Chicago Expat

Sorry about that. Daft moment late at night when I typed that. The balance field was accessible in the same spot I redeemed the code. Good grief. Thanks again for the code. Cheers.

So Wolleson plays vibes only on this? I didn't know about this. Seems like it would be right up my alley. This one got past me as well. There's a song from it on his myspace... Zorn's myspace page

Wait, so I don't have to buy the tracks now... is there a place where I can see my $2 credit balance anywhere? EDIT: And thank you.

Susana Santos Silva - "Devil's Dress" Personnel: Susana Santos Silva: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ze Pedro Coelho: tenor saxophone; Andre Fernandes: guitar; Demian Cabaud: bass; Marcos Cavaleiro: drums. For fans of Todd Sickafoose and Ben Allison. This album ranks right up there (in my book) with Tiny Resistors. You can stream (and purchase) the album on her Bandcamp page... http://susanasantossilva5tet.bandcamp.com/ Ridiculous how beautiful this album is.

Here's three I just gave a listen to today... Marcin Wasilewski Trio - "Faithful" -It doesn't sound too much different than his excellent "January". I'll be interested to give this a try first thing in the morning, since it was when the sun was coming when January was such a winner to my ears. Besides, as subtle as Wasilewski's stylings are, the quiet of early morn seems to fall into lock-step with the music. Iro Haarla Quintet - "Vespers" -First time I've heard Iro. Beautiful album. Mathias Eick is such a talented trumpet player, but it's the woven sound of Haarla's harp and (the unspellable) Trvge Seim's saxes that steal the show. Mathias Eick - "Skaala" -The samples make this album sound like an cheesy electronica joke (IMO), and it's a great example why someone needs to cuff Eicher over the head about his stinginess with album previews. This album is really good and it never descends into cheesy territory. Very emotive sound, fuller and richer than his excellent "The Door". "Skaala" was much better than I thought it was going to be.

Tyler Gilmore's 9th & Lincoln - "Static Line". Exhilarating album. More in the Darcy James Argue school of music. Stream here... Bandcamp page Jeff Fairbanks' Project Hansori - "Mulberry Street" Big band composition inspired by Asian folk music.

Is anybody familiar with Noriko and this album? I'm interested in learning more, but I keep encountering some unfortunate google results.

The samples don't sound too promising, but then again, when you're only giving the listener 30 seconds to get attached to the music enough to buy, you're really not giving them much at all. Based on what little there is to hear, I also will not be buying. I still enjoy Taborn's "Junk Magic".

Where the article says this... That JRM is thriving because national chains like Virgin and Borders had to close is, IMO, not a reason for sadness, but evidence that god likes to spin some Coltrane from time to time.

To hell with Amazon's samples, you can stream (and purchase for nine bucks in just about any file format, including lossless) the entire album on Sunnyside's bandcamp page... Rudd's album on bandcamp

And he was, at least, nice enough to say, "Please, people, PLEASE." We never have these problems on Lotus.

"Burrito" from the new album Bienestan by Guillermo Klein and Aaron Goldberg. Streamed here... Sunnyside Jazz Bandcamp page

I had a couple Sam Jones albums under his own name, but it was his performances as part of Clifford Jordan's Magic Triangle (with Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins) that really opened my eyes. Night of the Mark VII is my favorite of those albums, but I own (I think) all the rest, and none of them disappoint me.

Baseball: Cubs of mid-late 70s. Guys like Manny Trillo, Bruce Sutter, Rick Rueschel, Larry Bitner, Ivan Dejesus, Joe Matlock, Bill Buckner, Dave Kingman, Rick Monday, Lee Smith, Willie Hernandez. Obviously, the '84 team stands out as a particular source of pain. I have been successfully divorcing myself from them the last couple years, just fed up with all the losing and heartbreak and no end in sight. This year, I've watched a couple Reds games, but that's it. Maybe an inning or two of the Cubs. I see from ESPN highlights that they're not doing too well this year. Football: Same time period as the Cubs. Walter Payton, really, is the only name worth mentioning, though I did play Bob Avelini a couple times on the playground. Still live or die with them. Basketball: Never watched it much as a kid, though I was a fan of the Bulls just because they would practice at Angel Guardian where my grandmother worked/volunteered, and since I spent most of the summer with my grandparents, I'd get to watch them practice, which was pretty cool. I remember Reggie Theus's car was the first vehicle I was ever impressed with. I didn't really start watching the Bulls until maybe '83, and really not as much until Jordan arrived. Still watch today. I also used to watch a lot of boxing as a teenager.

Tom, I didn't even participate in this bft, but just the list of ensembles you've provided give me fits of excitement as I prepare to investigate their music. Sinton's Holus Bolus is the first on my list. Thank you so much.

Jean Lapouge - "Des Enfants" Guitar, vibes, and trombone. Just a terribly pretty tune. Appeals to me much in the same way as Bill Frisell's old "Quartet" album does. Can't figure out what album it's on, though. I only heard it on his myspace.

