RDK

Damn, ain't that the truth! Or as someone much wiser than I once said: youth is wasted on the young... *** Anyhow, Congrats Charlie! Enjoy it, but don't worry your old man too much... B)

So, Jim, I take it you approve?

Will someone PLEASE post a pic of that damn t-shirt ad already! B)

Well, easy money's on Jasmine getting the boot tomorrow...

Bless her, but if I showed that list to my wife (of ten years, btw), she'd hit me upside of the head so hard...

Great pics, Jim! Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of when my little ones were that young (they just turned three a couple of weeks back). It just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?

Not surprised at all. There's *always* more to a story...

While poking around the USPS website confirming postage rates and such stuff, I stumbled upon a list (different for each country) of mailing prohibitions. Weird... Prohibitions for Germany: Absinthe. Articles bearing political or religious notations on the address side. Weapons and ammunition: Weapons, parts of weapons, and projectiles may be imported only with a special permit to be granted by the competent authorities of the Federal Government or the Government of the respective Federal State. Perishable infectious biological substances. Playing cards, except in complete decks properly wrapped. Pulverized coca beans. Radioactive materials. Melatonin. Live plants and animals. Arms and weapons. Human remains. Now the "human remains" I can understand, but why the hell can't one send loose and incomplete playing cards to Germany?

Maybe all the black musicians are good enough to get *real* musical gigs.

Yeah, Dan, I just noticed that. I was planning to send out the first discs on Friday, but may have to move it up to, uh, ah... well, I doubt I can get them out now before Friday - so there!

Dan, while I agree that La Toya is the best/my favorite of the group, I think Fantasia's version of the Queen tune was my favorite performance of the night. Really neat arrangement.

http://www.angryalien.com/

Man, do I feel stupid. I have the Shorter, Curson, Ribot, and MMW discs and didn't recognize the tracks! I also should have guessed Barbieri (I have several of his discs in that series though not that specific one) and I can't believe I missed RRK (though I think I'm lacking that album as well). Gotta spend less time buying CDs and more time listening to them I think...

I've lost track: which tracks are still "unknown?"

Please excuse my tardiness. I've been listening to the disc for the last week, but finally had a chance to write my thoughts... 1. Has to be Jaco. (Or perhaps Steve Swallow in his electro-funk Jaco mode.) Nice way to start the disc! 2. Very nice piece – it sounds familiar in a way (I’m sure I’ll recognize the names of the players) though I don’t think I’ve necessarily heard it before. It has that neat early 70’s electric-sounding piano and sax vibe to it that I’ve really been digging lately. Damn, that sax player sounds familiar! One of my favorite tracks on this disc. 3. Love that plucked bass intro. Another cool tune that builds nicely as it progresses. Again, I don’t think that I’ll be surprised when I hear the names, but nothing rings any specific bells to me. 4. Vocalist almost sounds like Sheila Jordan in spots, but I’m not familiar with her in such a large ensemble context. I don’t think it’s her. I love this sort of propulsive, somewhat progressive, ensemble arranging. This reminds me in some ways of Shepp’s big band, but I don’t think he had the organ. The song seems very familiar to me, though the arrangement keeps me from recognizing it. Another of my favorite tracks here. 5. Ah, a change-up. Slower, moodier, with a quasi-Latin groove underneath it all. Almost too pretty to take seriously, but hell, I like “pretty” too. Soprano sax should narrow down my guess, but I’ll have to think about it some… 6. I like the ominous, off-beat rhythm and the vocal styling is a good fit, but I’m rather glad this was a short piece. Sounds like 7. I’m digging this, but haven’t a clue. I can’t remember if I’ve heard this track before or if I’m just flashing on its familiarity from quickly spinning this BFT disc last week. Almost sounds like something the AEC would do – there’s an a-g energy mixed with its overt folksiness – but it’s too small an ensemble. If this isn’t from the late-60’s/early 70’s I don’t know what is. (note: just sought and found this one at AMG. I’m kind of pissed because I actually had this disc in hand a few weeks back at Amoeba, but didn’t pick it up. My bad it seems.) 8. Not my favorite track here, though it’s hardly unlistenable. I gotta really be in the mood for this kind of stuff – and right now I’m not. 9. I first thought this was a continuation from track 8, but I’m glad to hear that it’s not. Tune sounds familiar, but I’m not sure. Sounds like a Herbie comp in spots. Is that actually a violin or just a bowed bass/cello? Not sure. I didn’t like this much the first time I heard it but it’s growing on me. Lots of interesting things happening in a tune that’s deceptively slow and simple. I’d suggest or Woody Shaw or Eddie Henderson for trumpet, but that bowed bass is throwing me off. Hmm… 10. I’m not sure if I like that “cutesy” flute-and-strings rhythm going on behind it, but I absolutely love that sax solo. Love the rough tone and passion behind it. Could be later-day Shepp, Sanders, or perhaps Gary Bartz on tenor. The more I hear it, the more familiar the tune seems to me. Another favorite track here. 11. The sounds of an orchestra warming up before the performance. I know a few people will hate this one, but I’m cool with it. Sounds like a reasonably accessible Hat Hut disc. Don’t mean to be catty by saying something like that, but it sort of reminds me of the little Franz Koglmann that I’ve heard. Not my first choice of music to spin, but it’s challenging in a good way. 12. Almost film music-y. Or perhaps Eno or Harold Budd. Damn, if that doesn’t sound like a Lanois production. As to more mainstream jazz performers, I haven’t a clue. 13. No clue. Doesn’t do much for me either way. 14. Gotta be Bill Frisell. Made me smile! Great bookend to the opening track. 15. But it’s not over yet! One of my favorite “oldies,” but the vocalist doesn’t ring any obvious bells. Doesn’t knock me out either, but it’s hard to screw up such a great tune. The double-time section at the end also made me smile. A fine ending to another very entertaining Blind-fold Test.

