ianfaith

I really like "Now". Ordered it totally blind on the basis of the Hutcherson "brand" alone. When I later learned that it had vocals, I was a little worried. Should have known that Hutch would make it work. The vocals are intrinsic to the music – they sound like they belong there. There's a nice organic "vibe" (ouch) to it all, and the arrangements are terrific. A very nice surprise.

If you're referring to "Now" and "United States of Mind", both are indeed Conns. And, I might add, both are now available via BMG or yourmusic.com, along with recent Conns from Jack Wilson, Sam Rivers and Andrew Hill. I recently picked up all except the Silver for just $4.99 a disc. Say, is that stealing?

In my experience, none of the cheapies will be ultra-reliable (quite unlike that toaster). That's why they're cheap. Depending on how often your dad uses it, expect a cheapie to last no more than five years or so. And even expensive DVD players can crap out on you without warning. My Denon 3800 that cost over 1K is currently in the shop. That said, I would recommend Sony over Panasonic. I've owned both brands and found Sony to be more reliable, with remote controls that are far more ergonomic and simple to use.

Impulse, IIRC.

I think RVGs are priced just fine. It's the Verve Master Editions that cost too much, IMO.

I have always liked Sco's trio albums on Enja with Swallow and Adam Nussbaum. How does the new album compare with these? It's gotta be interesting to hear how both Sco and Swallow have evolved over 20+ years. And Bill Stewart is an absolute monster. I saw him play with Sco and Larry Goldings on organ a few years back. Blew me away. Really looking forward to hearing this.