Dave James

JMoose - The reason I said "to a lesser extent" with regard to the JPM box is because there are, at least in my mind, inherent limitations in the piano trio format. While I do greatly enjoy this set because so many different and diverse players are presented, I would not hold it up to the level of either the Classic Capital Jazz or the Hot Record Society boxes. Now that I've issued this offical caveat, the buying decision is yours. I'd just feel responsible if I didn't clarify my earlier statement and, as a result, wound up steering you in the wrong direction. Up over and out.

Geez guys, you ought to know me well enough by now to recognize sarcasm when you see it. Of course I know Jeff Meier, just like I know that Yankee fans, if anything, are probably worse that Red Sox fans almost any day of the week. Guess I should have done as my man Man said and included a smilie. Here's a good one I heard this morning though. They don't call Red Sox fans Massholes for nothing. Up over and Harold.

Boy those fans in Boston. What a bunch of thugs. Interfering with the play on the field? Only at Fenway. You'd never see that kind of thing happen in Yankee Stadium. Up over and Harold.

I don't know what happened to Don Sleet, but "All Members" is a dynamite CD. I was just listening to it this morning at work. Up over and out.

Lon, Although I'm a big fan of the Stitt Mosaic, you make a good point about listening to the same instrumental configuration for any length of time. I'm finding more and more that the Mosaics I return to most often are the ones that "spread the wealth". I've become particularly enamoured of late with the H.R.S. box, the Classic Capital Jazz set and, to a lesser extent, Jazz Piano Moods. Lots of variety to be had within these sets simply because they include so many different artists. One of the reasons I'm about 99% sure the recently released Columbia Swing Sessions will be my next Mosaic purchase. Up over and out.

Yup, the folks at Nike are already figuring out how they can best turn this shot to their advantage. Tiger was using a new ball at The Masters called the Nike Platinum One. It will not be available to the general public for a few months, so they'll have plenty of time to get the 20+ handicap crowd all lathered up thinking about what this ball can do for their game. Cost for a dozen of these bad boys is...hold onto your hat...$54.00. That's $4.50 a copy. Anyone who spends that kind of money for a golf ball who doesn't have a handicap in the low single digits should be shot. Up over and out.

Ben Webster from the CD " Plays Ballads" on Storyville Records. Real nice. Up over and out.

bFB, If you're really Jonesing on Kamuca, pick up the Jazz Scene USA DVD featuring Shelly Manne and his Men. Really prime stuff, with lots of space for Kamuca as well as Conte Candoli and Russ Freeman. The other "half" of the DVD is given over to Shorty Rogers and his Giants, so it's all good. Up over and out.

Barbara Dennerlein doing "Killer Joe" from the CD "Hot Stuff." One of my first "go to" jazz tunes soon after my mainstream epiphany. Had to have been 15 years ago, if not more. Up over and out.

Gotta go with Lawrence of Newark. The first, and close to the only, B-3'er who really colored outside the lines. While I'm not a huge fan of where his musical journey ultimately led, most of the stops along the way are fascinating. I love his work with Grant Green. Some of my very favorite music. Up over and out.

I guess the next question, and others have alluded to it, is will there be more sets discounted in the future? If these are truly Mosaics (and I guess I have no reason to believe they aren't) then perhaps they are giving some thought to changing their business plan, i.e. moving to a volume based model. By that, I mean selling enough sets at discounted prices to at least equal and hopefully exceed what they would have made if they'd sold fewer sets at a higher cost. It will be interesting to see what happens. The Farlow set was released some time ago, and didn't show up at the discount houses until recently. I suppose it's possible they may be allowing the sales of a given set to drive the move to a volume driven approach, i.e. if a set is moving slower than they need it to move, they go to Plan B. If that, indeed, is what they're up to, I think it makes a fair amount of sense. Up over and out.

Went through disc 6 on my set last night. No problems to report. Frankly, the "dumping" theory strikes me as very non-Mosaic behavior. Just from a simple economic standpoint, it make no sense. You have one bad disc, so you dump five perfectly good ones along with the box and book? I just can't see them doing this. Up over and out.

Agree with those who say the Goodman Mosaic is very good, but not essential music. I know Benny tried to open up a big tent when it came to the "new" music, but I don't think he ever embraced it. I got this set on CD at a used record store here in Portland called Birdland for a whopping $25.00, box, booklet and all. This was long before anyone realized the intrinsic value of Mosaic sets and long before e-bay as well. Sidewinder - I was going to bid on the Powell Verve box last night but when I hit the submit button, I was too late. Please tell me your maximum bid was more than $41.00. That will make me feel a lot better. BTW, you got a helluva deal on that one in the low $30's. Up over and out.

