Ken Dryden

Test it on a Yoko Ono LP, that way no sane music fan can whine.

I don't run across too many 9Winds CDs in my city at any price.

Giant Soaps? My Shining Shower? After the Drain? A Loofa Surpreme? As Gregory Peck replied to Norman Fell's joke during the filming of "Pork Chop Hill": "Whimsical, very whimsical." These "complete" sets can get ridiculous, like the World Broadcasting series of Transcriptions of Duke Ellington that not only featured every incomplete track, but even 3 and 4 second breakdowns.

I wasn't familiar with Richard Grossman, but his 9Winds CD In the Air looked worth an investment of $4 at a local used CD store. I was right!

I guess I could go through my log of new releases received or purchased to figure that out, but it would be time-consuming, plus there are titles I didn't hear until after I compiled my list.

Coming soon: the unissued recordings of John Coltrane Singing in the Shower.

What is the sound quality of this release? The 2 or so Rare Live Recordings I've acquired are of poor quality.

One thing I've learned: Swapacd says it will accept burn on demand CDRs from Amazon for trading. No, thanks, I want the a real manufactured CD...

I no longer can access my Lord discography, but I don't think so. Why not ask Phil through his website bulletin board?

Just to give you an idea of a portion of Phil Woods' CD output, all of which I own and recommend: Phil Woods Quartet At the Vanguard Antilles 3320003 Phil Woods Quartet Birds of a Feather Antilles 422846165 Phil Woods & His European Rhythm Machine At the Frankfurt Jazz Festival Atlantic 90531 Phil Woods The Rev & I Blue Note 4 94100 Phil Woods The New Phil Woods Album BMG Japan 37521 Phil Woods Rights Of Swing Candid 79016 Phil Woods The Little Big Band: Real Life Chesky 47 Phil Woods Astor & Elis Chesky 146 Phil Woods Here's to My Lady Chesky SA 268 Phil Woods Quartet Vol. One, A Live Recording Clean Cuts 702 Phil Woods Quintet Bop Stew Concord 4345 Phil Woods' Little Big Band Evolution Concord 4361 Phil Woods Quintet Bouquet Concord 4377 Phil Woods Quintet + One Flash Concord 4408 Phil Woods Quintet All Bird's Children Concord 4441 Phil Woods/Jim McNeely Flowers For Hodges Concord 4485 Phil Woods Quintet Mile High Jazz-Live In Denver Concord 4739 Phil Woods & The Festival Orchestra Celebration! Concord 4770 Phil Woods Quintet Gratitude Denon 33 1316 Phil Woods Quintet Song For Sisyphus DCC 632 Woods/Flanagan/Mitchell Three For All Enja 79614 Phil Woods Quintet An Affair To Remember Evidence 22125 Phil Woods Quintet Souvenirs Evidence 22177 Phil Woods/Lew Tabackin Evidence 22209 Phil Woods/SWR Big Band Matinee Hanssler 93009 Phil Woods/Carl Saunders Play Henry Mancini Jazzed Media 1002 Phil Woods This is How I Feel About Quincy Jazzed Media 1004 Phil Woods Groovin' to Marty Paich Jazzed Media 1005 Phil Woods & the Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra Unheard Herd Jazzed Media 1013 Phil Woods & DePaul University Jazz Ensemble Swingchronicity Jazzed Media 1029 Phil Woods The Children's Suite Jazzed Media 1040 Phil Woods with the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble Solitude Jazzed Media 1048 Phil Woods/Gordon Beck Live At the Wigmore Hall-London JMS 18686 Phil Woods Quartet Stolen Moments JMY 1012 Phil Woods Quintet American Songbook Kind of Blue 