MartyJazz

He's got some stiff competition on alto when it comes to that standard, i.e., Bird on Verve, Jackie Mac on SWING, SWANG, SWINGIN'. As much as I dig Niehaus, I don't remember his version of "..April" sticking out as much as it does for you. I'll give another listen pronto!

Can't get anything past you, Lon. Of course I had no idea that the option you detail exists. I'll be damned! Well, I'm still a happy camper, but how can an item that Sony Columbia lists for $130 go for such few dollars from an online service? I'm afraid I'll never understand the economics of the recording wholesale/retail biz.

Just received this box set sealed as advertised from an e-Bay auction. Winning bid was $61.09 (add $5 for shipping) for this $130 list price box so I'm happy. Just for curiosity's sake, I just now looked to see if anybody else is auctioning this set at e-Bay and damn, the same seller has another listing for this same box set going on. Wonder where he's getting all these sets from. In any event, bidding is now up to $47 with a day or so to go. If anyone's also interested in copping this, here's the link.

I have them all and wouldn't think of parting with any of them. The arrangements are wonderful and Niehaus is one of the unheralded terrific alto players of the '50s.

March 2nd. Recorded on this date: 1953, Dave Brubeck Quartet - live performance, JAZZ AT OBERLIN (Fantasy): 1956, Lucky Thompson group with Martial Solal begin recording ballads & standards session originally released on the Dawn label, now available on the COMPLETE VOGUE RECORDINGS, VOL. 1 and on Fresh Sound: 1959, Miles Davis with Coltrane, Adderley, et al enter Columbia studio for 1st day of recording KIND OF BLUE ("Freddie Freeloader", "So What", "Blue in Green"): 1959, Lester Young 5 with Rene Urtreger, Jimmy Gourley, George Joyner (aka Jamil Nasser), Kenny Clarke record LESTER YOUNG IN PARIS (available on THE COMPLETE STUDIO SESSIONS box set, Verve). 1965, Thelonious Monk Trio with Larry Gales, Ben Riley record (Columbia): "Ruby, My Dear", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Darn That Dream", "Introspection". 1972, Stan Getz 4 with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams plus Airto Moreira - CAPTAIN MARVEL (Verve LP, Columbia CD): 1995, Charles McPherson 4 with Mulgrew Miller - COME PLAY WITH ME (Arabesque):

SORRY! For me, pre-war Lester was from a different planet and post-war he joined the rest of us. The post-war stuff is first rate, but (pre-war) DAMN! Terms like pre-war (Basie) and post-war (Aladdin, Verve) imply that he wasn't recording during the war. His greatest stuff IMO were the Keynote, Signature and Commodore recordings of late 1943 to early 1944. I'm always moved to get up and dance (you wouldn't want to witness that, trust me) whenever I hear his versions of "I Never Knew", "I Got Rhythm (Signature version especially), etc. from that period.

I agree completely. There's quite a bit of Miles with Coltrane from 1955-56 that's been circulating among collectors for quite some time, the Steve Allen Tonight Show in which the full quintet performs "Max is Making Wax", the Peacock Alley sets from July '56, etc. Why couldn't some of this stuff be packaged with the Gene Norman private material if the powers that be wanted to put together a pricey 2 disc set? Having to re-purchase a studio date that every one on this board should own in some capacity, in some cases for upwards of 40 years or more, in order to get the private stuff is just borderline criminal IMO.

Another pre-Worktime session that I've always loved is the '54 date with Kenny Dorham, Elmo Hope, Percy Heath & Art Blakey. Four excellent tracks of which "Moving Out" is just terrific!

Ditto. A must have. I'm one of those who doesn't go along with the opinion that only pre-war Lester is worth having. There's lots of great music in this box set. And the interviews are indispensable, "our own" Christiern having done one of them.

Mea culpa. The Jackie McLean discography available online confirms the April 30th date. My old Blue Note LP has the April 30th date that I pasted on it some 30+ years ago when I acquired it, however the problem is that my CD copy (Blue Note CDP7 46821 2) lists an erroneous March 1st recording date. Since I consult my CD database for recording dates when posting here, that's how the error occurred.

