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The Mingus recordings on Atlantic are so great, that issues as to which sound source is a bit better than another are not important.

The Best of Cannonball Adderley on Capital was my first jazz record. I listened to Work Song and others on this LP over and over again. He's one of my favorites, for sure.

Experience Hendrix has just released a third volume of this great series featuring blues giants on tour recorded for 1960s European television. Highlights of volume 3 include: 1. Big Mama Thornton, backed by Buddy Guy, performing Hound Dog. 2. Big Joe Turner, backed by Otis Rush. 3. Hound Dog Taylor, backed by Little Walter. 4. Earl Hooker performing one of his great guitar instrumentals. 5. Helen Humes backed by T Bone Walker. 6. Accoustic blues peformances by Skip James and Son House. 7. Two performances by Muddy Waters. Collectively, the three American Folk Blues volumes (with a possible fourth to come) are an unrivaled compilation of filmed performances by blues giants, most of whom are now gone.

Breakthrough and Song Everlasting are two great CDs, which I wouldn't sell ever.

Here are two with Ron/Rahn Burton that I have on LP and like alot: George Adams/Paradise Space Shuttle (Timeless) Jemeel Moondoc/Nostalgia in Times Square (Soul Note).

I ordered a Mu CD from Cadence years ago, and they sent me the next CD in the catalogue by mistake, Radius by Thomas Chapin. It's a terrific CD and led to his becoming one of my favorite artists of the 1990s, before his tragic early death.

I hate the crappy Windows mouse, which is designed for righthanded people, forcing a lefthanded person to have to figure out how to reverse the buttons. As usual, the single button mac mouse is highly effective and simpler to use. (My mac-expert friend looked at me in justified puzzlement when I first got my imac and asked how to change it from right to lefthanded.) And why wouldn't you go into Control Pannel -> Mouse and switch the buttons? You must be a Window user and/or righthanded. The point is that the Apple single click mouse performs, in simpler fashion, all the functions I need, so that there is no need to reverse the buttons.

Not me personally, but there's this guy running for president, the mediocre, former alcoholic son of a former president, who had the opportunity to attend one of the country's great universities, but lacked the intellectual capability to do better than a C average; got arrested for drunk driving; was set up in the oil business and failed; then became wealthy on taxpayer money as frontman for some Texas businessman who owned a baseball team--I'm not kidding, this guy has scammed around half of the country into believing that he is qualified to be president....

It's not that I wouldn't like to have this, but I would guess that Pullen was not fully formed at this stage, so wouldn't one rather have virtually all of his later work (which I do) before paying big bucks for this early work?

I hate the crappy Windows mouse, which is designed for righthanded people, forcing a lefthanded person to have to figure out how to reverse the buttons. As usual, the single button mac mouse is highly effective and simpler to use. (My mac-expert friend looked at me in justified puzzlement when I first got my imac and asked how to change it from right to lefthanded.)

Speaking of Melvin Sparks, has anyone heard his new record on Savant, It is What it Is? This one is exceedingly good.

I got an imac two years ago, after always having a Windows computer. The imac is great; I will never willingly use a Windows computer again (I have no choice at work). The imac is extremely reliable; it's operating system is much simpler, more logical and intuitive than Windows. My imac is a thing of beauty; no Windows computer I've ever had has been more than an adequate machine. I recommend imacs to anyone who asks, and everyone who has listened to me has thanked me and felt the same as I do. (Of course, if you are into Photoshop, graphic design, art, and the like, you need an Apple for sure; and the G5 is the best for that use.)

Rudresh Mahanthappa also plays on some of the tracks on Vijay Iyer and Mike Ladd, in what language?, a very compelling jazz and poetry recording.

I was in New York about a year ago, and after the Jazz Gallery turned the house after the first set, I walked over to Sweet Rhythm for the second set, without being familiar with Vijay Iyer. I was immediately strongly taken by the music, with Mahantappa on alto, and was back the next night for two sets.

Eric Dolphy--Last Date James Newton--African Flower

He projected an incredible joy in his playing, pure efffortless swing; I thought he was wonderful, both times I was able to see him live.

I saw the group in the fall of 1982 in Austin, and it was not a very inspiring performance or group. Mike Stern was on guitar. I was pretty disappointed at the time. The two subsequent times I saw Miles a few years later were much better.

Perhaps because Monk heard Art Tatum in person and Oscar Peterson is just a decent imitation of Art Tatum?

Yes, I enjoy hearing the band at the Fez. I'm managed to hear the group a dozen times or so, over the years, and it's been wonderful every time.

The orchestration of the Mingus solo piano performance, Myself When I Am Real, as Adagio Mon Nommo Troppo, it really great and my favorite piece on this recording. I also quite like Bobby Jones on Hobo Ho.

That's a really nicely done short Ellington film. And it's a real film, well made.

You should take a fresh listen, as the group concept you describe is still present. When I saw him, he had the same kind of telepathic rapport with James Cammack on bass guitar (he's superb).

I noticed on the Iridium website that the Mingus Big Band is going to start playing there on Tuesdays commencing in November. Does anyone know if they are going to continue at the Fez on Thursdays? Two chances to see the group in a week would be great, if that's the case.

I saw him several times in the mid-1980s and thought he was great. He's changed since the classic 1950s trio recordings, but still just as good.

In addition, the George Adams solo recordings--two lyrical recordings focusing on standards and traditional American Songs, and his brilliant final recording, Old Feeling. The three superb Don Pullen and the Afro-Brazilian Connection CDs, and Pullen's final recording, combining American Indian music and jazz. Then there was the series of John Scofield/Joe Lovano quartet recordings. The Jack Walraths and Hubbard/Shaw recordings have been noted.