Kevin Bresnahan

I've actually got a copy of the Getz Mosaic box (3 CDs) in my "sell" pile. I was thinking about offering it here on Organissimo for $100 (including shipping to the US and Canada, extra for other countries). Later, Kevin

It isn't the preview pane that's the problem... no one needs to shut off their preview pane in Outlook to protect themselves from viruse. It's that the viruses exploit active scripting, which is turned on by default in Outlook Express. Just follow the directions from Microsoft, listed here. With active scripting turned off, even if some scumware shows up that should launch with an active script, it won't. It's saved my ass a few times. BTW, this sounds like you got a virus that was newer than your virus definitions. No virus software could have saved you if this was the case. Someone has to get a virus first and then the anti-virus people block it.

That was a fumble, and I know football way too well to have anyone tell me differently. Rules my foot. Sure Oakland could have won anyway--only a defense without "nuts" doesn't win when you cheat them out of a turnover in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. Great playoff games so far even though I hate every team that is playing. Manning could do no wrong yesterday, I was impressed. He has finally become the QB he was expected to be. The rules say it was a tuck but even if it wasn't, it was simply payback for that shitty roughing the passer call that robbed the 1976 Patriots of their right to move on in the playoffs. The karma with Oakland is now balanced. Later, Kevin

You don't want to turn Blue Note mp3's into shoes... they'll have shitty souls. The rubber in the souls would stick to the floor in chunks. You need Blue Note WAV's for the best Blue Note shoes. Ask whoever gave you those low-quality shoe materials for the good stuff. BTW, Ecco makes better shoes than Blue Note, even of they are the fucking geekiest looking shoes on mother earth.

I can't say enough about how much I love my 2004 Toyota Prius. I talked a little about it at Jazz Corner's Speakeasy. However, one thing I failed to mention about my impressions after I got it is how big the interior is. Plenty of room inside this car. As for price, the base comes pretty loaded (power windows, doors, A/C, auto) at around $21.5K. Check it out. Don't fret the power... the 2004 was redesigned to address this shortcoming. It gets going very quickly. However, if you do this, the engine makes a racket and your mileage goes to hell so I don't do it very often.

I was told that Concord leased these tapes from Kamuca and the estate has not extended the lease to include CD.

I was told these latest US versions will use a master generated at the same remastering session as the Japanese versions. No idea if that means "identical". Blue Note decided that since Rudy had to get the tapes out of the vault for the Japanese remasters, he might as well use it for the US remasters while he was at it. BN US cherry picked the titles from the Japanese selections.

Deep, whatever you do, don't go calling anyone's wife an "Internet whore" or you'll get kicked off without any "warning system", even if the person physically threatens you first! You heard it right, Deep, don't go quoting the rules... they morph to suit the situation. You are being treated with KID GLOVES right here. If I were you, I'd CEASE & DESIST IMMEDIATELY. Next thing you know, they'll be a poll started asking, "Should DEEP Be Banned?"

Are you going to reinstate those already thrown out? If this is the way it was back when Greg got into it with Dan, he would most likely still be here.

I got 9 right and a few of the ones I got wrong, like Miller High Life, PBR or Mexicali, might show up in my fridge after I'm dead & gone. I messed up Kirin somehow though... was that particular one a "ringer"? I could've sworn it used to be in a brown stubby back when I used to drink it. I haven't bought it it years since they started brewing it in California... maybe that's when it switched bottles? BTW, they started getting the real Lowenbrau back on the shelves here in New Hampshire, not that Panther Pilsner that Miller made with the same name. FYI, the Stooges worked at the Panther Pilsner brewery in one episode. Later, Kevin

Not custom, but very well made of solid wood (or metal, if that's your fancy): Wood Technology - Metal Technology. I bought their CM-V36 with an extra pair of shelves and glass doors (my wife hates to dust) and it came delivered for just under $400... for SOLID ASH. It's nicely made too. I can easily recommend them. If you decide to order from their web site, click the "Order Direct" button and then the "Hot Specials" link at the top of the page for the best price... free shipping in the continental US too. Later, Kevin

