I really appreciate Haden also. This may be a strange comparison, but he sort of reminds me of
Wilbur Ware on one side & William Parker on the other.
Also his Liberation Music Orchestra should not be overlooked.
If you want a trio CD by 3 giants, get the recent 88's release Autumn Leaves.
The trio is Hank Jones, Richard Davis & Elvin Jones.
You'll have to pay Japanese prices (Sony has elected not to release this at this point), but it's worth it.
1.) Sorry, but I still like Down Beat.
2.) I subscribe to Cadence & buy mainly Hat & Fresh Sounds CDs from them. Criss Cross CDs are actually cheaper at www.cheap-cds.com (although they don't always have everything).
3.) Not to be inconsistent, but I recently purchased Elmo Hope & Herb Geller Fresh Sounds CDs form Dusty Groove.
What saves us here in New Mexico is Tom Guralnick & The Outpost Performance Space in Albuquerque. They bring in exciting performers. Prices are reasonable. Seats about 200, no smoking, no booze. Members get discounts on tickets. All in all a great place to hear jazz.
They have the Anthony Brown Asian American Orchestra CDs - the Ellington & the Monk (with Steve Lacy).
Their service is excellent & their e-mails are hilarious.
Their error ratio is very high.
However they are nice about trying to fix things.
I eventually (& I do mean eventually) wound up with the Tatum Group set & the Pepper Galaxy for just under $60 US (including shipping).
They essentialliy "ate" the cost of the Tatum because they sent it in error.
My only actual disappointment in the end was that the Pepper has absolutely no printed info..