Guy Berger

Nice win by the Cavs. You can never count out the best player in a series -- LeBron can beat you in so many ways. Guy

Anybody else download this recording? I haven't gotten around to listening yet, but I love this period of WR.

I agree about Paul Chambers being great on this album. Those who dislike Motian should note that he plays completely straight-ahead here. Philly Joe Jones replaces him on a few tracks. It's available on CD from Collectables: an odd pairing with Charles Lloyd's The Flowering. Guy

Yeah, but I don't know if there's such a thing as a typical Ra session! -- Yes, this is a great album. Any thoughts on vols 2 & (more recently) 3? I only have the 1st. #2 has a similar MO but the pieces are longer. Think of a spectrum leading from The Magic City to #1 -- #2 is in the middle. Definitely worth hearing. Guy

I was somewhat puzzled that Dunleavy kept Cassell out of the 4th quarter until the very end. Though Cassell stank as soon as he came in, so maybe I shouldn't second-guess. Shawn Marion was a monster last night! Guy

Red Clay has been on my to-buy list for a while. I don't have much of Hubbard as a leader, only two albums. Guy

This is an excellent choice. Guy

I've only heard the Marc Johnson out of the albums you mention, but it sounds like a straightahead jazz album to me (albeit on the ballady side). I'm not sure what you are talking about. Guy

I don't like Vince Carter's game. He's talented as hell, but too much of a ball hog. His turnovers near the end probably cost the Nets the game. And he takes too many bad shots, even if he's better at shooting them than almost anyone else in the league. Guy

"I can't believe I got my ass kicked by the Clippers!"

Thanks mucho for posting that, Brownie. Guy

What a waste of our judicial system's time! Guy

10 greatest PGs of all time 1. Magic 2. Oscar Robertson 3. Isiah Thomas 4. John Stockton 5. Bob Cousy 6. Walt Frazier 7. Jason Kidd 8. Tiny Archibald 9. Steve Nash 10. Gary Payton I would probably reverse Payton and Nash. Guy

I just realized that the AAC format doesn't take up more memory to store silence. Guy

I had a similar reaction. I think the first OJCs I ever picked up were Monk's Music and Brilliant Corners. Guy

Muchas gracia! Guy

I have a CD with a 30 minute track, 15 of which is only silence. Is there a way to rip only the first half, on EAC or (preferably) Itunes? Guy

Isn't that a little weird? Do the Spurs/Mavs and Pistons/Cavs really need four days off? Guy

I don't have much to add except that I agree. Certain labels seem to be fetishized at times (BN isn't the only one), whereas there isn't much of a mystique surrounding Prestige or Riverside. That said, there are a lot of great albums on BN. If we're talking #s, 8 of the last 100 CDs I've purchased were recorded for BN. ed: Wanted to add that hey, props to Blue Note for maintaining and cultivating the mystique. If it leads more people to listen to jazz, excellent. Guy

still think miami stinks jim! Yep. If they make it past the Nets, just wait until the Pistons get their hands on them. The Nets seem to match up better against Detroit than Miami does. Guy

still think miami stinks jim! Whoop dee doo, they beat New Jersey at home. The Clips are beating Phoenix at their own game. Crazy. Guy

As of right now, these are Tradesports (online betting market) probabilities of victory in each semifinals series: Spurs vs. Dallas: Spurs 44.5-46.0% Miami vs. Jersey: Miami 54.0-68.0% (no clue why the gap is so big) Cleveland vs. Detroit: Detroit 96.6-98.0% Clippers vs. Suns: Suns 70.2-70.3% These are the probabilities of winning it all: Pistons: 52.6-54.2% Mavericks: 16.0-17.0% Spurs: 16.0-16.5% Suns: 5.2-9.1% Heat: 4.3-6.3% Nets: 2.8-4.3% Clippers: 1.7-2.0% Cavaliers: 0.7-0.8%

I see your point, but on Stellar Regions I think she is a perfect counterpart - any other pianist of the time might have interferred with Trane's need for a self-effacing but present pianist. I wish he had lived and this band had played on for some more years - I find this to be some very concentrated music, just like the duets. I agree with Mike about Alice. I feel she came up short on the live performances, when she had to solo at length. But on Stellar Regions she is indeed a nice counterpart. I think the bells add a lot to the ritualistic mystery of Interstellar Space. By the way if you haven't done an AOTW recently volunteer and pm JohnS -- I think we are close to running out. Guy

Mavs looked great last night. I figure the teams will split the next two games and the Mavs will need to win another game in SA. Guy

If I was writing the show, I would have had Logan go through with the suicide attempt only to discover that the gun wasn't loaded. Or maybe fire the only bullet but miss. Perfect. Guy