Dave James

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.

Soulstation, Once upon a time Mosaic was a West Coast operation. If I recall correctly, they were located in one of the "Santas" in California. I live in Portland Oregon, so I feel your pain. Up over and out.

On Friday, I received a catalogue from Daedalus Music. This time around, they are offering a qiote a batch of mainstream jazz recordings from an outfit call Past Perfect. Prices are at the cut-out level, i.e. generally less than $7.00 per disc. Many major artists are represented - Chet Baker, Gene Ammons, Dave Brubeck, Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, Don Byas, Sidney Bechet , Eric Dolphy and Clifford Brown among many others. Most are dates with which I'm unfamilar. Two good examples would be Don Byas' "Riffin' and Jivin'" from 1945-47 and Eric Dolphy's "Quiet Please" from 1960-61. The former includes Byas, Jimmy Powell and Billy Taylor and the latter, at least according the the catalogue, Coleman Hawkins, Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Booker Little and Tommy Flanagan. Now that's what I'd call a lineup. Does anyone know anything about these guys? Up over and out.

Got a couple going right now. On the serious side, Sam Tanenhaus' biography of Alger Hiss. On the not at all serious side, Florida Road Kill by Tim Dorsey. I can't recall reading a book that's made me laugh out loud at least a half a dozen times, and that's in just the first 60 pages. If you didn't know you could be killed by a pair of Levis 501's, a Barbie Doll or the Space Shuttle, then this is the book for you. As one of the back-of-the-jacket reviews says, "Imagine Hunter Thompson and Groucho Marx sharing a by-line." I couldn't say it any better. Up over and out.

While I was cruising Comcast the other night, I came across something called "Jam Sessions" on the BET Jazz channel. The featured group that night included Bela Fleck and, among others, Pat Martino, Rick Braun and Gerald Veasley. I know that sounds tipped a bit towards the smooth jazz side of the equation, but it wasn't that at all. The format allows for the leader, in this case, Braun, to call the tunes and then everyone plays. I was absolutely knocked out by Fleck. Most of the material was straight ahead and he just played his butt off. I've never really listened to him at all, but after seeing this set, I don't think there's anything this guy can't do on the banjo. Really impressive. Up over and out.

If pushed to provide Pepper preferences, I'd have to go with "Intensity" or, if you like your jazz served more on the mellow side, "Winter Moon". The latter features a cut with Pepper on clarinet. In spite of these two recommendations, however, "Meets the Rhythm Section" is still the yardstick against which all others must be measured. "Star Eyes" is a particular favorite of mine from that outing. Up over and out.

He plays the bass sax. Not many do that. That alone makes his music interesting to me. The Mosaic is a nice ride, although I have to say the Phillips sides are the real reason for having that one. Up over and out.

I don't what it is about Pepper that hooks me every time. Jim hit the musical part right on the head, but it's more than that. Sometimes I think the allure of a particular musician may have to do with issues other than their music. Pepper is one of the people who for me, personifies what some refer to as the jazz life. The two who come most quickly to mind in this context are Art Pepper and Chet Baker. Both incredible musicians, both junkies who lived their lives in a hand-to- mouth, hardscrabble manner that really has to be "seen" to be believed. Neither a very nice person, both incredibly self-absorbed...users in many more ways than just narcotics. Pepper was at least salvaged towards the end of his life when he hooked up with his wife, Laurie. Baker, was a lost soul right up to the day he put his cue back in the rack. I think some of the emotion you hear in both Pepper's and Baker's work might be attributable to the "desparateness" of their chosen lifestyles. I don't think either one thought much further ahead than the moment. When you don't know if you're even going to be sucking in air the day after tomorrow, that kind of edginess can make you pretty emotional. They had to ability to express that in their playing. Whether they did so consciously is another issue altogether. Up over and out.

Bev, As pervasively influential as KOB has become, I would not be surprised if ECM was influenced by Miles' less is more approach. Part of the ECM aesthetic is Manfred Eicher's recording technique. I'm not quite sure how he does it, but it's utterly unique. A signature as recognizable as RVG's. Up over and out.

Dumbest thing I ever did was to sell the very first LP by Todd Rundgren's group Nazz. A good record, now worth a fair amount of money. I got it for free from a guy who worked at a radio station that wouldn't play it. I sold it for (God this hurts) $1.00. If I had a nickel for every time I've kicked myself in the butt over that one, I could probably buy several copies. Up over and out.

Gotta go with Gil Cuppini's What's New Vol. 2. on the Italian Schema/Rearward label. Dynamite music featuring none other than all-time BNBB fav Barney Wilen. The first two cuts make my socks fall down around my ankles every time I hear them. Primo hard bop. Up over and out.

Tomasz Stanko's "Soul of Things" has a nice, Kind of Bluesy feel to it. Up over and out.