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Excellent. A long time ago (in my teens) I worked at a public library which got lots and lots of donations. I don't know if anyone looked through them or not, trying to separate the gold from the dross, but certainly the vast majority of material went straight to the book sale. Staff were allowed to go down on lunch break and pick out what they wanted well ahead of the sale (which only took place twice a year). Most of what I picked up was just basic literature, but I did get the full set of Burton's translation of 1001 Nights, which has a street value of around $50. I think the asking price was $1. All I'm saying is that if you are donating something with special value (like jazz CDs) to a library, you need to tip them off to it and ask them to consider adding it to the collection and not just sell it off.

Well, I have never donated CDs, but I did donate a large stack of literary magazines to the Chicago Public Library. I actually offered them to the Northwestern Library to help them fill a gap in their collection, but the dipshit behind the desk just rolled his eyes and said it wasn't worth the effort to catalog them (not the clerk, I went and talked to a permanent librarian). I know there's a huge decline in standards everywhere in our debased times, but it certainly seems that librarians in particular simply aren't doing the job they used to do -- now all they want to do is provide internet access. The librarians at the Chicago Public Library are a bit more old-school and still seek to expand their collections. It is always worth asking whether donations are actually going to be added to the collection or sold in a book sale (to provide funds to the library for acquistions or something else).

Honestly I have no idea. I always wonder if they have actually licensed material not in the P.D. -- and the late 1950s isn't quite in P.D. in Europe -- or have they moved blatantly into piracy. The Coleman Hawkins CD apparently has some bonus tracks from a 1957 Verve LP, and I simply cannot believe Verve would license it to Lonehill. I could be wrong, however, and hopefully I am. I generally feel slightly better about Lonehill material in this category (non-P.D.) since it should be licensed. Still, I haven't ever called up Lonehill to check.

I hope that the Felsted project does materialize. However, in the case of an extremely long or permanent delay, DustyGroove mentions four Lonehill CDs with Felsted material.

We probably could use a thread on the "worst" highest-rated album on AMG. I can't recall off hand but I bought one or two CDs (probably Steve Lacy solo ventures) that were highly rated but that I couldn't get into at all. [but back to the topic at hand, I agree with Rooster Ties, Monster is one of my very favorite REM albums because it was so different from the rest of their work.]

Mal Waldron and Jackie McLean Left Alone and Left Alone 86. Not a track for track remake but a number of songs from the original are revisited on the longer album recorded in 1986. It's been a long time since I listened to either.

I came very close to getting a box set of Brazilian music - probably the Wilson Simonal Na Odeon set, though I am also tempted by the Baden Powell set. I suppose I will eventually get both. However, I had a very unexpected expense due to problems at Heathrow, and I won't be getting either until the middle of 2006. It's probably just as well. I was being selfish. I settled for a much more reasonable order of 2 Paulo Moura CDs. Now I just need to get one or two more things for the wife, though she gave me a really short list this year.

Jaysus - I move away from Chicago and you guys come through three times! What a world. Anyway, great, great news. It should be a great crowd and it is a cool venue, almost always packed (and smoky but that's another story). The Green Mill used to be a Capone hang-out, and I think he had a controlling interest in it as well.

Has anyone heard anything more on the status of the Hutcherson Select? My impression was that it would cover most of the Hutcherson only released on LP (and maybe the ultra-rare Japan-only release). If that's the case, Cirrus, Waiting, etc. would probably not be RVG'ed. I sure hope that happens.

Ricky Gervais, the comic genius behind the Office and Extras (probably should be showing up in America pretty soon) is at it again. He is doing a free podcast with Steve Merchant and Karl Pilkington. It's available at the Guardian UK site here: Gervais podcast It's the three of them sitting around chewing the fat, with Steve and Ricky making fun of Karl most of the time. It probably sounds a lot like the commentary track on the Office DVD (I'm assuming it has one, but I've never actually rented the DVDs). It's already the number one podcast in the UK, and is in the top ten in the US. Jump on it quickly, since the shows are only archived for about four weeks.

Thanks for tipping us off. I'm listening now and starting to get into it. Any thoughts on whether the other material on Screwgun is worth the price of the download?

