sidewinder

Yep, he's been very active posting the live reports on the AAJ board.

The 'Jim Hall and Pat Metheny' disk is one of the few I haven't heard. Was lucky enough some time ago to pick up about 10 of the ECMs on 'German' vinyl, fairly mint pressings for about £5 each, which I thought was a pretty good deal. The 'ringer' in the batch is probably 'First Circle'. I had a bit of a hard time with the discordant umpa band on the first track (I guess Pat and Lyle Mays didn't enjoy their time in the school band) but from then on the album (and sound quality) is superb. I'm looking forward to the new album. 'Imaginary Day' and 'Speaking of Now' were both excellent and Pat's concert tours in each case first rate. And he always puts 110% into every performance that I've seen him do.. There's also an obscure filmtrack release called 'Pasaga Il Paradiso' (I think) which is well worth picking up but seems to be pretty hard to get hold of these days.

That Woody Shaw 'Iron Men' with Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams is an absolute cracker ! :rsmile:

Anyone got any opinions on the Clarke/Boland Big Band set in this series? (sounds like a no-brainer at £5.9 in any case).. :rsmile:

Wilbur Harden

Hmmm...this looks suspiciously similar to the voting form Sadaam used at his last 'election' 'Gigolo' is a real fave along with that hardy perennial 'the sidewinder' but I have to admit to being particularly fond of 'Sixth Sense' and 'Caramba'. Those two really groove...

surely?.... !

A really excellent selection of music on this programme, honourable mention also for the extract from the 'Five Spot' date with Dolphy. A shame that there was nothing from the quartet session on Time (also reissued I recall on vinyl as 'The Legendary Quartet session' on Island). Having said that, a very good overview of a musician whose importance increases with every year that goes past.

How was the cleavage, in any case? :rsmile:

Tubby Fathead Big Bill Little Jazz

Have seen this one too over here in the UK - many branches of 'Waterstones' seem to have it. First impulse was to buy it on the spot but then I checked out the chapters and was a bit disappointed with first impression that material on Parker, Gillespie, Powell, Mingus and Roach was fairly general and could be gleaned from other sources. Please take this viewpoint with caution - it was first impression and no doubt I will pop a copy of this in the shopping bag in due course. I terms of presentation it looks absolutely first rate and with nice photo sections too. Hope I'm proved wrong in my observations re content. !

By some psychic bizarre coincidence I just happen to be listening to 'Scotch & Sofa', a very cool compilation but out by Blue Note France. Track 5 is indeed Pearson's 'The Phantom'. I believe that the compilation was put together by French DJ Booster and the full line up is: 1. Three Sounds 'Out of this World' 2. Lonnie Smith 'Dancin' in an Easy Groove' 3. Earl Klugh 'Heard it on the Grapevine' 4. Lou Donaldson 'One Cylinder' 5. D. Pearson 'The Phantom' 6. Donald Byrd 'Estavanico' 7. Lee Morgan 'Neophilia' 8. Donald Byrd 'Xibaba' 9. Eddie Henderson 'Nostalgia' 10. Bobby Hutcherson 'Bouquet' Mike F - It's on EMI France 7243 5 24415 2 5, Blue Note Mix CD Vol II. Cool beyond words...

For some reason, 'Basra' has always eluded me. I once passed on a 180g Conn vinyl reissue in the LP racks at £10 and have lived to regret it ever since. Funnily enough, the TOCJs of 'Rajah'and 'Procrastinator' weren't too difficult to find (admittedly a few years ago now). 'Sonic Boom' of course is not too difficult to find on the Liberty 'Rainbow' LP release.

For me 'Compulsion' is the ringer, although really you can play the Mosaic end to end and there's hardly a falloff in quality between the sessions. Every item on the list is up there in the superlative bracket - just too bad I haven't yet been able to fully hear 'One For One'.

Well, I was fortunate enough too to get a few signed. Unfortunately I left behind my DMM 'Speak Like a Child' but did get 'Maiden Voyage' signed on the sail ! 'The Prisoner' just about squeeks in with my vote, much as I like 'Speak', 'Maiden Voyage' and 'Empyrean'. Like 'Speak Like A Child' this has very telling Gil Evans influence with the unique alto flute/bass trombone/flugel combination, with warm sonority. Only Duke Pearson seems to have exploited this area of orchestration as constructively as Gil and Herbie.

'Contrasts' gets my vote - but again it is difficult to favour any of the BN albums in this list. The're all great ! 'Contrasts' by a whisker though thanks to particularly funky and imaginative organ playing by Larry...

damn ....... messed up with the voting jiggerypokery

About as difficult as asking for my favourite type of beer but by a gnats whisker it has to be..... Schizophrenia !

As well as 'Theme For Monterey' and 'State Street Suite' on MAMA, Gerald's Discovery label recordings from the 1980s are very well worth tracking down. I can thoroughly recommend the titles 'Lomelin', 'Jenna' and 'Jessica'. Its not often you see them on CD (although ebay sometimes throws them up) and occasionally they appear as treasure trove in the LP racks. Each of these has stellar casts including messrs Land, Edwards, Nimitz from the Pac Jazz sessions.