Ken Dryden

Count Basie and his Orchestra in Blazing Saddles. Gerry Mulligan as Judy Holiday’s blind date in Bells Are Ringing.

I learned of this after a well known artist whom I had interviewed several times asked me about it. I raised hell with the editor about it. The reply of "You give too many 4-4.5 star reviews" caused me to respond that I didn't pitch many mediocre albums for review at that point in my writing career, i was getting serviced with a lot of excellent CDs. In my view, 3 stars out of 5 is either average or has some issues.

I finally found a copy of this DVD set a few months ago but haven’t gotten around to watching it, I had heard how much better it was than the oddly titled remake “Sorcerer.”

After reading a description of this album, I'll pass. I haven't cared for much of what music was released by Perception.

There was a woman in a small town who was a horrible gossip. She saw that a workman who took his wheelbarrow back and forth to work would leave it for extended periods outside of a bar for hours after work and proceded to share her gossip about it with everyone. After word got back to the worker, he took his wheelbarrow to her house and left it there overnight.

I thought liner notes was one of the jazz categories dropped, though I haven't paid much attention to them since they quit including them in the broadcast. A well deserved win! Just curious, is anybody on this board an active NARAS member? I'm eligible to join, but have never pursued it.

Denny Zeitlin turns 84 years young next Sunday, April 10, 2022. The program includes selections from his early recordings for Columbia, to other trio and solo dates, both studio and live. Here is the link for streaming or downloading: https://archive.org/details/timeless-jazz-4-10-2022-denny-zeitlin

Here's a link to my archived broadcast of Benny Green's music, which includes recordings ranging from early in his career in the late 1980s to the present. There are also sideman tracks with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the Ray Brown Trio and his meeting with Oscar Peterson. https://archive.org/details/timeless-jazz-4-3-2022-benny-green

Nahhhhh…

Clark Terry could have done anything.

I knew going in that I would only get paid once, though some reviews made it into the Jazz volumes 3 & 4 and maybe a few of the rock and blues made it to print as well, I would have to check. Not to mention the number of times I've seen them posted on other websites that licensed them. I ran across one review that had evidently been translated into Portugese, then back into English that wasn't close to what I had written. It was an interesting outlet, though the randomness of what they would or wouldn't assign for review made little sense. Ignore the star ratings, as at least one editor decided to lower them, in spite of a glowing review. On a 1 to 5 scale, 3 means that the release is either average or has some issues. I told that editor at that point that I didn't bother pitching reviews of mediocre CDs.

I fixed the duplicate link and added the missing one.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/this-could-be-the-start-of-something-big-clark-terry-plays-tv-themes-clark-terry-april-1 https://www.allaboutjazz.com/nursery-rhymes-a-la-tatum-art-tatum-april-1 https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dick-and-sprio-play-duke-and-billy-richard-nixon-april-1

I have found that true as well. I've bought a few LPs graded VG+ or VG that skipped in numerous spots, even after cleaning, I've always had no problem getting a full refund (including shipping). As a rule, I try not to list anything that I don't believe to be playable, but I know that high volume sellers don't have the time to do much more than superficial grading at a glance.

I can’t say I have had any issues as a buyer on Discogs, other than occasional oversight of a promo stamp, hole punch or clipped booklet. I have had a few problems as a Discogs seller, like a guy who claimed he didn’t mean to make an offer on a $150 LP set or a crook who claimed two different orders had scuffed LPs. I blocked both of them and added to my seller page that all unsealed LPs and jackets are photographed prior to packing.

I got a book with tracking once that was not only not addressed to me, but not anyone on our street or in our subdivision m. I put it back in my box and hope it made it to its destination.

If you paid with PayPal put in a claim, if you used a credit card, do that if PayPal fails. As a Discogs seller I always copy and paste the buyer’s address to make the label and include the address with the packing slip. I haven’t had any packages lost, though one padded envelope was returned to me torn open and empty after 2 months in the mail. At that point I started requiring insurance on all orders.

Writing was never a full time gig, though I made some pretty good money on the side for a few years with Allmusic.com. During weeks when I has sufficient assignments and time, I could gross up to $700/week. I also had one batch of liner note biographies for a European label that proved very profitable over several months. Unfortunately, after AMG was sold a couple of times, assignments started slipping and many free lancers were dropped. I was in the very last batch of freelancers still working for them when they dropped all of us just before Christmas in 2012. Scott Yanow has an accounting background but took time off to write full time at least once or twice in his career, though I don't know what his status is these days. I get the idea that only the writers who get steady work writing liner notes and press bios can make a living doing it, as review pay alone is not enough to pay the bills. Since I retired from my pubic radio job in 2015, any writing income is welcome, as it helps me deduct part of my Medicare costs, but I don't feel pushed to try to match the volume of writing that I did in the ealry 2000s, when my wife claimed that I practically lived in our basement listening to music and typing away on the computer.

No disrespect taken. I don't expect to be known as well as those who have authored numerous jazz books and/or contributed to all of the major glossy jazz magazines, etc. Currently I contribute to The New York City Jazz Record, All About Jazz and Hot House (the latter features and spotlights only). Previously I wrote for Allmusic.com, Coda, Jazz Review, Cadence and other publications and websites. I have also written several dozen liner notes.

I can share a story about my dealings with Joe Fields. I was assigned to write liner notes for two unissued sessions featuring Jimmy Ponder, who recorded extensively for Fields. When I reached the guitarist, his response was "They recorded that?" Joe Fields did his best to stop the release of the two unauthorized Ponder CDs and gave me the liner notes assignment for a JImmy Ponder (Somebody's Child) that was in the pipeline.

My urologist used to write prescriptions for prostate issues that read: “More nookie. Take as often as possible for good health.” His nurse circled “”No substitutions” at the bottom of the sheet.

I returned some CDs to a distributor last year and they took 42 days to get from Chattanooga, TN to Myrtle Beach, SC. This is probably a promo CD package but there is no way to tell from tracking who sent it. Part of the problem seems to be the closing of too many distribution centers and those that remain are overworked.

I have been a jazz journalist since 1988, so some releases arrive weeks or sometimes months before the official release date.

I saw that very edition for a bargain price and suggested to my hephew that he'd like it. I wish that I had purchased it instead. This recording was my introduction to Duke Ellington. One question: Is the applause present, as the Columbia reissue omits it, even though the performances are identical. Either there were mikes in the hallway outside the studio, or it was dubbed in later.