HutchFan

How about Azymuth? I suppose you could call their music fusion. No guitars there -- and I think they were at their peak in the 80s.

Now playing: Azymuth - Flame / Spectrum (Milestone) 2 LPs on 1 CD

Attila Zoller & Masahiko Sato - A Path Through Haze (MPS, 1972) with Yasuo Arakawa (b) and Masahiko Ozu (d) Tremendous.

Nice score.

That's on my to-get list. More Dexter: and Dinah:

Yeah, 99.9% of the jazz is in the West location, which is a couple blocks from the original store on Queen St. I think adding another shop down the street was the easiest way for them to expand their store's square-footage. (The original shop is very small. And West is only a touch bigger.)

I was in Cosmos and Cosmos West on Saturday. You ain't lying when you say they are PRICEY. But their stock is gorgeous and interesting. Lots of imports and rarities. I bought two relatively inexpensive (used) LPs, and it set me back about $50 USD.

I don't think I've seen enough of Toronto's shops to generalize about jazz sub-genres ... yet. I have seen what you describe in Chicago, Rab. First of all, there's so much available there, but also -- as you noted -- the impact of the music that was or is being made in the city itself is very evident. Jazz sub-genre-wise, it's hard for generalize about Atlanta. Maybe because I see it all the time, it just strikes me as a mix of styles across the spectrum -- although I have sometimes wondered if my interest in 70s jazz was partially due to the fact that so much of it was (formerly) readily available in Atlanta at relatively LOW prices, compared to music from, say, the 1950s or 60s. However, it does seem like interest in 70s jazz has grown dramatically over the last decade. So, what was formerly bargain-basement priced might not be nearly so inexpensive anymore -- particularly when it comes to vinyl. OTOH, CDs are cheaper than ever now -- although shops seem to be stocking fewer and fewer. One ATL-record store owner that I know says that it's barely worth his time to sell them.

Dexter doin' his thing.

Interesting observations, Bill. As a seller, you're in a better position than me to judge how much appetite there is for any genre.

Bill, I agree with you re: Lovesick. I think it's one of their finest. Gotta say though: I sorta like Grass. I think J&R were just trying to move into more contemporary territory -- and it works for me. OTOH, I think Changes, the album that preceded Lovesick is MUCH less musically interesting than Grass. I would point to Changes as their least successful "crossover" attempt.

Yep. It's a Rap and R&B town. And some Country too -- but I think Atlanta's scene is still relatively small compared to Nashville.

My wife and I are in Toronto for a few weeks. Compared to Atlanta, the biggest thing that I've noticed is the huge preponderance of NEW records being sold. (I don't mean new in in the sense that the music is contemporary. Many -- maybe even most -- are reissues. I just mean the stock is still sealed from the factory.) I've only been to four or five shops, so far -- and there are MANY record stores in Toronto -- so this observation may just be a reflection of the shops I've visited. But the first thing that I noticed is that the vast majority of the jazz records in the bins -- maybe 85% -- are new. In Atlanta, I'd estimate that it's the exact opposite: 85% are used and 15% are new. Even my wife noticed it. In one shop, she pointed to the Miles Davis section, where there was at least a DOZEN new, sealed versions of Bitches Brew. In a comparable shop in Atlanta, there might be one or two. The abundance of new albums and the lack of used stock points to the fact that there's much more of an market for jazz in Toronto compared to Atlanta. And that doesn't surprise me at all. Atlanta has never been a "jazz city."

Now: The Modern Jazz Quartet - The Legendary Profile (Atlantic/Wounded Bird, 1972) Earlier: Jackie & Roy - Lovesick (Verve, 1967)

Next up:

Now listening to Munch & the BSO perform Brahms' Second Piano Concerto with Rubinstein, as heard on this set:

Listening to some early EKE: Disc 3

Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dances; Overtures & Symphonic Poems / Rafael Kubelik, Bavarian RSO (DG) Disc 3 - The Noonday Witch, Op. 108 - The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109 - The Wood Dove, Op. 110 - Symphonic Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 78

Hope you're well, Buddha. Haven't heard much from you 'round these parts lately.

Hmm. I really dig that album. Different strokes and all that, I guess.

More Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3, Op. 60 / Beaux Arts Trio, Walter Trampler Oh wow. What a treasure chest.

Arthur Rubinstein Plays Brahms (RCA) Chamber Music: Piano Trio No. 3, Op. 101 (with Szeryng and Fournier) and Piano Quintet, Op. 34 (with the Guarneri Quartet)