RDK

Stuff like this always amuses me when artists/labels/fans dismiss "bootlegs" without considering the bigger picture, namely that the "historical record" of such concerts/broadcasts would be lost forever without the work of somelike like Rose preserving them. Time also seems to heal over any wounds as no one seems to criticize Rose (at least anymore) for his actions, though from what I've read his motives were driven by profit as much (or more?) than preservation. (Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.) In this case, Mingus is a pretty big star, but what of the other, more obscure artists who may have been recorded? If these Birdland tapes were ever released legitimately, I'm sure they would sell in respectable numbers, but what of musicians who might only appeal to a few hundred people or so, making a legit release (getting clearances, paying royalties, pressing CDs, etc.) a money-losing endeavor? This reminds me of a story a couple of years back in the L.A. Times about a guy who back in the 40s and 50s recorded thousands of country/bluegrass/hayride-type shows out in Virginia or some such place. Some of his homemade recordings are the only remaining records of this type of music by certain musicians. IIRC, many of the musicians at the time allowed him to set up his gear and record these rural shows, and when the guy died his home was filled with thousands of boxes of tapes. Some museum or country music association has these now, and they'd like to release some of them (heck, perhaps they already have), but at the time they were unsure if any of these could be officially released because the "legal costs" associated with releasing them would be more than what they could hope to make by selling so few copies. I work in an industry that's very concerned about artists' rights and copyright law (well, maybe more "corporate rights" in my case ), so I'm pretty sensitive about such things, but I'm also fascinated in that blurry line between copyright and public domain issues - and stuff like these Boris Rose tapes seem increasingly to fall into the latter category. One hates to see a "bootlegger" profit over the artists, but at the same time it's only due to the actions of such a "bootlegger" that this stuff is even available to argue about. Seriously, anyone have any idea what it would take to give these (and other tapes like it) a legitimate release... or are these types of things what the whole "private recordings" subculture is made for?

Actually (not that I really care), but were any Kenny G albums ever available on vinyl? Or is he a CD-only kinda guy?

For a long time that Passion 2-fer was the only place to find the Tonight at Noon material. Along with Ah Um, it was one of the albums that really made me sit up, take notice of Mingus, and go . Man, I can still remember listening to "Tonight at Noon" (the track) for the first time. It was a revelation. And one of those things that changes you deep down...

I suggest trying any new record cleaning methods on old Kenny G albums first. Just in case...

I was bummed that I wasn't able to go tonight.

Wow, Marty - I'm sure glad I asked! The copy that I (gulp) downloaded a few months back has the announcements, and reading some of the description on that link is what caused me to wonder the origin of this version.

'Nuff said!

I couldn't find a previous thread that discussed these recordings, so here goes. This is, imo, essential stuff that deserves an official release. What's the story behind these, who has the original tapes (do better tapes exist than what Rose recorded off air?), and just who was Rose anyway? For those who don't know what the heck I'm talking about... http://webusers.siba.fi/~eonttone/mingus/birdland.html

Good point - but this was in "misc. - non-political"

I thought this was gonna be another thread about Aric...

I'm very eager to hear this one - I love unreleased live stuff. I wonder how long before we start sending out BFT DVDs?

Their printed catalogs are a gas, so be sure you request one or are on their mailing list. A recent one was in 3-D, complete with glasses.

Funny - that's the exact same device that Jack used to torture that terror suspect on 24 last week...

Nyah nyah. Our heads of state are worse than your heads of state...

This goes through March, right? I'm spread pretty thin at the moment, but I can contribute in a couple of weeks...

If I can cut out of work by 5 or so...

I dunno why, but aside from LMO, most of Carla's big band stuff bores me. Akiyoshi on the other hand...

But today's Love Day!

Yeah, but cutouts don't necessarily mean deletions. For those who want actual CDs, I'd recommend buying just about everything - OJCs, BNs, Verves, not to mention the indie labels - now rather than later as the future of catalog distribution will very likely be digital downloads (only?) - or perhaps CDRs-on-demand. At some point we have to face the fact that if some of the more obscure artists and albums are only selling a few hundred copies each year, it's not gonna make any financial sense for a label to launch a traditional CD release for them. In some ways I welcome such on-line/digital distribution since it may be the only way to get the really rare and/or obscure stuff out there. That said, I'm not sure if we should start panicking over the Fantasy-Concord deal just yet. The above article suggests that Dorn pilaged the Muse catalog for sappy theme albums, but while that's true he also re-released a lot of stuff on Label M (or whatever it was called then) - and those releases may not have been possible without all the "Jazz on a Drizzly Sunday Morning" profits. If someone at Concord knows how to maximize profits, gain wider exposure for the music, and keep the back catalog intact - more power to them.

Colt, Lachlan, and now Lennox? Where are these people?

This is just like how "Talk Like a Pirate Day" got started... Hmmm. I wonder if I can convince my wife that today is Love Day?

With all due respect, that's bullshit. If you're talking - which it seems you are - about buying old, oop, and collectible jazz LPs as collectibles, then you're gonna have to pay what the market will bear. That's just the way it goes in all hobbies where collectibles are involved. Greed has nothing to do with it. No one needs (or is forcing you) to drop hundreds on old BN deep groove LPs (or whatever) - you choose to do that since it's your "hobby." If you're interested in the music, well then this has to be considered some sort of "golden age" of jazz reissues as there seems to be more back catalog available than any time that I can remember in the past 25 years that I've been listening and, yes, collecting. With RVGs available for less than $10 each, with the entire OJC catalog available cheaply on emusic, with non-collectible LPs available dirt cheap (I rarely pay more than a buck each) you can't be complaining about too many jazz labels trying to gouge you. But if your hobby is collecting old, rare, and oop LPs then you have to be willing to pay what they are worth...

I should sue!

I have five or six of those jukebox eps. I'll try to check the titles and tracks when I get home tonight. I thought most of them had 2 tracks/side, but I could be wrong.

FYI... a Santana/Shorter recording just went up on easytree a few days ago. Haven't heard it yet though...