Guy Berger

You're on your own with that one. Post-Dippin' Hank is still not universally embraced, but for my money, the psychodramas alone disqualify it as any kind of coasting. Lots of reduction and repetition, and more of it with each passing year, but when he sounds like he's about to fall over or have his head explode (and it's always the possibility of one or the other, never of both), he commands my fullest attention. Ha. Well, thinking that A Caddy for Daddy and Dippin and The Turnaround were probably "just another day in the office" has not interfered with me enjoying them tremendously.

What percentage of the work Hank Mobley did under his own name for BN could be characterized as "high level coasting"? Pretty high, I think.

I agree with JSngry's "high level coasting" description. I don't view this as a negative characterization. Certainly, there are plenty of well-regarded jazz albums from the "golden age" that also fit under that moniker.

I hope this means a reissue of NO SUGAR FOR A DIME is coming soon too.

I agree, the band continued to be of interest live even after the studio albums dropped off significantly in value, though there was also a decline in quality live after 1976 as the live shows became more scripted. (And I'd also add that every single WR report album I've heard has at least some stuff worth hearing.)

Brilliant musician.

I can't be bothered to look at the article, but it's almost certainly driven by the changing economics of the porn industry.

Great article. Thank you!!

OK, for a Terry Teachout piece that wasn't awful. He nails the bottom line - an important artifact of mid-to-late 20th century American culture (Playboy magazine) - also happened to be a footnote in the history of jazz during the same period. I hope Farmer's book title is her publisher's fault rather than an accurate reflection of its content; it drives me crazy when people shift the credit for music from its creators to people with only a secondary or (in this case) tertiary link to the music.

I've been listening to You Know the Number and Easily Slip into Another World (from the Mosaic box). Not only are they GREAT, but surprisingly accessible.

Interesting to listen to, but understandable why they were not released. They fall far short of the magic of the original album, as well as most of the other work by both artists.

Alas, the stuff they are adding is of little or no interest to me. Too bad they didn't add the live stuff erwbol mentions.

This thread has led me to go back and listen to many OP dates in my collection, Consider the Ben Webster meets Oscar Peterson record. I hardly think this meeting came about because Granz sought convenience and predictability. For those who dislike OP, just listen. He is almost entirely unobtrusive in accompaniment, and his solos are quite subtle. Well, there's an extremely good chance it came about precisely because Granz sought convenience and predictability. BUT... I really like OP's playing on this date, and I'm someone whose general opinion on his body of work is mixed.

Yes, I really enjoyed that Iverson analysis too, though I think he is too negative about OP as an accompanist.

Exactly. And so when people complain that better artists aren't getting the same attention as KW... how many of those better artists are trying to acquire it?

Well, here's a question since superior players to KW (e.g. Darius Jones) were mentioned. Presumably KW's "commercial angle" was that he is a close collaborator with more commercially successful (albeit critically well-regarded) artists. Why don't the superior players do this more often?

Even on the 1964 Mingus stuff?

The Sanders date is comparable to his 1969 Impulse! work, so your feelings toward the latter provide a good forecast. Personally, I like it a lot.

I have to say, I purchased this set because of what in retrospect was a silly completist impulse, expecting it to be routine and semi-generic hard bop. I guess some of the albums in this set fall into that bucket, but overall, I think it's a very strong combination of musicians and compositions. If you think there's any chance that you'll like it - you probably WILL like it.

I'd say that the 1966 and 1967 Newport concerts*** have better MUSIC than "plenty of Miles in good sound", so there's in fact much to see here.

Yes, but the music itself is better than on many of those other live recordings.

I agree that seasons 5 and 6 both had quite a few good episodes. What are the three episodes from season 5 that you consider among the best the series ever ran? Just curious (we all have our favorites.) Ha! My response is only 7 years late. But the three episodes are: DARMOK ("They were... victorious. But... Enkidu fell to the ground, struck down by the gods. And Gilgamesh... wept bitter tears, saying, "He who was my companion, through adventure and hardship, is gone forever." ") THE INNER LIGHT (magnificent storytelling) I, BORG (in some ways, the best Borg episode, though it killed them as an interesting villain)

Thanks for sharing. Interesting read and, as others have said, well written. There was an interesting interview with Steve Coleman a while back (shared in these forums, I think?) where SC mentioned he was often surprised about who would show up to his master classes. Mark Turner was mentioned in that context.

Exactly. The standards of the legal system, which are appropriate and necessary, don't require us to suspend common sense when drawing conclusions about reality. I don't need a judge or jury's determination to tell me the sky is blue.

sometimes a stupidly-expressed opinion is just a stupidly-expressed opinion.