duaneiac

Disc 2 of 2. Taj Mahal is a performer who really does not seem to get as much credit as he is due. He's quite a versatile singer & musician and has been putting out consistently good records for almost 50 years now. Give this man the Kennedy Center Honors at the very least.

I'm just finally getting around to listening to this new CD myself. Listening to it right now (also just 3 songs into it) and it seems pretty good so far. Nothing new or unusual, just Van Morrison doing his thing once again. What kind of organ is Joey DeFrancesco playing these days. It does not sound like a B-3.

Here's a few of mine: The US postal service will finally issue a Dave Brubeck commemorative stamp. A new issue in the Sonny Rollins Road Shows series -- preferably a double disc set! An autobiography/memoir written by Sonny Rollins. A new big band album from Carla Bley. That major labels like Blue Note, Verve, Columbia and Concord would once again take an interest in recording and selling new jazz music. The revelation that the whole "Roy Hargrove is dead" news was just a hoax and that he has been in seclusion all this time working on the finest album of his career. That Yoshi's in Oakland would present jazz performers on a regular basis once again (not gonna happen, I know, but one can wish . . .) _____________________ So what would you like to see happen in the world of jazz in the coming year?

Disc 1.

Discs 2 and 3 of 4. A good overview of the history of jazz guitarists. Still, if they could find room to include Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana in this "jazz" set, why then could they not find space for Baden Powell, Mundell Lowe, Emily Remler, Mary Osbourne, Bucky & John Pizzarelli, Martin Taylor or some other jazz musicians? I know it's just my taste, but I would rather listen to Thornell Schwartz (also not included here) than Jimi Hendrix any ol' time!

Polkas, cha chas, mambos, cumbias, waltzes, twists -- they're all here on this delightful compilation of Brave Combo's early recordings.

Disc 1 of 2.

Disc 2 of 4. I do have to be in the right mood to listen to this music, but when I'm in that mood, this really hits the spot. Still, I think this 4 disc retrospective is all the Crusaders music I really need. Are there any Crusaders albums that members here would consider "essential"?

Disc 1 of 2. Performances from Aug. 10, 1958 with Lou Levy, Max Bennett and Gus Johnson.

I'm not sure when these tracks were recorded. Ken Nordine's voice is rather timeless, but the inlay card has a 2014 copyright printed on it. The backing band here included Howard Levy, Paul Wertico and the late Manfredo Fest among others.

Music from 51 years ago today: Disc 1 & 2 of 2. I envy those of you who got to hear this group perform live.

It's a little slow going because one has to get through the party scene in the beginning, but once the dream sequence begins, the film is like a Maurice Sendak book come to life.

This was the second Christmas album made by Brave Combo and this time around they were (mostly) "live", with the tracks here culled from two seasonal shows in 2007. A pair of studio tracks were recorded in 2008. Brave Combo is certainly a band which needs to be experienced live to be fully appreciated, and from the opening notes of "We Three Kings (Cha Cha)" here, I knew this was the holiday experience for me!

Music from the Hot Club of San Francisco. Warning: This disc contains a version of the tune which has recently been deemed the most offensive and outrageous assault on all that is good and decent. Kittens will die if you listen to that song. Shame on you.

While he was not an athlete, a couple of times I saw sports broadcaster and National Baseball Hall of Fame member Bill King (voice of the A's/Raiders/Warriors) among the audience at shows at Yoshi's in Oakland. He was easy to spot:

Just listening to the Christmas album (a beautiful solo piano gem) on this 2-fer CD. I love his very Hodesian version of "Silent Night".