HutchFan

More Hilton Ruiz: Ruiz was a great musician. From the first time that I heard him -- on George Coleman's Amsterdam After Dark -- I've enjoyed listening to him make music. (Incidentally, Big George also appears on this CD.)

Reading this book now, and I'm enjoying it very much: I want to keep digging, so I also just ordered this book:

Disc 1 - originally released as Out of This World

"El Barrio" !!!

Yes sir!

Thanks for sharing that remembrance, Chuck. I know that everyone is full of contradictions, but it sounds like Koester was particularly full of them. I'll be in Chicago next month. Looking forward to visiting to the shop that Bob Jr.'s running now.

Ray Barretto & New World Spirit - Taboo (Concord Picante, 1994) with Ray Vega (tr, flhn, perc), Adam Kolker (ts, ss, fl), Hector Martignon (p), Jairo Moreno (b), and Satoshi Takeishi (d)

Heh. Maybe I should have used a word like interesting instead.

Arthur Blythe - Blythe Spirit (Columbia, 1981)

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing!

Cal Tjader - Tjader (Fantasy, 1971)

Ha!

Perilously close to an old-guy rant. Look out there, Jim. There's always been records that make folks' rigs skip or have problems... especially when you get up there in rarified "audiophile" air. Next up: Jay McShann, Buddy Tate - Crazy Legs & Friday Strut (Sackville, 1977) Buddy Tate, people! Buddy Tate !!!

Now this: Ross Tompkins and Good Friends (Concord, 1978) The most notable "friend" on this LP is Al Cohn, whose playing is ridiculously good. He makes such an assured and powerful sound -- but it's also effortless, practically Rollins-esque. IMO, this LP is right on par with Cohn's late-70s Xanadu gems like Play It Now and Heavy Love.

James Williams - Magical Trio 2 (EmArcy, 1988) with Ray Brown & Elvin Jones GREAT news!

NP: Irakere - Misa Negra (Messidor, 1987)

Flora Purim - Stories to Tell (Milestone/OJC, 1974) and Paquito D'Rivera - Manhattan Burn (Columbia, 1987)

Seconded!

Rab, Here are a few of my Konitz faves that don't appear on your list: