sonnyhill

I have been listening to Brahms's complete trios on Phillips. I really like it. Is there any other cannot miss Brahms that I should pick up?

I was also there at Merkin in the Fall. The trio performance of that evening (w/ Hebert and McPherson) was indeed astounding, much better than the attempt at recreating Passing Ships. It would be great if that performance was recorded (legitimately). Here's hoping that Andrew gets well soon.

It is really great that it appears that all of Andrew's 60s sessions will be released. BN now needs to get around to issuing the cds that would complete the contents of the Jackie McLean (High Frequency) and Sam Rivers Mosaic boxes (Dimensions and Extensions, Involution, and A New Conception). I also agree that it is weird that this guy got the drop on us. Information concerning new releases is usually posted on this board first. I don't check out AAJ except for the monthly newspaper, so another resource concerning new releases is welcome.

I stumbled across this site this evening: Jazzitude New Release Page. There is also a heads up on June's upcoming Conn's on that page. Hopefully, it can grow to be as good a resource as Jazzmatazz was.

Dorham/Henderson

It is just a bit over 1K, but I would check out the Blue Circle CS. It is solid state. The web address is here. It is now listed at $1465 -- I bought mine a few years ago for about $1200. Very musical, and, unless you have speakers that are very difficult to drive, has all the power that you need at 50w/channel. Handmade and worth every penny. You can find them on Audiogon once in a while for about $900. I do not like to use the term "tube-like" to describe solid state products, so I'll say that the CS has a much richer sound tonally than most solid state gear that you might come across. I sold mine to go to tube separates, but I wish that I had held onto it.

What are your opinions on the Friedrich Gulda (1967 on Amadeo) and Claude Frank complete Beethoven sonata sets? The reviews I have found on Amazon indicate that the sound is good on the Gulda, but is his tempos are fast (especially the Waldenstein) . With respect to the Frank, reviews that I have found indicate that it is more of a middle-of-the-road set than the Gulda, but good.

How about Andras Schiff's recording of Schubert's late sonata's? Given the other readily available interpretations, are they worth getting?

Besides Bartok and Shostakovich, could someone provide me with suggestions of worthwhile string quartets that a classical novice should listen to? Thanks.

I know of the Glenn Gould recording; are there any other recommended versions of Hindemith's sonatas for piano and trumpet, piano and trombone, piano and tuba, piano and alto horn, and piano and horn? Additionally, I am a novice when it comes to classical music. Are there any other well known (or good) sonatas for piano and brass besides Hindemith's? Thanks.

Poor grading on ebay is, in my experience, the rule and not the exception. I never pay big dollars for a record on ebay. The bad grading extends beyond Blue Notes though. For example, I recently won an auction for a copy of East Broadway Rundown that was listed on ebay as being NM and unplayed, but when I recieved it, the record was a VG at best with obvious surface markings and evidence of being heavily played. To make a long story short, I shot an email to the seller letting him know the problems and I returned the record for a refund and left neutral feedback. I believe that many people on ebay receive misgraded records, but fail to return them, which, in turn, emboldens sellers to practice "grade inflation." My advice would be to return all misgraded records and leave "neutral," at best, feedback. I believe If more people did that, the grade inflation would be curtailed somewhat. On the positive side, I have gotten my hands on some steals on ebay. I've won auctions on some blue label Blue Notes listed as NM that were true to grade, relatively inexpensive, play wonderfully, and most importantly sound fantastic . So, as they say, you gotta be in it to win it, just hold every seller to his or her word concerning grading.

Taken in context, Richards's comments, in 2006, should not be considered "racist" -- whatever that word means these days. He went a bit over the top, but black people have far larger problems than what Kramer says in a comedy club to hecklers. I don't believe that he is a racist. He just reacted poorly to hecklers and did what a lot of people do in many arenas (especially the media) these days -- resorted to the lowest common denominator. The biggest story for black people today should be the story reported on cnn.com concerning the black people egging on 6-year old black children to fight like dogs or chickens -- to toughen them up for the "streets." That is what should be the major topic of discussion and outrage amongst black people and everyone else today concerning race in general and how black people are f'ed up and need to fix a lost of s*it culturally in particular, not Kramer.

I heard Cedar's version of Hammerhead on the radio and made it a point to pick it up.

I went to Merkin Hall in NYC to see Andrew Hill as part of Merkin's Classic Recordings Live Series. Andrew is looking much more frail than he did when I saw him over the summer and his vocal cords have been affected by his illness so that when he speaks, he speaks with much difficulty and in an extremely high-pitched tone. The concert opened with a trio performance of Andrew with bassist John Herbert and drummer Eric McPherson. I have seen Andrew numerous times, but this trio performance was the most powerful performance that I have seen by him. It was one piece that lasted approximately 30 min. It was excellent. I have always wanted to hear Andrew in the classic trio format, and I was not disappointed. I hope that he has recorded that piece. After an intermission, Andrew came out with Michael Cuscuna to have a brief discussion about the delay in the release of Passing Ships. Michael did almost all of the talking. After the discussion with Michael and Andrew, the other musicians emerged from backstage to perform several selections from Passing Ships. That part of the concert was not as successful as the trio performance. The musicians were having a tough time with the music. It wasn't quite a train wreck, but the musicians clearly needed more time to familiarize themselves with the music before performing it publicly. I believe they played 4 or 5 selections from the album. After the Passing Ships band left the stage, Andrew performed a solo piano piece as an encore. It was short -- about 7 minutes -- but he was great. He is a great composer, but like Ellington such an excellent pianist. I have to check out that Select.

