CJ Shearn

I ordered mine directly from ECM as they had a special deal for journalists, so it should be here in a few weeks. I want to hear a bunch of this music and review the box set, but there are albums in the set I've wanted to hear for a while like Divine Love, and I've wanted a copy of New Directions in Europe for a while. I did review Bells For The South Side when released. The pictures of the box, the style looks like that of the two big Jarrett boxes for Sun Bear and Live At the Blue Note.

Yeah, and actually Youtube reviews are positive as well, when I googled reviews for the film they seemed a bit lukewarm. Even Rocky V has a fair following of people who liked it (I do, but still feel it's the worst of the series), and after re watching the other night it isn't that bad, but Rocky Balboa capped it off much better. The nostalgia level wasn't drawn as high as Cobra Kai, also being a Karate Kid fan that was great. It was slightly dissapointing that Creed II did not use any Rocky IV music cues, like how the original drew on Bill Conti's score, but because this offered a more fully fleshed out look at the Drago character, more humanized the kind of coldness of IV's score wouldn't have worked as well. The new Russian folk melody kind of fit... brought to mind Tchaikovsky and Rimsky Korsakov to me.

Ralph Breaks the Internet looks fun, I enjoyed the first movie with all the Street Fighter cameos, that was great. But yeah Creed II, it seems like the critics are being a bit overly harsh, not sure what they expected. Who knows maybe I'd feel different on second viewing on a blu ray, but I don't think so. It's pretty clear Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr (who directed this one) really love the characters and try to drive forward development narratives, if it goes forward--Rocky should pass on, which would be a throwback to Rocky III when Mickey died. That would suck, but it has to happen. Maybe start pushing Adonis towards a more Deontay Wilder or Adrien Broner type persona (not sure how many here keep up with the current boxing scene, but Wilder holds one of the heavyweight belts) something that reflects how boxers are portrayed in the media now, and certainly something relevant to black men in society now, but if they can't do that, no sense of turning Creed into parody. As ridiculous as Rocky III, IV got int terms of story, because of that I can look at them in a fun way, but if they like had the son of Clubber Lang or Tommy Gunn wanna go after Adonis that would be incredibly corny fan service. The way they did the fan service by having Drago come back was really cool though

I went and saw Creed II yesterday. I will say that I am a die hard Rocky fan, watched all the movies about a million times, and though for many people Rocky IV is a huge weak spot (and it is but so fun and that Vince DiCola score is great) the expanding on the events of IV and the return of Ivan Drago trying to get redemption through his son Viktor fighting Adonis was pretty cool. The chemistry between Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson was great, Sylvester Stallone was nearly as good reprising Rocky as he was in Creed and in Rocky Balboa making up for the unsatisfying closure in Rocky V. The story is more bout fathers and sons and the sons realizing they gotta do their own thing, and there are surprises along the way, but the fact Drago has depth compared to the 1 dimensional portrayal in Rocky IV is probably the biggest one. It's not as good as the first Creed but I liked it a lot and if they ended the Rocky universe in this way it'd be ok with me, if they go farther it could sort of become really bad. I am going to watch Rocky V now though, lol.

Such a graceful, wonderful soul it seems.

Sad news, both Vince Wilburn and Wallace Roney have reported on FB that Frances Davis, Miles' wife has passed. RIP

I have a pair of R10's, they sound nice but need a sub

Exactly, I think the knock is what makes it seem odd...... it seems to me like it comes on the "and" of 1 and then a bit displaced on the "and" of 3, but like Jim and Scott I never thought the song was in an odd meter sounds like 4. On Pat Metheny's "So May It Secretly Begin" the bass ostinato throws you off that it's something other than 4, but it's still 4/4, "Have You Heard" is even weirder as the head's in 7/4, but seems like 4.

RIP. Really sad, I loved his playing from the time I first heard him when I was 13 or 14.

RIP. I wasn't wildly familiar with him but sad news.

I have this one, it's quite nice, pretty standard in the tradition bop, but very good playing. The tune "LaVerne's Walk" is very catchy.

