RDK

So is DB4EVA "Matt?" That would actually be kinda cool.

Amen to that! I remember reading once on Buddy DeFranco's own message board (who knows - might still be there) that he never received one cent of royalties from the Mosaic box. Don't know if that's since changed, but I often get the feeling that dropping 20 or 30 bucks to see some old jazzer at a live gig will get more sheckles directly to him than all the penny royalties collected from a lifetime's worth of LP and CDs that I might legitimately buy.

But at least they're trying to get it out there. Collectibles/Oldies generally releases stuff they license from the majors, and the majors don't want to bother with. Doubt too many others would want to bother with it either. One can criticize them for their (sometimes) crappy mastering, but they really do care about releasing stuff that nobody else gives a damn about. I'm always amazed by the esoteric music that they offer... and only a fraction of it's jazz.

Have been to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. Truly weird. I'm sure there's an explanation for such things (tricks of the eye, etc.), but even with a solid scientific, anti-hoodoo background I couldn't fgure it out.

Just a warning that sound quality can be a mixed bag.

I forget - was this mastered off of LP or did they find the original tapes? Great music, but the LP i have is a bit flat-sounding.

That's unfortunate.

This is something I undoubtedly would have passed on too but for the fact that I found a promo (or at least a numberless) copy at a used store for $20 and figured what the heck. Had never heard a lick of Harley before this aside from a few tracks with Sonny, and I gotta say this is some mighty fine stuff. One could argue there's too much bagpipe and not enough of his sax and flute work, but that's also what gives Rufus his unique sound. Damn near everybody plays sax but you hear so few jazz bagpipists (?) that how can you not stop and give it a listen? Much of this reminds me of RRK's work on stritch, zither, and whateverelsefuck he played. It's jazzy, but also exotic. A few of the tunes are a bit corny (Moon River and a couple others), but overall this has the cool late 60s vibe of musicians trying something different but with one foot in the commercial arena. Not sure I'd drop $40 on this unheard, but I'm glad I took a chance when I did...

Hey Jim - would be great to see you in L.A and/or Southern Cal. I'm sure some of us can help you narrow things down further, but for now this will give you a list of venues in the L.A. area... http://www.lajazz.com/

The jazzrecordsinc stuff is also available legitimately from emusic.

Interesting site. Nice mix. Only had time for a quick listen but

Well I did much better on the Gash or 'Tash quiz. Don't know what that means, but I suppose I should be relieved in case it ever gets that far...

So where can i get one of these catalogs anyway?

Did you make it? I was there for the first set. Missed him on Friday at Charlie O's, so I was pleasantly surprised when Azar showed up!

Not where this thread started but where it's going... http://www.kissthisguy.com/

Here's AMG's review of Rod's "Blondes Have More Fun." I surprisingly agree with it, especially since I've always thought "Ain't love a Bitch" one of his best songs. In its simplest terms, Blondes Have More Fun is Rod Stewart's disco album, filled with pulsating rhythms and slick, synthesized textures. It's also his trashiest, most disposable album, filled with cheap come-ons and bad double entendres. Of course, that makes Blondes Have More Fun one of his most enjoyable records, even if all the pleasures are guilty. With its swirling strings and nagging chorus, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was the reason the record hit number one, and decades later, the song stands as one of the best rock-disco fusions. The rest of the record isn't as engaging, but he throws out a handful of winning tracks in the same mold, including "Ain't Love a Bitch," "Attractive Female Wanted," and the title track.

I'm glad to have heard this. I had three Sprague LP's back in the day, but when I revisited my archives, I noticed that BIRD RAGA was not among them. Funny how time can change your perception of someone's playing. I remember Sprague as having nice chops, but not to this extent. He's a very versatile musician (and that's probably an understatement), who plays many styles and utilizes a varied arsenal of tone, phrasing, and general conception. I think the reason I haven't followed his career is partly due to his eclectic nature... I just wasn't interested in going along for that ride. Agreed. I used to see Peter a lot back in my college years down in San Diego. He was a real fine straight-ahead player when he wanted to be, but could get a bit hippy-dippy on record. I have a live TV studio date that he did that I worked on back in '86 or so that I may toss up as a torrent one of these days. It's the way I prefer to remember him (though that Bird Raga album is mostly very good - it's also, I've since discovered, available on Emusic.com).

Same here. Still available here for your enjoyment... Disc A: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=K9P57M7E Disc B: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TCAJAR90

What's sad is that we're all wasting our time in this thread refuting yet another idiotic statement from Chewy.

You still can, Tom. If nothing else, feel free to download the tracks - the links are still up on the other thread.

Seeing that we're doing downloads these days, we're no longer strictly required to confine ourselves to a CD way of thinking. Anything wrong with doing, say, an 85-min. BFT?

I'm very fond of most 70's ECMs, but from the mid-80s on - and that's over twenty years now! - there hasn't been much to my taste besides the Jarretts and Lloyds et al. that Clem dislikes. There's most definitely an "Eicher sound" of the sort that George Adams might despise - and it's a sound that I'm growing increasingly away from as well. But I can't fault them on their art direction. Some of it's weird, yeah, but it does give the label a style of its own.

Yeah, but even a number of jazz artists made that disco mistep. Can't kick 'em all out of bed just for that.

Well, that describes about 90% of all successful artists in any genre!

It's also unfortunate that YT&T will likely never see a CD release, at least in part because it would require 2 discs to hold it. I think it could be edited a bit - cutting a few of the worst tracks to fit - and be a much better album, but I doubt that Cuscuna would ever consider that given how much we jazz fans complain whenever something isn't "complete." Yet here is a perfect example of an album that would probably be made stronger if it was trimmed of a few bad tracks.