Guy Berger

I want to, but probably won't. If I go, it will probably be on Friday. (Or Sunday?) Guy

I went through a big Crimson phase late in college and own probably 5-10 of these things. Some of them are good, others not so great. (Like the pointless Vroom sessions.) In retrospect I could ditch most of them. Out of the official live recordings I own, I like Epitaph the best. My favorite studio albums are Discipline and Three of a Perfect Pair. Don't ask me what I think the Construkction of Kcrap. One last KC bit: Projekct 4 in SF back in 1998 was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Guy

Disagree -- if they lose this series, it will be one of the most monumental choke jobs of all time. Granted, they choked to the Lakers last year, but the Lakers were a MUCH MUCH better team than the Sonics. I'll go on a limb and predict the Spurs will win the next two. I will grow a Ben Wallace fro if the Sonics win in 6. Ain'y gonna happen. Sonics are playing like a team on a mission. And they play as a TEAM. Duncan looked shell shocked on Sunday. Sonics in 7 BABY!!!!!!!!! Just not in 6, please Guy

Disagree -- if they lose this series, it will be one of the most monumental choke jobs of all time. Granted, they choked to the Lakers last year, but the Lakers were a MUCH MUCH better team than the Sonics. I'll go on a limb and predict the Spurs will win the next two. I will grow a Ben Wallace fro if the Sonics win in 6. I guess Joe Johnson's absence has hurt them a lot. Come back Joe! Guy

They're fun, though maybe a little repetitive. Definitely a band that you will enjoy in concert if you're really into them. It's funny to go to one of their concerts and see the crowd stare blankly during the more experimental/a-g sections, then go nuts as soon as they hit a tight groove. I stopped paying attention to their studio albums after The Dropper, but I agree with Jim A that the best stuff is on the Gramavision albums. It's a Jungle in Here is the most downtownish, Shack Man totally electric and groove-oriented, and Friday Afternoon in the Universe (my favorite, probably) somewhere in the middle. IMHO looking at these guys as an "organ trio" is the wrong way to go, BTW -- that's not what they're about. We had a thread discussing them last year. Guy

His lack of productivity recording-wise could be a factor. Guy If someone offered him a recording contract I'm sure he record more.

His lack of productivity recording-wise could be a factor. Guy

Happy b-day to 2 of my favorite saxophonists. Guy

Ridnour was sick. And Damien Wilkins! Guy

Thanks But....... I watched him closely after Dirk called him out and he just doesn't look that good. Sorry, maybe it is because I have seen too many good ones, Nate The Great, Wilt, Russ, Willis, Kareem, David, Robert Parish, Wes Unseld, George Miken, etc. Hell, Luc Longley and Bill Cartwright played a better game than Eric. Hell, even Ray Felix was a lot better than Eric. Sorry man, I just don't buy it. He may improve and that would be nice but for right now, he needs to shut up and learn the position. Dampier is not going to improve (or work hard) until it's time for his contract to be renegotiated. He's the kind of guy who you need to hire on a one-year basis. Guy

Dampier is an interesting character -- a perennial underachiever who put up great numbers last year because he was up for a new contract. Now that he's signed with Dallas he's back to mediocrity. Dunno about "2nd best center", or even "8th best", but when motivated he can play pretty darn well and he does help Dallas quite a bit in more conventional situations. Guy

The '71 dates are great, no disagreement, but I'd trade Ndugu for Jack D in a second, no question. Kind of surprised that you suggest KJ isn't a soulful pianist. Guy

I disagree about being obligated to buy a used copy on ebay if the thing is OOP. At that point the legit owner of the music isn't being compensated anymore -- all you're doing is possibly lining the pockets of the guy selling it used. You're better off downloading the thing and sending a check to the artist/label owner. Guy

It was kind of exciting, the Wizards could have made it really close but they made a few bonehead plays down the stretch. Guy

If the material is OOP, I think it's more or less legit to download. Guy

Wow... that looks like a great group of reissues. Especially psyched about the Hill and Cherry! Guy

I kinda get what Allen was talking about. I don't think it's a "rock tone" vs. "jazz tone" thing. A lot of people brought up McLaughlin in the 60s/70s vs. McLaughlin in the 90s. Another example that comes to mind is John Abercrombie. You listen to his playing on Gateway and Timeless, that's a beautiful, beautiful sound and it doesn't matter whether he's playing with a jazz sound or whether he's doing that crunchy rock thing. And then compare it to say, Homecoming, and both his "jazz" and "rock" sounds aren't nearly as good. Guy

I can't see Dallas winning this series but they'll bounce back -- they're a great team and they're not going to get swept. Still, when you're playing the 2nd best team in the NBA, being 3rd or 4th best won't cut it. I also think Indiana will take one or two games. Guy

Oregon as well... Guy

Personally the guy might be a little short in the humor department, but his music isn't lacking in it. (Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with humorless music -- I mean, we all love our post-1963 Coltrane, right?) Blaming him for the stuff that came after him but never matched his creativity is unfair. Are we going to blame Weather Report for smooth jazz, John Coltrane for cookie-cutter disciples, or Horace Silver for the less interesting soul jazz pianists? At the very least I don't think this characterizes Facing You. (Perhaps you can elaborate on "pseudo-soulful"?) Are McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock peripheral to the main thrust of the music? Look, if you say that Keith Jarrett's recorded too much, or that some of his music is pretentious wank, or that he's overrated in certain (not necessarily jazz) circles, or that some of his fanatic followers are annoying, then I won't disagree with you. But I think your criticisms go beyond that, and I disagree. Furthermore, my superficial understanding is that John's book also goes beyond that. If someone could summarize the passages that deal with Jarrett and post their notes here that would be great... Guy

That's what happens when you only have 2 good teams in your conference... Guy

Frankly, neither do you. Aren't you the guy who said that Sonny Rollins only played "lame crap" or something like that a while back? My apologies if I have the wrong guy. Yup, that's him. Guy

I dunno. Most probably Filles de Kilimanjaro (Miles Davis), though I don't know whether I'd put "Mademoiselle Mabry" on repeat the whole time or listen to the entire album. Guy

Nice choice for an AOTW. I borrowed a copy from the "library" yesterday. I've never really gotten into the PMG stuff I've heard -- the 1st album is a little too "smooth-sounding" for me (obviously it isn't really smooth jazz, but for me it gives off that vibe), and "As Falls Wichita..." a bit too progrockish. Nevertheless after listening to it once or twice, it was better than I expected. Reminded me a little of Weather Report c. 1980. Guy

I'd put some money down on the Sonics.... ...not getting blown out in every game in this series. Guy