Dave James

Shane, Yes, I'd say you did "marginally" well. Nice haul. I'm one of those who paid the high freight for the Rogers on e-Bay. I still think it was worth it, but $75 with no shipping and handling or insurance sounds awfully good to me. Care to take a swipe at exactly how you felt when you first spotted this one and then saw the price? That had to have made your knees buckle. I've had some finds in my day, but nothing like this. And then to top everything off with TB's TB, what can you say? When the gods are smiling on you like this, it's time to buy a lottery ticket. Up over and out.

I can remember several years ago having a major Jones for Wilkerson's BN work, but that was only based on the mystique of OOP BN's, not for any specific musical reason. I eventually tracked down Japanese reissues of all three, but I must say this is a case where anticipation greatly exceeded realization. These are not bad albums per se, just far from memorable. For my tastes, they veer a little too close to straight up R&B. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Given Wilkerson's musical background, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but that didn't keep me from being a little disappointed. Up over and out.

I'm one of the two who have voted so far who got into jazz in my '30's. My story is a lot like the one shared by Morganized. I've been into music of one kind or another for as long as I can remember. I grew up with Elvis and Ricky, moved to the Beach Boys and Beatles and lots of Philadelphia soul music from the '70's...O'Jays, Harold Melvin, Spinners that sort of thing. At some point, I morphed into what we now call smooth jazz, beginning with George Benson's Breezin'. That led me to others of the same ilk and I tested the waters with the likes of, among many others, Bob James, Creed Taylor's CTI recordings, Earl Klugh and a local guy, Tom Grant. The line of demarcation between this kind of music and more serious jazz listening occured when I landed a gig on a local public radio station that played jazz 24/7. KMHD, 89.1 FM. What a learning experience that was. An entire studio filled with LP's and CD's by people I'd never heard or even heard of. It was at that point that I abandoned all pretense and immersed myself in the music that consumes me now. What's kind of interesting, at least to me, is that I have an identical twin brother who wouldn't listen to jazz if you held a gun to his head. Not that he doesn't like music, but definitely not jazz. I got him to admit once, in what can only be described as a moment of profound weakness, that Miles Davis' KOB was "listenable", but that's as far as he ever went. On the other hand, the music he likes doesn't interest me at all, so I guess you might call ours a musically reciprocal arrangement. Up over and out.

Oh boy...does this one bring back some memories. I went to Lewis & Clark, a small liberal arts college just outside Portland. It's about two miles from where I grew up. I will never forget one, shall we say, heavily medicated experience in the Spring of 1970. At the conclusion of a rather interesting evening, I decided to walk home from campus. It was about 5:00 in the morning. Upon arrival, I planted myself in front of the big picture window in our living room, put on my headphones and chambered In the Court of the Crimson King. The window faced East, so I cruised through the entire album while watching the sun make its way up over the horizon. WOW! One of those experiences that's indelibly etched in my memory banks. Up over and out.

Further evidence of the decline of Western Civilization. Up over and out.

I have Gruntz' Mental Cruelty. Good stuff, albeit typical soundtrack material where you get a number of short, mood capturing pieces. I don't think there's anything on this that runs more than 3 minutes. Wilen acquits himself admirably. I would recommend it, especially if you're an afficianado. The Auto Jazz (Bandini) recording is available on CD. I've seen it on Dusty Groove a number of times. One other Wilen that hasn't been mentioned here, although it's come up on some other threads, is What's New Volume 2. It's an Italian recording on Schema / Rearward with drummer Gil Cupini in the leadership role. I know Lon is a big fan of this one, as am I. Again, something that pops up occasionally on Dusty Groove. Well worth the effort necessary to land a copy. Since this is Vol.2, I've often wondered if there's a Vol. 1. Haven't been able to run that question to ground. If you've got money to burn, go with anything from Wilen on the Japanese Venus label. The recording quality of these discs is outstanding. Up over and out.

I love the big pipe. The second Mosaic I bought was the Chaloff and only because he played the baritone...I'd never actually heard him and I only knew of him as a Herdsman. He's become a particular favorite. However, of all the bari players who have been rightfully mentioned in this thread, my numero uno is Lars Gullin. Such a unique, light and airy sound, especially considering the instrument he's playing. I'm particularly fond of his five CD's on the Swedish Dragon label. Put me amongst the Mulligan Masses and in the Carney Corner as well. As far as Pepper Adams goes, though, I'm not sure I've yet been able to acquire that taste. I have a lot of his stuff, but there something about that too raspy sound that just doesn't get over with me. Up over and out.

