HutchFan

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Next up: Steve Coleman & Five Elements - World Expansion (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1987) I have the Winter & Winter reissue, but those covers are dull and repetitious -- so I'm sticking with the JMT image. Plus, the original cover does a much better job of conveying the late-80s vibe in the music.

Disc 1 Beautiful.

I'm with you, TtK. O'Farrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite and Second Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite are my favorites too. That said, I think the second suite one would been better if O'Farrill would have given it a more imaginative name. I remember reading somewhere that O'Farrill was disappointed by its lack of recognition, relative to the first. Titles matter! Give us a more memorable handle!

What were your impressions, Larry?

I agree. Even though Kenny Clarke is one of the most important drummers in jazz history, I think Connie Kay helped John Lewis more fully realize his singular conception.

NP: CD compiles two Prestige LPs: The Boss is Back! and Brother Jug!

R.I.P.

Wonderful.

Recordings from 1959-60 with Jack McDuff & Bill Jennings; originally released as Blue Gator and Cookin' Sherry

Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous, Roy Haynes - Trio Music: Live in Europe (ECM, 1986)

Terrific record.

Mark Helias - Desert Blue (Enja, 1989) with Marty Ehrlich, Herb Robertson, Anthony Davis, Pheeroan AkLaff

Disc 4

Congrats to the Bucks. I'm looking forward to watching the finals too -- even though my team just got bounced.

And not only that it happened -- but also the WAY that it happened! As Mavis describes it in the film, Mahalia was out of gas and asked Mavis to step in, take the lead. So Mavis does her thing, singing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord." And what Mavis does is AMAZING. And then Mahalia is so inspired by what she's hearing from Mavis that she has to sing too. And then she takes it even HIGHER. And then they're both singing it TOGETHER. I've never seen anything like it. It was so much more than just music. But it was also as powerful and beautiful as music can possibly be. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was bawlin' my eyes out. And Ray Barretto! And B.B. King, who is on FIRE!

Claudio Roditi, Klaus Ignatzek, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse - Light in the Dark (Nagel Heyer, 2004)

Me too. It's incredibly moving, the best film I've seen in a LONG time. As I mentioned in another thread, see it in a theater if possible. It's only in limited release for a brief time -- but it's worth seeing on the big screen if you can!

Debussy: Orchestral Works - I / Jean Martinon, Orchestre National de l'ORTF, etc. (EMI) Disc 1 - La Mer, Trois Nocturnes, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, and other works

I saw this film earlier today. I can't recommend it highly enough. It's much, much more than a "concert movie." There are so many great moments in the film -- but I gotta say that Mavis Staples' features hit me the hardest. She flat-out tore me up, moved me to tears. If you have a chance, see it in the theater. You won't regret it.