Uncle Skid

Email sent re:Hutcherson - Components.

That would be best.

Oh, that's an easy one! Simply follow these easy instructions: 1) Place all original Mosaic CDs in their original Mosaic cases. 2) Place all original Mosaic cases in their original black Mosaic boxes. 3) Place all original Mosaic booklets in their original black Mosaic boxes. 4) PM me for the appropriate shipping address. 5) Ship Mosaic boxes. 6) Sleep better at night knowing they will be given a good home.

I've been using it for quite a long time now. It was originally called Phoenix, then Thunderbird, now Firefox. Whatever they call it, it works great for me. The popup blocker is fantastic! I don't know how anybody can use IE with all the annoying popups, plus all of the security issues. Also, "tabbed browsing" is pretty addictive, I find it hard to use a browser that doesn't have that feature.

Bill and I are planning on being there -- we usually practice on Wednesday nights, but we don't want to miss this one. Chuck, let us know if you like to ride along. Jamn (Jack) lives right down the street from me, but I haven't seen him lately. Did anybody PM or email him? Also, my guitar teacher (and all-around great guy and great musician) Phil Marsh may be there as well. I mentioned it to him yesterday. If I remember correctly, Randy helped me get in touch with Phil initially to set up lessons. Thanks again, Randy! Looking forward to meeting you, Big Al! -- Mark

I also thought it sucked, big time. Disturbing and gratuitous are good descriptions. When it ended, I told my wife (who also thought it was a bad episode) that I will not be watching that show again. (but I reserve the right to change my mind)

Last week: Andrew Hill - Grass Roots Andrew Hill - Black Fire (it appears I got this one before the "official" release date! ) Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye Freddie Hubbard - Ready for Freddie Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth Jim Rotondi - The Pleasure Dome

Me, too! Donation just sent via paypal. It really is great having such a wonderful, welcoming online jazz community. I'll buy the next CD only if you guys do at least one Loverboy cover.

I'd bet that is another way of notating a "minor major" chord, for instance, Dmin(maj7). It would be the root, flat 3rd, 5th, and natural 7th, (D,F,A,C#). Another way to think of it would be a Dm (D,F,A,C) with a sharp 7 = (D,F,A,C#). If I understand it correctly, this chord also implies the use of the melodic minor scale (major scale, but with a flat 3rd).

Michael, while I agree with everything you said, I have a few comments: 1) $185 for an instructional DVD, regardless of the author, is simply well above the threshold of "what I would expect to pay". I realize that my expectations may have no basis in reality, but that price just seems excessive to me. I'd have no problem paying, say, under $100 for the 3 DVD set. 2) While Mclaughlin's talent as a guitarist is undeniable, his ability as a teacher is an unknown (to me, anyway). While the content of the DVD looks great, I have no idea whether or not the guy can teach. If this DVD had stellar reviews from other board members, I might reconsider the $185 price tag. 3) The comparative price of graduate college credit and textbooks is irrelevant. I have paid substantial amounts for graduate classes that had minimal value. Honestly, if I knew without a doubt that I would use this DVD "over and over for years and years", $185 wouldn't be that big of a deal. -- Mark

Man, y'all not cool enough to hang with #1891.

John McLaughlin - This is the Way I do it (3 DVD Set)+Free Official John McLaughlin Shirt Release Date : July 15, 2004 $185??? Ouch!

This has got to be the most simultaneously depressing and uplifting thread ever! At 38, I could stand to lose a few pounds, exercise more, and drink less. However, the peak being long gone is something I'm reluctant to believe.

No problem -- I'll be the first to admit I don't have a clue when it comes to things like that. I'm just hoping that someone can work in an aesthetically pleasing picture of Geddy Lee somewhere on that shirt.

I agree with Jim R -- that one is still my favorite. With all due respect couw, I think you are over-analyzing it. I would have never noticed those things unless you had specifically mentioned them. I think it is a very nice design. I also really like the simple, to-the-point, "JAZZ FORUM" text in the center of the circle. When I look at that design, the two most important things stand out immediately: organissimo.org jazz forum Upright Bill and I are hoping that those are the things people see (and hopefully remember) while we are at the Jazz workshop.

Wow! Sorry I'm late to the t-shirt party -- looks like some great ideas are floating around. I really like couw's first design. Very clean and eye-catching. But, I agree with Rainy and Bill. JAZZ needs to be on there somewhere. How about something real simple, like just adding "Jazz Forum" to the center of the circle? Just a thought...

Maybe you should put on The Wizard of Oz while listening to Dark Side? I heard that's supposed to be cool -- but I never understood that one. I always liked Animals and Wish You Were Here more than Dark Side, but all of them are interesting. My buddy Upright Bill loaned me a copy of Cedar Walton/Hank Mobley Quintet "Breakthrough!", which I'm hearing for the first time today. I'm a big Cedar Walton fan, and it's interesting to hear him playing electric on a few tracks. The electric piano seems to "date" this music to the early seventies (to my ears, anyway), and it reminds me vaguely of some tracks on Marsh's "All Music". But, like the Marsh CD, I'm really enjoying it. Great stuff!

Wow, talk about putting things in perspective!! Nice post!

The Complete Mercury Recordings of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, 1974-1997.

Yeah, I didn't either. He's also on Sweet's 100% Fun, which is sounding really good now. Pop music with a punk edge -- Sweet is a good songwriter, and the guitar work on both albums keeps things interesting. Lloyd Cole and Richard Lloyd also play on Girlfriend; Quine is on 10 out of the 15 tracks.

ghost -- if I remember correctly, all of the concerts in the evening (at the university) are free. Bill, please correct me if I'm wrong about that. This year (during the week we are there, July 4-9), David Liebman is playing. I believe there are concerts every night (sunday-thursday) during both weeks. The wednesday night concert is sponsored by the Louisville Jazz Society at Mattson's restaurant (nice atmosphere, but truly awful food), and they charge a nominal fee for non-workshop students. Let us know if you can make it to any of these!

Just finished listening to Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend. I had forgotten what a great disc this was, and how much I loved Robert's guitar playing on it.

Lots of good advice here, from everyone. I've been self-employed for over 10 years now, and in my experience, conn is absolutely right – if at all possible, aim to become self-insured. If you decide to investigate that option, check in to something called an HSA (Health Savings Account). It used to be called an MSA (Medical Savings Account), but the rules have changed recently, for the better. Essentially, it allows you to contribute pre-tax money, up to 100% of your annual deductible, in to an account that you can draw from as needed. Any contributions you make carry over every year, so there's no "use it or lose it" issues as with some employers medical savings plans. My coverage has a $3,500 deductible (this year), and I'm planning on putting as much money as possible into the HSA, and then raising the deductible next year. Once I have around 2X the deductible, I'll probably slow down or stop contributing. The beauty of this plan: my previous coverage premiums were rapidly approaching $900 per month. The high-deductible coverage is less than $250 a month, and the (optional) HSA contribution is about $290 a month. The downside is that we pay for essentially everything until we hit that deductible, which of course I hope never happens. Another thing to be aware of -- my family and I had to go through a pretty thorough application process to get this coverage. I have to assume (as conn pointed out) that insurance companies do a fair amount of "cherry-picking", and they probably make it extremely difficult and expensive for anyone with pre-existing health problems to get coverage. Dmitry’s advice regarding disability insurance is also worth considering. Policies become much more affordable as you increase the “elimination period”.

Good Luck, AB! I always enjoyed your posts, and hope you can find time to occasionally drop by! This place just won't be the same without all those cats popping up everywhere. Every time my son sees me on this board, he asks if the "cat guy" has a new avatar. -- Mark