If he'd never done anything but "Support Your Local Sheriff", Elam would still rank pretty high in my book. One of those little, silly movies that you can keep coming back to over and over again and it never disappoints. Elam and Garner made a terrific team but don't forget Walter Brennan and Bruce Dern. That whole scene in the jailhouse with Garner, Brennan and Dern where Dern is stuck behind the bars that aren't really there is a classic. Up over and out.

I picked this one up yesterday and so far, it's everthing AMG said it was and more. I've only been able to listen to the first disc, but to these ears, it's the best sounding live Allman Brothers I've heard, and that includes the legendary Fillmore East recordings. Greg Allman has never sounded better either vocally or instrumentally...his B-3 is right up front and sounds terrific. Their version of "Dreams" from the first set is one of the best things I've heard in a long time. This really makes me remember a year like 1970 and how great it was to be young and foolish and knee deep in music. Rock the way it's supposed to be. Highly recommended. Up over and out.

I'm really looking forward to the Curtis Amy Select. For those who have never had the pleasure of hearing "Katanga" you are in for a rare treat. IMO, that's easily the flagship of the whole fleet of Pacific Jazz reissues that came out 3-4 years ago. A shockingly good album. Dupree Bolton is also on that one and he's someone you just don't get to hear very often. I'm also excited to see that one of the sessions includes Victor Feldman. I can't get enough of him as a piano man. Anyone who questions this need look no futher than the five Shelly Manne At the Blackhawk CD's. Feldman's soloing and especially his comping just kick that band into a wholly higher gear. The Pearson also works for me. I've got quite a lot of him, but none of the recordings that are included on the Select. How perfect is that? The Eldridge is also on the docket big time. Guess I'll just start having the company deposit my next few paychecks directly into Mosaic's account. Up over and out.

Bruce - Nicely turned. Bringing this discussion full circle from baseball to jazz in a completely coherent manner. Up over and out.

Jason Giambi is among the five MLB players subpoenaed to testify. I know he's a good sized guy, but as far as I know, he's always been that way. It's not like to miraculous transformation of a Barry Bond or a Sammy Sosa. Sosa is so obvious, only a total knucklehead (the phone is for you Bud) wouldn't know he's juicing. Just look at him back when he played with the White Sox. Why I'll be darned, he looks a lot like Barry Bonds when he was a Pirate. If any of you read Sports Illustrated, you may recall Rick Reilly (easily SI's best columnist) sitting with Sammy and asking him if he'd be willing to accompany him (Reilly) that very day and be tested for steriods. Apparently, as he got up to leave, Sammy started launching F bombs in Reilly's direction like his mouth had been corked. That kind of tells me all I need to know. The whole drug think in pro sports is an accident waiting to happen. To a certain extent, especially in football, I can understand the mind set. If you think the guy across the line is amped up, you don't want to fall too far behind because it's all about strength, quickness and speed. Keepin' up with the Jonses as it were. If any of the professional sport's leagues hadn't let themselves be whipsawed by their own Players Associations, then maybe there would be some teeth in their drug policies. As it is, anyone is pretty much free and clear to do whatever they please. In baseball, the thing that really bothers me about the drug issue is the sanctity of the records that are such an integral part of the game's history and legacy. If Bonds or Sosa or McGwire were using steriods when they broke or break all those home run records, then they ought to be collectively run out of town on a rail. Or worse, have an asterisk next to their name in the record books. Up over and out.

I was looking through Alan's indispensable Jazzmatazz website this morning trying to find a release date for the Roy Eldridge Mosaic. Unless I missed something, it was nowhere to be found. I hate to be a pest, but does anyone have any current information on this one? Needless to say, the sooner the better. Up over and out.

I listened to this one on the plane to Minneapolis last week. I followed it with Hill's Passing Ships. I think the quality of the latter made me less attentive to the former, but I've since listened to The Flip a few more times and I must say, it does tend to grow on you. My only disappointment, as I've stated elsewhere, is that it doesn't include a ballad. I love Hank playing ballads so the lack of one here is a genuine disappointment. There's a truncated sense about this one...like maybe they intended to do more but never did. Certainly worth having, though, and not just for the fact that it's Hank's Blue Note swan song. Up over and out.

Ghost of Miles - I'm there. Organissimo Yankee Fans Support Group. It doesn't get any better than this - when do we meet? I also share your dislike of the Dallas Cowboys. Not just because I'm an Eagle fan, but because of the incredible cajones it took when they decided to declare themselves America's Team. Every time they lose it makes my day. BTW, last Sunday was brutal. Up over and out.

