Bill Nelson

I've always regarded Anita Baker as THE successor to Sarah Vaughan. (And I've experienced both live and close-up.) Perhaps Bruce L. will provide Anita the future album project where she gets to select and sing her favorite jazz standards. THAT would bring it all back home to Sassy.

Yeah, my brochure run started with #7 or 8 (whichever had Cecil Taylor on the cover). As my file cabinet got jammed, I said,"WHY am I keeping these around? WHO have I gotta convince at this point?" They were thoughtfully recycled with my office paper and I haven't kept any since.

There's one more Herb Ellis on Columbia from 1963 that would fill a 2-CD set from Sony. It's 'Four To Go' (CS-8818) which was released as Andre Previn's album, but is a powerhouse foursome of Previn, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne.

And so, lacking any specifics, how would you want us to assist?

Since it ain't an Ebay auction that's about to end, I'm not in such a dang hurry to close the deal with the Dusties. If you take an enlightened attitude about The Search, there's 50-plus years of printed information out there somewhere when it comes to digging info on modern jazz releases. In the process of looking up, say, five titles which aren't online (AMG), you can spot a slew of others along the way -- and your search effort is rewarded even more.

Don't you really mean to say: "Never before issued" or "Previously unissued"? In THAT case, Dusty's got us all by the 'grooves'. If so, my 'trigger' hinges on the recording conditions/circumstances/personnel and the equipment and engineer who recorded it. If it was 'home-recorded' at an after-hours party -- see you later. RE: anything that's being "reissued", a first-pressing review can likely be found in some print medium retrieval system -- even if you have to go to the local college library to find original copies of 'Jazz Review', which I've done. The research beats having stacks of half-assed CDs that you're not terribly thrilled to play.

The Morgan/Shorter set seems to have arbitrarily been cut-off at # 1904 (the highest # anyone has posted so far on the Org JF board). You'd think Mosaic would be getting them in batches of 500 and their supply would've expired at # 2,000. Maybe Universal seized the remaining 95 sets? (Or Dusty Groove, the bastards!)

RE: Dusty Groove Item Desciptions Some tips -- 1. Read their write-ups of items you already own (or used to). 'Suss' their hyperbole and over-the-top ravings -- are they accurate or justified? Be wary when you see "this album is pretty darn good" -- it's actually the kiss of death. 2. Sample any album you haven't heard before pulling the trigger -- hit Amazon and CD Universe for a taste of select tracks. 3. Also, research at AMG -- maybe there's a good reason the album you want only gets 2 stars. 4. Once you sized-up their writing/raves -- you can read between the lines and pick the meat from the shaft.

Lucky Thompson 'Tricotism' for $150 -- might've been sold by the guy who bought yours for $12 -- now THAT can make you crazy.

At first glance at the O-Forum home page, I thought this album was a tribute to Elvin Jones' 1963 Impulse LP, 'Illumination!'. Elvin and Jimmy Garrison were co-leaders in a sextet "featuring McCoy Tyner", and including the horns of Sonny Simmons, Prince Lasha, and Charles Davis. And so, to avoid confusion with the Real Deal, perhaps McCoy should've titled this new one: 'Coasting On the Wind'.

The details of Whitehead's move will be provided on a 'Need-to-Know' basis. The readers of this board just can't be trusted. After the cosmetic surgery has healed, Whitehead will resurface with a new face and identity. Even though he may soon return and walk freely among us, we'll never know it.

Sometime this week, NYC forensic police may find the limp corpse of Stanley Crouch and determine he was slapped to death.

'NOTC' is for BN heads and completists. It's such a ragged recording and the playing is not up to the usual Lion/Wolff standard (I'm surprised they were THAT desperate to recoup their advance to Hubbard). I've dumped my Liberty copies (Vols. 1 and 2), which were probably snapped up by newbie BN collectors. There's a reason so many of us with large collections unload our copies of 'NOTC' -- we need the shelfspace for more important recordings.

It's the 'Ne Plus Ultra' * of East Coast Cool! * the Supreme Shit

Thanks, CA, for straightening my wild hares. Speaking of Riverside Oddball Projects, how about that series of at least a dozen auto racing LPs. (During a blindfold test, how can you tell them apart?) Also: jazz LPs that played from the INSIDE OUT-- and in colored vinyl.

If I've got this brain nugget right, in '63 Bill Grauer was left holding the bag trying to collect from all his independent distributors. Riverside was reeling into bankruptcy, even with 'hit' albums by Adderley, Evans, and Montgomery. Grauer checked-out for good in December, taking a leap from a tall building. ** For small labels, having major 'hits' can be a curse -- right away you've got cashflow problems. ** was told to me 20 years ago by a Riverside collector, who had most of their LPs recorded at 16 rpm.

In high school, the next day after each Flip Wilson Show, we'd be re-playing our fave Flip bits. Among us public school blacks and whites, Flip really brought us together. (I really dug the Reverend Lee-roy of The Church of What's Happenin' Now.) Flip did one heluva balancing act -- and on prime time TV. The pressure must've been incredible cause nobody, especially Bill Cosby, had pushed it further to the edge like this. IMO, Cosby was not nearly as bold, imaginative, or funny.

Gratification in action -- #529 is in the house and in heavy rotation. Expectations definately fulfilled.

I've got several CDs and LPs of Frank Rosolino which will always stay in rotation. Fortunately, I ONLY know him for his music. What he did in the last 10 minutes of his life doesn't affect my enjoyment of the swinging sides he made for Capitol, Reprise, and Concord.

And so, this Larry Young Mosaic box 'sighting' was nothing more than a lovely sunset. We can only dream of many more.

Last Wednesday I jumped -- even with the 3 CDs (2 Jap, 1 Verve Elite) I've already got. When it arrives tomorrow* (it should be well past #500) it'll be the total, comprehensive package of all Verve recordings with superb mastering by Malcolm Addey. *Delayed Gratification is my middle name

The first bassoon-led jazz LP has to be Stuart McKay's 1955 RCA release, 'Reap the Wild Winds'. It's one of those very early RCA gatefold jazz albums with a nice laminated slick on the front (LJM-1021) and recorded in New York's Nola studios. The four woodwinds are joined by a French horn, piano, guitar, bass, drums and occasional voice(s). The entire music program is beyond classification. Recorded July 22, 23 and August 3, 1954, it preceeds Gunther Schuller's 'Third Stream' theory and most other 'chamber jazz' efforts. RCA launched its 'Jazz Workshop' series two years later in '56, featuring McKusick, Byers, Carisi, Russell, etc. Think of four NYC classical longhairs getting loose on their reeds during a break from their orchestra gigs. This was a one-shot that shouldn't exist. And the way the band sings 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' in constantly shifting meters is the very essence of 'oddball'.

Let me retract the above riposte and be the one to "get over it". You're either in the minority who appreciates Jackie Paris or you're not. The inference that some of us are deliberately creating his 'legend' is not accurate. I think most of the positive comments herein have been stated with care. Nobody's gone overboard in gushing about a 'legend'.

Now that he's dead and 6 ft. under, you have nothing to worry about. So get over it.

I'm keeping my 'Caramba' and 'Charisma' -- and letting 'Tom Cat' slide. Alfred was right -- it's not particularly strong or inspired, just average. Which, I know, is fine for Lee Morgan heads...