...music weekend...

My wife had recorded a PBS pledge-drive special entitled The Rolling Stones' Rock And Roll Circus some time ago and we finally got an opportunity to view it...All I can say is far-out man...Anyone who may think the Who and the Stones have always been flash and hype need to see this show...It's amazing what a few talented musician/songwriters in groupings of 4 and 5 can do in an intimate setting...Couple that with Lennon, Clapton, Keith Richards (on bass no less) and Mitch Mitchell doing "Yer Blues" from The White Album and it don't get better...Could have done without Yoko writhing around in a black gunny-sack however...Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal and Marianne Faithful filled out the program...Thumbs-up most definitely...

Part of the 3-day respite was spent buying music and part listening to it...

As I've said in the past, I mostly have analog recordings and I have no intention of trying to replicate my collection in digital form...but...

One I have chosen to duplicate is jazz pianist Claude Bolling's Suite For Flute And Jazz Piano Trio with classical flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal...Anyone interested in classical or jazz really needs to look for this one IMHO. While it's over thirty years old, to these ears it still sounds as fresh and creative as it did when I purchased the orignal vinyl waybackwhen...Is it jazz laced with classical or classical jazzed up? In either case, I think if you like either form, you'll like this disc...A disk/disc face-off will happen eventually...

Next digital replacement: Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here...I actually like it better than DSOTM...Being a guitarist, I may be prejudiced, but some of Gilmour's best work is on this album IMO...Animals, when I can find it, will probably be next...

Van Morrison's Moondance joined my growing disc collection...I'm particularly fond of the title cut and Into The Mystic but had forgotten what an overall entertaining album it really is...

Last purchase: Boccherini's Guitar Quintets performed by Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante...unfortunately haven't given it a serious listen as of yet, but the cut I have heard (via radio) Quintet #4 in D major "Fandango" sounded interesting...I'll reserve further comment 'til...

Sunday was listening day, rare quiet day...the constant, steady rain helped...

First the Bolling "Suite", followed by Kind Of Blue (wife and I even sorta' danced to the more uptempo Freddie Frealoader), Bill Evans Portrait In Jazz which reprises KOBs Blue In Green w/two takes (Evans was the pianist on all but one KOB cuts BTW), then The Guitar Artistry Of Charlie Byrd just because I like it and ending with Brubeck's Take Five...

Next time I think it will be a Dylan-esque extravaganza...All in all a very satisfying musical weekend...

jimHJJ(...too bad there isn't the luxury of more like it...)