Ed S

SOmehow I thought this thread was going to be about Greg from the BNBB. Never mind.

I thought it reopened here I mean that as a compliment regarding the feel of this board. The vibe here is friendly and informative - as it was in the best days at BN, without the vitriol and venom that was sweeping through various forums and threads.

Well, this one finally made its way to my door after having ordered it last month from CD Universe. For some reason it was backordered. Then they cancelled my order. Then I saw it listed on their website and added it to my order of June 10th releases and voila - it's here. Fabulous, fabulous record. I really enjoy his approach and the way the band interacts. I've enjoyed Bill Stewart's work for some time - most notably with Scofield and on his 2 BN records but have never heard of Francois Moutin. Then again, I've never heard Solal before and the guy's like 75 years old. I've got to get out more often That said I hope I'm this creative when I hit 75. Holy smokes - this guy's force on the piano. This is one record that I can just sit in my stereo room and get into the zone - the lights down low and the music on real loud and just focus on one of the players and just dig the hell out of the interaction and and kind of get lost in the interplay between the rest of the band.

By the way, Osby closed his recent show in Buffalo with East St.Louis Toodle-Oo. Absolutely killed. He had a quartet that night with Jason Moran on piano, so the trumpet part was missing. Nonetheless, it was something to experience.

I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment and also with montg's regarding Payton. I wish artists like Osby would get more conversation here, but I understand why they do not. He's been a favorite of mine since the M-base/JMT days. As a Blue Note artists, I think the past few years have really seen him mature into an oustanding artist. St Louis Shoes adds nicely to the body of work that Osby's been creating for BLue Note for the past several years. This is an excellent album. Hope it sells.

Yeah but they've had the Madlib album being previewed and available for pre-order since around May 1st. Makes me wonder......

I'm definitely going to have to check out some of her stuff. I'll probably go for the Calling first as it just came out in hybrid SACD and can be had for under $13. Her performance was truly amazing.

It was quite a show. Kleinhans Music Hall has been lovingly restored over the past few years. They've even repaired the reflecting pool outsine the building. It's alsways sounded great there. Now it looks great again as well.

Yeah, I was headed over there to pick up a batch yesterday and could not get on the site.

David is correct. OOP sets will not be reissued in new formats.

Nothing innovative from my standpoint either. I was actually a little disappointed in that respect - I mean from a creativity standpoint. I was expecting something a little more adventurous. But nonetheless, I like it for what it is and I know I'll be spinning it at some point during the summer barbecue season.

Earlier this year my wife and I decided to expand our horizons a bit and attend a couple of Philharmonic performances. The first concert we saw was a straight classical performance. To be honest, I just guess I'm not ready at this point to delve into classical music. My loss I guess - for now - because I'll try again in the future. So it was with some amount of trepidation that we went to the concert hall last night. I've never been to a pops concert, much less one featuring a jazz vocalist. We were both fearful of another snoozer - or even worse some sort of Mitch Milleresque scene and had agreed that if we weren't enjoying ourselves, we'd leave early. I have to say my fears were totally unfounded as it was a terrific show. The Philharmonic Orchestra was fronted by Reeves' regular quartet. In fact, they opened with a song featuring only the quartet. The next couple of numbers featured the orchestra and were fabulous. I never imagined that a philharmonic orchestra could swing, but swing they did - and hard - on Lullaby of Birdland and Speak Low. The night was actually a tribute to Sarah Vaughan, so most of the music was material associated with her career. As hard as the orchestra swung - and as powerful as that sounded - they really were outstanding on the ballad arrangments. They performed Misty, Embraceable You, and a couple others that I don't recall right now with such beautiful, stirring arrangements that I think I've got a whole new perspective on what "with strings" can be. Absolutely lush, moving, and gorgeous arrangements. Again the power of the orchestra was at times overwhelming - in a good way. Reeves' voice was magnificent. I have none of her albums, by the way, so I did not really know what to expect. Her band was very good and the orchestra and bandmembers complemented each other wonderfully. The band worked without the orchestra in a total of 3 or 4 numbers scattered throughout the performance, so there was quite a variety of music presented. Well, my fears were unfounded and I ended up catching a pretty memorable performance. I'll definitely be attending events like this in the future. I'm actually looking forward to next season as pops nights featuring Herbie Hancock and Cassandra Wilson (separate shows) are scheduled.

Blue Note albums remastered by Rudy van Gelder for release in Japan.

Thanks for the feedback. On my system and with my ears I'm guessing that what most consider to be a sonic upgrade will sound simply sublime to me. I really don't have a lot of Billie Holiday and certainly even less of this time period. Looking forward to continuing to exploring some more pre-war jazz.

Well I finally received my copy of this one the other day and have listened to it a couple of times. Joe M sums it up nicely. ...."Like I said, it's not a hard bop record, I'm not sure if I'd call it a jazz record, though parts certainly are jazz. It's a little jazz, a little funk, a lot of neo-soul / r&b, with a hint of hip hop" It took me a few listens to really begin to dig it. I think that's because they go right from the opening track which is right up my alley to some rap number featuring some cat named Common on vocals. What's up with that name? I guess it shows how far I'm out of touch with mainstream music. Turns out that is my least favorite track on the album. I like the rest of the album a lot for what it is - entertaining, danceable, fun. I find a nice soulful vibe throughout, some nice rhythms and enough of a jazz feel to keep me happy. I'm definitely adding this to the party mix. I think my non jazz loving friends will dig the hell out of this.

I strongly dislike the word "gumbo". Anyone else feel that way?

I just bagged the Holiday Columbia/Legacy 10 CD set on Ebay for $80. I hope that's a pretty decent price, but price aside - anyone who has this set care to offer an opinion as to I'm what I'm in for? I'm looking forward to hearing this material and would appreciate some comments - positive or negative. Thanks

I was listening to disc one of the Mobley set this morning. Avila and Tequila and Walkin the Fence are monsters. I love that 50s Mobley set. Lower Stratosphere is the ultimate in cool B) Fin De L'Affaire is gorgeous. This set is not only essential - it is mandatory. Get it before it goes OOP

I bought a copy for my wife as soon as it came out. Like someone above, I heard her sing on Songs From The Analog Playground. I knew she'd love it but truth be told, I'd have bought it for myself if I did not think she would have liked it. On first listen, I liked it. Soothing, mellow, certainly not groundbreaking but an enjoyable listen. Eventually, my wife took it to work and by that time I was so sick of hearing her songs every minute everywhere, I did not mind not having it at home. Now that the frenzy seems to have died down, I've listened a couple of times and really enjoy it. I hope she can pull off a successful follow-up. I'll buy her next release.

This has been one of the most interesting threads I've seen about Blue Note in a while. The fact that boardmembers are 'fessin' up and naming some of their least favorite BN recordings - many of them considered classics - and no arguments have broken out and no personal attacks have occurred makes it one of the best That said, this thread is making me dizzy

Here's a link to the BN site that has the line-up Greg Osby - St Louis Shoes

Garrison (aka lukrion) has also been MIA for some time I think

Or how 'bout that shamletheactor fellow - or whatever the spelling was. What happened to that guy?

I think that most of the Southern Hemisphere contingent is either gone or MIA. I've seen kenny weir post. But I also remember a guy from NZ called sk@@ter, Steve Robertson and a couple of others a Peter Kenyon perhaps? and a Paul Christie?

The final days did have their fun moments. Watching Greg take on all comers was hysterical. He sort of became the Captain Ahab of the BNBB. Arguing with everyone in sight 'til the bitter end.