Ed S

Zeitlin appears to be gone. Mine arrived in the mail today, but I'll have to put off listening to it until tomorrow as today is Dexter Gordon's birthday and I'll be spinning all sorts of Dex. :party:

Wow - I was going to start a Dex at 90 thread when I saw this. As some of you know, I'm a huge Dexter fan (see my avatar). This week wraps up the Dex at 90 celebration and apparently at Dizzy's in NYC there is a legacy ensemble playing for the weekend. Wish I could be there for that. But for me it's much more personal. Several years ago, I went through a terrible time in my life. The music of two artists helped me through that - Dexter Gordon and Pat Metheny. So this week - in honor of Dex's birthday, I'm celebrating the music of Dexter Gordon. I think I must have everything that's available on CD and I''ll be playing Dex all week long. I'll also be viewing my DVD of Round Midnight. But I'd like to personally thank someone who did perhaps the most generous and kind thing I've ever encountered on a jazz board or anywhere, for that matter. I can still recall the day when I received an unexpected shipment and wondered what the hell it was. I opened it, and there were several discs of unreleased live Dexter recordings. The best gift and the best remedy I could have ever received at was probably the worst and darkest period of my life. I would name him here but I'm not sure he'd be comfortable with that. All I will say is thanks to DG for for some great music and a gesture of kindness that will stay with me as long as I live.

Received my shipping confirmation for the Zeitlin set. Thanks again for the heads up

I ordered the Zeitlin first this this morning when I read it had hit last chance. I've never cut a set this close, so I'm hoping I didn't miss the cut. It's still listed as available as of right now, so I'm hopeful. Thanks for the heads up.

Chuck Nessa seal of approval having been issued - a PM has been sent!

Just added this to my wishlist. My wife and boys never used to know what to buy me for various occasions. Now they do. I don't have any Roland Kirk. Love that Mosaic is putting out LPs and I'll eventually pick this up if my wife and/or kids don't.

I got this one as a Christmas gift and am giving it my first listen tonight. I've made it through the first two discs and am really liking it. I'm doing other things as I listen, so I have not rally sat down with the booklet and concentrated on the music, but I like what I've heard thus far. Given the nature of this set, I'm going to make sure I read the booklet as I proceed through the set.

Well - I ended up picking up this set a few weeks ago. Popmarket had it for $42.99 - and I could not resist. It just came in a couple of days ago and I've had some time to give it a listen. I'm really enjoying this set. I've worked through it once and I really enjoyed the discs with the alternate takes. I'm sure many of you have material with studio chatter, breakdowns, alt takes etc - but for me this is my first experience with this sort of material. I found some of the rejected takes to be compelling as well as developmental in terms of the final product. I loved the raw versions of the tunes that eventually made it to the record in more refined fashion. The "I Shall Sing" series - which did not make the cut were fascinating to hear. On disc 4, there is a version of Moondance that is kick ass - IMO So for me - no regrets as to this purchase

Wow Bebop. I'm so sorry for what you've been experiencing and so very sorry for your loss. I totally missed your original post and regret that I did. My best to you as you work your way through this challenging time.

I think they had the same impact on this side of the Atlantic as well - at least on those of us who were fortunate enough to see episodes of the Flying Circus. I loved Monty Python back in the day. My friends and I used to gather on Friday nights to watch Flying Circus episodes on Friday evenings. They were on the local PBS station. Every now and again they'd have special Pythonathons and play multiple episodes. Good times... Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I can't see this as a good idea at all.

I haven't got the CD yet, but I'm listening to the mp3 that I downloaded yesterday. What a terrific album. Great job Jim. The album artwork looks REALLY nice as well. First class job. :party:

