Kevin Bresnahan

Reinier, Michael told me that there is only one summer batch of Connoisseur CDs from now on. Did he change his mind and get another added (again )? Kevin

Many years ago, Michael Cuscuna used to tell me what he was planning to put out many months in advance. I used to post it, first on the rec.music.bluenote newsgroup, later on the Blue Note BB. A few times, even though I always stated in big, bold letters, "SUBJECT TO CHANGE", titles were swapped and people got very upset, to the point of writing nasty letters. Cuscuna figured it wasn't worth the hassle so now he pretty much waits until he gets the UPC code, which means it's "definite". Later, Kevin

The ones I've heard have been great. It's too bad that these CDs seem to list for around $18 each. Too steep for me to take a chance on too many of them. I do have a few on my want list. I probably should start getting more. Later, Kevin

I asked Tom Evered why they switched over to the "Picture of Heath" cover when they reissued this music and has said they got pressure from their marketing group to switch. It was purely PC. No Hugh Hefner involvement at all. Quite honestly, given Hefner's love of Jazz, I highly doubt he'd be upset. Later, Kevin

The Patriots just gave disgruntled WR Deion Branch permission to seek a trade and negotiate a contract with other clubs. Wow. That's about all I can think of. The Patriots are hurtin' at WR and they offer to let their #1 walk? Knowing this front office, it's a ploy to get him to come down on his offer. Kevin

I've placed several orders with them and always had great service. However, lately I've found that Hiroshi usually can do better, particularly when I add the shipping fees. Horshi's S&H can be quite a bit less when buying several CDs. BTW, once you place an order with them, they should start sending you E-mail discount coupons. Kevin

Be careful with this. You may get the new version. Many people list a CD based on whatever they can find.

Cuscuna says that he got fed up with a rather vocal small group of people who hounded him on this issue so this is the way it will be from now on. He knows it's stupid, but he just got tired of the complaints. I hope they're happy now. I really got into with someone on the old Blue Note bulletin boards about this issue with regards to the Hank Mobley trio of discs, "The Turnaround", No Room For Squares" and "Straight No Filter". The person got pretty nasty with me (via PM, of course) because I basically called these people who badgered Blue Note an unpleasant name. I still think they were wrong, but the damage is done. This person still visits Organissimo. Maybe he'll chime in here to explain to you why he felt you should be denied hearing these songs. It's been over 5 years. I wonder if he's changed his opinion? For the record, I never heard this music on the original Blue Note LPs. The original CD order is now the correct order as far as us "new" Blue Note fans go. I prefer these old sequences on those Mobley dates. They sound much more coherent, particularly since there are three different pianists spread accross the current CDs! BTW, I foretold the exact scenario you're in Kyo. Good luck trying to find the old CD of "House Party". It is not easy to find in the used market. Later, Kevin

If the OOP DCC is too expensive, the OJC is by far the best choice in my opinion. Not if you have an SACD player!

Yeah, but Grant Green sat out "Three Coins", so it was a misprint to include GG in the personnel. I would imagine that's why BN redid the artwork. Kevin

I am listening to the CD layer of the Analogue Productions hybrid SACD. No problems at all. Great sounding CD too. I'd recommend it if you can't find the K2. I know this SACD gets bad-mouthed by guru Steve Hoffman because the mastering engineer added a touch of echo. I think the real reason Hoffman doesn't like it is because he wasn't asked by AP to do it. It sounds very good. The echo isn't bad by any stretch. Kevin

One last bit of unfinished business of my Dad's - we put his 1931 Indian 101 Scout in for judging. It got a Junior First rating with a score of 90 points. It was tough to go to but I made it. Attached is a picture of my mom on the bike with my brothers & sister behind her. BTW, Mom wants nothing to do with these Indians so they're for sale. Kevin

RIP Mr. Jordan. I was just spinning "Flight To Jordan" last week and wondering how he was doing.

Unfortunately, many of the newer 1500 series TOCJs sound compressed to my ears. It would seem that the Japanese engineers have fallen for the "Louder is better" mantra. It's not looking good for the future.

