ghost of miles

I didn't realize that it's part of the forthcoming Select. Great! Guess I'll stick with playing the vinyl on-air this December, as that Pearson isn't due until January--is it? I'm always looking for "new" holiday music to spin.

Found an interesting title as I was perusing the radio-station vaults the other day... a 1969 Duke Pearson Christmas LP entitled MERRY OLE SOUL. The line-up includes Bob Cranshaw on bass, Mickey Roker on drums, and Airto Moreira on additional percussion. Here are the songs: Sleigh Ride The Little Drummer boy Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Jingle Bells Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Go Tell It On the Mountain Wassail Song Silent Night O Little Town of Bethlehem Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet--hoping to give it a spin next week. Maybe it's the sappy radio jock in me, but I actually like well-done Christmas jazz, and I really dig Pearson, so I'm hoping this one turns out to be a winner. Anybody, Pearson fans or otherwise, ever hear it?

So have all memberships registered since late May been voided? Bummer... I joined in early March, around the time of the BNBB debacle, but I noticed that several people who came later no longer show up on the member list. I'm sure they can just re-register--even if it necessitates a different handle--but it does seem a bit odd over there, as if the past four months never happened... OTOH all of Greg's recent political wisdom has vanished.

A friend showed me this site yesterday--interesting stuff. A sort of story/game that combines the steam-punk genre with Star Trek and the "what-if?" historical novel genre (this particular narrative posits that technological innovations allowed the British to retain and expand their 19th-century empire. It also incorporates storylines from Jules Verne). Steam-Trek

Until recently I've had no problems ordering from Deep Discount--not only have their prices been good, but items have usually shipped quickly and arrived within a week. Lately, though, everything I've ordered has been put on back order. I purchased a copy of the Eels' new CD for my wife and it took two months to arrive. Several jazz titles have been in a holding pattern for nearly a month now, still on backorder; of them all, only the new Hazel Scott Classics is one that I can imagine being difficult to get. Has anybody else encountered similar difficulties since mid-summer?

Patricia, Hope you still re-visit this jazz province from time to time, even if it is admittedly a little guysy. I've enjoyed your contributions and will look for you as "still life" on AAJ.

I just printed it out and may try my luck with the forthcoming Miles Jack Johnson box. Thanks for the link!

Is that one still readily available? I'm about to give up on a domestic RVG of it.

I know, Weizen, I much prefer those as well. I have a number of those Savoys and am still on the hunt for THE CHARLIE PARKER STORY... I have both Jutta Hipp Hickory Houses and the Walter Davis Jr. In those instances I picked them up primarily because they're not available stateside (same as the James Clay TENORMAN, Eddie Costa HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS, Barry Harris BREAKIN' IT UP, and Joe Pass SOUNDS OF SYNANON that I've picked up recently). I like the JRVGs and the Japanese Universals--both sound and presentation style (the mini-LPs are cool)--but am wary of developing another big-spending jazz habit.

Not so much jazz yesterday: Various artists, NUGGETS II (great 60's international garage rock... Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything," the Poets' "That's the Way It's Got to Be"... I love that slightly sinister 60's grunge sound) Beck, SEA CHANGE Yo La Tengo, SUMMER SUN 10,000 Maniacs, THE WISHING CHAIR Stan Getz, PLAYS (early-50's Verve) Rachmaninoff, PLAYS RACHMANINOFF Willie the Lion Smith, Chronological Classics comp. (hope the Mosaic still comes out some day)

I'd also recommend that Carmen McRae SINGS MONK CD as well, which got re-issued a couple of years ago in the new Bluebird series. I've been listening to a lot of McRae lately, and plan to re-visit that one soon.

Ahoy, Organissimos! I thought it most important that I brin't'your attention t'fact that Friday be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! I'm off from work and will be lazin' about, listenin't'me vast plundero'jazz CD treaayes. Joy and good tidin'st'you, mates! talklikeapirate

tjazz, just looking at the listing on CD Universe (and not having the Essentials in front of me), it looks like there's a fair amount of overlap, but by no means will this set contain everything that was on the Essentials. (I'm sure it will be in much better sound, however.) None of Disc 4 is on the Essentials, though--that's all live material (which I think has, for the most part, been out before on several different labels).

Yeah, I'd say we're less likely to see titles such as George Russell's KANSAS CITY ever see the light of day on CD now.

You know, Tony, the ironic thing is that I ordered the set primarily for the Krupa, too (haven't gotten it yet--it's coming with the three new releases), and thought, "Eh, the James will be interesting too..." and shortly afterwards I went on my James kick. So my excitement about that set has doubled. I also stumbled across a remaindered paperback of TRUMPET BLUES, which looks like a decent bio of James, and I'm really looking forward to the Hindsight set. Thanks for everybody's recommendations. I'm now eyeing the James/Basie Hep...

Thanks for posting this, Kinuta. I just recently read Le Carre for the first time (THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, of course) and am hoping to give the Smiley trilogy a go as soon as work/projects allow it. I've heard great things about the BBC series and will definitely have to check it out.

An old maid named Dodo?

You haven't heard it yet. You're only whetting my appetite! Man, I'm starting to feel like this is the cursed big diamond in an Uncle Scrooge story I read as a kid. Whoever got it was glad at first, till lightning and hail started hitting him and hurricanes broke out over his head...

Harry James, ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL (Hindsight) Sam Rivers, FUSCHIA SWING SONG Various, 50 YEARS OF DELMARK JAZZ & BLUES Stan Getz, LOST SESSIONS: BOSSAS & BALLADS Various, BIRD UP (Charlie Parker re-mixed)

OK, another guy I sloughed off for a long time as a nascent young jazz snob (outside of his early hot work as a sideman, of course). But lately I've been listening to him more, particularly the '39 band, and I just ordered the Hindsight box BANDSTAND MEMORIES 1938-48, as well as the Krupa/James Capitol set. Any other recommendations/thoughts on this trumpeter?

His "loss" will be my "gain"! Thanks, jacknife!

Yeah, word in the industry has been that it sounds somewhat like his 70's stuff... I'm eager to hear it, as well as the forthcoming Al Green. Wonder if their label has a BB where fans can discuss these exciting new releases?

Thanks for the opinions, Ray & Ed. I'm really looking forward to hearing it.

I'm still waiting on the Hazel Scott... pre-ordered it from Deep Discount and still waiting for it to show.

Good news about the Auld, and even better news about Lil Green! Her stuff is really hard to find on CD (or on vinyl, for that matter); I keep hoping that Bear Family or Mosaic will do a set of her. That is quite a coincidence, Swinging Swede, that we were both talking about Shaw's abrupt departure on the same day.