Bill Nelson

There's one old-school announcer still breaking the wind on the microphone like Cosell -- the Emporer of Adenoids, Dick Vitale.

The scorecard for Conrad reads: 8 errors in the last 7 games -- he should ONLY pinch-hit. Another Braves' bust is Heyward. Besides tonight's hat trick with three whiffs, he has yet to get a post-season hit. Also, McCann has been swinging horribly at pitches way-y-y outside and has been marginalized on offense. Not counting Infante, the rest of the battery is mired below the Mendoza Line. Bobby Cox' postgame mea culpa: "You know, we aren't the best team in baseball but..."

Even with the Danish modern furniture and dinette with four chairs... ...I suddenly feel 100% better about MY HOUSE.

Update: Bottom of the 9th, Braves scored 3 runs. 11-to-5 final score. Phils gave Halliday the night off and started Kendrick. Rollins slugged the grand slam in the 6th off Braves' Dunn.

And the Braves just shrunk their 2-game wild card lead over SD. Bobby Cox, always the inept strategist under pressure, goes thru three pitchers in the 6th and still gives up the Philly grand slam to make it 7-to-2. The final score when the Phils were "resting their starting horses": an 11-to-2 fubar for Booby.

What's up with the Braves? Their biggest problem during Aug-Sept has been the starting pitching. Two of 'em are down for the count: Medlen is out for the season, Jurrjens has got a gimpy knee. Hudson and Lowe show occasional flashes of brilliance but have pitch location pitfalls. As Bobby Cox says after nearly every game,"He left one hanging and they got it." Minor of the Minors, the fifth starter, has got an ERA above 9.00 in his last five games. And don't get me started on their anemic hitting. As for the remaining Braves' true believers? They're true masochists.

In Big Al's case, it's real GREEZY being GREEN.

The suspense is killing all of us ... hey md, didja' close the deal or take a walk? Just remember the 'golden rule' when buying a Wurlitzer: "If the kids can't bop to it -- then bombsville!"

You've provided me an opening to describe some recent CD scores I've been yanking out of an antique consignment shop on the outskirts of Athens. They're in a ramshackle building about a half-mile off the old Atlanta Hwy. How about: $40 for the Mosaic 3-CD box of 'Complete Candid Recordings of Charles Mingus' (#3201) $40 for the 10-CD box of 'The Complete Mercury of Roland Kirk' (W. German press) $10 for 'Complete Helen Merrill on Mercury' (4-CD, Japan) $10 each for 3-CD sets of Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury (Vols. 1, 2 and 3, Japan) $7 for Capt. Beefheart 2-CD 'Dust Blows Forward' (still sealed), and $130 for 38 single-disc CDs, mostly OP jazz. (They're $4 each, $3 when you buy more than 10.) All of these came from the collection of a Univ. Georgia Art professor, who died within months of retirement. They've been priced by Gail, who runs the antique shop. There's easily 2,000 more CDs in piles, boxes, and shelves. I've been casually dropping by about every two weeks and everything stays where I left it, with just a couple sold. As downtown Athens is full of music hipsters, clerks and jerks -- you'd think the action would be fierce. Great stuff! Definitely great finds. Too bad the Prof couldn't get a chance to enjoy them. You're right, he didn't, cause about half of 'em are still sealed. It's like he went on a 'whing-ding' in the last 15 years and bought one of anything recommended in the Penguin Guide. There's more than 500 jazz-related CDs still there, including many female vocalists doing the Great American Songbook repertoire. The collection mirrors the jazz and classical CDs featured in Stereo Review. The approach was of an academician intent on serious listening. Of all the roadside joints I've hit in 35 years, this immense stash is by far the most intelligent and well-cared for. And Gail says there's seven more box loads yet to be put out cause she doesn't have the shelf space!

You've provided me an opening to describe some recent CD scores I've been yanking out of an antique consignment shop on the outskirts of Athens. They're in a ramshackle building about a half-mile off the old Atlanta Hwy. How about: $40 for the Mosaic 3-CD box of 'Complete Candid Recordings of Charles Mingus' (#3201) $40 for the 10-CD box of 'The Complete Mercury of Roland Kirk' (W. German press) $10 for 'Complete Helen Merrill on Mercury' (4-CD, Japan) $10 each for 3-CD sets of Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury (Vols. 1, 2 and 3, Japan) $7 for Capt. Beefheart 2-CD 'Dust Blows Forward' (still sealed), and $130 for 38 single-disc CDs, mostly OP jazz. (They're $4 each, $3 when you buy more than 10.) All of these came from the collection of a Univ. Georgia Art professor, who died within months of retirement. They've been priced by Gail, who runs the antique shop. There's easily 2,000 more CDs in piles, boxes, and shelves. I've been casually dropping by about every two weeks and everything stays where I left it, with just a couple sold. As downtown Athens is full of music hipsters, clerks and jerks -- you'd think the action would be fierce.

