felser

I think the question with the set was quantity rather than quality. That was well before the box set era we have lived in the past 30 years.

I thought "Restoration Ruin", "In the Light", "Luminescence", and "Hymns/Spheres" had already accomplished that...

Me too.

I do like the band plenty (though not sold on Merritt on the electric bass) plus it was the first jazz album I ever bought in 1972, so holds plenty of appeal on those criterea. Good to hear that the sound quality is so much better and that the alternates are of high caliber. How much do the performances of a given tune differ from each other?

I loved the first few Columbia Mahavishnu Orchestra albums ("The Inner Mounting Flame" was a game changer for me, and "Birds of Fire" is awesome), and some of the Soft Machine albums, including "Bundles" with Holdsworth, as well as Soft Machine Third and Soft Machine Fourth with Mike Ratledge and Elton Dean. I like most of the 70's electric RTF albums plenty (not a fan of "No Mystery" except the title track) including the "Stanley Clarke" album, from the same template, but will take some of these other ones over them in a heartbeat. Weather Report was always more hit and miss for me, though I found plenty to like on their first 4-5 albums. I do love the first two, Airto/Flora/Farrell RTF's, and the Stanley Clarke "Children of Forever" album, but those are a whole different thing.

By far my favorite Ricky Ford album (the only one I have kept by him):

KYW in Philly is pure news/weather/sports/traffic, no talk show anything. And they do a great job, and tight as described by Jim.

GREAT story!

I don't remember him ever mentioning Scientology onstage any of the (3) times I saw him live. Does anybody?

Add this to my previous list:

That Corea/DiMeola/Clarke RTF group must have been hell for White then. I know a LOT about churches, and I've learned to avoid any church where the focus is on a personality. Glad to talk to anyone about this offline.

It's still very difficult in Pennsylvania. I'm 66 and can't get an appt. despite being eligible in two counties (Montgomery where I live, Chester where I work). My wife got her second Pfizer shot yesterday at HUP, where she works. She sees patients, so they rightly took care of her need. Montgomery county is stating 6-12 week wait to even fulfill 1A. Not good.

Probably was cornet., and Morris Levy couldn't be bothered with such distinctions.

When I listened to Jarrett's wondrous "Expectations" album ca. 1972, I never expected he would eventually go the direction(s) he did. That album seemed to open up so many fresh avenues for him, not just a rut of endless solo noodlings (masterful as they may be), standards rebakes (masterful as they may be), and the occasional pseudo-classical snoozer. Even throughout most of the 70's, he seemed vital, with the two quartets fleshing out very different personalities. Then it just suddenly stopped. I still listen, but not with the great sense of anticipation I did 45 years ago.

Will await CD someday, hopefully, and this is a rare case where I might even spring for a download, but no can do on the vinyl. Sigh.

I'd like to hear the rejected Wayne Shorter BN session, as well as that infamous Tyrone Washington session. Also, whatever Brian Wilson's original "Smile" would have been in 1967.

Was not aware of Fred Hampton and the story. Tragic!

Looking in the Ruppli Blue Note discography, the 3 CD set contained the master takes of all 13 titles from the stay. The 8CD set will contain those and 13 alternate takes, seemingly those would be equal or inferior to the masters overall. Can't see where I can justify even $75 for that.

I liked it all, the bombast as well as the non-bombast, with the exception of the Elektric Band material (which I have not comprehensively explored, but am utterly turned off by the Marienthal and Gambale work on what I have heard). I actually love "Romantic Warrior" and even dig the MusicMagic type stuff.

It got to #4 on the Billboard Jazz album charts, #86 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, and won a grammy for best jazz album, so it didn't get hurt too bad.

It is. I actually like some of the covers a good bit, he knew how to have fun with them.