Ed S

So sorry to read the news. Durium was one of those guys who always made excellent posts here and contributed to the overall success of this board. Through that, he enriched our collective love of jazz and in doing so, helped me, for one - enjoy jazz and and a grander scale, life, even more. His passing is a loss and I hope his family and friends - should they read this thread - understand that he had internet friends around the globe. In the strange world that the internet has wrought upon us, I never knew Durium's name was Hans. Nor had I ever seen his photograph. Having this knowledge personalizes his loss for me now and makes me both sad that I never knew the person who was Hans, but glad that I was able to know him as much as I did through his internet presence. It's kind of a weird place to be I suppose, but it's mitigated by knowing that without the net, he would have never had the opportunity to share his love of jazz with me.... and us. Rest in Peace and condolences to his family and friends.

I mentioned it before in the Condon thread. I really like this type of set by Mosaic. The HRS set, Capitol Jazz, Columbia Small Group Swing, Clifford Jordan Strata East all really appeal to me as they are multiple artists/leaders presented under a common theme. I just like listening to the variety knowing that it somehow ties into a greater unifying theme. I spent this past weekend listening to the Jordan Strata East stuff and really enjoying it. I know the Dial stuff will hit me in the same way as the others I have. I might pre-order this as the $149 price is more than what my family members can afford via the Mosaic wishlist for such things as birthdays / Christmas / Holidays

I changed the title. I figured I've had enough views based on the original thread title and did not want to reflect negatively on Hunter or Amendola should it come up in an internet search. I'm still embarrassed that I listened to the concert from an alley though. Could have been worse I suppose.

Cult member checking in to say that I'm looking forward to the Dial set. I have very little Dial material - so that's one reason the set is appealing. Moreover, I really like the fact that I can sit down and digest the offerings of the label over the course of a few evenings. The HRS set, the Capitol set and even the Clifford Jordan set have that same appeal to me. I don't know what it is about Mosaic, but they always seem to find sets that fill gaps in my listening.

I know there are a few cycling fans on the board. I was happy to see Wiggins win today. From my vantage point from across the pond, it seems like Wiggins has been pretty much disrespected by his Sky team and this title is way showing them that they may have underestimated him. I know the whole Froome/Wiggins controversy has been ongoing - and I don't know who is at fault - but I wish that Sky could have come up with a better strategy than just casting Wiggins aside. The TdF is a prime example, IMO.

A new low Not Hunter and Amendola by any means Me. I have reached a new low. First, let me go back to Monday evening. I was reading the Buffalo News "Gusto" - a section of the local paper dedicated to entertainment and the arts. I live in a second ring suburb of Buffalo - Orchard Park, current home of the Buffalo Bills. About 10 minutes to the east is the village of East Aurora - home of Elbert Hubbard and the Roycroft movement if anyone is into that sort of thing. Both villages are about 20 minutes from downtown Buffalo and are known to be very conservative. East Aurora might be the most unlikely spot on earth to host a jazz artist of Hunter's caliber. Recently, though, in East Aurora, a new bar opened that claimed to feature live music. I figured it would be local bands - which are fine. The bar is a nice place - I had checked it out a few weeks earlier - but I don't connect suburban Buffalo with touring jazz artists. I was shocked to see Charlie Hunter booked into this joint. Thus, I figured no one would show up, we'd buy a ticket at the door and enjoy. Wrong! I got there and the place was sold out. Good for them, but bad for me. My wife and I went to the bar next door to have a couple of drafts. When the music started, I walked over to the bar and stood outside and watched through the window - with an unobstructed view btw - and enjoyed the performance. I alternated between that spot and a spot in the alley between this place and an adjacent building. It's not so horrible as the word alley implies as there are tables and a fire pit which kept us warm. The sound was fantastic. It was almost like being inside and I could not get myself to leave. So that's it.... My new low - I listened to most of the show in some alley or through a window. I felt like that guy - Francis - in Round Midnight who would listen to the music through a window of the Blue Note in Paris. Have to say - it was a great performance. I'm a big fan of Hunter and was happy to have seen and heard him in any way I could.

Regarding Syd Arthur - I recently took a vacation in the American Southwest with my sons. One of the the things we did was catch a Yes concert in Tucson at the Rialto Theater. Taking my 19 and 17 year old sons to a Yes concert was kind of weird as I was around their age when I went to my first Yes concert in 1974. Anyway - the opening act was Syd Arthur. I never heard of them before - and I thought they were phenomenal. Really interesting music, great sound, great energy and instrumentation. That mandolin guy was excellent - played guitar, keys and violin too. Vocalist has an interesting sound and the drummer was excellent. The crowd was very positive and gave them a very nice reception. Never having heard them, it took a couple of songs to get in the groove, but once I did - I wished they played longer than the 45 minute set they were allotted. After the show, the mandolin player walked past me as I stood in the aisle as they walked out front to sign and sell CDs. I told him it was a great show and he stopped and asked if I really liked it and was very appreciative of my comment. My brush with fame...

Holy crap/ It's like a mother lode of excellence/ Unfortunately for me I have them all. All excellent for different reasons. My first thoughts when I saw the list is how I appreciate both the Young and Jimmy Smith for the way the music unfolds as you move through the sets

The way I look at it, I'd rather pay 10% less for everything I buy. So when Mosaic has one of their 10% sales I try to take advantage. I sort of equates to free shipping (in the US). I've never figured it out but, like Rooster above, I'll bet I've saved enough to have equated to 1 or 2 free sets. To me, with US shipping rates, it makes sense. BTW, I ordered the Coleman Hawkins set.