10005 Phil Woods Quintet American Songbook II Kind of Blue 10022 Herbie Mann/Phil Woods Beyond Brooklyn MCG Jazz 1012 Phil Woods Quintet Full House Milestone 9196 Phil Woods Quartet 'More' Live Mobile Fidelity 755 Phil Woods Freedom Jazz Dance Moon 19 Phil Woods Quartet/Quintet 20th Anniversary Set Review Copy Mosaic MD5 159 Phil Woods Musique Due Bois Muse 5037 Phil Woods Live Novus 3104 Phil Woods Quartet Woodlore OJC 052 Phil Woods Septet Pairing Off OJC 092 Phil Woods/Gene Quill Quintet Phil & Quill With Prestige OJC 215 Phil Woods/Donald Byrd The Youngbloods OJC 1732 Phil Woods/Gene Quill/Sahib Shihab/Hal Stein Four Altos OJC 1734 Phil Woods with Red Garland Sugan OJC 1841 Phil Woods Early Quintets OJC 1865 Phil Woods Pot Pie, With Jon Eardley OJC 1881 Phil Woods/John Coates Giants at Play Pacific St. 22 Phil Woods/John Coates Giants at Work Set 1 Pacific St. 26 Phil Woods meets Big Bang Orchestra Embraceable You Philology 25 Phil Woods & Space Jazz Trio Phil's Mood Philology 27 Phil Woods/Catania City Brass Orkestra Philology 38/39 Phil Woods Ornithology-Phil Salutes Bird Philology 69 Phil Woods A Jazz Life Philology 74 Phil Woods/Franco D'Andrea Our Monk Philology 78 Phil Woods Trio Just Friends Philology 106 Phil Woods & Space Jazz Trio Corridonia Jazz Festival Philology 211 Phil Woods/Enrico Pieranunzi Elsa Philology 216 Phil Woods/Irio De Paula Encontro Philology 301 Phil Woods/Barbara Casini Voce e Eu Philology 302 Phil Woods & The Italian New Generation Dameronia Philology 303 Phil Woods The Solo Album Philology 304 Phil Woods/Franco D'Andrea Balladeer Supreme Philology 305 Phil Woods Quartet Woods Plays D'Andrea Philology 306 Phil Woods & The Italian Rhythm Machine Woods Plays Woods Philology 307 Phil Woods/Lee Konitz/Enrico Rava 6tet Play Rava Philology 308 Phil Woods/Lee Konitz 5tet Play Konitz Philology 309 Phil Woods/Lee Konitz 5tet Play Woods Philology 310 Phil Woods/Lee Konitz Phil & Lee: Two Brothers in Three Flats Philology 311 Phil Woods & Franco D’Andrea The Gershwin Affair Philology 325 Phil Woods & Irio DePaula Blues For New Orleans Philology 335 Phil Woods/Jazz Class Orchestra Porgy and Bess Philology 856 Phil Woods Quartet Warm Moods Portrait 44408 Phil Woods Quartet Live From New York Quicksilver 4011 Phil Woods Quartet European Tour Live Red 123163 Phil Woods Quintet Integrity Red 123177 Phil Woods Bird Calls, Vol. 1 Savoy 1179 Phil Woods Bird's Night Savoy 0143 Phil Woods Quintet Plays the Music of Jim McNeely TCB 95402 Dizzy Gillespie Meets Phil Woods Quintet Timeless 250 Phil Woods/European Rhythm Machine Alive and Well in Paris Toshiba 9410 Phil Woods Quintet Ballads & Blues Venus 1021 Phil Woods Chasin' the Bird Venus 35040 Phil Woods with Strings The Thrill is Gone Venus 35314 Phil Woods Round Trip Verve 314559804 Phil Woods & His European Rhythm Machine At the Montreux Jazz Festival Verve 440065512

I've given up on counting. Estimated totals: 15,000-16,000 CDs (all jazz except 700-1000 of them) 4000-5000 LPs (all jazz except 500-600) 150-200 Jazz DVDs + a countless number of non-commercial jazz broadcasts (800-1000?) on cassette and CDR Even though I'm a jazz journalist, I collected for 15 years prior to getting my first promo and still spend thousands every year for interesting things, though I've slacked off a bit the past two years.

