randyhersom

Those who consider Ella too "conventional" should start with the Cole Porter, who subversively defies convention. Miss Otis Regrets is wicked and hilarious and morbid all at once. JSngry has used "subversive" in describing Ellington, and that's not a bad alternative either. I'll be revisiting the Songbooks with some MP3 CDs on a long road trip.

I'll dissent because I have all three boxes (Bach, Mozart and Beethoven) and am enjoying them. I admittedly have just scratched the surface. I also own the 40 disc Ellington and it certainly is the best value I ever got. I feel like the differences are more along the lines of quibbles, I actually owned the Guarnieri Beethoven late quartets long before I bought the 85 disc box, and that's how I got to know the music. The opportunity to impulsively pick through rarities like Beethoven's mandolin works appeals to me, I quite enjoyed those. There's too much in here that I was never going to buy unless I bought it this way, and I'm glad to have it. I'm not likely to do enough concentrated listening to multiple interpretations to cause me discomfort in listening to what's in the box. I've always had completist tendencies. Your mileage may vary.

Try Maine. 1) Snow 2) Mud 3) Fourth of July

eMusic deserves a mention. You don't get liner notes or SACD quality, but you get musical quality and good prices to burn your own CDs. My trouble is keeping my backlog of things I want to save for future downloading down to only 100 albums, I certainly have no problems finding enough music of interest to meet a 90 track monthly subscription.

"National feeling, which up to now was regarded as something lofty and beautiful, has instead become like a spiritual syphilis that has destroyed the brains, and it grins out through the empty eye sockets with moronic hate." I'd read that quote on an old Turnabout (Vox single disk label) recording of Nielsen's Symphony #4, The Inextinguisable by Igor Markevitch. Lost the LP somehow, always wanted to find it again, as much for the liner notes and that amazing quote as for the excellent music. Google rocks!

RIP after a short period of reflection on the life just lived. Talk it over with Stan Getz for a few years.

Yes, I have the 2 CD version. I don't remember Raised on Robbery being on the Shadows and Light LP, Cassette or CD, perhaps that's DVD only. I love this set and know the Mingus pieces only from here. Brecker really adds kick to Black Crow and Free Man in Paris. Dog Eat Dog was also a favorite.

Thanks for that link, I'll get that within the next couple months. Also that let me know that my title for the other 3LP set was incorrect, it's Art of the Netherlands, not Art of the Rennaisance.

I had forgotten an interesting link and just managed to google it up. http://www.classicalmusicmobile.com They have complete works that have entered european public domain for 1 euro each. The Reiner Bartok Concerto For orchestra and many operas are good deals that way. I have bought the Brilliant Classics Complete Bach , Mozart and Beethoven boxes and have no complaints though I'm nowhere near all the way through them. Daedalus Books or Amazon should both have good prices. Each has a Libretto disk for the vocal works. And I'm an Emusic subscriber. They have fairly complete Naxos and BIS catalogs among their many classical offerings.

One thing that nearly got a mention in my list was two 3-lp collections or Rennaisance music from David Munrow, The Art of Courtly Love and The Art of The Netherlands. I particularly remember an instrumental Estampie and a vocal piece A l'Arme (to arms). Have these emerged on CD? The mention of Deller brought them to mind.

Debussy - Prelude apres midi d' un faune - I actually listen to Froment on the Vox Box, but I'm sure there's better Nielsen 5th Symphony - either Horenstein or Leaper is fine by me Beethoven Hammerklavier sonata - Schnabel - pinnacle of passionate music making Debussy - Violin Sonata - Wish I had Ion Voicou on CD, making do with the Naxos (Dong Suk Kang?) Schubert C Major String Quintet d 960 - Melos & Rostropovich Bruckner - 9th Symphony - Scherzo - I have Shuricht (sp?) , others are more highly recommended by reviewers Sibelius - 7th Symphony - Karajan Shostakovich - String Quartet #8 - I have Eder, others are more highly recommended by reviewers Ravel - Le Tombeau de Couperin - The Vox boxes of piano and orchestral music are excellent, and this is in both. Gorecki - Symphony #3 - I have the Naxos and like it.

umm ... Gershwin? Also, Dave Matthews Bach, MJQ Bach, J. Moran (Tombeau de Couperin) and Coryell (Pavane) for Ravel. Kessel does Carmen (Bizet), and seems like I've seen some Villa-Lobos somewhere. Oh yeah, some guy named Brubeck for yr Mozart fix.

My all time favorite is Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown. I first encountered on a Jazz Masters verve compilation where they contrasted it with Clifford's instrumental version. It's utterly captivating.

E music has a 3 disc set called Bar Susu listed under Louie Vega's name, any good?

How about a Cecil Taylor box, MPS??

The Cecil is all of Hard Driving Jazz, better known in its recredited incarnation as Coltrane Time. Kenny Dorham tries to hold the reins on Cecil and Coltrane and it's um.. interesting. The bonus tracks are all of Jazz Advance, Cecil's debut as leader, with Steve Lacy on half the tracks. Both are good, but Love For Sale and the Candids are better. Downloaded the Gil Coggins but haven't listened yet. Been revisiting Trane's Prestige dates.

Enlightenment is probably the peak of the Milestone years, and any worries about meandering should fade in the face of the catchy, funky, driving Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit. I'm betting Big Al will love it, best to start with that track first. Repeat as necessary. I didn't mean to tout Horizon as the first place to go to hear McCoy, it's just that I have almost everything else thanks to eMusic and have been wanting to have it in some CD/mp3 form for some time. John Blake plays wonderfully and it's a different group sound. Count me among the Fly With the Wind fans. The Greeting should have come out with George Adams and McCoy's duet on My One and Only Love in the first place instead of making us wait for ten years for a shortened studio version. I actually had to leave the Bijou in Philly after the first set on that tour to do a show on WRTI and heard incessant raves about My One and Only Love which was played after I left. McCoy Tyner had an immense effect as a composer on seventies jazz, primarily due to the late Blue Note and Milestone period.

Horizon! Finally!!!

Gil Coggins - Better Late than Never on Smalls appeared on eMusic today.

Emusic has several Smalls sessions but has not yet added the Gil Coggins. I'll be watching for it.

First listen at work to disc 1 including the Oliver Nelson sides led to a very favorable impression. Yeah I know it wasn't exactly where her heart was at, but putting a great singer together with good to great songs and a good band is rare enough in this world.

When the dawn patrol got to tell you twice, they're gonna do it with a shotgun That's Night by Night from Pretzel Logic (that and Parker's Band are my favorite tracks). The title track I'm far less convinced about. Hitler as fashionista??

I had studiously avoided this when the LP came out because of the title. Wow. My preconceptions were way off. I've always been a huge fan of Michael Ray, and the title track is the best thing I've ever heard from him with Ra. I do have two of the HORO 2 LP sets. Very enjoyable.

You got me on those two. John Dennis stumped Wikipedia. I hope Brownie or Bernard cruises this thread, we might have a chance. How do you like Jabbo Smith?

Well, I wouldn't say "no one else" but, he is certainly developing cult status rapidly! Well, you have discovered the humor/irony in being everybody's favorite unknown piano player. Difficult to sneak one by the encyclopedic knowledge of Organissimo board members!! But we kept trying!