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Lots of folks choosing Dylan...good to see! I'll take a stab at this.. Miles Davis John Coltrane Ludwig Van Beethoven Bob Dylan Charles Mingus

I had tickets to the Bears/Packers game tonight, but I caught a nasty cold/fever yesterday and am still quite sick, so I sold my ticket. A bad way to start the new year, but then again, a quiet night at home with the Bears on TV and some tea on the kettle ain't so bad. Best wishes in 2007 to you all!

I loved both "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers", but my favorite film of Yimou's is "Raise the Red Lantern". I'm looking forward to this one regardless. I was somewhat crabby when I wrote my previous post!

I will watch this movie, though I'm not as excited about it as I normaly am for a Zhang Yimou film. It looks like it might be a bit over the top.

I'm embarassed to say that I've never heard this before, nor Tommy. The only Who albums I've heard are "Whose Next" and "Live at Leeds", and I really like them both.

The "strangeness" of the music I think tends to overshadow how "on" the quintet was on this date. Of course, they played amazingly on every recording, but there's a ferocity on "Miles in the Sky" that sets it apart.

Brown biopic in the works Lee signs on for Godfather of Soul film By MICHAEL FLEMING Spike Lee has signed on to direct a feature on the life of James Brown for Paramount and Imagine Entertainment. Brian Grazer is producing, and the pic could be in production by late next year, though 2008 is more likely. Lee will rewrite a draft recently turned in by Jezz and John Henry Butterworth. Script has been through several drafts since Steve Baigelman wrote the original. Brown was an active part of the development of the biopic project. The singer met with Baigelman, and gave the Butterworth brothers access to his camp. Brown's longtime sideman Bobby Byrd also was interviewed for two days by the Butterworth duo. The rights package includes Brown's life rights, and also access to all his music rights. "Like everybody, I was surprised and saddened that James Brown died," Grazer said Tuesday. "Having known him well, and after spending lots of time with him and researching his life, it's somehow not surprising that he died on Christmas Day. He was the ultimate showman, all the way to the end." Lee has two other projects with Grazer. He will next direct a John Ridley-scripted film on the L.A. riots for Universal and Imagine. He will either follow with the Brown film or an "Inside Man" sequel, which Russell Gewirtz is scripting.

Nice Mark! Fred rules.

Someone else said this was a good one. Might have to check it out....haven't bought a Nas album in 10 years.

I've been listening to Ben Allison and other JCC artists quite a bit lately. I found a used copy of "Third Eye" at a store in Chicago a couple of weeks back. Its a very nice record, and kind of got me started on this kick. I really like these guys' sound. I've heard all of Ben's albums except for "Buzz", and I've enjoyed em all.

If they still have "Freak In", I'd get that one.

Am I the only one who thinks "Paraphernalia" is one of the best performances of a Wayne Shorter tune by the Quintet?

I thought the Eagles were finished after McNabb's injury....Garcia's leadership has been really impressive. Suddenly the NFC has another contender.

#6 is a disturbing book.

One of my favorite JB songs, "Funky President", is on this disc. Its probably my favorite song to listen to in the car with the windows rolled down and the volume way up. That "Star Time" set is one of the greatest box sets I've ever heard. A great intro to the man's music, and one of the richest career retrospectives ever compiled IMO.

This sucks. RIP James.

Along with the downward trend in DVD prices has come a downward trend in bonus materials, booklets and packaging. Criterions are pricey, but worth it IMO. Plus, with these Borders coupons going around, there's no need to pay more than $20-$25 per movie if you have access to a Borders bookstore.

Wouldn't that be great.....

Also, I also enjoy RZA's "Bobby Digital" CD, as well as Cappadona's "The Pillage", but I wouldn't say they're essential. Anyways, as for my favorite non-jazz releases this year, I liked these quite a bit: Bob Dylan - "Modern Times" Paul Simon - "Surprise" Neil Young - "Living With War" Flaming Lips - "At War With the Mystics"

Throw Method Man's "Tical" and Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Return to the 36 Chambers" to this list, and you've got 6 of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

My favorite new releases this year were: Andrew Hill - "Time Lines" Trio Beyond - "Saudedes" Ornette Coleman - "Sound Grammar" My favorite reissue was Warne Marsh's "Ne Plus Ultra"

Nice! Please let us know when its availiable for purchase.

I'll be heading to South Carolina to spend Christmas with my dad and his wife's family. It will be my first Christmas in a warm climate. I'm actually looking forward to it. Otherwise, its been a very nice holiday season. Normally, I get somewhat sad as I don't really have much family (I'm an only child) and my dad lives out of state. But I've been quite happy lately....been eating some good food, keeping the workload under control, spending more time with friends, seeing alot of movies, and listening to alot of music. For the rest of my life, every time I listen to Ray Charles' Atlantic stuff, I'll be thinking of Christmas 2006. I hope everyone who is having hard times, or is just plain blue, that things pick up and that you end up enjoying the rest of the year.

I'd add his appearance on Chico Freeman's Destiny's Dance to that list. (Hard to imagine him keeping that kind of company these days) When I interviewed Wynton in April, 1982, he said that "Destiny's Dance" was a very poor experience for him because Chico Freeman did not know the changes to his own songs, and that he would not be getting involved in any projects with musicians like that again. What a douche bag.

Its a brilliant, sad film. Spike's best work since Malcolm X.