Well, e-Bay does have the Charly box listed at a "buy it now" price of $22.95 (starting bid $18.95). Here. Looking at the track listings for this box and comparing it to those listings at the CD Universe sites that Jazzbo posted show them to be distinctly different box sets IMO.

greed = people charging or spending more than i'm willing or able to pay. sorry, but i can't agree with you on this one. i've been buying jazz recordings for over 30 years. i don't pay excessive prices simply because i choose not to. at the same time, i don't begrudge people who have the resources that allow them to get what they want at higher prices that they can afford. i also sell a few items on ebay from time to time. once in a while i might get $25 for an oop item for which i paid $8. usually i make less than $10 profit, and sometimes i just break even. remember, the buyer always determines the final price. there's no coercion involved. i assume the buyer, like me, is exercising his/her free will to make their decision. as far as bargaining is concerned, much our society seems to have replaced this custom with the practice of offering low and fair prices to begin with. as the son of a car dealer, i assure you that if someone offers you a "bargain" by reducing their initial price by 20%, that opening quote was inflated by at least that much to begin with. so, maybe you should enjoy your current collection for a while. if you wish, expand it slowly by purchasing select items at a price your head and heart can accept. don't waste your time or your love for jazz being jealous of others who have and can afford more than you or me. I'm glad you used the term "bargaining" rather than "haggling". Not to put too fine a point on it, whereas bargaining connotes negotiating for optimal price, haggling makes for a very unpleasant experience in that it involves a measure of arguing in order to produce a situation only favorable to the buyer. Aside from that, like Dan, I generally ask for consideration when volume is involved, i.e., when I'm interested in purchasing a fair number of items and I'd like the seller to give me a break. I've often gotten that consideration at the 2nd hand CD shops I frequent. In some occasions I've also gotten that consideration when I've conveyed interest in purchasing a pricey box set. There's always room for negotiation when you're forking over more dollars than the seller is used to seeing from the typical sale. As for the high prices associated with out of print vinyl, I can't complain as I've sold quite a few LPs to dealers who are quite willing to peel off $100 bills for what I have. The problem for the domestic jazz lover with limited funds is exacerbated somewhat now since when it comes to rare vinyl, the dollar is very low and the market is set by international (read Japanese) jazz lovers who evidently have money to spend.

Great news and what's interesting is that despite my post doubting the existence of 4 CDs worth of Bird at 'Birdland", I have at least 80% of this stuff on bootleg LPs, tapes, etc., so I guess I was wrong. What's a little disconcerting however is that the links you provide to CD Universe indicate that both volumes have been backordered since what would have been Bird's 84th birthday, i.e., August 29, 2004.

Ah, Arizona! Toured that state more than a decade ago, stayed at the Grand Canyon, a mere few steps from a drop into oblivion. If one ever wants to get an appreciation for the age of this earth, that's the place to go.

While I have quite a lot of Bird on both LP and CD, I am not aware that his appearances at 'Birdland' alone could amount to 4 CDs worth. Certainly the date(s) he did with Fats Navarro there are very good, but it's my impression that most of the live stuff that's been captured in decent fidelity occurred at the 'Royal Roost' (1948-49), documented on the 4 CD set "The Complete Live Performances on Savoy". Even the latter set is supplemented with material done at Carnegie Hall in '47 and Chicago in '50. It would be interesting to see a playlist of the set you have.

Spain. I had my honeymoon there In addition, the people were gregarious, helpful and just all around wonderful. We arrived in Madrid, motored down through Toledo, Sevilla, Cordoba, Ronda, finally to the coast in Malaga. Loved the walks, the culture, had a great time, period. As this was in '85 and the dollar was unbelievably high, we stayed at the finer hotels for a high of $50 a night!

