Roundsound

I would be very disappointed if Concord deleted titlles from the prestige, riverside, contemporary etc catalog. I have bought enough CDs from Fantacy, Verve and Blue Note etc to literally fill a room. I think you have less illegal downloading from jazz buyers and more volume jazz buying. Please keep the catalog and add a few titles a couple of times per year.

I saw Tom Harrell when he was in Miami Beach a year or two ago. He has great presence and he's a great player. He played with local musicians. I would definitely take the time to see him again.

Isn't this the scam done to Jennifer Garner in Catch Me if you can movie

When I first got into jazz, I was reading David Rosenthal's book- Hardbop. He spoke highly of The Sermon and the Sermon was one of my first 25 jazz CDs. What makes it so great is that it is a great sampler of the Blue Note artists. Lee Morgan is just great on it. I love Curtis Fuller feature on Blue Room and of course the rare Tina Brooks. I think George Coleman on Alto, which is also rare.

I saw Harold Mabern with George Coleman, Weber (1stname escapes me) and Joe Farnworth at the Iridium a couple of years ago. I purposely sat right next to the keyboard. Harold Mabern has this ability to build up an intensity that allows you to feel as if you or the music is soaring. Of course George Coleman was very good and the rest of the rhythm section is of course top notch. I also saw ERic Alexander in Miami a few months ago with Kenny Drew Jr and a local rhythm section. Very difficult runs were easy for him. I can't imagine him to be anything but on all the time.

Seven Steps box- 4th disc today

Likewise, I have heard no discussion. While I've heard of Adams & Pullen, I have nothing by them. Who would they compare to? Any other reviews of the set.

I saw EA at a club in Miami Beach a couple of months ago. Kenny Drew Jr was the piano player (he was terrific) The bass player was the house player who I've seen several times. I don't know the drummer. Anyhow, they played mostly standards. EA was a monster as usual. He spoke at the end for a couple of minutes. He seemed relaxed and I did not see any nervousness about being on stage. I believe he is coming back to South Florida to play again with Kenny Drew Jr.

I'm a booster of ERic Alexander. He certainly has the chops. If anything, he overplays, but I always find him imaginative and pushing the envelope. Also, you get the added bonus of Harold Mabern, who is just outstanding on the new CD (th Highnote) and ERic's other work. I had the opportunity to see Mabern at the Iridium, when he played with George Coleman, with the rest of Eric's band.

It's hard to believe there is such a session. More Hank, More Lee, More Art. Over 20 tracks worth. I would have to think all the powers to be (Lundvall and Cuscuna) know about this. If its worthwhile stuff, it would be great to have.

Morgan-Shorter VEeJay- disc 2 It's been in my car about a month- I never ever get tired of Lee Morgan.

Getting back to the CD. While not necessarily a surprise, it sure was good. It starts off with Visa by Bird, goes to a wonderful Time After Time. He plays flute on one tune, which provides a nice change of pace. The sound is excellant, although the bass player was too hard to hear without specifically listening for the bass. John Hicks was terrific. Hicks sounds like he would have been a good house player for Alfred Lion. Curtis Fuller provides a change of pace and gives a different sound, especially on the heads.

I went to Borders and I got my 4 for 3. The sales clerk asked me if I owned my business, which I do. He said jazz afficionados are more likely to own their own businesses. Anyhow he told me that there is 20% discount on items not on sale for business owners. Naturally I filled out an application. I'm curious to see how it turns out. Anybody hear of this?

Are there any jazz themed rings for cell phones? If so, what is out there? (I wasn't sure where to put this post, so why not here)

45. I got VJ fever and I like it.

44. I feel that I've done the right thing and feel real smart, when others complain that that they don't have "Andrew" or some other unavailable session.

I agree with the post that purchasing such great stuff will be enjoyed by you for many years to come. However I question purchasing some many sets at one time. Firstly, such a large purchase is certainly a cash flow dent. One at a time can be consumed easier. Secondly, there is new stuff coming out constantly. RVGs and plenty of cool stuff on jazzmatazz. I ususally purchase a Mosaic when it is something I MUST have. For example, I probably will get the Farmer/Golson set, when it comes out. I can put off the Eldridge, even though I certainly won't let it get past a last chance list. Don't let my style put a damper on your purchase, because I'm sure you weighed the pros and cons and overstudied the Mosaic booklet. Guilt is just a useless negative feeling that serves no purpose once you make the plunge.

