felser

I wholeheartedly agree re: Carnival. "The Mystery of Love"!!! And that tribute to Duke!!! Yeah, that record was my introduction to Weston (I had instantly become a lifelong Harper fanatic from "Capra Black" on that Lee Morgan album, one of my very early jazz purchases), and "Mystery of Love" was a mind-altering experience I've never forgotten.

That "Offering" period to me was far ane away my favorite period. So glad he stopped "singing".

12 is Jakubu's Dance by Dick Griffin from his Strata-East album 'The Eighth Wonder'. Sam Rivers and Cecil McBee. Are you allowed to feature the same guy twice in the same BFT?

I bought a lot of their titles right from the website last year. The L.A. UGMAA based recordings are all magical, even if you've never heard of the artists. The Euro based Curtis Clark's I found to be a mixed bag, but now without merit. I did not get any of the other Euro-based recordings. Tom Albach (the label founder) sends the CD's himself, and even included some gifts with the package, as well as brief personal note. I was happy to get the music and happy to get some funds to Albach. as I have to think this label was purely a labor of love.

Do it. That cut is magic, for sure, and to me came out of nowhere (as I had never seen him live - have been able to do so twice since it was released. I later heard the stories of how on certain nights he still really brought it, even though the albums he was releasing were bland, and thankfully they captured one of them).

I don't know. I bought it, I'll keep it, but it didn't change my life, and I'm not sure it really works, though it is interesting. But not the beauty of, say, the Coleman quartet. Rollins doesn't really sound like he's at peace with it to me. And I definitely prefer 'East Broadway Rundown' with Hubbard/Garrison/Elvin.

I agree with Chuck. For my taste, the fifties had a load of outstanding recordings by Rollins as both leader and sideman.I liked a few things from the sixties, but after that there were some recordings i enjoyed, but nothing at the level of his 50;s sessions. Just my opinion. Also mine. I'm a 50's Rollins guy through and through.

50's - Saxophone Colossus or Newk's Time (my two overall favorite Rollins sessions) 60's - The Bridge 70's - Complete In Japan 80's - G-Man (the last recording of his I have kept in my collection)

I sent Page the link, great to have her join in!

1 – Stylistically outside of my domain, though this sounds like a fairly recent vintage recording. Pianist listened to plenty of Count Basie. All very well played for what it is. Very blatant lyrics, I must say… 2 – Starts out like the theme from “Mission Impossible”, but then turns into George Coleman’s “5/4 Thing”. I don’t recognize the version. Sounds like a later day Coleman on tenor. It’s a great tune in any competent version, which this certainly is, though I prefer both the Eastern Rebellion and Elvin Jones versions. Not crazy about the drummer, and not knocked out by either of the sax solos.. Do like the trumpeter, pianist, and bassist quite a bit. 3 – Listened to so much of this sort of thing in the 70’s, and never get tired of that approach to a rhythm section. Has the feel of an Elvin Jones trio, though it’s not him. The bass player is the one who keeps my ear the whole way through. Love the double stop things he does in his solo. 4 – Really like this, great sound, outside of what I’m used to, assume it’s newer vintage as the rhythm section approach hits my ears as unique. Look forward to finding out what this is,and possibly adding to collection if I don’t have it already. 5 – The subtleties are lost on me… 6 – Experientially falls somewhere between #4 and #5 for me. My 60 year old ears/brain can only sort of wrap around it. Interesting for sure, but hard work for me to listen to, and undecided if it’s worth the work to me. But they are definitely on to something. I had the same type of experience listening to some Ben Allison stuff a few years ago. 7 –I started out with negative comments about this, but then it turned into this monster Miles Brewfest. Even good use of the ring modulator, like the salad days of Zawinul-Hancock-Corea (all with Miles)/Cables. I suspect this is much more recent. I know Dave Douglas did an album that sounds like this, but I like this trumpet player more than I usually like Douglas. Wallace Roney has also done some stuff like this, and is maybe a better guess. I could see the trumpet player being Roney. The other guy it brings to mind for me is Christian Scott (who I need to hear more of), and he is my best guess for this cut. 8 – “Jazz Impressions of Norwegian Wood” on ECM by Keith Jarrett, except that such a thing doesn’t exist. But if it did, this would be it. Except the humming/grunting is missing. But it will more likely prove to be Abdullah Ibrahim or something. 9 – I’m sure the various sounds on the guitar seemed like a good idea at the time. And the guy can obviously play. Like that time Pat Martino did that whole Prestige album on electric 12-string. I have it but never play it, as I “should” like it but find it basically unlistenable. The percussion on this is also too static for my ears. But I sure do like the organ solo! 10 –“On Green Dolphin Street” of course. Older recording. Sax solo is lost on me, sounds like a pre-bop player? Short little compact solos by all involved. Like the bass drums trading fours. Cool little piano riff that goes with the tune. 11 – I most certainly have this on the (too many) shelves. Great stuff, though the specifics are lost on me at the moment. Probably a Blue Note, given the quality and the likelihood of some rehearsal having gone into the recording. 12 – Has to be a vinyl rip. Truly poor fidelity, and truly nice music. Sounds pretty familiar, though I am not placing it. I’d guess 70’s vintage, given the butterflyness of the bass player’s approach (boy, did Stanley Clark change jazz bass). This sounds like one of those slight changes to a well-known tune so that the new “author” can get the publishing royalties. Bass player steals the show for me, though it’s all good. Trombone player’s album? And that should probably be a clue. Looking forward to the ID. 13 – Very lovely. Nice control of the flute, and the rhythm section doesn’t overplay, given the delicacy of the tune. If this is 60’s/early 70’s vintage, I may well own this. 14 – Dick Griffin on trombone? Sounds like the style he played in on that Strata-East album he made. Not crazy about the multiphonics sound, but it’s his thing and to be respected. 15 – Last but certainly not least! John Handy with Michael White and Jerry Hahn. I quit wasting my time writing up “album of the month” blurbs on the site when I posted Handy’s ‘Live at Monterey’ album one month, and got absolutely no love for it, just a bashing from one of the esteemed old-timers on the board. This cut is “Debonair” from ‘The Second John Handy Album’. Stunning stuff. This group, and the Monterey album, were instrumental in my initial love of jazz. Awesome BFT, can’t wait to read the comments and see the reveal, thanks Thom!

