John Tapscott

I bought many records and CD's from John over the years, first at the Jazz and Blues Centre in Toronto he co-owned with Bill Smith, and later by mail- order. I saw him last summer after several years and I was shocked by the decline in his health. Beyond his obvious love for jazz, John was a tireless worker on behalf of jazz and a man of integrity in his dealings with customers. He will be missed but I am glad that John and Sackville records went out on a high note with their most recent release - a beautiful solo recording by pianist Rosanno Sportiello, "It Amazes Me."

That's fair enough, Allen. A lot of Kenton fans seem to be in denial , but I think she's likely telling the truth. In any case, a couple of people "in the know" have quietly corroborated her story. Edityed for the sake of fairness - I have been chatting with another person today "in the know" who vehemently denies Leslie's claims.

There was definitely a melancholy mood to a lot of Kenton's music which may be related to something deep in his personality, an unresolved sense of regret, guilt and sadness. Who knows? But the booze sure got the better of him. This article is very sad reading, for sure. My big question is why is Leslie bringing this out now - 30+ years after his death?

Bennie Green Select

Absolutely, I feel the same way. I've heard a lot of the music before and have had 4 or 5 of the LP's. But I'm sure glad I have it in this format. The first four discs plus track one of Disc 5 (Japanese set) are really, really good; the rest of the set not so much IMO (some Ok tracks here and there). I will be revisitng the first four CD's again and again. The rest perhaps once more. But again I have to say that Joe's playing is excellent everywhere on this set (JH in Japan is on fire!)

I have his earlier CD on Mighty Quinn with the same personnel, called Energy Fields. It's a good one too. Always enjoyed Ralph with the Vanguard Jazz Orch. and with Danny D'Imperio's groups.

Some of the best Eric Alexander I've heard is on a CD I'm listening to now - Cecil Payne's Chic Boom Live at the Jazz Showcase (Delmark). I seem to enjoy Eric's playing most when other horns are on board.

I agree with Kenny. The website is not nearly as efficient as it used to be. Plus they've jacked up the cost of shipping significantly.

Joe Henderson - The Milstone Years - thanks to Newbury Comics - can't say I love all the music on this box, but Joe's playing is exceptional throughout, perhaps the strongest playing of his career, certainly better than the later Verve sessions.

I have a 2009 Ford Fusion. It's Ok; no problems yet. Wish I had got the V6 version, though. I thought I'd save money with the 4, but the gas mileage around town is mediocre at best; the V6 would not be much worse. Agree with Kevin about the Fusion headrests. I don't notice it when I'm driving, but when my wife's driving and I want to settle back for a rest in the passenger seat it's extremely hard to get comfortable. That headrest is always forcing your head forward. I noticed the same thing in a Cadillac GTS I rode in recently. I guess the thinking is that headrests are there to protect you from whiplash in case of accident, not make you comfortable. So they place them very close to your head.

55 minutes seems to be a pretty good set. I'm foggy on the details but I recall reading that Lorraine once said she only looked upon the VV patrons as suckers to be milked dry - something to that effect, probably more colorful.

Best in the world or not, my guess is that $130,000 - $140,000/year in Cleveland would be looked upon as pretty good money by most citizens of that fair city.

Indeed. Mr. Taste - I was just thinking about Ed's trio CD (guitar, bass, drums) by that name. It's well-titled and beautifully recorded. I'll have to listen to it soon. My favorite Oscar Peterson group is the trio with Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen.

Told myself "No More " - just ordered all 3.

Ryan Kisor, too, don't know whether he's been mentioned yet.

Though I am bit younger, I agree for the most part with what Peter is saying. I am largely in that same camp - a listener who leans toward swinging tunes with chord changes, though I often enjoy jazz that doesn't quite fit within that definition. Swinging or hard-swinging is probably more important to me than chord changes, which is why I really enjoy Ornette's Atlatic recordings. I enjoy many of Eric Alexander's CD's. Still, there is something in Eric's playing that I sometimes don't quite connect with. Sometimes I feel a little tinge of resistance rising up in me when I go to play one of his CD's. I don't ever have that sense with Grant Stewart or Scott Hamilton. I enjoy Eric more when he's with other horns such as in the One for All group, or on a record like Mode for Mabes on Delmark which has has two other horns.

Thanks for the tip. Just nabbed one myself - $7.99 for the set + $6.89 shipping!!! Incredible.

Eric Dolphy - Complete Prestige Recordings - great set, really enjoying it.

I sort of lost interest in Joshua Redman for a while, too. But then I heard him not long ago on John Hicks' excellent "Old Friends and New" CD. He sounds very good on that. So last week I pulled Joshua's "Freedom in the Groove" CD off my shelves and gave it a spin. Gor to say - it sounded pretty darn good - surprisingly so, as a matter of fact. Gonna have to give Joshua another go. Edited to say I agree with Mark analysis of Eric's playing above. To put it simply, Joshua sounds like a more "natural" jazz player than Eric. Maybe I can put it like this - Eric is a great musician first; Joshua is a great "jazz" musician first. In the liner notes to one of Eric's CD's, the writer mentions that Eric started as a classically oriented saxophone player before discovering jazz. That sense of formality still shows in his playing, I think, whereas Joshua's playing seems more flexible and natural in approach and phrasing.

I saw Roswell a few years ago and what he did was impressive and enjoyable enough in the context (and often very loud), but greatest ever....hmmm. I would nominate another guy whose named contained the letters "Ros". My nomination for best trombonist today...wait for it....John Allred.

Nice post Kevin. I agree with you. A couple more who play good hard bop trumpet are Brian Lynch (one of my favorites) and Joe Magnarelli. Actually there are lots more - Jeremy Pelt mentioned by Randy, and Terrell Stafford come to mind. Edited to add Greg Gisbert and Andy Gravish, both of whom play on one of the most smokin' hard bop CD's of the past 10 or 15 years - Danny D'Imperio's "The Outlaw" on Sackville.

Richie Beirach - Elegy for Bill Evans (Palo Alto). Have it on LP, would love to get the CD if it exists - a great record.

Yep, it was under my Christmas tree, as well. Looking forward to reading it.

Dexter Gordon Select

Tom, I have finished listening to the whole set for the first time in several years. You may have to swallow hard when you get to some of the pop tunes. They don't go down easy (at least with me). But I guess that's what big bands had to do in the late '60's/early 70's in order to survive (or get record dates). And all in all, Wilson does a pretty good job with them. Still, I consider them a blemish on an otherwise very good set.