Speedy recovery to one of the legends!

Monuments sucks. Certainly an album I like that many people would find questionable would be The Main Event by Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela, but I bought the reissue from the Herb Alpert Presents series. I have little interest in Alpert otherwise I had the album growing up and I like it for what it is, the studio album is ok too. An example of commercial jazz I never got into but relaxed my stance on was the Mizell stuff, it's funky, well played, my taste exactly? No, it just is what it is. I also get a kick out of listen to Blue Note Live At The Roxy for how dated it is, it's hilarious in that aspect. The list could have a bit more post 70's albums on ECM, Billy Cobham at least thru Total Eclipse and Shabazz, Lyle Mays from '86, some of Steve Coleman's albums including The Tao of Mad Phat, there were a bunch of Coleman albums he used to have for download for free on his website, Til We Have Faces by Gary Thomas, all of the John Abercrombie Quartet's albums, Jack DeJohnette Special Edition, Kikuchi, Hino and Henderson in concert.

Ches Smith's The Bell is quite good and very dense, took me several listens to take in when I reviewed it. Should give it another spin. Listening to the bandcamp link of Uncharted Territories very interesting. Was gonna just sample a few tracks but was drawn in.

For me it's Freddie Hubbard: Straight Life, Red Clay, First Light, In Concert Vols 1&2 All of Stanley Turrentine's albums on CTI Milt Jackson: Sunflower George Benson: Beyond the Blue Horizon Grover Washington, Jr.:Inner City Blues, Soul Box Ron Carter: All Blues, and Spanish Blue isn't bad either, which I bought in Japan last year Gilberto With Turrentine Joe Farrell: Moon Germs (always meant to get a copy) Chet Baker: She Was Too Good To Me, (though for personal reasons it's hard to listen to, reminds me too much of my father who I don't have a good relationship with, he loves this album. My mom had to track it down in a store for him a few years before I was born) Jim Hall: Concierto Don Sebesky: Giant Box Hubert Laws: Afro Classic Johnny Hammond: Breakout and Higher Ground CTI All Stars: The California Concert, and CTI Summer Jazz At the Hollywood Bowl

Cool. An all time great album? I'm not sure, when I really think about it but I always found it enjoyable with excellent performances from Bags, Clark Terry and Lockjaw Davis.

He's just referencing that A Blowin Session was Griff's second BN album.

Oh man. Santana's current keyboardist recorded his newest disc there and I had gotten a promo of a vocalist who had recently cut an album there as well. With Avatar closing later to be bought and used by Berklee, times are indeed changing. Couldn't there be a historical preservation thing like what's being done at RVG's to save Fantasy studios?

The Sungjae Son fro what I've heard so far is VERY nice. Very intriguing soundworld, I like what Sung Chung ECM productions bring to the table

I don't have much to add that hasn't been stated, but I always thought Rouse was probably the best "fit for Monk's music, as great and innovative as Trane's contributions were with Monk (I have about 30 Monk CD's, the majority of the Riverside, Blue Note and Columbia work) and Johnny Griffin as well, there's something about Rouse's tone I really love and he fit the quirk of the music perfect. On Big Band And Quartet In Concert he made a wonderful 1-2 punch with Thad Jones as soloist.

Damn! RIP

Listening to a bit of the live album on Youtube, excellent stuff. I'm hearing some koto like sonorities from Handsley on "Mishkaku's Tale".

Sco is back on Blue Note? Cool, makes sense though because Verve and Universal are connected. Don Was should really corral Lou Donaldson in the studio with George Benson and Lonnie Smith before it's too late.

Thanks man, I'll plan on it.. Well, I knew about free stuff, but not the depth of some of the stuff you have, the McPhee/Nillson Love stuff for example. But for anything in life, including musical perspectives, everyone in life is a teacher to us.

I have moderately high BP myself, it's genetic, both sides, so I take it every day. I am glad you are recovering Scott because you've given me different perspectives on free improvisation, which is a good thing.