Ed S

Bing

Was having lots of trouble using IE7. Decided to give Firefox a try. So far, so good. No problems with the site at all. Still test driving Firefox, though. I'll have to give it a few days to see whether I'm better off sticking with this or going to IE8. Had some trouble with my outlook express, so I'll have to see if I can resolve that. The site looks very nice.

Are you using IE7 or IE8, Ed? I'm using 7 Hans

Having the same display problems described by others. It takes forever to load this particular thread, and Jim's posts leave a huge amount of space until the next reply. I just had page 2 of the thread open and everything was nicely horizontally displayed. Then suddenly, it all switched to a vertical display with multiple posts superimposed over each other. Very weird. Also, the information at the bottom of each page is jumbled over itself. For example, the response box in which I am now keying has the styles/fonts section running right through it. It's actually obscuring what I am keying right now as I am "typing underneath the styles and fonts section which appears to be overlayed on the reponse section. Hope I don't make any mistakes. Edit - the style and fonts information bar is superimposed over much of what I wanted to edit - so I can't correct my awful keyboardsmanship. It's there for all the world to see. Second edit - used the "full edit" option and the styles/fonts bar now obscures a different section and I was able to correct my mistakes. Excellent!

Thanks -I'll have to look for the the Quest material.

Pendulum

Just picked this set up from Mosaic with no prior exposure to the music or reviews thereof. Anyone ever walk into a club, not know anyone or be familiar with the band who was playing and get totally blown away? And even though you figured you'd stop in for a beer or at most 1 set then and felt like even though you had to work in the morning that the music you were hearing was so excellent that you didn't want to leave - so you stayed for the second set and ended up getting home at like 2 in the morning? And after you left you said to yourself - "Wow!" or "I need to hear more live jazz?" Well, I put this set on, and that's the feeling I got. The music seemed so vibrant and alive - I just couldn't turn it off. While I know these guys individually to some extent, this set made me feel like I'd discovered something new. Have not looked at the photos yet - but the music is outstanding. Highly recommended.

Cold and snowing in Buffalo. Expecting a stretch of subfreezing days. Spent the afternoon working on an ice rink out front - first time in about 5 years I've set it up - but my oldest is a hockey nut. The local ski resorts are making snow. Should be open this weekend. All of the above to be followed with a

My wife and I were in San Franciso last year for our honeymoon. Loved the city and that includes the touristy stuff like Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz. One of my personal highlights was visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright designed gift shop off of Union Square. It is still open as some sort of gallery and you are welcome to enter and walk around. It seems pretty intact with plenty of built in cabinetry a Guggenheim like ramp and a stunning skylight. Well worth finding! We also went to Yosemite which I found spectacular as well as Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Great trip.

Couldn't a complete Gil Melle be in the cards? Or am I wrong about that?

Who knew? Mole Day Link Make sure your festivities end at 6:02

I saw the Oblivion Express in May. Excellent show and his daughter was the singer.

NY Daily News article and photo album

Both my boys have always professed to hate jazz - from the time they were toddlers. Over the years, I've read lots of really nice and touching stories here and at BNBB about how someone's child would request to here some jazz or something similar. Not my kids. From the time they could talk, they professed to hate jazz - I kid you not. My approach with my boys is to expose them to music of all types and hope they end of loving it as much as I do. So I never really cared about what they liked, hated or whatever. Anyway, my oldest - 14 yo - has been playing piano since 1st grade. He's solid and good, though by no means a prodigy. He's also been playing viola in various orchestras since grade 3. Again - an adequate player. If he worked at it, he'd be very good. At one of his orchestra concerts last year the high school jazz orchestra was a featured act. I had no idea that there was a jazz group at the school. And...lo and behold, they had a piano player in the group. Mind you, I'd never seen a piano at ANY level or in ANY orchestra in this school district. Just string orchestra, band instruments and some fusion thereof in their Symphonic Orchestra. So I got to thinking....... I could see his musical taste expanding over the last year and I thought my son would really benefit a lot from playing in the jazz orchestra. So, I asked my nephew who plays guitar and keyboards, has a band of his own, and is a student at the Berklee School of Music if he'd do some lessons with my son over the summer so that he could get a feel for playing with other musicians. They did a lot of guitar/piano duets, but also a few full band numbers. I had asked my nephew to work on jazz standards and Afro Blue ended up my son's favorite. Overall, my son really enjoyed the experience and when the semester started last month, I encouraged him to audition for the jazz orchestra. I was not surprised when he said yes - based on what I had heard him play and the fact that I had discovered that he had actually downloaded some John Coltrane and from I-Tunes. The first audition, however, was so-so. The Jazz Orchestra leader thought he lacked some rhythm and feel and was too stiff. He was told he could re-audition 2 days later, though. I have to give him credit- he was up 'till 11 PM each night practicing his song - Almost Like Being In Love. He really worked his ass off. His work was rewarded - the orchestra leader was very impressed with how he was able to adjust to how he wanted the song to be played. He's now he's a member of the Orchard Park High School Jazz Orchestra - aka Checkmates. It's an after school activity - which therefore requires some committment on the part of the students - another thing that makes me proud. After years of hearing how much he hated jazz, never thought I'd see this!

CD Universe lists the Dex as available and only 1 each of the Brookmeyer and Richards

Got home from work and checked my Mosaic shelf. Thankfully, I've got all of the affected sets. Just in case, when I was at work I checked Deepdiscount CD as someone suggested. I saw the Brookmeyer, Dex, and Johnny Richards sets listed. Don't know if they actually have them though......

