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That Preston Sturges box set is really great.

Where are you buying these?

Nat Pierce Orchestra with Buck Clayton--Big Band at the Savoy Ballroom (RCA Living Stereo) George Russell--The Jazz Workshop (RCA, 1962 reissue)

Jack McDuff and David Newman--Double Barrelled Soul (Atlantic, blue green label)

A 120 GB ipod. About 20 hours after plugging it into my computer, it has transferred 8642 out of 13,605 songs from my itunes library.

Thanks again... and oh, are you lucky, being so close to Mexico. I'm on the East Coast. Yes, it's only a two hour flight to Mexico City, whereas it's over three hours to New York. Flight time's one thing; cost is the other. (I bet that's true for you as well.) it's funny how Amtrak and the airlines seem to jack up prices in an arbitrary way. When I lived in D.C., a round-trip train ticket to NYC cost several hundred dollars. Now I live up in PA< and a round-trip ticket to NYC costs less than 100.00 bucks. (Though I'd have to change in Philly to get the Metroliner or Acela.) Basically, Amtrak ticket costs are far higher if you're *only* traveling on the NE corridor lines. Book a ticket from a bit further west, and it's so much cheaper, even though you're actually on a NE corridor train. Go figure! American Airlines has quite a few flights out of DFW to both places, so with a little planning relatively inexpensive fares are often available to both New York and Mexico City. It can be very arbitrary though--earlier this year I made two short notice business trips to New York, and the fare each time was $2000 for coach. Yet at about the same time I also booked a seminar trip in advance, and the fare was only $200.

Thanks again... and oh, are you lucky, being so close to Mexico. I'm on the East Coast. Yes, it's only a two hour flight to Mexico City, whereas it's over three hours to New York.

Those are really good collections--I especially like Antonio Bribiesca, he makes the guitar weep--he's just as expressive as a great blues guitarist. I like trova--in Tower Records in Mexico City, there is a Trova section!

Here are a couple of two CD collections featuring some great guitarists from Mexico (Antonio Bribiesca, Ramon Dona-Do, Gilberto Puente, and Claudio Estrada): http://www.amazon.com/Los-Grandes-Guitarri...4124&sr=1-2 http://www.amazon.com/Los-Grandes-Guitarri...4124&sr=1-3

Latin-American music to me means music from Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, etc.. Guitars are everywhere. You must be listening to what they call Latin-American music in New York, which seems to mostly derive from Puerto Rico. In fact, the center of Latin American music is Mexico City, not Puerto Rico, New York or Miami.

Ahmad Jamal--Tranquility (impulse, black label) Vince Guaraldi--Alma-Ville (Warner) (The first side is sublime.)

Two Mosaic Selects -- Dexter Gordon and Bud Shank/Bob Cooper.

Charles Mngus--Mingus Moves (Atlantic)--Still sounds just as good as when I bought this album over 34 years ago.

Sonny Rollins--East Broadway Rundown (impulse, black and orange label)

There's also a Columbia album with a sleeping Woody Herman in a chair with a woman--Music For Tired Lovers, Love Songs Sung by Woody Herman with Erroll Garner. I haven't worked up the courage to listen to this one.

It seems I also have forgotten that I have Eddie Daniels, A Flower for All Seasons.

Slightly off-topic, but that whole Grapevine Mills is getting depressing. Not only is Virgin closing down, there were about 4 or 5 other big stores that were having close-out sales. I think it has something to do with a giant Ponzi scheme headed up by President Bush.

The sole remaining Virgin Megastore in the DFW area--located in an outlet mall in Grapevine near the airport, is currently having a liquidation and closing sale.

If I could, I would see that many. If I didn't travel and had to rely on Dallas options, I would probably see less than five a year. Work-related and personal trips to New York City are my live music savior.

Oh Yeah (also Mingus on piano throughout).