Hey, Shawn. There have been two times in my life that I've had to sell off my entire cd collection (over 2,000 the first time, over 500 the second). It might not be for the same reasons you are, but I know exactly how this particular kind of loss feels. For whatever it's worth, these cds and lps, they're all retrievable in one form or the other. Nothing is really lost. And eventually you'll rebuild. You'll repurchase those albums that truly mean a lot to you, either because of the musicianship or the nostalgia (or both). Me, I've been focusing on buying new music that I've never owned before. I feel like my collection is streamlined, in a sense. Also, people above are right when they say use the library. I was amazed by how many cds were available, either at that location or through inter-library loans. And here's a link to another site I participate on (emusers.org). It began as an offshoot of the emusic forums, but most of us have left emusic and now it's just an eclectic group of music fans. I began a thread on there that focuses on jazz that can be found on the Bandcamp site. Many of the albums are NYOP (Name Your Own Price) or just outright free, and all of them can be streamed. It might be a nice opportunity to discover some new music without the budget being an obstacle... Emusers link Good luck and best wishes. I know we don't know each other, but the life arc of selling off all the music with homelessness on the horizon is something I can relate to.

Well, I think something that differentiates the athletes, say, from the band musicians or lab techs for instance, is that there really isn't a degree in football or basketball. Most of these athletes are going for a degree in something other than the sport they participate in and thus the demands of a major sports program is taking them away from the classroom and their degree, whereas a band musician is probably majoring in music and being in the school band is furthering their degree and career. Same with a lab tech getting a resume builder and that it probably touches on their field of study. I think for every year that an athlete plays their sport for the school, they should be given credit for one full year free ride at the same university at any time in their life. That way, the time they have to spend away from the classroom because of their sport, they can get the "value" of that academic year down the road. This would be especially valuable for those athletes who are unable to get or sustain a pro career and have to start over in a sense. It would give them the chance for an education that many larger programs don't give the luxury of while the athlete is an active member of the team.

The title track to "Lonesome Traveller" always put me in a great mood. RIP.

Very worth the mention. It's not quite my thing, but I can say that about most of Clean Feed. My ears are in a different place these days, but there's no disputing that Clean Feed's release history is as strong as any label over the last couple years.

Can't say I'm blown away by that line-up. I'm glad to see that Orbert Davis is getting plenty of slots. There's a couple things on there that might float my boat, but not sure. Of course, there's a bunch of names on there I'm not familiar with, which is where the real fun is. Every year I go to the Chicago Jazz Fest, I wind up seeing (at least) one musician/ensemble I was unfamiliar with that suddenly becomes the greatest thing my ears have ever heard. Last year, Nicole Mitchell's ensemble had me floating on air after their outstanding performance. That's the kind of thing I look forward to.

Second the votes for Guillermo Klein and Darcy James Argue. Some I'd add to the list, all recording currently... James Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, which you can stream here... Bancamp page Thomas Barber's Janus Bloc, which you can stream here... Artist site Anat Cohen's orchestra, which you can stream here... Bandcamp page Emil Brandqvist Orkester, which you can hear a bit of here... Myspace Dave Chisholm, which you can stream here... Artist site I also like Steve Bernstein's MTO, which I can't seem to find streaming anywhere. I also like the Kamikaze Ground Crew (not a traditional big band, really), but I'm not sure if they're even recording anymore. I can tell by looking at this list that I forgot a few, just can't remember what. I'll pop back on when I do. Cheers.

Darcy James Argue. Lots of information regarding projects, videos of live shows as well as streaming tracks, and most importantly, I can hear the music on his album. Drives me nuts when I go onto an artist site and can't hear the music or only samples (exception to that rule is when the artist links to a Bandcamp or Myspace page where they stream all their music). Tim Collins and Jeremy Udden, also, for the streaming of their albums. Omer Avital has a ton of music to listen to, and the Anzic group also streams a lot of their stuff on Bandcamp, too.

Coffee first thing in the morning, usually a third to half a pot. I prefer flavored beans and had a great spot in Chicago to get them, but now that I live in the middle of nowhere our selection is pretty much nil and now that we're also broke, I've been buying the cheapest ground coffee I can find. Coffee ends after those first two mugs in the morning. All day and night long, it's tea. I used to do loose leaf, but now I buy Yogi teas through Amazon pretty cheaply. A go through a battery of Kombucha and Kava roots and Gingko and Chamomile... all herbal and mostly decaf. If I were forced to choose which I couldn't live without, it would have to be tea. It would be a struggle to quit coffee, but I could do it.

Dexter Gordon - "One Flight Up" Pharoah Sanders - "Pharoah" (IndiaNavigation) Jackie McLean - "Action Action Action" Grachan Moncur - "Some Other Stuff" Bill Frisell - "Blues Dream" John Coltrane - "A Love Supreme"