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Okay, so you got home from the store and discovered gee whiz, I already have a copy of this! You didn't remember listening to it or owning it. Isn't this the very definition of a forgettable album?

Heavy rain on the way and cold by Friday morning (possibly under 40 meaning I have to help blanket all the horses when I'd rather be in bed). After that though long-term forecast is pretty mild, with overnight lows no worse than 50 thru all of March. Hoping Accuwether is wrong on that but with the last stormy day we had, I remembered that their long-range forecast in January had the day nailed.

glad I could provide a nudge. Wonderful LP, in my opinion.

Now spinning: Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa (Atlantic, 1973)

Big Beat, I think the marketing strategy was to offer a few cds to someone who may only pick up one, and also encourage the serious collector to get them all to try to get all the originally released material over the lot of cds. Worked for me. I really did enjoy those cds a lot. Sound was decent for the time period, music great. Didn't need all the sessions to be sequenced complete, did want to have it all. And I do agree about "A Night at Count Basie's." I enjoy it--and the organ is a dated sound, but was the sound for the time period before this one and up to this one, and a very Basie organ sound as well. My favorite Vanguard material I hope appears in the next Mosaic set: the Mel Powell material.

Nice today. Mid-60's by Monday.

The Lyons CD came back in stock at Dusty Groove. I broke down & ordered it. Ooops - sold out again. My order is on the way.

The Tolliver I’ve got mostly on the Mosaic set which is great. I also have quite a lot them Pure Pleasures and I like them a lot. Jordan’s Glass Bead Games truly sounds amazing. So not interested in replacing any of them. I hoped they’d pick titles PP left on the vaults…

Dick Van Der Capellen Trio -The Present Is Past [Relax Records, Holland 1967] First listen to this new arrival. I had an MP3 at one point but that disappeared in the ether. A recent Insta post by @clifford_thorntonprompted the purchase. Thanks Clifford!

