Dave James

Big Wynton fan here too. With the possible exception of Sonny Clark, my favorite comper. First cabin Kelly can be heard on the Dragon Records release Miles Davis in Sweden. This is a multi-disc set that has much to recommend it. In addition to some prime Kelly, beaucoup de Coltrane and several tunes with his short-lived replacement in the quintet, Sonny Stitt. It also features a radio interview with Trane. This is one of my favorite CD releases in many years. Up over and out.

That's what I love about this board. Serious post about Japanese scientists finally locating and filming a giant squid immediately followed by pictures of a plate of Calamari. The level of irreverance is overwhelming. Don't stop. Up over and out.

As a Yankee fan, I can certainly tell you that having Mussina start on Sunday (assuming that game has any meaning) makes me pretty uncomfortable. He was brutal last night. But, for any fan of the Sox, Shilling on the bump can't be any less worrisome. I was kind of hoping the Yanks would hold Johnson back a day and let him and Shilling duel it out on Sunday, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. It's be Wong/Wells on Friday; Johnson/Wakefield (on three days rest he's career 5-4) and then Moose and Shilling on Sunday. Not sure what that leaves for a playoff game on Monday if that becomes necessary, although I'd guess the Yanks would have to play Small ball with 8-0 Aaron. Of course, in a game like that, everyone has to be ready. Note to Dan and other Sox fans. I'm leaving on vacation for 2+ weeks Friday morning, so if Boston wins, I won't be available for abuse until the middle of October. If the Yanks win, that'll give you some time to collect yourself. By then, I suppose it's possible neither team will still be in the hunt. Up over and out.

I just walked down to Border's and picked this one up. When you get it, look on the inside of the booklet and check out the rest of the "Thanksgiving Jazz" lineup. My word. And all for the princely top end price of $3.95. I can't help but wonder that if the Voice of America taped Monk and Coltrane that night, is there any reason to think they wouldn't have taped Billie, Dizzy, Ray Charles, Chet w/ Zoot and Sonny Rollins? Perhaps we have other releases to look forward to that were recorded on the very same evening? Up over and out.

I received an offer in the mail yesterday to subscribe to The Atlantic Monthly. I know nothing about this magazine save what the sales pitch says that came with the offer. To wit: "What you'll find is a magazine devoted to behind-he-scense reporting, ahead-of- the-curve storytelling, and must-read analysis of current events. A magazine The Washington Post called the 'smartest on the rack'." Is anyone familiar with this? Opinions? I already take The New Yorker, so would you consider AM to be something of a clone? Is it East Coast centric or more generic in its focus? Cost-wise, the "special professional rate" they're offering is 12 issues for $19.95. Thanks for the help. Up over and out.

Ah! The elusive elixir...Lone Star Draft. A perennial favorite of me and my crew in our undergraduate days. Cheap...dern tootin'. But we especially liked it because we could ask for it by name...LSD. BTW, in the late '60's, me and my crew were very easily amused. Up over and out. WARNING: THREAD IN DANGER OF BEING HI-JACKED!!

I looked this over pretty carefully and I don't see any references to stereo or mono versions. They are careful to provide you with the master number of each take, but the word "mono" only came up once and "stereo" not at all. Maybe someone who's more familiar with Charles' material (this is the very first Ray Charles I've ever owned) could comment, but I'm of no help at all here. Sorry I can't shed any more light on this for you guys. Up over and out.

I keep reminding myself to pick up the updated version. I just have the original release on CBS from way back in 1975. Hall's take on "Concierto de Aranjuez" is simply one of my all-time favorite pieces. I mean, in addition to Hall, you have Chet Baker, Paul Desmond and Roland Hanna as well as the aforementioned Ron Carter, all playing in the finest of fettle. How much better can it get? When I did radio some years ago, I had a Saturday morning show and I'd make it a point to play Concierto de Aranjuez on a regular basis. It never once failed to light up the phone lines. Well, hold it...this was jazz radio, so maybe just a couple of calls. Once that tune revs up and kicks into gear, it's as pure as pure pleasure gets. BTW, Jim, my copy of the CD has "Rock Skippin'" on it as well as an alternate take of "The Answer is Yes". Both are indicated as being previously unreleased. Up over and out.

The guy in the shop was right. This morning I had bacon and eggs for breakfast. I cooked them on the Charles box. Just make sure the lid is shut all the way so the grease doesn't splatter. Right now, the box is out in the garage changing the oil in my car. It's really quite remarkable. Up over and out.

I just bought the new Ray Charles Atlantic box yesterday. Interesting packaging to say the least. I'm deliberately not listening to any of this until I leave on vacation a week from tomorrow, but I did peruse the book (and I do mean book) that comes with the set last night. If I'm reading the tune listing correctly, they've pulled the singles from the rest of the tunes on a given album and programmed them seperately. My preference would have been that they just reproduce the albums as they were released. Maybe I'm being nitpicky...I should just listen and shut up, but preferences are preferences. Up over and out.

What I'd like to know is who funds these studies. I think if you asked the average person on the street if women's hands were cleaner than men's, the answer would be overwhelmingly, "yes". So, why pay money to provide a scientific answer to a question that everyone can already answer and that no one even cares about in the first place. Kind of like the attorney full employment act masquerading as the tax code, providing the public with useless information is what keeps a fair number of scientists busy and well paid, but adds absolutely nothing to the national knockwurst. It's like funding a study to find out if ex-convicts tend to go to jail more often than the general population. What's the point? Up over and out.