March 1st. Recorded on this date: 1960 Max Roach 5 with Stanley & Tommy Turrentine, Julian Priester & Bob Boswell - PARISIAN SKETCHES (Mercury/Verve): 1961, Oliver Nelson 5 featuring Eric Dolphy, with Richard Wyands, George Duvivier & Roy Haynes (Prestige New Jazz): 1963, Jackie McLean 5 featuring Grachan Moncur III - ONE STEP BEYOND (Blue Note): 1991, David Murray with Don Pullen - SHAKILL'S WARRIOR (ends on 3/2, Columbia): 1993, MINGUS BIG BAND 1993 (Dreyfus):

Hey!!! Cate Blanchett is perfect. She is a terrific actress, no doubt. And certainly while I was not gung ho about THE AVIATOR, her performance as Kate Hepburn was wonderful. My ambivalence about THE AVIATOR had more to do with casting (Leonardo was just not right for that role IMO) and a fanciful screenplay that went over the top when it came to Hughes' OCD. Nevertheless I was rooting for Scorcese to win a best director. How the Academy can continue to overlook that man (as they do with Robert Altman and John Sayles) is beyond me.

February 28th. Recorded on this date: 1955, Freddie Redd Trio with John Ore & Ron Jefferson record (Prestige): "Debut", "The Things We Did Last Summer", "Lady J Blues", "Ready Freddie". (available on PIANO EAST-PIANO WEST, along with Hampton Hawes 1952 session): 1959, Thelonious MonK - ORCHESTRA AT TOWN HALL (Riverside): 1962, Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet with Grachan Moncur III, Harold Mabern, Herbie Lewis & Roy McCurdy - HERE & NOW (completed on 3/2, Mercury): 1977, Bill Evans Trio plus Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh - CROSS-CURRENTS (completed on 3/2, Fantasy):

In alpha order: Kenny Barron Chick Corea (acoustic only) Herbie Hancock (acoustic only) Brad Mehldau Mulgrew Miller McCoy Tyner

What is going on that the bid is thus far $7,100 for something that's not even known? I don't understand it. Clue me in sombody, please.

It's kind of a PARADOX that someone who professes a liking for Rollins' Prestige material could take a RAINCHECK on listening to such an important recording. But I guess THERE ARE SUCH THINGS in this world. Look, IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH ME and perhaps a few other members on this board who are not as fervent in their well-founded opinions as Mr. Nessa, but do yourself a favor and at least have a listen to perhaps the only jazz recording ever of THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS. (That post was a bit tortured but fun to do ).

February 27th. Recorded on this date: 1950, Al Haig Trio with Tommy Potter & Roy Haynes record (Prestige): "Liza", "Stars Fell on Alabama", "Stairway to the Stars", "Opus Caprice". (available on PRESTIGE FIRST SESSIONS, VOL. 1) 1956, All Star Group of Conte Candoli, Kenny Drew, Phil Woods, Al Cohn, Hank Jones, John Simmons & Kenny Clarke record BIRDLAND STARS 1956 (RCA Victor) 1957, Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd, Wade Legge, Wendell Marshall & Art Taylor begin recording GG & THE JAZZ LAB QUINTET (Riverside), completed 3/7/57: 1958, Max Roach & Oscar Pettiford record duet (Riverside): "There Will Never be Another You" (available on REEDS & DEEDS) 1987, George Cables Trio with John Heard & Ralph Penland record a tribute to George Gershwin - BY GEORGE (Contemporary): 1991 McCoy Tyner Trio with Avery Sharpe & Aaron Scott begin a tribute to John Coltrane - REMEMBERING JOHN (ends on 2/28, Enja):

The music comes across very well on CD, but it must have been dynamite to have been there when it happened. You're a lucky guy! I've been fortunate to have been present at some wonderful live tapings, Joe Henderson at the Village Vanguard in '85 (subsequently released first on 2 Blue Note LPs and then in a CD 2 disc set), Bill Evans in June '80 also at the Vanguard a couple of months before his death in London. Like many visitors to this board however, I can recall so many events that I attended that should have been recorded professionally but unfortunately were not. That's life...

My CD copy of this recording is a Mobile Fidelity issue: