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Just stumbled onto this one on Amazon, sorry if it's been reported elsewhere. A Spanish label called JazzBeat has just issued a CD containing all of 'The Gap Sealer' and all but one Ellington cover of 'Love and Understanding' on one CD. These were fantastic albums, to me clearly the highlights of his career. They have a very early 70's feel with electric piano and bass and modal structures, but are quite spiritual and emotional on top of the technical excellence. Sidemen include Kenny Barron, Stanley Cowell, Curtis Fuller, Bob Cranshaw, Billy Higgins, Tootie Heath, Mtume (Heath's son), and cellist Bernard Fennell, who makes a meaningful contribution on 'Love and Understanding'. "Alkebu-lan" is especially amazing, but it's all very very good or even great. The Ellington cover ("In a Sentimental Mood") always clashed greatly with the progressive mood of the rest of 'Love and Understanding' and I generally skipped over it when playing the album, so while I'd prefer to see the whole album intact, that cut isn't really missed, and to get these two albums minus that one outlier track on one reasonably priced CD is wonderful. No idea on the sound (I'll report back after I receive and play the CD), but even if it's just a decent needle drop, I'm thrilled to be getting this CD.

I'd love to see those two out!!! Probably my favorite Liebman stuff.

PM sent on: Harry Edison & Eddie Davis, Simply Sweets (Pablo) $6 NOW $4 Miles Davis, and the Modern Jazz Giants (OJC) $6 NOW $4 Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, Bag's Groove (OJC) $6 NOW $4

PM sent on the following: Art Farmer & Benny Golson, Meet the Jazztet (Chess) $5 NOW $3 Red Garland Quintet with John Coltrane, Dig It (OJC) $6 NOW $4 Introducing the Three Sounds (BN) $9 NOW $6 The Three Sounds Live at the Lighthouse (BN) $7 NOW $5 Milt Jackson, Soul Route (Pablo) $7 NOW $5 Milt Jackson, Mostly Duke (OJC) $6 NOW $4 NOW $4 JJ Johnson, The Dynamic Sound of JJ With Big Band (RCA-BMG) $7 NOW $5 John Lewis, Midnight in Paris (EmArcy) $7 NOW $5 Horace Parlan, Ellington Ballads (Timeless) $9 NOW $6 Cecil Payne, Chic Boom (Delmark) $6 NOW $4 Stanley Turrentine, Comin Your Way (BN) $7 NOW $5 Stanley Turrentine, Jubilee Shout (BN) $7 NOW $5 Buster Williams Quartet Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1999 (TCB) $8 NOW $6 Nat Adderley Quintet, The Old Country (Enja) $6 NOW $4 Nat Adderley Quintet, Live at the Floating Jazz Festival 1994 (Chiaroscuro - two disc set) $12 NOW $9 Benny Carter, My Kind of Trouble (Pablo) $6 NOW $4 Benny Carter Group, Wonderland (Pablo) $6 NOW $4 Benny Carter, Jazz Giants (Pablo - promo copy) $6 NOW $4 Benny Carter Meets Oscar Peterson (OJC) $6 NOW $4 Benny Carter, All of Me (Bluebird) $6 NOW $4 Benny Carter 4 Montreux '77 (OJC) $6 NOW $4 Benny Carter, Sax A La Carter (Capitol) $6 NOW $4 Benny Carter, The King (Pablo) $6 NOW $4 Kenny Drew Trio (Riverside) $6 NOW $4 (and its a Japanese pressing) Red Garland, All Mornin' Long (OJC) $6 NOW $4 Junior Mance At Town Hall Volume II (hey Houston Person fans, he guests on this disc) (enja) $7 NOW $5 Jimmy Ponder, Soul Eyes (Muse) $7 NOW $5 Zoot Sims & Al Cohn, Jazz Alive - A Night at the Half Note (BN) $7 NOW $5 Jim Snidero, Mixed Bag (Criss Cross) $8 NOW $6 John Swana - Joe Magnarelli, Philly-New York Junction (Criss Cross) $8 NOW $6 Phil Woods and the Festival Orchestra, Celebration (Concord promo) $6 NOW $4 Phil Woods, Souvenirs (Venus, put out by Evidence) $7 NOW $5 Phil Woods, An Affair to Remember (Evidence) $7 NOW $5 Sittin In (Getz, Gillespie, Hawkins, Gonsalves, Wynton Kelly, J.C. Heard, Wendell Marshall) (Verve) $7 NOW $5

PM sent on Bill Evans - Portrait In Jazz (Keepnews) Mose Allison - Down Home Piano Ray Brown - Soular Energy

I'll take them all.

It's of great value. Choose your buyer carefully!

Had to sell my LP collection in '80. A lot of great stuff. 90% probably has come out on CD and I've been able to pick it up over the last 20 years if I really want it, but there was nice stuff I'll never see again. But you do what you have to do when you have to do it, and it's OK, and I respect those who make the tough decision when they have to. What percentage of the world has ever been able to have something like our music collections, even if we just have them for a season? We've been blessed in that sense.

