Brownian Motion

Jennifer Salt Claude Pepper Claude Balls

Minnesota Fats Dakota Staton Fred Waring & the Pennsylvanians

Rubeus Hagrid Norbert Fluffy

Willie Sutton Bernie Madoff Phil Graham

Lester Hornby Rogers Hornsby Little Jack Horner

Ernest Hemingway George Gershwin John Marin

Hangman Hung Jury David Lynch

As recently as a generation ago a book artist was someone who designed a fine press limited edition book. He would choose the size, the type, the binding material, the illustrations, the layout, the printer--the intent being to create an organic whole, a worthy vehicle for the transmission of the ideas contained therein. Now a book artist is someone who destroys books by carving them open, and best selling author Sarah Palin is being talked up as a candidate for President. What a fucking age we live in.

It's Roy.

Wingy Manone Ahab HAL

Bob Thiele recorded Lester in 1943 for his own Signature label; this session is complete on two CDs--The Big Three and Classic Tenors. As a bonus you also get prime Ben Webster, prime Coleman Hawkins, prime Bill Coleman, prime Dickie Wells, and a very young Idrees Sulieman, known here as Leonard Graham. Oh, and Ellis Larkins.

Getz and Tjader's performance of Vince Guaraldi's Ginza Samba is perfection. But I'm not paying for it a second time to buy an insignificant increase in fidelity. I don't understand why Concord isn't issuing unreleased-on-CD Concord Record sessions, as well as alternates and previously unreleased material from the Concord vaults. They're idiots. Totally agree about all of the unreleased Concord recordings from the 70s-80s. I am thinking in particular of the Marshal Royal recordings that are only on LP. There's great music!!! I've even bugged Mosaic about it....who knows The problem is that those recordings probably didn't sell as LPs and probably won't sell much as CDs. Has Mosaic ever issued anything from the Fantasy or Concord vaults? If the Concord group won't release the material they should lease the tapes to Fresh Sound or Definitive.

We had this when I was growing up--my father bought it from a local supermarket, one volume at a time. I'm reminded that we also purchased at around the same time--also through a supermarket--a history of European "classical" music. These volumes were a pretty good introduction to 19th Century composers, with one or two forays into the 20th (Stravinsky, and I think Ravel) and a look backward at Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Haydn. Self-improvement through self-cultivation. A middle class virtue of the 1950s.

Byas and Coleman were very complementary late-swing musicians, and both were in prime form in the 1940s. And in fact this lineup, minus the vibes and alto sax, made some enduring studio sides in 1949, including a stellar performance of What Is This Thing Called Love, so I had high hopes for this CD. But for me, it doesn't quite live up to expectations, partly because the sound engineering doesn't sound professional, and soloists are often off-mike. I just listened to this CD a second time, and while the sound is not as bad as I remembered, the overall performances remain uneven, and Peiffer's piano playing, which is given three solo features, is not very interesting.

Getz and Tjader's performance of Vince Guaraldi's Ginza Samba is perfection. But I'm not paying for it a second time to buy an insignificant increase in fidelity. I don't understand why Concord isn't issuing unreleased-on-CD Concord Record sessions, as well as alternates and previously unreleased material from the Concord vaults. They're idiots.

Byas and Coleman were very complementary late-swing musicians, and both were in prime form in the 1940s. And in fact this lineup, minus the vibes and alto sax, made some enduring studio sides in 1949, including a stellar performance of What Is This Thing Called Love, so I had high hopes for this CD. But for me, it doesn't quite live up to expectations, mainly because the sound engineering doesn't sound professional, and soloists are often off-mike.

John Hawkesworth Robert Downey F W Woolworth

Woody should have focused more on the clarinet.

Fat Man Little Boy Fat Girl

Charlotte Gainsbourg Thomas Gainsborough Blue Balliett

I don't know what that means. It's an expression of enthusiasm.

I agree. Randy is the promise of Bix fulfilled.

The Prodigal Son The Farmer's Daughter The Monkey's Uncle

The guy doesn't sound very broadminded. What has he got against the 20's, 30's, and 40's? So, what, he doesn't like New Orleans jazz, swing, or bop? WTF? He's got a world-class Kenny G collection--or so it's rumored.