Kevin Bresnahan

Hank Mobley - Soul Station (Music Matters) New 33 rpm reissue series.

Yeah, one Saturday a month at their "back-alley office with very low rent in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The space is very hard to find, and was previously used as an apartment by a low-profile prostitute." I think if you visited them there, you'd remember it! No interior pictures of the store at 1180 N Milwaukee Ave. that I can find, but here's a street view of the current storefront (they were on the 2nd floor where the "Young Chicago Authors" program is now located: DG historical site. You should've seen some of the CD shops I visited in Taiwan, Korea & Hong Kong back in those days. Back alley? No problem! They are all a bit of a blur by now though. I used to research local CD shops and plan my business trips around the stores' hours, often staying an extra day (Saturday) to get some shopping in. The one place I've always wanted to go to that has eluded me is the Princeton Record Exchange. I really should plan a weekend trip down there someday.

It says that they also used to open one Saturday a month in 1996 and I'm pretty sure I visited them during that time too. Any pictures of the inside of the Wicker Park store?

I don't think so. How often has Dusty Groove moved? Where were they located 1995-99? That would be when I visited several times.

You're thinking of the Jazz Record Center in NYC. Yeah, the JRC is set up like that too, but Dusty Groove's was a bit different. For one thing, it wasn't as gloomy as the one in the JRC. I remember seeing some (very expensive) rare vinyl in that Dusty Groove vinyl room. I think they had a turntable in the hall where you could ask them to play certain LPs for you. My concern about remembering it right is that I went to a few record stores in Chicago back then and I might be remembering a different one. The location I'm thinking of was near the canals in downtown.

I let a buddy borrow my LP of Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" and it came back with a pop in "All Along The Watchtower". I still "hear" that pop even when I play the CD.

Don Patterson - These Are Soulful Days (Muse). Patterson with Jimmy Heath, Pat Martino & Albert Heath. Killer band but hasn't hit me yet. It's kinda boring. The biggest bummer is that the record looks mint but plays with loud pops throughout. This is what I always hated about vinyl. Never the sound, just these apparently random noises on a perfect-looking record. CTI pressings are the worst offenders but this one is pretty bad.

Ornette Coleman - The Empty Foxhole (Blue Note). Connoisseur LP. I knew I wouldn't really dig this but I found it in the used bins today. I wanted to hear it, now I have. It'll be going to someone else now.

I was bummed when I was told that this show was cancelled. I worried that this might happen. They also cancelled the Jay Clayton/Houston Person show the night before (also due to poor ticket sales). I guess I'll go to the SF Jazz Collective at the Regattabar. I hope they don't cancel that one too. Nice lineup: Miguel Zenon, alto David Sanchez, tenor Avishai Cohen, trumpet Robin Eubanks, trombone Warren Wolf, vibes Edward Simon, piano Matt Penman, bass Obed Calvaire, drums

Kenny Dorham - Jazz Contemporary (Time). Nice original pressing that I found in a bin for $6 today.

Just played my copy and yes, I agree, too "relaxed" for my taste, nice playing, but the choice of the tunes is definitely on the dull side. I remember being all excited to hear this date when I finally found a copy and how disappointed I was when I finally played it. Snoozer is right.

Now spinning vinyl on my new VPI Scout SE turntable that my wife got me for Christmas. Gerry Rafferty - City To City

Tonight at the Regattabar, Ron Carter, Donald Harrison and Billy Cobham. Should be a good one!

I went there quite a few times in the 90's and it's looks very different. Also, there used to be an archway about halfway down the wall that led to the LP section, which was another room by itself. Of course, I could be remembering it all wrong too.

Herb Geller - Fungi Mama (Comet Records). Live date from Siegen, (West) Germany in 1984. Looks like a boot but sounds like a professional recording. Polite playing by all. I've never heard of anyone in the rhythm section: Hartmut Sperl, paino; Bernd Wolf, bass & Achim Brauer, drums.

Next Thursday, March 20, 2014, guitarist Roni Ben-Hur is bringing a killer band into the Scullers Jazz Club. Unfortunately, the club's webiste hasn't spelled out the band members too clearly. Roni Ben-Hur - guitar Freddie Hendrix - trumpet Grant Stewart - tenor sax George Cables - piano Santi Debriano - bass Victor Lewis - drums After hearing about the band Roni's bringing, I bought a couple of tickets. If you're in the Boston area next Thursday and looking for a great night of Jazz, I suggest buying a ticket or two for yourself.

CD Baby cancelled my order saying, "We've tried contacting the artist multiple times to request more copies, but unfortunately, we're having some difficulty restocking this album. Because we don't want to leave you in order-limbo forever, we're going to cancel your backorder for now."

John Coltrane and Lee Morgan - The Best Of Birdland Vol. 1 (Roulette/Birdland). Original issue. Coltrane on Side 1, Morgan on side 2. It's interesting to hear this as it was released instead of broken up and combined onto other CDs.

Baritone Madness - Heavy Berries (Swing Master n.m. 004). A Dutch band of Henk Van Es, Jenne Meinema, Alan Laurillard, Hans Bosch & Frans Vermeerssen on baritone sax; Kees Post on Roland piano & synth; Gerry Arling on bass and Harrie Arling on drums. Recorded in Groningen, Netherlands in 1987. Some good stuff, some not so good stuff. The couple of vocal tracks really aren't for me. I can't complain too much for $3.

I let him know but I doubt there's much he can do. He hasn't worked for Blue Note for a couple of years now.

I actually had an application filled out but never submitted for BLUNOTE in NH. I see where it's still available.

Nice ! It was awesome. Mike Stern & Sonny Fortune played some incredible solos. Buster's bass had an electric pick-up that ruined his sound. All twangy and whirring (from his fingers sliding on the strings, but other than that, well worth the trip.

Tonight at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA - Four Generations of Miles Davis with Mike Stern, Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams and Jimmy Cobb.

Billy Higgins - Bridgework (Contemporary). Nice LP made up from a couple of different dates. One session has Harold Land and Buster Williams and the other has James Clay and Tony Dumas. I had Billy sign my copy when I saw him play with Charles Lloyd at the Regattabar shortly before he died. What a nice guy to talk to and a great drummer. I miss this guy a lot.

Different mastering on all three versions as far as I can tell. Now that I think about it, the 3rd mastering might not have had "SBM" written on it. I seem to remember that difference between the 2nd and 3rd masterings is the location of the alternates. The 2nd remaster had the alternate following the issued take and the 3rd remaster had them at the end.