skeith

I have finally listened to all four discs and have to give it on balance (except for the Cedar noise reduction which I don't like), thumbs up!!! In spite of the Cedar, overall the sound is better than previous issues. The liner notes are superb. Ok, it is not a completist box, but as Lon said, if you get past that, you can deal. I also enjoyed the live cd very much.

Armstrong fans will enjoy this one. Several great articles.

Well, as a matter of fact there is a "lost" Hill from 1965 and that's the session that has Joe Henderson and I think Freddie Hubbard. (Maybe it is on the Mosaic box, I am not sure). I think that session beats "Lift Every Voice" and "Grass Roots". And to repeat what others have said, the fact that "Andrew!!!" has never been not out as a single is criminal (maybe because it was on the Mosaic box?). I haven't heard Ships yet, but as soon as I get it...

This is a difficult choice, but I do want to say that the Pat Martino "Live at Yoshi's" (with Joey DeFrancesco on organ) cd is one of the most satisfying new cds I have purchased in a long time.

I picked up this box and have only listened to Disc 1. My initial impression on the sound quality is that while better than a lot of previous issues, it is somewhat disappointing. I note that they used Cedar noise reduction on this box and it renders some tunes somewhat muted on the high end. For example, the best sounding version of Lester Leaps In I have ever heard is on the Ken Burns Cd called Lester Young, it has plenty of surface noise, but lots of fidelity. The new Basie Box gets rid of the noise on that track, but I feel a bit of the fidelity too. However, the sound quality on some of the other tracks appears to be superior to the Chronological Classics versions of the same tunes.

I believe what you guys are saying about the circuit. But it is sad and somewhat ironic is that the audience for authentic blues is becoming all white. That's a shame. To quote one of my favorite black political philosophers "in this great future, you can't forget your past".

Now I understand what you mean by taking chances and I agree, none of the solos get "hot" so to speak. But I very much associate this with the ECM sound, it is a laid back, more of a quiet fire kind of record.

I did not care for Bobby Rush. The guy clearly has talent, but most of the music featured in the program had little to do with the blues, seemed closer to James Brown. Also, I was very turned off by that "watch the butt" sequence. I thought it was demeaning, showy, and frankly nauseating. Sorry, but he ain't fit to even carry B.B.'s guitar case.

I don't have a problem with current performers doing the blues and transforming the songs. My issue with the program that featured James and Lenoir is what is Wenders's point in showing me these contemporary performances? Is he saying "see this music is still relevant because Beck is doing this song"? If so, Wenders insults my intelligence - I don't need Beck to show me it is relevant. If I want to see the blues performed by guys like the Stones or Clapton or whomever (and I like much of it), I can easily to find it, BUT in a program that has relatively little time to devote to a genre that has so many important artists, I think is a monumental waste of time to show these contemporary guys.

I am interested in this set but have some questions for those of you that have it. I have the Chronological Classics stuff for Basie for 1939 and 1939 Part 2, plus 1940, which I assume the new box duplicates a lot of. The sound I presume is substantially improved? THe live material on teh box, is Lester Young on that stuff too? Are these performances considered to be among the better live stuff or is it just box filler?

Just got this one and have listened to it twice. I agree with much of what Mikeweil has said, Garbarek is great, McLauglin and Corea are not on a number of tracks so it often feels like a trio record except for the tunes with the horn section. I should say that I love Infinite Search, but was not expecting this to be like that record. Bottom line so far is that the new one has some nice moments, but I don't love it, at least not yet. It may grow on me. One other disagreement with mikeweil is that I do think they take some chances here in that not many of the tunes have a discernible head (in the sense of a main melody). There is no avant-garde playing but the compositions seem to me to be very free from melodic cliches.

I watched the entire first episode last night and I was somewhat disappointed. Scorsese gives us a very few of the blues masters and Corey Harris and then we are off to Africa. I have no problem with exploring the African roots of this music but it seemed a little excessive and too premature without having given us much about what American blues is all about.

