felser

One man's opinion: If you like Rouse with Monk (I do), go for them. The Riversides with Griffin come before any of the Columbia's and almost anything else in his catalog except a couple of the Riversides with Trane and Rollins. The Town Hall is a little sloppy in places to my ears, but interesting. I'd go for the live Columbia's ahead of them, and ahead of the studio Columbia's. The live Columbia's tend to have the usual Monk material more, and the studio's have some more unusual choices, but I much prefer hearing Monk play Monk than hearing him play standards.

I'd drop "Black Heros" and "Soul", and replace them with "Capra Black" and "Hello To The Wind" on disc 1, and drop "Acid, Pot, or Pills" and replace it with "Zap! Carnivorous" on disc 2. Great concept, but you gotta get "Capra Black" and "Hello To The Wind" on there ("Message From The Nile" and "I Have a Dream" were inspired choices, too. Would also like to see "He Who Lives in Fear" on there). John Patton and Larry Young are also MIA. Of course, we could always each burn our own. I've never actually heard the Eddie Gale stuff. Can anyone describe it for me free of Dustygroove cliches (ie, avoid "righteous", "spiritual", and "groove" in the description). Thx.

If I remember, the Atlantic was sort of his commercial turn (anyone remember J-Mac's 'Monuments' disaster on RCA or whatever it was?).

That's also always been my understanding.

That's my feeling also on this. Also, the mysterious Mosaic mystique mystifies me. Why would I want to pay $150 for the Grant Green/Sonny Clark set when I can have the same music in equivalent mastering and almost as good of notes for $25? And only take up 1/10th the shelf space. $ is not unlimited for the vast majority of us (and shelf space isn't either).

Totally with you on the assessment of their studio stuff. I do like 'Fresh Cream' quite a bit, but the studio LP of 'Wheels of Fire' is their greatest work. Felix Pappalardi really did brilliant work on that with them. I even love "Pressed Rat an Warthog", where I generally can't tolerate that sort of thing in British Rock (not a fan of Ogden's Nut Gone Flakes, for instance). Their live stuff is totally self-indulgent, so is fun if I'm in the mood, tedious if I'm not. It's more of the time and place, as is 'Disraeli Gears', where 'Fresh Cream' and the studio 'WOF' disc are timeless. And I sure don't need to ever sit through the entire WOF live version of "Toad" again!

I'm with you on the Mainstream (Buddy Terry,Harold Land)/Cobblestone(Jimmy Heath, Steve Kuhn, Bobby Jones)/MPS (Sugarcane Harris, I think Hannibal Marvin Peterson if I remember correctly), but that being said, Mainstream and Cobblestone don't account for many titles. Muse is missing a lot of good stuff (man, thy released a LOT of nice stuff in the 70's), and there are still an awful lot of really Archie Shepp titles missing, as well as a lot of other interesting (if often flawed) Impulse! CD's. But what's been out is amazing. 60's/early-70's Rock is ridiculously well covered by the digital era, and that is probably even more of my collection than jazz, so that changes the ratios for me compared to you. But your point is well-made and well-received, thx.

I totally agree with that assessment. And I consider 'Disraeli Gears' and 'Mr. Fantasy', despite some brilliant moments, two of those lesser albums. Both are wildly inconsistent. Tell you what I think is the great hidden pearl of the Traffic catalog, is the live second side on 'Last Exit'. Wish they had released more of that in the CD era.

DVD just came out in USA yesterday.

Who has room on our shelves to leave gaps. More concerned with what to do with the piles which don't fit on the shelves! Amazing times we're living in, as far as 90% of everything we could possibly want has seen it's way onto CD release in the last 20 years.

...We thought they'd never end. I ordered the DVD on Monday, and am looking forward to it! Always thought the LP was actually underrated at the time, because it couldn't possibly meet the expectations put on it.

The Sunrise Orchestra CD far surpasses those! They are good, but you haven't really heard him if you haven't heard his first couple of solo albums. He was also on an Eric Kloss album on Muse, 'Essence' where he took an amazing solo on one long cut (forget the name of it). A shame that one's never come out on CD.

I think even that underrates it. I've always considered it the greatest jazz organ LP ever. Earland was my favorite, and this is his masterpiece, especially the second side with 'Aquarius' and 'More Today Than Yesterday'. If it can't make you smile, nothing can.

What the last two said.

From AMG: Chuck Nessa was an important force in documenting many of the early AACM sessions. He started the Nessa label in 1967 and soon recorded Roscoe Mitchell and Lester Bowie about the time that the Art Ensemble of Chicago was being formed. In addition, Nessa was involved as a producer in most of Delmark's more important free jazz dates of the era. Although the Nessa label was primarily avant-garde-oriented, with sets by Bobby Bradford, Hal Smith, Charles Tyler and Fred Anderson, among others, it also included sessions by such tenor saxophonists as Ben Webster, Warne Marsh, Lucky Thompson and Von Freeman. The Nessa label has been mostly inactive since the late '70s, but Chuck Nessa was involved in a 1993 Art Ensemble of Chicago box set.

Did I do something wrong? Or do all newbies get LOL'ed at? I'm confused and embarrassed. That's just Chuck- don't worry Chuck mellows out a bit after he gives you the initial rip. I went through the same thing with him when I first started in. And in the future, you can tell your grandchildren about the time that you got trashed by a legendary jazz producer!

I saw him at a show with Shirley Scott on a Sunday afternoon back in the late 80's/very early 90's at the Ethical Society in Philly. The show was a disappointment (Scott, on piano that show, was uninspired, and some very poor horn players sat in the second set), but I got to talk to Mickey between sets, and he was delightful.

PM sent on many titles.

PM sent on Mulligan.

PM sent on Chris Connor: Chris. Bethlehem. $4.

Yes! Same in Hudson Valley, NY Barnes and Noble in Poughkeepsie, Kingston and Albany NY - NOTHING Borders in Poughkeepsie - NOTHING; Albany and Danbury had one copy of each new RVG each, I think Tower in Nanuet, NY - NOTHING (which sucks, because BN titles are 20% off right now) FYE in Poughkeepsie and Kingston - NOTHING Best Buy in Kingston and Poughkeepsie (who used to carry new RVGs up until about a year ago) - NOTHING Man, I miss my New England days. I haven't been to Newbury Comics in TOO long. They were somewhat reliable for new BN reissues and new releases. I live within two miles of Tower and Borders, never bother with them or any other brick and mortar stores. I do everything online. CD Universe has it at your door the day after it's released, and much less expensive than the brick and mortars. Or, if you can be patient, you can usually get them a few months later from yourmusic.com for $5.99 + free shipping.

I think we must have very different ideas of what constitutes an emergency......

The hard drive on my CD crashed and had to be replaced. If we converse by email, I have lost your email address from my address book. Please send to john.felser@verizon.net. Thanks!

I'll put in a good word for Chewy. I sold him the Grant Green CD he was looking for, and the exchange was flawless and pleasant.

Hank with Monk? Can that be right? Or did they throw in some Hank radio broadcast from somewhere else? Breaking down the syntax in their listing, it sounds like some broadcast of Monk from Philly, 1960, plus other miscellaneous broadcasts, apparently from other miscellaneous artists. Gives credence to the sessions stated by those much more knowledgeable than me about these sorts of things.