seeline

I hear you on all counts, mjzee. Being able to organize and search a collection is a godsend, as far as I'm concerned.

Me too, I *never* thought I'd make the switch, but what's been said above about better encoders (etc.) is true. i do hear a difference between files that are encoded at relatively low bitrates and either high-bitrate MP3s or, say, FLAC (for obvious reasons), but then, most of what I've got on MP3 is very hard to come by any other way. So no complaints here! I also did my own double-blind test with tracks encoded in Apple's lossless format vs. MP3 at 320 k and absolutely could not hear the difference with the headphones I normally use (Grado SR-60s). Given the difference in file size, I decided that MP3s were a good bet. But I do wish that Apple (and other companies) would alter their software so that Ogg, FLAC and other file formats would work on their players....

I started using MediaMonkey for my digital music a few years ago, and haven't looked back since: http://www.mediamonkey.com/ (Definitely *not* an iTunes fan - I took it off my main computer a while back and haven't bothered installing it on my backup machine.) But all of the different music categorizing programs out there have their strong and weak points - really, it comes down to personal preference in the end. Back to MediaMonkey: it has a lot of bells and whistles that I don't need (or use), but the basic functions are very solid, and (I think) much easier to use than iTunes.

Thanks much for the heads-up, thedwork... Am listening to clips from her MySpace page now. Very impressive! And this is pretty cool:

To reply to Bev (and some other posters): I've been an emusic subscriber for a bit over 5 years now. In the past, they always sent notifications of price increases and plan changes to members, and they had well-worded notifications on the site. but eMusic's staff has changed. They didn't send out notifications, and they splashed a lot of stuff on the main login page about the Sony back catalog. Then, when you headed to your account page, there was a statement of how your plan was about to be altered, along with a supposed "sweetener" bonus download pack (on the house). They changed the ToS without telling anyone - via their blog, 17 Dots, or the main site announcement - that downloads were going to be limited, that album-only pricing was coming in, and more. Their sole attempt to try and rectify this (on the eMusic forum) seemed to be an attempt to gloss things over. A lot of people (me included) have replied to that post, but nobody from the staff has come back and addressed the concerns stated there. I also wrote to the company, stating that I was cancelling and why, and got a form letter about improvements in reply. Is it any wonder people are ready to kill their subscriptions? Very bad customer service, all PR.

What eMusic's new management is doing: nope. They've effectively decided to iTunes-ize the site, and I have no sympathy for that approach. I think they've really screwed up in the way the "new eMusic" has been presented to current subscribers - they certainly have been anything but forthcoming and willing to reply to questions and queries. I'm throwing in the towel by the end of this month.

I don't love all of Jenny Scheinman's work, either, but I've heard some good things by her. My lists have a number of my favorites, but are otherwise just a heads-up on some good players who might not be familiar to some posters here...

Nah. Maybe they need Geritol, though! About Sheila E.: well, yes, but lots of people see women drummers/percussionists as an oddity.

Sheila E. is really good - I think many people write her off as one of Prince's protegees, which doesn't begin to do justice to her ability. I'd have to say that guys who have issues with women musicians have... issues, period. (Not just with women per se.)

More instrumentalists: Susie Ibarra Cindy Blackman Terri Lynne Carrington Barbara Carroll Regina Carter Carolyn Breuer (her straight-ahead material) Jane Bunnett (mostly her Cuban stuff) Anat Cohen Joyce (multiple categories: composer, arranger, guitarist, singer, lyricist) Luciana Rabello (OK, not strictly jazz, but she's killer) Monette Sudler Mimi Fox Shirley Scott Roberta Piket Melba Liston (as both trombonist and arranger) Clarice Assad (as pianist and composer, mainly) Michele Rosewoman (as pianist, composer and arranger) Kerry Politzer Myra Melford Miriam Alter Maxine Roach Laurie Frink Helen Sung Carla Kihlstedt Lynne Arriale Emily Remler Rosinha de Valença (wonderful Brazilian guitarist whose career was cut short by a heart attack and subsequent coma) Cristina Azuma (another Brazilian guitarist) some more Brazilians: Lea Freire (reeds) Daniella Spielmann (reeds) Simone Soul (drum set and other percussion - she's killer) * An aside: Most of the younger musicians I've played with (40 and under) seem to accept me on an equal footing; none of them (as far as I know) think it's odd for a woman to be playing percussion, or anything else, for that matter. This isn't always true of older guys, but what the hey... (And I'm not a pro; just saying...)

