Late

I think Mosaic is going to be pleasantly surprised at the number (even if it is relatively small) of pre-orders this set gets ... Thank goodness Andrew agreed to having this one come out. My expectations aren't too high, but I am really looking forward to getting to know the music in this set.

Check out Hardman on this one ... nice.

I don't know, but the Morello session has some tasty tenor playing by Art. Nice Red Norvo contribution too. Sound/remastering issues aside, I think everyone's going to like this set. While I don't know later Pepper very well, I like this (Jazz West, Intro, Omega) period of his playing even better than the Contemporary period that immediately followed it (late 50's).

I'll second that. This was my very first exposure to Hubbard, and I still go back to this performance. I like that it has a slightly "up" tempo to it, something which I don't normally care for in ballads, and, maybe as a result, I've never been able to get with Miles' version as closely (even though it's still brilliantly played).

Anyone else made any recent OJC "discoveries"? Muse away, if so ...

Ditto that. When Hill's Connoisseurs become scarce, they'll likely go for steep prices on e-bay. Now's the time to scoop up those titles that interest you. (I think everyone here already knows that, though.) I wouldn't want to be without Lift Every Voice, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone who's not into vocals in a "jazz" setting. Still, it gets my . Slightly off-topic, but the East-West Hill's from the mid-70's are also very nice. (I don't have Blue Black though ... d'oh!)

You're in an enviable position. I think this is some of the best Pepper on record. Make sure to brew up your favorite coffee (or pour your favorite red) when the package arrives ... you're in for a treat!

I think McMaster's 2002 remastering work on the Peppers for the Japanese market isn't so bad. I have all three SBJCs, and they sound pretty good to me. Nothing Addey-spectacular, but better than the original 80's U.S. reissues. More tape flaws are surfaced, but the drums (to my ears at least) are presented with more clarity. Some of those Omega tracks, remember, had fairly dubious sound to start off with. (Just my opinion, of course.) Some of the tracks — those with Perkins, for instance — will have perhaps been remastered more recently (2003?), as they weren't included in the Japanese reissues.

Pre-ordered too. Woo-hoo! "The 2003 release of Andrew Hill's Passing Ships on Blue Note set off a torrent of requests for more unissued Hill material. After some discussions with the artist, we came up with a solution: clean out the closet in one fell swoop. With the release of these sessions, recorded between 1967 and '70, every piece of music from Andrew Hill's Blue Note recordings has been issued." Who would have thought. A great day indeed! (Does the "torrent of requests" indicate at all that we might see some future Hill Connoisseurs ... for those who missed the Mosaic?)

Listened to this one this afternoon. If you're a Shearing fan, or a Benny Goodman fan, you'd probably like this disc. Some fun tracks on it. The Byas discs and most of the Thompson discs are back in stock I see. Good news, and another opportunity for those who don't yet have them.

I don't think this one's been mentioned yet ... at least in this thread. (Missed it, if so.)

(As long as we're being goofy ... )

Oops. I meant this one: VICJ 60461: Lee Konitz-Miles Davis: Ezz-Thetic Hans, I've only heard a few of Hoffman's DCC remasters, but I don't doubt your assessment.

Received the VICJs of And Horns and Steamin' yesterday, and had a chance to sit down and soak them up. Wow! Steamin' is a better recording (mechanically) to start off with, but the K-2 (Japanese) remaster of And Horns was a really nice surprise. It does surface more tape flaws, but, in the process, the horns are given a richer presence. I hate to say this (don't know why exactly), but sometimes a good remaster makes me like an album even more. This is Miles' first appearance on Prestige (January, 1951), and it's interesting to hear how he'd moved from The Birth of the Cool back to a more bop-inflected environment. Still, John Lewis's writing makes the "environment" anything but "bebop." Hard to explain, but a gem of a session to my ears, even if Miles later dissed it himself. Steamin' doesn't sound quite as good as Cookin' to me, but the ballads in particular do seem to benefit from the K-2 remaster. Does anyone have the VICJ of Conception, with Miles on some tracks, and Lee Konitz on others? Never have tracked that one down.

(Psssst: Go for the new TOCJ24s of Morgan's first Blue Note albums. At ¥1500, you can't go wrong!)

Glad you liked the Tatro, Dave. A considerably under-remarked album ... but maybe this board will change that a bit! I think I hear how you're making the CJB connection (no piano; harmonically rich). Tatro's stuff doesn't swing as much for me, but that's not my primary attraction to it. If you haven't already, you might want to check out some of the Lennie Niehaus OJCs, as they're at times similar to the Tatro. None of us have really mentioned the cover of that one. I wonder if that was Lester Koenig's idea. Don't know the Sleet, but have at least heard sound samples. It does sound nice, and is on my long, long list of to-buys (which is always under-funded ). A quick note for Oregon posters — Cat's Meow in Eugene is going out of business ... after 22 years. Sale on Saturday!

I was thinking of the version from Tetragon. Ron Carter is dyno-mite on that one.

Also agreed. It does seem a "natural" fit for the Connoisseur series. Didn't Cuscuna, at one time, say that maybe two tracks from The Trainwreck were at least semi-worthy of reissue? They could be tacked on to the end of Natural Essence, and I don't think anyone would complain. I already have the TOCJ, but would probably end up shelling out for a Connoisseur edition if it had some kind of additional music.

What a gorgeous tune. Did Kaper ever compose another of its magnitude? Do you have a favorite version? I just got done listening to Coltrane's (with Wilbur Harden), and like it, but I think that Joe Henderson's version is still my favorite. Who's version should we make sure not to miss?

Wolf, You might want to search out the latest Japanese edition of this disc (remastered in 2000). The alternate takes are all placed at the end of the disc, and the sound is a lot better than on the standard OJC edition. It really does make for an altogether different listening experience.

So you have the show with Hancock? Maybe David heard another show (with Bryant). And then ... McCoy was on for another gig later on. I wonder why Sonny went back to using a piano around this time? To me, it doesn't really sound like he needed one. (Still having a hard time believing that the one '66 Half Note show was broadcast for television. Maybe it's a typo in my discography.) This entry looks interesting ... Sonny Rollins: tenor saxophone — practicing, in conversation with Paul Jeffrey, and playing with Charles Moffett's youth orchestra in New York. Autumn, 1967. Documentary: Sonny Rollins — Musician (30 minutes) directed by Dick Fontaine

Love that tune. I have it on a Classics disc (I think it's 33-'35), which also has a great cover of "In A Mist."

The photograph's by Ole Brask, from Jazz People (New York: Abrams, 1976). Can't say that I've heard of Brask before. Spon — you beat me to the punch-line!

Look who made it on the cover of Philip Levine's new book of poems: Just picked up a copy today.