John L

Maybe it is because he plays a lot of low down blues and funk in ways thought unfit for a "sophisticated" jazz artist. Yea, the snobs will trash anybody who they think is rubbing shoulders with soul jazz, R&B, and (God forbid) commercial music. Donald Byrd is often put in the same category of R&B/Funk "sellouts."

Monk: Brilliant Corners Mingus: Blues and Roots Mobley: Soul Station Jimmy Forrest: Out of the Forrest Gene Ammons: Boss Tenor Dexter Gordon: On Flight Up This is hard!

Henri Renaud has to be one of the most loved of all French jazz musicians. Every review that I have ever seen of an Henri Renaud disc in a French jazz journal has been over the top.

They are not top Cherry on my shelf. They don't do much for me. Others may have different opinions.

That Swing Music Series 1929 disc is fine indeed. Even if you are not crazy about Nichols himself, the all star bands that he leads on this disc are powerful enough to carry you through with a big smile: Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Pee Wee Russell, Bud Freeman, Dave Tough, Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller...

That's easy for you professional tenor players to say!

To muddy the waters even further, can we safely say that people who are not geniuses per se can nevertheless have moments, or even periods, of genius? Maybe we can refer to that as a "stroke of genius."

Mine too. Why did Lester stop playing clarinet in the 1930s (other than that single very strange late Verve session)?

I am also amazed at how many arguments in the world (including in academia) are over definitions: in this case, what (or who) is genius? A definition is a definition. It can't be right or wrong. To make the argument about Stevie Wonder meaningful, we would need to agree on some definition of "genius" and then make the case for and against Stevie Wonder satsifying such a definition. Alternatively, we could think of several different possible definitions of genius, some of which might include Stevie and others might not. On the other hand, arguing over what a single definition of genius should be is senseless.

It worked in my car CD player. But that doesn't mean that it will work in yours, or that my car CD player hasn't already contracted thick CD syndrome. The bastards!

That is very well put. For example, we often look for evidence of genius in the arts in the creation of something profoundly timeless. But what about the genius to create something that is so perfectly of time and place that it has a huge immediate impact but will almost certainly become irrelevant in 20 years? (I think of much of Stevie's work as timeless, but that is just an example.) Genius can come in many forms.

I enjoyed it.

Sounds puzzling. So if I composed "Bla Bla Bal," which appears on two discs released by an independent Italian label, what share of the duties on blank CDs and MP3 players in various countries should I receive?

Is that right, Chuck?

That may very well be the case. Claude: How is the determination made as to who are the "copyright holders" that deserve compensation through this duty? Anybody can become a copyright holder, and nobody can see whose music is being copied.

Why fly to to the US when you can just drive a half hour or so to another Euro-zone country to shop? You would think that iPod sales in the Netherlands would just disappear for this reason. This is really nonsense, a classic example of trying to treat the symptom rather than the disease. iPod technology has nothing to do with pirating. So why not collect the duty for all computer technology, especially hard drives, modems, and burners? And whose intellectual property will be subsidized from these duties? Are they going to distribute them to music companies? Absurd.

A very nice a thoughtful review, Jim.

I wonder if they will sell me a piece of the sidewalk that Coltrane walked on in his youth for less than $500?

In addition to the classic sides with His Rhythm discussed above, you might want to look for a separate disc of his incredible solo piano recordings. There once was a 2-disc set on French Jazz Tribune of all his RCA solo piano sides. I don't know what is available now. I am spending a lot of time abroad these days and I just loaded up all 14 volumes of of the complete Fats Waller and His Rhythm on my external hard drive. I never get tired of hearing Fats. The man was a living miracle. Aw, no baby, no! Don't make a fat man blue! Come on over here. Yes, yes...

The least popular, I'd guess. I didn't even discover in until 1979, long after all the others, and only then when a "friend" put it on before bedtime, if you get my drift... That was very nice of your friend to bring it on home to you.

Do the CDRs have (paper) labels stuck to them? I have a few CD players where that exact thing happens to CDRs with labels. As the CD progresses, the problem gets worse, i.e. the noise gets lounder. I solve the problem by ripping the labels off. Even if a thinner layer of paper stays on the CD, the laser gets through easier and the problem goes away.

Soul '69 was one of the least popular of Aretha's classic albums, somewhat of a throwback to her jazzier days. But it was a damn good one! Anything that Aretha recorded back then is essential.

Is it a Western label? If so, a legit CD should have a special stamp of authenticity, together with a clause "for sale only in the Russian Federation." On the other hand, Russian pirates can duplicate the stamp and clause without much problem. There is a good chance that it is not legit.

Kellough Jefferson