Jayson Stark said this morning on ESPN radio that the irony of the American League East race is that at this point, New York actually has their pitching situation more squared away than the Red Sox. This, after everyone has spent the whole year talking about the Yankee's pitching problems. Of course, that still doesn't mean I'd want to go into October with a rotation of Johnson, Wang, Small and Chacon, but it is what it is unless Mussina gets better. The AL East race is still going to come down to the final weekend. I can't see it any other way. Just wish those games were in the Bronx and not in Beantown. Up over and out.

There are few men or women in history who have devoted their lives to such a singular purpose. A life well lived and a calling fully realized. Up over and out.

No offense, jazzypaul, but I'm starting to pray for a complete collapse on the part of the White Sox. Anything that'll get the Yanks into the playoffs is fine with me. The Hose start a three game set with Cleveland tonight in Chicago. That could go a long way towards figuring this out. If the Indians take two of these or sweep, I think the Sox may be toast. One other question. Where was this Jose Contreras when he wore pinstripes? Up over and out.

You might want to check with Aric Effron. I think he has a copy. Up over and out.

Purely for comparitive purposes, I wonder if there's any way Anita could be talked into doing "The Lemon Song". Up over and out.

Hands down, it's got to be Don Lapre. He epitomizes everything that's abhorrant about television pitch men. With the kind of faux enthusiasm he can ramp up over nothing and his ability to lie with complete impunity, I'm suprised he hasn't been drafted by Karl Rove to work for the Bush administration. What's really sad is that for any of these scammers to exist, there have to more than a few people who go down for their lies. That's the scary part. These guys aren't any different televangelists, it's just that they're selling something a little different . The bottom line for both is identical. They're just looking to separate you from your money. Speaking of televangelists, has anyone ever come across Robert Tilton? He makes any of these other guys look like they're still in grammer school. A genuine master scammer. I thought he'd disappeared for good after the infamous "prayer string" debacle, but he's back and better than ever. One of the funniest things I've ever seen is called "The Farting Tape" where someone went in and superimposed various and sundry farting sounds over Tilton's meanderings. Absolutely fall down funny. Up over and out.

To me, the MVP award boils down to which player his team could least afford to be without. That's why the word "valuable" and not the word "best" is part of the equation. Not to mention the fact that "Most Best Player" is a train wreck from a grammatical perspective. While I think Pujols is extremely valuable to the Cards, without Andruw Jones, there's no way the Braves would be poised to win another division championship. I don't give a rip if he's only hitting .270. He's the glue that held this whole thing together while the rookies got their sea legs. There's plenty of veteran leadership on the Cardinals and not too many young kids getting their first taste of The Show. Nope, to me, this goes to Jones for the same reason Ortiz gets it in the AL. Without these two guys, it just doesn't get done. Up over and out.

As ya'll know, I'm no fan of the Red Sox, and I love what Alex Rodriquez is doing this year, but if David Ortiz isn't the American League MVP, then the system is broken. I know he doesn't have the defensive presence of ARod and he DH's some of the time, but you absolutely cannot ignore his ability to rise the occasion and carry his team. The guy just gets big hit after big hit after big hit. Without him, the Sox are no where near the top. Isn't that what being an MVP is all about? Up over and out.

I'm eagerly anticipating the Monk/Coltrane and "Back From the Gig", but I'm really psyched for the Ray Charles Atlantic box that comes out next week. I'm going to Hawaii for 2 1/2 weeks in October. This will be my constant companion. Up over and out.

If all he'd ever made was "The Day the Earth Stood Still", he'd still be pretty high on my list. One of my all-time favorites. The DVD release features a very lengthly interview with Mr. Wise that's worth the price of admission. He was a very interesting and talented gentleman. Up over and out.

There are three Border's stores in my immediate vicinity. The one downtown that I frequent most often has cut way back on jazz. Everything else in the music section is about the same stock-wise as it's always been. Jazz just doesn't sell, at least at the brick and mortor level and if it doesn't justify the space they have been allocating to it, then, well, you do the math. The other two Border's seem to have given over a much greater portion of their available space to DVD's. Gotta think the profit margin, especially at Border's inflated prices, is much greater for those than it is for CD's. I wondered about the spate of coupons too. These 30% hummers are few and far between, but it's not out of the ordinary for them to issue one 25% coupon after another. Who knows what that means, if anything. Up over and out.

We don't always see eye to eye, but I think Dan's a pretty good head. Dan, here's hoping you have a good one. Go Yanks. Up over and out.

Can't promise I'll make it, but I'm gonna try to get there. Will there be a special Organissimo rooting section set up? No cover? Is it OK to say "I'm with the band?" Up over and out.

SS, I have the the Tampa Pepper/Paich on vinyl. I found it at a Goodwill store in Ellensberg, Washington. Paid $5.00 for it if I recall correctly. It's in nice condition. I've often wondered about its value. BTW, for what its worth, the LP has a yellow cover. As to the music, geez, for $.25 or so a song, it's awfully hard to go wrong. But, to set your mind at ease, the music is excellent...you won't be disappointed. Up over and out.