I can't be of much help, because I can't explain why, but I really like this one-the compositions in particular are nice. Of the later recordings I like this and Shades. Dusk doesn't do much for me.

When I went to look at these again, I noticed that State of the Tenor does not have a version of this tune, and that I was thinking of An Evening with Joe Henderson, the CD which Trumpet Guy mentions. My apologies - that's a nice version, but I still prefer Tetragon's version by a tad.

I agree with Trumpet guy, I think that Coltrane version with Harden is stunningly beautiful - and is probably my favorite. I have it on "the Stardust Session" cd. Coltrane's version is slow, lush, romantic. Like TG, i next think of Joe Henderson, who played the tune often and well- he likes to play it faster and more hard edged. But my fave Henderson version is not TG's, but rather the one that is on "Tetragon" which I think beats it and also the version on "State of the Tenor" that is a killer. I believe also there is a very nice Miles Davis version

I keep forgetting to say that I saw two very memorable Sonny Rollins performances at the Bottom Line and that they had the worst pizza I have ever eaten in my life.

JLarsen, I got the picture on the rent increase, but I was reacting to the owner's stated reason (9/11) for part of the downturn in business- I sense you think he is not being honest. I am aware of NYU's voracious appetite for land of late, and by the way, the Poe house is already gone. But having lived here for 15 years, I have never seen more going out of business signs in lower Manhattan than I have in the last 2 years and I am talking about areas fairly distant from NYU. Maybe losing 50,000 customers has something to do with it. In addition, the media has reported that tourism is down both from the US and overseas and my sense is that a fair amount of clubgoers maybe tourists. I have also heard that enrollment of foreign students has dropped way off. Anyway, I hope you are right - but things don't look great to me yet, still.

Good idea the Mule and well said, JSangrey

Those who minimize the impact of 9/11 on the NYC economy ought to think about this article.

Mode for Joe (TOCJ-4227) 20 bit (non RVG) in jewel case Adam's Apple (TOCJ-9234) mini-lp 24 bit RVG twenty dollars each delivered to US location

the more I listen to these, the more I like them. I may want to retract my earlier statement about sound quality.

I have been listening to Chopin's Sonata No. 2 Op.35 aka "funeral march" and followed it up with McCoy Tyner's version of "Lonnie's Lament" from his solo piano album "Soliliquy". Will be listening to his marvelous "Echoes of a Friend" and Andrew Hill's "Dedication".

I picked up Mode for Joe, Adam's Apple, and Let Freedom Ring. I compared the marvelous Mode for Joe with my Japanese pre-rvg copy (what you guys call TOCJs?) and it is an interesting comparison. I note that the new RVG has more definition and clarity with less sort of a hazy feel that the import gives, but the image presented (at a similar volume level) is smaller than the import and seems flatter to me - I get that row 30 feel from the new RVg while i get that row 2 feeling from the import. So it is no easy call for me between the two versions. Anyone else notice this?

I saw them last Friday and it was a superb set except for the opening number, where Frisell seemed to be having trouble with his electronic devices. By the way, the amount of electronica that Frisell used did not seem to be less than what I have seen him use over many years (that is: he doesn't alter his tone, but rather is able to regenerate previously played passages and then play over them). The amount of telepathy between these guys is scary. Lovano plays the whole gig with no mike and fills up the entire room over a drum kit and amplified guitar. Has there ever been a more sensitive drummer behind a soloist than Paul Motian? One interesting tidbit, as I was waiting to go in, Roy Haynes was standing on the sidewalk by himself eating a slice of pizza. I wondered if he was going to the gig, but I didn't see him inside.

Actually Peter, It occurs to me that the place you are thinking of is Kim's on St. Marks Place, they do have some Jazz Lps on the second floor, but not as many as the other places that have been mentioned in this thread.