Upon Further Review -- "This album consists of standards..." ...AND two brief originals by JJ -- 'Flat Black' (4:17) and 'Bloozineff' (3:38) Considering JJ's previous Columbia LP 'Trombone and Voices' (arr. by Frank DeVol), 'Touch of Satin' isn't the 'polite jazz' Columbia's marketing czars may have wanted.

The $20 price would be about right for a mint 6-eye stereo from a used record store. The $20 asking price by flea market dealer is a bit audacious -- I'd offer $15 at the most. And the vinyl would have to be a minty-mint 6-eye stereo. 'Touch of Satin' is mostly standards (i.e. 'Satin Doll') by JJ with Adderley's rhythm section. The LP notes should've printed "all supporting musicians courtesy of Riverside Records".) This album consists of standards, very well played. None of the tracks are blazingly brillant. I could've done without 'Gigi' and 'When the Saints Go Marching In'.

In 1968, Jamal left Cadet and signed with ABC, who released 'Tranquility' (ABCS-660) as a POP ALBUM -- even though it was produced by Bob Thiele. It was four years later that ABC re-released 'Tranquility' as an Impluse jazz album with a gatefold (AS-9238). Back in '68, ABC execs thought they had a happening soul music roster featuring The Tams and The Impressions. (Really cool, dudes!)

In describing an upcoming piano trio club date, a New Yorker scribe put it, "Ellis Marsalis is perhaps best known for his work with Mrs. Marsalis."

The Hunt and The Search are about the process of scratching and crate-digging. While the Holy Grail might take years to acquire, along the way there's too many tangential, sideways artists to be discovered. These aren't names you were handed to type into a database -- they just appeared in a crate. And now you've got to read liner notes -- and suss 'em out before buying at the register. It forces you to STRETCH and use your instincts. As far as I'm concerned, I don't HAVE TO GET that Holy Grail. It's more fun finding stuff unexpectedly, accidentally, and serendipitously.

It's a relief to see that frivolity still counts around here. This reminds me of the time my neighborhood tavern asked me to leave -- -- they wanted to start Happy Hour.

The Question Inquisition continued: "What music did you buy today?" Sounds like my wife when get home from Atlanta. right up there with, "Why do you slouch at the dining table?" Let me wrap this in my best Peter Lorre voice: "Nothing but questions ... all these questions!" Not even the SH site routinely hammers its members with such mundane queries.

And that's one million posts in the "What Vinyl Are You Spinning" thread alone! And all the other control freak questions running right now in 5 of 17 topic areas: "What classical music are you..." "What live music are you..." "Which Mosaic are you..." "What are you listening to..." "What vinyl are you..." For all you duty-bound dependents, let me add: "When will you stop picking your nose?" "You're not going out looking like THAT, are you?"

Wanda Landowska had dainty hands? She brought a full, vigorous technique which modernized harpsichord playing which had been light and delicate.

Machito with John Coltrane on Roulette - 'Safari Moods' (featuring Johnny Hartman on 'African calls').

This clip may well depict how Uncle Bill 'gets over' when visiting the nephews. At least I don't light-up a spleef and speak in vout-o-roonies. There's nothing like an aging hipster trying to connect with Gen-Yechht.

Eddie Henderson LPs are popular 'door prizes' for strangers who meet on Texas highways.

Gene Lees' interviewing skills were his strong suit. His professional connections with composers, lyricists, and players allow him greater access to their guarded interiors. Lees' presence was relaxed and, to a fault, often name-droppingly chummy with his subjects. By developing such a personable, collegial dialogue, Lees could penetrate to the core and extract nuggets like no other. Yes, Lees was often running with the same coterie of chums, but when your company is Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Bobby Scott, Bill Crow, and Johnny Mercer -- the reader is along for a nice ride. This lulled the reader into Lees' relaxed conversations -- to the point of having a mild delusion of affiliation and friendship with his pals. 'Meet Me at Jim and Andy's' will make you feel like a regular, sitting close enough to hear the cats shooting the breeze.

The semi-trailers are already moving the Rounder masters to Iron Mountain -- never to be seen again. We can look forward to projects titled 'The Best of Alt-Everything' and 'Bluegrass On the Beach'. (Both easily obtained at Starbucks.)

You need to tell us which version of Jamal's 'Tranquility' you got: the 1968 LP single-jacket with the close-up head shot of Ahmad on the cover (ABCS-660) -- or the easier-to-find reissue with a gatefold jacket on ABC/Impulse which came out in 1972.