BruceH

Same here. Though I've heard the name "Hobart" before.

This album is also significant because, if memory serves, Hill also composed half the tracks. (I vote for Black Fire and Judgement.)

It's great!

That would be the one. His name has been changed several times throughout his career. IIRC, it started out as John Cougar, then progressed to John Cougar Mellencamp, and now it's just John Mellencamp. Kinda bizarre, but I've always dug the cat. Maybe the next incarnation of his name will be a hip modern version: JMell Actually, the initial change was forced on him by a record executive at the start of his career. On the radio the other day, I heard him say that the executive said that "Mellencamp" (his real name) sounded too weird and "German" (I kid you not) and if he didn't like Cougar he could always just go back to Indiana. Nice, huh? Now he's got his original name back, still putting out music, AND he's back in Indiana. Good for him.

You're on the money. Well, I also never personally got into Focus either.

Don't know about duplication Cliff but the Roost Sessions are indispensable in my opinion. 3 Cd's of heaven. Here's the discography of the Proper set. But I'd also recommend you get the "real" thing and buy the Roost box, it's probably the best Getz ever... the long live date with Jimmy Raney is incredible, and so are the early quartet sessions on disc 2. When I'm in the mood for a little Stan Getz, I go to this one a lot. It's one of the first ones that popped into my head when thinking about favorites. I didn't want to oversell the Roost set, but frankly I agree with Ubu 100%---the Roost box is some of the best recorded Getz out there.

Is this still in print?

The main objection I had to that song was its sheer, overbearing obnoxiousness. Plus for a while you couldn't exist in Western society without hearing it about 15 time a day...

Woody's Winners

Also, if you like Woody's Winners you'll probably like Woody Herman-1963, an album that was re-issued on CD not long ago.

Didn't actually buy it today, but the Mosaic single Woody's Winners just came in the mail. It kicks ass!

Somewhere in LA I think.

A CD of Glass Bead Games that includes both volumes on one disc, finally.

YES on both counts.

This happens to be the first Getz album I bought, way back when. A good one.

Sorry to hear about Balliett's passing. His first book, The Sound of Surprise, remains my favorite.

"We Are the Sleepyheads" ----can't get it out of my mind.

I love the score to The Taking of Pelham.

Good time for those Spring/early Summer colors: green and more green.

How dare I feel sorry for a horse. Bad, bad me.

I'd say err on the side of going a little early...but remember, colors vary according to altitude, how far North or South you are in the region, and the climate that year (this winter has been freakishly warm, my relatives in the Northeast tell me.) It's always a crapshoot, but New England's always a good place to visit, or live in.

Funny you should mention that. I was wondering recently just why it is that I'm so averse to "Celtic" music myself. I think it was a profile of the Pogues by Ed Ward on NPR that initially got me wondering. (They were the group that got their 15 minutes of fame by supposedly mixing Irish music with punk.) Once a friend from work lent me a tape of Irish folk music and I couldn't listen to it for more that 30 seconds at a time. I've gotten into "traditional" or "ethnic" music from all sorts of other countries----Afican, Asian, Indian, Indonesian... I like bluegrass, and country, and honky-tonk... But I often can't stand so-called "Celtic" music. And chances are I probably have some Celtic blood in my veins, so that doesn't seem to make a difference. BTW, I've never seen the "Celtic Woman" on PBS, and something tells me I don't want to.

I heard this on the radio this morning. Sad news.

I've long thought that Workout and Soul Station are a good place to start with Mobley.