Kevin Bresnahan

Shows how to use EAC to copy a CD.

My search for a decent commuter car has not ended. I am leaning away from a simple car and toward a small SUV. I will have two daughters in college next year and moving them back and forth to school requires a vehicle with some space in back. At the moment, I'm leaning toward a used Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which is about the only way I can afford one (new ones run over $30K). If I do buy a Toyota, and it's certainly not a done deal yet, I expect it will be a great car. It may have problems that will be fixed, either by a recall or simply by me finding something wrong. All car makers have problems and it's how they handle those problems that makes the difference. FWIW, I hope the bad part, which seems to be on US made Toyotas, is not due to a US manufacturer screwing up a spec. If they do find that out, that company will be locked out of future Toyota builds. My company does business in the automotive industry and they insist on zero defects. It is VERY hard to make ANYTHING with zero defects for life. Kevin EDIT #2: I just read that the part in question is supplied by a US supplier. Well, they're probably out of business now. More headed for unemployment. EDIT #1: I just got a call from my sister-in-law. A few years back, she called me for advice on how to get out of her 2007 Toyota Camry that stalled on the highway in rush hour traffic. She was terrified that she was going to die driving that car. I told her to bring it into the dealer and if they came back with the expected "there's nothing wrong with your car", demand a new car. She did, and wound up paying a bit out of pocket for a new Honda Accord (which she hates - handling's too stiff). She is wondering there will be a class action lawsuit. I told her it's probably already in the works but the end result would probably be a coupon for $2000 a new Toyota.

The rule making it illegal to hit a quarterback at the knees was put into effect after the Steelers' Kimo von Oelhoffen rolled into Carson Palmer's knee and knocked him out of a playoff game in 2006 so technically it's "The Palmer Rule". When Brady got injured, it was from a player who, after he was blocked to the ground, got up and dove at his knee. The NFL added a restriction to the Palmer Rule making that move illegal as well.

Rock & Roll day.... Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Live Bullet Up next: 'Til Tuesday - Voices Carry folowed by: Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles All of these are from Stereo Jack's dollar bin!

And this will make me want to buy a GM vehicle at full price why?????? Wake up GM. It's people like me that GM NEEDS to gain back, not people who already have their stuff. The last 5 or 6 GM products I've owned had huge maintenance costs. From what I'm hearing at work, Ford isn't any better these days. A friend's F-150 is costing him about $2,500 per year in maintenance costs. So I'm supposed to switch back to GM why? Ford? Tell me what are my incentives? Sorry Lon, but Saturn's going the way of the Edsel. If you want one, buy it now. In a few years, it'll be a "collectible" and that almost always equates to "big bucks". Kevin

Here I am thinking about possibly switching back to an American car after many carefree years in several Toyotas. I go back & forth on this, mainly because in the end, I have to pay for the decision and my last few American cars have cost me A LOT. However, I do want to support American workers. So as I have looked at the (mostly expensive) American car offerings, I have visited several dealers and gotten on some E-mail lists. The offers come fast & furious. The latest from GM really has me scratching my head. To wit: It pays to be loyal. We're giving you Owner Loyalty Cash good toward almost every new 2009 and 2010 GM vehicle. As long as you or someone in your household owns or leases a 1999 or newer model year GM vehicle, you can redeem your Owner Loyalty Cash and use it toward an eligible, new one. But act quickly — this exclusive offer ends February 1, 2010. To see the list of eligible vehicles, or to get more information, click here. Your discount pays off. Want even more great savings? It's easy. Combine your Owner Loyalty Cash with your Credit Union Member Discount from GM,² plus most current incentives. Duh. Why on earth would you limit it to current owners?? Wouldn't it make more sense to try and give people incentive to SWITCH BACK to GM car rather than try and tap current owners? What incentive do I have to switch? None. Screw these guys. I'm going back to Toyota! :) BTW, since I started this thread, I found out that the Ford Fusion is 100% Mexican made. So much for buying an American made Ford. Later, Kevin

I've traveled to the Vanguard on several occasions and every time, I've tried to drag along a friend of mine who lives in the area. Every time I ask, he says, "I'm not going back to the Vanguard until the bitch dies". Later, Kevin

No. Exact Audio Copy does what it says - it makes exact audio copies. Windows Media Player does not make that claim because it doesn't. It'll rip right through read errors and let the error correction worry about it. As CJ mentions above, this is especially important with damaged discs. BTW, copying HDCD encoded discs is even trickier. I have had a lot of trouble, even with EAC. I get some high frequency distortion with some HDCD encoded CDs. Quite frankly, EAC can be daunting for someone who just wants to copy a CD. If you want a nice easy ripper, try CDex. Kevin

Unless another player has added it, Windows Media Player is the only media player with a graphic equalizer. While some might not care for this or feel that they have to listen to their music flat, I find a lot of today's rock CDs sound like crap without rolling off some of the highs. I use it for almost all playback situations. I would NEVER use it as a ripper. Shudder. wma files suck. I use Exact Audio Copy (EAC) for all of my ripping. Unfortunately, I have been told that it is not supported on Vista (another reason why I never upgraded). Kevin

Scott Wendholt Yeah, Scott's a good one too. Definitely worth checking out if you're into post bop trumpet.

I had my blood drawn this morning for my annual PSA check. Since I have a family history, it's a no-brainer. I still hate the finger check. That's next week. I wish I had a doctor with smaller fingers.

Although I know you're kidding, you should know that Eric Alexander is a triathlete. I would not bet against him in any athletic event, even wrestling.

Mea culpa on the transposing of Jim Cullum to Jamie Cullum. Freudian slip?

