Free For All

* * * * H a P p Y B i R t H d A y A f R i C a B r A s S !!! ****

Thanks John. We bought the Forester today- we did some pricing research on the net and found a target price which the dealer went for. Plus, they are running a special with 1.9% financing. We like the deal we got, and I've been driving it around today and LOVE the headroom. I've never had an AWD vehicle, but it sure handles nicely. And it doesn't come with the guilt of a big ol' SUV- it has the same engine as the Legacy. It's actually a smaller vehicle than the Lumina it replaced. We decided to go for the 5 year bumper-to-bumper extended warranty, something I usually don't do, but in this case it seemed like a good idea. If you don't make any claims on it they will refund the total to you. We'll see how that goes. It's funny- the car comes with a 1 year bumper-to-bumper warranty (which then becomes a limited warranty with reduced coverage for the remaining two years), so it seems to me the additional purchased warranty should start the SECOND year instead of running concurrently and redundantly w/the manufacturer's, so the 5 year extension would cover years 2-6. Oh well. We're happy. :rsmile:

Amen, my brother.

Man, I loved Austin when I was there during the eighties. Great food, great music (not a lot of jazz, but some great alternatives), and it wasn't overly "discovered" at that point. Threadgills....Katz's deli......Salt Lick....Elgin sausage.....Mitch Watkins (I know he's still around), Roscoe Beck, Steve Meador, Paul Ostermeyer.......County Line........Trudy's....I guess we went down this road once before, on another thread, but I do loves the Austin town! I hope to get back there sometime soon. Heard Miles there, heard Metheny there, etc. Sorry to digress................ Edited for spelling, as usual.

Same location?

What's the deal with the hybrids? Are they getting to the point that they're reliable? Do they have any power, i.e. BALLS? Are they close to affordable? And speaking of Saturns, they are affordable, but are they worth a $hit? I've heard mixed reviews about them for sure.

Brandon, there used to be a club on Gaudalupe called the "Hole in the Wall". Is it way gone by now? They used to have some "out" stuff there, like Tina Marsh, Alex Coke or an occasional visit by someone like Dennis Gonzalez. Where do those types perform these days?

Funny you should mention the Element, BW, we checked it out while at the Honda dealership. Good headroom, but kind of small and boxy overall, and it seems to definitely be aimed at a younger demographic, not that we're so old or anything! The shifter is like where the temp controls usually are. Kind of a neat vehicle, though. Good suggestion, keep 'em coming. We started out checking out all the domestic vehicles- Venture, Freestar, Caravan, Town and Country etc. since I've always bought domestic, but once we checked out the Consumer Reports evaluations, it became quite obvious the better route was the Honda, Subaru, Toyota, etc. Kind of disappointing, but I'm sorry, I'm going to buy something that will be worth the high price I pay. When the domestic choices become higher rated, I'll buy those. The poor safety ratings of the domestics was certainly an issue. Edited for stupid mistakes resulting from spastic typing skills.

Big Wheel- I did "try on" a Legacy- not happening for this mutant. Much hipper headroom in the Forester. I swear I'm not of this world- I have a giant head (hard to get glasses or hats that fit) and giant wrists (hard to get a watch that fits) so my life is a constant nightmarish tapestry of mutant issues. I won't waste your time telling you what the upside of this scenario is.

I've always known Gizzy as "Tiny Baby Gisby", but you know better than I, DEEP. The bottom line is that he plays his ass off. Or "ass offs" as Buddy would say. Looking forward to the procurement of the new side! Keep up the good work! Commendable tune selection!

Thanks B- that looks like a good site. Consumer Reports linked us to some simlilar ones. One thing we want to check on is what owning a vehicle like this will do to our insurance rates. It's really not that big, like that Ford Galactica or whatever the hell it's called, but it's in THAT category I guess.

I know I should get on the appropriate website to ask about cars, but I'm more interested in the opinions of people I'm familiar with. My wife and I have been looking to buy a new car (my first NEW car) and we decided we wanted something that had a little more cargo space than your basic sedan 4-door. Since we bought our house it seems like we're making a lot of trips to Home Depot etc. and often need to bring big bulky items home that don't fit in a car. We were looking at minivans like the Honda Odyssey (highly rated by Consumer Reports), but can't quite spring for the price. Man, I'm amazed at what cars cost these days, but that's whole 'nother thread. They don't have any incentives/deals 'cause apparently they are selling lots of minivans w/o any additional help. Anyway, we are leaning towards getting a Subaru Forester- highly rated by CR, good price, decent mileage, minimal negative environmental impact, no frills but seems to be a solid vehicle. The "ironical" thing is that we swore that we'd NEVER buy an SUV, although this is more of a station wagon-type than a big ol' monster. Plus it has a kick-ass sound system. A big part of our decision process is finding something I can fit my 6'3" hulking mass into- that eliminates a LOT of very cool options unfortunately. The headroom in the Forester ROCKS! Anyone here own a Forester? What's the verdict? Thanks cats! Paul

It's been awhile since I lived in Austin, but I think the Elephant Room is still there and would be a good place to check out. There may be other places by now, I don't know. Brandon? Lon? ....and shouldn't this be on the political thread?

