Dave James

From one old BNBB'er to another...Happy Birthday. Kevin was the first person I ever "talked" too on a jazz bulletin board. He's was very accommodating of a neophyte poster who at the time was just looking for sources of Blue Note CD's. This is back when the BNBB was still laid out in a most primative fashion that made navigation and the extraction of useable information something of a hassle. Having someone in the know was very helpful. All around good guy. Up over and out.

Bertrand, Really nicely done. Two thoughts. Regardless of how much you feel you actually contributed, your cohorts felt that your efforts were significant enough to credit you for your involvement. This is one of those situations where they may know more than you do. Second, I'd be proud to be even remotely associated with something like this. Dan, thanks for posting the link. Up over and out.

Season one was great. Not sure we'll see anything that approaches the breach of the hatch for sheer suspense. Season two was the weakest. Three was a little disjointed, but picked up steam nicely and ended on a high note with the first of the flash forwards. Season four was one of those "answer one question, replace it with two more" sort of outings, as the mystery surrounding the island became clearer and more muddled at the same time. All in all, though, very satisfying. The writers claim they have the rest of the series mapped out, so I'm comfortable believeing that there will be an acceptable resolution when all is said and done. One thing for sure, outside of some of the great past and present offerings on HBO, Lost is as good as it gets. Destination TV. I haven't been this tied up in a series since Twin Peaks or the early seasons of the X-Files. Up over and out.

I've also been a fan since day one. I have to respectfully disagree with those who don't think this was a strong season. I am really enjoying the direction this is taking. With regard to the body in the casket, have a look at something I found on Wikipedia. As requested in his will, Bentham's body was preserved and stored in a wooden cabinet, termed his "Auto-icon". Originally kept by his disciple Dr. Southwood Smith,[11] it was acquired by University College London in 1850. The Auto-icon is kept on public display at the end of the South Cloisters in the main building of the College. The Auto-icon has always had a wax head, as Bentham's head was badly damaged in the preservation process. The real head was displayed in the same case for many years, but became the target of repeated student pranks including being stolen on more than one occasion. It is now locked away securely. I'm pretty much convinced it's not really Locke. Time will tell. Up over and out.

I saw Korman and Conway here in Portland a year or so ago. Must've been his farewell tour. Whatever it was he had, he still had in spades. I was a little apprehensive about the show, but my concerns were washed away almost immediately. It turned out to be a massively entertaining evening capped off by their recreation of the routine where Conway as the dentist mistakenly shoots himself full of novacaine while working on patient Korman. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. Korman was the consummate professional..a wonderful deliverer of lines and a terrific straight man. I agree with others who have cited Blazing Saddles. That may be the very best representation of all the things he could bring to the table. I'm not much of a fan of cliches, but the fact of the matter is, they don't make 'em like that anymore. Up over and out.

CD Universe has this available as a pre-order right now. Street date is June 17th. It's a limited edition, although who knows what that means. Up over and out.

I'll be picking this one up, but without many expectations. I know a fair number of people consider this to be an unrecognized masterpiece, but let's face it, from a musical standpoint, Dennis Wilson was far and away the least talented of the Wilsons. Still, these guys as a group or as individuals have always held me in their sway, so even if it's just from a curiosity standpoint, this is one I'll have to have. Who knows...maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Chewy, thanks for the heads up. Up over and out.

Now that's funny! Up over and out.

I think you might be onto something if you could make celery sticks taste like a Milky Way. If you happened to be in the weight management industry, the possibilities are endless. Up over and out.

Wow, I just watched him in Michael Clayton last night. He made some terrific movies and was very effective as an actor. Up over and out.

I'm late to this thread, but I didn't want to let it pass without adding my condolences. Dickerson is far and away my favorite vibes player. His later Prestige OJC releases, especially To My Queen and Relativity are exceptional. At least Mr. Dickerson lived a full life, unlike so many others in the world of jazz. Thanks, man, for everything you did. Up over and out.

I've been on a bit of a CBBB tear of late, so I picked up Small Hours yesterday. I also got the Seeds Shihab release, but not before A-B'ing the titles on All Those Cats with what was shown on Da Bastids website. Just a couple of duplications, unlike Companionship. There were two CBBB rarities on eBay yesterday that I was watching, All Blues wound up going for $74.99 and Sax No End for $29.00. Hopefully, these will be available at more reasonable prices at some point in the near future. Up over and out.

I would highly recommend Jimmy Ponder's release, "Somebody's Child". Some really nice stuff on this one. Up over and out.

If I'm unfortunate enough to have to put up with a celeste, I try very hard to pretend I'm listening to someone playing the vibes. Mostly, it doesn't help. I agree with others who have already weighed in...why? Same thoughts on a Chambers' bowed bass solo. As I've said before, it sounds like somebody's getting mugged at the end of an alley. Up over and out.

