Late

Collins, in his solos, sounded like Chet Baker before Chet Baker sounded liked Chet Baker.

Really been enjoying those photos. Saved a number of them for my desktop. The time exposure shot of the "city" is especially intriguing. It makes it look like quite a number of people live there at any one time. I also remember reading — I hope I'm not making this up — that Diana Krall (?!) spent a New Year's in Antarctica on a ship, entertaining people who'd purchased tickets for something like $500. (Reading that, I now think my memory might be tricking me.)

And here's our previous discussion on "Picasso." The track that I want to hear, but haven't yet, is "Dali," which I believe is also an unaccompanied solo. (Is it?) Haven't been able to find the disc though. If anyone can help (even just with that track), please PM!

Here are Brian Priestley’s 1994 notes on “Picasso” from the 3-disc Jazz Scene set: From many points of view, the pièce de résistance of the original Jazz Scene was “Picasso.” As it turns out, Coleman Hawkins had already recorded an unaccompanied solo a couple of years earlier (“Hawk Variations” was done for a tiny label run by the Selmer saxophone company). But “Picasso” was the one that became famous and eventually inspired lots of follow-ups, from Sonny Rollins to Anthony Braxton. It also benefited from considerable preparation, according to Granz: “When we recorded this side, Hawkins sat down and for two hours worked it all out on the piano. He then recorded it on the tenor for another two hours. Always the perfectionist, he still wasn’t satisfied; so a month later we recorded the piece again, and finally, after another four-hour session, got the take we wanted.” Needless to say, none of these other tenor takes survive — otherwise they would be here. As to what Hawk was so painstaking about, there are two schools of thought. The piece is, according to Gunther Schuller (in The Swing Era), “a free-form, free-association continuity” consisting of phrases, according to John Chilton (in The Song of the Hawk), “unconnected by harmonic progression or tempo.” Even nonmusicians, however, have often compared it to “Body and Soul,” for the simple reason that the implied chordal background of “Picasso” is a chorus and a half of the 1931 song “Prisoner of Love” (itself very similar to “Body and Soul” but with a different key-change for the channel). Any doubt about this explanation will be dispelled by listening to Hawk’s 1957 version of “Prisoner of Love” for Verve, which is — by no coincidence — in the same key and at roughly the same speed as his performance here. Indeed, although it begins out of tempo, you can snap your fingers to most of “Picasso,” at about seventy-eight beats per minute, in order to feel the underlying tempo and appreciate the soloist’s rhapsodic departures from it.

Really looking forward to the Anachronic release. I wonder why it hasn't made it to the States yet. Does anyone here actually have a copy in hand?

Someone pick up the Cy Touff! One of the best from the West Coast Classics.

Fans? What albums that have Davis on them do you like? And which ones, in your opinion, are under-appreciated?

In a word: Elmo. Elmo's not for kids, he's for parents so that they can sedate their kids. (Good for when your kid has a cold and feels miserable.)

I have to say that jazz-themed childrens' books make me ill. I can't get with them at all. And I love childrens' books. R. Crumb Draws The Blues I do like, but it's not for kids I guess.

Ouch. Almost a 100 pounds? I paid $23.99 for it in 1997 at a Borders in Santa Monica, California. I like it, but find Curtain Call much better. The Japanese TOCJs sound much better to me than the Mosaic. The CTJOs are the best, though.

The Cat Who Thought He Was A Tiger by Polly Cameron (1956)

Yes, some of it is on TOMMY POTTER'S HARD FUNK on Lonehill A few tracks are also on the box set called JAZZ IN SWEDEN : THE LEGENDARY YEARS ON WEA / METRONONE. I have that disc (Tommy Potter's Hard Funk), but Bailey isn't on it, unless there's a typo. I'll have to look into The Legendary years though. I'd like to hear Bailey and Ericson together:

Have Benny Bailey's recordings for the Metronome label ever been reissued on compact disc?

All (yes, all) of the Monk K2's are significant upgrades, but, as Chuck mentions, Monk's Music is of particular importance. There's a long discussion here (somewhere) explaining why. The Bill Evans K2's are great, and Art Pepper's +11 as a K2 is also great. At $5.99, especially if you don't already have the music, they're probably all worth owning.

Brownie would politely point out that it's Peiffer and not Pfeiffer. I like Peiffer's piano playing, but I couldn't really imagine a Select of his work. But if there were one, I'd rally for a János Körössy Select — then couw would rejoin the board! I'd love to see Selects or regular Mosaics that explored non-American labels — Amiga, Supraphon, RTB, etc., but I don't see that happening. But that's OK; I'm just happy that Mosaic is still a viable company! I suggested the Fuller/Moody/Gillespie as a Connoisseur and the complete Pacific Jazz Gil Evans as a Connoisseur a few years ago, and they did come out, but I never really thought it was because of my suggestions. I also suggested the complete EMI (umbrella) recordings of Herb Pomeroy, but that's probably pushing it. I love when the Connoisseurs go off the Blue Note grid.

Yep. I don't know Chautemps that well, but he plays some weird-ass solos on Vol. 3 of Chet Baker's "In Paris" Barclay recordings.

I dig this album, even if it underachieves at times. Cameron's on the far right. He's also on Bill Barron's Modern Windows.

Good prices.

No one ever responded to this question so I thought I'd bring it up again. I'm in a similar situation to the original poster. I'm trying to find computer speakers that won't be too big, but will provide relatively good sound. I'd also like to avoid a sub because I don't really have the space on my desk. Popkin — (Lenny Popkin?), I ended up buying those Klipsch speakers. For a sub-less system, I like them a lot. Nice dynamic range, and to my ears very little distortion (even when turned up fairly high). When putting them right on your desk, slightly angled, you get a rich sound.

That's good to know; thanks, Hans. That'd be my preference. Of course I really just want to hear the music.

Thanks, Ted.

Thanks for that, Allen. I'm going to have to read up on how a condenser microphone actually works. I know virtually nothing when it comes to this stuff, but I'm interested in learning.

Thanks, Steve. It didn't even dawn on me to go to the source. Anyone here (in the U.S.) have any experience purchasing directly from that site?

Hi All, I'm looking for Mike Cuozzo with the Costa-Burke Trio (on Jubilee), and Mighty Mike (on Savoy). Amazon's marketplace prices are kinda out of control. Any leads appreciated — please PM! Thanks, L