Indestructible!

Hi All, I saw Freddie play on his 65th birthday (Argyle Hotel), and although his chops are pretty much gone he looked like he was having a great time! The party afterward was fun, too! Happy 67th Freddie! Cheers, Shane

Hi 7/4 and All, I've been getting e-mail announcements of shows loading on the website link you provided 7/4, but everytime I try to access that page it gives me the old "Page Not Found" screen. Anyone else having this problem in accessing the site? Or, as I suspect, is it just a function of the "newness" of the site and all the bugs haven't been removed yet? Feel free to PM me if you don't want to discuss all this here (as soon as I get access to the site I've got a couple of nice shows to upload)... Cheers, Shane

Hi All, Anyone here going to be getting this massive set? 12 CD's worth of live V5 material! I've managed to find the list of tracks here: http://www.nottwo.com/PelnaPlyta.php?Id=296 These guys were/are amazing live, full of fire and energy. Last time I saw them was about 2 years ago now, and their version of "Wherever Junebugs Go" just floored me! It burned!!! Oh yeah, I seem to remember our good man "Mnytime" was at that show as well (I saw him talking to KV at the end of the show)! It wasn't long after this show that he disappeared from the board... Any thoughts on this set? Cheers, Shane OH YEAH -- If I've missed discussion of this set, please forgive me (I did a search, but found nothing)...

Che, Well, you'll just be down the road from Winnipeg, then! Actually, you could probably just hop on a bike and you'll be at The Freehouse in no time! Let me know how the venue is... Cheers, Shane

Hi Jim, I've had "My People (Soul People)" for quite a while, and while it's decent in spots, it really isn't Roach's best work. In fact, I've got all of Freddie's albums that he led, and MP(SP) ranks at the bottom for me. It's just too commercial (which can be cool by me, but this one doesn't gel at all), and the solo space is minimal here. Still, I'm a HUGE fan of Freddie! I really dig his understated style... and I must confess I too am a fan of "All That's Good"! There's some deep shit happening on that album! Let me know if I can help out... Cheers, Shane

Hi Marty, OK, I'll have to add to this a little bit. When I moved out here to Los Angeles from New York a few years back, I actually lived in Nina's apartment/condo while she was "overseas". Unfortunately, with her death, they decided to sell the place (I was given first dibs on buying the place, but the $$$ they wanted was outrageous... welcome to LA, though!). Anyway, while I lived there I heard MANY great stories about Nina from my neighbors (saw some interesting pictures, too!)... she certainly was eccentric in many respects! Like Dave, I also respect Nina for her willingness to tackle many different styles. Let's face it, she could've been quite successful (both commercially and financially) if she stuck to a "safe" style... but I've got to give respect to anyone that can create "Mississippi God Damn"! Cheers, Shane

Hi Mike, PM sent on the Woody Herman Mosaic! Cheers, Shane

Jeff, Man, what are ya talkin' about? If you do the math, there's no way the booster packs make the $$$ per d/l too high. For example, I'm assuming you're on the 90 downloads for $19.99 a month plan... that works out to a wee bit over 22 cents per song. If you add the 50 downloads for $14.99 booster pack... that works out to just a wee bit under 30 cents per song. So the booster pack deal only adds about 7.5 cents per song more to the typical download cost. When you compare that to the ridiculous 99 cents per song that iTunes charges, I'd say eMusic is a GREAT deal. Plus, as has been mentioned here before, just download those Braxton albums! Many of them are only 1-2 songs long! Cheers, Shane

Hi All, Well, I just got this box in the mail today, and hopefully the rest of you will too. Chaney, it (sort of) sounds like UMG will honor those who paid for their winning auction BEFORE they noticed their error. Universal are a piece of work! Statements like "we will be asking for those who received their order to return it" and "thousands of dollars in losses" are a complete joke! Even if they did f*** up their pricing, they are still responsible for seeing the deal through. But, as others have said, there's NO WAY that I would've paid $250 for this box. The price listed ($99) seems quite reasonable to me, given the age and the condition these boxes are in. BTW, my box has VERY little rust, so I can't complain. But the packaging??? Talk about Kafkaesque! Who the f*** designed this thing? Seriously, how did something like this ever get approval? Must've been the day the 'E' was passed around the office. Good luck in getting your boxes, gents. I'll be more than willing to write and/or call UMG to advocate on your behalf if need be. Just let me know... And if that fails, well... we can strategize about this. Through PM's, of course! Cheers, Shane

Hah! Good one J! Your joke provided me with a good laugh today... just what I needed to start the weekend off right! You sure have a wicked sense of humor, man... Oh... wait... it seems as though you really believe in what you posted? Cheers, Shane - One of those "smart people" with like, uh, Ph.D.s and stuff

Hi Ray, Damn, thanks for pointing this out! Those three shows listed indeed look GREAT (Moncur Evolution Big Band, then Dewey Redman & Tim Hagens, then Andrew Cyrille & Ray Drummond)... I'm gonna hit all of these! I don't see any mention of prices - or even how to get tickets - for these shows. If they are indeed free, then I'm one happy man! I'll still drop my $$$ on the artists CD's at each show, of course, just to keep supportin'. Cheers, Shane

Hi Johnny, Usually a person who wants an open-casket funeral. Didn't Kurt Cobain shoot himself in the chest with a shotgun (thought I'd ask, since he was from your area). RIP Hunter, some of your work was truly amazing! Shane

