Tom 1960

Thanks guys for all the kind words. Lester was a great guy to know. Some of you guys may know that I'm a mail carrier and was his mailman. Lester used to receive jazz catalogues on a regular basis. What really caught my eye one day was the Mosaic Records catalogue. I mean how many people do you know receive the Mosaic catalogue? Right then I knew I had to meet him! I ran into his daughter shortly afterwards, she lived with Lester and arranged for us to meet up. I think the first time we met, we must have talked for a couple hours. In fact, most times our visits would last that length of time. I always wanted to get him on the forum here. I thought he would have been a great contributer. The stories he would tell were priceless. Unfortunately he had difficulty getting around and didn't have access to a computer. I will always cherish my memories with him as brief as our time was and while I'm very sad right now, I imagine he must be checking out some great gigs in jazz heaven. To answer Valerie's question, Lester I believe was 89?

Some of you guys here may be aware that I had developed a friendship with an elderly gentleman in the neighborhood who happened to be a huge jazz fan. He saw alot of the big names over his lifetime. Ellington and Armstrong were just a few. I just received the most unfortunate news that he passed away on February 14. I had some of his music and had the day off from work and wanted to get together with him to exchange music and talk jazz like we usually do. I will normally call ahead and check to see if he has time available to meet. His daughter answered the phone and passed on the sad news. He was a very fine man and I will always will be grateful to have had the privilage to have known him over the past year. For an older gentleman he had a great memory and had fabulous stories to share. He had a wonderful collection of music and is responsible for turning me onto some great music. I will miss our little visits. God Bless You, Lester!

I purchased yesterday from Newbury on Amazon Marketplace the 5 cd set Art Pepper "The Hollywood All-Star Sessions" for only $29.99.

Just purchased from Newbury for 29.99 :

I really enjoy his playing on alto on the recent Roy Hargrove release "Earfood". A real surprise for me. Some have compared his style to Jackie McLean. I see he has a couple of solo albums out. Has he played on any other dates worth mentioning? I'd definitely like to hear more from this guy! Your thoughts are appreciated.

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US satellite radio giant Sirius XM is considering filing for bankruptcy, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The newspaper, citing "people in involved in the process," said Sirius XM, formed last year through Sirius Satellite Radio's buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio, had hired advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing. "Documents and analysis are close to completion and a filing could come in days," the Times said. The newspaper said that with more than five billion dollars in assets, a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Sirius XM would make it the second-largest bankruptcy this year, following that of packaging manufacturer Smurfit-Stone. Chapter 11 provides protection from creditors while a company restructures. The Times said Sirius XM has 3.25 billion dollars in debt and is paying enormous contracts to on-air talent such as "shock jock" Howard Stern, who makes 100 million dollars a year. Unlike commercial radio, Sirius does not air advertisements and earns its revenue through subscriptions. The Times noted that the company's fortunes were tied to those of the struggling automobile industry since most of Sirius XM's 20 million subscribers are car owners who receive the satellite radio service with their vehicles. It said Sirius XM was unlikely to be able to make 175 million dollars in debt payments due at the end of February. The Times said Sirius XM's problems could pave the way for a takeover bid by EchoStar, a TV satellite company which has bought up Sirius XM?s debt. Sirius XM is not the only US radio giant in trouble. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Clear Channel Communications Inc.'s debt was trading at sharply lower levels after it announced Monday it was tapping an additional 1.6 billion dollars in credit. It said investors were growing skeptical about the radio and outdoor advertising giant's ability to pay back its loans. Clear Channel, which operates more than 800 radio stations, announced last month it was laying off nine percent of its workforce, or 1,850 workers.

Man, you and I are on the same page on this one. I was giving this some serious thought earlier today. I've read great things about this collection. Going back to the Village Vanguard dates, a local store was selling a used sealed copy of the Village Vanguard sessions for only 29.99. One part of me wanted to jump at the opportunity to pick it up at such a steal of a price. The other part is telling me are you realistically going to listen to a 9 disc collection of Art Pepper performances? I mean I really do enjoy Art Pepper, but am I really going to play this set that often? 9 discs seems to be abit overwhelming. Tell me I'm wrong!

