Late

I don't have Transfigurations, but just listened to some sound samples, and there appears to be some piano, too. Sounds like a really good album.

It looks like almost all of Coltrane's work has been reissued on disc — — with Huntington Ashram Monastery and Lord of Lords the only (?) titles not yet reissued, though some of the tracks from the former can be found on this disc: Does anyone know why Coltrane stopped recording? (Or did she stop recording?) Another question — How many children did John and Alice Coltrane have together? (Also would like to hear what your favorites are from the above.)

You might try here.

Up for renewed reading and interest. Ptah, the El Daoud seemed the perfect album this morning to usher in the new year. Something about that march (to purgatory) in the title tune, and the freshly fallen half foot of snow outside — it just made sense. Have any of you tried Alice's work recently reissued on Sepia Tone? Reviews?

Singer, While I've ordered from Sleeve Town with good results, I haven't tried the sleeves you're mentioning. The best mylar sleeves for mini-LPs that I've come across are actually from Red Trumpet, right here, and about 3/4 down the page, under "Japanese Products." The price isn't the best, but they are specifically designed for the Japanese mini-LP format, and reseal nicely. I actually bought 200 of the things. And, if you get your order over $30, shipping is free ... which of course, as you're a fan of the mini-LP, means that you'll need to add this to your shopping cart. In its Japanese incarnation, the album sounds amazing. The music ain't bad either.

Better, sometimes, than coffee in the morning: (And for less than a pound of beans, too.) Well, that about does it for me.

Not adding much, but these are probably still my favorite Shank sides on record: The DVD of "Barefoot Adventure" is actually quite fun. Certainly worth renting, and I'm pretty sure it even includes some music not found on the Mosaic.

Tower had this for $7.99 two weeks ago, and I picked up a copy. (Now, for whatever reason, they appear to be selling it for $9.99.) This documentary has been discussed before (though I couldn't find any threads after a search), but I thought it was worth bringing back to the spotlight. The most refreshing aspect for me of the program (which certainly isn't comprehensive, and doesn't claim to be) is that it actually gives equal treatment to all "periods" of Miles' playing. Yes, that means the 70's work, 80's work, and even the last bit of early 90's work gets mentioned in detail. Hallelujah! There's absolutely none of the Crouch-Wynian spin that "Miles wanted to be liked by younger fans and so he started playing rock music" here, and, as a result, the evolutionary line through all the decades that Miles performed seems all the more clearer, almost as if you can hear at times why Miles, for instance, would cover a Cyndi Lauper tune. I wish that some of the concert footage could have gone on longer (and there's no reason, I suppose, some of this footage could have existed at the end as unedited "special features"), as it's inevitably the highlight of the documentary. In particular, the '69 date in Germany, from what little one gets to see of it, seems especially exciting. The documentary also renewed by enthusiasm for Bill Evans (the saxophonist; or, as the narrator repeatedly says: "sax-off-uh-nist"). Who else has seen this, and what was your reaction?

Where are Bill Fenohr and Roger Hiles?

Peter, though I've only read half of it so far, I think you'd enjoy the biography Minew mentions. It's well-written, and offers perspective and insight for both the musician and non-musician. Of particular interest to me were some passages on how Evans related to drummers, and how Jack DeJohnette, had he not been hired away by Miles, may have been the quintessential drummer (though Evans always listed Philly Joe as his favorite) for Evans. Spring for Portrait in Jazz if you haven't already. There's the newish and domestic 20-bit remaster, and now there's also a hybrid SACD (haven't heard the latter). I have the Japanese 20-bit remaster, and it sounds like a beautiful woman is stroking your cheek while wearing a velvet glove. Well, something like that. I think that album will always be my favorite Evans record. One other thing that occurred to me the other day — just a speculation, mind you. I don't think Kind of Blue could possibly have happened without Bill Evans. I suppose that could be said of all the guys on the gig, but without Evans ... it just wouldn't have sounded the same. I think his musical aesthetic is stamped indelibly all over that album, with the notable exception of course being "Freddie Freeloader." Even then, Wynton Kelly's playing, to my ears, seems to have changed some after having been exposed to Evans approach to harmony.

Moose, if you like Momentum Space, you'd probably like Ear of the Behearer and Tarik. The Impulse! session is probably more intense (or dense) than the BYG session, but both contain fine improvisations by Redman. I list these two not only because they're fine recordings, but because they also seem the easiest to acquire right now. Others, though, might have more sophisticated (?) recommendations. The Ornette Blue Notes with Redman are also worth checking out, but I'm guessing you might already have them.

While in a more forward-looking vein that some of the older (and great) trombonists already listed, Steve Swell certainly brings a joie de vivre to his improvisations. If you like Roswell Rudd — who's always noted as being directly influenced by trombonists playing "New Orleans Music" — you'll probably like Steve Swell. Check out Swell's sides on CIMP if you're into creative improvised music that embraces "avant" leanings while simultaneously pointing back to the lusty snarls and yawps of an earlier era of trombone playing. CIMP

I'd start with this one: Intuition: Lennie Tristano & Warne Marsh (Capitol); This disc includes Marsh's Jazz of Two Cities. And then pick up this one: Lennie Tristano/The New Tristano: Lennie Tristano Quartet & Solo (Rhino/Atlantic) These two give you a lot to sink your teeth into. When I first heard Intuition, it was the only disc that I played for about two weeks thereafter. In fact, I kind of got strange about this album, believing that "everyone" should hear it. I brought it over to my grandmother's one weekend, and put it on. She stopped for a moment, looked like , and then, in her kind way, said "That's a nice record."