Yikes! If I see the name of one of my all-time favorite vocalists mis-spelled one more time...................... What, you'll send Max after him? OK, bad taste, I know... to make this relevant: I agree wholeheartedly with Jim here. There are so many people whom I consider to fall in that "genius" category (there's a much abused term) that are... how shall I say it?... morally reprehensible at best. Yes, jazz is full of these people, but so is any other profession, and I do consider it possible to separate the person from his/her work. Hell, if I couldn't make that separation, I'd wouldn't have most of my music collection, most of the art that hangs on my walls, many of the books on my shelf, and many of the ideas I've come to appreciate over the years. I love Max's WORK, as a musician and social activist, although he may not be the poster boy for moral behavior. I also love the work of many of my colleagues in my chosen profession, several of whom are complete and utter pigs. However, if they engage in morally reprehensible behavior in my presence, or I hear through information that I trust, I let them know pretty quickly that that shit doesn't fly with me. Having said that, there's always going to be a balancing act between judging one's work and one's personality... And, as Jim is wont to say, "Your mileage may vary". From my end, if we as a society can't separate the difference between one's WORK and one's personality/moral behaviors, well... my guess is that we wouldn't have advanced nearly as far as we have. I'll leave it to y'all to decide if that's a good thing or not. Cheers, Shane

Hey Soul Stream, Just a quick question... what's wrong with sport? Cheers, Shane

Hi All, Quick answer: HELL YEAH I MISS HOCKEY!!! I grew up in Canada, and it is far more than just a "sport" to Canadians. In many ways, it makes up a huge part of the Canadian national identity. Want proof? When the Canadian government decided to update their currency, they actually made hockey the main focus of the back of the 5-dollar bill... Complete with illustrations and a quote of the importance of hockey to Canadian youth. I ask you: would the U.S. ever consider putting ANY sport on the back of their currency? Not likely! But hockey means that much to Canada! And I've got to comment on a few other things. Most Canadians I know (and I know there's research data to support this, but can't cite references off the top of my head right now) think that the game of hockey is fine without having to impose all of the "major" rule changes that have been proposed. Some minor tweaking of the rules is fine, but many of the major changes that have been suggested just aren't necessary. Most Canadians I know think that the suggested major changes are just a way to try and attract a larger U.S. audience, and to snag a large TV deal with a major U.S. network... in other words, the game itself is "selling its soul" in the quest for American approval. I say leave the game as it is. It will change and evolve on its own (sport always does), and the days of high-scoring hockey will return. To the owners and players: WORK THIS OUT NOW!!! Cheers, Shane --- Grew up in Calgary, and now that the Flames are good again (missed hoisting the Stanley Cup by one goal last year) I'm denied a chance to see them!

Hey Kulu Se Mama and Jim Sangrey, Thanks to you both, I just snagged this set tonight from eBay! Damn, this is such a good price... I can't thank you enough for letting us know about it! Sorry Kevin, but it really does look they are consistent in putting up the set between 8-9:00 pm Eastern (I jumped on it around 6:00 pm Pacific time)... I'm sure you'll snag one tomorrow! Wonder how much RUST is gonna be on this thing? The "stock" photo they use in their description shows a pretty decent amount of rust already! Thanks again!!! Cheers, Shane

Hi Paul, Whoa! For a minute there I thought there was a new release of Sam Rivers recording with THE "NOJO"... Norah Jones, of course! Wouldn't that be something! Cheers, Shane

Well said, Conn! And I empathize with Michael, as this exact same situation has happened to me (as I detailed back on page 3 or so). And trust me, Rostasi, the conversation you described most definitely did NOT occur in my case... as I said, I had to threaten a lawsuit to get my money back! Maybe I just had a string of bad luck with these folks, since many of you here report nothing but good experiences... I hope they continue for all who use them! Cheers, Shane

Deus, No Mosaics??? I bow to your willpower! Cheers, Shane

Hi akanalog, Hey, thanks for posting this! I'll up/download it tonight. BTW, how long did it take y'all to load this? Yesterday it took FOREVER to load up a file off of easytree (much longer than normal), so I'm wondering if there's an issue on my end? Cheers, Shane

Got about 40-45 JOS beauties myself (all but a couple are on CD). Would love to have Soul Stream's collection though! Jimmy was the MAN! Cheers, Shane

I knew this day would come soon, since the last time I saw him he was in rough, rough shape... but it still hurts like hell. R.I.P. Jimmy, and know your music made this world a better place!

WHEW! That's a relief! Hi Ron, All yours, motherfucker! Cheers, Shane

Hi Dan, See, that's my main issue with this "company" (and was Mike F.'s point as well)... they say they have things in stock when the really may not! Look, I'm well aware of the fact that if something says "Special Order", the odds of it actually coming through are slim at best... so I take my chances occasionally, and if/when the order doesn't come through, I accept that gracefully. But, when the site lists something as "In Stock", and then I have to wait weeks only to find out (on my own investigation) that the item is "Backordered"... that's when I feel I've been cheated. Charging my credit card immediately also doesn't help my mindset, nor does the fact that I had to harass these people to FINALLY get my money back. Check out some of their feedback on half.com. Many people have experienced exactly what I experienced. Like I said, I'm glad some/many of you have had good service... you certainly won't have to worry about me scooping up the goods from "casacaiman" before you get there, because I'm never going back! Cheers, Shane