JohnS

I've never had a problem leaving shrink wrap on.

Mine has just arrived (in the UK) - 1517.

Me too. Thanks for posting

Two geat pics Luca. Thanks for posting.

Alon, You beat me to it. Mr Murray 50 today. Happy birthday David. I've been a fan since I heard Flowers for Albert back in 1976. He's given me so much pleasure, live and on record over the years. I can't think of one album I dislike, some I like less than others. Favouritestoo many to choose from but I've always had a soft spot for "David Murray" on DIW. That's the one with Ulmer, Hopkins and Sunny Murray. Cheers David. Thanks a lot.

C'mon guys, some of you must want to nominate an AOTW. All weeks vacant from March 6 onwards. Sorry to repeat myself, just PM me. Don't let the thread die.

Tony is a no BS guy. I don't know these items but the interesting thing about him is the range of bands he's played with. From Humph through Francy Boland, Brit avant garde, Koglmann, all points in between and back again. And as Jim says, he can play.

Just pm me guys. John

No volunteers after February! Let me have some more names please, you know the drill, pm me if you want to nominate an album and I'll allocate the next vacant week.

Saw this one a week or so ago. Very impressive but Oscar worthy? I'm not a Leo fan but he's good here, especially Hughes like towards the end.

The Fresh Sound vinyl issue of Best From The West sound too bad to my ears (I was glad to hear the music anyway) so if they use the same source it should be listenable. In general though it's best to beware of the quality of some Fresh Sounds/Lonehill items. The sources are questionable. I have bought the occasional cd from them only to find the quality inferior to the vinyl issue in my collection.

I found a Bellaphon cd issue some time ago - "Such Great Friends" with Cowell, Harper, Workman and Hart. With a recording date of 1983 it seems a late entry into the Strata East catalogue.

140 minutes of Jimmy Smith straight off without a dull moment. Great stuff. The February session is relaxed almost to the point of being casual, the August session is more lively but there's not a lot to choose between them. Everyone plays well and makes an impression though I'm not sure that George Coleman fits in that well with the format. I particularly enjoyed Flamingo with it's lyrical Morgan, a great way to end the cd. I can remember when the B3 was rubbished in some of the British jazz press. That probably had an effect on my early listening, but then I heard Jack McDuff on Kirks Work, no going back after that.

Up

No problems so far, only one item took longer than expected and I suspect they had to reorder. Otherwise pretty pleased overall.

Thanks David, I did see it at Crazy Jazz but it seems a bit expensive. Hoping to spot it for less.

Thirtyone BNs and about six on Verve.

What's happening here? Are Verve not distributing the "international" edition in the UK?

I've been a Coda reader for years. It's isn't so good since Warwick took over but it is still essential reading as it cover things you don't read abot elsewhere and the writing is pretty intelligent. Things went wrong with my subscription on my last two renewals leaving me more than a bit pissed, nevertheless I hope it doesn't disappear.

The Village Caller always cheers me up!

I always seem to come back from holiday to sad news. I'll miss you Jimmy, Thanks for everything. RIP. Caught him live a few years back, a memorable evening.

Gee! Did I miss the fun????

Tshar sounds better on Revelation. I didn't think he was quite right for Sunshine though. My introduction to him by the way. Much as I enjoy Murray I'm not sure I wanted to hear him here. It's true that the Justin Time settings are less challenging but for me that makes them more approachable and therefore more listenable. In short it's just fine jazz.

John B, Thanks for mentioning Open Systems, that one seems to have passed me by. One to chase up.

I know Hugh Ragin's got a couple of fans on this board but overall his profile seems to be rather low. So low in fact that the Penguin Guide seems unaware of the bulk of his discography. His previous cd Feel The Sunshine didn't create any ripples to my knowledge. But that and his other three cds on Justin Time are uniformly excellent. The latest Revelation, a quartet with Assif Tshar, driven along ferociously by William Parker and Hamid Drake, is a cracker. A touch of Ornette, Ayler, bebop, Ragin's at home with it all. I first came across him when he impressed as a member of various David Murray bands and I've liked him ever since. He has a great sound and though I'm not a trumpet player but I'd guess he has a great technique. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with his solo duo recordings but the word is that they are fine showcases for Ragin. Maybe as he's based in Denver he doesn't get around that much but imo he's one of the leading trumpet men around.