Kevin Bresnahan

Really? I've heard snippets of all of this stuff over time and none of it has me itching to spend big bucks to get it on CD. Heck, I've even waffled at spending $5 for a used LP of it.

These kinds of stories always get me to laugh when someone makes a comment about not buying/listening to artist XXX because he/she is a terrible person. The latest was someone who doesn't listen to an obscure tenor saxophonist named Turk Mauro because of his past. Trombonist Frank Rosolino also seems to get lumped into the "I won't listen to his music after what he did". But Miles? Everybody listens to Miles! The usual retort when Miles is involved is "I don't have to like the man to listen to his music".

I guess we'll have to see if Mr. Nessa can chime in here. I believe that the artist or the label they're under contract to owns the rights to any recording, not the company/person who made that recording. It must all come down to the contract Miles signed. It's possible that it was licensed for radio airplay only. Since he was under contract to Columbia, there's little chance that they would want this released on another label.

Truth is, he was right about most of them too. Several slow sellers were issued on CD and they were slow sellers again. Don Wilkerson, George Braith, Leo Parker and Booker Ervin were always tough sellers. Not every Blue Note artist garners much more interest today than they did in years gone by. Only a few like Grant Green became hotter as the years went by. One of their bigger sellers back in the day, The Three Sounds, seem to have lost their cachet today. That's why so few of their LPs were reissued on CD in the US.

I've had terrible luck with Inner City pressings. They can look perfect in the store and play with crackles & pops all over the place.

Is this set worth picking up? Is it already out of print? There's a seller from Sweden with copies listed but their feedback is terrible. BTW, when Royal Jazz issued some material from this tour prior to the EU 50 year copyright limit, they got sued/stopped by Miles' estate. So the only reason this release is legitimate is because the copyright has lapsed, not because it was licensed from the estate. Most artists would still consider this a bootleg since they don't get a dime from it.

Curtis hasn't been playing that well for a while. While that's understandable given his age, I also heard that he had part of one lung removed, which would hinder anyone, never mind a trombone player. The last time I saw him, he used a wireless microphone and it captured his sound much better. Before that, he soloed with a microphone basically stuffed into the bell of his horn. I wonder why he didn't stick with the wireless unit? He has to know if made him sound a lot better. Like you, I've been glad to see him and I plan to see him again if he makes his way through the Boston area.

What's with the severed head? Who is the severed head?

And so the band members continue to die away and fail to reap the benefits of their musical careers during the CD era as Dave Clark continues to refuse to allow their individual albums to be released on CD. It's too bad that these guys failed to make a few more bucks because of one guy.

Hardly any companies offer pension plans these days and those that do offer only a shell of what they used to offer with the rest coming for your own money (401K). It's all about 401K now. Considering how everyone's 401K accounts just got beat up in 2008, we'll all be working until we die.

Tonight in Boston: Branford Marsalis - 4 MFs Playing Tunes.

Donald Byrd - Blackjack (blue label with VAN GELDER in the deadwax). Funky stuff. I always liked this date. RIP Donald.

Donald Byrd - Royal Flush (dark blue label with Van Gelder in the deadwax)

An era is ending as great musicians like Donald Byrd pass. I am glad I caught the tail end of it. I never got the chance to see him on a stage but he lives on in my music collection. I play a lot of his Blue Note dates.

Cecil Payne & Duke Jordan - Brooklyn Brothers (Muse)

I had all those Atlas lps. Usually well recorded in LA. Medium level sessions in my house. I agree. Rather formulaic bop but very well-played formulaic bop. Piano sound doesn't help any. It almost sounds like an upright bar piano.

Sonny Stitt (Art Pepper) - Atlas Blues "Blow! & Ballade" (Atlas Japan)

I immediately thought of the Buck Clayton Jam Sessions when I opened this topic. But another I expected to see was Duke Ellington's "Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue" from Newport '56.

I didn't like "Footprints Live" much at all. I guess that means I understood what this band was doing back then too?

It's still being used but Rudy pretty much stopped cutting vinyl in the late 80's when most record labels dropped vinyl. I have plenty of CDs that were recorded at Rudy's place in the 90s and 00s. Fine recording but I bought it because of Hardman, Cook, etc back when it was released. The RVG connection was at least secondary. While I may have bought it on a whim for "Van Gelder" in the deadwax, the names certainly helped in this case. Turk Mauro & Jed Levy on the other hand...

Bill Hardman - Home (Muse). Another bargain bin Van Gelder pressing. These are turning out to be pretty fun - buy it for "Van Gelder" in the deadwax for a few dollars and take your chances. This one is one of the best ones yet. Never on CD either. Well worth picking up if you trip over it in some store. It's still being used but Rudy pretty much stopped cutting vinyl in the late 80's when most record labels dropped vinyl. I have plenty of CDs that were recorded at Rudy's place in the 90s and 00s.

Turk Mauro - Heavyweight! (Phoenix Jazz). I bought this mainly because it had Van Gelder in the deadwax but it doesn't matter the "why", I'm glad I picked it up. Good stuff. What a fucking bizarre All Music entry!! http://www.allmusic.com/artist/turk-mauro-mn0000169721

Jed Levy - Good People (Reservoir). Van Gelder in the deadwax. I didn't even know that Rudy was cutting masters in 1988 after he'd gone over to digital recording. Even the Muse stuff he recorded at that time came with "Mastered by RVG" in the deadwax, not his eponymous "VAN GELDER" stamp, which I always assumed meant that someone else did the actual cutting.

Pat Metheny - The Pat Metheny Group (ECM) 1978. Sounds like early smooth Jazz. What do you want for a dollar?

Elvin Jones - The Ultimate. Dark blue label Van Gelder pressing. I do like this trio. I think "Putting It Together" is a bit better but this is pretty good.