Dave James

Peter Green. Now there's a true blast from the past. The original Fleetwood Mac was some group. An incredible metamorphosis from what was then a hard edged blues based band to the total Top 10 pop sound of the current interation. During the early years, some industrial strength guitarists in addition to Green passed through their ranks. Folks like Jeremy Spencer, Bob Welch and Danny Kirwan. Those early albums still hold water. I was especially fond of English Rose with that great version of Albatross. And some others I recall...Kiln House, Future Games and Bare Trees. Then, along came Stevie and the rest, as they say, is history. Someplace out in the garage where all my remaining vinyl resides, I have a gatefold two LP set called "Fleetwood Mac in Chicago" that features the original band playing with a collection of old blues guys from the Windy City. Man, you want to hear some prime electric blues, this one gets it done. Up over and out.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call this set essential, but, IMO, it's darn close. For all the reasons mentioned earlier but also for some "center cut" Wynton Kelly. He is really on his game...a pleasure to listen to. I have the Dragon 4 CD set. Sound is fine. I don't recall how much I paid (I got mine at Tower Records) but I think it was in the $50 range. If you're a fan of Miles, there's no way you'll regret picking this one up. Up over and out.

Is it just me or is the fact that we're only several days away from the release of "The Flip" causing the same kind of reaction in others as it is in me? After all, this is the last of the "unheard" Hank. That's it...the vaults have been scoured clean...there isn't anything else. I still recall with great fondness when I first tied into Mobley many years ago and how blown away I was by his sound, his music and his writing. I spent months accumulating everything of his I could get my hands on. And, believe me, back then, this stuff was not easy to come by. Worth every scintella of the effort, though, as each new recording was joy to experience. Now it's down to this. For me, kind of like the bittersweet feeling you get when you return home after a long vacation. Something you'd like to do all over again. Anyone else, or am I horribly alone in my solitude? Up over and out.

Is it just me or is the fact that we're only several days away from the release of "The Flip" causing the same kind of reaction in others as it is in me? After all, this is the last of the "unheard" Hank. That's it...the vaults have been scoured clean...there isn't anything else. I still recall with great fondness when I first tied into Mobley many years ago and how blown away I was by his sound, his music and his writing. I spent months accumulating everything of his I could get my hands on. And, believe me, back then, this stuff was not easy to come by. Worth every scintella of the effort, though, as each new recording was joy to experience. Now it's down to this. For me, kind of like the bittersweet feeling you get when you return home after a long vacation. Something you'd like to do all over again. Anyone else, or am I horribly alone in my solitude? Up over and out.

Chris, Roger that...in spades. One of the most despicable of that entire cadre of despicabe people. Funny how these threads mutate. Up over and out.

Got a CD from Dusty Groove last night called the Sonny Criss Quartet Featuring Wynton Kelly. Recorded in January of 1959, it's on the Fresh Sound label. To say the least, I'm pleasantly surprised. A dynamite band. In addition to Criss and Kelly, there's Bob Cranshaw on bass and Walter Perkins on drums. The quartet is augmented on several cuts by a bone man with whom I'm unfamiliar. Ole Hansen by name. A nice, mellow sound has he. The recording quality/sound is first cabin. Highlight for me is Duke's "I Got It Bad." IMO, one that's well worth tracking down. Up over and out.

Just a second...I think I know this. Isn't that the notorious Nazi death camp doctor who would up living in Brazil after the war? Up over and out.

I know other threads have mentioned Dusty Groove, but an occasional reminder of just how good these guys are never hurts. This was driven home again last week when the CD's I ordered on Tuesday were in my mailbox on Friday afternoon. That's all the way from Chicago to Portland, Oregon in less than three days. Sure, their postage may be a little higher and Lord knows the guy who writes the reviews on their website could stand to invest in a new book of adjectives, but all things considered, does online music retailing get any better than this? It's as close to a brick and mortor buying experience as you can get. Frankly I have a hard time imagining a poor customer service interaction with these folks. Up over and out.

