Kevin Bresnahan

First off, you cannot plug a turntable straight into a PC line input. A PC line input is not at the same level as the turntable and does not have the necessary EQ applied to it. You need a phono pre-amp. If you do record it straight-up, it'll sound very weird, all tinny and the level will be so low, you'll have to crank up the input level so high there will be distortion. I believe you should be able to pick a good one up for under $100. If you have something plugged into the PC line input and nothing is happening, some Windows installations default to have the line-in muted. To unmute it, double-click the picture of the speaker down in the right-hand corner of your taskbar, next to the clock. Under "Options", click Properties. Select "Adjust volume for" Recording. After you click "OK", you should see sliders for your inputs. The box has to be checked or the input is muted. Different sound cards may have different lingo here, so look around these windows until you find the right input. DO NOT USE THE MICROPHONE INPUT. Really lousy sound from this input. I did it by accident once and I couldn't believe how bad it sounded.

Well, there's a reason I read the article... it was in the Boston Globe, an on-line newspaper that I read with some regularity. From http://www.boston.com/business/technology/...hnology+stories iPod generation tunes out of Japanese jazz culture By Aiko Wakao | January 28, 2007 YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Once a haven for Japan's earliest jazz fans, cafe Chigusa is packing up its thousands of vinyl records. "These days, kids don't listen to jazz, and they walk down the street with iPods, which makes the whole idea of 'place' irrelevant," says Michael Molasky, author of "The Jazz Culture of Postwar Japan." Seventy-three years after first opening its doors, Chigusa, among the oldest and the most cherished of Japan's jazz coffee shops, has become a victim of the electronic revolution. For its patrons, mostly male and alone, the cafe was a place of learning and of comfort. The unspoken rules, which they followed faithfully, included listening to the music in silence and waiting in turn to make a request, jotting it down on a scrap of paper. And no alcohol or snapping fingers. "Filled with sound, smoke, and hundreds of records, jazz coffee houses used to be a space for young people who came looking for a proper understanding of the music," says Molasky, professor of Asian languages and literature at the University of Minnesota. Chigusa enjoyed a glorious epoch in the 1960s and early 70s, when students and musicians gathered to listen to imported albums that were otherwise beyond their means. "Now we only have about 10 regulars, who've been coming for years," says Masatomi Kaneshige, a 65-year-old retiree who often helps out at the cafe. "Young people hardly come here. This place must look so strange and dark to them, with old men sitting quietly, sipping coffee and listening to vibrant jazz." But on its last Saturday in business, the small cafe was full from before its official opening at noon. Around the six tiny tables sat 10 customers, half familiar faces and the rest newcomers -- both young and old -- who came for their first and last Chigusa experience after hearing about its closure. Kaneshige gazed at the 40 record covers pasted on Chigusa's walls and pointed at the signed copy of Bill Evans Trio's best-selling "Waltz for Debby," a favorite, he recalls, of the cafe's founder, Mamoru Yoshida, who passed away 13 years ago. Chigusa, soon to be replaced by a new building complex, was opened in 1937 by 20-year-old Yoshida, who fell in love with jazz at public dance halls and began collecting imported records. World War Two brought great troubles for Yoshida, who had to hide his 6,000 records in his basement at a time when many jazz coffee houses were raided and most dance halls closed. A U.S. air raid in 1945 destroyed the cafe along with all the vinyl albums. Yoshida reopened his cafe soon after the war, creating a refuge for occupying American soldiers and musicians who played at nearby U.S. bases. They also brought Yoshida many of the latest 12-inch records, valuable additions to his new collection. Chigusa, located in an old nightclub district in the port city of Yokohama, also became a classroom for young Japanese talent, such as pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and trumpeter Terumasa Hino -- now world-class artists - where they listened to rare John Coltrane LPs and learned to write scores. "There was a huge jazz boom triggered by the arrival of French new wave movies and Hollywood films that used modern jazz," Molasky said. "Suddenly, jazz coffee shops sprung up everywhere." In the 1970s, even popular writer Haruki Murakami, then a student, set up his own jazz cafe, where he began work on his first novel. His later works are peppered with jazz references. But then, rock and punk came along, as did CDs and better personal audio systems. The fever for jazz began to fade. After founder Yoshino passed away, his younger sister Takako Yoshida took over Chigusa. Lately, though, Takako, now 77, found it difficult to run the place on her own. For long-time regulars like Masayuki Isozaki, everything from the walls yellowed by cigarette smoke to the simple menu of 500 yen ($4) coffee, tea and soda were the reasons that drew him to Chigusa almost every week since the age of 20. "Last week at work, the thought of saying goodbye to all this brought tears to my eyes," said Isozaki, 54. But jazz coffee houses are not only about what went before. "Yes, times are changing and many old cafes are closing," said 36-year old Yusuke Miyamoto, who grew up in the neighbourhood. "But there are some new ones opening up and many young people like jazz too, including me, who picked up the alto saxophone after I started going to these coffee shops." Yukio Saito, 31, started an online community for jazz coffee shop owners and customers in 1997. There are now around 100 listed on the Web site, which posts events and reviews. "I am sure there are people out there who would love to take on a place like this, or at least, carry on the tradition," said 29-year old Megumi Saito who stepped into the cafe for the first time. "It has such a wonderful atmosphere."

