sal

Wise words. I agree completely.

The "So Many Roads" box set has Branford playing on a "Bird Song" that is really nice as well.

I say get them both. Both are essential in my opinon. "Miles in the Sky" if I recall correctly, is about half acoustic and half electric (meaning just Herbie & Ron). But it has some great tunes on it. "Paraphernalia" and "Black Comedy" are two of my favorite Quintet tunes. This is probably the weakest of the Quintet albums, but with music of this order, that means nothing. Get it. "Filles de Kilimanjaro" is ABSOLUTELY essential. It's all electric, and half the album has Dave Holland and Chick Corea replacing Ron & Herbie. "Tout De Suite" is one of the greatest performances ever recorded. I don't know how your feelings are about "In a Silent Way", but this one is heading more towards that realm. Very atmospheric and intense. One of Miles' greatest albums.

Thanks relyles, I was on the fence about this one, but after reading your review I think I'll pick it up.

I agree with this, and would also recommend grabbing Quintet (Basel) 1977. These two, along with "Conference of the Birds", were my introduction to Braxton, and it definitely worked! I'd also recommend Circle's "Paris Concert", but that one might be a little too "out" for your tastes.

I'm on business in Miami.....didn't bring any jazz with me, was going crazy, so I headed to a Border's yesterday after work and picked these up: Roland Kirk - "Kirk in Copenhagen" Tomasz Stanko - "Suspended Night" Cannonball Adderley - "Fiddler on the Roof" Gustav Mahler - "Symphony # 1" All four are !!!

Thanks Quincy! Numbers 29 & 31 have been added to the list....they sound very intriguing.

The "So Many Roads" box set is fantastic. I highly recommend that every Dead fan pick this one up. Another great live set that was somewhat recently released was "Ladies & Gentlemen.....The Grateful Dead", which is a 4 disc live set from the Fillmore East from I think 1970. This one is one of my favorites! Anyone else with post-Dick's Picks #20 recommendations, keep em coming! I've added #28 to my list.

Thanks for starting this thread, jazzbo. Although my time span is probably shorter than yours, my story is similar. The Dead became my favorite band of all time during my college years, but shortly before I graduated 4 years ago, the jazz bug bit me hard and it was pretty much just jazz up until recently. On a recent road trip, I grabbed some of my old Dicks Picks to listen to just for old time sake, and lo and behold I fell in love with the Dead all over again. What a great band! Jerry's guitar, absolutly amazing songs and a Miles Davis Quintet - like group chemistry just made for what I believe to be the best rock n' roll band ever! And the seemingly unlimited availiablity of recordings make them a very fun group to be a fan of. Thanks for making me aware of Dick's Picks #28, GregK. I haven't bought a Dicks Picks since around #20 or so. Can anyone give me recommendations for the MUST HAVE Dick's Picks from Vol. 20 to the present? Please don't say "all of them"!

Sal, I'm sure you've never been high in my presence......have you ? Hey Mark, I don't think I have! I never liked getting high at the Showcase....live jazz is just better sober to me. Hope all is well with ya!

Well, I'm in Miami training for my new job right now, and promised myself that I wouldn't post until I get back, but I have to jump in on this one. I don't find this depressing at all. I think its great that we can all share this. It makes us feel better. I'm 26, and I spent over 10 years smoking pot and drinking almost every day, never exercising, and eating like shit. Aside from some occasional bouts of depression that were easily treated with Paxil, I was in perfect shape. A few months ago, I quit the pot cold turkey, drastically cut down drinking, started running 5 times a week and started eating better. Now, I'm twenty pounds heavier and am starting to have body pains. What the hell?? At least the depression hasn't returned. To all you pot smokers out there, I know how wonderful it is to be high, and there are times where I really miss it. But if you are thinking of quitting, do it. The difference in mental clarity is like night and day. In fact, I'm so mentally clear, that the high I feel every day is better than any high I ever felt after smoking. I'm dead serious about this.

I voted for Jack Johnson because I'm not really a fan of SO many alternate takes.

This ALWAYS works for me.

"The Lord of the Flies". This book is amazing.

I had a really hard time choosing between the JJ Johnson and the Hodges. They are the two favorite Mosaics that I own. In the end, I voted for the JJ Johnson because I think musically, its the best one.

Just spun disc 1 last night. Its my favorite of the Mosaic Select series so far. Fantastic set. What a discovery Carmell Jones was!!!!

I recently picked up the new "Trainspotting" DVD and its great! This is a movie I've loved since its initial release, but never bought due to the shoddy quality of the first edition DVD. The new version has a nice, sharp pictue, both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and a second disc of special features. I believe it also has running commentary with Danny Boyle, the director. What a fantastic movie this is! I hadn't seen it in a couple of years. Truly one of the best films from the 1990s.

Here's my situation.... My favorite kind of jazz since I started listening 6 or so years ago has always been bebop and its offspring. I haven't quite warmed up to swing and dixieland era jazz as much, but I have taken several successful plunges. I've gotten the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens, the Basie Deccas, the Blanton-Webster stuff as well as some Benny Goodman and Sidney Bechet, and I can say that I really do enjoy them quite a bit, although not as much as I love my Miles, Bird, Ornette, Mingus, etc... Anyways, I've been contemplating taking the plunge on the Django Mosaic, especially with the free shipping offer. The limited amount of his music that I've heard, I greatly enjoy, and the sound clips on the Mosaic website sound great to my ears. However, I'm concerned that its too much (and too expensive) too soon for an artist I'm not that familiar with. Which is why I wanted to turn to this board. Is the music in this set so great that it will be a safe $96 to spend? Or should I hold off and buy some individual CDs first? Obviously, the single CDs would be safer, but individual cds are not a Mosaic!! I guess I'm just wondering what you all think of this set so that I can get gauge whether to spring for the set or not. As always, I look forward to getting your valuable opinions!

I really wanted to go this year, but I'm starting a new job next week and can't really ask for a week off so soon.

That's one of the greatest piano trio dates of all time!!

I'm curious about this band. The lineup with Lester Bowie, Eddie Gomez and John Abercrombie sounds fantastic. Anyone care to comment on this group's output? Any recommendations?

I'm very jealous.

Try "Out of the Afternoon" on Impulse!, which features Roy, Roland Kirk, Henry Grimes and Tommy Flanagan. Cookin' session!

Get it!!

I have it and I love it. One of my favorite releases this year so far. But then again, I'm a Fred Hersch junkie....just about everything he does is gold in my book. The +2 play on nearly every track. I think there are one or two trio pieces, and a duet with Hersch and Malaby. The music is exciting and fresh. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!