DMP

At a record store on Boylston (sp?) St., in Boston, in the middle '70's - a guy says to me, "I'm sick of this crazy shit, I'm getting some George Shearing."

I know a couple of years ago BMG was reissuing their "Living Stereo" line, and I know Universal seemed to be doing something with their holdings... But is anything going on today? Without being able to drop into a Tower (with the walls of new releases) I'm lost! I'd like to upgrade some of my titles (bought at the beginning of the CD era) - where can i turn for information?

Bobby Hutcherson's "Highway One."

I've probably downgraded this album (which I've had since it came out, one of those elaborate "Limelight" packages) because of the lousy edit on the title track AND the inclusion of that long ballad. (I know, the Messengers had some great ballad performances on record, but this isn't one of them.)

"A Child Is Born."

Anyone but me have any interest in these? A mixed lot, for sure, but a couple of nice surprises. And, as bare bones as they are, a nice stab at a "Limelight" facsimile with the Milt Jackson.

With this I will finally have duplicated my LP collection on CD!! (Well, except for Les McCann & the Jazz Crusaders, whatever happened to that?)

Not sure if it's still available, but there was a nice CD collection of Blue Note singles out - it was like finding a juke box in a hip bar. (I first heard "Alligator Boogaloo" on a juke box.)

Not a bad looking collection, although there have been several others in this vein. "Midnight In Moscow" got a lot of airplay on "Top 40" radio when I was a kid, back when radio was more inclusive. And nice to see "Greasy Spoon" in there - hoping someday that album (on King) wull surface on CD.

Nice article about Claude Thornhill in today's (July 5) Wall Street Journal! What next? Al Cohn in Barron's?

"Spirituals To Swing."

There are several good Pacific Jazz/World Pacific titles from this period that have also never been reissued - Ernie Watts, Bobby Bryant, Freddie Robinson, others I can't think of offhand - where are the Japanese when we need them?

I was hoping his albums would have made it to that Mosaic Select set of Pacific Jazz piano trios - seemed like a natural! (And there could have been room, considering not everything on there was a trio or originally on Pacific Jazz.)

"Little Barefoot Soul" - which I've owned since I got a review copy back in college (do college papers review jazz records anymore?) - has always been a disappointment. The liner notes pretty much give it away...

The way it's going these days I'm not sure I'd hold out for anything.

I'm figuring "Live In Japan" is her favorite.

Unlikely for me, anyway, I never thought of Hamilton in the tenor-organ-guitar context. What's next? The Mizell Brothers?

With Duke Robillard and Gene Ludwig! This one came out of left field!

Or like a Quincy Jones album.

Never thought Basie had much to do with that album. Sort of like a Jackie Gleason record.

Braff is one of the many artists I've always pretty much ignored. As a kid, in the 'early '60's, I was aware of his reputation, but what little I had to spend on records went to artists like Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. Anyway, I'm enjoying "Girl Crazy," and need to get more. Any recommendations?

Freddy Gambrell, the "complete" Ruby Braff with Hank Jones, some Chico Hamilton re-mix thing, and Ramsey Lewis At the Cafe Bohemia (an all-time favorite).

Isn't there a version of one of the tunes on the first Jimmy Smith/Wes Montgomery album?

I saw him in July, 1963, at Birdland - 3 long numbers: Afro-Blue, I Want to Talk About You, and can't remember the third... (Pretty much the same stuff as the album, recorded there several months later.) The other part of the bill was Terry Gibbs, and Alice McLeod was the pianist. I think this was where Coltrane met her.

Thanks to both of you! And i'm happy to hear it. Now, what's the story with Carmen McRae...