I wish - I'm still trying to figure her out. Then again, I'm still scratching my head over a lot of Manfred Eicher's release choices... Pretty much - honest.

A few artists (instrumentalists) - and I'd like their work if they were men. Mary Lou Williams Maria Schneider Clare Daly Geri Allen Ingrid Jensen Jane Ira Bloom Annette Peacock Rebeca Mauleón Akua Dixon Turre Susie Ibarra Jenny Scheinman Toshiko Akiyoshi Eliane Elias (as a pianist, not as a singer) Carla Bley Marie McAuliffe (does anyone know if she's still gigging in the NYC area?) and there are more. Must cogitate a bit!

Hell, I've been tired of that - for years! Really, it's one big joke, this notion that We Can Change The World Through A Jazz Bulletin Board. Interesting/useful information can be exchanged, product can be moved, gut other than that, it all comes down to sitting around talking bullshit to one degree or another, even when it gets "serious". So "pettiness" is pretty much a forgone conclusion for anything not dealing with hard facts or cold cash. It's just a question of scale from thread to thread. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I'm an incredibly petty person myself, but hey, let's just keep it real, that's all I'm saying. All very good points, sir! It was the "another censor" thing... I realize there's been a lot of contention on this board over the past few weeks, though I haven't been following it.

I bet I'm not alone in being tired of provocations - that Getz thread, ongoing personal battles, the whole megillah. I did ask Jim Alfredson to reset things so I can't see the political and religious topics anymore, but man... they're not the only tough places here. (am not accusing you of anything, JSngry, btw, just sayin'...) As for "other censors," I am not involved with any moderating decisions here - for mjzee - so I think your comments really should be sent to Jim A. rather than posted in this thread, directed at someone who has nothing to do with board admin and mod stuff. As is, I'm not sure that digging up an old thread is helping move things forward on this one. Best to all, s.

Think what you want, Jim. I'm getting tired of the fights and pettiness here, to be honest.

With all due respect, mjzee, I really don't care what you think about me. If you're annoyed or think I'm attempting to censor something, I suggest you contact Jim Alfredson rather than making accusations here on the board. You seem to be insinuating that I am "another censor." ???????! My opinions are what they are, and I don't see what harm they pose to you.

Look, there's no point in continuing this exchange, Chuck. But you know, my post about "MALE jazz artists" was intended to be tongue in cheek, not a serious question. OTOH, I do think that qualification by gender is kind of silly. (Regarding any genre, or any of the arts, for that matter.) Fair enough?

Quick add: looks like some of the "male fans" on this board are proving the "vocals only" thing wrong, eh?

Well, I guess I'll have to tell my 85-year-old, wanted-to-be-a-jazz-pianist mom about your pronouncement, Mr. Nessa. I think I know what she'll say in reply. BTW, her LP collection was/is pretty much the reason I started liking jazz - at age 5 or so. My mom used to play Monk while doing housework. (Those who've known me for a long time via AAJ will realize I'm not being snarky here, just telling the truth.) And... back in the late 80s-mid 90s, most of the top jazz DJs in the D.C. area were women. All very, very knowledgeable; in many cases, knowing more than most of the guys I've met who claim fandom. Go put that in your pipe and smoke it!

I'm tempted to start a thread titled "Favorite MALE jazz artist???," people. The reason for singling out "female JAZZ" musicians just does.not.compute. [written by a woman who also plays music, though not jazz]

Tenorio was really good, though I know little about him. You might want to try these sites: http://cliquemusic.uol.com.br/br/home/home.asp (there's an English-language section) and http://www.discosdobrasil.com.br/ The latter is an album database, indexed in a number of ways. It's in Portuguese, but is pretty easy to navigate. Hope this is helpful!

True. I feel like Baron Cohen takes advantage of peoples' goodwill, for the most part.

Yep. Also, what papsrus said, about him simply mocking other people, rather than making fun of himself first. I fail to see how his stunts do anything to shock people into a new level of awareness of, say, anti-semitism ("Throw the Jew Down the Well") and more. I think he's just exploiting people. and he's clearly capable of doing something more intelligent, which is what really irks me...

Looks like an attempt to create a monopoly.

I'm planning to read the book. To be honest, I think trashing (or simply dismissing) something without having read (or heard) it is just plain stupid.