Just got back from my first visit to New Orleans. I traveled there with my wife Kelly for a 4 night mini vacation. I had planned on going there 2 years ago for the Jazz Festival, but about 2 months before my departure, I tore my knee up in a skiing mishap that required a lot of rehab - thus cancelling the trip. This time around, we went because the bartender at a local restaurant (where I got married btw) mentioned the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival. Sounded like a good enough reason for a trip so we booked it. I have to say I loved New Orleans. Stayed in the French Quarter at a very nice hotel - Hotel Maison Dupuy - and pretty much spent most of my time in the quarter. We arrived in New Orleans last Friday having gotten up at 3:30 AM to make a 6 AM flight and arriving in New Orleans at 10AM. We checked into the hotel and then went walking Bourbon St. On a Friday afternoon, it was quite tame and we ended up seeing 3 pretty good bands - the "day bands" as they called themselves. The bars were pretty empty - 20-30 patron each - so the experience was pretty decent. The first band was a blues-rock trio that was really very good. They did cover tunes but did them well. Also saw a R&B/Soul group at Club 541 (or 451?) for those who have been there. These guys were terrific. Again, cover tunes - but extremely well done. It was there version of Let's Stay Together that lured me in, but they did not disappoint afterwards. We ended up staying there about an hour. Another place had another bluesy cover band and again - very enjoyable. We also stumbled upon some place called the Cafe Beignet with its outdoor Musical Legends Park( statues of famous New Orleans Jazz guys). Saw a group that feature a vocalist who sounded - for better or worse - like the second coming of Kurt Elling. In this case - it was for the better as the set they played was very very good. We grabbed something to eat and before you know it - it was 9PM. With the time change and the fact that we had gotten up at 3:30 AM - we were beat. On Saturday, we ventured over to Frenchmen St. to check out the scene there. It was excellent. In the 3-4 block Frenchmen St district we walked into a half dozen bars and heard great music in every venue - Spotted Cat, Blue Nile, Vaso, DBA , Snug Harbor, and a couple of others. Blues, Jazz, Rock, Soul, R&B, and combinations thereof. I have to say it was really good stuff in every venue. At my insistence, though - a little after midnight - we left because I wanted to check out the Bourbon St scene. Mistake. The same bars at which we enjoyed music on Friday were packed with partiers listening to what I thought were lousy bands - way inferior to the "day bands" I had heard on Friday. There was one place that actually featured some very good jazz however - I think it was Maison Bourbon. The band - trumpet, piano, sax, bass, drums - was very good.... played standards. Well worth the one drink minimum. Overall though, I guess I have to say that at 56, I'm way too old for the Bourbon St scene. Someone I know characterized Bourbon St as people of all ages pretending they're on spring break. They nailed it. I regret not staying on Frenchmen St longer. Sunday, we headed over to the Blues and BBQ Festival for the last night of that event. We heard 3 bands - Beverly Guitar Watkins, The Lee Boys, and Mighty Sam McClain. All were very good. While the music was very good, I have to say I was underwhelmed by the whole Blue and BBQ Festival aspect. I expected to see a lot of local/regional restaurants setting up shop and offering servings of their offerings a la "taste of (insert your city here)". In actuality, there were a few stands selling a very limited selection of BBQ items presented in a fast food sort of way - which ended up not being very appealing. It was also kind of small - which can be good or bad depending on your viewpoint. It was less than I expected from a "festival" standpoint - but the music was very good. We then wandered around the French Quarter looking for something to eat and ended up at a place called Landry's where a solo guitarist was playing jazz standards .........magnificently and masterfully. This guy was terrific. I wish I knew his name to give some credit but it was really enjoyable. Monday - our last night in New Orleans - we went to a restaurant called Mulate's to hear some Cajun music as played by a group called La Touche - drums, bass, accordion and violin. They were very good and the venue was as well. There was a substantial dance floor and there were a lot of people dancing - seemed like locals. Very spirited and the band got a great reception - I guess they play there 3-4 times per week. Had a great time there and it seemed very authentic. I focused on the Music but we also did a cemetery tour, a plantation tour, walked Royal St, Jackson Sq, and Decatur St, walked along the river, went on one of those horse and buggy tourist rides, and went to the WW2 museum which was, in a word - powerful. Overall - a great time!

Over the past 3-4 years I've become a HUGE Van Morrison fan. I think I've picked up nearly his entire output and have driven my wife nuts along the way. I'm tempted to go for the the Deluxe set but am resisting temptation at this time. Waiting for some reviews.

I've been purchasing older Mosaic sets before they go OOP, so I'll eventually get around to this one. This particular set represents, to me, the great potential Mosaic has for releases going forward. Seems like a great concept.