This is from today's jazzwax.com blog. Any thoughts? I'm not sure where the line is when it comes to restoring legendary recordings by jazz giants. How far should a label go when cleaning up a recording made generations ago? Do you remove all the ambient noise? What about exposing notes that weren't heard on the original recording? And at what point does a recording become unrecognizable because all the sonic grime was removed? In about two weeks, all of these questions will be dwarfed by a new, much larger one: Is a jazz album valid if the artist has been replaced by computer software? Brace yourself, for that's surely the bone that will be chewed on furiously by jazz critics when Sony BMG Masterworks releases on June 3d the controversial Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here (Live at the Shrine). I'm just glad I had a chance to hear the recording before everyone else has a go. What makes this new Sony Masterworks CD so contentious is how it was recorded. First, a little history: Back in April 1949, Tatum performed solo at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium [pictured], with nine tracks recorded, albeit poorly. The original recording sounds as if someone had poured sand onto the platter or tape heads revolving that day. Unable to do much with the masters, Sony decided to try something revolutionary (though some will say "heretical"). Let me quote from the Sony press release: "Last year, Sony BMG and Zenph Studios re-recorded Tatum's 1949 concert at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. They placed a state-of-the-art YamahaDisklavier Pro concert grand piano on the same stage in the same spot that Tatum played and recorded a flawless re-performance on modern equipment before a live audience." Who played the concert grand? Again, let me quote from the press release: "Zenph's unique technique turns audio recordings into live performances that precisely replicate the original recording, but offer vastly improved sound quality. Listeners are transported back to the moment of creation and experience Tatum's playing as if they were in the room when the original recordings were made." In other words, the piano keys moved by themselves, inspired by digital data. Zenph Studios is a company in North Carolina that builds software for recreating precisely how musicians perform. Zenph took the Tatum master, captured every note and nuance with its proprietary software program, and then ran the result through the Yamaha piano while Sony recorded the Tatum-less performance in front of a live audience. Freaky, to say the least. Test-Tube Tatum. But frankly, after listening to the CD 15 times, I honestly have mixed feelings about the album. On the one hand, it's a joy to hear Tatum's notes played with such clarity. On the other hand, I did have trouble shaking the image that I'm listening to Bizarro Tatum, the piano genius who wasn't there. Which begs the philosophical question: Am I listening to an Art Tatum recording if Tatum's fingers aren't producing the notes? And is this project an insult to jazz or is it simply a high-tech tribute? I'm not sure. In some ways, I feel like the diner at a chop house who's just been told halfway through the meal that the lamb I'm eating was cloned. The mutton may taste great but you can't stop thinking about scientists in lab coats and the fate of your genes if you finish your meal. Tatum certainly was superhuman. We know this from his clean recordings and film footage. You listen to his interpretations and you can't even imagine what it must have been like to hear him play live, let alone watch those fingers miraculously fly up and down the keyboard. Tatum was and remains jazz's most remarkable pianist. There really isn't a pianist alive (nor will there ever be) who is superb enough to sit down and sound precisely like Tatum. So it only figures that software would be needed to re-capture such a spectacular artist. There's no denying that Piano Starts Here's fidelity is exceptional. And I did find myself forgetting that the piano was playing by itself. Each track, from How High the Moon and Tea for Two to Someone to Watch Over Me, bristles with Tatum's fleshy energy and stormy touch. The CD even has warmth, humor and dynamics—notes and chords are depressed with different, accurate strengths. So what are we to make of Piano Starts Here? Is it a gimmick, a gross violation of nature? Or is this recording simply an opportunity to hear what Tatum must have sounded like if you were sitting on the piano bench with him back in 1949? It would be so easy to dump on Piano Starts Here for being a wax museum piece or the start of some horrible trend toward musician-less jazz albums. But that reaction would be unfair given how good the CD sounds. Besides, Zenph used the same technology in 2006 to reperform Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of the Bach Goldberg Variations, which long suffered in mono. Clearly, this isn't an Art Tatum album. For it to be such a disc, Tatum obviously would have to be sitting at the keyboard. But is it a jazz mockery, the musical equivalent of a Monet forgery? I don't think I'd go that far. Technology allows for many things these days, and this just happens to be one of them. Fortunately, the result is both entertaining and illuminating. You finally get to hear what Tatum must have sounded like if you were in the front row that day. It's eerily intimate. So, all things considered, Piano Starts Here is fun to hear and addictive. IfSupersax could pose as five Charlie Parkers and Dave Pell could recreate Lester Young's solos with his Prez Conference, a Yamaha grand running down Art Tatum solos isn't the worst thing in the world, especially given how much love, care and respect went into the recreation. Piano Starts Here just has to be considered for what it is: A clear, enjoyable and virtually perfect recreation of Tatum's perfect liveperformance. This CD doesn't erase or replace the importance and significance of the original recording. It merely provides us with an audio document detailing Tatum's sound and technique if today's digital wizards could go back in time and do that 1949 concert some audio justice. JazzWax tracks: The original Art Tatum Shrine Auditorium concert can be found on Art Tatum: 1949 on the French Classics label. The CD is available here used for about $16. The sound is, however, coarse and a bit distant. Piano Starts Here from Sony will be released on June 3d and will be available here and likely at iTunes. In addition to the nine tracks that Tatum recorded at the Shrine, the CD includes his first four commercial recordings issued on 78-rpm in 1933 by Brunswick. When listened to with headphones, the recording replicates what Tatum would have heard from the piano bench at the Shrine, with the music seeming to come from directly in front of you. Up over and out,