I just read an article about these shops with the gist of it being that they are rapidly closing up shop. They blame the iPod generation. I can't remember where I saw it, but it wasn't too long ago.

This is a big bummer. I will always remember that concert I saw in June of 2000 with Andrew, Jackie Mac, Hutcherson and Smilin' Billy. What a show!

I think he was referring to the unissued material. That's the way I read it too.

It is very disappointung to see this, but not totally unexpected. These CDs are very rare and someone will always see profit first. Not everyone is as altruistic about this music as many of us here. Hell, I've sold several Mosaic boxes at face value to other board members knowing I could have tripled my money on eBay. I have to admit that although I didn't buy any CDs to re-sell, I did buy several thinking that if I didn't like them, I would have no trouble re-selling them. Quite frankly, anyone trying to earn a buck by flipping Jazz CDs on eBay in this rapidly declining market is doomed to failure, even if they initial outlay is $10 each. This seller's starting price for most of these titles is $20. I didn't buy them from ejazzlines at $10, why would I buy them at $20? Later, Kevin

I asked Michael Cuscuna about this issue yesterday and he replied: "We never got the rights to the rest of the material and Tony never selected and mixed it. I'm not sure what I will do about that at this point." From the sounds of it, if you want it, pay the piper. IMHO, $80 is a lot more than I'd be willing to pay for this.

We can go around and around with this and it will never get us anywhere. Let's keep it simple and cut out all the analogies. If your conscience allows you to buy Lonehill releases, go for it. Mine does not. I consider their product stolen goods, in many cases stolen from companies I really like and would hate to see close... like Mosaic Records. My conscience sees Lonehill and it equates them with "death of Mosaic Records". I only worry about my end. You worry about yours.

Which ones would those be? Maybe 5 or 6 titles? Herman Foster's "The Explosive Piano of Herman Foster" and "Have You Heard Herman", Tubby Hayes's "Introducing Tubbs", Dave Pike's "Pike's Peak" and Charlie Rouse's "Yeah!" are the only ones I had trouble finding on CD. As you can see with the links I provided, every one of them is available on LP from www.vinyl.com. They also carry Dave Bailey's "Getting Into Something". They sound good too. I own several of them. FWIW, Dusty Groove had the Rouse and Pike dates on CD from Japan for a long time. There was also a US compilation for Charlie Rouse called "Unsung Hero" that had almost all of "Yeah!".

There's a lot of things that I want that are not available for me to buy. Doesn't make it right for me to steal it.

Dave Bailey, still alive by the way, trying to pay the bills and making a living in the Jazz world, would probably thank you for buying it from the Lonehill pirates too.

