John L

On the Minton's recordings: It doesn't sound like Monk on the recordings with Charlie Christian (where Monk is sometimes credited). But it certainly sounds like Monk on many of the Minton's recordings with Don Byas, Hot Lips Page, and others. Monk as a sideman: There is also a live broadcast of Monk playing in the Dizzy Gillespie big band.

So far, I have drawn a blank with Common. But I will certainly give this one a listen. I want to understand what the fuss is about. My favorite hip hop album in a long time is Brother Ali: The Undisputed Truth.

No! No! I don't want to love Buddy Rich!!!!!

The worst concert of the time featured Tony Williams trying to outplay Max Roach? Those were the days.

That reminds me of a story that blues artist John Primer told me when he joined Magic Slim's band. The first thing that Magic Slim told him was, "I make it a point not to sleep with wives of the band. But if they HIT on me..."

I've been really enjoying my recent consumption of this set. Even though I had most of the music elsewhere, it is nice to have it packaged up like this. I also really like booklet. This strikes me as a glowing example of what liner notes and Mosaic booklets should be: an intelligent discussion of the music and its context that actually helps you hear and notice what you might otherwise not have. I'm glad I took the plunge.

I first became a Pops fanatic after purchasing a 2-LP memorial set on RCA after his death. To this day, the RCA recordings remain among my absolute favorites, both the 30s and 40s recordings. Lon: I believe that there is a story behind the Town Hall omissions. If I recall correctly, only part of the concert exists in the RCA vaults, but the entire concert was recorded independently in somewhat worse sound. RCA in Europe somehow acquired the rights to the whole concert (or maybe they were just exploiting the European copyright laws), whereas US RCA never did. Something like that.

For some reason, this one was off my radar screen. Thanks for the heads up, people.

"if you were alive in the 1970s, what LPs did you avoid?" Now that sounds like a question that only Rooster could ask. :rsly:

If the problems facing jazz today were all a white conspiracy, they might have been easier to solve.

These would appear to be the Blue and Boogie and Four from volume 1, not volume 3. Correct? John

Well, there you go. No two people are the same. I put a lot of effort and heavy lifting into music, eating, sleeping, and (especially) sex.

And let us not forget that some proclaim the latter to be always superior to the former. No, it's just that if I made the investment to appreciate it and you didn't, then I am superior to you. No, no, it's the other way around. That would mean that you're an elitist snob and I'm "authentic." Unless I don't advertise the fact that I made the investment. Then I would be supremely hip and you would be naive.

And let us not forget that some proclaim the latter to be always superior to the former. No, it's just that if I made the investment to appreciate it and you didn't, then I am superior to you.

People seem to be interpreting this question as what they like or don't like, or what the get or don't get. There is another dimension to the question. Some art can be appreciated immediately by a lot of people with different backgrounds and no special effort, education, experience, or intimate familiarity with the genre, and other art cannot be. Some proclaim the former to be always superior to the latter. But the rewards of the latter can be just as great for the people who make the investment in tackling it. Modern popular culture seems to be pushing us farther and farther down the road of excluding anything difficult. People sitting in front of their screens demand instant gratification with little effort. Difficulty, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. But if we throw it all away, we lose a lot.

This is the one that could really use a nice single CD release:

I like a lot of the Waldron-Lacy recordings. But I have a strong preference for Waldron with a good rhythm section. I love the way that Mal drives into the drums and bass with those hypnotic lines and chords. Mal without a rhythm section is a different ballgame, and one that I am often less enthusiastic about. For that reason, few of the duet recordings would make my list of favorite Mal Waldron (or Steve Lacy, for that matter). On the other hand, I absolutely love Hard Talk and One Upmanship.

Sounds great! Thanks, Lon.

On the subject of Shepp's transformation from outside to inside, I recall an interview where Shepp took that question head on. His answer was that he was always about blues and roots, first and foremost. Inside-outside is not a particularly important distinction to him. That may be far from a 100% honest answer. But I do think that there is something to it. Shepp is and was a fine blues player. That has always been at the heart of what he was doing, then and now. He was part of the Ornette-inspired new thing school in the 60s that used the free jazz context as a means of breathing something new and exciting into the blues. Once the "new thing" in that respect became an "old thing," perhaps it became less important for Shepp's purposes. That said, the Shepp that I reach for the most is 60s-70s vintage. The excitement of explortation there was never really replaced.

So why don't we pool together and offer them a cheaper alternative to Iron Mountain?

Thank God that they got that Johnnie Taylor live tape out in time. I have noticed that a lot of the Fantasy MP3s at emusic and iTunes are very low quality. They were made mostly in the early 90s from inferior first generation remasters. I guess that we won't see an update of most of this catalog for a LONG time. John

All of the 32jazz releases. Now that I have them in my iPod, I am finally enjoying them. I even hooked them up with photos of some of the original Muse covers. I used to avoid reaching for those digipacks like the plague.

I like the comment that it "looks playable." In other words, the seller hasn't actually tried to listen to what's on it, but if you want to pay $10,000 for the privilege of being the first to do so, be my guest. If it turns out not to be Thelonious Monk, no refunds.

Rosewood had a single CD release a few years back. You should be able to find a copy.

I think that there are different types of traits that give players their individual voices. For example, certain players are recognizable after only a few notes by their tone and expressiveness: Pops, Pres, Ben, Jug, etc. Other players are recognizable after one or a few phrases by their ideas and approach: Bird, Trane, Bud, etc.