Note to self: must update profile. UPDATE?! More like "create one."

Just got back from seeing the Betty Page movie, which was fun if a little on the fluffy side. It's good to see Lili Taylor working again. She went to high school with my friend Grant and apparently had a crush on him. Lucky guy. What a good line years later, twould be....

Anyhow onto the music.

Yesterday, my recent auction win came in the mail: "Coltrane's Sound." Now I have all the John Coltrane Atlantic albums, except "Bags and Trane." I ended up paying $10 for this one, which is sort of in keeping with my "I'll pay as much for a vinyl copy as I would if for a new CD of it" motto. But I wasn't sure where in the original pressing category this one fell. (I don't swear by that, it's just that there's some lure in finding an original pressing of a jazz album. I guess it makes me feel like I'm stepping back in time. I will probably revisit this idea in future posts as well because it's an ongoing thought that I've never put into words before.) Anyhow, the album was a pretty recent pressing, probably from the '80s, as it reminds me of my copies of "My Favorite Things" and "Giant Steps" which I bought back then. I don't feel hoodwinked by the purchase. I mean, it's in beautiful shape. And I could've bought it on CD for about the same price, and gotten a few bonus tracks in the process. But it wouldn't be the same. Taking it 3 songs at a pop is the way to enjoy it. Makes you appreciate the subtleties more. I have "Coltrane Jazz" on disc and I don't feel like I've gotten as much out of it. This one is already starting to sink into my head deeply.

I'm surprised that there are a couple songs on this album that I've heard regularly on WDUQ. "Central Park West" and "Equinox." Well I think I've heard Ben Opie do "Equinox" and I mistook it for a tune on "Crescent." It could have been on "Crescent." And -- here's proof that I don't get as attached to CDs -- I thought "Central Park West" was on "Coltrane Jazz." The song was as familiar to me as the tracks on a disc that I don't play as much.

Anyhow, great record. The "classic" quartet wasn't in place because Steve Davis was playing bass and Jimmy Garrison wasn't in the picture, but boy is this group tight, making all the turns together. I remember when I bought "My Favorite Things" in high school (my first Trane album) I was so into the endings of the songs, when Elvin would do a press roll and things seemed to end with such authority, I thought this was what music was supposed to be like, whether it's punk rock or jazz or..........well, in 1984 what else was there?

This morning over breakfast I also listened to one side of "Hank Mobley and the All Stars." This was another recent auction win. It's a copy that has electronically reprocessed stereo but it doesn't sound all that bad.

Great album. And as much as I love Hank Mobley, some of those hard bop outings can start to blend together. (Although, ironically over the past few weeks I've been on a hard bop kick and have had tunes go through my head while at work and I've been able to single out and identify song titles and leader of the session.)

Anyhow, "All Stars" has Mobley and vibist Milt Jackson as the lead melody instruments, which makes for a great team. Art Blakey, Doug Watkins and Horace Silver round out the band. Some of it is standard hard bop and Blakey plays the same drum solo that he plays on numerous albums. But on its own merit, it's a fun listen.

But after my first cup of coffee, despite having a glass of water on hand, I was fighting to stay awake. I laid down on the couch and nodded off. I must've been snoring real hard because when I woke up, my nose and throat were really raw.

By then there wasn't much time to do anything before work but check email and shower. Hence the blog tonight.

Tomorrow there's an estate sale in Beechview that'll have vinyl. Hopefully I'll find some cool junk!