My only complaint about these CDs has always been that they are so short, the label could easily create two-fers. As it is, some of these sessions, which were probably 10 inch LPs, run under 30 minutes. Sure, it's 30 minutes of great music, but it doesn't help the wallet. Quite honestly, I've always bought these in the used bin because of this. Maybe if they had made two-fers, I might have felt different.

Jeez, quoting April 1st posts now qualifies for "April Fools"? I almost choked on my coffee on that "Up At Minton's" line.

Ejazzlines told me via E-mail that they got 6 orders for that one copy of Hank Mobley Quartet in about 30 seconds. I missed it too. So far, I've only missed two titles. They are pretty quick to update their on-line inventory, just not immediate. It's too bad they can't make the inventory live. There's nothing worse than sitting back and thinking you got your order in to get that title you wanted, only to find out it was already bought. Drives me crazy. FWIW, the Euclid Records website is even worse than this. I've bought stuff from their website and seen the title listed for weeks afterward. I recently E-mailed them to tell them how frustrating it was and they said they're planning to update it soon. I hope so. Great selection, good prices and excellent customer service

ON HOLD REDUCED was $80 now $60 Herbie Hancock - The Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions (6 CDs) Disc 3 has a couple of very faint scuffs. The other CDs have been played but look new. Small, barely-visible-under-bright-light scratches may be on them and I just can’t see them.

That never stopped them before. Besides, I thought public domain in the EU was 50 years from the recording date?

I got in 25 of 30 so far. But then again, I'm relatively close.

Unfortunately, many of these 1,500 Yen releases are remastered pretty loud. So unless you're looking for a specific title that you don't have and not an audio upgrade, these CDs aren't very appealing. This bums me out. I used to salivate over Japanese reissues, expecting them to sound better. Now that the Japanese mastering engineers have joined in the Loudness Wars, they're pumping out over-compressed music like everyone else. Kevin

I think the copy of "Tenorman" was the old CP28 version, which I seem to remember Cuscuna telling me was done by Ron McMaster. You can tell if it's the first issue if there's a bonus track. I don't believe the leader plays on it, which is why it was taken off on the recent reissue.

Up with a price reduction on the Herbie Hancock box. Sorry I put this in the Mosaic forum. I meant to put it in the "Offering and Looking" forum. I'll try to have Jim move it. Shipping for US/Canadian buyers is $5.00. International shipping is extra and depends on the destination. US buyers can pay with PayPal (preferred) or money order. I am only accepting PayPal from international buyers at this time. REDUCED was $80 now $60 Herbie Hancock - The Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions (6 CDs) Disc 3 has a couple of very faint scuffs. The other CDs have been played but look new. Small, barely-visible-under-bright-light scratches may be on them and I just can’t see them. Thanks for looking, Kevin

It was an exhibition game and the ball was waaaaay overthrown. Stingley let up. Everyone relaxed. Tatum creamed Stingley from behind, well after the ball sailed over both of the players' heads. Afterward, as they took Stingley off on a stretcher, clearly messed up for a long time, Tatum was laughing and high-fiving his teamates. Jack Tatum is a slimy human being. Karma's getting back at Jack though. He lost both his legs to diabetes. Now he's in a wheel chair. I thought about high-fiving someone when I read that, but that would put me on his level of slime.

I just can't. I don't want to give those guys any of my money. I may go the Classics route if that comes to fruition. For some reason, Classics CDs don't feel like they were made by crooks. Maybe it's because they never break the 50 year rule?

I'd love to get my hands on a reasonably-priced copy of the earlier Mosaic. The last few I tracked on eBay went for $250. The current set is in heavy rotation in my playing list. I just dig Hodges and Big Ben. They swing like there's no tomorrow.

Yeah, but chicks on the cover sell... just ask Diana Krall.

I was trying to find a Somethin' Else discography on-line with no luck. Has anyone ever found one? Also, since Somethin' Else is a sort of sister label to Blue Note, I wouldn't mind finding a Blue Note discography with the Japanese TOCJ titles listed. The ejazzlines sale had me scratching my head for some of the titles. Kevin