Despite my cantankerous responses, I appreciate that this BFT forced me right outside my element [Donny]. track 01 - Interesting, though slightly out of my element. A bit more in the "classical" vein than my preference. Well done, though, as it goes on, it loses me a bit. I'm reminded of the saxophone mouthpiece guru who, in the past year, posted to the socials asking if sax players preferred Jazz or Classical. The overwhelming response was Jazz. He then chided all of us for our answers, suggesting we had no idea what we were talking about. So, why ask? About the 3 minute mark things kick in and go in a very nice direction. That is some powerful trumpet, and not bashful. Yeah, I've completely flipped my perspective on this. The intro goes down a strange path that takes me out of my element, but this fires nicely. Yes, please. Alto player does quite get to that same place. I like Doplhy, too. This doesn't *quite* hold together. That trumpet solo was worth the price of admission, but I'm not sure this will hold up on repeated listening. track 02 - A true bari player, if my ears are being honest with me (as opposed to a doubler). It's not Cuber, but this player likes RC a bunch (not a bad thing). Never played this much on bari until about a year ago, and then wondered why not. It's a nice fit (not all songs are). My ears tell me that this person has listened to a lot of the rock/funk side of this instrument. I'm guessing a younger player. track 03 - Tune is Cool Struttin' and that sure sounds like Sonny Clark, but this is not the version I'm familiar with. Recognize the bone but can't put a name. Not Curtis. Tenor is familiar, but again, no name coming. track 04 - This would land better if that last tune wasn't such a bitch. With all the effects and loungie percussion, however, I feel like I've wandered into the David Friesen café. If this came on the radio or in a pop culture setting, I'd be onboard. This reeks of one of those one-guy-plays-it-all projects, though, and for that reason, I'm out. Wants to be later Eddie Harris, but it just isn't. track 05 - More effects. This is where you tap into my inner curmudgeon. Nope. track 06 - Pretty, polite. Almost has an Ibrahim vibe to it. It's a strong composition, but I'm not in love with the arrangement. Progression almost has an Only Trust Your Heart vibe. Wait, that almost sounds like Benny Carter on alto, but I don't recognize this at all. That would explain what I'm hearing in the composition, though. Something is off here (third listen). Not Benny, but royalties are owed. track 07 - This is the almost BFT. I'm getting a strong Konitz vibe from the alto, but it's not him. Fan? Contemporary? Leaning towards the latter. This is its own thing and it works well. A bit more controlled than my preference, but this is for real. Very curious. Taking Jerome in a little different direction. track 08 - I like all of what is going on here. I'm not a big fan of that Monder-ish guitar sound, but there is a uniqueness here that I appreciate. This isn't the rule book formula, and deserves kudos for that if nothing else. I keep wanting this to go a certain place. It doesn't, but it a way that I actually respect. This is not a monkey performing for me, the listener; there's a purpose here and they are not being deterred by what I might want. This might be my favorite track outside of track 3. About the three minute mark, guitarist pushes it in a decidedly Tom Waits direction that I don't entire love. I think the key is, they don't care. track 09 - There is a familiarity here, but it's an adjacent one. The tune remarkably familiar. Strong alto sound, but I'm not sold. The tune doesn't gel. Doesn't really sound like these guys are much listening to one another. Seems like it's trying to be too many things at once, and not really achieving any of those things. Not nearly as hip as it seems to think it is. And by 5:30, we're into full-on practice room masturbation -- I'm out. track 10 - Took awhile for me to identify Sophisticated Lady in there, but are we doing a medley, or is this really that tune? Seems more Monk than Ellington, but it's neither. It's not quite hitting. Each time it gets close, it gets bangy (like Ran Blake). Okay, we're back at Sophisticated Lady. Live I might feel differently, but this one misses for me. track 11 - Not in love with the vocals, but this is sincere. Don't recognize the tune. The sound on this recording leaves much to be desired. Somes like the vocals, saxophone, were recorded down a hallway. Saxophonist is older -- there's a shakiness at times that reveals physical age. Perhaps vocalist is also the horn player? That would explain the oddness I'm hearing in the singing, but they are both recorded in the same way that doesn't entirely work. Really sounds like this may have been recorded in different studios and mixed after the fact. track 12 - This has a lot of promise off the bat. Has a Mapleshade sound to it, particularly those drums. Busy piano, but that bass allows for a lot to happen. Even though the bass travels, ultimately it holds down the vibe, and the drums are right there, too. Piano could do pretty much anything -- not really commanding my attention. Drums and bass are killing it, though (in a good way). Got almost a Pharoah vibe to it. In fact, that may be Cecil, but it sounds like a more modern recording. Give me that bass and drums any and ALL the time. Much as the piano isn't making a full impression on me, I'd LOVE to play with this guy. It would force me out of habits. I need this. Apologies for taking the better part of three weeks to get to this. #12 will make me spend money (and likely #3), but it was worth it. Okay, my ears didn't lie to me on track 3, though I should have gotten Forrest. So track 6 IS Benny? I feel better if that's the case, but also feel worse at not having this. And track 12! I'll be damned! I didn't have Jack, but that makes perfect sense. I shall have to acquire this. Also, Jim's post is the perfect explanation for why I don't read prior to listening. #PresentingTheAnswerKey

A couple of years ago I was guest lecturing a music history class at a local college and they were using a browser that automatically killed ads on YouTube. Can’t remember what it was — certainly not Google, Safari, DDG, or Firefox. Any ideas?

Me too.

Somewhat, yes, I can hear that. When I was writing reviews, I got promos of the two 2CD Microscopic Septet “history of” comps on Cuneiform, and while I wasn’t floored, there’s some interesting material amidst for sure. Still have the music on a backed up hard drive so I should dig it out...

I agree, of course, I just wanted to post it for those who are looking for specific sessions. I ordered this one which will not be in the Mosaic boxes:

Indeed! Not exactly background music. And the abundance of embellishments is almost too much.

It has begun to snow. Still light flurries. The forecast calls for three inches. This is our third snowfall of the year. I think this is the first time we've had three since I moved here in the autumn of 2001. The first was an inch that was gone in 24 hours. The second was maybe two inches that lasted a couple of days. The temp will rise to the 50s in a few days, so I expect today's to be gone quickly. There is no traffic at all. The Publix was somewhat crowded, but no apparent bread-and-milk panic buying.

I will be interested in reports on the new LPs but to be honest am more than happy with my Pure Pleasure LPs, various originals and what is included on those Mosaic/Select sets. Will probably go for the Heath Brothers release and others not already purchased. I'll have to dig out my Keno Duke 'Jazz Contemporaries - Reasons In Tonality' - an unexpected find at a shop in Australia.

