mikelz777

I've had several orders fulfilled over the last several months and all have been completed without incident. I received all of them in less than 2 weeks-generally 7-10 days. At no time did I order anything that wasn't readily available elsewhere so I wasn't hoping they would be able to deliver on an item that was out of print or difficult to find. I've been happy with them and would readily use them again. In fact, I'm about to place an order with them for some Christmas presents.

With all the CDs I've been purchasing lately, I hope to make this group the last for the year. Recent Ebay purchases: Clifford Jordan - Mosaic James Clay - A Double Dose Of Soul Chet Baker - Once Upon A Summertime Eric Kloss - Sky Shadows/In The Land Of Giants And from the Concord sale: Don Sleet - All Members Jimmy Heath - The Quota

I assume you have "Triple Threat," yes? "Triple Threat" was my introduction to Jimmy Heath. (along with "The Thumper") That lineup with the french horn really worked for me so when I learned that he used the same lineup on "The Quota", I wanted it immediately. For a long time, I could barely find it being sold anywhere and if I did, the price was way too high. As of this writing, it's being sold on Amazon for $38.95! That's too steep for me so this copy through Concord was a nice deal.

I had to use restraint so I limited myself to two CDs that I really wanted but was unwilling to pay the high prices demanded for them elsewhere on the internet. Don Sleet - All Members This one's a hidden gem by someone a lot of people may never had heard of. Check it out. Jimmy Heath - The Quota A companion to his "Triple Threat" release.

Aye-yi-yi, I don't know if I can bring myself to springing for another $50.00 worth of CDs with all the recent purchases I have made but there are at least two I really want which are still a bargain at the final cost of $11 to $12 each (after shipping) compared to the prices I've seen them on the internet. (if they can be found at all) I'd second or third the recommendations for the Blue Mitchell and Jimmy Heath CDs available. I've really enjoyed them a lot.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Are there any gems in the sale we shouldn't miss?

One song where Ringo's drumming impressed me was in "A Day In The Life". I'm thinking, "How in the heck does someone drum to that song?" I don't think anyone could have done it better.

A bunch of Ebay buys: (Bob Scobey)

Umm, you mean "Bobby" Hackett. BUDDY Hackett was funny listening, not easy listening... oops! Thinking Bobby but typing Buddy.

In response to the topic, the only Mosaic I obtained and subsequently got rid of was the Buddy Hackett set. I love Hackett's sound (his performance certainly wasn't lacking on the set) and thought I'd love this one but it was a little too much on the "easy listening" side for me so it wasn't worth keeping.

+ + + + + as they appear on discs 3 and 4 of:

Saskatchewan 46 pts

+ + + = (on discs 1 and 2)

After making my first pass through this set my initial general impressions: -I was a bit disappointed with the lack of Jim Nabors on the set. -I'm not a drum-centric person so I was a bit apprehensive picking this one up. I went into it with the mindset that since this was a drummer's set, the drums are probably going to have a greater prescence than what I usually listen to but there was not nearly the number of drawn out solos I thought there would be. -I like Harry "Sweets" Edison but surprisingly, I grew much more weary of hearing his muted trumpet (open that horn up!) before I did any of Buddy's longer solos. I'll have to make a point of not listening to those CDs so close together. -Buddy has a remarkable talent! Some of his cymbal/high-hat work was simply stunning and I loved what he did to comp behind the soloist and what he did with his fills. -The sessions that stand out the most in my mind right now are those which featured Barney Kessel and Flip Phillips. The Sweets sessions are good as well but for me, need to be taken in in smaller doses. (see above) -While some of the drum solos are definitely a bit long, I found most of them rewarding as a seperate entity from the song. For me, it's kind of like they were an interruption in the song where you had to change gears and give this seperate thing a listen before the song resumed. Given that mindset, shifting gears and listening to the lengthy solos like a separate entity made them much more tolerable to me. They're certainly a display of his incredible talent. Some of the things he does are just incredible. Wow!! -I'm very happy with the set. It really swings and I'm looking forward to giving it a closer listen very soon.

Too late! Goober has already demanded that you return the personally inscribed photo: If Goober thinks he's getting that photo back he's (pea)nuts! He'll only get it back when he personally pries it out of my cold dead hands.

One of my favs. Especially the Sergeant Carter sessions. Yes! And Goober was a nice surprise as a sideman on those. Dude, Goober isn't even on those sessions--he's on the Mayberry sessions. Furthermore, if you had bothered to read the booklet that came with the set, you'd have seen this rare Francis Wolff color photo from one of those sessions: Ah, my mistake! I stand corrected.

One of my favs. Especially the Sergeant Carter sessions. Yes! And Goober was a nice surprise as a sideman on those.

You mean that I'm on those recordings with Buddy??? How could I have forgotten working with such a sweetheart? How are you liking it?

Re: Caiman, I've had a love/hate relationship with them. More than once they've totally screwed me over by cancelling my order then offered the same item for sale at a higher price. Amazon didn't give a damn about my complaints because I'm sure Caiman generates a lot of fee income for them. Trying to deal with their customer service with anything that requires a response other than their canned/non-responsive answers is an exercise in frustration and futility. They're the worst I've encountered. After one such incident I swore I would never use them again but unfortunately, I'm such a bargain whore that I broke my vow within a couple months. It only got easier to use them again with each bargain transaction after that. I've gone to them again and again for some great deals. I just order and hope for the best. They come through much more often than not. Right now, I'm in a love mode. Sitting before me from todays mail is the Complete 1955-1957 Jackie McLean Quartet, Quintet, Sextet Sessions (6-CD) from Caiman outlet, brand new/sealed and delivered for $48.00 and change. That's $20.00 cheaper than their current listing at their regular store on Amazon. Why? I have no idea. (and no complaints)

Buddy Rich along with Ron S. Disc 3 at the moment.

And shipped immediately via UPS! Thanks for that UPS tip. I was checking USPS.com and was wondering why my tracking number wouldn't show up. Looks like I should be recieving this the 13th. I'm looking forward to it!

A couple days ago - Buddy Rich Classic Argo Emarcy and Verve Small Groups

I usually prefer an artist's early recordings and I had no Jackie Mac leader dates so I picked up this 6-CD box set containing 12 CDs worth of his pre-Blue Note releases.

Crazy What's so rare about this CD? I remember when the original vinyls of this Art Farmer were up for grabs in various discount bins for a couple of bucks! I don't understand why someone would pay so much for a specific issue of a CD. Is it the obi strip or something? This very CD can be had all over the internet for around $15.00.