John B

Chuck, have you ever heard the studio album Go Home, that was recorded in 1970? That is another nice, very obscure, AEC date.

Talk to your accountant about having BMG, cduniverse, dustygroove, etc... listed as "dependents" come tax time. It will do wonders for your tax return and, the way some of us buy online, isn't too far from the truth.

Thank you for posting this. I checked and I currently have this offer, so I went back and grabbed the Mingus concert, a Nina Simone set, a Jan Garbarek Ustad Khan disc and some of the new RVGs I've never heard.

ok, I'm sold. with the BMG $5.99 sale this is turning into a no-brainer.

Here is the review from AMG: "The saxophone is not an instrument usually associated with Pakistani music. And Pakistanis are not especially famous for collaborating with Norwegians. But that is what listeners have on this incredible recording. The music is predominantly Pakistani in sound, tonality, and structure; voice, sarangi, and tabla improvise along with Garbarek's saxophone on every track. For aficionados of Indian or Pakistani music, this is a great recording; Garbarek's lines are right in step with the traditional styles of improvisation. Listeners unacquainted with these traditions will find this recording a mesmerizingly exotic disc. Those familiar with Garbarek's work will be very surprised. This is a completely unique recording for him; one can only hope that he makes further explorations in this vein."

Has anyone here heard this disc and have a recommendation either pro or con? AMG gives this one a fairly postive review but, before pulling the trigger and grabbing a copy, I was hoping to get more feedback. I'm a fan of Pakistani music and of Garbarek's earlier work that I have heard, and am curious how well the two mesh here. Thanks in advance!

The Boston Globe has an article today on a Seattle soda company that manufactures a Turkey and Gravy flavored soda along with other Thanksgiving flavored selections. The pictures of the two taste-testers are priceless.

Get the Braxton, the McPhee and the ICP discs. All three are fantastic. I agree with gokhan that you should skip the Mengelberg's. They did nothing for me. The Shipp / Morris is ok, but very far from essential, imo. I would also buy the Eskelin, myself, as I really enjoy that disc. I'd guess this one depends on your enthusiasm for his recent work. I find all of it to be fantastic, and wouldn't want to be without any of it.

I agree with Steve 100% on this one. I hear lots of Ellington in the tunes. Very nice writing, great playing and lots of fun, without ever seeming "wacky" or "zany" like a lot of Dutch improv. One of my top picks for the year!

I'm pretty sure you can still buy it directly from Chuck. cnessa at earthlink dot net.

I just received the two new Erstwhile discs today: Keith Rowe / Burkhard Beins - ErstLive 001 Rowe / Nakamura / Lehn / Schmickler - ErstLive 002 and both are fantastic. Very highly recommended. The Rowe / Beins disc brought a smile to my face a few times. Rowe has quite a sense of humor, and it really shines through his wash of sound on this release.

both of you already bought the Jandek on Corwood dvd, so this won't be of any use to you, but deepdiscountdvd has it for $13.16, no shipping cost, and they are running a 20% off sale right now. Total cost - $10.53, shipping included.

Their Soy Latte is even better.

I've recently been listening to Quartet (London) 1985 and it is fantastic! I think the music is slightly better than the Coventry set, but I wouldn't want to be without either.

I'll have to track down copies of these. Thank you for including these on the test!

Miles Davis show from 1975, not the best quality. This site rotates shows, so this one will disappear eventually.

I heard Rudresh Mahanthappa's new disc Mother Tongue for the first time yesterday. It is as good as, if not better than, Black Water. This is a fantastic album, and will easily be one of my top 10 discs for 2004. Very highly recommended.

I just heard Rudresh's new album Mother Tongue (Pi) for the first time yesterday. It is a fantastic album! If you enjoyed Black Water I highly recommend picking up the new one asap.

The best advice I can give to you is to be a pain in the ass. As someone else posted, make the doctor communicate with you. They don't always appreciate that, but it is always in the patient's best interest to be as well informed as possible. Also, the suggestion to call you insurance company is a sound one. Beyond understanding what your benefits are they have nurse case managers on staff who can help negotiate the multiple specialists you might have to visit. They might also be able to help you choose another doctor should the one you are seeing be not helpful / communicative. Not knowing your specific HMO or Alison's specific condition there isn't a lot more I can think of at this time. I work for a health insurance company so, if you ever want my opinion on how to best utilize the resources you might have available to you let me know. I'll send you a PM with my phone #.

I'd suggest starting the answers / discussion. You should get going before BFT 20 starts arriving in people's mailboxes. I usually end up posting my guesses after the answer thread has been started. I'm guessing a few of the remaining 12 people will do the same.

57 live Charlie Hunter shows, all shared with permission. 107 live Karl Denson's Tiny Universe shows, same deal. some great mp3s from Brett Sroka's Fresh Sound New Talent cd as well as some live tracks.

which ones do you consider to be pretty bad? I'm really just starting to explore his work and am curious which ones I should avoid at first.

for anyone interested in exploring more Sun Ra, Evidence Records is currently having a sale. Cds for $12 per disc, free shipping (within the U.S.) on orders over $24. I don't know if they discount shipping internationally.

I've got a lot of releases on VHF by Vibracathedral Orchestra, Flying Saucer Attack, Sunroof, Pelt, and L (the disc you linked to.) That's some good stuff! I probably would have enjoyed even more without chanting, but I like it nonetheless. Our own Mr. Abbey distributed VHF, I assume... err, no he does not. OK, I'll buy from the guys directly, even though this shopping cart of theirs does not seem to work. I placed an order from them not too long ago without a problem. I just checked...it seems to be working for me now.