Patrick

Hey Bertrand, I will be at the Maryland show as well, and probably the Ashley Kahn pre-show discussion. Blurb about Tyner Septet Arrangements by Bob Belden. Tunes include "Alfie", "Africa", "The Dancer", and "Resolution."

I caught their first set on Monday at Blues Alley in Washington. The room was packed, largely it seems, with folks that do not go out much to hear live acoustic music. [Maybe some from Polish Embassy??] The quartet played well, but I enjoyed their last DC visit more. Tomasz was going for it on some very soft, or "vulnerable" lines, and not succeeding too much (especially amidst the excessive chatter--hey, I realize I'm not at an orchestra concert, or staring at museum pieces at the art gallery, but...) Like others, I was particularly impressed by the pianist Marcin Wasilewski. I'll have to listen to the rhythm section's trio debut on ECM a bit more. I like Tomasz' (well-documented) specs and blazer combo.

I have one of those card thingamabobs, and have never been told what the discount is. I have no personal experience suggesting that there is an automatic discount, because I've always also had a printed coupon in hand (frequently sourced from this thread). It looks like you get points or dollar credits that accumulate and can be cashed out during the holiday season. There is also some personal shopping day thing as well. Related question: Using the card, has anyone ever been deterred at checkout from using the same coupon multiple times? It would seem natural that they could track coupon use if every time you used a coupon you also had to show your card (which recently I have had to do). I haven't been deterred but I also haven't tried to use a coupon more than twice. I'm a relatively infrequent Borders shopper, because as others have said, they're nothing to write home about unless the discount is at least 30%. Perhaps others, like Bertrand [?], can offer greater detail.

And please spare us the notion that the fans must be oh so knowledgable because the NY teams (...primarily the Yankees) have had so much success. There are smart fans and hooligans everywhere, even in NY, and Boston, and Philly, and Detroit, and Chicago, and Cleveland, and DC, and Fort Wayne, and [insert your beloved home town here]. That sort of generalization/stereotype is sad. What evidence is there that the NY fans "are the most knowledgable around"? A sprinkling of anecdotes won't be convincing. Would you suggest that most of the rest of us can't be knowledgable about jazz because we've avoided residing in/near NY (and Chicago, NOLA, KC, etc...)? Individually? Collectively? I hope not. Mets had a great season. Hernandez and Martinez were missed. Reyes and Wright look to be the real deal, so there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Now join most of the rest of us and watch the Series with a slightly detached enthusiasm (...cue Lasorda).

Looking forward to seeing them Monday night at Blues Alley in DC. Sal, did you see them last year (supporting Suspended Night)? If yes, any comparison to last night?

BFrank, thanks for the deep background. I'll probably be waiting for the 40% level before scavenging.

I put on my Thelonious enamel pin.

The beauty of this board is the enthusiasm for such great music. I'm always amused that a request for recommendations frequently ends up including practically every available title (as well as a few unavailable ones). And with Monk, would that be wrong? Put my votes in for the previously mentioned Brilliant Corners, Misterioso, and In Action. Hopefully we'll have another Concord blowout that includes more Monk titles (as well as Lateef,...). Anyone a fan of Monk's Blues (Columbia) or Monk in France (Riverside)? I own neither title, and haven't heard good things. How do the Thelonious Records live dates (Stockholm, Paris, NY) compare to say Jazz Workshop, It Club, Tokyo? More for completists, or ...

Brothers from the North Coast, Can't we all just get along? How deep is that mid-October snow in Buffalo?

Eastern Sounds was my first Lateef-led session, and remains my favorite. This recording caused me to dive deeply into his catalog, focusing primarily on the OJC titles. Will Before Dawn (Verve) every make another appearance (i.e. reasonably priced reissue)?

Google "Lee Morgan" and "Jazz", click through to the twelfth page of links.

Hot Sauce Williams Hot Plate Williams Hot Rod Williams

who's more useless at this point, T.O. or Randy Moss? Imagine having both of them on a squad with a mediocre QB and an under achieving OLine...

