connoisseur series500

ouch! There it is!! Thanks Ubu. Looks like they cut-and-pasted all those boxer faces on that cover. Nowhere else is there such a shocking example of great time expenditure yielding so little!

or continuing one of his alto battles into the after-session hours.

Tell you what: psychological studies need to be performed on the fellah who designed that Walton/Mobley cover.

Claude, That Criss cover was so bad that I got rid of the cd. Didn't care for the session either, but I'm sure I was poisoned/mesmerized by that awful cover. Looks like mold. The cd smelled like it had been stored in a basement corner as well. That musty appearance affected the look and smell. Sonny Criss should sue!

I remember there was a particularly awful cover on a Sonny Stitt session, but I don't remember what it was. It looked like the outline of a body or something with a comicbook type of yellow or red filling in the picture. It was so awful it scared me off the disc. It's true, I can't help it but sometimes these covers shy me off the cd. I know there shouldn't be a connection but there is this psychological thing....

I dunno, but if anyone can find them it would be you, Claude. I am just going on the stuff from my own collection. Hope you can locate some pics. That would be fun!

Don't forget to describe the covers. That's the fun part!

Some could label the Three Sounds as lightweight, but I don't care. Gene Harris is obviously a talent and these guys play real tight. I happen to like their stuff. I just wish more were available. I'll probably eventually pick up most of their BN's, but I'll have to go the expensive import route. As money allows.... BTW, I did not care for the Turrentine/Three Sounds, "Blue Hour" Conn disc. Should I have given it another chance, Dan?

This ought to be fun: let's hear your nominations for the worst 32jazz cover. Lots of strong candidates here. These covers are so awful that they must have hurt sales. I remember having to talk a friend who is new to jazz into buying Woody Shaw's "Little Red's Fantasy." I had to tell him to ignore the awful cheap looking cover, that the cd is terrific. I hate the Grant Green, "Iron city." Such a depressing picture that it seems to carry over into the music. Of course, it doesn't but it's all psychological. The worst of all, however, is Sonny Criss, "Crisscraft." That boat looks like it came out of a beginner's computer graphics course. Turn it over and you've got these waves with music notes dancing over them. Really pathetic! These covers are so bad you feel ashamed to show them to your friends who don't normally listen to jazz. Here you are trying to put on something good for them. They like it then ask who it is. You bring out the cd cover and...oh my!

Certainly would agree!

Shavers gave him a hard time and Norton always gave him a very tough fight; in fact, I do believe that Norton actually should have been declared the winner in either fight #2 or 3 (I no longer remember which) And, of course, Larry Holmes beat him up. It was ugly to see. This is certainly one of the reasons that I no longer watch boxing.

I own quite a few 32 jazz sessions and there's some average sessions there, but also some excellent ones. Boy that cover artwork was terrible though! I particularly appreciate it that 32 jazz reissued all those Woody Shaw sessions.

I do recall Ali claiming that Ernie Shavers hit harder than Foreman, and Shavers was indeed a huge puncher, but he wasn't as fearsome as Foreman in his prime. Foreman walked through everybody including Kenny Norton and Joe Frazier. In the meantime, Shavers was being manhandled by average fighters like Jerry Quarry. Unlike you, I really do like George Foreman. I think that his friendly personality came out in his comeback, and it is genuine. He is extremely gracious when discussing his old rivals--Ali, Frazier, and Norton. His comeback as an elderly boxer really proved how great a fighter he was. He was tough and competitive even in the fights he lost. I've now forgotten who he lost to, but I remember him hanging tough even as a 40-50 year old. Remarkable athlete. Anyway, for someone who no longer watches or likes boxing, I sure do talk about it a lot!

If, if, if, if, if, iffffff only Ali would have retired after the Foreman fight in the peak of his glory, perhaps we would still have this very articulate man with us today still making us laugh and enlightening us. Of couse, all the fight fans would have been clamoring for more fights, but I think the film said that Ali fought another 22 fights after Foreman?!!! Yes, I know Ali is still with us, but it just isn't the same with that horrible illness boxing has inflicted on him. A postscript on Ali: as great as this man is and as delightful and courageous and inspiring as he was and still is, he still behaves like a cad when confronted with Joe Frazier. Ali hurled many hurtful epithets at Joe and he never seemed to let up over the years. In my opinion, this is the only black mark on the man, but it has diminished him quite a bit.

I remember Foreman as being the most fearsome fighter of my generation. He was big and he was powerful and opponents melted against him in the ring. He seemed surly and not comfortable with the Press. Today of course he's a lovable teddy bear, but he was the scariest fighter since Liston. Later on Tyson took over that distinction.

Wow! Mny, you saw the fights live in Zaire and Manila? That's incredible.

I read Nabokov's translation of "Onegin" along with another one, which I've forgotten. No, Pushkin is far from minor, but he is not known for his prose. My Russian lit teacher also told me this: If you ask a Russian who was greater, Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky? He will reply, Pushkin!!

You've got it, Bev. It was indeed the doomed Franklin expedition which made headlines in Europe. Congrats! You are definitely THE Friedrich expert.

For you historians out there: Do you know the event which apparently inspired Friedrich to paint this scene?

Awesome, Couw! Sounds like it would make a great vacation. Too bad I cannot afford any traveling right now.

OK, Guys, your points are well taken. I guess my annoyance comes from the fact that why alert me when it doesn't offer any advantages? It would be different if you offered Buy-it-now prices; then there is a definite advantage in being forewarned. I guess I can see Moose's point about trustworthiness and so on. Continuez s'ilvous plais! (Spelling?) Still, Shrugs, continue to offer here first if you like, I'll jump on something when I need it.

If you're so concerned about the low prices you might get, why don't you just offer them here for the price that you want? I mean, I try not to get upset whenever I see you guys pimpin your auctions, but I've got my ebay search engines pretty well refined already. Promoting the stuff doesn't help (at least with me.) Hopefully, you can find others who are more susceptible to your marketing. Personally, I offer my stuff here first, then I will go to ebay if nothing sells; but then that's just my way.

Thanks for the heads up, Mny. I may just turn off Ike Quebec here and turn on TCM.

Mny, the problem I have discovered in reading some of the lesser known Russian masterpieces lies with inconsistent translations. The Complete prose tales of Pushkin could be badly done depending on the translator. I learned in school to avoid Constance Garnett translations. My Russian lit teacher even claimed that she didn't know Russian, but depended upon a non-literary Russian speaker to translate for her. I find that one a bit farfetched, but that's what he claimed. Obviously, Tolstoy, Checkov, and Dostoyevesky are so well known that you can easily find good translations. Maude is an excellent translator for Tolstoy's work. That Complete Pushkin Tales could be the Modern Library version. Might not be the best translation. I generally like most of the Russian literature that I've read, and I've read much. Solzhenitsyn is wonderful. I particularly like "First Circle." Of course, Mny, knowing your education and drive, I wouldn't be surprised if you're not reading this stuff in its original Russian!

I would also add later Charles Lloyd to the list as well. Almost forgot!