Late

Candy and Bluesnik from this series are also excellent — stellar, even. I wish Joe Harley liked Sam Rivers' playing. And I wish Robert Bantz liked Complete Communion.

What does Side 2 of the Paradiso record (1969, with Han Benink) sound like? The "Sonnymoon for Two" side is great, but I've never heard the other side.

Another thanks for posting the video. That's the most Dolphy-esque I've heard Harriott play. I wish he could have had a few more choruses! Incidentally, after watching the video, one of the "related" videos was The Jimmy Giuffre 3, from 1959, performing "Princess." Also footage I'd never seen.

From November 16, 1966 to December 3, 1966, Giuffre was part of a stage production — entitled "The Apparition Theatre of Prague" — performed at The Cort Theater in New York. "The Jimmy Giuffre Quartet" was responsible for the music, but I can't find any personnel listing. Like a puzzle, pieces that make up a portrait of Giuffre from these ten years (1963-1973) slowly fill in. If any new posters have any information on, or observations about, this period of Giuffre's musical career, please share! When artists seemingly go "underground" — meaning, essentially, that there's no documentation of their work — they often, in fact, aren't underground at all. They might very well be down the street, scuffling: taking gigs, freelancing, etc. In a way, it seems like the most interesting (or maybe I should just say "intriguing") time frame of Giuffre's musical career was when he was the least recorded. Oh yes — and in 1963, Giuffre lent his microphone and recorder to Roswell Rudd. The gesture resulted in the recording (with Steve Lacy) we now know as School Days.

I just listened to all the 45 second sound samples of the new alternate takes on CD Japan. Somewhat frustratingly, they end before any soloing takes place. One exception — the new alternate of "Blue Train." You do get to hear a few bars of Coltrane's solo. I have to admit — I'm intrigued. Ultimately, I'm glad that the Japanese market decided to release these takes. (Would I personally have chosen something else to reissue? Yes, of course! But I'm glad these classic titles are still generating enthusiasm.) Now I hope/pray the remastering of this current crop doesn't suffer from the dreaded "loudness war." As Nancy Reagan said about her favorite Blue Note titles: "Just say NO to too much compression!" (Nancy's single favorite title, by the way, was Unit Structures.)

10" white vinyl, limited to 250 copies.

Anyone here heard Mr. Kullhammar's take on A Love Supreme? I was a little surprised that he'd take on that monolith. His recording is vinyl-only, I think. I haven't heard it. Maybe he and Branford could have an ALS showdown.

Quote of the day for me. There's an ineffable karmic truth therein. (Apologies to Oscar fans. ) When I was sixteen, I bought a vinyl copy of Expression. It was my second Coltrane record. It scared me, and I sold it the next week. Five years later, I purchased it on compact disc.

It's interesting how philosophies re. alternate takes seem to have shifted somewhat. Now, Japanese reissues contain (more) alternate takes, while U.S. reissues contain fewer. In the 90's (I'm thinking of the TOCJ Blue Note Works era), the very opposite was the case (that is, no alternates on Japanese editions). So, 1,000 (Japanese?) Blue Note fans were allowed to vote for and choose the first 50 reissues in this new TYCJ campaign? All the Sonny Rollins Blue Note titles were included ... and no Sam Rivers? No Don Cherry? No Art Hodes? No Teddy Bunn? (Also note the absence of perennial Blue Note favorite True Blue.) (In the voice of Enoch Thompson/Steve Buscemi): "I thought I paid for those votes!" Surely, this 75th anniversary series will contain a better-sounding version of Contours than what we currently have on compact disc. Then I can go to sleep and never wake up. And in 2089, for the 150th anniversary, Ornette Coleman's Complete Town Hall Concert will finally see a digital (holographic) release. I'll be 119 (the green tea helped a lot), and the chip will slide in to the drive in my hearing aid. Yay!

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm listening to sound samples as I type; sounds really good (though, for some reason, Lang's guitar playing has always driven me crazy; to me, his eighth notes sound like someone limping). Your comment on entendre reminds me of a review I just read on Bo Carter: "Master of the single entendre" — I had to laugh at that. I love Bessie Smith's voice. I can listen through a whole CD of hers and never feel bored. Honestly, the only other singer I can say that about is Billie Holiday.

Just now reading your notes above (Jeff) — thanks for posting. I'm glad I posted the Sonny Clay image above last year! Also wanted to alert fans of this label that importcds currently has 75 Frog titles listed (in stock) for $12.55. That's pretty good for this label. I'll be adding one or two more Bessie Smiths. I only have Vols. 2 and 5. Any recommendations for particularly strong volumes from this series? (Besides "all of them!")

Japanese pressing (CD) currently available at The Chicago Bards.

The American way ... (I still get my feathers ruffled when I think back on Ken Burns' segment on Cecil.)