OK, let's say for the sake of this discussion, that you wake up one morning, completely lose control of your priorities and decide to put your entire collection on the block. CD's, LP's whatever. Out of all the recordings you've accumulated over the years - excluding Mosaics - what single item do you think would be most prized by another collector? I'm not talking about how much something is worth, although there's certainly a correlation between desirability and price. I'm more focused on the intrinsic value of your MVP. From my collection, I'd have to go with James Newton's Romance and Revolution. Up over and out.

I just placed an order for four CD's from Dusty Groove. After I hit the "buy" button, it occured to me that I probably have at least 20 CD's at home that I haven't even listened to. That begged the question, "why do you keep buying more music when you don't even listen to what you already have?" I'm hoping this sort of mildly neurotic behavior doesn't separate me too far from the rest of the pack. So, if you'd like to make Lonesome Dave feel a whole lot better about himself and his habit, you could let him know how many you have in your queue. Also, along this same line, does there come a point where if you haven't listened to something new for so long it really becomes something old, i.e. it's actually possible that you might never listen to it at all? I know I'm putting some serious hurt on myself by admitting this, but that's actually happened to me. Anyone else? Thanks in advance for your theraputic support. Up over and out.

Chuck, Thanks for the recollections from your time with J.R. Montrose. Nothing quite like being there. If you get a hankering to share more stories, I'm sure you'll be dealing with both a captive and a captivated audience. You mentioned some time Montrose spent at the Tender Trap. I have what I think is a fairly obscure CD on the Fresh Sound label that documents some of his performances there. Got it up in Canada. If I recall correctly, it's called simply "At the Tender Trap". Unfortunately, the recording quality isn't very good, although I would still classify it as being within tolerable limits. Interesting thing is that on one of the numbers, a quite mainstream sounding Al Jarreau sits in on vocals. According to the liner notes, he was attending college nearby and used to drop in at the TT on a regular basis. Thanks again for the reminisces. Up over and out.

Anything with Humphrey Bogart. Casablanca is probably my all time favorite. I'm also partial to screwball comedies with Cary Grant. Arsenic and Old Lace and Bringing Up Baby are the two I return to most often. If I was pinned down to name a more contemporary film, I guess I'd have to go with The Sting. I'll never forget getting end-game sucker punched the first time I saw it. Not sure there's even been a better buddy pairing than Newman and Redford. The one that's at the very top of my list is Chinatown. Almost a perfect movie. Nicholson at his level best. Up over and out.

Lon brought up Lawrence Welk on the "Silliest Album Covers" thread (BTW, that's got to be one of my favorite all time threads). That got me thinking about secret listening pleasures...the stuff you like to listen to but that you probably wouldn't want a whole lot of people to know about. So, I hereby admit to being a closet Lawrence Welk fan. I grew up listening to his band in the '50's and I even watch the reruns on public television on Saturday nights when I can. I can still remember the names of about half his band from that era. Anyone who thinks that guy couldn't swing (in spite of all the corn) is sadly mistaken. What else? Well, Dean Martin is one of my very favorite singers. I think I could listen to him all day and not feel like I wasted a single moment. Speaking of the Rat Pack, I'm also partial to Sammy Davis Jr. If you haven't heard "The Wham of Sam" on Warner-Reprise with the Marty Paich Dek-tette, you're missing a mighty fine piece of work. Up over and out.

Lon, Thanks for posting a scan of the Lawrence cover. Obviously, my recollection was a bit suspect, but one thing for sure, it is truly tasteless... and silly. You gotta love the '50's. Up over and out.

I wish I had a picture of this one, but I've only ever seen it once. It's an album by Elliot Lawrence called "Music for Trapping (Tender, That Is)". The cover shows what must've passed for a swinging bachelor pad in the '50's. The centerpiece is a couch and hanging on the wall right above it are three women's heads mounted on plaques. The swinging bachelor shown escorting a fourth woman towards the couch. Truly tasteless. Up over and out.