They sound to me a bit like the ICP Orchestra, but maybe less interesting. Any recommendations for albums welcome.

Adrian Galante Declares His Arrival in the Jazz World With "Introducing Adrian Galante," Set for April 25 Release On Zoho Music Australian Clarinetist Debuts with a Collection of Standards & A Superlative Quintet Spearheaded by Pianist Tamir Hendelman CD Release Show at Birdland (Upstairs), NYC, Sunday, June 1, 5:30pm   February 19, 2025 Adrian Galante offers up his wide-open, highly expressive clarinet sound to the world with the April 25 release of Introducing Adrian Galante (Zoho Music). The 28-year-old Australian-born musician engages with an ace Los Angeles–based quintet that includes pianist Tamir Hendelman, guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Alex Frank, and drummer Joe LaBarbera on a program of eight pieces from the Great American Songbook. While studying what has become a lesser-played instrument in jazz, Galante has absorbed the clarinet’s major voices, and it shows in his playing. Yet the more immediate inspiration for his beautiful tone and playing style is the jazz vocal tradition. “I remember hearing Tony Bennett talk about the way Bing Crosby revolutionized popular singing, getting right up close to the microphone making a very intimate sound,” Galante says. “I like to approach the clarinet in the same way.” As a result, the young clarinetist has created for himself a broad palette of interpretive and emotional nuances—and he applies them with similar breadth. “When most musicians play a song, they’re usually content to play only the music,” observes music critic Will Friedwald in the liner notes to Introducing. “Adrian, however, plays the whole song.” Sure enough, Galante brings a rare depth to his performances of pieces like Cy Coleman and David Zippel’s “With Every Breath I Take” and a brooding rendition of Cole Porter’s “It’s Alright with Me” (on both of which he plays Fender Rhodes as well as clarinet). But if his clarinet uncannily expresses the romance and wanderlust of Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse’s “Two for the Road,” on which Galante also plays the tender celeste accents, that’s no impediment to his swinging ferociously—and even bringing a little bit of bite to his tone—on “You’re All the World to Me.” It's rare for a new jazz musician to have such a fully formed and distinctive voice upon their arrival, and rarer still for that voice to be on the clarinet. Introducing Adrian Galante should find a warm welcome in jazz lovers’ collections. Adrian Galante was born October 24, 1996, in Perth, Western Australia. While he came from a classical lineage—his grandfather was an opera singer—and his parents loved pop music, Galante was from a young age drawn to the buoyant rhythms of jazz. It was at around the same time—age seven—that he was also drawn to the clarinet and began taking lessons. By 15, he was playing professionally. From that auspicious early start, Galante would follow a path that took him to Perth’s West Australian Academy of Performing Arts—which, in turn, took him to a summer program at New York University. He ultimately made the permanent move to the Big Apple in 2022, deciding to facilitate his development as a jazz artist by living and working in the music’s mecca. Meanwhile, Galante was taking advantage of the opportunity to perform across America; in August 2022, he joined L.A. pianist Tamir Hendelman in a concert in Seattle. Not long after, while Hendelman was visiting New York, he and Galante had dinner together and began the discussions that led to the clarinetist making his first recording. Hendelman recruited his California colleagues Larry Koonse, Alex Frank, and Joe LaBarbera to play on the date; Galante served as producer. The end product, of course, is Introducing Adrian Galante. It is the launch of what promises to be a stellar and accomplished career for the gifted young clarinetist from Perth. Adrian Galante will perform a CD release show at Birdland (upstairs), New York City, on Sunday, June 1, 5:30pm. Photography: Angelique Lee    EPK: "Introducing Adrian Galante"  Adrian Galante Web Site

Yes, I was unable to see the Ashburton gig at which 'Band of Bands' was recorded but this made up for it. Not sure what the plans are for future gigs but will be keeping an eye on Mike's 'Diary' page on the website. Maybe also Kate will be doing further gigs with the 'Granite' Band (who I have also yet to see).

Delivery of my bundle of #2-11 is scheduled for tomorrow, via UPS.

The Rouse, Tolliver, and Cowell are available for pre-order on Amazon for top-dollar prices. I'll wait out to check other sources before ordering.

My last three finally arrived yesterday.

I'm in for the CD set.