Dave James

As much as many of us would like to see obscure sessions reissued, put yourself in Don Was' shoes. If you're running Blue Note and operating in today's sales environment, how much sense does that make? if you can move 50 units of a popular artist for every one of someone like Cecil Taylor or Larry Young...well...you do the math.

First of all, it's hard to screw up a song as good as "Snowfall". I like the harmony, but I don't hear anything that even remotely reminds me of Mike Nesmith's voice. Is that reallly him?

If you don't want to see it, you don't watch. If you don't want to hear it, don't listen. End of report.

"There's no crying in baseball !" If she'd never done anything but "A League Of Their Own", she'd still be tops in my book.

KMHD 89.1 FM in Portland Oregon. Not as jazz centric as it was before they partnered with OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting) but still a step up from most.

A couple of favorites:

The rarest of combinations...beauty, talent and class. That voice, if you really listen to it, is remarkable, especially considering that she had no formal training. Here's one of my favorites performed live on the Arsenio Hall show back in the 90's. More contemporary for sure, put proving that she could keep up with the times and still deliver. The last few seconds of this song as she performs it here gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

Does anyone really believe that we wouldn't be better off with women running the government? Men have had well over a hundred years to get things right and haven't come close.

History is littered with things that wouldn't even get off the dime in today's environment. Ever listened to Amos & Andy, watched Butterfly McQueen or Mantan Moreland, eaten at Little Black Sambo's or Coon Chicken? Even a relatively recent film like Blazing Saddles couldn't get made today. Point being, then was then and now is now. Someone much wiser than I once said that the past is like a foreign country...things look different there. There's plenty to worry about today. Overlaying the past with the present shouldn't be one of them.

I'm pretty sure that when Frank Loesser wrote this song in 1944, he could not have imagined this discussion. This a period piece from a time and a place that, sadly, no longer exists. To impugn it seven decades later by holding it up to the light cast by today's social mores is wrong.

Dan, Here's a link to the article that appeared in the online version of Sports Illustrated earlier this week. I was surprised as you are. https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/12/10/bryce-harper-manny-machado-rumors-mlb-trade-state-taxes

Anyone who signs with L.A. gets killed by taxes. The difference between what you pay there and say, Washington, D.C., is shocking.

"Best of Friends" - Davy Knowles Trio. Tribute to Rory Gallagher.

With respect to Mr. Gioia constantly moving his hands, that's generally a means of pacing a presentation. Think of it like a conductor leading an orchestra. As to the content, I think he makes some good points. Music today is a disposable commodity and a reflection of both its quality as well as the needs of an audience that's really only interested in keeping up with what's current and considered "cool". Folks like us who have massive collections of not just jazz, but all different kinds of music are throwbacks. The day may come when we or our collections fill the role of the preservationists who kept early blues and regional music alive so the rest of us could enjoy it 60-70 years down the road. Then, there's the question of audio quality which Ted chooses not to address. Most people just want to listen and many times it's nothing more than background...like the soundtrack to your life...heard but not really heard. Bottom line, who really cares anymore about high-end sound reproduction? I think what's happening now is as much a function of the environment and what need music is fulfilling as it is the quality of the music itself. Relatively few people sit down with the sole purpose of listening and, I'm sorry to say a lot of those people are us. I know it's me. Oh, more thing. I don't know about you but i'm glad I no longer have to guess about how to pronounce Gioia.

One of the first and still one of the best anti-war films ever made.

Got mine today. Quick shipping and very well packaged. Thanks, Tommy.

If you're truly desperate, both these titles are on iTunes. "Shades of Blue" will run you $7.99 and "Dusk Fire", $9.99.

Is the question,"Is jazz dead" or is it, "If jazz is dead, does anyone really care?" Personally, I'm only interested in jazz up until the late 60's. There's way more than enough of that to sustain me. Further, I don't have to keep looking for it since I already know where it is.

I don't think Harper is going back to Washington. They made their play and came up short, Besides, if every player's non-financial goal is to win a World Series, the Nationals are unlikely to be at that level anytime soon. I have mixed feelings about him...was last season a fluctuation or a trend and even though I have an acute case of short porch fever. he's still a roll of the dice. Aside from that, I've always been a good pitching beats good hitting kind of guy, so I'd rather see Cashman spend someone else's money on more arms, not more bats.

I will watch no film before its time.

Agreed. I thought it was the best album he's done in quite awhile. I have a friend who's such a big fan, he travelled to Belfast a few years back for the 50th anniversary celebration honoring Morrison's career. He said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that he wouldn't trade for anything.

I'm a sucker for a good ballad and this one from the album, "Keep Me Singing" turned the trick for me. Some nice guitar wok from Dave Keary who's been with Van since 2010:

Unbelievably fast and accurate:

Anyone have any idea how many tracks on this new set will feature Woody's vocals? I'm not a fan. A few of those go a long way.