Scott Dolan

Interesting, indeed. Perhaps I'm not remembering it correctly. I'll have to revisit my collection of Atlantic's and Columbia's from that period. I'll readily admit I haven't listened to much of either recently. Perhaps the tape hiss still present on Kind Of Blue is clouding my judgement…

Very nicely stated, Steve. I think after all these years (remember we first met on Freejazz.org??!!) that not only do we agree to disagree, but that we also somehow agree with each others disagreements to a certain degree! Do the math on that one! If I had to bottom line it, I'd say that just because it's improvisation, that doesn't automatically make it Jazz. On that I'm actually thinking we agree. I guess it's kinda like saying Symphony Pop is Classical. Is it really? Not to my ears. Yes, they do share a lot in common, but so does Country and Rock. Either way, each genre stands on its own. IMO, that should be honored. You're absolutely right about the crossover aspect, but that's a wormhole I'd rather not go down...

And that's where you and I part, Steve, and always has been. I don't hear even the slightest bit of Jazz. I hear Cardew and Stockhausen being played using small groupings and instruments traditionally associated with Jazz. It's classical European improv, just using an "updated" arrangement of instruments. Nothing more, nothing less. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not Jazz.

Hmmm…that's certainly intriguing. But, I guess when it comes down to it, I'm very happy with the original masters. The clarity and depth was really a benchmark for the time period. Columbia's from that same time period sound inferior, IMO. (Time Out being a notable exception) You're an Ornette completist, so I can see why they would be very significant for you. I'm good for the time being, but who knows what the future holds? I may get a wild hair someday, and it's nice to know what's out there.

His Atlantic material is simply astonishing. Too bad so much of it was lost.

Larry, I hear all of that loud and clear. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this in another thread, but my purchasing/consumption of music has dwindled over the years as I find less and less music to truly invigorate/excite me. Not that that validates Paul's earlier claim that music is dying in general, but folks like us who post on this site have heard far more music than the average listener. And we've likely ventured into the outer limits, no matter the genre. Most haven't. And I actually envy them. But, these worn and jaded ears betray me. Either way, I think you and I are somewhat in the same boat.

Let us not dismiss the lap dance missionary, please.

And we have a winner! Once Jazz started to decline on radio, it became less popular. Good lord, folks! What makes "popular" music popular?! BTW, just wanted to expand on one more thing The Preacher said above: …many of which they already own copies of. That's an incredibly important aspect of this conversation that needs to be addressed. Remaster this, reissue that, SHM release, HDTracks, blah, blah, blah... And all of that has to do with contemporary artists? Fuck no. Not even some of it. Yet those threads are plentiful here, and end up being many pages long. How many threads do we see here concerning modern day artists? And when we do, how quickly do they fall out of sight? Fredrik Kronkvist, J.D. Allen…Branford Fucking Marsalis, for christ's sake! Willie Parker's band-o-buddies. Mary Halvorson's circle of friends. Zorn! Lots of current, and touring/performing artists. Yet, you barely hear a peep concerning them. If you want to decode the mystery of the OP, perhaps a quick look in the mirror would be a great place to start.

Without question THE best comment in this entire thread. And the part I bolded is a serious finger in the eye to those who have made some self-aggrandizing statements here. Paul, I love you, brother. But the statements you and erwbol have made in this thread are just…wrong. And. There. We. Have. It. Whether you agree with Steve or not, the cat constantly puts his money where his mouth is. Everyone else here, myself included in certain ways, has simply become an extension of the Marsalis/Crouch/Burns lineage when we simply bemoan the fact that an art form we no longer actively support has died. Or at least has become terribly unpopular. BTW, both statements I bolded present a pretty sad continuum. If you truly wonder why Jazz has come to such a "sorry state", then read those two bolded statements over and over.

I picked up "To whom keeps a record" in the recent "Japanese" 24bit edition. It shares 2 tracks with the 1988 issue of "The Art of the Improvisers" . The recent disc totally smokes the '88 disc by an uncomfortable margin. So I can see Lon's view point here. It would be a pity if this reissue of the box uses masterings which are over 25 yrs old IMO. If you get the new box report back here Interesting take, Clunky. While I would love to hear the 24 bit remasters, the one thing I will say (and I'm sure even you and Lon will at least nod in semi-agreement) is that the masters used for the original (current?) box set are some of the finest from that era. I mean, OK, if it's a leap in sonics like the Deluxe Edition of A Love Supreme, then I can see it. What I can't see is that it would be such a gargantuan leap. The previous ALS master was really lacking. The previous Ornette masters were anything but. What I'm trying unsuccessfully to say is that I wouldn't necessarily consider it a pity not to hear the 24 bit remasters. It would be nice, but what we already have is far more than sufficient.

Has anyone stopped to consider that Jazz possibly reached its apotheosis half of a century ago? Once you turn the Free Jazz corner, that's pretty much your encore performance. Isn't it? Another way I also look at it is that really, who cares how popular it is now? There is so much incredible Jazz music already documented that it would take any new fan a lifetime to hear it all. I mean, must of us here are in our 40's and older. Does anyone here own every Jazz recording ever made? Have they even HEARD every Jazz recording ever made?

C'mon, Paul. That's just elitist snobbery, and you know it. That kind of placing yourself above the rest is one of the main reasons people avoid genres like Jazz. If an artist has something to say, it doesn't matter what instrument or genre they choose.

I could not disagree more, Paul. Everywhere you go you see people with earbuds in. Everywhere. What do you think they're doing? Learning a foreign language?

Paul, can you name some popular genres where this is happening?

Zappa once said, "when you stop singing, people stop listening". I think GA hit the nail on the head.

But the pretension of it is exponentially higher!

A dopey way to describe the inserts that house the discs.

Agreed 100%. I'd say it's the most played box set that I own.

What Shawn said.

And folks thought LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso was a blockbuster!

Interesting. How do you have them connected? HDMI? Either way, the connection shouldn't matter. Try running something through both and report back. From everything I've read, they should be perfectly synched. Very cool!

Wow! The answer seems to be a definite yes! Considering I have three complete systems in the house, that changes everything. Thanks for even suggesting it .:.impossible! What a fantastic duhscovery!

I honestly don't know, but I don't think so. The only reason I say that is when using the remote app, you have to choose a device. So in my case I have to choose either my Airport Express, or my Apple TV. Now, I only have one of each, so that's why I'm not entirely sure. Excellent question, though! I need to research that.

To answer in the form of a question, Jeopardy-style: why do I hate math so much?

Definitely a less expensive option to an Apple TV. Too bad it doesn't have a digital out, but that's obviously a major reason they were able to keep the price insanely low! But, sounds like the internal DAC is quite good, so a pretty darn good trade off.