As a Bosox fan you definitely follow NYY more closely than I do, so I will defer to views about how the pitching staff was handled. I didn't pay much attention to the AL East until late in the season. Gotta ask, though, how key were Villone/Proctor supposed to be going into the season? Not sure I'd be too excited about the postseason if I was relying on much from either. Mariano is important, and I shoulda added him to the list of players not getting any younger. And Joe apparently didn't find a great solution for Giambi/Sheff/ARod. Was their an obvious way to handle this, besides perhaps not having Giambi and Sheff on the same team? I'm not suggesting that the guy is a genius, just that he has had quite a bit of success, and I don't think you can pin much of this year's lack of success on the manager (just like one shouldn't pin too much of the past glories on the mgr either). Agree that not getting the team pumped up against dominant pitching is a totally BS reason to cut a manager loose. [Gotta admit I enjoyed seeing league MVP Jeter flailing away in that last game.] The players are pros, and on NYY, are veterans, who shouldn't need that (...or given their salaries can hire their own cheerleaders/life coaches). Perhaps ARod is shopping for one now. NYY fans can join most of the rest of us in hot stove league, just don't pull out that big checkbook too quickly--you may hit some of the rest of us in the head... Go Tigers

Agree about Piniella not being the guy. But there is a much more general point here. Managing/coaching is way overrated. Joe T should get canned because the Big Unit is an old man, Moose is an old man, Sheff (as well as the Apologizer) misses cooking with cream/clear, ARod can't handle the hype/attention? Please. If someone can demonstrate that Joe T got out-strategized by opposing teams, please elaborate. He may not be Patton, but was he regularly outcoached? Did he abuse the pitching staff? I don't think so, but then I'll confess to not paying too much attention to NYY. Winning takes some luck (even in NY) and NYY didn't get enough breaks. Put this one on George and Cashman for assembling an old, injury-prone squad. What happens with Sweet Lou instead of Torre? More screaming and yelling, same injuries (or more), similar outcome. How 'bout mixing it up, and hiring/developing some new managerial talent?

Swung by the Tyson's Corner shop Saturday afternoon while out running other errands. No evidence of anything getting liquidated yet. Looked around a bit at the high prices [eg $13 for BN RVGs] wondering if 30% will be enough to get my interest. Made a note of a title or two I would return for if deals improve substantially. This vulture ain't swoopin' in yet.

I was the third guy at that table--not sipping the martini or wearing jacket and specs. I was drinking beer and wearing a fine-checked shirt. Guess I oughta work the room a bit between sets. Thinking about Reptet on Tuesday.

I understand. My comment totally in jest. Will Reptet actually fit into that space?

I caught the first two sets (and was sitting along the sidewall by the air conditioner). As others have said, the band was really tight right from the gitgo. While the venue may have been challenging for getting "backfields in motion" so to speak, folks were smilin' and heads were bobbin'. I particularly enjoyed Pumpkin Pie, Smoking Section, Jimmy Smith Goes to Washington (so appropriate), Life Wish, and the new latin number (whatever that is). Hey mr jazz, was that you calling out for Peaches to end set 2? Hey Joe, is it easier to get in the zone when all the lights are on Jim and Randy, and you're set up in the shadows on the side?

you're comin' to our town, you'll help us party down... Will try to make the DC show at Twins. Looking forward to it.

Denny Walling Babe Ruth Matt Stairs

70s are under-represented in my collection. My favs, many mentioned previously, include Woody Shaw- Stepping Stones, Little Red's Fantasy Kenny Burrell- Ellington is Forever, Vol. 1 Modern Jazz Quartet- Complete Last Concert Herbie Hancock- Head Hunters Ellington/Brown- This One's for Blanton Hall/Carter- Alone Together Dave Holland- Conference of the Birds McCoy Tyner- Echoes of a Friend Haven't yet cracked open Dewey Redman- Musics, or Nat Adderley- A Little New York Midtown Music from the Concord sale.

John Nash Ronnie Howard Leslie Howard

The Hustler Pete Rose Bette Midler

I was surprised how long it took for me to come across a reasonably priced (i.e. cheap) copy of in Tokyo--a used copy from an Amazon seller sometime ago. Not as essential as It Club or Jazz Workshop, but nice to have.