October 2004 Connoisseur Release (Proposed)

[robviti]

given how long we've been waiting for the ervin date, i think this would be a fitting title!

Edited May 25, 2004 by jazzshrink

[andybleaden]

Thats the best yet!

Keep em coming

[AfricaBrass]

That's a great cover, Jazzshrink!

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I was doing a search for something here and this old thread came up. I read through it and got pretty bummed out by the names of those who have since departed and noticing that all of the incredible homemade cover art is gone. It seems that none of the pictures remain. Did they get accidentally removed or was it during one of the board upgrades? There were several great ones in this thread. I wish I saved all of them.

[sidewinder]

I get the same sort of feeling every time I open up the ‘who are you seeing live’ thread and see JohnS’s post about going to see Sam Rivers that night. Sigh...

(was also there that night - a wonderful concert)

Edited September 19, 2018 by sidewinder

[Kevin Bresnahan]

28 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

I get the same sort of feeling every time I open up the ‘who are you seeing live’ thread and see JohnS’s post about going to see Sam Rivers that night. Sigh...

(was also there that night - a wonderful concert)

I was down in Orlando many years ago and planned to see Sam Rivers with his orchestra and I just got too tired so I skipped it. I never got to see Sam. From what I was later told, Sam might not have been there anyway so I take so solace in that. Still bums me out that I missed his *band* too.

BTW - if you click the little dot (or star if you've posted in it) next to the thread title, it'll bring you to the first unread post and you'll avoid seeing JohnS's post #1.

Edited September 19, 2018 by Kevin Bresnahan

[mjazzg]

37 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

(was also there that night - a wonderful concert)

with his trio at the Barbican.  Lots of instrument swapping went on?

[sidewinder]

Kevin - cheers for that hint.

mjazzg - that was the tour that he brought his trio over to play with a fine UK big band. I saw the Turner Sims gig attended also by John and was so impressed that I popped over to Bath to see them the next night. Even better, Sam was happy to chat after the gig and sign my Mosaic and a few Conns ! 

They did also play the Barbican I think, on that tour. Sam covered all the bases - including piano.

Edited September 19, 2018 by sidewinder

[mjazzg]

41 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Kevin - cheers for that hint.

mjazzg - that was the tour that he brought his trio over to play with a fine UK big band. I saw the Turner Sims gig attended also by John and was so impressed that I popped over to Bath to see them the next night. Even better, Sam was happy to chat after the gig and sign my Mosaic and a few Conns ! 

They did also play the Barbican I think, on that tour. Sam covered all the bases - including piano.

That's the one. I remember being very impressed by the two other musicians in the trio as well one of whom played great bcl. Looks like it was QEH

[Holy Ghost]

Miss this series along with the RVG's, and Deep Grooves. Era's that have ended, but wow, the material they brought back to life!

[felser]

8 hours ago, Holy Ghost said:

Miss this series along with the RVG's, and Deep Grooves. Era's that have ended, but wow, the material they brought back to life!

Yes, amazing times.  I'm forever grateful to Norah Jones for putting so much operating capitol into the BN coffers in that era.  Her first three BN albums sold millions and millions of copies...

[Pim]

These series were both released when I was around 15 years old and started listening to music. I remember some Amsterdam stores sometimes sold them discounted for 7,50 a disc and I spent all my hard earned money from my part time jobs there on those Blue Note series. 

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, felser said:

Yes, amazing times.  I'm forever grateful to Norah Jones for putting so much operating capitol into the BN coffers in that era.  Her first three BN albums sold millions and millions of copies...

Not just Norah, but (kinda) Bobby McFerrin (Manhattan, not Blue Note proper) and US3 (definitely).

Bruce Lundvall had a knack for getting hits to feed the coffers 

[ghost of miles]

A great series.  The mid-1990s through the late 2000s were a golden age for jazz CD reissues and box sets.  I still have my Blue Note wristwatch that you got if you mailed in the OBIs from 10 of the first 12 Connoisseurs.  

Anybody else remember the "We DEMAND the release of the George Braith and Don Wilkerson Doubletimes" thread on the old Blue Note board when those announced releases were rumored to be in jeopardy? I think some board members were just about ready to picket EMI! 😄

[Holy Ghost]

12 hours ago, felser said:

Yes, amazing times.  I'm forever grateful to Norah Jones for putting so much operating capitol into the BN coffers in that era.  Her first three BN albums sold millions and millions of copies...

Yeppers! And Michael Cuscuna hurried and rushed to get the very rare, special material out before the Connies and RVG's came to an end. 

[felser]

10 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

A great series.  The mid-1990s through the late 2000s were a golden age for jazz CD reissues and box sets.  I still have my Blue Note wristwatch that you got if you mailed in the OBIs from 10 of the first 12 Connoisseurs.  

I still have mine.  Absolute piece of junk, but I was so excited to get it.

[felser]

10 hours ago, JSngry said:

Not just Norah, but (kinda) Bobby McFerrin (Manhattan, not Blue Note proper) and US3 (definitely).

Bruce Lundvall had a knack for getting hits to feed the coffers 

Good point, forgot about US3's 'Hand on the Torch' and the hit "Cantaloup" and McFerrin's 'Simple Pleasures' and the dreadful, ubiquitous "Don't Worry, Be Happy".  I did like the title track to the album and still will break out singing "Simple pleasures are the be-est", to the annoyance of my family.  Those each sold a couple million copies.  The gorilla was Norah's 'Come Away With Me', which had sold over 25 million copies as of 2016.  And her next two albums were multi-platinum. 

[romualdo]

error

Edited Wednesday at 06:41 AM by romualdo

[romualdo]

just checked my database & between 1995 & 2008 & picked up 101 BN Connoisseurs & have parted with 20 of those over the years (upgraded to RVGs, JBNLTs, JSHMs)

My fav series was the BN 10"s doubles plus a shout out for Elmo Hope's Trio & Quintet sessions (BN & PJ)

Overall the complete series had a profound impact on my listening thanks to Michael C

[Eric]

On 5/4/2004 at 10:38 AM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

Horace Silver – The United States Of Mind 2 CD - all three albums

Andrew Hill – Dance With Death - includes alt of title track

Jack Wilson – Easterly Winds

Larry Young – Of Love and Peace

Sam Rivers – Contours - includes alt of Mellifluous Cacophony

Bobby Hutcherson – Now! - Includes Hutcherson's set from "Blue Note Meets The LA Philharmonic" which includes different versions of three of the tunes from NOW

Some pretty gutsy titles in hindsight.  I bought each of them and was particularly delighted by both the Young and Hutcherson.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

12 hours ago, felser said:

I still have mine.  Absolute piece of junk, but I was so excited to get it.

I just wore mine yesterday. I'm on my third band and the "gold" plating is gone in spots, but it's still a cool relic of this bygone era.

[jazzbo]

I have mine in a box in storage somewhere. When I was working building machinery in the 'eighties I stopped wearing watches slowly and then entirely . . . I broke far too many crystals in my work.

[mikeweil]

9 hours ago, felser said:

I still have mine.  Absolute piece of junk, but I was so excited to get it.

Me too, but it soon stopped functioning.