John B

I just listened to the box all the way through again last week. Not all of it is to my taste, but there is some fantastic music in there. Disc #4 is my favorite right now. I had to listen to the Lehn / Schmickler set repeatedly. If you really enjoy this set Jon has two new live Ersts coming out this week. I'll postmy thoughts once I receive them. I just wanted to admit that I have never, to my knowledge, heard any Derek Bailey.

Hans, I'm not familar with that Ayler disc. Thank you for the recommendation! I'll try to grab a copy asap.

I saw an Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers album, recorded live in Stockholm in 1959 on Dragon records recently and was wondering of this label is releasing bootleg material or if they have clearance from the artists to release these shows. Looking over their catalog, most of their material seems to be Swedish groups, but they do have live releases by Blakey, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, etc.. from the '40's and '50's. Does anyone know if these live releases are legit?

Thomas Chapin - Lionel Hampton Orchestra in the early '80s.

Sun who?

I'm hoping you saw this one, too. Priceless!

Kermit the Frog singing "The Rainbow Connection."

Two bands you should check out that you didn't mention are Neu! and Faust. Start with the first, self-titled Neu! album and Faust IV. If you decide to explore more Can you should be aware that their first four albums have all just been reissued with what I have been told is vastly improved sound.

I swear, I've read some of the best posts ever on the board today. Ensuring that no label will ever reissue albums by a deceased artist on cd is a great idea! Well reasoned, logical arguments such as this lead to only one conclusion: you've got quite the future in law ahead of you.

HEY! Present company excepted, of course.... Just please don't start releasing $25, vinyl only, editions of 25 or less.

maybe it's time for Brotz to release an all-vocal album. Maybe some acapella numbers, too.

The Funny Rat Pack?

An idea I really like is something I saw that Mego is doing. Offer relatively inexpensive digital downloads. If you want to pay the $ for an expensive vinyl only release you can do so, but you can also get the music for a lot less money and the artists get something out of the deal either way.

That's a great performance. I've never heard this one. I'll have to grab a copy.

Try clearing your cache. I'm still seeing $4.99 when I go through that link.

I finally had a chance to hear Peter Brotzmann / Walter Perkins - The Ink is Gone, one of the many Brotz releases from last year that I hadn't heard. It is a vinyl ony release on Brotz' Bro label. It is a very solid album. It is nice to hear Brotz with a different drummer, and Perkins seems like a great partner for him on this disc. At $25 plus shipping I'm not sure I'll ever buy a copy for myself, which is too bad, as this is some great music that deserves to be heard by more people than will actually happen.

Why don't you buy them to clarify it? you should probably buy a copy of each for all of us, just so we can all make our own independent judgements.

duets of Evan Parker and birdsong with a gold-embossed kangaroo on an electric, lime-green background? Chaney, that is bad. But, like I said, I really dig them!

fantastic cover art (in a "so bad they are good" sort of way.) I also find the idea of a solo Mark Sanders disc fascinating.

I asked for recommendations for the AEC a while back here. To summarize, start early and work your way up. In my opinion, your first purchases should be People In Sorrow/Les Stances A Sophie, Fanfare For The Warriors, Bap-Tizum, Reese And The Smooth Ones and A Jackson in Your House. If you get one of those and enjoy it grab the Nessa box. It is essential listening for fans of the AEC. Chuck did a great job putting the set together and it is limited, and will be out of print at some point in the near future. Enjoy exploring the world of the Art Ensemble! You have some very rewarding and very fun listening ahead of you.

did you touch him in his "special area?"

Thanks for posting this! I cancelled my BMG account, too. MWTGA - I get $4.99 when I click on that link.

in the spirit of the last few posts, I just got an email from Eremite: available now at eremite.com, $-25- peter brötzmann & han bennink still quite popular after all those years brö 4 (l/p) peter brötzmann -- a-clarinet, tarogato, alto & tenor saxophones han bennink -- drums side 'A' 1. clarinet/drums 2. tarogato/drums 3. clarinet/drums side 'B' 1. clarinet/drums 2. alto/drums 3. tenor/drums recorded 4 & 5 february, 2004, at the loft, köln the 2nd release on brö since the label's 2003 revival presents a continuation of one of the great duos in free music history, peter brötzmann & han bennink. brötzmann organized a series of concerts with bennink in early 2004 for the ultimate purpose of capturing these moments, their first duo music on record since 1980's atsugi concert. the particular chemistry & poetry b/t these two old friends is still furiously alive; but the accumulation of experience & years by both artists brings new areas of consideration. this is brötzmann /bennink music formulated at once more carefully & more freely; every gesture here sounds earned, decisive, vital. as with brö 3, the record itself is pressed on real audiophile 180 gram vinyl by RTI. artwork by both brötzmann & bennink, jackets silk-screened by siwa records, oregon, u.s.a., in a numbered edition of 999. there is a shipping/handling charge for brö products on all domestic & foreign orders. orders w/in the u.s.: first class shipping rates will depend on your zip code, please include it when ordering. media rate is a flat rate of $3.50. insurance is optional & costs an additional $1.30. we will not "guarantee" brös sent w/o insurance. canadian & overseas orders, we will quote you a shipping price based on your preferred shipping method. still a few copies avail. of the peter brotzmann discography, compiled by kouichi ohshima. 7x10", 55 page illustrated discography, paperback, glossy stock cover, quite nice. published in japan 1997 (all english text), numbered edition of 200. $-35- I wonder if Brotz is going to be releasing as many albums this year as he did in '04?

Perhaps if Mosaic issued the Complete Significant Other with alternate takes? Only if significant other was mastered by Malcolm Addey.

Yes, I've gone cold-turkey, too. I placed a few orders last month, including a pre-order for the next few Erstwhile releases which are coming out this week, but that's it for a while. I'm not setting a specific goal for how long I'm going to hold off. I'm just planning on taking it one month at a time.