Late

This album is great at night and great in the morning. Heck, it's just great. Bags had a way of hitting the vibes — you just know it's him.

French roast. Strong. (Slightly hungover.)

A Lucky Thompson Mosaic Select would be very tasty. Probably even better than peanut butter.

Florin, the Colin title in question is titled simply Trois. Haven't spun it in some time now. Will have to change that today.

You're right. The Jimmy Carter (my last name, too) connection is blatant.

GARussell — bump that Artist Selects disc way up on your list. It's a good, no — great — single disc compilation. Maybe because the man himself picked the tracks? If anyone wants to get a taste of Wilson without buying the Mosaic, get this one! It really is a great single disc offering. One of the very best "best-of"s I own.

Brand name? Freshly ground? Is it bad for you? Good? I confess: I like it on English muffins.

Nah ... Tony (Chaney)'s child lives on ... Still — The Hated Music kicks my buttocks.

Actually, I think I like Sonny Stitt better on baritone than I do on alto. (Blasphemy!)

St. Remy brandy. But only because I spent most of the day working in a quarry.

A belated addendum — maked sure to snatch up the Randy Weston OJCs. You won't be sorry! (Even if you have the Mosaic Select.)

"Pedro, just listen to your heart ... that's what I do." I am now the proud owner of the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack, talking doll, and (limited edition!) coaster set. SWEET! (I know, I'm a dork.)

Two more "obscure" discs, both in-print, both by John Tchicai: The "strings" here are really John Coxon and Ashley Wales of Springheel Jack — creating soundscapes (both acoustic and sampled) that Tchicai improvises over (on alto and/or bass clarinet). Tchicai really pours his heart into the proceedings, unleashing some beautiful and fragile solos. Every track's a winner, except perhaps the last: Tchicai recites a poem a la Yusef Komunyakaa. It's alright, but I would have preferred an all-instrumental set. Still, it's the last track, and that's what the stop button is for (!) Then there's this title on Black Saint: Tchicai on tenor with two basses and drums. Freakin' great. If you think Tchicai fizzled out after the 60's, this is the disc to get to challenge that assumption. Tchicai's use of space and off-meter fragments to create a string of "melodies" is simply haunting.

Have you heard it, Mike? I've always wondered about that album. I bet it's good! (It's also available on compact disc as a Japanese mini-LP.)

The more I listen to Sam Rivers on soprano, the more I like it. Not just a "doubler" to my mind. His playing on soprano seems fairly distinctive from his playing on tenor. Now, the sopranino — there's a horn I could probably do without. Braxton, Ochs ... I just can't get into the toy horn. When Lacy played the sopranino, he just made it sound (to my ears) like his soprano.

Finally landed a copy of this one — very nice record! The comparison to Out to Lunch is apt. Anyone interested in that recording would do well to seek out this one.

This session is very much worth owning. Massey is no great technician on the trumpet, but his ideas are carefully executed — you can really hear him thinking. Hugh Brodie is also interesting on tenor. He plays under a strong Trane influence, but still somehow leaves you wanting to hear more. And Julius Watkins? Probably not one of his better sessions, but it was still an inspired choice to have him make the band a sextet. Patti Bown's playing a pretty badly out-of-tune piano, but, not unlike Monk, makes it sing anyway. I dig her minimalist approach on this record.

Damn, this album just kills me. Feels like a small masterpiece. The Penguin Guide (at least the edition I have) pans it — what? A fantastic sounding album. A musical gem.

One of Hubbard's best on Blue Note, I'd say. What takes this session up a step — in addition to the fine soloing which could be expected just by looking at the line-up — is the choice of compositions. Not one, but two, Cal Massey tunes here. Both Hubbard and Shorter really dig into the changes with interest. It's also a nice change of pace to have Philly Joe on this session, as opposed to, say, Elvin Jones or Tony Williams. Philly's in great form here, his playing as crisp as ever. The old McMaster edition doesn't sound terrible, but is fairly boxed in. I hope the new RVG doesn't get too compressed. Regardless, the music is fine.

I wish Yazoo had a Peg Leg Howell release. In the meantime, where's the best place to look for his collected recordings?

Oh yeah — anyone else picked this one up? Kind of wonky sound, but nice playing!

Another baritone saxophonist to add to the list — Steve Baczkowski. Largely a "free" player, I suppose, but with very musical (rather than screaming) tendencies. His work is pretty much only on smaller labels, but I'd recommend a duo date he did with tabla/percussion/drums player named Ravi Padmanhabha (I hope I spelled that right). It's called Tongue Rust & Lead Moth — on the Utech Records label. (squidco.com carries Utech.) Also have been revisting Cecil Payne's work lately — his work with Randy Weston (the original version of "Little Niles"), and his Strata East date. Love Cecil.

Never heard it, John — care to share details?

I actually just listened to that one yesterday — Hot Tamale Man! No one can laugh through a horn like Mr. Keppard.

For Frank Lowe enthusiasts, pick up a copy of pianist/composer Steve Cohn's The Beggar & The Robot in Diamonds. Lowe's only on half the session (and his contributions are strictly in a supporting role), but this is a great cd. Cohn is a recent discovery for me — very atmospheric music.