JSngry

Never bought used from Amazon, Geoff. I got mine from Dusty Groove (the bastards!). They periodically get Enja stuff in at a reduced price (for whatever reason, seems to be used and resealed, but still in primo condition). From them you can buy with confidence.

Joe's lower profile during that time was mostly for "personal reasons", if you get my drift. That's not firsthand knowledge, but enough people I trust have told me, so I take it to have some basis in fact. Seems like he mostly stayed home in SF, taught privately, and "chilled out" . Mostly, not altogether. The decade in question was actually quite an exciting one - the music continued to move forward as the AACM, B.A.G., and other groups began to come to the forefront and get some national recognition, and, slowly but surely, an audience. The WILDFLOWERS session Tony mentions above might now in retrospect be seen as a "Jazz Woodstock", but at the time, it was a nifty document of how vital jazz still was as a CONTEMPORARY music, and not a repertory company in the making. The majors, except for Arista, weren't really in the game, but a LOT of indies (India Navigation, Black Saint/Soul Note, hatHut, IAI, etc.) featuring the newer developments were active and had reasonably good distribution. In short, the music felt alive and vital in a way and with a relevance that I really don't think it has today. It hurts me to say that too, because there is still some good, great even, new and original music being made today, but there's been so much redefining and reconceptualizing of what is and isn't "jazz" over the last 20 or so years that what once ws seen by many as natural (defiantly so, maybe, but still natural) has now been redefined as either radically wrong or radically right, and that ain't as fun of a game to be in. All told, and with the exception of Sonny Rollins' albums , I think the OVERALL state of the music was healthier in 1978 than it was in 1998, and DEFINITELY healthier than it was in 1988. Cats like Joe got some much deserved props during those years, but perhaps for the "wrong" reasons (at least wrong as far as keeping the music alive, moving, and developing. In another, very real sense, there's no "wrong" reason to celebrate a cat like Joe. But if a healthy dynamic is for there to be established vets thriving at the top and challenging WORTHY contenders bubbling underneath ready to strike at any given moment and take the turf on their OWN terms, the 80s and 90s saw a MOST unhealthy dynnamic as far as I'm concerned, at least in the "marketplace", which like it or not is where things get played out if they ever hope to become "mainstream"). I'm beginning to see signs of a return to sanity in the insane and inane "is it jazz?" bullshit of the last 20 years, but the problem with history is that making it takes time and I'm tired of waiting for something to happen that already should have. But I digress... Yeah, Joe was a MOTHERFUCKER! I love the cat, and always will. He died WAAAAAYYY too soon if you ask me, but, obviously, nobody did. God, you fucked up with this one.

For Mountain Dew Code Red (a beverage which in its diet form might be the greatest soft drink in the history of the world, but that's certainly open for debate) - streetballers vs footballers on a gridiron, streetballers got the ball and move downfield by traditional basketball means, culminating with a slam dunk across the goalpost. Whoever designed this commercial is a genius. Not a Bird/Trane type genius, but a genius nevertheless. Saw it on ESPN.

Here's that link: http://home.earthlink.net/~eskelin/leftbank.html Ellery Eskelin, God bless him, compiled this listing.

Not all in one set, no..

A belated discovery for me, but a TOTALLY outstanding performance: The mid-70s thru the mid-80s was a spotty decade for Joe, but this is one of the highlights. A strong, STRONG performance.

Yeah, if I'm remembering right it was a Mobley-led gig.

I have both, and I like both. Very much, in fact. Unlike some live recordings, there's nothing revelatory in either, but they're definitely worth having - good live playing, nice and stretched-out. Don't overlook the Hubbard/Maupin either!

Yeah man, get well!

What's a "time stamp"?

I got an e-mail response from Label M back when they were in operation, and they said that they had intentions to eventually release a Mobley set from the Left Bank tapes. Not anything that's already been issued, but something elseThey mighta been blowin' smoke, but I was left with the impression that the material was available and of usable quality. So say your prayers, eat your vegetables, and keep your lawns mowed and well groomed, there's hope!

This jibes with Purcell's comments exactly. Pulled back mid-range, and jacked-up highend, which is at least as responsible for the "knitting needle" cymbal sound as the types of cymbals and sticks used.

Uh...that's actually BETTER than the original Muse cover, believe it or not... Talk about using whatever's handy! No, Jim, the Muse cover is better. Er, are you okay, Jim? Sorry, I'm not a fan of the "up close and personal, count the pores on your skin" school of photography for cover art. Especially with phones on! I don't mind those type of photos, just not on the cover, ok? Guess I got traumatised by some of the Mainstream covers of the (slightly earlier) day. But this Muse cover, when seen in full LP size, which is how I've been looking at it for longer than I care to remember, is just not good, at least to my taste. That Altschul cover is NEARLY identical to the original LP. Different type layout and stuff, but the same photo. That's a DAMN good record too!

A pinup WHAT-down?

I was totally unaware fo that "Undiscovered" disc. Y'all got me cursious now! But I dig "Manifesto". Nothing fancy, just good solid vibes. I find myself playing it surprisingly often when I want an acquiescent "feelgood" record that I'm not overly familiar with. Don't come across those all that often, and at this rate, I'll be lunatically raving about it in 20 years!

Certainly can't make anybody like what they fundamentally DISlike, and I'll not try, don't want to, but for the sake of saying something for the sake of saying something, I suppose its worth saying that all the ELEMENTS of "traditional" music are in there, they're just used in different ways. Same ingredients, different recipie.

I've got more to say than this, but "Mount Harissa" moves me to tears of simultaneous joy and awe every damn time I hear it, much less think of it (yeah, I'm getting shivers just posting this). So much truth, so much beauty, so much wisdom, so much HELL YEAH in just that one cut alone, one of those occasional moments that comes along where God (or who/whatever you want to use in God's place) looks down and says, "Yeah Duke, yeah Paul, y'all been doin' the right thing for a long time now. A little on the wild side sometimes, but y'all been cool overall. So here's a special mega-blessing for your ass. Take it and run with it. Have fun!" There's a reason that piece came at the end of Side One of the original LP - nothing could follow it without some sort of pause! 'Scuse me. I gotta stop before somebody asks me why I got tears rolling down my cheeks. Just know that in a career filled with special moments and blessings, this is one of the mostest specialist blessingest of them all. Dig it.

Hell, I got 15 sets in my closet that I was saving for party favors for the grandkids I'm sure to have someday. If I'd a'known that it was that bigga deal, I'd a'given 'em to y'all a long time ago! Why didn't somebody tell me?

I dunno, dude, theat Muse cover on SOLID gives me the willies - Woody's looking pretty sick on that one, and with hindsight... But that 32 cover! That's just STUPID!

Uh...that's actually BETTER than the original Muse cover, believe it or not... Talk about using whatever's handy!

I was hearing on the news Thursday about a hacker attack being anticipated for the weekend. Don't know it that's relevant or not.

Might already be available! http://www.fatbeats.com/MUSIC/DETAILS.ASP?...D=3158&CATID=22

Life is not fair. And all that that implies.

First found here: http://www.stonesthrow.com/now-again/ a relation to Stonesthrow records, the label that reissued that trippy little Stark Reality set. http://www.stonesthrow.com Dusty Groove (the bastards!) has it listed as mid-July http://www.dustygroove.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap...&GO.x=16&GO.y=8 Also from Now Again/Stones Throw, Roger Boykin's on this one http://www.stonesthrow.com/funky16/artists...oulseven/1.html

Ah, the men don't know, but the little girls all understand...