GA Russell

Wish I could be there. But I can't help but notice the absence of Wyatt and Ratledge.

David S. Ware and David Murray Gary Peacock and Steve Swallow Paul Motian and Barry Altschul

Happy Birthday!

By coincidence, I'm listening to an Alligator release this very moment - Kenny Neal's Walking On Fire. I didn't know that Rhino is now part of Warner. I wonder how long ago they acquired it.

I'm pessimistic. I don't think any Fantasy titles have been added to the BMG/YM list since Concord took over the company. I believe the last were the Prestige Best of titles which came out very shortly before the sale of the company.

Karrin Allyson has a new album coming out called Footprints that I'm planning to get. I thought that it would be coming out this Tuesday March 28. But I see at the CDU site that it has been delayed till April 18. I first heard of her in '97, when I was given a promo copy of her album Daydream. At the time, I liked her voice better than I liked the album. Since then, the album has grown on me, and I still listen to it every once in a while. The only album of hers which has received rave reviews that I know of is Ballads from a couple of years ago, which I believe is made up of the same songs as the Coltrane album of the same name. Listening to Daydream the other day, it occurred to me that what makes her different is that she is perky. In fact, she may be the perkiest singer in the history of jazz. She's even perkier than Joanie Sommers. Anyway, I like her voice and I like vocalese, so I'm going to get the album. I'll report back after I've heard it. By the way, CD Universe says: List Price $18.98; Their Price $15.79; Pre-Order Price $13.29.

I've been listening to the Coltrane a great deal since the first of the year; especially in the last month since I made a copy for the car. I've been skipping the first two songs (I especially don't like the second) and listening to the rest. So I'd have to say that I've changed my mind, and am no longer lukewarm about this one. Since I like the sampler so much, I still think that CD Universe is the way to go for this one. But if you don't want the sampler, the main CD for six bucks at Your Music is a steal.

I got the hongries for your love, and I'm waitin' in your welfare line! RIP

From post #52... I vote for the one next to last. I think this is a great idea, Jim. And I agree with (I think it was) Marcoliv who said that CDU's pre-order prices are attractive. I'm not aware of a better site to pre-order domestic CDs from.

In the mid-sixties before I became interested in jazz (say January 1, 1965, to pick a date), before Ramsey Lewis and Groove Holmes and Cannonball Adderley had hits on the rock 'n' roll radio stations, nearly all of the modern jazz artists who were even to a small degree familiar names to the general public recorded for Columbia. There were Errol Garner, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck and I suppose others. The exceptions that I can think of were George Shearing on Capitol, Stan Getz and the bossa nova gang and Dizzy Gillespie for Verve and The Modern Jazz Quartet for Atlantic. It may surprise some of you that I never heard of John Coltrane until I became interested in jazz. I saw the MJQ when I was in college about 1970, and they nearly put me to sleep. For that reason, I haven't been tempted to buy their albums. I do have a 2 LPs on 1 CD of The Swingle Singers (called Compact Jazz) which includes an album they did with the MJQ. Those tracks are not as interesting as the tracks from the other album. A year or so ago I read somewhere that the MJQ's early date for Prestige called Django was one of their best. I was reminded of that when I saw that Django would be one of the albums which Rudy Van Gelder would remaster for Concord/Fantasy. So I decided to get it. It comes out tomorrow (March 21). So I thought I would start a corner for the MJQ, so that those who have an opinion of such a major group could sound off. I know very little about the group, but much more about the individual members. Does anyone have an opinion regarding Django or another album? I'm aware of their recording for three labels: Prestige, Atlantic and Pablo. Was there a difference in their music for the three labels? Are any of their albums considered essential? What are their best? Has anyone considered the Prestige/Pablo box? Did the group suffer when Kenny Clarke left for France and was replaced by Connie Kay? Has the group's music passed the test of time? Why was it famous in the sixties? I'd be interested in your views.

LOL! Am I an idiot or what? I've just put on Feelin' Good and realized that of course Terry Gibbs plays the vibes, so I have been listening to the organ-vibes sound all these months!

I have 5 Nat Cole LPs and 4 CDs, and that's more than enough for me. Eleven is just too much of the guy IMO. edit: That's not including three Christmas albums!

Joey DeFrancesco has a new album due out this Tuesday March 21 called Organic Vibes. I'm looking forward to this one because it features both Bobby Hutcherson and George Coleman. I would be interested in an album with those two even if DeFrancesco weren't on it. I've enjoyed DeFrancesco on the Terry Gibbs album Feelin' Good that came out last summer. I don't have many that he's on, but he always cooks on the ones I have. I'm having trouble imagining what the vibes and organ together sound like. Should be different! I have one album George Coleman made with Jimmy Smith back in the 50s, called Houseparty. I suppose that was so long ago it is irrelevant to how he will sound with DeFrancesco. Jim A's friend Ron Blake is also on the album. DeFrancesco recorded this with Jimmy Smith's 1959 Hammond B-3. CD Universe says: List Price $18.98; Their Price $15.79; Pre-Order Price $13.29.

Happy Birthday!

That's a great price for so much music! I have only one CD, called Compact Jazz, which was made up of two LPs, one of which was with the Modern Jazz Quartet. I love it. I've been looking for some more to pick up, but haven't seen anything. The box set is more than I would want to go for, but I would love to have another CD or two.

I hope Aggie lets us know when it is available from Your Music.

Ron, I signed up at the old Fantasy website. I have no idea how to do it with Concord now. At the time, I was reviewing CDs for AAJ. That might have helped get me on the list.

I have received this email from Concord/Fantasy: "Specialty Records, another [along with Stax] vintage r&b label with a glorious past, will mark its 60th anniversary this year when six SPECIALTY PROFILES discs are released in August. Founded in Hollywood in 1946 by Art Rupe, Specialty bridged the gap between swing and rock 'n' roll with jump blues practitioners like Roy Milton and hitmakers such as Lloyd Price, whose "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (the label's first New Orleans session) was the top r&b record of 1952. While recording for Specialty, Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers turned the gospel world on its ear, and Percy Mayfield, the Poet of the Blues, emerged as that idiom's greatest songwriter. Larry Williams broke through with singles such as "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy," "Bony Moronie," and "Short Fat Fannie" that would later be covered by the Beatles, the Who, George Jones, and many others. The Specialty work of these artists--and that of bluesman John Lee Hooker--will be Profiled for 8/12 release." I'm looking forward to some of these, particularly Percy Mayfield and Roy Milton.

I'm listening to a CD entitled Driftin' Blues - The Best of Charles Brown, which is taken from his Aladdin recordings. The Mosaic box of Aladdins was five CDs, which is probably more of Charles Brown than I would want; but sometimes I'm sorry I didn't get it.

By coincidence, at this moment I'm listening to the Four Freshmen's Love Lost, which is a good album, but not as good (IMO) as their previous ballad set called Voices in Love. Both of these are included in the Mosaic box, which I highly recommend. I would have been first in line for the Mosaic box if I hadn't already purchased most of the material.

Happy Birthday Berrigan!

George Wallington comes to mind.

I would add two points to the cool jazz topic. First, I think that Shorty Rogers had a major place. And I disagree with the comment that Art Pepper was not a cool jazz player. Second, a lot of the cool jazz on the Contemporary label that I've heard bordered on third stream - heavily influenced by classical music.

By the way, FFA, what instrument does your wife play that she is away on a gig? I didn't know that she is a musician. My girl friend plays the flute, mostly in Columbus, Ohio.

OK, if you insist... Happy Birthday, Asshole! Glad it's been a good one!