One possible factor on these is that they were not Blue Note recordings. The Drew was a Pacific Jazz session and the Chambers were Transition recordings. So they are not canonical for Blue Note collectors. They are available very inexpensively on Amazon. Also, I believe that at least the Chambers was reprinted around the turn of the millenium in that "Collector's Choice" series of reissues or whatever it was called where they reprinted some of the early CD titles which had fallen out of print.

Side One : Absolutions Side Two : The Beehive Side Three : Neophilia Side Four : Nommo First jazz album I ever bought, and it was good enough to inspire me to 36 more years worth (and counting). "Absolutions" especially was amazing to my 17 year old ears. Also one of the great CD reissue jobs by Blue Note, getting all that other material released in the package. I got to meet Mickey Roker several years ago at a Shirley Scott piano concert at the Ethical Society in Philly, and he is a very kind and dignified man. Bennie Maupin and Harold Mabern are also really strong on this album. I also liked the next Lee Morgan album, 'Lee Morgan', with Billy Harper and Moncur on board. That's the one with the amazing version of "Capra Black".

Boooorinng, but I'll take the whole package.

PM sent: Hank Crawford, After Hours (Atlantic) $7 Hank Crawford, Mr. Blues/Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul (Collectables) $6 Milt Jackson, Centerpiece - at the Kosei Nenkin Volume 2 (Pablo) $7 Sonny Stitt, Sonny Stitt (Chess) $8

PM sent on following: Roy Brooks, Beat (Fresh Sound - Workshop Jazz originally), $10 INCLUDES JEWEL BOX Michael Cochrane, Cutting Edge (Steeplechase) $7 Lines of Reason - Michael Cochrane/David Alan Gross/Calvin Hill/Alan Nelson (Bluejay) $6 Johnny Griffin Orchestra, The Big Soul Band (OJC) $6 Milt Jackson and Coleman Hawkins (Koch) $7 Eddy Louiss Trio - Kenny Clarke, Rene Thomas (Dreyfus) $9 Melvin Rhyne, To Cannonball With Love (Bellaphon) $8 Mel Rhyne, Stick to the Kick (Criss Cross) $8 Mel Rhyne, Mell's Spell (Criss Cross) $8 Don Sickler, Night Watch (Uptown) $9 McCoy Tyner, Today and Tomorrow (Impulse) $7 Sonny Stitt and the Top Brass (Atlantic) $8 Thelonious Monk, Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival (Concord) $8

I'm waiting for a price break on the Deluxe sets of the first three, but got the Deluxe set on 'The Joshua Tree' a while ago, and the sound was terrific, a great improvement. I would have liked to have gotten the super-deluxe version with the DVD, but it is way too pricey. I consider 'War' to be their best studio album ('Under A Blood Red Sky' their best overall), and "I Will Follow" from 'Boy' and "Gloria" from 'October' their best songs, so I am really looking to getting the three early titles in these reissues.

Their albums were pretty spectacular, well worth the import prices you'll pay for them in the USA. Would have loved to see them live.

I'll put in another vote for "That's Where It's At". Didn't expect to be blown away by that one (I'm not big on McCann from that period, though I really like the "Swiss Movement"/"Invitation To Openness"/"Live At Montreux" recordings later on), but I was/am.

The Jimmy Scott is sold.

First five albums on remastered mini-LP CD's (no bonus material), 'Africa/Brass', 'Live at The Village Vanguard', 'Coltrane','Duke Ellington & John Coltrane', and 'Ballads'. 'Africa/Brass' played once, others not played at all. $25 + $3 shipping or trade for something interesting. PM if interested. Also have 3CD sets Jimmy Scott - 'The Savoy Years and More' and Tito Puente - '50 Years of Swing' available, each $15 + $3 shipping or trade for something.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm not a sound quaility geek by any means, and I love Clifford Brown, but the original Bee Hive release was basically unlistenable to me. Even advance warning didn't prepare me for how bad the sound was, sort of like some of the Bird stuff floating around and the Miles Davis/Jimmy Forrest recordings. Stuff you wouldn't believe any one would consider releasable. I haven't heard the "More ..." release.

And the Humphrey reissues are the three Larry Mizell schlock jobs rather than the other three, fairly interesting earlier releases she had on Blue Note.

Listening to Tyrone Washington's 1967 Blue Note set, 'Natural Essence' on headphones. Joe Chambers is mind-blowing on this! I always knew he was really good, but seems to be on a whole other level on this one. Maybe it's just my Friday afternoon mood, but he, Barron, and Workman are one amazing rhythm section with Washington and Woody Shaw here.

Hope it's not a sign of things to come. Is "Horace Silver Plays For Lovers" around the corner?

Yep, the Zoot overdubbed session I have gives me the creeps when I hear it, as do those overdubbed Signal "music minus one" sessions reissued on Savoy, despite the stellar personnel. Maybe it's just my knowing they're overdubbed, and ignorance would be bliss, but all of the above sound stiff to me.

What are the rarities? 10:44 minute extended remix of "Eurydice", studio version of "Directions" from 1971, 13:05 minute live 1974 version of "Nubian Sundance", DJ Logic Remix of "125th Street Congress".

Guess that means it will be up to Lonehill/Gambit/Jazz Factory/Definitive to put it out.