Silver'n'Brass Silver'n'Wood Silver'n'Percussion Silver'n'Voices Silver'n'Strings Is that all of them? Did I forget Silver'n'Flubber? Silver'n'Turducken? These sides were my introduction to Tom Harrell and Bob Berg in the 70s. I think I might have bought Silver'n'Brass originally because of Frank Rosolino's name on the personnel listing- at the time I wasn't hip to the other players (and as it turned out, Frank only played ensemble parts and didn't solo!). I'd love to see them available on CD, although I expect there are some tunes that may not have aged well, and there are some corny moments here and there, especially on the vocal stuff. I do like Wade Marcus' charts, and I sure love to play "Barbara" and "Dameron's Dance" when I get the chance. Great tunes.

I'm also in agreement with brownie and the others, although I don't think I'd quite place them above Thad and Mel. The presence of Mel Lewis is always a reason for me to buy any recording, though. I like this band a lot, mostly for the players and great arrangements- at times, however, I do tend to suffer from "vibes overload". Gibbs is a great player, but sometimes there's more flash than substance, IMHO. I do wish there was a little more "stretching" at times- sometimes the other soloists don't get much space (meaning short solos); most of the cuts are well below 5 minutes in length. Who knows, that might have been part of Gibbs' plan for the band- to keep things short and to the point. There's definitely a get-in-and-get-out format to the performances. All these are very minor beefs (beeves?) and really don't detract much from the overall quality. I would recommend picking up ALL the Gibbs big band recordings. The band plays with a lot of spirit and swings hard. Definitely not background music!

I'm not familiar with that group. Weren't they on a Proper box?

I'll have to line up as a Harrell fan on this one. I would not go so far as to compare his "oeuvre" to the awesome career of Phil Woods (talk about someone who was in the right place at the right time constantly!), but I've enjoyed Harrell's playing going back to the Horace "Silver and....." series. His physical/mental "issues" have affected his performances from time to time, and I think maybe his playing has become a little more inconsistent in recent times. He has written some excellent tunes, IMHO. I've always thought "Sail Away" was a gorgeous tune, among others. A momentary diversion regarding an experience w/that tune: In '96 Woody's band did a concert at Carnegie Hall (which represented what would have been Woody's 60th anniversary) featuring many alumni (including Terry Gibbs, the Candolis, Urbie Green, Frank Foster and Tom Harrell, who was a member of the band in the late 60's). When I heard TH was scheduled to play w/the band and there was no specific plan as to what he would play on, I quickly volunteered to arrange one of his tunes for the band to feature him. I chose Sail Away, and used a transcription of his solo from the recording as a basis for a sax soli w/flugel lead, which has long been a trademark sound of Woody's band. We recorded it at a session separate from the concert, and Harrell came in to play his part and was visibly nervous, probably due to walking into a studio full of strangers (although many on the band knew him and all respected him) but played beautifully on the recording. Anyway, that whole experience was a career high point for me, and I've continued to be a fan. BTW, Urbie Green was featured on "Bijou" and played a portion of Bill Harris' classic solo. Another hero of mine. I've been very fortunate (and thankful for the opportunity) to brush elbows with some of my favorite players.

Actually, that usually happens during the third quarter and many beers. Thank you, Jim, for that pitch over the plate. B) C'mon Moose, you're getting slow!

Well, montq, you are right about Freddie and Wayne somewhat eclipsing Curtis in the Messengers group- I just think that the other work he's done (Bluesette, for example, or the sides represented by the Mosaic set) place him on solid ground in the big picture. I agree, "underrated" is a much better term than "B team". Glad you are a trombone fan! Bennie Green is the shiznit! Happy New Year!

I really don't think there's much of an argument to further, Brandon. After re-reading the thread, it's obvious the overwhelming consensus was that VG's music was indeed jazz. Some just seem to like him more than others, which is inevitable with any artist. Plus, people can only base their opinions on what they've heard, which may not be every single recording that the artist has done. There have been several things by VG mentioned that I'm curious to check out- I do have the Getz/Tjader and I need to check it out again having heard your hearty recommendation!

Ouch! Beauty is in the eye of the slideholder, I guess. This thread seems to bear the same potential danger as the Guaraldi, so I think I'll limit my participation to this one comment about who's been mentioned thus far: Curtis Fuller (only trombonist to have recorded w/Bud Powell and Trane) is top echelon in my book, as is Clark Terry, who influenced many players including Miles! Both were groundbreaking in terms of advancing style and technique on their instruments and both contributed hugely to jazz as players and gentlemen. No question in my mind.

Even I have standards, Moose..........................

Doubt it would make any difference, Johnny. People like you are already actively opposed to Bush and the Republicans. You're votes and actions are already tabulated in the "against" side of the ledger. So, really, your actions don't amount to a hill of beans. Why waste a New Year's resolution on that? Still, I don't mean to criticize the resolutions of others, so, good luck! Hell, it's his hill, and his beans, so what the fuck... Shouldn't this be on the political thread?

EDIT: ***********NON PC WARNING*************** Dolly Parton/Brian Blade..............watch for their upcoming duo session called "When Worlds Collide"! Features the hit singles: "All Boobs" "Rack-centuate the Positive" "Tits You Or No One" "AureOleo" ..........and I could go on and on and on...................

I prefer to make my victims suffer the slow, agonizing "Death Of A Thousand Clams".