On Sunrise blvd near the Galleria, on the south side of the street, about a block west of the Borders, there is a terrific used store. Also the Borders there is very good and is on the water.

I say Wayne Shorter and his band last night in Miami Beach. It was differenet than I thought it would be despite having the last 2 Verve CDs. Perhaps we're stuck in the Blue Note time zone of the 60's. In any event, it was a great experience. It was truly high art. It was true ensemble playing the whole time. There was a constant shifting of melodies, themes and rhythms. Brian Blade never got caught into a time keeping groove. His playing was extremely percussive. In essence there was no timekeeper. There were no (none) blues riffs. Different players would lay out for different periods of time. Pattatucci (whom I say before with Gonzalo Rubalcaba) in my opinion was often a driving force of creating shifting emphasis. He pushed the band more than the others. There was a point where Wayne was laying out and then attempting to get back in and the band kept going without giving him a point to make it a fourome. There was a lot of uniform body language between the players as if they were "one." Danilo played his abstractions very much like Herbie Hancock. I think the last tune for the only standard (Besame Mucho) But of course the band pushed the themes in that tune to abstracting extremes. On one of the encores, Wayne tapped a random rhythm on the wood of the piano and the rest of the band picked up on it and played around it. Wayne played the tenor 3/4 of the time. His playing wasn't as dynamic as when he was with Blue Note. But I chalk it up to stylistic differences. This was a quiet and soft yet not quiet and soft at the same time. The band played with extreme concentration. Pattatucci took off his shoes and jacket to get comfortable. No one in the band said a word the whole program, which was good. Conversation would have taken away from the mood created. Any one else there?

I first heard Al Foster on SoNear So Far and thought he did a fine job. Joe Henderson used him a lot.

I thought the trilogy was pompous and a big bore. Of the bad guys, only Gollum was humanized. Every speech was so full of self importance. There was no intellecual stimulation. The bad guys were totally defeated once the ring was destroyed. Who needed the big time armies to defeat the evildoers. Maybe Frodo could have used more assistance. After all the ring was everything. My top eleven: Mystic River 21 Grams House of Sand and Fog Finding Nemo In America Monster Dirty Pretty Things Monster Lost in Translation Swimming Pool American Splendor All ahead of the Rings movies. Special effects don't make a movie special.

It used to be that college kids could afford seeing groups like the Eagles in concert. Many moon ago, I used to go to a lot of concerts and paid without having to go to my parents Nowadays, good seats to the Eagles and other age 50 & older music groups (ie Simon & Garfunkle) can only be seen by teenager's parents and even then, they are expensive. (Luckily we can see top flight jazz in small clubs for a reasonable price) Anohter problem is the focus on singles as opposed to alblums. Sgt Peppers could not be made today. The only thought is the single. In jazz, there are a number of small labels (Palmetto, CrissCross, Sharp9, Dreyfuss etc.) John Coltrne signed with Impulse, which was largely unknown and put them on the map. Maybe the rock guys with big time names could do the same, if they don't like who they're doing business with. Look how the Grateful Dead and now Pearl Jam are touring bands that are not dependant on the labels.

I had read where Lee Morgan was coming out with his complete 1950s works. I asded Bob Perry at Blue Note records in Miami, FL where I could get this. That is how learned about Mosaic. Lee Morgan was my first.

I only had the chance to listen to Masterpiece of the 3 CDs. I had the French CD but I picked the new one up anyhow. The arrangements are incredible. From reading the Strayhorn biog, I remember that he was very involved in this project. While its sometimes hard to tell where Ellington is involved and where STrayhorn is involved, I think some of the arrangements have a certain beauty to them. There is a part of Solitude that has a cascading movement by various combinations of instruments that must be heard.

Of course, this was the first Riverside session to emphasize Monk's compositions. I've listened to it enought that it doesn't give me the umphh that initial listenings provide. Max Roach certainly makes this session extra special. His solo on Brilliant Corners is a great example of drumming to the melody and changes. I like the tympani's as providing extra color and would note that Max Roach used tympanis on Booker Little's session on CAndid (which is real good and has Dolphy) Also I understand that Ernie Henry was in Monk's group at the time. Also I believe that there was some session problems with Oscar Pettiford. I would also point out that this is the session that DAvid Rosenthal highlighted in his great book Hard Bop. Hardbop provided my roadmap to the world of jazz as it was, when I first stared collecting jazz.