Chuck, I can't speak for anyone else, but I listed items some items that I paid for in my list for the VV poll. Nat King Cole & His Trio: The Forgotten 1949 Carnegie Hall Concert Hep Duke Ellington: The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Mosaic I don't know about being an "arbiter of taste" by listing favorites of the year. I have never been comfortable with the use of "best" as opposed to "favorite."

Will it also filter out Willie the Lion Smith's growling and Oscar Peterson's grunting from his 1950/1960s albums?

I think most journalists don't claim that their personal "best" lists are definitive, after all, not all of us get serviced with the same releases and there is never time to hear all of the ones we receive. There is a certain arbitrary factor to compiling them. I wonder if a label or instrument is over-represented, am I picking the same artists as last year, etc. What puzzles me is when someone can choose multiple boxed sets without including a single Mosaic. But I'm flattered that Francis Davis has invited me to take part in the VV poll for the past few years. I enjoy reading other's lists, simply to see what I didn't hear or possibly overlooked. It's no different than those who try to compile the ten best or hundred best jazz recordings of all time, no one is ever going to agree with every selection or the ranking of them.

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I also have reservations about primitive "solos only" recordings, even if it is Parker. I'll probably give the Jazz Crusaders a try. Still haven't heard any of the new Ellington which arrived recently.

I received a gift card and am considering either the Charlie Parker Dean Benedetti box or the Jazz Crusaders. I know the first consists of just solos recorded under a wide range of conditions, while I have never explored the Jazz Crusaders much at all. Which one do you recommend, particularly if you own both sets? I already pretty much have the rest of the sets that I want, so other choices aren't necessary.

The session was suggested by Rushing. I've long enjoyed it, having first acquired it back in the 1970s. I remember that being in one of Leonard Feather's Encyclopedias of Jazz. Smith talked about Brubeck having heavy hands, but if it was played at a party, people would dance all night long. Smith had no tolerance for pianists with a weak left hand.

Looks great, I just ordered it.

Most wives would have stormed out of the room after a few seconds of that behavior. Fortunately, my bride of many years leaves my records alone (though they are alphabetized and take up a goof 50 feet or so of shelf space) and lets me pick the CDs to play at home.

I routinely save signed correspondence from jazz musicians, though I have slacked off from taking CD booklets or LP jackets to be autographed during concerts or conferences. I have maybe 20 publicity photos, including personalized autographs by Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Marian McPartland and Milt Hinton. I also have a copy of the Great Day in Harlem with a letter from McPartland on its back, while I loaned her a copy of Stephane Grappelli's first piano album for her to show to him the day they taped her Piano Jazz show and he autographed it for me.

I don't think Evan ever released anything of his father's work after the second CD, though I bet there is more remaining. He ought to start issuing the various illegitimate broadcast recordings of his father, a la Frank Zappa's Beat The Boots! boxed sets.

Brubeck recorded the soundtrack to a Canadian mystery movie titled "Ordeal By Innocence" back in the 1980s, though he doesn't appear in it. Featuring his quartet with Bill Smith, Brubeck plays a number of familiar works, in addition to an unusually slow setting of "Truth."

At least Kenny G was listed under instrumental pop rather than being labeled jazz. I imagine a lot of the Grammy voters are too cheap to buy Mosaic sets, since they don't exactly provide many comp promos of their limited edition collections. I'm eligible to join but I'd rather use my money elsewhere. Congratulations to the jazz nominees, especially Lorraine Feather and Denise Donatelli.

Julie sounds like she was a wonderful lady. My condolences to you and your family for your loss.

One could only imagine the tripe that Randy Weston would have been asked to record if he had been on Dick Bock's World Pacific label, such as Bud Shank's A Spoonful of Jazz or Joe Pass' The Stones Jazz, both wretched ideas that should have never been recorded.