I have this on a Japanese CD... wicked short... like 29 minutes or something. I'd have to take it out and see. This isn't a great one in my book. Waldron wrote the tunes *for* the movie so they have "themes" to them. Not a lot of continuity as a record although they probably fit in great with the movie. I'll have to spin it again to refresh my memory. I do know it nearly made the trade pile a couple of times. Later, Kevin

I asked around about this recording a while back... I think it was Tom Evered who told me that Puccini's estate has legal documents stating that one of Puccini's family members "finished" the opera... like added three notes or something. Therefore, the 70 year clock hasn't started yet. Is that screwed up or what? The thing is, the estate gets zip this way. Why did they do it? Why not just ask for some money? BTW, it is a great disc. It is a very nice interpretation of Turandot... it's not like they rapped to it. Later, Kevin

http://www.siriusradio.com will let you sample their programing for 60 minutes. Give it a try. There is also a brief blurb on their Jazz programming. No mention of Kenny Washington's involvement but who knows? He was there in the beginning. Later, Kevin EDIT: I did find this little blurb on the web site after poking around for a while... looks like channel 60 is the one to listen to July 8, 2002 Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting Kenny Washington, "The Jazz Maniac," drummer extraordinaire, and programmer for channel 60/Pure Jazz, is this year's winner for Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting/The Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award, given out on June 19 by the Jazz Journalist Association. Also recognized was Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ira Gitler, jazz music writer and critic whose recollections from more than 50 years in the Jazz world can be also heard on channel 60/Pure Jazz.

Unless Blue Note has changed their approach to the RVG series, the covers are full-sized scans of old LPs that they borrow from someone's collection. Hence, many of them look "aged" or even odd-looking. I am pretty sure many of the LPs used for the first two or three batches were from Bob Belden's collection. I'm sure if anyone on the NY area has better covers for the next batch of RVGs, BN would love to use them. Dmitry, stop by and offer. Later, Kevin

Mal was such a chain smoker that he reportedly stopped coming to play in the US because most clubs over here wouldn't allow him to smoke while he played. Apparently Mal needed to smoke while he played. Later, Kevin

I have, or actually my wife has. In a span of just over three weeks, she has read all eight books in the series. I've never seen anything like it. I'm gonna start reading them myself, especially since I've been seeing her giggle so much. (She told me about the dog who ate the prunes, who was subsequently dog-napped. This I gotta read!) Al, if you get to read these Stephanie Plum books, wait 'til you get to the scene in the third book where she's chasing someone down the highway and a corpse... never mind, read the books... sick, twisted Pythonesque humor. I nearly wet myself. BTW, a character named Lula is introduced in the first book and she becomes a "regular" as the books progress... any scene with Lula involved is just *going* to be all twisted! Later, Kevin

Many of the earlier Mosaic CD sets had "Made in Canada" stickers on them. Some even had this sticker on the CD backer *inside* the jewel case. The Blakey comes to mind as one that definitely had stickers. Later, Kevin

Do yourself a favor and order Klaus Suonsaari's "Inside Out" on Soul Note. Excellent CD... check the lineup: Ray Drummond - Bass Renee Rosnes - Piano Steve Nelson - Vibraphone Scott Robinson - Flute, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor) Klaus Suonsaari - Drums Scott Wendholt - Trumpet, Flugelhorn It has some of Renee Rosnes' best playing to my ears and one of the only places to hear reedman Scott Robinson is a small group setting. Well worth picking up if you don't have it. And I can't believe they're selling Fathead Newman's "Mr Gentle Mr Cool" for that cheap! $1.40!! Why don't they just give it away? Later, Kevin

If I had my choice, it would be Sirius. The Jazz is programmed by drummer Kenny Washington and if you check the set lists, he has very good taste. Add to that the fact that it's commercial free and it seems like a no-brainer. Of course, having said this, I have neither myself. I just can't justify paying $12.95 per month for a music box when I have such an extensive CD collection. Later, Kevin

Where is the info for this reissue? Is it on CD? Import or domestic? I've had this on LP for a while and the playing is very good but the sound off the vinyl leaves a bit to be desired. EDIT>> I see it now listed at Tower Records. I don't usually go there and Dusty Groove doesn't even mention it. It's on the want list! Later, Kevin

I thought Herbie plays bass clarinet exclusively on "Great Ideas of Western Mann"? Maybe he pulls the flute out of the case on the bonus track but not the original LP tracks? This is on my want list because I dig bass clarinet. Later, Kevin