I never liked that there had to be winners either. However, it was instrumental in getting new players into the public's eye and in my book, that's a good thing. By the time Joshua Redman won in 1991, winning equated with a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records, which is also a good thing. BTW, Chris Potter tied for 3rd with Tim Warfield, another favorite of mine. A complete list of Monk Competition winners is here: http://www.monkinstitute.org/competition.php?Page=COMP-PW. Check out some of the winners and losers. It's a who's who of today's Jazz stars. If this competition made them into the players they are today, it has to be a good thing, right?

Having been a follower of the Monk competition back in those days, I wouldn't call the results "unbelievable" or even that surprising. As John L pointed out, Chris Potter came in 3rd. It was just unfortunate (or fortunate?) that there were 3 excellent players in the same category that year. One had to "win". That word "win" deserves quotes because there really isn't any qualitative way to judge a Jazz performance. Maybe Redman played his progressions better? Maybe Alexander flubbed a note? Maybe Potter played something that the judges didn't like? Who knows? BTW, I don't think you should completely discount the fact that Redman's dad Dewey was friends with most of the judges. While I would hope that wasn't a deciding factor, I don't see how it could hurt Joshua if everything else was equal.

Although I don't own it, I assume that the DCC gold CD would be the best sounding CD version out there. I have never been disappointed by the sound of these DCC gold CDs.

Then why are you here on Organissimo's web forum? After all, they are a "traditional" organ trio. Hadn't realized that being a fan of "hard bop (or any) traditionalism" was a requirement for membership here. Did you like Matthew's self-proclaimed "threadcrap"? My reply was to point out that if a traditional playing style bugs him that much, he might be better off hanging out at a website run by a band that plays in a less traditional style. Would Matthew come into a thread about Organissimo's "Groovadelphia" and bitch that it's "organ trio tradition" is now on the level of the Jamie Cullum Jazz Band? I think not.

I don't get "the Jim Cullum sense" added on here. I was not comparing Organissimo to Jamie Cullum. To my ears, Organissimo plays in a traditional Jazz organ trio style, rooted pretty nicely in the Jimmy Smith tradition. Sure, there are nice twists & turns but it's a style that would fit just as well in 1965 as it does in 2010. There is nothing "Jamie Cullum" in their playing style any more than there is in Eric Alexander's. If someone comes here to discuss Jazz, there really is no need to put down a player because he or she plays in a traditional style. There's room for all styles.

Then why are you here on Organissimo's web forum? After all, they are a "traditional" organ trio.

Jim Rotondi is one of the founding members of One For All, otherwise known as Today's Jazz Messengers. Like nearly everyone else in this band, he gets dinged by the Jazz cognoscenti for playing hard bop. "No development". "Not moving forward". "If I want to hear this, I'll put on a Lee Morgan Blue Note record". Well, I got news for you, Lee Morgan's dead. There are not too many trumpeters today that play pure hard bop. For someone like me who loves to hear a hot band smokin' some hard bop, I am grateful for One For All and Jim Rotondi. I've seen him several times live and I've enjoyed every one. I go to hear hard bop and that's what he plays. If I went to a show and he suddenly started playing crazy outside stuff, I'd be bummed. That's not why I go to see him. Kevin

I asked Michael Cuscuna & Ron McMaster about this and they have no idea what Steve Hoffman was talking about with "The Sidewinder" master tape. According to Ron, the master that Steve "found" is the same one that he's used many times. In fact, when Ron used it a few weeks later to cut an LP, he said the writing on the box was plain as day that it had been used by him & RVG for the previous CD releases.

I actually haven't heard anything from Michael Cuscuna in quite a while. However, given my last conversation, I would guess that there is very little in the pipeline right now. I have heard rumors that Michael may not even be working for Blue Note any more, but I haven't called him to ask. I'm actually afraid of the answer.

I picked up all 4 of the new XRCDs and while they do sound great, the TOCJ versions of "True Blue" and "Speakin' My Piece" sound very similar. Given that not everyone has the ability to buy these older TOCJ discs, the XRCD is the way to go. If you have the TOCJ CD, you may be able to save the $30. So for "Cool Struttin'" and "Soul Station", I am very happy. Kevin

I'm in the market for a new commuter car. My Prius is hitting 125,000 miles so it's time to delegate it for around-town transport duties. I want to support the US auto industry - yeah, stupid me, I know - I may regret it later. Anyway, I test drove a Ford Fusion, which is about the only car in their line-up that appealed to me, but the seat was extremely uncomfortable. It seems that Ford made a decision that they weren't going to let the owner of the car adjust the headrest to their comfort. Ford has it permanently pointing at the back of your skull. When you settle back into the seat, your head points down and you wind up looking at your crotch. Hey, there are some crotches I enjoy staring at, but I think I'd be better off looking out the window while I'm driving. So GM... pared down to Chevy, Buick and Cadillac. Obviously, a Caddie is not a "commuter car". Buick doesn't make any small cars at all anymore, although their cars get decent gas mileage as is. Chevy. The Aveo? No way. Tiny little thing. Cobalt? Malibu? A lot of these cars look kinda plastic-y inside, although a lot better than the '09 Pontiacs. So any opinions out there? Should I say "screw it" and go with my tried & true Toyota again? BTW, I was in a Nissan dealer to look at the Rogue mini-SUV and I saw this funky-looking little car called Cube. Wow. Weirdest looking car I've ever sat in. But I have to say, it has the most headroom of any car I've ever sat in too. 28 city/30 highway. Hmmmm. Maybe a Cube is in my future? If so, my wife's already said she'll never drive "That ugly car. Ever." Later, Kevin

Jim - Have you looked into the Artist Share route? I would think you could get a few of us here to sponsor you. Kevin