Stefan Wood

So what's wrong with itunes?

Yah. The only audiophile upgrade that I did was to change the outlet - there are audiophile outlets. It does make a difference.

I received this email last night: Rufus Harley - Courage: The Atlantic Recordings The late Rufus Harley didn't take “no” for an answer when it came to music. As a youngster in Philadelphia, the novice saxophonist twice retrieved his instrument from a pawn shop to which his mother had tried to consign it. But after November 25, 1963, the sax would play second fiddle in Rufus' jazz career. That was the day of John F. Kennedy's funeral procession, and leading the solemn march through the streets of the nation's capital were nine pipers from the Black Watch of The Royal Highlanders Regiment. Listening to them play, Harley dreamed up a whole new kind of music... Jazz bagpipes. On paper, it was a pretty unlikely combination, but for anyone who gave them a fair hearing, Rufus' performances quelled all skeptics. When he won over local Philly DJ and aspiring record producer Joel Dorn, Harley earned a contract with Atlantic Records, which issued his debut in 1966. Bagpipe Blues was a success, and through the remainder of the decade, Harley and Dorn completed three more albums for the label: Scotch & Soul (1966), A Tribute To Courage (1967), and King/Queens (1970). Though he was also a skilled sax player and flutist, Rufus was seen at the time as a novelty act -- “the world's first jazz bagpipe player.” But in hindsight his music is of a piece with the sonic boundary-breaking of such greats as Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Pharoah Sanders in the 1960s - a time of heightened interest in exotic sounds and styles from around the globe. In the years since his innovative Atlantic releases, Harley toured with his idol Sonny Rollins, and made guest appearances on recordings by the likes of Laurie Anderson and The Roots. The Rhino Handmade collection Courage: The Atlantic Recordings gathers all four of the jazzman's albums for the label, along with a previously unreleased version of “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” from the King/Queens sessions and “Pipin' The Blues” from Sonny Stitt's 1967 LP Deuces Wild, a track which prominently features Harley's bagpipes. Featuring remastered sound, rare photos, and producer Daniel Goldmark's insightful liner notes, this ear-opening 2-CD set goes a long way toward proving Rufus' contention that “this thing about the bagpipes not being for jazz is all in the mind.” Courage: The Atlantic Recordings is available for $39.98 as an individually numbered limited edition of 3,000 copies. Get it now at: Rhino Handmade Rufus Harley box set

Shit man, that is a classic Willie Colon lp. Mandatory purchase!

Wasn't this the performance where the Rolling Stones were scheduled to follow and after seeing JB perform they were too scared to go on stage?

This recent compilation satisfies my Traffic fix:

Hopefully this is a restart of the reissue program.

A belated happy birthday!

Took advantage of the 40% off for latin titles. Fania, Alegre, Tico, all at $8 a pop.

The Towers are still restocking. Went to a couple of stores in Northern Va, and one was depleted, while another still looking full. Perhaps different locations will close on different dates? I really went after the latin cds, as they were 40% off. Picked up a bunch of the Fania/Tico/Alegre reissues at $8 each.

If it ain't broke, fix it........ I like the previous version.

Just picked this up recently. Friggin mind blowing stoner rock from early 70's. Why this never took off in the States I'll never know. They should be ranked up there with Zeppelin, Sabbath, or Deep Purple.

I got lucky. Got it for $35 on store credit. This is a great box set.

Nothing wrong with the Stooges. CHIC? I dunno........

Just checked the online site. You wouldn't know that they were liquidating. Everything looks as normal.

Highly recommended! Isle of the Dead is also very good, as is the Seventh Victim, a remarkable movie not only for its content but its downbeat resolution. Those and Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie are fun watching. His son, Val Lewton Jr., sometimes goes to the same figure art drawing sessions that I go to here in DC. Nice guy, who is thrilled about this set.

You know, I don't know if anyone has done that yet.

You mean That Girl?

So I FINALLY got to see Organissimo play last night. In a real funky but nice club in the northern part of Baltimore, in a half decrepit strip mall, of all places. Nice crowd there. Saw all three sets. A local musician, a sax player sat in on a couple of tunes. Very nice! For anyone who is in the Baltimore area, check them out tonight, as they are playing there again this evening. Great music, fantastic playing, and a great bunch of guys to talk to. Loved Jimmy Smith Goes to Washington, the Don Patterson, Bill Heid and Tommy Turrentine tunes, and all the originals as well! I had a blast!!!!!!!

I'll see you guys in Baltimore tonight!

Agreed.

I have my eyes on that set. I have heard most of the tracks from other compilations. Good stuff! Waiting for a good price, however.....

It isn't about profits. Nor the Christmas season. It is about closing down these stores. They won't restock stuff -- once it's gone, bye bye.

Yes, that's it.

Look at the Cambridge Audio site. I have a trio of speakers from them that sound great.