The Magnificent Goldberg

Skeets McDonald Ralph McDonald Ronnie Ronalde

Very nice! MG

David Newman - Concrete jungle - Prestige Charles Earland - The great pyramid - Mercury Jimmy Ponder - All things beautiful - LRC MG

Donald Vails Choraleers - Yesterday, today and forever - Sound of Gospel MG

Less than five years? Several of these were released last year!! The following were released in 2007 and are deleted now in 2008!! Horace Silver - You Gotta Take A Little Love Introducing Kenny Cox Frank Foster - Manhattan Fever Stan Kenton - The Compositions Of Dee Barton If that is the case, then I suspect that the 500 minimum sold quota still holds (maybe Kevin or someone on the inside can verify). But needless to say, the Foster and the Cox are extremely worthy sessions, and if you don't have them, consider picking them up. I can't comment on the rest. If price is anything to go by, I bet they're not selling to any great degree. The RVGs are already pretty cheap CDs but I picked up the Silver (and a couple of older ones) from an Amazon UK seller yesterdy at 60% of the normal price. If firms are having to reduce prices to that extent in order to move product, then not too many people want it. Back to the good old days of getting many of my Soul Jazz albums at reasonable prices, I hope. MG

Happy new year to everyone and all you wish yourselves. MG

Pong Ping Bill Badger Algy Pug

Walter Bishop - Coral keys - Black Jazz Every time I listen to this, I realise that I keep forgetting how good it is. I'm not going to forget this time Now Duke Pearson - Prairie dog - Atlantic (stereo) And this is another I keep forgetting about Oh, and Harold Vick is on both LPs. MG

It's "Star bag" by the way and that's one of Gator's very best albums ever. And Trudy swings magnificently behind Willis. MG

All we know is what Concord have said. They've reissued (or will reissue - that's not clear, either) his 1985 Christmas LP, with I think came out on Columbia. Watch this space. MG

Opal Nations Ruby Keeler Sapphire (Little known fact: Opal Nations once made a record for UK Decca under the name of "Martin Hummingbird")

Rhino issued it on CD with several bonus tracks (all with a hitting the road title theme: "Sentimental journey"; "Hit the road, Jack"; "Blue moon of Kentucky"; "Rainy night in Georgia"; "I'm movin' on"; "Swanee River rock"; "Lonely Avenue"; which you've got to admit is an inventive set of bonus cuts) as part of the Ray Charles 50th Anniversary celebration. It's out of priont now, but you can get one not too expensive from Amazon UK here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Genius-Hits-Road-R...1111&sr=1-1 MG

Martino's a guy I've greatly preferred as a sideman. I don't have any of his Prestige albums, only his Cobblestone LP "The visit" and can't say I play it very often. Well, I can say I don't play it very often Trudy Pitts is also an organist who hasn't greatly appealed to me, as well. So this album always had a lot going against it, as far as I was concerned. So what you say is interesting to me (as ever). And I see it's out again in an RVG edition and is very nicely priced at Amazon UK. Only one thing to do, then. Wait until I have fewer newies to listen to at weekends MG

Well, that's true enough. And I've got to admit that this is the first time since about 1970 (perhaps '69) that I've ever thought it interesting to wonder what a critic thought of that music. (We ended up converting said critic to Braith and Green ) MG

Bertram Mills P T Barnum James Anthony Bailey

Sonny Stitt - Sonny's back - Muse Pharoah Sanders - Live - Theresa (Bellaphon Germany) MG

Concord say nowt more than I posted. Ray owned all his post Atlantic material. But I guess the sixties material has long been signed over to Rhino, who've been bringing (some of) it out. MG

Ray Charles - Focus on Ray Charles - ABC (London UK comp) MG

Yes. But that's not "serious" music, is it? (Or is it? I wonder what those guys actually think of people like Roach, Gator, Doctor Lonnie &c.) MG

Oooo! May I? MG

Before the full screen came up, I thought it was going to be The Singing Postman! MG

A very interesting perspective. Thanks Porcy. MG

I think Courtney is kind of an OK guy, though I'm not keen on his music. So, good. MG

Is that what Clem looks like? MG

I've got the album she made with Stanley Turrentine, of course. Stanley's fine. Astrud is weak, but we've all lived long enough hearing weak singers all the damn time to not get too upset if one sneaks into our record collections, haven't we? MG