gmonahan

Bump. I was in New York last week and spent a morning (and part of an afternoon!) listening to the Savory recordings and talking to Loren Schoenberg at the National Museum of Jazz in Harlem. It's really just a large room with a few offices, but I became a patron/member anyway to do what I could. The recordings are...simply...fantastic. After four hours, I had barely touched the surface (there are five DAYS of music). Highlights included a "Fats Waller Block Jam" with Teagarden and Pee Wee Russell that included "I'm Coming Virginia," "Blues," and "Honeysuckle Rose," the three of them lasting a total of over 20 minutes. There was a gorgeous little version of "Star Dust" by Herschel Evans, a fabulous jam session by Bunny Berigan with members of the Lunceford band. The Teagarden material alone could occupy most of a cd. Several versions of "Strange Fruit" with Billie Holiday, and music from Adrian Rollini, Albert Ammons, Tatum, Shaw, lots and lots of Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Bob Crosby, Chick Webb, Hawk, Basie, Django, Ellington, Norvo, Krupa, John Kirby, Hampton, Satch, Stuff Smith, Teddy Wilson, Lennie Tristano among others. Loren told me that the big problem was with the estates, some of which just won't respond at all, including the Goodman estate with which you'd think he'd have an in. I guess there's also a big problem with the union (even though only three of the sidemen on the various recordings are still living). Otherwise, he said he's got the music ready to go. It is so frustrating. This music is an absolute treasure trove, and anybody who can should call and schedule a time to go in and hear it. Of course, it desperately needs to be released. To his credit, Schoenberg is working very, very hard to do it, but he appears to be something of a one-man show. I told him I'd post something about it here. Maybe some of you out there know people from the various estates (especially Goodman and Calloway) and can get them moving. It's not like there's any money to be made from these things. This stuff just HAS to be released! gregmo

I've been out of town for a few weeks and somehow missed this very sad news. He was a genius. I loved this little paragraph from the LA Times obit: "On movie sets, he was known to ad-lib 30 minutes for the crew at lunch. Ever-playful, he once turned to fellow comic Pat McCormick in a crowded elevator and said, 'You don't think we tied him up too tight?'" gregmo

I saw him at the airport in Geneva walking through with his entourage. I was jet lagged, but Miles was pretty easy to spot. I'm pretty sure that was after the revival of the Gil Evans material with Gil and Wallace Roney. I would never have dared approach him. Even then, I knew a little something about his rep. gregmo

Sure wish they'd do the Hodges 60s stuff from Verve. Most of that is still out of print, I think, and there's some very nice music there. gregmo

Try getting hold of that #$%! Classics cd by Harlan Leonard and the Rockets some time. gregmo

I can live with the digital files, as long as they are stored on a compact disc and placed in a numbered black box with a big picture book. ;-)

Well, it sent my "ewwww" meter into the stratosphere.

Ian McKellen was nominated for "Gods and Monsters" that year. So was Edward Norton for "American History X." I thought both were far better than Benigni. But, he was the first since Olivier to direct himself to an Oscar. gregmo

This was an exceedingly rare case where I thought the Definitive, of all things, sounded best. Go figure. gregmo

Yeah, Lon, like THAT will work!! gregmo

I've always particularly liked this album. Indeed, it's my favorite Woody Herman record, and I have just about all of 'em. The band is certainly looser than on the Phillips stuff (which I also like), but I've always credited that to the fact it's a live album. It has my favorite version of "Northwest Passage" with a great, great solo from the little-discussed Sal Nistico. This band could *burn*. gregmo

Fans have been requesting the whole series on dvd for a long time. Seasons 1 and 2 have been available for years, season 3 for streaming relatively recently. One can only hope the rest of the series will finally make it onto disc. It was a helluva fine show.

This was reissued in cd on the Teagarden Capitol Mosaic box. gregmo

Now that I have the Earl Hines Mosaic, it sure would be nice to have affordable copies of the Classics cds on either side of it (the ones including the 34-35 Deccas and 46-47 band sides) gregmo

Amazon sellers have it for a little less http://www.amazon.com/Bopland-Legendary-Elks-Club-Concert/dp/B0002W4V0Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359182498&sr=8-1&keywords=Bopland+the+legendary

I'm bumping this one to see if, short of trying Allen's rather original suggestion of screwing around with my system (I'm so incompetent, I'd probably screw it up forever) this material has ever appeared elsewhere with really good remastering? I have the Victors, and the old Brunswicks on GRP (where the remastering sounds better than it does here, but maybe not?!). I know JSP did a set. Is it any good?

I sent some also, but only after checking out the website youcaring.com. It appears legitimate. I generally prefer donating to the Jazz Foundation of America. A very worthwhile cause. I wish Mr. Priester the best. (One wonders how a retired professor did not have health insurance, but I assume there are some kind of weird extenuating circumstances?) gregmo

Get in line on that Mosaic box, Ubu. I've lusted after it for several years. I was just too poor back in the day to get every Mosaic I wanted, and that one slipped right through my greedy little fingers. Sigh. gregmo

No more calls, please. We have a winner. Oh yes, I'd say so, especially since it includes that ninth song. Actually, that and the first one would make a nice single...er...double....er...single........ Actually, Greg, those are bands/artists, not songs - this is apparently an anthology. This old dude has actually heard of about one-third of them. El Vez bills himself as "The Mexican Elvis." Really? This one just gets better and better! gregmo

No more calls, please. We have a winner. Oh yes, I'd say so, especially since it includes that ninth song. Actually, that and the first one would make a nice single...er...double....er...single........

Hines disc 7. I started at the end! gregmo

Wonderful trumpeter, fair singer, cool comedian. Jack's still with us, isn't he? gregmo

Regarding the delay, I am pretty sure since few past orders and after they outsourced the logistics, that the actual shipping date vary significantly from the shipping notification we receive. In my case it happened at least twice to be 10 days later! I was perhaps a bit too impatient--my Hines box arrived today, and disc 7 (I decided to start with the last one) is spinning on my cd player as I type. Sound is great. gregmo

Ditto. gregmo