Joe

JSP also reissued James' 1930s recordings in a big, budget-priced box back in the early aughts... also included are sides by Son House, Bukka White, Tommy Johson and Ishman Bracey. Looks like Amazon still stocks this, and at an affordable price (5 discs for about $30 USD). My recollection is that the transfers for this set were done by John R. T. Davies, but I cannot confirm that... perhaps another board member can? In any event, you can listen to samples via Allmusic.

Flanagan is one of reasons Booker Little's quartet date on Time is one of my desert-island discs. And here's another good one:

Another vote for INVITATION. Also:

Thanks all. I wonder what KC audiences made of Bird's "return" with this particular band, and how much being home again was a factor in what one hears in Bird's performance from that evening. I've also seen shared versions of the Bird - Woody stuff online, with claims of pitch correction, for those who care to do some searching...

How do the thread participants feel about the Bird - Woody Herman material from Kansas City, 1951?

Both Uptowns for sure, the live shots with Fats Navarro and the material (the McShann Octet etc.) originally issued by Onyx as FIRST RECORDINGS.

Stefan's and Aaron's "thrash duet" goes by the name of Akkolyte. They also appear every now and then with a rotating cast of improvisers and noise-makers under the moniker Unconscious Collective. Aaron plays less these days than his younger brother, or so it seems... perhaps a function of his now being a dad. Stefan all over the place. I've lost count of the number of bands with which he's involved. For instance, The Young Mothers: http://www.hallwalls.org/music/5451.html. Stefan is a powerful and creative drummer indeed, and his work on vibraphone impresses more and more.

Good stuff, a little "fussy" IIRC... some of his best work for Prestige can be found on dates led by Melvin Sparks and Leon Spencer, IMO. But, by all means, don't sleep on this wonderful recording.

W.H.O.A.!

Helped to shape whatever understanding I have of this music and its makers. Only came to his poetry and dramatic writing later. THE SYSTEM OF DANTE'S HELL, people... still incredibly powerful... Rest now, Mr. Baraka. Rest.

I did not know he had a filmography. Sad to hear of his passing, but glad to know there is more of his work to explore.

I have to admit, I think it's kind of genius.

I post this hesitantly, but, hey, it's out there to hear... or whatever... http://kindofbloop.com/ Kind of Bloop An 8-Bit Tribute to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue

GERRY MULLIGAN MEETS BEN WEBSTER ELMO HOPE TRIO (HiFi Jazz / Contemporary) George Lewis, HOMAGE TO CHARLES PARKER Charles Mingus, EAST COASTING Sonny Clark, LEAPIN' AND LOPIN' Ran Blake / Jeanne Lee, NEWEST SOUND AROUND Monk, ALONE IN SAN FRANCISCO Miles, FILLES DE KILIMANJARO Coltrane, LUSH LIFE

The original Bill Evans. I'll miss him. But I'm so glad he left such a huge and diverse discography behind. The Doctor is Always In.

SEA BREEZES is very, very good... but, IMO, it doesn't have the warmth of IN HIS GOOD TIME. I also find this earlier date more exploratory, with some bigger risks taken. Great thing is, the repertoire on each disc is rather different. The only repeats are "Kwa Tebugo" and "Sonia." Consider them bookends!

Reviving this thread to say I finally got around to ordering the new, expanded version of this. It's even better than I remember. In fact, as far as solo piano recitals go, I'm willing to rank it at the level of some other (IMO) masterpieces from the 1970s: Cecil's SILENT TONGUES, Muhal's "Young At Heart", Andrew Hill's performances from Montreux 1975, Dave Burrell's WINDWARD PASSAGES, Bley's OPEN, TO LOVE. McGregor's work is very different, of course, and very much rooted in song. But as those other records are also statements of purpose and provide a kind of unprecedented access to the inner workings of each pianist's unique approach to his materials, so too with this recording. Highly, highly recommended.

John Litweiler's THE FREEDOM PRINCIPLE also features a really nice discussion of SOULTRANE and its (I agree, vital) role in the formation of Coltrane's mature aesthetic(s). "Good Bait" indeed...

Leave us not neglect that some of the most "there" Coltrane of the 50s is to be found in the company of Thelonious Monk...

I know I held back on this material for many years because the word was 1) Coltrane here was early and unformed, "not really Coltrane"; 2) the material was too traditional and boring compared to the later, more revolutionary Coltrane; and 3) the only "true" Coltrane was found in his Impulse explorations (though everyone also loved The Gentle Side of JC). Obviously, actually hearing the Prestige material shows otherwise. That was pretty much my experience. My first Coltrane purchase was AFRICA / BRASS, thanks to a mention in a Lester Bangs essay (don't recall which one). I think I acquired GIANT STEPS after that, and only really worked my way back to the Prestige dates after acquiring all the Atlantics, A LOVE SUPREME, LIVE AT BIRDLAND, INTERSTELLAR SPACE and, IIRC, LIVE IN JAPAN (it was new at the time). Glad I finally did looked into SOULTRANE and LUSH LIFE. In addition to offering pleasures all their own, they helped me understand even better what makes that latter music so... titanic.

I trust that he and Lorraine are jamming together again now.

Another vote for LUSH LIFE, too. Love the piano-less tracks on that one. The STANDARD COLTRANE / STARDUST / BAHIA stuff is great too... though I have to express a slight preference for the Savoy dates with Wilbur Harden.

I have a soft spot for Andre Previn's WEST SIDE STORY "songbook" for Contemporary. Somehow, his predisposition towards cuteness enhances rather than undermines the material. It's as if he gets (and maybe only subconsciously) the Great White Way-ness of it all and just runs with it as far / high as he can. I mean, the vulgarity of Broadway, not that vulgarity is always a bad thing... like, if Stanley Elkin made a jazz LP... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aXqdR3EwuA