The width is adjustable but even at the "standard CD width", JRVGs fit, albeit a bit tight. Not to the point of damage, but snug. This is a very good price. I wish I lived near by. Kevin

Happy Birthday Lon!!!!! Hope it's not too hot down there. We've been melting up here on the right coast for a few weeks now. Kevin

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I have not set foot in Norman's since the day I went in there a few weeks after Mosaic got robbed (an inside job) and Norman's shelves were full of saw-cut Mosaic CDs with no boxes. I talked to the manager on duty (Norman?) and asked him where he got them, telling him that Mosaic had just been robbed and that these CDs were "hot". He basically told me it was none of my business. It was not said nicely. I believe "fuck off" was in there somewhere. He absolutely knew they were hot. Well, it might have been none of my business but now, he's getting "none of my business". I've been spreading the word about that place ever since. I would be very pleased to find out that Norman's went belly up. BTW, in case anyone is wondering, Mosaic never saw-cuts promos and they never remainder left over stock.

I highly recommend Wood Technology. I have their CMV-44 TV stand and FGH-21 speaker stands and they're rock solid. Great quality at pretty low prices. For solid wood furniture, they beat any of the stores in my area. Price a Salamander TV stand! I'd recommend buying it direct from them. http://www.wood-tech.com They list it at $319 and I think shipping is free. They offer "Hot Specials" on other furniture but not the MM-600. Give them a call and see if you can get a "Hot Special" MM-600. BTW, they say these hot specials may have blemishes. My TV stand had no such blemish. Kevin

Contact Michael Cuscuna via the Mosaic Records website (http://www.mosaicrecords.com). Michael does appreciate these e-mails. They help him decide on titles to reissue. If they get a lot of requests, it's more likely to get reissued before a title that no one asks for. I'll ask him about it next time I talk to them. Kevin

Yup. From the Mosaic discography: Roost LP 2204 Plays Arrangements From The Pen of Quincy Jones (D) Sonny Stitt (as) w/ Quincy Jones Orchestra: Jimmy Nottingham, Ernie Royal (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Anthony Ortega (fl, as), Seldon Powell (ts), Cecil Payne (bari), Hank Jones (p), Freddie Green (g), Oscar Pettiford (b), Jo Jones (d). NYC, September 30, 1955 tk.2 My Funny Valentine Roost LP 2204 tk.5 Lover - tk.6 Sonny's Bunny - tk.9 Love Walked In - (E) Sonny Stitt (as) w/ Quincy Jones Orchestra: Thad Jones, Joe Newman (tp), Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Anthony Ortega (fl, as), Seldon Powell (ts), Cecil Payne (bari), Hank Jones (p), Freddie Green (g), Oscar Pettiford (b), Jo Jones (d). NYC, October 9, 1955 tk.2 If You Could See Me Now Roost LP 2204 tk.2 Quince (alt) previously unissued tk.3 Quince Roost LP 2204 tk.1 Come Rain Or Come Shine (alt) previously unissued tk.2 Come Rain Or Come Shine Roost LP 2204 tk.1 Star Dust (alt) -1 previously unissued tk.3 Star Dust -1 Roost LP 2204 -1, as, p, g, b & d only.

Yeah, "sour" is what I'd use to describe his tone sometimes too.

Got 'em! All 30 arrived this morning. How am I going to listen to all of these?

I have "Blue Ballads", "True Ballads" and "True Blue" on CD. I havne't played them in a while but from I recall, they all have some great playing but Shepp's embrousure might bother some listeners. It can sound sour in places, with vibrato, almost like he can't hit the note right. A weak sound? I don't know. Some days I really dig it and others I just have to switch discs. My wife & daughters don't like his sound at all. Every time I put him on they comment that they don't like it. And I'd rather he didn't sing. Kevin

