[Billy Mitchell re-issues?]

Kevin, that faulty burn isn't a 'South-of-the-Mason-Dixon- Line' Special is it?

I believe this burn is from Louis Armstrong's great grandson... well, the Armstrong part is right. Strangest thing about this CD-R is that it's not done on a Klone, which is what he usually uses. It looks like maybe this is one of those Phoenix discs with the blue dye. Maybe my car doesn't like the blue dye?

Good news. The extraction to my hardrive went with no errors. I'll write them back to another CD-R and see how it goes.

Later,

Kevin

[E-mail From A Fan...]

Randy, you should edit out the telephone numbers.

Later,

Kevin

[Billy Mitchell re-issues?]

What a timely thread! I just happened to grab a homemade two-fer of "A Little Juicy" and "This is Billy Mitchell" from the shelves this morning. Talk about timing.

Weizen, I have been looking for original CDs of this material in the many years since someone thoughtfully made this burn for me and I haven't had any luck. Worse news is that this CD-R compilation doesn't want to play in my car anymore! I wonder if it's the media? I'm going to try extracting the audio using EAC and make a new burn... keeping my fingers crossed.

Since these two sessions fit onto one CD, I wonder why didn't Verve reissue the two of them together?? I doubt we'll ever see "A Little Juicy" any other way.

Later,

Kevin

[My Mosaic purchases...]

Of the three sets you mention, I find the Hodges just phenomenal. It is really great stuff, especially the dates with Ben Webster. I find myself grabbing these discs all the time.

I'd probably be more enthusiastic about the Turrentine but I'd already been listening to all of the music in various formats for years... this box just put it all together. Of course, it's all good, don't worry about that. I really dig Stanley's bluesy style.

The Mitchell set?? You know, I haven't played that one in a while. It's about time I pull it out again. That'll be tomorrow's listening pile.

Once again for those who haven't gotten it: grab the Hodges set. It is too good to miss.

Later,

Kevin

[Looking for some good humorous novels]

Dave Barry has two (newer) works out that are action/mystery/adventure books with tons of off the wall jokes sprinkled in. Barry just seems to "hit" me right. I laugh my ass off at his stuff. The two are called "Big Trouble" and "Tricky Business". "Big Trouble" has already hit the big screen with Tim Allen in the lead but if you thought the movie was funny, the book was much, much better.

Pick up one or all of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum mysteries. They're all numbered in the title, "One For The Money", Two For the Dough", etc. Great writing with many gut-busting scenes. I do enjoy these a lot.

Later,

Kevin

[DVD-A question]

Thanks for the suggestions. But seeing as how I just dropped more than I should have for a pair of speakers, I was hoping to find something a little cheaper.

So how much sound quality am I going to sacrifice if I wanted to spend under $200? mp3 playback is not an issue, nor is SACD.

mp3 playback capability is pretty much a "throw in" with nearly every DVD player on the market so don't worry, you'll probably get it.

However, could you clarify the title of your thread?? I was under the impression that you are looking for a "DVD-A" player. To me, DVD-A = DVD-Audio, a high-rez format being pushed by Warner music as a competeing format to SACD. Finding a DVD-Audio player for under $200 will be tough and besides that, it won't buy you a lot when it comes to Jazz. SACD has a lot more Jazz titles available than DVD-Audio.

I still say you should pick the Sony DVP-NS755V. As I said, the SACD playback is great, video is excellent (progressive scan, too). CD playback is "typical low-end Sony" which should be fine in most cases. See if you can find it at a Best Buy (should be around $200-240 around now) and if you don't dig it, trade it in for a different one.

Later,

Kevin

[DVD-A question]

I've recently been through 3 different DVD/CD/SACD/DVD-Audio players in a search for a "one-for-all" player. I have eventually settled on the Pioneer Elite DV-45A combo player (DVD/CD/CD-RW/SACD/DVD-Audio/mp3) but it is a bit expensive at around $500. Prior to that, I had a Sony DVP-NS755V (DVD/CD/CD-RW/SACD/mp3) and before that was a Pioneer Elite DV-37 (DVD/CD/CD-RW). The switches have come at incremental price hikes as I used Tweeter's upgrade policy in almost all cases (they give 90 days where you can trade in your old machine at full purchase price if you buy a more expensive piece). Luckily, the guy let me keep my Sony DVP-NS755 for a day to check on the SACD playback versus the Pioneer DV-45A. I was able to determine that they were so close on SACD that I couldn't tell a difference.

