John L

Yes, I agree. Mitchell's playing, in particular, is astonishing here.

Sidestepping the points Shawn makes, there's the mastering which in my opinion has been in the previous three volumes excellent enough to just forget other versions, and the fact that these are presented as copies of the original lps in track listing and packaging. For some of us, this was the way we first heard the music (in my case in the 'seventies) and it can be the way we'd like to experience them now. (I really enjoy that now.) As a matter of fact, when I bought the Complete John Coltrane Quartet on Impulse Box when it was first released, and sold most individual discs that were duplicated on this box, I really regretted my decision for a while. The programming on that box was so bad that I stopped actually listening to the music for a while, and contemplated buying back the individual CDs that I sold. Now, through iTunes, I have it all programmed the way that I want it. Otherwise, I would be all over these releases.

Very nice! I believe that is the first time that I have ever seen a video of Bud.

In my opinion, Kahil El Zabar takes encouraging exclamations to another level. He really knows how to build fire in his musicians that way.

Get the second one: Bird 1950. It contains all of the so-called "apartment sessions" that feature some of Bird's most amazing playing. The Paris 1949 is also great music, but rather poor sound quality.

Yea, I found this one a while back. Killer! I don't know how anybody can listen to the numerous tremendous live recordings that Rollins made in the early 1980s and still dismiss his work post-60s.

And Willie has earned the right to snort coke off a stripper in his bus as well.

Also easier to write. I write my name beginning with capitals practically as a reflex, but have to think about it to leave it all lower case.

The CD of "unreleased material" looks to be out takes of released material.

My favorite jazz autograph experience was in Paris in the late 1990s. I was in the front row for a Teddy Edwards concert with a local trio. Teddy's play that night was VERY strong, and I thanked him sincerely after the show. He told me that he had been bothered by an excessively stiff reed. But if it sounded good to me, I could have it. He took the reed out of his horn and gave it to me. Of course, I had to have him sign the reed after that.

I play music and dance, and love to do both, although nobody pays me any money to do either of them. I don't know where that puts me in the poll.

Yes! When that Motown Box first came out, I played those "Vulnerable" tracks continuously. Just amazing! Some of the earlier versions of those tracks (without the final overdubs) were released on an album called "Romantically Yours." I agree that the final overdubs increased the power of the Vulnerable tracks. But there are some other songs on Romantically Yours that I would never want to be without. Marvin's take on "Happy Go Lucky" just kills me every time - nothing tricky here, no melodrama, just flat out beautiful, beautiful singing. Inspirational! "Just Like" is also beyond incredible.

Damn straight! Funny, I always associated the song with Glenn Campbell before Isaac Hayes. I didn't realize that Johnny Rivers did the original. He does it nicely too.

I have always loved this album. I come back to it regularly.

If you find it, let me know. I'll jump in as well.

There is also this one.

Whoa, Jim. You're running close to Ebert territory here (he actually had his Facebook page blocked for a while for saying unkind things about the death of the Jackass star, who pretty clearly had been drinking and driving). Maybe you need some more time to reflect on this before people's feelings get bent. ( ) Oh, I know it's a tragedy for everybody involved, feelings get bent enough right there, believe me, I know, but... at what point does "What did you THINK was going to happen" become a more realistic - and therefore ultimately positive - reaction than "Oh how sad!"? If the correct answer is "never", then...we're all just enabling, each in our own way. I'm not at the point in my life where people knowingly and repeatedly making clearly piss-poor lifestyle choices is something for which I have any interest in finding excuses. We got real problems with inadequate rehab options and recovery support systems, and that makes me just as mad, but one wrong does not excuse the other, ya' know? I've seen enough of this stuff to know the power of the pull back in, but I've also seen too many people reject a helluva lot of serious and sincere help being offered, so hey - you can't protect people from themselves. Not forever. If Amy Winehouse OD's and dies, what did she THINK was going to happen? Yes! It is kind of hard to make the case that Amy Winehouse is a victim of circumstance. She has everything going for her, and plenty of money to get any kind of help that she needs. It is just a matter of her taking responsibility for herself. That is the primary responsibility of any adult.

I didn't know about the fire, but I heard that the archive is huge.

She has plenty of help, but she needs to help herself.

This actually strikes me as one of Jurek's more coherent statements (of course, that is not saying a lot). Ironically, I interpret it to mean exactly the same thing that Jim S is saying - that the structure of the composition itself is rich and therefore quite conducive to being jazzed up. As I interpret it, "they always have been" means that "they" already existed before Metheny reworked them.

I don't know about the "unofficial series," but the official series avoided the bootleg material that was available on other labels, i.e. no Birdland with Fats, no Carnegie Hall broadcasts, no Royal Roost, etc.

As I recall, the unofficial CDs reissue much of the music on the official CDs. So the number of actual CDs with different music is well below 105.

Really? That one looks like somebody who fell from a hotel window and landed on a big rock. Maybe it's the height from which the picture was taken, but I've seen enough topless dead chicks on rocks to last a lifetime. The Parisian one...skinny exhibitionist hooker looking for attention through her mouth. Again, seen enough of those, etc. Damn, you saxophone players are so f##cking jaded when it comes to women.

I don't know, Jim. Those are getting dangerously close to being genuinely sexy, especially the top one.

Good news!