Saw Herbie Hancock at the University at Buffalo Wednesday 10/9/13. His band included Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, James Genus on bass and Lionel Loueke on guitar. I went not knowing what to expect - especially when I saw there was a guitar player. It took about a minute to see the music would focus on Head Hunters era material - at least at the start. Mind you, I really like that stuff. But I have to say that this was the most disappointing performance by a major artist I have ever attended. There was no groove, no funk, barely recognizable songs, extremely long, boring solos - especially by Herbie. Most of the solos sounded like pointless noodling around. It sounded totally uninspired, incongruous, almost emotionless. Huge huge disappointment. I could go into the songs that were played but that would be pointless - everything I heard was awful. Four songs and over an hour into the show - I got up and walked out. I waited in the lobby a few minutes and felt horrible for leaving. So I went back in - in hopes that perhaps something would click - only to find the band standing around and watching Herbie tinker around with his synthesizers and drum machines - and the vocoder. Horrible. I walked out again and did not turn back. By that time there were dozens of others leaving as well - all muttering under their breath about how disappointed they were. The only good point was that while tickets for the event were around $75 each, my son - who attends UB - was able to get me tickets for $20 each. I'd really be pissed if I paid the full freight. What a clunker.....

I was cleaning out some shelves in my office at work this past week. Some of the documents at the bottom of the pile were from the early 2000s - budget reports, various committee meeting agendas and minutes, productivity information (I work in a hospital pharmacy). Underneath it all, I found a copy of the Miles Davis Jack Johnson metal spine CD set. Did not even remember having purchased it. I also found an inscribed ball point pen that my parents bought me when I became Assistant Director of Pharmacy back in 1995. I thought I had lost it forever. (I'm now Director, FWIW)

I placed an order for this set to take advantage of the free shipping sale Mosaic held in August. I also ordered the Jamal and Goodman but have yet to open them. I received set number 1639, FWIW. On to more important things. I had read this thread prior to ordering it and came to the conclusion that this is exactly the role that Mosaic can fill in my listening. I had none of this material and quite frankly did not give a crap if I could get the stuff elsewhere. Here it is all in one set from a company to which I have a lot of loyalty .... so I grabbed it. Having received it, and upon listening to it......I love this set. I'm still making my way through it but if I had to describe what I've heard so far - it's beautiful, lovely, interesting, mood setting, interesting and sometimes eye-opening. My only other exposure to the MJQ is the Django album, so this is all new to me - and I'm really digging it. Reminds me of the old days. Every Mosaic set was a joy. Somehow I stopped listening to jazz as much as I once did. Lately, I've started to make the time to listen again and am rediscovering music in my own collection and am really enjoying new discoveries like the MJQ set

First of all thanks for the good wishes CJ. I've been back on the bike for the past month and while there's still a lot of discomfort in the shoulder/upper arm area, I'm enjoying riding....... and losing weight. If I ever reach my weight goal I'll post my whole miserable weight history but suffice it to say that riding again has really been a positive.

Not sure how this recommendation holds up for board members who live in Paris, but when I was in Paris a few years ago, I stopped in at Le Caveau de la Huchette and had a blast. The club is in the basement of a centuries old building on Huchette.. I saw a pretty swinging quartet featuring a sax. You could sit and listen, have a beer or you could actually dance. Pretty cool place, IMO http://www.caveaudelahuchette.fr/

MJQ Just opened it and put in disc one

I'm weak. Placed an order - MJQ, Jamal, Goodman. I hate myself

Certainly a sign of the times. My guess is that Stefan is right and it's an attempt to get their current releases into the mix. I have not been able to afford any sets recently, but I remain a big fan of the label and concept. Perhaps I'll take advantage of the free shipping sale.

Anyone notice that Mosaic Records is now listing sets on Ebay? Looks like they are slightly above the price at the site with shipping to US only. Interesting

That would be nice. You can reach me through the board.

I've had my 2 boys involved in sports since they were 4. That's 14 years or so - with one more to go. They've both played soccer at the house league level, though my older son played a couple of seasons of travel soccer. My younger son played hockey until he was about 10. My older guy played hockey (goalie) until age 18, finishing his "career" this past March. His team lost in the finals, but my son did not start the championship game despite shutting out the league leading 26-0 team in the semi-final game. The head coach chose to play the assistant coach's son - who was the other goalie - "because of the rotation". He let in three horrible goals in the first period and the game was over. I know I sound like a bitter hockey parent but I really thought my son should have started. It was his last game ever as a youth hockey player and he had just shut out the 26-0 team. After they put him in, he shut the other team out, with the final score being 3-1. I felt bad for him. Anyway, my younger guy is still involved in house soccer - U17 division and..... this past Monday, they won the championship. I'm as mellow a soccer/hockey parent as there is - one of the reasons why I never pushed my kids to more intense levels of competition. The primary reason I had them in sports is to have at least some physical activity - but I have to say it was nice to finally have just one son win a championship. He was very happy and I am very proud and I suppose relieved.