sidewinder

I've just made a pre-amp upgrade on my system to the Naim Audio NAC-82 from the NAC-72. Also have the NAP-250 power amp with Hi-Cap supply, a Naim CDX with XPS supply for playing CDs, Linn LP12 with Lingo supply/Naim Aro/IQII for turntable/arm/cartridge and Dynaudio Contour 1.8 speakers. Interconnects are by Chord (near-neighbours of Naim in Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK). Pondering the Dynavector DV17 cartridge on the Aro arm. Anyone have any opinions on this one?

I thought this might get some mixed reactions...

Woody Shaw - Blackstone Legacy (click here to buy) Big Al has kindly tagged me to pick an AOTW over the Xmas period. Initial thoughts were to pick something on Blue Note by Bobby Hutcherson but as Bobby is on the current AOTW by Eric Dolphy, I'll revert to Plan B, which is something nice by WOODY SHAW. Can't get enough Woody ! B) The nomination of AOTW is one of Woody's lesser known sessions, recorded for Lester and John Koenig of Contemporary Records during Dec 1970. It captures Woody at that interesting time after his work with Horace Silver/Tyrone Washington/Andrew Hill etc. on Blue Note and before the achievements of the Muse and Columbia years. Definitely an echo of Miles' near-contemporary 'Bitches Brew' sessions in the group sound here too (Bennie Maupin and Lenny White are in the lineup). The session should be readily available on CD through Fantasy. Look forward to some interesting discussions on this one ! :rsmile: Full lineup: Woody Shaw - trumpet Gary Bartz - alto/soprano saxes Bennie Maupin - tenor sax/flute George Cables - piano/elec piano Ron Carter - bass Clint Houston - bass Lenny White - drums NYC Dec 8-9 1970

I've had it and I ended up losing my voice. Terrible chest infection, over 3 weeks now and still not fully cleared. Not nice..

Nina - welcome to the Board ! You won't regret purchasing this fine set, even from Wal-Mart. This is one of those Mosaics that exceeds expectations and then some..

Whenever I bring out the Brooks Mosaic set (and what a very fine set this is) there are two sessions which inevitably get the play - 'True Blue' and 'Minor Move'. Both very different in their individual ways - 'True Blue' full of minor key atmospherics, almost film-noirish. 'Minor Move' to me has a much more optimistic, even carefree sound. As JohnS mentions above, very much a classic Blue Note sound. The track that always gets my ears raised is 'Star Eyes' - a wonderful performance of a fine standard where everything in this group comes together superbly. Brooks introduces the theme with superb lyricism, with real empathy and taste from Sonny Clark (yes, elegance indeed..) Morgan was at his fiery, arrogant and brassy early best during this session. His work here reminds me very much of his playing on the near-contemporary 'Blue Train' session. The work of Doug Watkins throughout is also a real standout. Watkins is a rock of stability and doesn't put a foot wrong. He recorded some great stuff around this period, not least the sessions done with Donald Byrd for Transition. Blakey by contrast is quite subdued for him - a few more fireworks in places would have been nice but the session does hold up well enough without them, at least to my ears. Maybe the one possible minor quiblle that I do have is the lack of, for me, a real standout, killer tune as lead-off track. 'Nutville' is nice enough but as a tune it never really grips me, unlike the corresponding track from 'True Blue' which grips you right from the start. Still, a lovely album ..

It seems to be the thing in the Germanic countries, with Xmas day being much more low-key. In the UK it all happens on Xmas day, with the result that kids wake up at 5am and wake up the folks from their well earned holiday lie-in.

Nice choice, Big Al. Look forward to picking up the baton from you during Xmas week. Understandably, this is an album which polarises the listening audience. People either worship it or hate it with a vengeance. Count me amongst the fans - I will be spinning the RVG CD and the NY USA LP (hell, I've even got a King of this one too ) just to make sure that all of the various nuances are extracted. What Tony Williams does on the drums on this session is just amazing !

Pretty well anything from 'Understanding' got the biggest thumbs up from me on this set - smokes like the Flying Scotsman with boilers flat out. The empathy between Alexander, Patton and Walker is very strong - clear evidence of lots of nights hard work together on the bandstand. The sound is also pretty nice, one of Ron McMaster's better ones. I like this Mosaic select one heck of a lot.

Be sure to let us know. Unfortunately, my friend didn't get the time to call in at Mole this week so no further information at present I'm afraid. Anyone else been up there?

This is very sad to hear - Mole have done well to keep going as they have all these years. I was in the store during the Summer and there seemed to be quite a bit of good stuff in the vinyl racks (I came out with a bagfull). This was probably surplus material that didn't make it to the most recent auction. Reports provided by a friend who has been there in the past few months are that stock is very depleted (a lot of the CDs in the ground floor area seem to have been cleared out) and that the lights were off in the upstairs vinyl area. Sounds ominous I'm afraid. Hope to have an update from him later in the week. Mole was actually the first place I bought second-hand vinyl (a Miles Davis 'Green Haze' Prestige double) - purchased from what must have been their very first mail-order list over 25 years ago. I believe it was then operating from Ed Dipple's home address.

