mjzee

No, no problems, though I'm now in a "putting away" mode, rather than in a "trying to find something" mode. Besides, I basically know where everything is. If I need to find a Blakey disc, it's easy to just leaf through all of them if necessary. Also, some titles are in digipaks, so those need to be filed as is; they serve as good visual markers.

Re predictability: It's been said that that's why Art Taylor was on so many sessions. He showed up! Re OP and singers: One big exception is the Verve Fred Astaire album. True beauty.

Wanted to give a progress report. I'm half-way through the "B"s (just finishing Blakey now), and am very impressed by the amount of space it's saving. What was 2 shelves of CDs are now in 1 1/2 boxes. And because I'm putting the boxes on the same shelves as before, but with the short end facing out (and hanging a little off the shelf), the 2 boxes take up less than half a shelf. It's a lot of work, and creating a lot of garbage (old CD cases), but I'm so far pleased with the results.

But those were all Norman Granz-produced dates, no? Not sure how much say Getz, Carter, etc., had in picking the sidemen on those recording dates. I remember reading the notes to a Verve Billie Holiday twofer (Strange Fruit) that she truly disliked a session led by Tony Scott; the implication being she had no say in the backup.

Hey, I occasionally mention that I don't like Ornette's music. If I do mention it, I mention it once in a thread, and then I move on. I don't try to kill the thread. On the other hand, there was an OP thread that had to be closed because of the bad feelings engendered there (see here), and another that got so hostile that you quit as moderator here (see here). You know what you're doing. Please don't do it again here.

Y'know, at a certain point (and we're now past that point), this abusive tone is a disrespect to the original poster and to the other board members who've posted here. We have every right to be here, to discuss what we'd like to, and to expect a friendly atmosphere. Many of us also consistently support the board through our contributions to the fund drives. We don't deserve to be treated this way. Jim, you've made your point. Please refrain from posting further in this thread.

I predict this thread will be closed within two days. It's too bad we can't have a civil conversation about OP.

All good points.

A (sometimes) frustration I have with this board is that listeners are often not critical enough. A collector might want all of Thelonious Monk's recordings, but are they all really equally good? Critical listening can establish "this recording date is better than that recording date, and here's why." And it's interesting to read why, because only in that way can I get a sense of what someone else hears (as well as helping me to better articulate what I hear). It would be useful to establish a guidepost, as in "The 5 Best Thelonious Monk Recording Dates," to truly force a critical evaluation of why and how one date is better than another. I think this would enable us all to be better listeners, or at least to better understand how different people hear differently. To bring the discussion full circle back to OP, a great example of this sort of exercise was Ethan Iverson's dissection of an OP performance. While I could hear OP playing in a facile and routine way, Iverson helped me pinpoint the moments in the performance that are facile and routine, and what makes them so. You can read his piece here: Do The Math. Some examples: This helped me understand what Peterson played, i.e., how we can identify OP when hearing a recording: Peterson's language was perhaps not truly innovative, but it certainly is distinctive. Major elements of his style include a precisely calibrated piano touch that executed both swing and bebop phraseology with crystalline clarity, a rigorous insistence on the blues, a left hand that could play nearly as fast as his right, exceptionally large voicings (his hands were enormous) and complicated small ensemble arrangements. His phrasing when improvising is breathless, with very little space. Or this, about a major deficiency in OP's approach; even if one can hear this and react negatively to it, it helps me to read an explication of what's being played: Peterson’s piano solos aren’t the problem, but Peterson participating in a rhythm section is: behind the horn solos, the piano comping (short for "accompaniment") is incessant. It begins to feel quite nervous and jittery after a while. A good example is the Peterson trio backing Lester Young with little-known but totally solid J.C. Heard on drums. Peterson cannot stop playing the piano for even a second. ("He leaves no holes for the rhythm section.") Although I do wish Iverson addressed what I hear, which is that OP could sound oppressive even when playing solo, with his carpet-like playing determined to avoid a real emotional connection to his vision of the tune. Anyway, I guess I'm just pointing out some things that I like. People don't sign up to this board to be given more work to do; they're just enthusiasts for the music, and more power to them. I do like the posts that are well written.

Larry, I loved these sentences, and it reminded me again why I love to read good criticism (and, perhaps, why I can't write it): it verbalizes thoughts about music that I have but cannot articulate beyond "good," "not good," "boring," etc. Please keep posting! As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, solo Pass can be snoozy, but if he has a band kicking his butt, the results could be very listenable. I recommend Live At Donte's (Pablo, never reissued on CD) and the two Live At Yoshi's volumes. Also interesting is "Whitestone," his attempt at GRP-type jazz. Not as bad as you might imagine.

I think it's a great value, and there are things on there I had never heard before.

I'm not sure Pass wrote much of anything other than standard blues. Solo Pass can be trite or sleepy, but with a band he could really burn with substance. Check out Live at Donte's. As for the "too enamored of the past" -- I'd blame Norman Granz, who pushed most of his artists in that direction. Sweet Georgia Brown, anyone?

The CD box is now sold out; they still have the USB box.

For those contemplating the 30 Trips box, rumor is there are just a few left (5 or so).

I find it fascinating to read people articulating what they hear in OP's playing - the analysis of the sequence of notes and what they mean. There is an area of listening where we're truly solitary; I'll never really know what other people hear, how it affects them, what they make of it. It's especially useful (for me, anyway) when the discussion is about a flawed musician such as OP. Why do some people enjoy his playing and others react so angrily to it? What makes one performance more musically valid to another? I find the explication by posters special, and look forward to this discussion continuing. BTW, I had a similar reaction this week to listening for the first time to an album by Monty Alexander, "Montreux Alexander." I truly disliked it; I thought he was playing nothing. Yet other people really like him. It's so interesting.

Bob Johnston passed away on August 14. He was 83. Obituary - Rolling Stone Obituary - NPR Obituary - LA Times Obituary - NY Times Interview

I note that Amazon has the Haydn Complete Symphonies box back in stock at a nice price ($47.80 for 37 CDs). I really enjoyed listening to this box.

Happy birthday!

AUSTIN, Texas—This city’s official motto is “Live Music Capital of the World.” But as Austin experiences a tech-fueled economic boom that has driven up living costs, civic leaders are stepping in to help keep the tunes playing. More here: Boom Times Test Austin's Music Scene - WSJ

Jazz Saxophonist Kamasi Washington Shines in the Spotlight - WSJ

I've never done one of these before, but it seems intriguing, so I'd like to participate.

I don't wanna see the cover...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestige_Records https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestige_Records_discography Look at the section towards the end entitled "10000 series (12" LPs)"

I never saw that East Meets West cover. I have the album as a download (from Amazon) on the Break Time label, simply titled John Scofield. Great autographs, btw!

Sco had two terrific releases on Arista/Novus (Bar Talk and Who's Who) that would easily fit on one CD. I hope BGO (which is currently reissuing Steve Khan titles that were also on Arista/Novus) would consider.