king ubu

No Django in the earlier series... and no Bechet, save for the Bechet/Solal album.

in a couple of hours: Carla Bley & The Lost Chords

Too late to the party once again... Happy Birthday, Bill!

Flurin, you'd think this book would be mandatory reading for all postal workers. In all honesty, I've never read the book. But based on the many glowing reviews on Amazon, I really should pick this up. Sounds like a very interesting read to say the least. Tom - Having worked for the postal service (like you) and having read the book, I think you'll find a lot to identify with. Bukowski (Chinaski) may be an extreme case, but the book has a lot of hilarious truth to it. I've never worked for the postal service, but I remember the book as exciting (yes, stimulating as well, as usual with Bukowski), amusing, depressing, and very funny... sort of a roller coaster, I guess, but well worth reading. I guess I should buy me a copy and re-read it, too!

Nat Su (alto sax) and the late Fredi Lüscher (piano) did a nice Strayhorn album, too: (CD on demand @ amazon.com) I can't check on www.altrisuoni.com if it's still available as the site doesn't work in Opera or Firefox (and I can't install MSIE on my computer - it tells me I have a newer version installed when I try and get the latest one from microsoft's site...)

As for Monk tributes... yes, I like Lacy a lot, also doing Monk, with or without Mal Waldron! Their Ellington tributes (or rather: Ellington & Strayhorn) are terrific, too! Mostly of course the album "Sempre Amore"! And Monk's Casino are cool (they're "Die Enttäuschung", a german quartet including Axel Dörner and Rudi Mahall plus Alexander von Schlippenbach). I saw them live a couple of years after their Intakt release came out and they were terrific. I've not felt like getting the album however... I can't really imagine it working that well at home.

Must get hold of that ! This one? Splinters - Split the Difference (Reel Recordings RR013)

agreed! and the rest is boring... agreed again!

Ah, I see, thanks

The Bluesbreakers disc with Peter Green is really great! Filled to the brim, it includes the EP they did with Paul Butterfield, a single or two, as well as the one BBC session with Green (which is great, although Green isn't that prominent). Green also turns up as guest on a track on "Laurel Canyon" and the "Bare Wires" album contains another single with Green (and Aynsley Dunbar - is that the "same" Sly Dunbar of Sly & Robbie, btw?). As for Mick Taylor... I'm not as much of a fan that I'll go and search for his stuff. I first heard him with Dylan and still like "Real Live" a lot, and his contributions are quite responsible for that, I think (but there are a few very fine overall perofrmances on that album as well).

Which ones? Aura and We Want Miles are my favourites, I think, but there are fine things on Amandla and Tutu as well. Decoy is mostly boring, the ugly leather jacket gun album is totally boring, the first comeback album is marred by the two tracks with the bad band (Vince Wilburn already, I think?), and the hip hop (Doo Wop), well.... There's the live music of course (the Warner single disc and the huge Montreux box) that's generally better, I think.

yes of course!

the whole line-up of that Ferguson band is surprising imho (Dunlop, Ford, Greenlee, Ellis, ...); playing it now... Maynard Ferguson - trumpet, conductor Don Sebesky - trombone Slide Hampton - trombone Charles Greenlee - trombone Jerry Tyree - trumpet Don Ellis - trumpet Chet Ferretti - trumpet Jimmy Ford - alto sax Wayne Shorter - tenor sax Willie Maiden - tenor sax Frank Hittner - baritone sax Joe Zawinul - piano Jimmy Rowser - bass Frankie Dunlop - drums A very similar band can be heard on the Birdland album (reissued on CD by Blue Note), the only difference I notice (going from memory) is Carmen Leggio instead of Shorter.

Italian stickers are even better! I guess it's about the germs...

Yes, a well-known Mosaic issue... I still prefer the older fat two to four CD cases, honestly (but then the insert sometimes was a bit wobbly). btw, I've never bought or tested those thingies from Jazz Loft, but the idea certainly is smart!

The Storming of the Verve Palais? Am I the only one here to read Jazz Loft's emails?

Sorry to read all this, but glad it seems to ease up after all! Working for the post, do you often experience things as described in here:

Yeah, I guess so... but my Pullen and Richards finds were quite unique as well, it seems. Anyway, after a while of being annoyed, there comes the time where rationality kicks back in and I start thinking I paid a bit too much for some of these, after all...

Laubrock seems to be more at home in the UK scene, after all, no? There was an article about her in The Wire some months back, but I only dimly remember it (not sure I even read it all).

Thanks! I've bought about 15 of the Touchstones. I agree that they're a bit awkward, but they do look nice!

So for instance the recent Touchstones were using the same masters? I didn't "upgrade" any, but I could have bought "Gnu High" dirt cheap and thought about it for a second, as these Touchstones look nice and the old CD looks ugly (ECM took quite a while to fit their highly estheticized needs to the CD age, it seems...)

What was there that still needed remastering? The 1949 Paris set, the comeback albums, the unreleased material - all else was recently remastered for the recent box sets. I do hope however that some of these come out on their own - I'd buy the unreleased items of course! Also I still don't have "Star Time", which seems to be one of the best of the 80s albums (I've heard it once, years ago, a friend's LP)

Thanks - but it seems to be rather expensive right now... will keep my eyes open though!

Sad news. I've heard him on quite a few discs, but to be honest, I've never particularly listened to his contributions... will have to do so next time I indulge in some UK jazz. Those Oxley Columbias, I've never heard them, sadly. They seem to be hard to find by now!

Those Hip o Select releases are limited. My guess is that none of the non-US sites will get these. On the other hand, the Haden and Getz/Barron are European Universal releases, with the latter not even being available in Europe on its release date! Hm, I thought this was an Universal release? It says "Verve (Universal)" on German Amazon (and November 17): http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002IRBGYC...;pf_rd_i=301128 It's my understanding that Hip o Select is a reissue arm of Verve, which is owned by Universal USA. I see... I don't know anything, I only read that name here, now and then...