I can recall reading somewhere that he intended to move backwards, perhaps more to the inner edges of out or even further. Given that he'd taken his music about as far as he could in its 1967 context, that wouldn't be much of a surprise. Based on his last few recordings, you'd get no argument from me if he chose to move in a more traditional direction. Keep in mind Coltrane died in 1967 at age 40. If he'd lived another 30-35 years, that would have taken him through a lot of different musical styles and trends. Everything from disco to hip hop. With someone as gifted musically as he was, one can only speculate as to what he might have gotten into. Geez, for all we know, he could've wound up calling himself De La Col or Jay-C. Fun to speculate, but who has a clue. Up over and out.

Don't look now kids, but there's a boatload of B-level OJC's that just appeared on Dusty Groove's website today. A harbinger of things to come? Up over and out.

Dan, Amen to that. In my earlier note I alluded to Woods' mental toughness. DiMarco was every bit as tough as Tiger this afternoon, if not more so. I don't think we've seen the last of this guy in the winner's circle. That was some great golf. Tiger's shot on 16 is one for the ages. As much as I dislike what the Master's stands for, it can be quite a show. Up over and out.

Am I wrong or wasn't there a cheaper version of the Farmer Golson Jazztet Mosaic available when the set was first released? Up over and out.

I'm convinced that the wording on the spine is a deliberate attempt to differentiate this box from an actual Mosaic set. Up over and out.

If Tiger does win today, and considering where he was after the first round, I think it has to be one of his most impressive victories. His opening 18 was almost comical. When my friends and I play, one of our favorite sayings is "no good shot goes unpunished." Even though Tiger created some of his own problems, that expression also applied to him on Thursday. To stage the kind of comeback we're in the midst of seeing now, says it all about Woods. He is without a doubt the most mentally tough guy out there. When you combine that with his physical ability and the condition he keeps himself in, he's head and shoulders above anyone else on the tour. As Jack Nicklaus said several years ago, "He plays a game with which I'm not familiar." Just the spectre of Tiger playing well I'm sure contributed to DiMarco's 41 on the back nine earlier this morning. It's just too bad no one could figure out how to get this on TV. I'm guessing the nine this morning may be the most dramatic portion of the entire tournament, and no one got to see it. Up over and out.

I was shocked to get my Farlow set today, only two days after I'd ordered it from an outfit called CDQuest in Florida. Great service. My box is like Sidewinder's. On the spine it says "The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Concert Band Sessions." But. on the cover of the box, it says "The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Sessions." Interesting, but considering I paid less than half the cost of the "real" Mosaic, it's not something that's going to keep me up at night. Everything else except the set numbering is bang on for an actual Mosaic. Up over and out.

I've seen The Blue Angels at least a half a dozen times. Twice at the Seafair Hydroplane races in Seattle and four times at the Rose Festival Air Show in Hillsboro. Oregon. We live about four blocks from the airport in Hillsboro, and when the Angels are practicing and also during their shows, they fly right over our house...and very low. Low enough that you can actually see the pilot in the cockpit when they bank into a turn. If you have never enjoyed them in person, it is truly spectacular. I've seen them do several different stunts where you practically have to pick yourself up off the ground when they're done. Awesome is a much abused word these days, but not when it comes to these guys. The Angels are coming back here for the 2005 edition of the Festival Air Show. I am looking forward to it. Aggie, the two engined plane with the aluminum skin in the picture you shared, is a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. These were the planes that were flown in Jimmy Dolittle's famous 1942 raid on Tokyo, the one launched from the aircraft carrier, Hornet. This must've been the 62 year old plane you were referring to. Up over and out.

Cool. The Animal gave it a good go, but he was in over his head. Just like anyone else who ever picked up a pair of sticks and slid behind a trap set. Buddy Rich was the very best...period...end of story...no questions asked. Up over and out.

I may be stretching my recollective abilities, but it seems to me Billy Gardner also made an appearance or two on piano with one of Dave Bailey's groups. Maybe on "One Foot in the Gutter" or "Two Feet in the Gutter." For what it's worth, I much prefer him on piano. Up over and out.

I'm throwing in with Nate on this one. To me, the pre-"return of" material is clearly superior to the later stuff. Yes...Winter Moon is an interesting set. Pepper in an entirely different light. If I remember correctly, I think he even has a go at the clarinet on this one. Pretty laid back, but pretty nice. And, as others have already said, "Meets the Rhytym Section." A true classic. Be sure you get the K-2 remaster of that one. His Pacific Jazz recordings are also worth seeking out. I have the Vanguard Box. Obviously live, very well recorded, but perhaps a little too frenetic for my tastes, although there's some nice stuff on it too. I just don't seem to pull that one off the shelf very often. If you really want to get inside Pepper, read his autobiography, "Straight Life." That one'll curl up your toes. Another book to check out is "The Art Pepper Companion" by Todd Selbert, an anthology of essays and critical assessments of Pepper's career and recordings. Up over and out.

Dan, That's pretty neat news. Even if this doesn't work out, for a $2.00 investment, this will have been a pretty wild ride. And. if it does, and these cuts do wind up on a Mosaic at some point, I can only say (and you'll have to pardon me for quoting an ex-Yankee); "Holy Cow!" Up over and out.