pryan

Chuck, as usual, offers good advice. Don't worry about the re-mastering. the music is what counts with this set. "Desert island" material (the majority of the set, anyway) for sure, especially the group co-led by Roach and Brownie. Get it at that price!

Thanks for that, David. I'll make sure to brace myself for the handshake. I should have mentioned that he'll have Marino Pliakas on electric bass and Michael Wertmüller on drums. I'm really psyched to hear this group!

Saturday night Brötzmann is bringing his trio to town. I'll admit to having none of his albums, nor have I ever heard him play, but I picked up tickets anyway because I know he's basically an avant-garde/free jazz legend. Anything I can expect from these guys? Am I in for a treat? I'm hoping he brings some discs too; maybe I can meet him after the show.

Tea - Roulette sessions (disc 1)

Glad you're enjoying your recent purchases, Dr, J. I received the Teagarden Roulette sessions yesterday, and am really liking it so far (I've only listened to the first disc). I'd definitely recommend it if you are into Tea. Do you find the Ory set to be too much (it is 8 discs after all)? I dig Ory, but am only familiar with his work on the Hot Fives sessions. How does this later material compare?

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I did have a good B-Day, even if it did rain; that's OK, I got off work early! I went for drinks last night with most of my good friends. A good time was had by all - especially me. Also received the Jack Teagarden Mosaic (Roulette) from my parents. Loving disc one (currently playing) and the booklet is deluxe also. John - We had a week of "Indian Summer" (this past week), however, the weather is getting steadily colder. Today's high is about 11 degrees celsius (about 50 for U.S. observers). Chuck - This foreigner might be purchasing a Von Freeman Nessa release in the near future. Chris - That was a funny sound bite, short and sweet.

Happy B-Day Brad from a fellow October baby (my B-day is a week from today). What's on that Dex bop set; I haven't heard much about it. Can't wait for the Dex Select to arrive at my door!

I think this guy is looking at things differently than B3er (obviously). BUT, he's trying to look at the past through a different lens, one that suits his level of knowledge, not necessarily in a purely "historical" way. Jim, I agree with your response to him totally, it's just that he (again, obviously) doesn't know as much as you do about jazz history and Jimmy Smith in particular.

I went to see them back in June and was very impressed by the "live" performance. This group is very tight and can reach both traditional, straight-ahead fans, and younger listeners who are into more "modern" stuff (both improvisational and pop/rock). Haven't heard any of their studio material, however.

I bought the Carmell Jones set as soon as it was released and was pleasantly surprised at the consistently high level of the music. Good variety in terms of ensemble sizes as well. The sessions with Gerald Wilson are excellent as are the quintet albums with Harold Land. Definitely a winner in my book. I don't think you can wrong with the Parlan; Grant Green, the Turrentine brothers, and Booker Ervin are all featured prominently. Conclusion: whatever set you choose most likely won't disappoint. Let us know which one(s) you ordered.

Brad, what about Sonny Stitt? For me it's hard to narrow it down, but to choose three: Prez, Miles, and Monk.

Haven't heard the disc yet, but I'm inclined to after reading the positive comments in this thread. I could care less if it's "A" material or "B+" quality. I think maybe the reason (or one of the reasons) that causes the "raggedness" is the fact that it is a live recording. Was Woody in Henderson's group at this time or was he just sitting in; seems to me that if it is the latter then that could explain some of the "raggedness".

Very excited about the Dexter set. I haven't heard all that much from the Cables, Reid, Gladden group, other than the Carnegie Hall date, which is outstanding.

PM sent.

Thanks for the quick review, David. I'm pretty sure this set is going to be my next Mosaic purchase. Admittedly I'm a Tea newcomer (only have the Naxos comp. TEXAS TEA PARTY, which is great), but this set seems to be a good one, musically and sonically.

Kevin, you should keep wearing that shirt and if anyone asks you the same question again you could respond in the affirmative. Pretend you know what the upcoming re-issues are (although sometimes I guess you do actually know what they are going to be), and maybe they'll buy you drinks.

Have you ever heard said albums before? Who knows, you might actually learn something/get some enjoyment out of them. But I basically take your comment to mean that you dislike avant-garde/freely improvised music; too bad, you're missing out on a lot of great music.

I'm not sure how exactly I feel about these so-called "concept" albums that have been coming out on the Bluenote label of late. I really dig Lovano's Dameron-inspired album and his latest Ballads disc is a treat also (see Joe's review if you want to read a more eloquent description of I'M ALL FOR YOU). This new one from Byron looks appealing to me because of the Prez connection, but only really for that reason. Admittedly, I'm unfamiliar with all three members of the group; even DeJohnette, as I've only really listened to his stuff from the sixties and seventies. Could be a good mix, however.

BIRD LIVES, indeed! I shamefully must admit that Parker is really "under-represented" in my collection. I'll have to change that soon.

I have both of these discs and enjoy BIRDS OF A FEATHER a great deal more than the DIRECTIONS album. I must admit I was more excited to hear the live disc but my hopes were too high, I suppose. There is some fine playing on DIRECTIONS, but it mainly comes from Blade and Pattitucci IMHO. BIRDS is a lot more interesting in terms of the re-arranging of Parker songs (both tunes that Bird wrote and other songs that he played frequently like "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "April in Paris") and the solos in general are of a higher caliber from all of the participants - Hargrove in particular has some tasty spots, as does pianist Kikowski (sp?). In short, go for BIRDS and see if you can find the other one used.

Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the program (musically and narration-wise). I'm gonna have to pick up that BOSTON 1952 disc from Chuck sometime.

Very sorry to hear about this, David. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

Received mine yesterday as well. Thanks, Chuck.

Great news, Chuck. Am very much looking forward to receiving my disc, I am.

So how is the Teddy Wilson set? I've been thinking about picking that one up but not sure what it's like. Here's a thread about it: Teddy Wilson Mosaic Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten around to picking in it up yet.