One more thing, as long as you're there in the future- does the trombone ever become a hip, in-demand instrument? Ever? Even a little bit? Yes, but sadly for us it is 42 years sideways in time - in a dimension where a trombone player got separated from his marching band and deflected the bullet meant for JFK.

Boy, I certainly don't miss shoveling. The very worst was this two month period where I had moved out of a building I owned, but then had to keep coming back to shovel the sidewalk before I sold it. Of course we had two major snowfalls that winter. No snow so far here.

Several of the CDs mentioned above by Edison Machado and Paolo Moura can be bought directly from www.whatmusic.com. Whatmusic Sometimes it is cheaper than Amazon, sometimes not. For instance, Obras 2 by Edison Machado is available for 4 pounds (and 1 pound VAT), and I paid closer to 8 on Amazon. The search function doesn't work on this site, so you have to keep looking through the Brazillian CDs page by page. Otherwise it is a nice site. Unfortunately, they note that Obras 1 by Edison Machado is sold out in CD but still available in vinyl. Almost all the retailers that claim to have this available, in turn are trying to order it from Whatmusic, meaning that orders are cancelled. Does anyone have any leads on a store or on-line source that actually has this CD in stock? Thanks. Eric

Of the on-line stores, I think amazon.fr currently has the lowest prices. However, fnac.com does have 30 second samples of all tracks for both these releases.

I must have missed that. Thanks! Well, I had better make my mind up in the next day or two if I want to order the Eldridge (which is at the low price), since I suspect the prices are going to increase soon. Eric

Unfortunately, the great deals on a handful of Mosaics at Amazon.de are gone. Probably because too many people started importing them back into America. Were there any other sources?

I'm feeling a bit on the outs with the SF Jazz Collective lately, when a sampler from MCG Jazz showed up (sent by my banker of all people). They have a pretty neat approach, which is that master musicians show up for roughly four days and teach young people the craft. Then the musicians record live (generally with other professionals rather than students) and the proceeds from sales of the CDs go to support the program (and the prices are reasonable). A few of their releases have been mentioned on the board, including releases by Nancy Wilson and Bob Mintzer. There's also a Herbie Mann/Phil Woods CD called Beyond Brooklyn. The two that interest me the most are Brazilian Dreams and Pacquito D'Rivera Live at Manchester Craftmen's Guild. More information at www.mcgjazz.org

Yeah, but I still feel burned. I think the pre-order said it would be a three CD set. Not only that, they sent me two copies, and I have to pay to mail one back from the UK! Quite frankly, I feel I am getting hosed and don't think I will pre-order the 2006 set. I think the price should reflect what you are getting. If the 2006 set is a 2-CD set at this price, I won't order it.

Do you mean Django in Belgium? Or whatever it was called, it was numbered 102. I didn't have any trouble ordering one, but that was a while ago.

Sasha Distel Jazz Guitar

Bob Belden - musical (rights) terrorist

I finally pulled the trigger on the JJ Johnson Small Groups (didn't want to be the only one here without it when they moved it to the Sold Out list), the Columbia Small Group Swing Sessions, Pepper Select and Johnny Richards Select. (What with shipping and customs, etc. it only seems to make sense to get the big orders. Well, it will probably show up just before Christmas, appropriately enough.)

I am enjoying this, though I still feel the first track would be better if slowed down just a bit. Track 4 on the other hand has a nice propulsive groove, with a driving bass, but it doesn't feel as if the flautist is trying to prove how fast he can play. Indeed, the flautist drops out on a lot of the track (not to defend DG but this project doesn't put him front and center all the time, better from a musical standpoint, not as desirable from a marketing standpoint). And if I am not mistaken, there's some cowbell in the percussion section. What can I say other than MORE COWBELL, BABY!

Wonder where ropadope is based (some offshore site?). I do think it is very cool that it is leaking out this way, and I'm downloading now in case the stuff is taken off the site. My initial impression is that the first track is too fast and feels very rushed. Thankfully most of the tracks are at a more reasonable tempo. If people dig this, they may want to check out Stephane Furic's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry on Soul Note, which is a reinterpretation of Copland's Appalachian Spring.