So, why did I switch to the Pioneer DV-45A, other than the added formats? Well, as good as the Sony was at SACD playback, it's regular CD sound was brighter than I like. Since I had the Pioneer DV-37 before that and it was one of the best "regular" CD players I ever owned, I figured I'd go back to them. It was a very wise choice. The standard CD playback sounds better to me and I now have the bonus of being able to play DVD-Audio discs if I so choose. I can easily recommend it. The Sony is a very good SACD and DVD player so I wouldn't discount it out-of-hand. As for its standard CD playback, it may be that I was just spoiled by the previous machine and it may be fine. I just prefer the CD playback of the Pioneer. BTW, there appears to be some question about the quality of the Pioneer's video playback if you research it on-line. I see nothing wrong with the playback of DVDs with this machine.

Oh yeah, if mp3 playback is important to you (it's only a minor thing for me), the Pioneer's displays are miles ahead of the Sony. The Pioneer can display tracks, albums, artists and skips through visually on the screen. The Sony displayed hardly anything that I could tell. The Sony was very hard to manipulate in mp3-land.

Later,

Kevin

[Another question about Blue Note Conns]

Interesting, though, that BN is remastering and reissuing older Conns.

Wonder if any of us who are missing some of the earlier issues should hold out to see if they get remastered and reissued.

In general, it's always good to wait and see if it gets remastered and reissued. Of course, a lot of that comes down to patience, a virtue which I seem to lack right now. Man, when I look at all these Japanese CDs in my collection (and I'm not talking solely BN).

We had many conversations about this on the BN board but it bears repeating: we are very lucky record collectors right now! We've have nearly had the entire BN catalog put out on CD (if you consider Japan). I know many collector's who searched for 30 or 40 years and have not been able to do that with the vinyl counterparts. In fact, I know a few of the holes in their collection weren't filled until someone traded in an LP copy of a title after they bought the CD. I remember how ecstatic the guy at Dynamite Records was when Booker Ervin's "Structurally Sound" was reissued on CD. He finally got his hands on that LP after searching for nearly 30 years.

Later,

Kevin

[eBay craziness... again]

Anyone interested in "not Blue Note" CDs? Here's your chance: http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...&sort=3&rows=25

FWIW, if it bothers you, you can report this to ebay using "Key Word Spamming" as your complaint. They have forced listers to change the text on stiff like this in the past.

The funniest one was where this guy put a disclaimer to key word spam. He had a disclaimer saying, "Ebay no longer allows me to use MFSL in my descriptions of gold CDs unless they are actually from MFSL". Now that was funny!

Later,

Kevin

[Looking For Dexter Gordon Complete BN]

As an aside, with the original packaging, I have trouble keeping the cds in the cd holders. Does anyone else have that problem.

Brad, I had that same problem with my Gordon set, which I have long since sold. I have the Herbie Hancock box set which is similarly packaged and my discs are always falling off the spindles. I have to be very careful when I open that box. It's also such an odd shape that it doesn't fit right anywhere in my Can-Am unit. If they reissue the Gordon box with standard jewel cases, I may opt to re-buy it.

BTW, speaking of that Gordon box, has anyone ever gotten a booklet without the back cover being torn??

Later,

Kevin

[Looking For Dexter Gordon Complete BN]

I just checked jazzbo's info and it does appear that Blue Note is trying to reissue this but if they do, it'll be in a different package. Apparently, the old packaging cost a lot to produce (which is why it listed for $109 retail). Michael says they're looking into what it would take to put the discs into standard jewel boxes and printing the booklet in a way to fit into a different box. He said, "Like the Robert Johnson & Bessie Smith boxes that Columbia put out." They won't do it if they can't redo the packaging.

