Guy Berger

If Miami plays as poorly as they did today, this will be a short series. I don't think that will happen, though at this point the 1-0 lead has to favor Detroit in a very evenly-matched series. The Heat were probably a little lazy after a long layoff, and maybe a little shell-shocked by a strong opponent that didn't roll over like the Nets or Wiz. In the end it might all come down to coaching -- I don't know if Van Gundy Jr. is capable of making the adjustments necessary to win this series. We shall see... Guy p.s. Was anybody actually able to sit through 4 quarters of this game? This looks like a "turn on your TV after halftime" series. I bet David Stern is having nightmares about a Spurs-Pistons finals.

Garbarek appeared (along with fellow Scandinavians of future renown) on several George Russell recordings from the late 60s. He-who-must-not-be-named started a thread on Garbarek a few months ago. Guy

I'm worried Stan Van Gundy is going to have a heart attack before we even hit game 5... Guy

The people who would be doing the real work already know. It's the suits who make the final call, however. Just a hunch - when "they" run out of "legit" product to sell, they'll start mining this lode. ← I think Jim's probably right. I'm guessing we probably won't get a box, but rather the best sounding gigs -- some of this stuff has limited fidelity. Worst comes to worst, in 2019 the 50 year whatever runs out. Guy

Trane's Kulu Se Mama The '72-'75 Miles Davis band... Pangaea, Agharta, Dark Magus Guy

I'm a broken record when it comes to this performance, but the "Masqualero" from Paris (11/3/69) is easily the best version I've heard of this tune. It might even be the best single LQ track. Miles and Wayne play exceptional solos, but what Chick does on his lengthy solo (5-6 minutes) is out of this world. Guy

Take it back!!! ← Ouch... with both of the Tonys ganging up on me, I'll give disc 2 of PG another listen. I remember a few decent songs on there. Guy

My Cannonball collection is embarrassingly small (only 6 or 7 cds with him as a leader, I think) so I have some serious work ahead of me over the next few years. Guy

I haven't seen it yet, but the recent Miles Davis Isle of Wight performance is in my queue. Guy

I listened to this a few times today and maybe I should qualify what I said earlier. I think this album is definitely better than what I'd call a "cookie cutter mid-60s BN hard bop album." BUT it doesn't really achieve the magic that the truly great BN albums have. It isn't as good as Page One or Our Thing. (Not sure if I'd put either of those in my top 25 BN albums either, but they're better than Una Mas.) The musicians lock into a really nice groove on the title track. I like it a lot better than "The Sidewinder". Side 2 is less inspired IMHO -- I'll listen to it again tomorrow and see if I change my mind. Guy

My memory's pretty bad with these kinds of things, but comedies that were consistently funny (to me) from the past ten years: Meet the Parents, Royal Tenenbaums, The Big Lebowski, Something About Mary, the 1st Austin Powers movie. Do Being John Malkovich or Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind count? What about Shrek or the Incredibles? I could probably rattle off at least a dozen more if I cared. I watched Wayne's World last night, though, and it hasn't held up that well as a movie. That sequence with Mike Myers and Tia Carrere speaking Chinese is still classic. Guy

<shrugs> They're wrong. Guy

My backlog is "only" 24 CDs at this point... Guy

A question about "The Pez Dispenser": when Elaine, Jerry and George go to talk to George's girlfriend after the piano recital, her dressing room has a photo/painting of a jazz bassist. You can only see the headstock and upper part of the neck, as well as the bassist's head. Can anyone give more details about this painting/photo -- I'm sure I've seen it elsewhere. Guy

I don't think I've ever heard of this band. Here's the GEPR summary. Guy

I didn't include it because in the poll because it wasn't recorded in the 60s, but Lloyd's recording of this tune on Voice in the Night (late 90s) is really good -- I think it captures the good aspects of the original Chico version without the "cuteness" of the original. And unlike the late 60s versions, there isn't the "uninvolvement" that Jack W was talking about. No Keith/Ron/Jack locking into a tight groove though... Guy

Genesis was released domestically on a subsidiary of Atlantic, I believe. Chris, why don't you call the record store and ask what they were playing? Guy

I was going to do the first Mahavishnu album, but Nate D suggested that to spur interest in the AOTW we pick controversial albums. Well, here's one. I don't think this is a great or even good album, but it IS interesting. (In fact, I think it's a lot more interesting than 8:30 or Night Passage.) I'll write more once we finish up with Una Mas, but looking forward to people's thoughts on this one. Guy

Anybody have any comments on the Cannonball? How does it compare to the Jazz Workshop Revisited date? Guy

I think when I joined netflix and went on a huge queue-building binge this happened. It hasn't happened since. Guy

Joe Johnson isn't going to play today. Tim Duncan might be on the bench as well... Guy

Very cool story, Marcello. That gig must have been incredible. It's great, but I actually think some of the October/November gigs are at an even higher level, if you can believe it. This band could go to 11. Guy

Should add another one to the list of gigs above -- a May or June 1969 recording from the Village Gate. Very good sound (much much better than the Duffy's Tavern recordings) though again the drums are a little loud in the mix. Setlist is "This", "Footprints", "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" and "'Round Midnight". Guy

Marc Cuban, apparently. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! ← I actually think Cuban made the right decision, given what we knew at the time... It turned out to be unlucky. Guy

Here's a pretty good argument from ESPN's Sports Guy for why Reggie was not a "superstar".