BruceH

You've sure got THAT right!

In addition to everything else, the man was a keyboard demon!!

Never, EVER past 1:00am-----and that's a firm rule!

One of the reasons I bought Black Fire is that I DON'T have the Hill Mosaic. From what I heard, this was one of the high points of his Blue Note career, and now I can believe it!

Yeah, I have Introducing Johnny Griffin. Good as it is, I'd have to say that the Argo/Parrot album seems warmer and more relaxed, somehow, the playing more straight ahead and soulful. The BN debut seems flashier, though that's NOT to say that the earlier album lacks at all for technical grace, at least to these ears. Of course, I'm a non-musician, so we're talking 100% subjective here. Also, the earlier album has surprisingly good sound---you really here that bass, and the tenor sounds like you could touch it. I'm so glad they re-issued it! (By the way, Introducing J. G. shares two song selections with the Argo: "The Boy Next Door," and "These Foolish Things." Griffin must have like them.)

If I happened to buy the Ellis/Smith CD...THEN (and only then) they would come out with a Select. That's how it works.

Some of the more questionable vocal tracks are one of the reasons for the 'skip' button on your CD player. Never fails to work for me.

The Maltese Falcon has got to be one of the most perfect films of all time (if the term "most perfect" can be said to mean anything.) Nary a wasted shot or a dumb line in the whole film. Another big noir favorite: Force of Evil, with John Garfield. I love Garfield.

"JAZZ---it's sales have gone from microscopic to to very tiny!"

FATS!

I just bought the Warners 5-disc Film Noir box, vol. 1. Anybody else just pull the trigger on this baby?

Blue Mitchell---Down With It (five times) B)

Oh man, don't remind me of the Lee/Christie box. Me want, me want.... (Mosaic brings out the Hulk in me.)

The Woody Herman band certainly recorded their fair share of novelty and outright "pop" tunes, vocal and otherwise. They're just part of the mix. Actually, they start to grow on you; sure, like mold maybe, but hey, bands had to record stuff like that to stay out of bankruptcy. Fact of life. Not all of the Ellington band's vocal ditties are timeless gems either, IMHO. Herman's worst novelty tunes don't annoy me nearly as much as Glen Miller's. Just my two cents.

I agree! Why change it? They should have put the effort into fixing the errors on the old site rather than changing the look and layout in such a revolting way.

Take the 'A' Train--Betty Roche Yesterday I was at a restaurant where they were playing this album. I asked about it and they were nice enough to show me the album. With Eddie Costa and Conte Candoli, no wonder it sounded good! Well damn if I didn't see it today for $5.99---life gets lush. And it's a Bethlehem album; did they ever put out a bad one? I seem to recall some talk about this singer a while back on this board. Well, I think she's good.

Just started Movieland: Hollywood and the Great American Dream Culture, by Jerome Charyn. So far, so good.

Drowning World---Alan Dean Foster

Just got this. It strikes me as excellent. Comments? Opinions, impressions, insights? Feel free.

SF sure is COMPACT, though, compared with most cities. Those are interesting, and certainly understandable, reasons. So many places are great to visit but may not be your cup of tea to live in. Living in a place month after month, year after year, is a whole different prospect. For instance: Personally I find Boston to be a much better city to live in/near than SF. But I'm hear and stuck with it, so I might as well make the best of it. Give me a city (or big town) with good bookstores, four real seasons, and the kind of cultural resources brought in by a nearby college or university, and I'm a happy guy.

Oh, man----Rooster, you've GOT to get the Gerald Wilson! You would just love it, I know you would! (Well, most of it.) Seriously, I think the only Mosaic I bought without some familiarity with the music/artist involved was maybe the Sam Rivers. Even with Bud Shank I'd heard some of his work on a few of the West Coast Classics re-issues.

All I can say is: You've gotta start getting some Selects!!!!

What did you dislike so much about Portland, J? I visited it a few times 2-3 years ago and liked the town just fine.