Anyone who knows Herefordshire will confirm that there are still plenty of live fossils resident there.

Not an easy one apparently. Jacknife is looking as well. I've got it in JRVG but I've only heard it a few times. I like it but it got pushed back behind a bunch of other purchases. I can only listen to one at a time! Probably easiest to get via the vinyl route on the Toshiba pressing. Mr Tanno might possibly be able to help anyone looking for this.

Not to forget Jack Wilson's contribution to various Gerald Wilson Big Band albums put out on Pacific Jazz and reissued in the Mosaic set. He was a good fit for this band.

Just checked the 'Jazzwise' listings for London. Here are a few of the things going on: 19th Dec, Pizza Express Jazz Club (Dean St, Soho) - Scott Hamilton 20th Dec, 606 Club - Bobby Wellins 26th-31st Dec, Jazz Cafe Camden Town - Roy Ayers Ubiquity 27th Dec, Vortex - Stan Tracey 15th-31st De, Ronnie Scotts - George Melly (doing his usual Xmas 'season') and Ray Gelato's Giants. Pat Martino starts at Ronnies on the 5th of Jan.. I'll second John's recommendation to see Tate Modern, which is over on the South Bank of the Thames (take the footbridge over from Embankment tube station). It's free too and the reconstructed 'Globe' theatre and Bankside area (full of historic atmosphere with places like the 'Clink' prison and ruins of the Bishop's Palace) is just around the corner. The Museum of London is also worth a look if you are interested in the origins of the place, back to the Romans (its over by the Barbican, by the old city wall). Enjoy!

"It's only wafffer thin........"

There's a misconception in the media that he sort of came from nowhere and did the 'Blow Up' film. Apparently it was something like his 45th after a pretty long apprenticeship. I read that he had returned back to residency in the UK only a couple of years ago after many years in the LA area producing TV shows. Have a video copy of his 1969 film 'Alfred The Great' which I plan on watching sometime this weekend. Must have been one of his last before he dropped off the radar screens and started producing 'A Team' etc etc.

I have an old VHS copy. If you are a Tristano-phile like myself, its essential viewing. Its a rather short concert (29 minutes or so [?]) but watching Tristano freely improvise several of these pieces in his inimitable manner, at perhaps the very height of the "free jazz" explosion -- 1965 was the year of ASCENSION, after all -- is just fascinating. For those further interested... http://www.lennietristano.com/ Apologies - can't find the details of the DVD at the moment but I've got the feeling it was about 60 minutes long. 1965 sounds about right. I'll search for the details later..

I've always thought that the United Artists album cut with McLean, 'Matador', was very under-rated. Some of my favourite Kenny Dorham on that one. The mid-60s Prestige sessions made with Cedar Walton are also hugely enjoyable. It's fitting that he had that fine partnership with Joe Henderson. Both of these guys had the characteristic of being hugely consistent and also very flexible as sidemen to adapt to the salient requirements of the session. Check out also the CD that came with Randi Hultin's biography for a nice vocal performance by Kenny. Good voice too..untapped potential.

There's a DVD currently out of a solo performance given by Lennie in Copenhagen (I've seen it in the shops here in the UK). If anyone is interested I'll get the details.

I only saw Al Grey play on the one occasion (an all-star Gillespie Big Band reunion) but his enthusiasm throughout the performance was absolutely infectious. Several years later I picked up an LP of his with Jimmy Forrest which was signed by Al and his very positive comments on the LP about Jimmy (it was Forrest's last date) tapped into the same vibe. Same with Bennie Green. One listen to 'Soul Stirrin' puts a big smile on the face and lightens the mood enormously. Both of these guys are indeed sorely missed. Add Frank Rosolino to that roll call too.

Longer than Woody Shaw?? The honour, based on Michael Cuscuna's comments, must surely belong to the Eddie Condon vinyl set. That one hasn't even seen 'Running Low' yet !

Even though much of this one is in an 'R&B' type of groove, I really like it. Heck, it even has some nice early JJ Johnson on it. That alone steals it for me ! Must have had my set for 2-3 years now. It was one of the last vinyl copies, picked up just as the vinyl set was going OOP on the old BNBB.

Off the top of my head, Fats Waller put down some nice solo organ sides during a visit to London around 1938/39. I haven't heard these for a long time but it sounded like a theatre organ..

Yes please ! I'm familiar with the Coltrane footage (presumably this was of the quintet with Dolphy which had all of those trendy scaffolding props around the band?) but not the other material. Looks like this is a nice resource..