First, thank you everyone for the kind words. It means a lot to me to read them. The funeral was yesterday and I just got home from my Mom's place. It still feels weird saying "Mom's place". Organissimo was well represented at the wake. Thanks Mike and Rob. I was stressed out but your visit helped me relax a little bit. In fact, when I spotted Rob, I did a double-take. It looked like Lew Tabackin was in front of him! Joanne said it was the first time she heard me laugh in two days. Can you have a funny wake story?? Well, my Dad would appreciate a funny wake story, so I'm going to tell it! There I was, all of these people, many whom I hadn't seen in decades, shaking my hand and telling me how sorry they were about my Dad. This younger-looking guy stops and says, "Hi, I'm Mike. Sorry about your father." Well, I like to ask a few questions in case it might stir up a memory that will allow me to talk about my Dad, so I ask, "Mike? And your last name..." And he says, with a bit of a raised eyebrow (I guess I was supposed to know him), "Mike Sullivan." So I say, "And how did you know my Dad?" He says, "I'm the mayor." I was confused. I've been out of Holyoke for a long time and totally spaced out, so I say, "Of what?" He says, "Of Holyoke! I'm the Mayor of Holyoke." I started laughing... I couldn't help it. He started laughing too. The Mayor of Holyoke. He then told me he'd played golf with my Dad a few times and knew my Mom. My mother. She knows everyone! And anyone my mother didn't know played golf with my Dad! At the wake, two of the guys that were helping my Dad restore his 1931 Indian 101 Scout stopped by to tell me that in honor of my Dad, they put the finishing touches on his bike. He almost finished it. Three of them worked on it for about 8 hours and finished it up. My Dad was trying to finish it to show it at an Indian event in Hebron, CT August 4th, 5th & 6th. I told them I'd take the bike to the show with my Mom. It's the least I can do for my Dad. It's a sure-fire medal winner from what these guys say. My Dad's final masterpiece. Well, enough rambling. Thanks again to you all for letting me do a little reminiscing here. Later, Kevin

If you guys will indulge me, I'd like to use this space to wax poetically about the man who made me who I am. My Dad died Monday night at the young ago of 70. Totally unexpected. Heart attack. Really knocking me on my butt but he'd want me to get back up. His death notice is listed at: http://www.legacy.com/masslive/DeathNotice...rsonId=18523417 but it's funny when you read these things... they always miss stuff. Like the fact that he could fix anything. Cars, motorcycles, boats, bicycles, clocks, telephones... nothing he couldn't fix. He has about 6 old Indian motorcycles out in his garage, and those are just his latest projects. He loved restoring those old Indians. I remember going to a huge estate auction of antique motorcycle stuff with him many years ago. We had a blast bidding up a box of garbage that some deep-pocketed phone buyer wanted. Jay Leno was there (he's a huge Henderson fan) and even he got beat out by Mr. Deepockets. He was doing stand=up with every item. We entered in line just in front of Leno so I got his autograph on the program. My Dad must have that somewhere. The toughest thing about being back home is his workshops. The basement was where me & him worked. Every tool has it's place. Just today I had to put in a new faucet for my Mom and I just broke down getting the tools. I knew where every one of them was and I haven't been working down there in years. Lately, I'd become the teacher, showing my Dad the ins & outs of PCs. He was very good. I used to get calls all time in the beginning. Later on, he started teaching "PC Basics" at the Senior Center! Dad was a quick learner. Dad worked at the telephone company, back when it was "Ma Bell". He used to get called out late at night to fix the lines. He was a toll tester. Even though it was against the rules, he used to bring me. I remember once when he got the truck with the "special" phone. It was a radio phone. We called my Mom when we were drinving down the highway. I was yelling at her, "Mom, I'm talking to you in a car!!" How times change. Dad was an early geek. He always had the latest electronic stuff, which was mostly telephone related. It went on even today. Just 2 weeks ago, we installed a 12 disc CD/mp3 changer in the saddle bag of his Kawasaki Voyager XII. He has these CD-Rs of mp3s of old-time country music. He was in heaven. He only got to drive it twice since we installed but Mom said he loved it. We also put an mp3 player in his truck. He's the guy all the old timers ask when they need PC help, just like I am in my circle of friends. That's probably what bums me out the most. Me and my Dad were so alike. I have two older brothers and today when we fixed the sink, it was comical watching my bros... I love 'em, but they are so inept with tools! One of Dad's favorite things was his E-mail joke lists. He maintained a joke list of probably 150 people. I showed him how to manage e-mail lists, and even how to use BCC so no one can see everyone else's E-mail address. He had lists for his grandkids, lists with more mature humor and even a special list for political stuff. He covered all the bases. Mom hates the computer, so I had unenviable task of e-mailing them all the bad news. Mom was surprised when many of them, who she hardly knew, started sending flowers. I feel like I'm in "It's A Wonderful Life" but there's no happy ending. Everyone Dad influenced is going to have to learn to live without him. Even me. After the dust settles, I'll come back in a bit. Until then, I'm bummin'. Kevin