I was pleasantly surprised with the Stitt Mosaic. I got it for a good price or I probably would have waited until it was threatened with extinction. Prior to my exposure to the Mosaic, my overall impression of Stitt was something less than sunny. I thought he wielded a good, workmanlike, lunch pail alto, but not much more. The Mosaic has completely changed those initial impressions. This set is filled with top-of-the-line, no-questions-asked hard bop. Count me among those who was attracted to the set by the sometime presence of Jimmy Jones, who I think is a vastly underrated player. I don't think anyone who counts themselves among the fans of this music, could possibly be disappointed with this collection. Up over and out.

Red Wings? What's not to like about the Red Wings? The classiest player in the league in Stevie Yzerman, one of the best owners in all of professional sports, and a fantically loyal and knowledgable fan base. I've been a fan since my brother and I played basement hockey with a roll of electrical tape. I taught myself to shoot left handed so I could be more like Alex Delvecchio. At the risk of putting my judgement if not my life in jeopardy, I'm also a HUGE fan of the New York Yankees. Have been since the mid-50's. GO YANKS - GO WINGS!! Up over and out.

KMHD - Gresham, Oregon - 89.1 FM. Up over and out.

Mike - You're right, this one isn't as hard to get as I may have led folks to believe. Mores the better though...this is one I'd easily recommend. Well worth the hunt. I'm trying to remember where I got mine. I'm thinking Dusty Groove. Up over and out.

Put me down in the Eldridge Verve Mosaic camp. As much as I hate to admit this, I have zero Roy in my current collection. Looking mucho forward to this one. Also, Grant Green's Goin' West. I just missed out on this when Dusty Groove had it in stock a couple of weeks ago. That near death experience has whet (whetted?) my appetite even more. Lastly, the unreleased Bird and Diz that everyone else is talking about. That will be a fun one. Wish we had a better idea of the street date. The official "I Wants" rule book says you can't actually look forward to something until you know when you can get it. So, right now I'm only in "pre-looking forward to this" mode. Up over and out.

I'm pretty much on record as not being a fan of the flute. There are a couple of players I can handle in small doses but when it comes to jazz, I think it's an instrument that's best left on the cutting room floor. Having said that, I find I'm still intrigued by the gutteral, almost netherworldly sound of the contrabass flute. I think in my entire collection I have one CD that features this instrument and then only on a couple of cuts. It's a fairly recent release from James Spaulding on High Note called "Escapade". Then, while perusing Alan Lankin's Jazzmatazz website today, I noticed an October 7th release by an artist with whom I'm not familiar by the name of Chip Shelton. His new CD is called "Flute Bass-Ics" so I assume it's at least in part populated by the instrument in question. The album features Stephen Scott, Ron Carter and Lewis Nash. A nice lineup. I have two questions. First, does anyone know anything about Mr. Sheldon in general and this album in particular? Second, any recommendations of other albums that feature the bass flute? Thanks. Up over and out.

Ed, Trust me you will not be disappointed by The Golden Eight. Although I hate to admit it, that's the only CBBB in my whole collection. I do have a solo disc by Francey Boland, but that doesn't really count. The guy holding down the tenor sax chair on TG8 is a guy by the name of Kari Drevo. Dusko Gojkovich is on trumpet. I liked Drevo so much on this I went out and found a CD with him as the leader. I may own the only copy of this that exists. Up over and out.

Jim and Lon - Thanks for the information. This is just what I needed. Up over and out.

I'm looking to transfer some LP's to CD. I called a place here in town that does this and they said it would cost anywhere from $30.00 to $50.00 per LP depending on the condition of the source material. That seemed a bit steep to me. So, the question is, can one do this at home with acceptable results? If so, could someone give me some guidance as to the equipment that would be necessary, a general idea of the cost of same and maybe a brief primer on how to make this happen? BTW, I have an old belt drive Thorens turntable that works fine, so that's not an issue. Thanks. Up over and out.

I'm a Mach 3 guy too, but I'd kill for an electric shaver that actually gave you a close shave. I have a couple of scars on my chin that resulted from a particularly nasty high sticking incident from my ice hockey days and I always seem to be catching the blade. When I really nail myself, the aftermath makes the bathroom look like an ER. Not pretty. This is probably bordeline TMI, but I actually use two different razors. The Gilette for the first "cut" and then a disposable for clean up in some hard to get to areas generally associated with the aforementioned scars. I use the Edge gel that's supposed to include some sort of cleansing ingrediants, but I tend to think that's just marketing spin. I use an aftershave cream from Nivea that I like a lot. The key there is to get the stuff without any alcohol. Unless, that is, you enjoy that burning sensation only a good, alcohol based aftershave can provide. Up over and out.