Very nice date. Straight ahead without ossification. He could teach a lot of these new kids on the block a thing or two about making a solid, enjoyable album. I have to look into his other sessions on High Note. Good sound by RVG.

Has anyone gotten a copy of Classic Records's recent reissue of Sonny Rollins's Vol. 2? If so, how does it sound? I've never bought a Classic reissue, and I might make this title my first purchase. Thanks

Compulsion is killer. Freddie Hubbard is an absolute monster on it. I have it on LP. It is a very atmospheric session. It has a really cool Star Trek Captian Kirk fight music type vibe to it in some parts. The African percussion works great. I like the cover a lot too. (one benefit of getting some sessions on LP). Mr. Hill is truly a master of American music. As much as we bitch, we should be thankful that music like this is still being re-released. It took some time (how long -- too long!), but the material from two Mosiacs that I most regret not purchasing -- the Hill and the Jackie Mac (R.I.P.) -- is almost all available to everyone. And additionally, we got the added benefit of the Select, which I like only in parts, but am happy to have. After Compulsion is released, I will wait patiently for High Frequency and the Involution session.

Is the Worktime K2--like Monk's Music--one of the K2s that was issued in mono while the OJC was issued in stereo? I'm asking, because on the CD Universe site, the OJC is listed as a stereo release, while the K2 is listed as a mono release. I like Worktime a lot, but I would only spring for the K2 if it is mono while the OJC is stereo.

Thanks couw. That is all I wanted to know.

I don't know whether I would demand a refund. But I would like to know whether what I heard is something that is instrinic to the master tape or a problem with the reissue process. Accordingly, the question I posed merely is: has anyone else heard the same thing during the piano solo on a cd issue of Mr. Knight on Coltrane Plays the Blues? I remember having a cassette of the album years ago, but I did not notice the distortion. But at that time I was probably not listening as closely as I do these days. In your response, you saltily and smugly insinuate that a second's worth (it's probably closer to two or three seconds) of distortion is not something worth worrying or posting about -- if I am reading between the lines of your post correctly. I realize that the recordings we obsess about are in their 40s and 50s if not much, much older, and that everything is not going to be "perfect" with them. I will love them whether they are perfect or not. However, I still would like to know whether there was a problem with making the vinyl records for which I paid my hard-earned money or whether there is a small flaw in the master tape. I would appreciate it if someone could take a listen to their copy and let me know if they hear the same thing. I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

I purchased the vinyl version of the the Heavyweight Champion John Coltrane boxset. I was listening to Coltrane Plays the Blues and noticed about a second's worth of distortion, which sounded like tape wear or stretching, during the piano solo on Mr. Knight. Could anyone out there please confirm whether that distortion is present on the cd releases or on their own vinyl verison of Coltrane Plays the Blues from the recent Heavyweight Champion vinyl reissue. I want to be sure that I did not get a defective copy. Thanks.

I am going to Buffalo tomorrow on business. Are there any places in Buffalo where one could find some decent jazz on vinyl?

I recently acquired a turntable and am starting to acquire records. I went to Academy LPs on 10th Street this afternoon and picked up a couple of records. I will make it a point to visit there monthly. I have used Ebay to obtain some records, but the prices are inflated and the grading of the records is sometimes suspect. Besides Jazz Record Center (which I will be stopping by this week) and the Princeton Record Exchange (which I hope to visit soon) are there any other spots in the NY metropolitan area that I should be visiting to find some decent jazz recordings on vinyl?

I also felt that Hill's piano was drowned out in the mix at Birdland. It would be nice if Hill plays the Vanguard this summer, where the sound of the instruments is a non-issue. I was also pleasantly suprised by Tolliver's playing. I definitely plan to be in attendance the next time his big band performs in NYC.

I went to the early show last night. The expression "cold as a witch's tit" must have been conceived on a night like last night -- it was frigid outside. Andrew's Quintet played tunes from the new album. I have not listened to the whole album, so I cannot provide a set list. Andrew wore a dark suit with a red shirt and looked rather dapper. Of course, he played great. All of the great things about his writing and unique approch to the piano were in evidence last night. Charles Tolliver also looked and played great. There was a full house. The band played 5 tunes. The set lasted approximately 75 minutes. One of the highlights was a Gregory Tardy clarinet solo -- I have never heard anyone (in person or on recordings) get such a beatiful tone out of that instrument. I only hope that Andrew and Blue Note seize the opportunity and record as much music as possible.