Hmmm ... don't know if this works: Muffin West 35th

Up for some renewed discussion of Mr. Redman. Listened to Momentum Space this morning, and will now move on to Ear of the Behearer. What Redman albums have you coming back for more?

Here's what Joe Moudry's site says about The Cry of Jazz: "Film made by Ed Bland, released 1959. Only known footage of Arkestra during the Chicago period. 33 min. Filmed at 5 or 6 club gigs between 1956 and 1959. Musicians' faces not shown or shot obliquely because the band was expected to play the chameleon's role and represent several styles (swing, bop, West Coast, and The Sun Ra); also because sessions were non-Union. Features Ra, John Gilmore, Julian Priester, James Scales, Marshall Allen, Ronnie Boykins, prob. Robert Barry, Jim Herndon, Art Hoyle, Hobart Dotson, and others." I already pre-ordered, so I'll just have to sit back and wait. I'm a little bummed about not being able to see the faces of the bandmembers, but what the heck — I don't know how I'd get to see this one otherwise. Hearing the soundtrack alone should be interesting.

Has anyone seen the new "director's cut" of this? I probably won't be purchasing this one for the personal collection, but I'm certainly interested in renting it (if that even ends up as a possibility).

What do you guys think of Reece's Tempo stuff, reissued by Jasmine? I haven't yet tried a single Jasmine reissue, but there are certainly some tempting titles, and not just by Reece. (Inspired by this thread, I'm now listening to Reece's Comin' On. I have Soundin' Off on deck.)

Mike, I don't have the vinyl, but the sound on the Koch reissue really is nice. When Koch first started reissuing Atlantic sessions (using high definition compatible digital, or HDCD, encoding), they seemed to hit a lot of home-runs. The Konitz/Marsh album sounds amazing, and so does Art Farmer's To Sweden With Love, to name just two. A disc encoded with HDCD will, of course, play on any player, and I'm not really sure that it matters all that much if your player does, or does not, have this capability for playback. Mine happens to, but I think I just like it when the little red light comes on! (Brubeck's Time Out, strangely, makes the HDCD red light come on, but there's no indication on the packaging that this encoding was used.) Mainly, as usual, it's best to just leave it at: this is a fine album. Will have to check out the Nessa release.

I spun Doin' It Right Now tonight, while my wife and I put up some early X-mas decorations. While not on Chuck's label, it's a fine slab of Von. The Koch reissue has unusally fine (HDCD) sound, and this adds to the already fine musicianship on exhibit. My wife actually got into the music, and asked me twice "Who is this?" I already liked this album, but with those unsolicited inquiries, I now have to give this one a hearty all over again. Yanow Says: This Koch CD reissues an Atlantic LP, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman's debut on record. Freeman, who was almost 50 at the time, was obscure because he lived in Chicago rather than New York and because he had an unusual tone that took a bit of time to get used to. However, he was well-known in Chicago, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk went out of his way to record Freeman, producing this album. Joined by pianist John Young, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Jimmy Cobb, Freeman performs five originals, a haunting version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Lost in a Fog," and "Sweet and Lovely." Von Freeman has since had higher visibility in jazz without compromising his sound or his ability to swing in his own fashion. Sound Sample.

I don't know very much about this either, but I thought the hall was actually Webster Hall. At least, some RCA recordings (Joe Newman, Al Cohn, et al.) were made there.

Only three more days for this one! (I already pre-ordered.) Filmed in Chicago, finished in 1959, the Cry of Jazz is filmmaker, composer and arranger Edward O. Bland's polemical essay on the politics of music and race, a forcast of what he called "the death of jazz." A landmark moment in black film, forseeing the civil unrest of subsequent decades, it also features the only known footage of visionary pianist Sun Ra from his beloved Chicago period. Ample images of tenor saxophonist John Gilmore and the rest of Ra's Arkestra in Windy City nightclubs, all shot in glorious black & white. Rarely seen in cinemas, this is the first commercial release of the Cry of Jazz, transferred from a pristine print and featuring an otherwise unreleased Arkestral soundtrack. Special features include a photo gallery of stills from the film & the UMS catalog.

Up for renewed reading. I had a Sun Ra fest here yesterday, and think my favorite Evidence reissue just might be Angels and Demons at Play / The Nubians of Plutonia. Ronnie Boykins (and Wilbur Green, on "electronic" bass) is especially present on these sides, laying down some nice ostinato lines. Any more words on Live in Montreux from 1976? I have an old book (I think from the early 80's) that's called "The 100 Best Jazz Records" (or something like that), and it lists this album for its entry on Ra. Now that it's out again on P-Vine, though not cheap, I'm interested. One more question — What Evidence reissues have yet to make it to compact disc? — All out for Jupiter!

Hey, I have a "secret envelope" too! And it's dedicated ... um, was dedicated to the Johnson Mosaic ... until I accidentally raided it for a Cadence order last week.