I was in Paris in 2006 and looking for a place to hear some jazz. I picked a place called Le Caveau de la Huchette (or something similar) out of a tourist guide. I got to the place and saw that a sax/piano/bass/drum quartet was playing. The jazz club was in the basement and is one of the coolest places I've ever been to for jazz. There were tables on the sides of the room, a huge center area that was surrounded by benches and some more tables and off to the back in what was probably some old wine cellar were more tables. My then girlfriend and I picked a table in the back area, ordered some biere and wondered what the heck was up with the big area with no tables. I surmised that it was an area for people to stand. Seemed like a waste given that not all of the tables were filled. When the band started playing I quickly found out. Dancing. I was dumfounded. I have to say I felt stupid for not thinking of dancing, but I have to say that was the furthest thing from my mind. I had never seen dancing at a jazz club. There were dozens of people dancing. And the band was totally grooving. They were very good as well. They played hard bop standards and swung like crazy. I couldn't tell who was enjoying it more - the band or the audience. While I didn't dance, I have to say I had a very memorable night. Lots of fun. Which brings me to another point - which echoes some already made. I really dislike the concert hall presentation of jazz. Way too sterile, formal, controlled. Back in the day (late 80s early 90s), there was a club in Buffalo called the Blue Note. It was an old club, no frills, small, tons of atmosphere. Organ combos were the mainstay, but some very good guitar and sax led groups played there as well. Jazz was palyed Wed through Sunday nights. The place was usually packed, the audience lively and responsive and the bands interactive. Man, I wish there was a place around here like that today. These days in Buffalo, some of the only national acts that appear here perform in the auditorium of our local Art Museum. The sterilization and classicalization of jazz has in many ways left me cold and turned me off. I like the comments of mjzee above - jazz is being appreciated to death.

Didn't want to make the same mistake twice - ordered the Parlan.

All I can say is WOW. The Tremblant Blues Festival was a blast! The Festival itself is small enough to be intimate and big enough to attract some really good players (Robert Cray for example) The major stages are set in areas that can handle 1-2,000 people with a lot of restaurants and cafes absorbing a lot of the overflow. If you like picturesque mountain villages with multicoloured patio umbrellas, lots of beer, good food and enthusiastic crowds, I have to recommend this festival. As an outdoor destination, tremblant has tons of summer outdoor activities to offer. Can't say enough about the ride up the gondola and sitting at the top of the mountain The music is all blues (by my definition). By that I mean that you have to appreciate all forms of modern electric blues including the rock infused blues that might have started with Stevie Ray. (If you're looking for delta or pre 70s acoustic stuff - go to the delta or to the pre 70s) I had a blast! Highly recommended for those within a 7-8 hour drive.

Just got back from my trip to Montreal and Tremblant. I spent two nights in Montreal at the free events. Saw some nice jazz trios at the Club Jazz venue. Other than that, I'd have to say this was the first time I left the Montreal Jazz Fest feeling nothing. Mind you that I've usually stayed 3-4 nights in the past and have always focused on the free events of the festival and have been richly rewarded. This year, as a newlywed, I spent much more time away from the festival (Old Montreal, Crescent St). In fact, the best thing about my visit this time was finding a nice Irish bar that had real Irish music! (my wife is American of Irish heritage, if you didn't read between the lines) In years past, traveling as a single, I'd spend all my time at the festival - 6-7 hours per day - and heard some really nice stuff. This year, the abbreviated schedule I maintained just did not afford me an opportunity to hear much that I liked outside of the Jazz Club venue. The Blues were good though - as always, but competed with the jazz outside. I found the Groove jazz stage very disappointing - not enough real groove - like a few years ago when I saw Nya lead a really excellent show. I have to say that I hated that the Parc du Fred Barry seems to have dissappeared entirely. It was such a nice spot to hear the Blues I have to day that I like what I saw of the new festival grounds- in spite of my comment above about Parc du Fred Barry. Seems like there's a few things to be completed, but I know I'll be back. I told my wife that the next tme we come back, I'm going to finally buy some tickets to a paid event.

The DTB usually makes a stop in Buffalo at the university once a year or so. I've seen the band 4 times - including a fabulous show in Quebec City that I stumbled on a couple of years ago. I've been a fan of the Allman Brothers since High School and first heard Trucks through them. I like the DTB far better. From my personal standpoint, I've realized long ago that the best musicians don't always make the best music. I prefer to avoid comparing differennt musicians or groups and asking myself the question - do I like it or not? Keeps me from limiting myself to certain guys and avoiding others for no good reason (to me). I really like Trucks music and band and to me that's good enough to keep me listening and buying their stuff. A big bonus is that for some reason, both my boys like Trucks as well and going to hear him or playing his CDs in the car is somethign we can share. Having them know Afro Blue is a good thing

I'd really like to check out Truffaz, but unfortunately won't be there on those days. The indoor line-up looks strong. I'll be there for just 2 nights this year - I usually hang out outside and check out the free shows. Not always (or not usually jazz), but I always manage to find something interesting. That little spot near the Theatre du Nouveau Monde generally has some nice jazz performances. I like to check out the Blues stage every night as well.

I think I'm heading out for a weekend in Boston at the end of June. I see that Terence Blanchard is at Scullers, which I might take in. I've also read mention of Regattabar as a good place, though nothing is scheduled as of now. Any other recommendations? I have to say that my wife and I enjoy national acts, but we have a real like for the neighborhood bar that has a really good band sort of thing. I'd be just as happy hearing some of the best local Boston talent as I would Terence Blanchard. We like Jazz and Blues and are not afraid to venture out of the "club" sort of venue into local bars. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks

For a change this year - and partially because I spend a lot of time at the Blues stage at the Montreal Jazz Festival, I'm splitting my time between Montreal Jazz Festival and Tremblant Blues Festival. I ski Tremblant each year with my boys, but this will be the first trip for my wife and my first time in summer. Anyone ever been there for the Blues Festival? I'm curious about the atmosphere and vibe of the village. Comments???