The Magnificent Goldberg

Sometimes privatisation IS the answer. Sometimes, the answer is nationalisation. And it might depend a bit on exterior things, so the answer might be different in different countries. MG

Yes indeed. The three series - Rare Grooves; Legends of Acid Jazz; and Roots of Acid Jazz - happened because suddenly a large bunch of young people started looking for the stuff. If a large bunch of kids started looking for your stuff, Chuck, wouldn't you try to indicate to them in some way at least a bit of the range? MG

It's apparently Red Menace's birthday today. But it's listed as 1 April 1917. So wake up Red Menace and tell us all. Is it REALLY your birthday today? And if so (Wrong party, fool!) MG

Yes, Dan Simmons - I like the Ilium books as well as the Endymion series. Also Peter F Hamilton - kind of space opera, but so complex that they transcend those limitations. And Harry Turtledove's alternative history books are a fascinating read. MG

I got two items CD Universe shipped on 20 March on 28 March. So there really looks like a problem with yours, Lon. MG

There's a fabulous utility scam over here. A few years ago, British Gas was split up. British Gas retained ownership of the infrastructure - gas pipes - but the business of flogging gas to consumers was opened out to all comers, who buy gas contracts from holes in the ground and, if they have more customers can get bigger discounts. The guy who used to run British Gas, who set all this up at the Government's orders (the Tories), left shortly before it was all going live and set up his own firm. He went to every housing estate builder and made them an offer they couldn't refuse. I don't know what it was but it must have been something like a guaranteee that the new firm would put in the gas pipes for the new estate at a price below that of British Gas. Because pretty well every one, including the ones who developed the estate where I now live, signed up for it. The system is that British Gas gets paid for transmitting the sellers' gas and doesn't charge the consumers. But the new firm charges the sellers for transporting their gas over its, relatively short, pipelines, into all these new houses. So for a relatively small investment, this firm can charge what it likes FOR EVER. And the gas sellers pass the charge on to the consumers, of course. Unless, as in the case of the firm that we've picked, they're trying to get a competitive edge, and absorb those costs across all their customers. But I guess they'll stop doing it after a bit. MG

What makes you think that? 2007 Straight life 2008 The Japanese trios (+ Pretty 4U) 2009 Baby Grand 2010 A date with JOS? If it comes out earlier, I'll be pleased. On second thoughts, I probably won't because I'll have got TOCJs before then. MG

Thanks Guv MG

88 to go now. MG

James Moody - Moody's workshop - PR Xtra UK issue MG

Does it have a track "Tie me to a tree (handcuff me)" by someone called BOND? MG

and no condo neighbors to complain about your practicing? Believe it or not I can open my windows and bash like Elvin at 4 am with no problems! you could have brotzmann, evan parker, and paul flaherty over to jam and no one but the wildlife would complain. Sounds great! But what's a berm house? And how many bedrooms is little? A 3 bedroomed house in this area would be about 750 pounds a month to rent - about $1450. That's what my son-in-law is expecting to pay when he and my daughter sell their house and buy one in a beautiful rural area as an investment (!). MG My earth berm house is a simple one bedroom rectangle constructed in the mid 1960's of concrete blocks and built into a hill on two sides, the south and east sides. From the road you just see the roof. There are altogether 5 rooms in my house, a living room, bedroom, a long room that serves as a computer room and music studio, a kitchen, bathroom, and I have an all season back porch/catch all off the kitchen. It's like a basemant on the south side. I love it. And dig it, my heating bill never went over $100. all winter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_sheltering Thanks Randy - very interesting link, too. MG

What all this implies is that "A date with Jimmy Smith" is NOT going to come out until at least 2010. obo110x MG

Indeed. Though I think Fantasy COULD have come up with a compilation that DIDN'T include material on other Fantasy twofer CDs and DID include the WHOLE of the "Night lights" LP with Wynton Kelly, which is one of my favourite Jugs. I AM conscious that this is nitpicking, but it means the whole of that LP will never come out on CD. Those who say his best period is between his two stays in prison are right but maybe undervaluing this and a few other albums. MG

Well, I'll think about this in a couple of months. Right now I'm easing off for a splurge on real African music in Paris. MG

Ah - the illustration looked like a DVD and it didn't say what kind of thing it was. MG

My impression from some comparison shopping, is that housing prices are at least 50% less than comparable costs in the UK and sometimes much less than that if you aren't in a hot property market. On the whole, I feel my costs of living got cut in half by moving back to the US (even in Chicago) and my salary went up by 25%. Go figure! Do they let anarchists live in the US? And where is the weather best? MG

Y'all try that with a Cockney cabbie in London! [i did. First time I was in London, I got a cab and said "How much?", and I paid him the amount he said. "That's wivart the tip, Guv!", I was angrily told. Really, I had no idea that you had to tip a cab driver.] Don't you Americanz tip cab drivers? I was only in a taxi in America once, and I tipped him. MG

Gene Ammons - Boss tenor - Prestige (Ace UK) Jimmy Forrest, Oliver Nelson & King Curtis - Soul battle - Prestige (Ace UK) (I definitely need to upgrade this to CD) Sam "The man" Taylor - The bad & the beautiful - MV Status reissue blue label MG

My goodness that's cheap! We bought our (new) 4 bedroom house almost 2 years ago for 194K pounds ($372K); and we're out of Cardiff into an old mining village, now becoming a bit of a commuter town for Cardiff. In Cardiff, the same house (if you could get a comparable one) would cost at least 50% more; but when we were looking around in Cardiff, the houses all had much smaller rooms than this. And Cardiff, of course, is a lot cheaper than most other comparable British cities. MG

Boots Brown Bootsie Barnes Excused-boots Bisley

Mm, Dan's post reminds me that I forgot to mention earlier that I understand that, in recent months, the Bank of England asked British financial institutions to report to it on the probable state of their finances if a 30% reduction in house values were to occur. I don't know what they said. MG

Ah yes, that was an interesting recording. First time I ever heard a kalimba. MG

For some reason, I just switch off when Rollins is soloing on "Sonny side up". I couldn't tell you what he's like, though I hear and follow Diz and Stitt v well. I also used to have a couple of tracks of him with the MJQ at Music Inn vol 2. Again, no impact as far as I was concerned. So I don't think other recordings from this period are going to do it for me. What I saw the other night GOT to me, though. I was a bit tired then, so I couldn't be asked to be detailed about it. If that was Duke and a young Sanborn with Sonny on the first video, I guess it's late '70s. So, is that video typical of his playing at that time? From what Jim said, sounds like it might have been. If so, what, from that era is recommended? MG

and no condo neighbors to complain about your practicing? Believe it or not I can open my windows and bash like Elvin at 4 am with no problems! you could have brotzmann, evan parker, and paul flaherty over to jam and no one but the wildlife would complain. Sounds great! But what's a berm house? And how many bedrooms is little? A 3 bedroomed house in this area would be about 750 pounds a month to rent - about $1450. That's what my son-in-law is expecting to pay when he and my daughter sell their house and buy one in a beautiful rural area as an investment (!). MG