OK — I just spent the last two hours listening only to the first three tracks (on repeat). Having listened (for 15 years now? Hard to believe) to the old Novus CD of this material, I must say I wasn't prepared for the sound that came out of the speakers. Carter's horn is amazingly present, almost jarringly so at first, but I think this is because I've gotten used to the boxy and restricted sound of the original CD. The transferred sound is excellent, make no mistake. What's most enhanced, to my ears, is the bass playing of Tom Williamson. Wow! Is there such a thing as a hybrid of Charlie Haden and Ron Carter (without pitch concerns)? Williamson is something along these lines — somewhat like a slowed-down Gary Peacock, perhaps. I envy listeners who will hear the music on this new CD for the first time. Make sure you have some uninterrupted time to yourself. This disc is very much worth close examination. I also would like to ask — who's been living with the vinyl since 1969/1970? I'm curious to hear impressions by this slice of the crowd. Track 3 ("Woman") shows off Bradford to excellent effect. (I'll listen to the remaining tracks tomorrow.) The way his lines bounce off of Williamson's — this is the "underground" (of Los Angeles, for its time) made "above" ground. Description fails, and I haven't even gotten to how much I like Bruz Freeman's playing — almost like Shelley Manne if he'd had an ear for free stuff. Tuneful, even delicate at times, free drumming it is. Not at all like Sunny Murray (who is also tuneful, of course); this is a whole other ball game. I'm very glad this music is out again for listeners to hear and absorb. Tell your friends, hip and un-hip. It feels like a mini cultural event. What do others think? Has the disc come to your mailbox?

Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! = 5 Flies Apparently it is a real restaurant, however. I'm not sure I'd want to use flies to help advertise a food service venue though. It is (or was?) a restaurant in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I was a dishwasher there in 1968. Kewl! I was a dishwasher too — my first real job as a music school dropout. But, getting back to Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! ... I finally picked up the new remaster. Incredible sound, and the music is wonderful. It's a Taylor record that even Taylor-haters could get into (I think). For Taylor fans, it's like being wrapped in velvet (with drink-of-choice in hand). I purchased my copy directly from importcds.

Received my copy of Flight For Four today. Will listen tomorrow. The product itself is a thing of beauty — just gorgeous. The separate insert containing Ed Hazell's essay on the band is also a very nice touch; not simply well-written, but generally stripped of writerly adjectives, which made for pleasant reading. Informative (who knew?) too. Kudos again to Jonathan for putting this one out. I'll post again after I've given it a close listen. Can't wait for the Tapscott, and hope it's still in line.

I like LaVerne best sans horns. Check out the 1978 Steeplechase duo record with Mike Richmond entitled For Us. There are a few bass solos that go on just a little too long, but there's also a palpable sense of back-and-forth between the two. It's also well-recorded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4zyjLyBp64

Maybe stop wearing Larry Jeans ™? (Sorry about the NSFW element.)

I'm sure members here have experienced this phenomena before: You bookmark a page for a certain CD at Amazon (or simply put it in your cart), and then don't buy it right away. Then, if you check back on this page from time to time, the price begins to fluctuate. Usually, it seems, the price goes down for a while, and then — if you don't finally purchase the title — it jumps back up anywhere between $2 and $5. I was checking some Steeplechase titles (always ridiculously expensive) recently, and listening to sound samples. Each disc had a slightly different price — somewhere between $18 and $20. Now, today, every title I bookmarked is $19.39. Is this because I clicked on a title too many times without purchasing? I've always wondered how Amazon's pricing system works, and if there's a program at play. Thoughts?

These two titles have recently been reissued by the Japanese Shout! label (in the mini-LP format). Fans of either record?

Does anyone here have Redd's Extemporaneous on the Interplay label? How is it? Redd gets fairly bashed by Morton and Cook for not being able to "fall back on an absolutely secure playing technique." Hmm. Would you agree or disagree?

Dusty Groove has just re-stocked their Jazzhus titles. The Dauner ("Dream Talk") and Manusardi ("Free Jazz"), which aren't always in stock on Japanese sites, are currently available.

I do have Disc II. Does that count as being (half) a true fan? I've tried to open the "booklet" to that disc many times, always forgetting that it's just a single, unfolded piece of paper. Or at least that's how I purchased my copy (sans the box, sadly). About the missing Lewis track — there are actually two (older) threads on this board in the Discography forum regarding why it was left off. I made a CDR just yesterday — adding the track from the Mosaic back in — and the disc was still under 79:59. I guess, in 1992 (when "The First Day" was released), CDs didn't hold up to 80 minutes? Chuck actually explained the reason for this in one of the older threads. I like Ammons a lot, but I guess — if I had to play favorites — I'd go with Meade. I love his "The Blues," parts 1-5. Goes well with a snifter of (insert choice of whiskey). According to the liner notes (of "The First Day"), Alfred Lion went out of his way to make Ammons and Lewis feel at home in the studio (purchasing their favorite foods was one example). I also didn't know that these recordings were released on 12" (rather than the more common 10") 78 rpm.

Every fan of Blue Note should have this in their collection. January 6, 1939