Quincy

Harold McGee's On Food And Cooking is a terrific book. If you ever wasted a year or so in a chemistry lab you can pretend that you even understand what he's talking about in the more complicated passages. And though my Mom loved buttermilk, I just use it for recipes. And yup, I marinate chicken in buttermilk (with extra salt added) for frying. I too was happily surprised in recent years to see it pop up in pint sized containers, cause it seems like any extra you poured down the sink could clog it! One use for buttermilk hasn't been mentioned yet. Here in the rainy part of Oregon moss will grow on about anything, but sometimes it needs some help. I have a neighbor who has lawn statues (frogs, a Fu dog) who wanted them to grow a mossy coat. He poured buttermilk on them, and lo & behold, within a few weeks the statues started sprouting moss on their backs. Such a trick would probably work on humans too in case your budget gets tight for clothing after spending too much on CDs.

I have only bought two so far, but each time I ended up buying a set that I didn't think I would. Or I guess I bought it in less time than I thought about buying a different set, if that makes sense. Before buying the Hodges, I was sure that my first would be the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh. And I spent months thinking about it. Then it was definitely the Django. Nope, Hodges it is! Before I bought the Blue Mitchell I was pretty sure that Django would be next. Or perhaps J.J. Johnson. So right now I'm pretty sure my next will be the Mobley, but lately it seems every time I play something that J.J. is a part of I'm really keyed in on him. And now other sets not mentioned above are "moving up," never mind the Selects! In the end I figure no matter what I pick out, the odds are great that I'll be picking up something that's mighty nice!

Back to the only thing we really care about, the metal spine, I believe the reason why In A Silent Way didn't have one was because there were only 3 discs, so it didn't require that extra solid metally construction. You think they slap those on as decoration? Hell no! If Jack Johnson didn't have a metal spine it would explode, sending shrapnel everywhere. It'd be a bloody mess. But actually, this is a good thing - the Silent Way not having a metal spine that is. For if lightning ever strikes your CD collection in the "D" section, In A Silent Way might be spared! The one Columbia I don't have is 7 Steps To Heaven. I've put it off as I knew it would be reissued eventually and I thought I should save it for the day when I really needed a "new" (or unheard) Miles studio album. I'm not sure I can imagine how My Funny Valentine/Four & More could sound better, but if it can I'd love to hear it!

I'll combine AfricaBrass & BFrank's picks. Rainy Day, Dream Away - I live in the Pacific NW! 1983 (A Merman I Should Be) - I love side 3 of Electric Ladyland. Ezy Ryder - Far too dangerous to play while driving. Yup, there are too many good ones, and other favorites have been listed. At the risk of catching the wrath of the Hulk, I'll nominate the acoustic apartment tape version of "Angel" as the prettiest song.

Janet flashed the wrong thang!

And another for Osby's Inner Circle. Though if you had asked this before last December I could have answered Banned In New York. Whether I would have I'm not sure. Moran's Black Stars or Modernistic (heck, the others too) are greatly enjoyed too.

I started to look up Electric Bill on AMG. Didn't want to be missing out (glad I'm not!) Les Paul hit the top of the most likely matches by the way. The Blue is great. But so is electricity...

I just got it for Christmas. I previously had Back To Back and Side By Side and decided I wanted more from this period. I haven't been disappointed. I'm still in the getting familiar with it stage with a few of the discs as 6 discs is a lot of music! There's enough variation in the personnel and the size & instrumentation of the groups to keep it interesting, although I have yet to play more than 2 discs in an evening. (The couple times when I wanted to hear more Hodges I switched to Ellington.) I think a prime consideration is that there is fair amount of music that is available nowhere else, and so if you love the sound of Johnny Hodges (and Ben Webster), you run the risk of not being able to hear it once it sells out. Well, I guess there are always imports, but the Mosaic mastering is terrific. And it's a wonderful luxury to be able to choose amongst so many discs when you're in the mood for Johnny Hodges.

For those of you who don't own the vinyl, the double live classic The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads is going to be released on CD by Rhino sometime in the future. The whole catalog is getting the re-issue treatment btw. The news announcement was posted by Chris Frantz on the Tom Tom Club message board according to the Talking-Heads.net. As the double live LP was just a shade over 80 minutes long, the big question is whether they add bonus tracks or just trim applause.

I'll say what Morganized has been saying. If you're willing to order $99 worth of music (including books or DVDs too) to get the free shipping, then alldirect is the way to go. RVGs go for $7.99 and Conns go for $11.88. Sorry to say they apparently don't accept international orders.

