John Tapscott

The Canadian P.J. Perry is a superb bebop alto player. I like Chuck Wilson, who plays with more of a swing bent. I am also a big fan of Andy Fusco's playing. Ditto Gary Pribeck. I am a Phil Woods fan, but my favorite alto player right now is Bud Shank. At 80 years old he's playing the best music of his career IMO.

all week - Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet, which arrived on Friday (great stuff, indeed!) next week - the Oliver Nelson box which should arrive this Friday

Thanks everyone. Yep, feeling good on my birthday this year, though I've had some sinus and ear problems over the past week. This time of year is a little tough for me with the fairly sudden changes in temperature. But it's been a good day - out to supper with my family, a couple of nice gifts, listened to to the first 2 discs of my new Art Farmer/ Benny Golson Jazztet box ( ) plus watched the new Dexter Gordon and Duke Ellington Jazz Icons DVD's. Lots to be thankful for!

Sorry to throw cold water on your suggestion, but if Mosaic's current offerings are selling slowly, I can't imagine that the ones you suggest will exactly fly off the shelves. I can understand Mosaic's caution.

Yes, the list is hardly comprehensive. I voted for Maria Schneider, but would have voted for either Florence or Holman, had they been listed. I'm also a big fan of the John Fedchock Big Band. His latest CD "Up and Running" on Reservoir is excellent, possibly his best yet.

The only time I buy Mosaics now is when they have some kind of sale, however modest. It's good for us, and probably short-term for Mosaic, but I wonder if having sales so often is in Mosaic's long-term interest. In other words, to be very busy when they have sales and slow the rest of the time. P.S. One set I will buy immediately upon release, sale or no sale, is the Woody Herman Philips set.

Just ordered the Oliver Nelson box. Still awaiting the Farmer/Golson from last month's sale.

Gee, did you have to remind me of that one? I was thinking I might suck it up and get the Nelson; now you've got me thinking about this one, too!

I ordered a couple of sets under Mosaic's shipping sale last month. I would have saved more under this sale. Not a whole lot, but still....Dang!

Uh-oh.

You can check out samples for both Reeds and Deeds Cd's at amazon.com. Wailin' and Cookin'. That should give you a pretty idea of what they're all about. I don't have either, but they're tempting for sure. But if you're not into retro hard bop, they may not appeal. (I am, so it's not an issue for me). As far as Grant Stewart goes, I highly recommend Grant's latest CD - "In the Still of the Night" on Sharp 9. No question, this man can play (and I always like to put in a good word for a fellow Canadian).

Haven't heard it for a while, but I don't recall it as boring, just somewhat different than the typical hard-bop date. What I do remember is that Art Blakey was definitely not his usual self on the date (whether by design or for some other reason, I have no idea) ed for spelling.

Charlie Parker - A Studio Chronicle 1940 - 1948 5 CD's (JSP)

It's a great session. Definitely worth the price.

Me too. Glad you had a good one, Dan! All the best.

This should be no great surprise. You can often find CD's cheaper on various retail sites than on the label's "home" site. The retail vendor probably buys "x" number of copies of a particular CD from Mosaic at around $8 per CD with no return. They then sell them for whatever mark-up they need (or can get). Like every other label, Mosaic has to move "product."

Of the ones you listed, I voted for Compulsion, which is one of my favorite Hill sessions and one I look forward to hearing again and again. Of course it's challenging, yet I find it fairly accessible. I think the extra percussion gives this date a very satisfying rhythmic feel. But overall, I agree with Guy. Go with Black Fire first.

Toronto Argonauts 35....Hamilton Tiger-Cats 22 The score flattered the Ti-Cats. Picking up Printers was smart move for the Ti-Cats, but won't help this this year. It certainly improves the CFL overall (or will next year for sure). I can't wait to see Printers go head to head next season against Michael Bishop. I like Bishop but we'll have to see how he handles the big test next week against B.C. (in Vancouver).

I have half a dozen Bryant recordings. My favorite may be "Plays Ellington and Basie" on Emarcy.

Hmm - obviously fake. I thought there was only one of those. C'mon, there are so many rural banks, they had to hire him as Regional Branch Manager. You may not know this, but banks in Ghana are now competing over how many ATMs they offer their customers and how convenient they are. Community wells are an especially popular and convenient location. Unfortunately now that Catesta has replied, he's going to a LOT of these offers. But hey, he's going to have as much coin as Wynton Marsalis!

Having received "Drum Suite" only yesterday, I've given it a couple of spins. It's the first time I've heard it, or any of Slide's Octet recordings. After the first listen I was mildly disappointed that I'd chosen it. It doesn't go in the "significant" category (which I feel an AOTW should be), but rather in the "enjoyable" category. But now having accepted that, I would say that it is a decent and enjoyable session, perhaps slightly above average. I was more than a little surprised by the huge sound of the group and by the lack of subtlety in the arrangements.. And that's understandable, really, given that Slide had just come from Maynard's band. The powerful rip through "Our Waltz" is really quite a shock, given the gentle way this tune is usually treated. Nothing gentle about this version. Max is quite outstanding on "Our Waltz" and "The Drum Suite". Enjoy Lateef and Coleman, too. Yes, a decent session, but not quite as outstanding as I'd hoped.

Total agreement from this corner. I love it!!!

But the question remains: Is WM "worth" over a million a year? I know you take what is offered, but from what I've heard, no way. And I'm not a real Wynton basher. I enjoy some of his music; some of it I find quite dull; truthfully I find myself listening to him less and less all the time, not that I was ever really 'into" his music in a real big way. When I want to listen to a big band - I rarely reach for a LCJO CD- I much prefer Maria Schneider, Bill Holman, Bob Florence or the Vanguard Jazz Orch. Lots of creative new music from those circles. I recognize that Wynton is a top-notch trumpet player, but again when I want to listen to current trumpeters, there's others I enjoy as much or more. (These days I'm really digging Brian Lynch). As for having WM being a "spokesman" for jazz, well maybe that's important for some people (especially the moneyed cultral "elite", who need to feel they're "doing something" for jazz). But I think the music can speak for itself. I was able to discover and explore jazz music (and I'm sure it's true for most of us here) without Wynton's help, thank you very much. I predate him anyway. My biggest help in discovering and exploring jazz was Martin Williams "Jazz Tradition" book which I "lifted" from my high school library over 35 years ago and "forgot" to return. Overall, Wynton is neither the destroyer nor the Savior of jazz. I just find him increasingly irrelevant and if Wynton and all his music suddenly disappeared it wouldn't affect me very much at all (and maybe jazz in general). The point is: Compared to what other jazz musicians make, is Wynton worth 10 or 20 times as much per year? I think the answer is quite obvious.

I'm guessing that the discography is no longer there for out-of-print sets. IMO, the Rich/Roach recording while looking "goofy" on the surface works quite well. It's definitely worth listening to, at least. Each drummer's group was a good one and Buddy and Max often light up some fireworks in their solos and exchanges. They were surprisingly compatible.

A choice that will extend our appreciation of Max Roach for another week. I ordered this CD 10 days ago in the August Mosaic Singles sale, but it hasn't arrived yet. Hope to have it Monday or Tuesday so I can join in the discussion.