Late

Agreed. After reading The New Yorker article that Joe posted here, and going through an extensive Mobley listen-a-thon, I was ready to pull the plug on this set, but now it's more of a waiting game. After listening several times to the 1963-1970 era of Mobley's recordings, I came away with much more respect for Third Season and Thinking of Home. I used to prefer Mobley's 50's recordings, but now I'm leaning the other way. James Spaulding had fun on Mobley's records!

I wonder if this set is still on backorder ...

Listening to it right now! I think this album contains some of Mobley's best solos. The composition "No Argument" is fine. Donald Byrd is in good form too — sounding very Hubbard-like.

Well put. saudade (noun): a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia that is supposedly characteristic of the Portuguese or Brazilian temperament I've always wondered if the opening suite was inspired, even if indirectly, by Coltrane's use of the suite form. In the first 35 seconds of the album, you can hear shades of both "A Love Supreme" and "Alabama." Some of the melodic intervals Mobley uses parallel Coltrane's.

Anyone here pick up this title?

That photo should have been used for the cover, even though Ayler is probably too far right. That trio was very much a ... trio. That's very cool, by the way, that you can walk to the distribution office.

The New Yorker article has sent me on a Hank Mobley listen-a-thon. I've really been enjoying this album: I always forget that it's John Hicks on piano and not Cedar Walton. The compositions on this album are first-rate, and I think I might actually like Blue Mitchell paired with Mobley more than Lee Morgan paired with Mobley. (Blasphemy!) The ballad "No More Goodbyes" has to be one of Hank's finest. Plus, the minor key bossa nova is wonderful.

Just a heads-up: Dusty Groove currently has The Black Messiah (used 2CD set) in stock. The price listed is a lot lower than I've seen on eBay. And it's a great time to support our favorite bards.

Me too. And the fact that Hank composed and arranged this album from prison — he must have had a bittersweet attachment to it. The playing is above par, with Tyner and Morgan especially shining. If there's a certain "melancholy" to Mobley's solos, one can find it here. As much as I adore Billy Higgins, I keep wanting to hear Elvin on this album (but maybe that's because McCoy's on it). In the end, the recording's once again available for us all — Hank's personal favorite.

The article had me revisit A Slice Of The Top. I didn't know that Hank considered this album his finest work.

The Scavenger was available as a Japanese import back in 2013. I've never really given Nat's Atlantic work its proper due. Must change that.

Considering that Nat Jr. was 15 at the time of that recording — well, that's pretty badass. Thanks for the pedal tones video and Nat/Joe tracks! I've neglected those albums, which is something to be remedied indeed. Like felser, I didn't even know about The Scavenger.

I'd say so, but I'm not half as familiar with Axelrod as I am with Macero. (The two albums I used for the comp above, by the way, are The Black Messiah and Music, You All. I'm not as familiar with The Price You Got To Pay To Be Free.) I understand the "all freaking in" argument, but I could live without Mike Deasy's guitar and Nat's (and certainly Nat Jr.'s) singing. But I LOVE when Nat gets into that sub-register. It always seems to make the audience laugh (the extra-low growling), but to me it's some serious sh*t. Brass players — is there a term for that type of playing? I could never picture Miles doing that. But Nat — for as much as he borrowed some of Miles' licks during this period — was not Miles Davis, which is a good thing. I have to add — sometimes I daydream about what the band would've sounded like with Joe Henderson in the frontline. I think Cannonball always played a little better when there was some friendly competition on board. I think Joe would have raised the bar. Plus, I'd love to hear what he would have done with Zawinul's compositions. Daydreaming aside, this period of Cannonball is perhaps my favorite. Burning. And when Zawinul left, George Duke didn't drop a beat. (And you can tell he'd been paying heavy attention to Herbie Hancock on Henderson's Power To The People.)

Anyone here a fan of Stokowski's Bach Transcriptions? Which collections do you recommend?

All three Cannonball reissues on the Dusty Groove label appear to now be out-of-print. That didn't take long! I put together a single disc (79 minutes) comp — with the objective of maximizing Cannonball solo space (apologies to Ernie Watts) — from two albums that goes like this: 1. The Black Messiah 2. The Steam Drill 3. The Chocolate Nuissance 4. Dr. Honouris Causa 5. Episode from The Music Came 6. Circumference 7. Pretty Paul 8. The Scene 9. The Brakes 10. Walk Tall I wish I were better skilled at using editing software. That way I could merge applause as well as fade in and out in order to make this setlist more seamless. (I had to trim some of Cannonball's on-stage banter, but it makes for a tighter "album.") The Black Messiah & The Legacy of Cannonball Adderley, by Nate Chinen & Alex Ariff

Mikkelborg's debut, 1967. Has it ever seen a digital release? ("The Mysterious Corona" has a timely sense of foreboding.)

Danish trumpet player and composer, born 1941. I'm guessing many Americans don't have much familiarity with Mikkelborg outside of his work with Miles Davis on Aura. But I'm also guessing that members here (non-U.S.?) do have familiarity. Share your knowledge! And check out this 1972 show. Yes, under the Miles influence, but burning nonetheless. There's also this killer 1966 studio recording, captured on film.

Listening to this album right now: With Sam Jones, Ron Carter, and Mickey Roker on board. Excellent music.

Ah, gotcha. I didn't know that a BNBB member made actual covers. I do remember couw making some covers for the board. One was his version of The Trainwreck.

I believe you're thinking of couw? I think this current Blakey cover is fine, but the use of red (if I'm being picky) somehow feels wrong. Reid Miles seemed to favor pinks and purples (and oranges) — pastels, generally speaking — over red. Yellow on red also seems a combination that he (generally) would have avoided. When Miles used red, it often appeared over white. (Leeway is an exception that comes to mind.)

Listened to this disc yesterday. Some of the best Louis Moholo drumming on record. (The liner notes go to some length discussing Hazevoet's search for the "right" drummer.) This is free jazz worth returning to because of its variety of texture; it's not just a blow-out free for all. Today, Dieter Scherf's Inside-Outside Reflections is in the queue. (One of the odd perks of social distancing is going back through the collection and re-discovering gems. I've currently been going through my UMS discs as well as Bach cantatas.)

Listen to (a few) full tracks here.

Damn. A fine 22-minute documentary.

And you can currently purchase a download of this album: for $2.97.

This series had 70 issues (mostly CDs; others were digital files, a book, and a DVD). Looking over the discogs list, I realized that this title: ... completely flew under my radar. I'm listening to it on YouTube right now. So far, it's quite good! Anyone here already own this one?