I guess it depends on the individual. I know a fair number of people whose daily exposure to music begins and ends with an elevator ride. They just don't care. For others, like all of us, music is one of the four basic food groups. Personally, I think a lot of the "commitment" comes from early exposure. As a child, I was always around music. Not necessarily anything that interested me, but it was there. I also think age has as bearing. The older you are, the fewer entertainment alternatives existed in your formative years. For example, what's the average age of Organissimo contributors? Further, the quality of what passes as music today and the throw away, flavor-of-the-week nature of the medium also speaks to importance. I would venture to say that fewer young people today will be musically committed over the course of their lifetimes than were "hooked" when we were growing up. For sure, I feel sorry for those for whom music plays little if any role in their lives. At the same time, that's rather conceited. Bottom line, as Sly Stone said, "different strokes for different folks." I'm just happy it's there for me. Up over and out.

Smoke On The Water. Arguably, the best hook in the history of rock. Up over and out.

Not sure about her music, but I'd sure buy that sweater right off her back. Up over and out.

Jarrett has about 50 different ways of saying "fuck you". This is just one of them. Up over and out.

Jim, I can't say it much better at this point than others already have. Just a couple of thoughts. First, be happy that your Dad had a chance to meet your new daughter. Second, try to focus as much as you can on what you have, not what you've lost. You clearly have lots of friends on this board who, as one, share in your loss.

This one is now available from the Fresh Sound website. Up over and out.

According to blogger extrordinaire Marc Myers at at jazzwax.com, and per discussions with Scott Wenzel at Mosaic, the Goodman Mosaic will be out in September. Here's the text of his post: Benny Goodman on Mosaic. Last week, I checked in with Mosaic Records' set producer Scott Wenzel about the much anticipated Classic Columbia and Okeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Sessions (1939-1958). Scott told me the box will consist of seven discs, cost $119 and likely will be released in September. The amazing Loren Schoenberg is writing the liner notes. Wenzel says the box will include more than 25 previously unissued recordings and one new song, Swanee River (1958), that had been previously undocumented in discographies. This is shaping up to be the box of the year. One to look forward to for sure. Up over and out.

don't think it would have made much of a difference, he should have been shot like in 1934 or 1939 at the latest - always had difficulties to really appreciate the Stauffenberg group, i mean, they died for what was essentially a good thing, but i don't think they (mainly) did it for the right reasons (stop the holocaust, prevent ww2 from happening); it was rather that they were shocked at how madly hitler organized his war (a thing which shouldn't actually suprise anyone who heard hitler talk for more than 30 seconds - the guy was obviously mad) Considering the volatility of the situation from late 1942 on, how you can say you don't think it would have a difference if Hitler had been assassinated? Had this happened, in all likelihood, Germany would have sued for peace. That would have frozen everything in place leaving the Russians on the outside looking in, perhaps changing the face of the cold war. It could have also had an effect on the war with Japan, as resources devoted to the war in Europe could have been redirected to the Pacific Theater. Thinking more broadly, what if the allies had captured the whole of German technology, leaving the Russian's plate empty? Personally, I think this could easily have changed history in ways we can't even imagine. Up over and out.

When I used to visit Borders with some regularity, I can remember seeing this CD. I mean it had to have been sitting in the bins for over a year, if not longer. Finally, someone bought it, but that someone wasn't me. Several years later, when I first joined e-music, I was going through their OJC catalogue and saw "All Members". I remembered it from my Borders days, so I figured, what the heck. The only word I could appropriately apply to my reaction upon listening to this session, was "shocked". Shocked that such a great session could be under the leadership of such an obscure musician. Shocked at the quality of the band. But, mostly, shocked because he never did anything else. It's made me wonder if this just sat on the shelf for years so that by the time it was finally released, the concept of any kind of follow up had become moot. Anyhow, if you've never listened to this, you are in for a treat. No weak sister, business class filler on this one. All the tunes and all the playing are first rate. Up over and out.

First of all, yes, thanks for posting this article. With regard to MG's observation, if Moody's is as reliant and, until recently, as confident in the accuracy of their analytical programs, then scoping out Subprime XYZ shouldn't take more than a day, if that. I think it's just a matter of loading the data and then letting the program do the work. Needless to say, they erred significantly in their unwillingness to recognize two things; first, that the market was changing and, second, that their assumptions were based on outdated and erroneous information. To me, that's just laziness. There appear to be plenty of people, some within their own ranks, who had already hoisted red flags. To just stumble along in blissful ignorance on a business-as-usual basis, in spite of these warnings, is inexcusable. Gordon Gecko strikes again. "Greed is good". Just ask the upper echelon geek squad at Moody's. Up over and out.