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How about looking for 'Explosions' by the Bob James Trio? Might still be available! An early Bob James date where he is accompanied by Barre Phillips on bass and Bob Pozar on drums. Not my favorite ESP but might fit with what you are looking for. Maybe the Sun Ra, Nothing Is. The first side of the LP is pretty accessible, with great bass playing by Ronnie Boykins and some outstanding John Gilmore solo work.

I have the Commodore set, and volume 3 is way less interesting than vol. 1 and vol. 2. I wouldn't advise paying big bucks for vol. 3 unless you already have vol. 1 and 2 (and maybe not then either).

I picked up the Dizzy yesterday, and it's a pretty amazing line-up--Dizzy with Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, and Paul Gonsalves, backed up by Wynton Kelly, Wendell Marshall and J.C. Heard, and performing Dizzy Atmosphere, the Way You Look Tonight and two ballad medleys. On first listen, it sounded like outstanding music to me, with adequate sound.

Dizzy Gillespie's Sittin' In, just reissued. You get Diz, with three tenors (Hawk, Getz and Gonsalves), backed by Wynton Kelly, Wendell Marshall and J.C. Heard.

I have a very nice Sphere cd on Verve called Four For All. It was issued in 1987. Yes that's the one I have on CD. On LP, Flight Path on Electra Musician (I don't seem to have their first album). On Red, Sphere on Tour and Live At Umbria Jazz. They sounded great when they played at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth. There was virtually no one in attendance.

Sphere was an excellent band (Rouse, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams and Ben Riley). Their recordings (I'm only aware of one reissued on CD) are worth seeking out on LP, if not otherwise available. As I recall they were released on Elecktra Musician and Red.

On a bit smaller scale (3CDs), this Sun Records Blues anthology is rather good. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...6210757-2429443

I saw him play once in the mid-1980s and again in the early 1990s--both times he was not playing well; it was actually painful to hear. I would advise sticking to his many very fine recordings from the '50s and '60s

The 50's sides are great and you can't go wrong with his Contemporary albums (Meets the Rhythm Section, for example). However, I prefer his late recordings. Rather than get a narrowly focused box set, I would recommend that you sample a few of the Galaxys (for example, Art Pepper Today, Landscape, or Winter Moon).

They're also 25% off on Blue Note at the store, and in addition, they are selling 15 or 20 of the RVGs for $7.99 (at least at the Dallas Tower).

I picked up the Coleman Hawkins the other day and discovered that it has a second DVD disc which features some performance footage of Hawkins from 1950s era TV shows.

The Bethleham and Candid Out Front are the ones that I prefer and have listened to countless times. Every song on both is a gem.

Rusty Bryant Returns, recorded in 1969, with Grant Green on guitar (first recording in two years, according to the notes) and Sonny Philips on organ, plus electric alto sax.

I hadn't heard that one, but I became a fan of John Tchicai upon hearing him at the Alterknit Theater a few years back. Sounds interesting.

I'm no expert, but I do like the music of Francisco Cespedes. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...7789626-2665649

I don't think I have the Howard Theater recording. Who put that one out?

The Carnegie Hall concert with Dizzy. The Carnegie Hall concert with Red Rodney. The Massey Hall concert.

Didn't he play with Ellington also for at least a little while?

A few from the used CD store: Sonny Criss--Intermission Riff (Pablo OJC) Art Blakey--New Year's Eve at Sweet Basil (I'd never seen this one before on ProJazz, but it's a rather good one from the Blanchard/Harrison/Toussaint edition of the Messengers). The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow Delmark 50 Years of Blues Anthology. I was going to stop there, but I made the mistake of going into Border's, which is still having a buy 3 get 4 sale, and next thing I know" Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section (to keep the LP company) Magic Sam Black Magic (another friend of the LP--not as good as West Side Soul but the second side is still good) The Best of Sidney Bechet (Blue Note) Jimmy Smith Rockin the Boat.

I picked this up at Tower, on sale for $15.

I have this one, but didn't realize it was hard to get. If memory serves, it's the second session (the unreleased one) with Woody Shaw, Kenny Barron and Billy Higgins, that's makes it worth a mere $15 and then some.

Thanks for the information. This is an excellent OJC (Sub-Conscious Lee), which also features the referenced session with Warne Marsh (another good one), plus a third session with Billy Bauer.

I suggest these: Lanquidity (Evidence) Strange Celestial Road (Rounder) My Brother the Wind volume 2 (Evidence) (half of it anyway) Mayan Temples (Black Saint) (superb late studio Sun Ra album)

I've long admired the 1949 Prestige Session featuring Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz and Billy Bauer that produced Progression/Tautology/Retrospection/Subconscious Lee/Judy. I first heard this when I purchased a two LP set called Prestige First Sessions. Yesterday I picked up a Lee Konitz OJC which includes these sessions. I'm wondering--who was the actual leader of the session? My LP set indicates Lennie Tristano was the leader, whereas the OJC seems to indicate that Lee Konitz was the leader.

The Stitt concert sounds like it occurred ten years before the Coltrane concert. Yes and no. When you just compare Trane with Stitt, probably yes. But I think Miles' playing is more advanced on the 2nd date (meaning the one with Stitt). Or at least that's my memory of it -- been at least six months since I've listened to any of this material. Hafta try to dig it out soon. I do reallly like the Stitt concert also, but the concerts with Coltrane on this tour (Stockholm and Paris) are probably my favorite Miles Davis recordings. However, I had forgotten that I also have CDs from the March 24 and April 9 concerts. Going to have to take a listen again.