Brad

Wow! That's a real rip off price. I think even Red Trumpet is probably lower than that. Fortunately, I have it.

Late is right on in his analysis. Horace does seem to allude to the melodies. It's a different technique (at least to me) and threw me off at first. And they do grow on you. I just discovered that I had an LP that Blue Note put of Horace's BN Trio work, not just from the early 50s but later as well. Too bad all of it couldn't have been reissued.

I love this disc too and that's because I love Dameron. What's not to like.

It's funny you should mention that because the first time I listened to it, I had the same reaction, plus some of the standards he plays seem hardly recognizable. I'm listening to it again (I was wondering if I was crazy) and tonight I'm planning to compare Horoscope to Horace-scope to see the difference. I believe you're right however. Another point, on Safari, I almost thought I was listening to Max Roach from Un Poco Loco for a little while, instead of Blakey.

As most of us, I go through phases, but generally speaking Sonny Stitt, Dexter and Bird. Right now, I'm in a Pepper Adams mood, so I'll say him too, for the moment.

I picked this up when I got the RVGs. When he recorded this, he hadn't lost a thing. Three Little Words is good but my favorite is the title track and Dexter Rides Again (and no, not for the obvious reason; it's just a great track). His sound is like no other bari player I've heard. I give this a hearty recommendation. In fact, I just got out his recording on Mode (since reissued by VSOP) and that's great as well. Stu Williamson really caught my attention on this one.

The article in the August review of JR about thinning out your collection is a classic. Had me in stitches. That just by itself made this issue worthwhile.

Paul Chambers is no doubt one of the great bassists. But to call him the best, well, I leave that for others to decide. Also, we should not forget that there are many great bassists in that era. A few that come to mind that are favorites also are NHOP, Sam Jones, George Mraz and Leroy Vinnegar. From the bop era, ones that come to mind because they played with Bird are Tommy Potter and Curly Russell (did play with Blakey as well). And of course there's Milt Hinton. So Chambers is very good, but let's not forget some of the others.

Mnytime, I'm just a beginner (since December) like your cousin's child and one option you may want to consider (what I'm doing) is rent. I have a Selmer Altosax and like it (of course, I have no basis for comparison). I also like the Vandoren reeds (2, which is probably good for a beginner). Slightly off topic, but I find that practicing gets my mind off stressful activities of daily life. You can't properly practice and be thinking about other stuff (one of the first lessons I learned from my teacher, who plays jazz).

Brownie, A couple of years ago, I picked up from Amazon France, Sonny sits in with Oscar Peterson. I don't know if you have that or if it interests you, but it's well worth picking up. His Verve stuff is quite good.

For me, it's Jackie. The way he plays his horn is just unique. Second, would be Bird, no one has that delicious sound on the alto like Bird (Sonny might be close).

I was on that show when I was a kid. Embarassed my parents to no end.

I Remember Clifford but that is also one of the saddest, a very wistful ballad. Along Came Betty and Blues March would be second.

I'm with Jim on this one. Not a real good one.

Our Delight is one of my favorites, with Good Bait not that far behind.

I'm not sure this qualifies but yesterday while I was picking up some of the new RVGs, I noticed a JRVG of Grant's Sunday Morning for 12.99 (marked as used) which I though was interesting. I then saw both JRVGs of Elmo Hope for also 12.99 each. I started to get excited. So I carefully checked the stacks. By the time I was done, I had gotten JRVGs of Jutta Hipp (not the Hickory House or Zoot Sims' ones), Sal Salvador, Tal Farlow, Kenny Burrell and Bill Evans' Sunday at the Village Vanguard (one of those Japanese reissues from JVC that is slightly larger than the JRVGs) and Eddie Higgins' Haunted Heart on Venus. All for 12.99. Even though they were marked as used, they weren't and were all sealed. A lucky haul. The person at the front desk said they'd had a lot more. Too bad but I can't complain.

Happy Birthday to THE MAN!!! Thanks for everything.

I received an email, allegedly from Ebay about problems with my account, asking me to click on something called the Ebay Billing Center. This is fraudulent. Don't click into this. I checked my account with ebay and it's just fine. Be extra careful when you get emails like this. It bears repeating from time to time.

Dr J., You raise some good points, which have discussed extensively, although I don't know if this thread is necessarily the right place for it. Whether this set is in the public domain (50 years in Europe) probably depends on the discography, as you've suggested. It's my understanding that Definitive gets a real black eye not because they're taking things that are in the public domain, but particular presentations of material in the public domain and copying them: the Bailey from Mosaic and the Mingus from Uptown or putting out presentations that other companies might have done. I believe Chuck had said that Spotlite was going to put an edition of Fruscella before Definitive got in the act. Viewed in this regard, Proper might not be viewed all that differently from Definitive. What is a shame that Mosaic couldn't do this.

I was hoping to get the Edmond Hall, James Johnson Blue Note set but the way bidding is going, it looks like I may have to pass. $200 on that one seems realistic.

That seller, Chameleon Collection, has some nice stuff. I've bought from him before, a Storyville Vic Dickinson cd, and no complaints.

If this is material in the public domain (remember Europe has different laws on this than we do), what's the big deal? Past Perfect has put out a nice 10 cd box of Count Basie. I'm sure it's not "legit" from a US point of view but it sounds great and if it's legit in Europe, I don't see a problem.

In one paragraph, Chris summarized much of what I was thinking. This book is chockful of information but sometimes I wonder if throwing the kitchen sink at you is the best way to go. Ultimately, it's the assumptions that he made that bothered me and I was glad to hear Chris echo that. One example that came to mind was the author's statement that Lester Young knew other instruments well (or something like that) and not just saxophones. As proof of that, he cited a photo looking admiringly at someone playing the piano. I found that to be a great leap of faith.

This one's on Ebay right now: Ammons/Lewis

I'm not sure this qualifies, but how about Drums Around the Corner. There's some fervent playing on there. Moanin' was my introduction to the JMs and it's not just good, it's Great!