I've used both H & R Block/Kiplinger and TurboTax over the years. For at least the past 4 (and maybe a couple more) I've used the H & R Block/Kiplinger program. H & R Block is usually $10 to $15 cheaper than TurboTax. I get the basic version for about $10 to $15 after rebate. I never noticed any significant difference in ease of use between the two, though I suppose I should mention I've had a year of tax law in some post-bac classes long ago. I do my taxes on a PC as the Mac versions are usually more expensive. I still do my state taxes by hand as I'd rather use the extra money to buy a (music) CD than give the state a fancier looking return. I guess if you don't have some flavor of Quicken or other type of personal finance software then you should probably check and see what features you'd like in such a program in case the Basic version doesn't do enough for you. Although MS Money & Quicken claim to be able to read each other's data once you start with one program you often are stuck with it for either your life or the life of your harddrive (if you don't back up your data.)

The Blue box is an absolute delight from start to finish. I find it very difficult to just play one disc as I want to hear more. From the material with Henderson & Hancock to Cook & Corea and the Duke Pearson arrangements and everything in-between, it's terrific with nary a piece o' fluff on there. I think I'm going to have to make Mosaic purchases not part of the music budget but take it out of something less essential, like clothing. Oh wait, I don't have a clothing budget. Well, I'll figure out something. The Blue Mitchell box has me playing more Horace Silver, so the next Mosaic might have to be Mobley. #3506.

Like Sal I have about the same number of jazz discs and just 6 weeks ago or so finally picked up some Stan Getz. Looks like the letter "G" will keep expanding on the shelf. I started with The Steamer and knew within a minute I'd want to hear more. I'll third (or fourth it) about The Complete Roost Recordings. I found a used copy for $22 and it felt like stealing. It's well worth it at a new price. It has an advantage as an early selection as once one disc is played you have 2 more to listen to. I've come to the conclusion that there's going to be a lot that I'll want to hear so I've been basing "the next one" on price as much as anything else. The latest additions have been the Jazz In Paris release and I also snagged a used copy of At The Shrine that should arrive today. After a bit of time digesting what I have I'll be hunting for more again (and borrowing suggestions posted here.) I jokingly call 2003 the year of white saxophonist, as I either "discovered" or expanded my collection with Desmond, Konitz, Marsh, Woods, Tabackin, Zorn, Potter & Getz. I think I'm forgetting a couple too, as it was a pretty busy & wonderful year of listening & discovery!

And it looks like the turntable in Rooster's avatar can play 24 rpm.

I had a children's storybook that came with a 16 rpm disc. The disc was the same size as a standard 45, though since the speed was slower it played longer. At the bottom of this page are a few comments about 16 rpm discs. The condensed version: First developed in Germany they were used for spoken word records including the Talking Books For The Blind program in the US. The advantage of the longer playing time disappeared upon the appearance of cassette tapes. A player that could play 16s was also useful in making the Chipmunks sound more like Tennessee Ernie Ford.

They're going faster folks. Another order placed! Only 3 weeks ago I picked up my 1st Mosaic (the Hodges ) and now here I am ordering again! Now I see how the addiction takes off, especially as I thought the Django, no J.J. Johnson, no I mean..would be next. I think I first heard Blue Mitchell through the few Horace Silver discs I have (that needs to be rectified.) As I recall I bought Song For My Father for Joe Henderson's appearance and when Mitchell & Cook's first number came on my ears perked up and I thought, "hmm, who are these guys? Huh, such cool sounding names too." I guess (as often happens) I got sidetracked in the pursuit of more Silver with Mitchell & Cook. I put on Blowin' The Blues Away last night and aside from wondering why I don't play Silver more often I knew I wanted to hear more Mitchell. This set ought to be perfect, and it'll be all new music for me.

Anything by Roger Angell. My favorite is Five Seasons as I'm partial to tales from the '70s, when men had beards and afros and played on plastic. Speaking of the '70s, Talkin' Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball In The 1970s by Phil Pepe is full of stories and pictures (including Oscar Gamble of course) and makes for a fun fast read. An overlooked favorite is Nine Innings by Daniel Okrant (probably have to find it used.) "The anatomy of baseball as seen though the playing of a single game." The game takes place in the summer of '82 between the Orioles and the Brewers. A great coffee table book is The Ultimate Baseball Book by Daniel Okrent & Harris Lewine. Probably another you'd have to look for used and it may only go through the 1980s. Some favorite books by players (& their ghostwriters): The Wrong Stuff - Bill Lee. Learn Don Zimmer's real nickname (Buffalohead) and read examples of Eckspeak from the latest inductee to the HOF. Ball Four - Jim Bouton The Bronx Zoo - Sparky Lyle As far as newer issues, Rob Neyer's latest Big Book of Baseball Lineups is a good bathroom read. Not new, but old Bill James Abstracts are still good after all of these years. Oh, and his Historical Abstracts are engrossing too. And finally The Brothers K, by David James Duncan. A funny (& sad) novel that touches upon baseball, religion, Vietnam and family. Highly recommended.