BUMP with some new names added to the list...

Well, if it's the only way to go...

And what's the deal at Best Buy (and other stores)? Just yesterday, I bought something from BB, and not ten feet away from the register, where I had only seconds before made my purchase, carrying the item out in a BB bag - the guy at the door stops to check your receipt and look in the bag. What's the point of that?

It's all Bush and Ashcroft's fault!

UPDATED WITH MORE PLAYERS! The participants so far... MartyJazz John B EKE BBB Peter Johnson Big Al Tjobbe Dan Gould Irwin Mainway Sax Vagina Evan Impossible King Ubu Noj Jim R Couw Rockefeller Center Alejo Take 5 Nate Dorward Mike Weil Andrew Eloe Omoe White Lightning Stefan Wood Randy Hersom MMilovan Hununu Catesta Man With Golden Arm Jazz Zealot Marcoliv Deus62 Sidewinder Tooter If you'd like to participate, please drop me a PM. Thanks to those who offered to help distribute a few discs across Europe - I didn't realize we had so many members in Germany! - I'll get back to you soon.

They're limited to less than the most that can be made...

And can you imagine the debates if (when?) something like this comes to the jazz community? http://www.gutenberg.org/

Then there's crap like this... http://publicdomainriches.com/?27250

Clem, you're pretty damn thick sometimes, anybody ever tell you that? I (nor Bev for that matter I do believe) ever said anything about believing that it was "okay" for anyone to steal the transfers made by Uptown or anyone else. I know I haven't. It may not be "illegal" - at least in Europe - but it's nevertheless a shitty and underhanded thing to do. As long as the Uptown Mingus release (for example, since it's one that I own) is available, I see no reason for any other versions to exist. My point has always been that I think it's okay that at some point in the future - be it 50 years, 75 years or some longer period to be determined - that artistic material enter the public domain. You seem to think it's not okay. So be it. For me, the Proper Boxes (of which I do own several; I can't comment on Blue Moon or the other labels because I'm not familiar with them) fall into a gray area. They are "legal" - as opposed to the CDR copying which you have proposed - and cheaply fulfill a niche that, for my purposes, can't easily be filled elsewhere. I've been listening to the Big Horn box over the last few days and I can't think of any other source to get a vast majority of these tracks. I'd probably need to buy a dozen Classics discs, at least, as well as assorted comps and even then there are many tracks on here that (according to AMG at least) aren't available elsewhere. I'm not a completist - at least not of, say, Morris Lane - so a 100+ track genre sampler is just what I need.

So Geller is claiming that ABC read *his* mind and stole his idea? I thought only he could do that (and bend spoons).