Bol

I haven't found any review of this anywhere. I got it just because Bill McHenry's on it. He is perhaps my favorite sax player alive, and it is unfortunate for me that he has stopped making recordings of his own regularly. I think he has left NYC to live and work in Spain. In any case, "Intuition" is a quartet recording nominally headed by the Danish bassist Richard Andersson. The liner notes say that all of the tracks except 2 are improvised by the quartet. It's a mostly quiet and meditative recording, but doesn't lose interest. McHenry's solos in particular are really interesting and cliche-free. I am really enjoying it.

There were many recordings by established musicians I already knew like Joe McPhee and Joe Morris. But I also got introduced to some that I had not encountered before, and have since come to really like. Kirk Knuffke, Michael Dessen, Martin Kuchen, and Nate Wooley are some of these.

I just found out the sad news that Clean Feed is suspending operations indefinitely. Does anyone know why?

I will be going overseas for a year, and will try renting out my apartment while I am away. So I need to move out and store my records and CDs. Would people be able to advise me as to what kind of storage facility I need in terms of temperature control? I am in London, UK, so there aren't as drastic changes in temperatures as in say the American Midwest. But still there would be some variations through a year. If anyone has some experience in storing vinyl, I would be super interested to hear. Thank you very much in advance.

Hang in there. There is no easy fix, in my own experience. Work, exercise, music, friends, and years. Those are the only solutions I know. All the best, my friend.

Very sorry about your dog. I know how tough it can be. I still keep my old dog's tag on my keychain and remember her almost every day. Amazing how attached we get to these creatures! That's my reaction exactly. But I will give them a few more spins.

Hello Lon. Thanks for the response. I will try the Evans recordings again some more before I give up on them. I definitely listen less patiently when I am super busy at work. Hope all is good in Ohio.

There are certainly a lot of these coming out. What do people think about them? I find them oddly deflating. They are all very pleasant, but they don't seem to add much to the available "official" recordings. On the other hand, I find the Ahmad Jamal issues on Elemental very exciting, even scintillating. But I can't explain my diverging reactions. I like both pianists a lot. Perhaps it has to do with the glut of the Evans recordings, and the relative dearth of the Jamal recordings. Would be interested to hear from others.

I see that some of the records I want are issued by VMP ("Vinyl Me Please"). What do people think about these issues in general?

Hello everyone. It's been a long while since I shopped or went to live jazz gigs in Chicago. A London friend who is visiting Chicago want some recommendations for record stores (used jazz vinyl) and live jazz venues in Chicago. Aside from Dusty Groove, what would you recommend? Sorry if I am repeating requests that have been made many times before.

Hi Lon. Good to hear from you too. I remember your telling me about some of your upgrades. None of it really made sense to me at the time, but now I understand. I was chatting yesterday with a colleague who is a huge audiophile. He told me that the next thing is cables! That sounds less daunting and expensive than a new CD player, but who knows? But I shall tread carefully. Thanks for the tip. Alas, I don't do Facebook, and I also just got rid of the electricity converter, so I cannot really plug the old Sony amplifier in any more. Most likely, the next time I travel to the US, I will bring the old amplifier with me and give it to someone.

I never really liked big band jazz, but a new amplifier is prompting me to reconsider. I moved from the US to the UK seven years ago, and brought with me an old Sony amplifier from the 1980's that my sister had given me when she upgraded. I had to use an electricity converter to use it here in the UK. As a Christmas present to myself, I bought a much better amplifier -- Quad Vena II integrated amplifier -- and I now no longer need to use a converter! The chief benefit is the clarity of sound as well as added warmth. I was listening to the first Mosaic Lester Young set the other day, and big band music all of sudden made sense to me. And Lester Young never sounded so good!!! Compared to what I am hearing now, before, big band music just sounded like a sludge of sounds. I am no audiophile, and I never thought an amplifier could make such a big difference. Now, I am thinking about a new CD player! I guess this is a dangerous road to travel on...

Any recommendations as to which issues on vinyl of Fats Waller & Rhythm you'd recommend? Not 78's, but 12" LP's. Thanks in advance.

Yes, they have some really good ones. Unfortunately, I am in the UK, and the shipping would be prohibitive. Not to mention the customs. Sigh...

The Tatrai Quartet's recordings (on CD's) were my first introduction to Haydn's quartets back when I was in grad school in the 1990's! At some point, I moved on the the period instrument recordings and got rid of the Tatrai CD's. But now I like many of the older recordings on modern instruments. So I will check some of these out. Thanks.