Are you saying that you don't think the SACD stereo layer of "Dark Side of the Moon" is a step above the US CD? I think it's much better than that piece of junk. FWIW, I have owned 3 versions of this title on CD, keeping the best-sounding version, Mobile Fidelity's gold CD. When I compared the stereo layer of the SACD to the MoFi CD, I heard a lot more details in some areas, not so much detail in others. All in all, I think it is better-sounding than the MoFi and much better-sounding than the US CD that it replaced in EMI's catalog! That disc sounds terrible! In fact, I actually returned it to the store as "defective". I figured it would sound better than my old Japanese Harvest CD simply due to more modern remastering. Boy, was I wrong. Right off the bat, the heartbeat... it's hardly audible on the US disc. Then, when the mad ranting starts (very soft), you can't even tell what the madman is saying on the US CD! "I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years, been over the edge for yonks, been working me buns off for bands..." "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..." Kinda sounds like a lot of us! As for others I've "panned", that word is too negative. I am not panning them. The term pan is defined as "to criticize severely" (ref. www.m-w.com). The only SACD I would ever consider "panning" is Peter Gabriel's "Shaking the Tree". Every other SACD I have bought is a welcome addition to my collection with all of them representing some improvement over its CD counterpart. It's the degree of improvement where you & I seem to disagree. When it comes to Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", when I had a friend over and we compared 3 versions blind (US CD remaster, Japanese DSD CD, US MC-SACD), we did not always pick the SACD as "better". In fact, during a couple of parts, the Japanese DSD CD seemed "smoother". This is not saying that the SACD "lost" or anything. We seemed to agree that overall it was best. However, it was not as improved as we thought it was going to be. Later, Kevin

Based on what? I've done careful comparisons with about 150 different SACD titles, controlling for polarity, different versions and masterings on highly resolving systems and I strongly disagree with you. The differences are significant, even when the same mastering is used for the CD and SACD content, e.g., the Analogue Productions and ABKCO titles. Now if you're saying that you or your system are not capable of noticing the differences, that's another matter. People can disagree with you Greg. You don't have to get so defensive. Claude is certainly entitled to his opinion... he probably has as many SACDs as you. No need to act as if he's insane! I also don't find a lot of improvement in every SACD I've bought. Subtle improvements sure, but not many of them have had me dropping my jaw, like I did with the JRVG redbook CD of "Basra"... well, maybe Adderley's "You Know What I Mean". Also, when talking about "Kind of Blue", I am not hearing that much difference between the recently remastered (US) CD and the MC SACD. If you factor in the Japanese DSD CD, the difference becomes even less. Shades of improvement... more detail here, less bass there, a little more tape hiss here, etc. Little stuff. BTW, I also don't hear anyway near the improvement that you hear with Herbie Hancock's "Headhunters", a disc I play all the time (in both versions all over the house). To my ears, this one is close to identical, especially at the volume I usually listen at... at least when the wife isn't home. Another SACD series which seems marginally improved is The Police discs. Yes, they are better, but nowhere near as good as I thought they would be. Sadly, I also bought Peter Gabriel's greatest hits SACD "Shaking the Tree". Holy moly, does this stink. Not to be entirely negative, many of the Analogue Productions SACDs knock my socks off. "Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section" and "Saxophone Collossus" never sounded better. "Way Out West" has some competition from the XRCD. There's Sonny Clark's Time SACD. There's Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". There's Peter Gabriel's "Passion". All of these sound phenomenal and many are much better sounding than their CD counterpart. However, many of the CDs I have to compare these to are ancient. It seems to me that when I compare an SACD to a newly remastered CD, there seems to be much less dramatic differences. Opinions vary. Later, Kevin

I am a huge Leo Parker fan and his Blue Notes get a lot of playing time in my house. I have asked Michael time & time again to try and get these back into print to no avail. As much as I like them and as much as some people want them, historically, they sell poorly. Sure, these classic dates deserve to be in print, but, financially, at this time it doesn't make sense for them to be in print. As always, this is subject to change. Michael could wake up tomorrow, call RVG and tell him to remaster them. Michael can always change his mind... and with me always asking, maybe his conscience will finally get to him! Later, Kevin