They have my local mall(Hudson Valley Mall) on the list and though the writeup is about 6 yrs. old, it's hardly what you call dead. It can be quite active on weekends and Friday nights and of course during the holiday season. To be honest, I don't visit there too often unless I really need something. I just don't enjoy dealing with the crowds. It's not my thing. The mall is located on the outskirts of town in a very dense business district. The mall is pretty much responsible for killing business in uptown Kingston for which it has never recovered. A friend and I were talking recently just how bad things are uptown and I told him stories about what it was like before the mall moved in nearly 30 yrs. ago. It used to be a very vibrant area. You had Woolworths, JC Penney's, a couple very reputable clothing stores and many small storefronts. I miss that alot. It was part of growing up for me.

Those guys work real hard and provide a great service to us jazz fans. We're very fortunate. I'm sure by now, you know what to do.

Thanks for the recommendation. Gotta chance to check some of the sample tracks over at AMG and it sounds pretty good to me. Now added to the wishlist. Thanks also for the thoughts concerning the Marty Paich or Art Pepper led date depending on which recording you may own. I may also pick this up at some future date although I probably don't need to rush out too soon.

Anyone care to add some thoughts on this date? Released in 1956 on the Tampa label and available from VSOP, while very brief clocking in just over 26 minutes( Jeez Louise!), it does feature Art Pepper. Can't get enough of Art. Your thoughts as always are appreciated.

Just got off the phone with Mosaic and the Bennie Green Select is on it's way!

I enjoy Art's earlier dates, but don't own much from this time period. I've spend a great deal in recent months on purchases and a voice inside my head is telling me to hold off for now. That said, it's an unbelievable deal.

I had no idea he was so ill. I attended a concert this past summer which was to celebrate I believe David's 75'th birthday. He was unable to perform due to illness. Joe Lavano and Frank Wess stood in for him. R.I.P. David.

I happened to run across this sad news over at the Jazzcorner Speakeasy: It is with great sadness that I let you all know that David Newman succumbed to pancreatic cancer yesterday. A kind and gentle man, and a heck of a sax player, he will be missed by many. More information will follow. Ray Osnato HighNote Records 106 West 71st Street New York, NY 10023 tel: 212.873.2020 www.jazzdepot.com

Everything points to a big Steelers victory in the upcoming Super Bowl. That said, one thing you just can't count out is Kurt Warner. Love him/hate him, the man is playing with a huge amount of confidence right now and has played on the big stage and shouldn't in no way be underestmated. Looking forward to a competitive game.

Happy birthday, Jeff. Hope you have a good one.

As a mailman, while it's been difficult these past few days with the cold temps, at least there wasn't much of a wind and most importantly the sun was out. Maybe around 15 degrees tops during the day and close to 0 at night. For those who live in cold weather climates, a good pair of Under Armour really helps. It may cost you some bucks but it keeps you damn warm.

Thanks fellas for the input concerning the Bennie Green Select. Looks like Mosaic has made itself a sale.

I've been interested in the Bennie Green release among others. A few thoughts would be appreciated.

"Concierto De Aranjuez" by Jim Hall from the album "Concierto". Chet Baker's playing here I can only describe as haunting. Paul Desmond whom I've never been a huge fan of, is absolutely perfect here. Played this ALOT this past week.

If you like Destination...Out! You'll LOVE One Step Beyond. Agreed, as great as 'Destination....Out' is, 'One Step Beyond' is clearly better to me. If I could only have one Jackie McLean CD (what I sad thought!), this would be the one, as great as his other stuff is. This album is a landmark in jazz history. It, 'Destination Out!", Grachan Moncur's 'Evolution' (all from 1963), and 'Action' (from 1964) are the recordings that McLean did with Bobby Hutcherson, and all are spectacular. 'Action' has Charles Tolliver on the front line with McLean, and the others have Moncur, with Lee Morgan added on 'Evolution'. Amazing stuff. Amen and preach brother! :tup Jackie' mid 60's Blue Note's are just incredible. I have all of them, at least the ones that are still available. The Moncur "Evolution" is in my queue over at yourmusic.com and should be shippped soon. Some real good music coming my way.

Thanks David for making this show available for us listeners and fans of Freddie Hubbard. I've been pretty much listening to the Freddie tribute on WKCR the past few days, but will defintely check out your show in the next few days.