I bought the Crosby. Bought the Four Freshmen too. I'll eventually get this one as well. I'm guessing I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Sounds excellent This thread has been excellent, by the way. Thanks for your updates and insider information. I think I'm going to pre-order the LPs

I picked up the Ferguson in LP form when it was on 'last chance'. I think it gave the postie a hernia I picked up the Ferguson LP set when I did not even have a turntable. I wanted to get the CD set, but they were out. Mosaic offered me the LP set at the same price as the CD and I took it. If I recall correctly, it was a fairly substantial difference in price. Years later, I've got a turntable and am back in the vinyl groove, so to speak. Glad I grabbed the LP set when I was able. I'm clueless as to who owns what label. So I'm also wondering if any of you think or know of any more currently available sets are going to go OOP over night.

I looked at this hoping it was an LP version. I have this set on CD and I love it. So much so that I'd buy it again on LP. The interaction between these two guys is incredible. Pour a glass of your favorite beverage, relax, and enjoy some incredible interplay. Very fair price.

I have succumbed to the temptation that the very favorable pricing currently offered for this set hath wrought upon me. I've had this set on my Mosaic wishlist for some time. My wife and kids consult my wish list at times when they want to buy me a gift - and quite honestly, I don't expect them to fork over $179 for anything for me. So this $159 price looked to be a great opportunity for me and I seized it. Looking forward to listening

I was disappointed to see the Wes was gone - so I'm going to jump in. PM to follow

Tony Williams Select Disc 1

Went to see the Experience Hendrix show at the UB Center for the Arts yesterday (4/1/14) I bought my whole family tickets as a Christmas gift so it was my wife, my two boys and their cousin/my nephew. Really nice show. They played before a sold out and enthusiastic crowd. The likes of Billy Cox, Dweezil Zappa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Eric Gales, Ana Popovic, Doyle Bramhall and a host of others paid tribute to Hendrix. It was a really fun time with some great playing throughout. We heard all of the classic Hendrix tunes plus some I'm not familiar with - as I have to admit that while I enjoy Hendrix, I'm no expert. The guy next to me, though, seemed to be a fanatic and was quite pleased with all of the obscure (to me)stuff as well. Highlights of the evening were Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd who each stretched out on some extended solos. Just a really fun time made more so by the fact that I was able to spend some quality time with my now late teen aged sons and their step-mother.

Did you get that at the concert? I just picked up my copy at the Baltimore show. How do you like it? It seemed from your comment in the Live Music thread that you might be getting more interested in free jazz/improv? Yes I did. I bought it as it was the only LP they were selling. Not that I am against CDs, but since I had heard none of the music being sold, I figured I'd grab the LP. It is fabulous. Having never heard of these guys before I had no idea what I was getting into. I love it. Really excellent.

Ingebrigt Haker Flaten Chicago Sextet - Live at Jazz Festival Saalfelden 2011

Me too!

Went to the performance in Buffalo last night. Very nice. This was my first experience with a free jazz performance and I found it really interesting. After the show, I got to meet Chuck Nessa and his wife backstage - as well as Bobby Bradford. Great night all the way around

I saw him at the Albright Knox as well! Great show. I was happy to see a legend live.

Hey Justin, Thanks for putting some titles to the music I was hearing. I recognized melodies but am terrible with song names. Glad you like the show as well. Are you from Buffalo or Columbus?

I went to the the Pat Metheny Unity group concert last night (3/19) at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts. In a word - terrific. Metheny opened playing solo guitar with one of his specially designed guitars that has multiple sets of strings on it. It was okay, but I have to admit it was my least favorite part of the show. He was then joined on stage by the original Unity Band. They played a bunch of stuff from that album and a few Metheny classics before Metheny finally went to the mic and introduced the band and joked that they were sort of their own opening act - as he used that opportunity to introduce the new Unity Group and their new album - Kin. I had never heard the music on Kin prior to last night and was looking forward to hearing it for the first time. Some adjectives that popped in my head while listening to various sections of the album - beautiful, powerful, interesting, intense, gorgeous, lush, textured, creative, orchestral. The Unity Group is the Unity Band - Chris Potter, Ben Williams, Antonio Sanchez - plus multi-instumentalist/vocalist Giulio Carmassi. Also added to the mix was an array of Metheny's orchestrion devices. Loved every minute of it. After the Kin stuff, Metheny played a series of duets with each band member. Each was different and a nice diversion from the group material- virtuoso caliber playing. After that - there were a few more songs out of Metheny's extensive catalog - both from PMG and his other bands. An encore followed - Are You Going With Me - to which Potter added an interesting new dimension by playing flute. For a second encore - Metheny came out solo with an acoustic guitar and proceeded to perform a medley of some of his more famous songs - most of which I'd only heard as PMG material - concluding with a great reading of Farmer's Trust. I thought the performance was stunning. Overall, a great night of music from one of my favorites. Metheny was on fire. Each of the band members were prominent throughout the night as well. Potter was a monster on sax, Williams and Sanchez were excellent. The new guy - Carmassi - added a nice dimension and his vocals on the group pieces were audible - but not overpowering - more to add depth and texture. The orchestrion also added nice layers to the music - particularly in the quieter pieces. I liked the more toned down interpretations of PMG material as well. Show lasted about 5 minutes short of 3 hours with no breaks. Awesome night. Edited for some typos