas is very important and should be discussed, but there is almost no discussion of (for example) which Beethoven sonatas one finds most interesting, rewarding, pleasing, etc. Isn't it equally important to discuss both which compositions by Chopin are my favorites, AND which pianists are my favorite performers of those compositions?

Author Bill Moody has written a number of mysteries all focused on jazz musicians such as Wardell Gray, Chet Baker and others.

Sad news indeed. I was fortunate to see the Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond about 3 or 4 times. I recall a time back in 1957. I was in the US Army stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas and saw an announcement that the Brubeck Quartet was doing a concert in Wichita fairly soon. I found a friend with a car, and we drove the roughly 125 miles one evening to attend the concert, and then drove back to Fort Riley late that night after the concert. It was a terrific experience and Paul Desmond was particularly in great form.

A good friend who knew John Park very well sent me some cassettes by Park many years ago. Unfortunately he was playing with a mediocre group so while he sounded very good, the session as a whole was not wonderful. The very best solo I ever heard by John Park is on the tune "Street Of Dreams" which I have on this CD. Stan Kenton - Birthday in Britain - Creative World STD 1065 Park's solo on this tune is absolutely marvelous.

This was a surprise. Had he been ill? He was a very good drummer. Sad news.

The Basie Band when Pres there, Jones-Lewis, Clarke-Boland, various Ellington Bands.

I have had a pair of B & W DM 601 speakers in a second sound system in my bedroom for a number of years. i like them very much at that price range.

I just played my copy yesterday for the second time. This is a very good CD.

Couldn't figure out what prevented me from accessing various threads on the Forum. Glad things have returned to normal.

Some years ago my wife and i were on a vacation on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica. We were just getting ready to return to the airport for a flight home when Clifford Jordan arrived at the resort. I spoke to him briefly and was disappointed that he was arriving just as we were leaving.

I was fortune to see Rein play live at a couple of events put on by Ken Poston in California. Rein is a strong bebop oriented piano player who I like very much. I have most of his recordings on CD playing with a great variety of musicians.

Wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing them with us.

All this discussion of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Band is interesting, but for me does not tell the story. I consider my self fortunate to have seen the Jones-Lewis Band live many times. At the Village Vanguard 2 or 3 times, in Rochester, New York a couple of times, and even twice in Oslo, Norway. With the exception of Basie and Ellington, that band was by far the most musically enjoyable I have heard. I preferred the Jones-Lewis band to the many others I have seen live including Gerald Wilson, Toshiko, Clayton- Hamilton, Bob Florence, FranKie Capp,and countless others. The Writing by Thad and Brookmeyer and the great soloists such as Pepper Adams, Roland Hanna, Billy Harper and Thad were marvelous. When that band performed there was an electricity in the air that permeated the room. Two bands that I also consider at the top of the "heap" - Kenny Clarke/ Francy Boland and The Gerry Mulligan Concert Band . I was never able to see either of them live, so my reaction is based solely on their recordings.