I view the addition of lyrics to jazz instrumentals a lot like I view most scat singing, i.e. an unnecessary evil. While there are exceptions to every rule (Ross' "Twisted" and Dorough's "Yardbird Suite" are good examples) vocalese generally isn't anything I have any interest in at all. It always sounds to me like someone trying to fit about about six syllables worth of material into a two syllable space. I wouldn't say it's unlistenable, I've found it to be as close to that as just about anything in jazz. Up over and out.

I'm a big fan of Tiger Woods, but I'd love to see ol' D-Cup finally win a major. He's been so close so many times and he's a good guy to boot. Here's an interesting tidbit about Mickelson. As some of you may know, he's quite a gambler. Before the 2001 MLB and NFL seasons, he put down $10,000 apiece on the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Baltimore Ravens to win it all. I can only imagine what that was worth. Who needs golf? Up over and out.

Highly recommended. I just cited Montrose's version of Lover Man from this session as a favorite tenor ballad on another thread. I've had "In Action" for years. It was a freebie. The jazz radio station where I did a volunteer gig used to put demo CD's out on a table for the taking after announcer meetings. I knew nothing of Montrose at the time, but the line up of songs sounded good so I took it. Boy was that the right decision. Do not let this one slip through your fingers. Up over and out.

Late, Have not heard Paul Bley's version. He is poorly represented in my collection. I think I have two of his recordings, both of which are pretty mainstream. I can tell you that the Kuhn version is fine, but I'd sure hate to recommend an entire CD on the basis of one tune, especially at Japanese prices. Up over and out.

I knew nothing of this gentleman until I picked up the recent Impulse reissue of "October Suite" w/ Gary McFarland. To say the least, I was intrigued. I dug a little deeper by picking up a Japanese release called "Three Waves". Also very good. His playing is a bit off plumb, not exactly your standard ranch stash, but to me, very listenable. Was wondering what others think of Mr. Kuhn and if you would be kind enough to perhaps recommend some of his other recordings. I think he warrants some additional exploration. Up over and out.

Call me a dittohead, but I would heartily endorse Kevin's recommendation of Deep in a Dream. Masterful sax and piano work from Ike Quebec and Sonny Clark. Only one word describes it...sublime. Here are a couple of other personal favorites. J.R. Montrose's version of Lover Man from the Bainbridge release "In Action Live with the Joe Abodeely Trio". Also, Stan Getz's rendition of Stairway to the Stars from the Dragon recording "Stockholm Sessions". I've described his sound on this one as liquid. It literally floats, I kid you not. Hands down the best Getz ballad I know. Up over and out.

I have something of a love / hate relationship with Paul Chambers. I love his playing when he sticks to pizzicato and I hate it when he plays arco. His bowing sound reminds me of someone being mugged in an alley. Still, all things considered, easily among the top 5 all time players. My own personal favorite is Leroy Vinnegar. Up over and out.

I've found that I'm not particularly adept at identifying players on the basis of their sound. I would not do very well in a blindfold test. However, of the few I can readily ID, I would include among them Grant Green and Wes Montgomery. Green because he's strictly a single note picker and Montgomery because of those absolutely elegant, full-octave chords. In a non-guitar related context, the one guy I can identify almost as soon as I hear him is Paul Desmond. Chet Baker too. Up over and out.

I just did the math myself and it looks like dalpup took in almost $6,000 for the Mosaic box set auctions that ended yesterday. Not bad. Keep in mind that this is only the first installment. According to the information he included with each of the individual offerings, "hundreds" of Mosaic LP's and CD's were purchased at this estate sale and this was just the first round. Most of the ones I don't already have were way too rich for my blood, but it's still fun to watch the feeding frenzy. Stay tuned. Up over and out.

Lon, Hope you have a wonderful day today spent with those who mean the most. I've enjoyed (and learned) from your posts all the way back to the earliest days of the BNBB. Up over and out.