Late

The On Jupiter session is also seeing reissue on compact disc. I've actually heard that one, and it's a kickin' funky thing, with intermittent space-out moments. Definitely worth picking up for 70's Ra fans.

Unfortunately, Universal owns very few (if any) of these. True. Concord owns some, and whoever owns Arista/Freedom owns some. And the Taylor? Who knows who owns that. Great record, though. I guess the records that were ever only on Fontana (neither licensed nor licensed out) would (still?) be under the Universal umbrella. The main idea is — wouldn't this make a great box set? There are about three titles (from the list in that link) that I've yet to hear: • The Dollar Brand — there's a Black Lion CD with the same title, but the tracks are quite a bit different than what the Fontana LP lists. • Consequences — I don't know if the same titles are on the Storyville Archie Shepp, but, if so, I have some of the tracks. • Blood. Haven't heard a note of it. My favorites are Jazz Realities and Juba Lee. The latter should really be in-print; it feels that important.

I still haven't picked up the Archeophone set, but there's a thread somewhere here raving about it. Nice pics, Chris!

This series has been mentioned before here, but I thought I'd create a dedicated topic for us to discuss the various records that Ms. Marte Röling's artwork graced. Check out this site, with text written by our own Clifford Allen, and with a nod to Guy Kopelowicz as well. If Universal had the foresight, they'd package these as some kind of set.

That is a great record. Unfortunately, the Black Lion CD suffers from a pretty bad transfer. The music holds up though, and I'd still say buy it, especially if you can find it used somewhere.

That's a nice core collection you have. As far as recommendations, I'd say filling out the rest of the Saturn/Evidence titles is a "must." Eventually, you'll want them all. The one that I'd say is "desert island" is Angels and Demons at Play / The Nubians of Plutonia. Additionally, the 2-CD package of The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums on Evidence is very fine — some of the most distorted and intense Gilmore on record. All of the Heliocentric records are worth owning too.

Did the track "Disco 3000" originally appear on compact disc on "The Singles" compilation that Evidence put out a few years ago? Or is this version on Art Yard different? These two 1978 sessions (Disco 3000 and Media Dream) I'm guessing were made in close proximity to the Horo dates. The condensed band at that time — John Gilmore, Michael Ray, Sun Ra, and Luqman Ali — were playing some hot chit. The "expanded" 2-CD reissue of both dates hold a lot of promise, and will be hard to pass up.

Well, if you do iTunes, that's one way to hear this session. I know it's not the same as having a hard copy, but the transfer actually sounds pretty good, which isn't always the norm for iTunes. You'll also want to keep your eyes peeled for Bley's Savoy session (Footloose), and the quartet session with John Gilmore. Both are on par with the titles you already have.

I believe so, yes. I've never seen a copy anywhere.

Not entirely true. I don't about Caiman itself, but Caiman-Tower does have an 800 number (1-800-ASK-TOWER) where you can talk to a real person. I just called them on Friday to request a refund for a "special order" that I was billed for but that never shipped. The guy explained that when Tower was shifted over to Caiman, all existing/pending orders were closed — meaning billed, whether they'd shipped or not. I'd agree that that's a little dubious, but I'd followed my order (one of two titles had shipped), and he said it was no problem to refund the billed title. I gave him my order number, and then received an e-mail confirmation a few minutes later. When I get my credit card statement, I can post here if/when I receive a credit. I'm not wanting to "defend" Caiman here, I just think that Caiman-Tower, per se, might be a little different than "regular" Caiman — who I've never purchased from (via Amazon) because of such low ratings. It's understandable that people would have their doubts, but so far I haven't had a "bad" experience with Caiman-Tower. Last week I received six EMI classical titles (in one shipment) for under $23 shipped. Not too shabby.

Anyone else read that — about the paper in the bell of the horn for "Shadow Waltz"?

Sonny digs deep on this one. The way he sculpts a line — he can bring fairly mundane standards alive, as if much was at stake. I guess that's one of the reasons he's so great.

I always thought this album had never been reissued on compact disc. On a whim, I did some searching and found that, lo and behold, it was reissued on compact disc — in 1990. What? Then I discover it's been sitting on iTunes for a while. What? Listening to it right now for the first time, and really enjoying it. Not only is it the recording debut of Charlie Haden, but also Dave Pike. I have to admit that I've never been a big Pike fan, but, man, he's really swinging on this session. And beautifully recorded? Yup. Some great unison heads (composed by Carla Borg nee Bley), and Lennie McBrowne is tight on this one. Whew. It's great to discover hidden gems like this one. If you're a Bley fan, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

Porcy — are you talking vinyl or CD? (I'm assuming CD.) Which Japanese pressing do you have? I have the VICJ pressing, and it's acceptable but not great. I wish this session were reissued in total. Every reissue has always left off the duo track (Pettiford-Roach) that was recorded before Rollins showed up to the studio. Have also read that, a la Stan Getz, Rollins put something (staff sheets?) in the bell of his horn to record the track "Shadow Waltz." Can't remember where I read that now.

One of the great Rollins records, though the recording seems not to be as great, at least on compact disc. I had a friend in high school, however, who had an original mono copy of this LP, and it sounded pretty good (if I can remember that far back). What edition sounds best to you?

Well, that was a smart move. I don't know about others here, but I'm personally offended by the use of "Smithville." I wish Alfred Lion & Co. would have had the decency/foresight to think of these things ... (Also glad to have the TOCJ.)

Hank Mobley's impossible-to-find Curtain Call is available in the list. Was it listed when this sale originally started? (I don't remember it being there.) At any rate, some superb Kenny Dorham on that one. I have this session on the Mosaic. Can anyone with the TOCJ comment on sonic differences (if any)? This session on the Mosaic sounds pretty darn good.

Dexter Gordon's Homecoming is worth picking up for both Shaw's and Gordon's contributions. I wish Columbia would have gotten around to re-reissuing it with original cover art and better remastering, but at least it's still out there.

I wonder what will become of Mighty Quinn now that EMI's been purhcased. The last I heard (about a year ago), Mighty Quinn was working on a Sal Salvador project, in conjunction with Salvador's daughter — live and at-home tapes. Was that project shelved, or did it actually come out?

I wonder if the reason there are only five Connoisseurs this time is because the sixth title was supposed to be Louis Smith's Smithville, with the previously unissued extra tracks, but some kind of issue arose. Just speculatin'.

Just wanted to give a heads-up for those interested: Free Form is available again. This time not through Redial, but through some UK label called Gott Discs. I assume they're legit, but don't know. At any rate, this is a terrific album, along with his other session from around this time: Abstract. The Bards have it here.

Didn't know that about the High Notes. Good news. Bemsha Swing can be had (I think) as a Japanese import these days. It might even be cheaper than used U.S. copies. However, once I actually check, the Japanese import will probably be out-of-print too. The Eric Dolphy dates that Shaw is on are pretty good too. I used to imagine a session after Out to Lunch which would be something like: Dolphy, Woody Shaw, Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson.

Damn — it's actually my favorite Hill session! Something brooding about it that's attractive to me.

Here's how I'd prioritize a Shaw-binge: 1. Blackstone Legacy — a killer debut 2. Stepping Stones — a "must have" in my opinion 3. Swiss Radio Days (Lausanne, 1977) 4. Song of Songs — looks like you ordered it already 5. The three High Note Volumes — you'll eventually want them all The hard one to find, but worth searching for, is: • The Moontrane (Muse) In fact, I'd scoop up just about anything on Muse when you see it — Love Dance, Imagination, etc. You're in for a huge treat!