This would be good news for those trying to get their hands on it.

Later,

Kevin

[Who did Larry Young play with...]

I talked to Michael Cuscuna about a possible venue. He's gonna make a few calls and get back to me. He said that if there were "names" involved, it might make it easier. I don't know how these deals work so bear with me, but I gather that the "host" club would probably want to get some "name" players so they get a good draw so they can recover their operating expenses with the bar tab... just my guess.

It sounded like a weekend might be nearly impossible unless you found a sympathetic club manager. Most places would probably only be willing to give up an "off" night.

I'll let you know if I hear anything.

Later,

Kevin

[Who did Larry Young play with...]

I have been off all day and to sign in tonight and see this just brings joy to me...

Please keep us informed how this goes... and please plan the event for a weekend. I want to be there and I will have shot if it's a Fri or Sat. A weekday & I'll have a tough time. Also, when you nail it down, make sure to let Guy Sterling at the New Jersey Star Ledger know. He's the one who started this whole thing.

You guys are great.

Later,

Kevin

[Is the Blue Note Board Officially Dead?]

I finally spoke to Tom Evered yesterday and rather than take the low road and blast him for the way they handled the closure, I took the high road, talked to him about things in general (their recent move, new reissues, sales, etc.) and asked him when it might be re-opened. As I thought, they don't have anybody to work on it. Their one internet guy is also their IT guy and he's overworked to the max. Tom also said that "if" it re-opened, it wouldn't likely be until late May or June. And yes, he did say "if".

I will add once again in this thread something I've said in other threads. Michael Cuscuna was not ever involved with the Blue Note board. As a matter of fact, he used me to get his word out to the fans. He posted twice on that board. Both times were a result of pleading by me to address constant questions. He is clearly puzzled as to why the board closed and why it remains closed.

I still think they're clueless over at Blue Note that they destroyed an entire community... a community that really dug Blue Note. They just never understood what we were. I think Michael Cuscuna did, but not Blue Note. I sometimes think that they felt we were some kind of "cult". Hari Krishna... Hari Blue Note. Fellow BN poster Chris Albertson even said as much over at Jazz Corner's Speakeasy. Why do people think this way about the people from the Blue Note board?? I never got that feeling from people over there... not even from Tom. What was to not like about that board? I like Blue Note CDs and I think that other people who like them make for fun people to talk with. Why does that suddenly make me part of some "Blue Note love fest"? Bullshit! I like Blue Note but I also like Verve, Prestige, Riverside, Columbia, DIW, Bethlehem, Capitol, Atlantic, Contemporary, Emarcy and every other label that puts out Jazz music... that's the only qualification I ever wanted, good Jazz music.

Later,

Kevin

[Hardest Blue Note cds to find.]

Impossible:

James Newton - Romance and Revolution

Leo Parker - Let Me Tell You 'Bout It or Rolling With Leo

Pullen/Adams - Breakthrough or Song Everlasting

Bob Belden - Turandot (pulled from distribution due to a lawsuit... never even made the US)

Wicked hard... too many. Some, like Jerry Bergonzi's "Standard Gonz" seem to never show up in used bins but don't seem to fetch big bucks on ebay when the do. Others like Japan's "The Procrastinator" get big bucks on ebay and they're equally rare.

Later,

Kevin

[Your Favorite Not-Originally Issued Blue Note]

"Solid" has to be in this poll! We can't leave that date off. If I had to choose only two of Mobley's, it would certainly never be "Curtain Call" & "Thinking Of Home". It would be "Poppin'" & "Another Workout". I actually consider Mobley's "Curtain Call" to be pretty weak. Also, in my opinion, Mobley's playing on Sonny Clark's "My Conception" is miles ahead of any of the aforementioned dates.

Poor Leo Parker... he really doesn't get the credit he deserves. His "Rolling With Leo" could have been a Blue Note classic if only he didn't pass away, preventing Lion from releasing it to the acclaim it deserved.

Later,

Kevin

[More TOCJ's for sale]

Oh, come on people. It's not that big a deal whether it's labeled "for sale" or "for auction". So, you looked at a thread you might otherwise have not looked at. Get over it.

