sidewinder

Yeah, the chances of seeing many of those ‘limited edition’ releases put out is pretty well zilch. I suspect it will be more churning out of the Miles/Monk/Coltrane/Evans/Baker etc. catalogues.

Craft have just announced today that they are reintroducing the OJC series with Kevin Gray/RTI/tip-on and two initial releases in March. I would have been interested but I pretty well have everything I need on the old Fantasy labels on LP and CD. No doubt there will be meltdown on the Hoffmann Board. Remember seeing Oliver doing his solo show in the 90s.

Yes, apparently it was a boot of the ‘Commonwealth Blues’ CD. There is a rumour of a forthcoming Tubby Hayes release coming up in great sound from the master tape and I’m suspecting it will be this one, based on BBC transcription recordings for overseas broadcast.

Very sorry to hear this sad news - RIP. Very versatile player - didn’t he start out on Mellophonium? News such as this is pretty depressing as I always thought of him as a key West Coast ‘keeper of the flame’.

Harkit LP. Good music (unsurprisingly) but below par mastering.

I’ve got the Polydor/Schaap CD and the 2CD compilation mentioned above. Music great, recording diabolical. Having said that, all that distortion does have a certain appeal. Yes, that was one of the highlights of the Verve 2CD series for me. Covers all the releases through to ‘Old Bum’s Rush’, which gets a lot of stick but which I rather like.

Jeff’s profile says that he last visited the site in Sept 2022 and I remember a post he made and the responses, so looks like he is ‘around’.

The two disc purple vinyl set/monstrosity.

Shame - people with blinkers on there unable to tolerate anything other than their own ‘truth’.

Yeah, they do like extracting the £ out of one’s pocket. On the other hand, this upgrade is a bit of a game changer, surprisingly so.

Fair enough, point understood - that sort of thing certainly shouldn’t be happening, especially considering the premium-end nature of the series.

Linn PSU got a new motor, circuit board and tachometer. Pretty ‘radical’ upgrade, I have to say. The feet are tapping ! Yes, the Hill and McLeans are going to be must haves, I think. I don’t have ‘Mr Natural’ on vinyl so will be tempted with that one too.

Deck now back in action after an upgrade so spinning some of the items hiding in the racks. Starting with this 2LP Anthology put out by the good folks at Soul Brother Records.

I could make a few comments about that place being a centre for ‘collective fan-boy self abuse’ but I won’t.

On the plus side, that thread does have some top tips on cycling and dog rearing !

What I’m getting at is that people should be just glad that it is out there - CD or LP - and stop pontificating on the minutiae of distortion and pressing issues. That thread is full of it.

I think that one is about to be reissued in the Tone Poet series. Love those limited edition Kings.

Enjoying CDs 1 - 3

That was after the Ed Dipple era - not the same, sadly. The late 70s through the 80s were the ‘golden era’ for Mole. Having said that, I did find some really good things there, right through to their final move into Harold Moore’s Classical shop. The dusty and neglected second hand area upstairs in their relocated site could result in bargains (not recommended for asthmatics). Tower In Piccadilly Circus - used to get lost for hours in that place.

I’ve little doubt it will arrive - and my suspicion is sometime next week after the UK customs people finally work out with their abacuses how much import tax is payable on it. It was so much quicker and more reliable with Mosaic shipping though in the old days. No doubt when it arrives it will be superlative, as per usual. I have a number of the JATP LPs on Clef and one on Stinson I think, a 10” . It’s nice to have them all nicely compiled on CD in best sound though. I saw him ‘89 or ‘90 too. In the old ‘Cafe des Copains’ in Toronto, where this Sackville recording was made (I think). Saw Sir Charles Thompson at the same venue around the same timeframe. That place was an absolute mecca for jazz piano. A sad anniversary. Wish his shop was still in operation and that he was still behind the counter. At least I have the t-shirt to remember it though.

My mistake - it was Berg ! I did see Schnitter though in the same timeframe and venue with Art Blakey ! No doubt the Mosaic will turn up, tied to a bottle with a note in it..