BruceH

Just saw this Friday and liked it a lot. Swinging back and forth between actors playing Harvey & co. and showing the real people worked far better than one would expect. Perhaps if you've read the comic, you've already seen Pekar drawn by different people, so having the same guy look different is no big deal. Although my wife liked it too, and she's never read any issues of the comic. I thought Giamatti was damn near brilliant; he had the body language and everything down to a T. While I haven't seen everything he's done, this has got to be one of his best performances. I'd also have to say that while having read the comic naturally helps, I don't think you NEED to have read it at all to enjoy the film. Which means it has the potential to reach a (relatively) wide audience. Be interesting to see if it does. It's been selling out here in SF, but of course that means nothing. And hey, it's got jazz, and jazz collecting in it, so all you board-members GO SEE IT!

Thanks to this sale, I got Shorter's "Schizophrenia" and Hancock's "The Prisoner," both of which I'd been kind of meaning to pick up for a long time (especially the Shorter).

I'm sweatin' bullets...I told the wife I was going to break down and order a set due to the sale, but I'd just get a small one. Any chance that the Capitol Jazz set, the Complete Savoy/Dial Parker set and four RVGs will come in a reeeeeal small box? I am so in the same boat as you guys. The last time I ordered more than one Mosaic, my wife found them and I thought I going to be summarily executed. We recently saw American Splendor and there were a couple of scenes that cut uncomfortably close to the bone: At one point Pekar says record collecting is like an addiction (jab from the wife). Later, Pekar's wife is packing some of his 78's to sell and he franticly stops her, saying, "No, not the 78's; they're important; you can't get rid of any of the IMPORTANT stuff." Brabner replies, "ALL your stuff is 'important'---I don't have any room here!" More jabs from my wife. One thing's for sure----hiding new purchases from your wife and discreetly folding them into your home collection is an art, and like any art it takes time to master. We'll get it right eventually.

I really hope you're wrong! I've already pre-ordered SFTNL. I've never heard it, but after reading so much about it on the boards and in books over the years, I had the impression that it was THE Lee Morgan recording to have. Don't worry John. I'm a fan of SFTNL too, and will be picking up the RVG next week. If you give it half a chance, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I forgot that Bird and Prez had such close birthdates. Lots of listening to do today!!

Gee, ya think?

I vote you get "Sophisticated Swing" next. Can't recommend it highly enough.

I don't care who did it or how rare it is, this is TOO much money for ANY damn record! (Cover looks cool, though...)

Great photo, Catesta. Where did you dig it up?

If he were still alive, Lester would be 94 years young today. Spin a track or three in his honor. Here's to the greatest improvisor between Armstrong and Parker!

BTW, has anyone seen the documentary "Capturing the Friedmans"?

Which happens to be another one of my favorite films. One Sturges' best in my book.

Wow, this looks close to essential. There goes my vow to lay off the CD purchases.

And of course, there's always The Thin Man The Honeymoon Killers Red Sorghum The Plot Against Harry Metropolitan Diner Bob le Flambeur Force of Evil Time Is All You've Got (Artie Shaw doc.) Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control Grand Illusion Rear Window Singin' In the Rain

Alan Greenspan??? If true, I wonder what type of jazz he listens to. Odd to think that the next jazz album you listen to may have been played in the background during a meeting of the Fed.

Dr. J, I only had a vague sense that this had been a problem at Blue Note for years. It really only jumped out at me with the RVG's. Perhaps because they're presented as a prestige edition I expected them to actually spring for a proofreader for once. The whole situation is both kind of absurd and sad. If Blue Note is owned by a bigger label (which it is), you would think that they would have enough professionalism to provide the money to edit/factcheck/proof the liners of their subsidiary's re-issues. Do they not want to be in the music business? More likely they think that the anger of a few thousand (few hundered?) jazz fans don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.

Another thing that bugs me about the Blumenthal RVG liners is all the damn mistakes! I mean like typos, spelling/grammatical/syntax errors that would have been cleared up in a second if anyone had proofread them even once. Hasn't anyone at the modern Blue Note heard of EDITING? Tripping over mistakes like this makes the notes an actual chore to read, which is perhaps why I barely glanced at the new liners for the latest RVG's. Just my two cents.

You're starting to make me glad that I don't have a daughter.

Hey, I'm not knocking Iowa! I've got relatives there and visiting them on Summer vacations were some of the happiest times of my childhood. It's just that, despite the Bix/Farmer/Miller connection, when you think of Iowa you don't automatically think "hotbed of jazz."

I'll drink to that! (And I'm not even a drinking man.) B)

My Man Godfrey, Holiday, The Third Man (British version), Rules of the Game, The Seven Samurai, Chinatown, The Maltese Falcon, The Day the Earth Stood Still, T-Men, Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Out of the Past, The Lady Vanishes, Laura, The Hot Rock, L.A. Confidential, The Iron Giant, Kiki's Delivery Service. Those are a few favorites. Dave, I'm with ya 100%----Bogart, screwball comedy, Cary Grant...YES!!

This is fascinating. Up until now, I never would have thought that Iowa City had a "jazz scene." But it is a college town, after all.

What say you folks about an album by Monterose called "The Message" (1959)? They spelled his name right, first, and second he plays with Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Garrison, and Pete LaRoca. A year or two ago I saw this album on vinyl and grabbed it. I'm glad I did.

This was also one of my first jazz organ albums, but I haven't listened to it in years. After reading this thread I'm definately giving it a spin tonight!

No, I wasn't serious, it just seemed appropriate somehow. I see that cartoon guy as sort of the spirit of Beat meets the spirit of middle-aged Bop. I think they're fun covers, actually. Those Mode paintings now, that's a different kettle of fish. The portraits do have a rather unattractive-to-downright-creepy quality. But the ones of the musician(s) in medium shot, against a white background, aren't that bad. I'm thinking of the Eddie Costa and the Pepper Adams 5. A little bland perhaps, but not objectionable. In fact, there's something I really like about the Costa cover, perhaps that he's shown playing his instrument.