Looking at eBay, there are two copies of the NKC set on CD with respective BINs of $899 and $999 and a sealed LP set with an opening bid of $750 and a $1500 BIN. But if you look at the completed listings, all of the recently sold copies of the CD set (at least the ones with visible prices - there are a couple of "best offer accepted" ones) are between $300-400. That would seem to indicate that the real market value is a lot closer to $300-400 than $600-700, significantly less than it was just a couple of years ago. Exactly. Asking prices mean nothing. Take any given "common" title on ebay, and look at the range of asking prices there, and compare those to the asking prices on Amazon and Half, and it's all over the place. What has meaning is what people are actually paying for the item (which can be found on ebay, but not the other sites), not what some occasionally deluded sellers may be asking for it.

Yeah, those are the sets I was referring to. Have the first one, it's great. Second one is getting released this month.

Avoid that Hollies set. EMI has done a much better job compiling the same material. Anyone know why a lot of material is being reissued on both EMI and WEA? Hollies, UFO, stuff like that. How can they both have rights to it?

Indeed, jazz reissue CD's are alive and well in Japan. Blue Note just had a bunch of interesting titles reissued the last two months there. When's the last time they reissued catalog titles in the US? 2009 or something like that? No, much more recently. This year, they issued the Miles, Coltrane and Clifford Brown titles, plus all of the LP reissues. I don't count those three, they were just bogus repackagings of easily available stuff for newbies. Don't keep up with LP issues, so will take your word on them.

Indeed, jazz reissue CD's are alive and well in Japan. Blue Note just had a bunch of interesting titles reissued the last two months there. When's the last time they reissued catalog titles in the US? 2009 or something like that?

That's been the thing for me. I bought all of the Blue Note Mosaic boxes when they first came out, have sold them as the albums have become individually available on CD. Have a few, like the Turrentine and the Mobley and some of the Selects, that I have held onto as the Mosaic is either still the most economical approach or else still holds a lot of meaningful material not available in individual CD's (the Tyner Select is a prime example of that). But things like the Mclean and the Blakey and the Larry Young and the Byrd/Adams, I've gone to the individual CD's (though I'm still missing 'Heaven on Earth' and 'High Frequency'). I can tell gross differences in mastering quaility, but am not an audiophile (and actually like the newer "loud" approach to mastering in many cases).

Amazon is asking $189 to $262 new and $112 to $189 used - still valuable in my book. The average eBay selling price for the Sam Rivers Mosaic BN 3-cd set is around $75 these days. It used to be about $100 ten years ago, if my memory serves me right. The ebay selling price is what I have learned to go by. What people are actually willing to pay for the set, not how much people would like to get for it.

May be a case of those who most want the Mosaic boxes now have them. We are talking about a finite number of boxes (5,000 per title) and buyers. I've been very turned off by the going prices for the used Mosaics, have been in strict seller mode for many years on them except for the occasional new release (Mingus, Jordan).

I remember 'Sizzle' on Impulse being real interesting, but I haven't heard it in 35 years, and it's not available on CD (to my knowledge). I like 'Capricorn Rising', the one he did with Don Pullen on Black Saint.

Marvelous set for the money. Always hoped they'd come out with a second box of Vogue recordings.

Lee Morgan 'Live at the Lighthouse' was in my first jazz purchase, along with a 2 LP Herbie Hancock Blue Note Collection. And the Jazz Crusaders LP's done there in the 60's are nice. I wore out "Absolutions" on that Morgan album.

I believe you do not have to pay VAT if you export to the US, so it should be cheaper than ordering from amazon.com. Put the item in your cart and initiate the checkout process to see what kind of a deal you get. I believe you do not have to pay VAT if you export to the US, so it should be cheaper than ordering from amazon.com. You are correct.

DL for me, please, and thanks for all you do for us on these BFT's!

I think the same way. A bunch of JH's Milestones are excellent. My favorite from that era is Canyon Lady. To that end, if the Milestone box is still available cheaply, that's money (less) money well-spent. A bunch of JH's Milestones are excellent. My favorite from that era is Canyon Lady. To that end, if the Milestone box is still available cheaply, that's money (less) money well-spent. Not like it was during the Concord buyout, but still well worth what it's going for. 15 complete albums on there, if I remember correctly, and much of it is firy. The stuff with the Japanese rhythm section amazed me when I first heard it 40 years ago.

Maybe it's a rare, lost "abridged" version in rechanneled stereo on the Pickwick label?