Woo-hoo! The Hodges! My 1st Mosaic. Thought for sure the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh would get the honor, and then I was leaning towards the Django, but I've been on such the Hodges jag of late it seems like the one to lead off with. From what it looks like once you buy one the addiction begins, so I reckon the other 2 likely will be picked up in 2004. Or perhaps something(s) completely different!

I follow the JazzMoose method for CDs. I still make attempts at chronological, though depending on how you do that (release date or session date?) one can spend too much time wondering where the hell to file Directions. LPs are a mess determined by space and furniture. A few (uh...12?) years ago I filed all of my albums by mood or genre - it made sense while under the influence at the time. So part of about 5 1/2 feet of vinyl wedged into an Arts & Craft cubbyhole follows that method, as punk-alternative heads into country-reggae; and then abruptly Dylan,Young and The Who/related are tacked on as this is prime real estate. A LP cabinet bought at an antique store holds the (non-Who) British Invasion, and then a 6 foot crate in another room holds the lesser loved albums.

The first time I watched it I was a tad disappointed, namely because talking heads kept cutting off the music. The next time around I enjoyed it a great deal more as I knew the music would be interrupted and the uh, "talking heads" (aka known as some of my favorite jazz musicians!) have some wonderful and funny tales to tell. I especially love the segments with the guys from Ascenseur pour l'echfaud and the bits with the DeJohnettes & Dave Holland. As it covers so much ground I'm sure something new will grab me the third time around. I actually had a dream soon after I got it that I found an Easter egg on the disc that revealed the entire '69 concert. 'fraid it 'twas just a dream.

Oh it's a really tough time and it will be for some time to come I'm afraid. She sounded pretty special. We had to put down our 19 1/2 a year old almost 2 years ago. When you're that old you count the 1/2s and any little cold the cat gets is traumatic! The 2 lessons I hope I learned were it's better to be a little early when putting an animal to sleep - though I don't if I've learned it or not and hopefully that's a long way off. It's so hard and as you say a strange experience. The other is after living without a pet for 9 months I don't ever want to go that long without one again. A year ago September we went to the shelter and picked out a 1 year old. Or she picked us out, as she kept following me around as we checked out all the cats. She's got the same color pattern as your Gypsy, except our Clementine has a distinct white mustache as there's more black fur around the sides of her nose. The mustache looks very nice even though she is a female.

Sabrina is a delightful romantic comedy. The 30 year age difference between Bogart & Hepburn seemed a bit much the first time I saw it, but as Eastwood, Ford and the older actors of today are always paired up with much younger actresses I guess it was ahead of its time. Plus in this case the age difference is part of the story I suppose. William Holden's is young and full of energy too. Forget the remake, see the original. (Said by someone who never saw the remake.) I'll second loving Fred MacMurray's wicked performance in The Apartment. Plus odd as it sounds, I love the way the office is shot. Watching Deano in Kiss Me Stupid is good fun too. I think I'll have to see Double Indemnity and Sunset Blvd. again fairly soon. I'm jealous of you getting to see the latter on the big screen.

I quickly checked at an OSX apps site and found 4. There are probably more out there. I just downloaded the Cocoa freeware Shiidiideetabeesu 1.0. It seems to cover the basics OK. I'm sticking with my Appleworks database as I've already invested some time with it, but if I was just starting out and didn't have any database experience (or a lot of extra time) I might consider it. Not bad for free software.

Ya got that right. Rhino records has worked out a deal where you can buy anything (er, other than a couple that are out of print) on the list from their website.

Probably not many, but some old Spin readers might. I know a 3 different people who mainly listen to indie bands, the more obscure the better. Yet each one of these folks owns "The Shape Of Jazz To Come." The other common jazz album between them is Zorn's "The Big Gundown." Though I've never asked (or accused ) I find it interesting that 2 jazz artists (and I think the only 2) featured in the Spin Alternative Record Guide (1995) are none other than Ornette Coleman and John Zorn and both albums listed above scored a 10.