I re-listened to the Jimmy Giuffre this morning, and indeed the vinyl and the recording quality were first rate. Very nice sound.

I think Storyville is more interesting... but then it's been among the two or three first Parker discs I've known (thanks to our high school's library). I don't like the band parts of the Washington that much, but I remember the final few tracks being quite good. That Washington disc was part of a batch of releases with Bill Evans In Paris Vol. 1/2, Getz/Dailey "Poetry" and I think two by Petrucciani (100 Hearts, Live at the Vanguard). Of those, the OOP Getz/Dailey is the most recommended, one, another beautiful one by Getz, though at a much later point in time than the great Roost sessions. The Parker Washington disc is essential for the added small group tracks, not the big band tracks. The small group tracks are incredible, Bird is in awesome form. just saw i have the four quartet tracks with jack holiday, franklin skeete and max roach on some cheapo compilation... is the disc still essential for me? I'm not sure. The six excellent small group tracks on the Washington Concerts CD are: Ornithology, Cool Blues, Out of Nowhere, Anthropology, Scrapple from the Apple and Medley (Out of Nowhere/Now's The Time).

Recordings are a constant, so the year tends to be defined for me by the standout live performances I witnessed during the year. It seems it was a good year for seeing alto saxophone masters in satisfying concerts: Three sets by the Sonny Fortune Quartet (including Michael Cochran and Steve Johns) at Sweet Rhythm presented his enthralling mastery on alto, flute and soprano. It was very good to hear Greg Osby and Nine Levels at Jazz Standard, a welcome return to recording activity by a favorite, easily recognizable player. And old master Lee Konitz, with a trio of Italian musicians led by pianist Marco di Gennero, presented a pair of strong sets of standards at Smalls Also, a nice year for drummer leaders. Mike Clark, at the intimate Hotel Kitano, presented a fine group, with Mark Shim on tenor and Christian Scott on trumpet. Bobby Previte, a long-time favorite, presented the excellent music from his new recording, Set the Alarm For Monday, in a very late and extended set at the Blue Note (with Bill Ware on vibes, Ellery Eskelin, and Brad Jones). Cuban drummer Francisco Mela led a group featuring Jason Moran, also at the Blue Note. In the realm of new music exceeding my expectations: At Jazz Standard, Sara Serpa, whose voice is not only beautiful, but who also seems to be a capable leader and composer. At some place called Nu Blue, a Norweigian group of jazz musicians (plus Craig Taborn), leg by Eivind Opsvik, with Hakaan Kornstad on tenor, provided some of the most compelling music I heard this year. Recurring performances: Mingus Big Band at Iridium--I only heard one set this year, coincidentially their last one at the Iridium. Mike Stern--I never cared too much for him when I saw him with Miles Davis and Michael Brecker, but after hearing him a number of times now at the 55 Bar, either my tastes have changed or he's really grown over the years--this is a fantastic recurring gig, at a very small and friendly venue, with terrific sound. I also quite enjoyed getting a chance to hear Melvin Sparks at the Blue Note, even though I doubted he had ever met his bandmates before, Wayne Horvitz and Sweeter Than the Day at the Stone, and the Terrance Blanchard "Tale of God's Will" portion of the Monterey Jazz Festival tour concert. Finally, in blues, which I actually saw in the city where I live, 69 year old David Kearny, aka Guitar Shorty, performed an amazing nearly three hour set, easily the most inspired blues concert I've heard in many a year.

Luiz Bonfa--The Golden Brazilian Guitar (Fontana) Jimmy Giuffre--Music for People, Birds, ... (Choice)

I definitely recommend the set. Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, and Albert Ammons (appearing in varied combinations), are all wonderful. Jimmy Yancy didn't appeal as much as these three, but he's not bad. There's also a smattering of other fine pianists--Joe Sullivan, Teddy Wilson, Freddie Slack, Mary Lou Williams. A Benny Carter session, a Red Allen session. It's an interesting set.