No, it's definitely not a big deal.

However, I have been getting less & less time to "surf", especially since I now have three boards to check out (here, AAJ and JC). I would not have wasted the time & bandwidth to open this thread if it said "for auction" (as Hans said).

So, it's not a big deal, but it is a small one.

BTW, how would you feel if everyone who had jazz CDs over at ebay started coming here and posting them "for sale". It would make this forum meaningless. I love that board members can come in here and give fellow members a chance to get a CD without playing the "ebay game". One loony bidder and an ebay auction is useless. Ask Misteriso about those Larry Young boxes.

Later,

Kevin

[T.S. Monk at the Kennedy Center]

I wouldn't go to this. No way I'm ever going to financially support T.S. Monk... not after the way he handled that composition controversy with the Sonny Clark tune that T.S. claimed was written by his father. Nope. I think T.S. was wrong. I dumped all of his CDs from my collection and I won't be buying another one either.

Later,

Kevin

[More TOCJ's for sale]

As I said over on the All About Jazz forum, without any "Buy It Now" option, these CDs are not technically "for sale". This post does us board members no "favors" (not that any favors are required).

I would prefer if you titled your thread with the term "for auction" to reflect the actual availability.

Later,

Kevin

[New Rare Grooves]

I've actually owned Candido's "Beautiful" on a Japanese CD for a year or so and I've kinda grown to like it. I originally bought it for someone else (turns out he had it already) so I was expecting to use it as trade bait. It kept coming out of the "trade-in" pile so many times that I finally just decided to keep it. Nice, groovin' disc.

Later,

Kevin

[Has Planet Music Gone Away?]

Well, it looks like I can delete that link!

In checking around for another supplier of the Jazz Factory label, I've discovered that this label is part of the Disconforme group. As much as I want this music, I don't think I'll be buying this CD after all. Disconforme is the slimeball company that rips off the work of Mosaic and Uptown... I just can't support them, even if they are selling perfectly legal CDs out of Europe under their 50 year copyright laws. If they didn't flat-out rip-ff the remastering work from other companies, I could probably be OK, but they seem to be pretty scummy about it.

Later,

Kevin

[Has Planet Music Gone Away?]

I was just checking around to see if Planet Music (http://www.planetmusic.es/) was going to carry the upcoming Jazz Factory releases and their link is now dead. Did they go under? A new web address maybe?

I was really interested in how much they were going to charge for that new reissue, Wynton Kelly - "The Complete Blue Note Trio Sessions", which I assume is the same stuff that was out on CD as "Piano Interpretations" here in the US. I may buy this CD even though I'll feel like I'm ripping off Blue Note. Of course, if Blue Note had it in print....

Later,

Kevin

[Blue Note and Mondavi]

I mix wine & Jazz all the time! They are perfect for each other. In fact, I even bought that wine/Jazz combo a few years back from Maria Schneider... I've never regretted it.

However, Mondavi is not my wine of choice. Too bad EMI didn't ask around before aligning themselves with Modavi. Their primo stuff is good but overpriced and their resonably priced stuff isn't worth buying. There are so many better wineries out there.

Later,

Kevin

[BMG Sale Corner]

I'm eyeing a couple - can anyone recommend the Green, McBride, Redman/Taylor/Jones, Crawford/McGriff, Lovano, Coltrane and Hargrove titles? Or steer me away from them if they not worth $1.99?

Lovano's "Celebrating Sinatra" wouldn't stay in my CD rack even at $4.78 ($1.99 + $2.79 s&h). Yuck.

Shim's "Turbulant Flow" on the other hand is well worth that.

Later,

Kevin

[Blue Note Good News]

I believe if this transaction had gone through, the only company being "stuck" would have been Mosaic. Unless it's changed, True Blue Music, Mosaic's retail arm, handles CD orders from the BN site.

Ed is right... it's at BMG and can be had for peanuts there. Anyone need a "referral" e-mail? I get 5 freebies if you sign up off of me.

Later,

Kevin