Well, just imagine how good round two will be now, after the inevitable disappointment of round one. Har har.

That was only round one Brian.

Great. You completely shut me out. 0 for 3. Or was it 4? My choices were carefully considered and unique, not just the same old "Monk, Coltrane, Mingus" nonsense.

I may have to go for a beer at McV's to get over this....

Thanks for the advice guys. I decided to go for Tenor Madness by Rollins, Brilliant Corners by Monk and Mingus Ah Um. I'll be re-checking the suggestions when I'm ready for more.

I think the only week night Im no good for is friday the 13th (in october)

Rob, I seem to recall from past conversations that you have explored jazz somewhat, so you'll likely know a bunch of the names being thrown around in our Top 50's.....but at the risk of recommending some obvious stuff, and given your plea for melody, I'll put a couple of names out there for you. First off, early-mid sixties Dexter Gordon is can't miss ("Doin' Allright", "Go", "Our Man in Paris", a few others), plus same period Hank Mobley is among the best of the beat-based Hard Bop movement (I love "No Room for Squares" but others point to "Soul Station", "Straight no Filter" and "Workout as his best - fact is they're all very good). In terms of piano music, my obvious favourite is Bill Evans, and he practically reinvented melody on piano (try Moonbeams, Portait in Jazz, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, or Exploration), but of the many many others, I'd start with McCoy Tyner's "The Real McCoy", which has the benefit of the outstanding Joe Henderson playing beautifully on the tenor.

Re our CD Club meeting, Kyle and I went off-line and he said that we should go ahead and book a night and he will come if he can...he schedule is pretty ugly for the next couple of months. Given that, can we look at mid-October again? I'd be good generally for the week of the 9-13th, or 16-20th (though the Thursday of that week is probably the next book club).

Hey Rob, welcome. I’m not sure if you picked up on the top 50 Jazz list we are composing on the blog. The idea is that we all nominate our (up to) 50 “favourite” (for whatever reason we feel fit) jazz recordings of all time. At the end of the year we will finalize the vote and I will compile a list.

That having been said, if you dig back in the blog archives over the past couple months you can check out some of our nominations. I would say that there is nary a harsh note in any of my top 20 posted on Sept 4th. I personally feel that you can’t go wrong with any of them; but then of coarse that’s why I put them on MY list!

If you can find a copy, I would particularly recommend Toshinori Kondo & Dj Krush – Ki-Oku. Modern beats mixed with some stellar Milesesque horn playing by Kondo. Still make me feel good every time I throw it on… think I’ll go back to the house and grab my copy now ….combat the grey sky within!

Sonny Rollins - tenor madness....my favorite sax blowing session....Monk Brilliant corners ....songwritting.....Coltrane Love supreme, my favorite jazz album of all time, we have also spent the best part of the year trying to make a top 50 jazz albums of all time list, but it has been somewhat sporadic,

On a seperate note, on this day of matrimonial bliss , I thought maybe we should have a list of you know...." we're going to the chaa-pel and we're ...goin to get mar, ar,aried, yes we're going to the chapel of love" ......you know....best wedding songs of all time ( heres to you Derek and May....) damned if I can think of any others, but there must be some....??

Thanks for the welcomes guys. Stu, didn't you sleep on the sidewalk outside Cheapies to be first in line for that Asia album?

I'm surprised Boys In The Bright White Sports Car wasn't mentioned. Sure, there's more than a hint of nostalgia to liking any of that stuff, but I gotta confess that I still find that choking guitar solo pretty tasty, if derivative. (Paul Kossoff, Carlos Santana...see Kyle? I can do pretentious just fine.)

Okay boys, how about a little assignment to help the new guy out; what three jazz albums would you suggest an almost-neophyte pick up to begin filling out a tres sparse jazz collection. And please, a touch of melody. I already have some Soft Machine and Beefheart.

Sorry guys. Just realized I have a previous commitment (annual hockey pool draft) early that same week. So back to square one.... Kyle, which days are you actually available in october?

I fear we're headed into a discussion of Asia's "Heat of the Moment". Should that occur, I may have to dynamite the blog entirely.

Welcome, Rob! Don't be intimidated by any of our comments. Ten minutes of listening at sites like BetterPropaganda and Insound and a good thesaurus will have you sounding as pretentious as the rest of us in no time.

Welcome Rob.

OK let's go with October 2nd. I haven't checked with my gatekeeper but I'm (just) man enough to commit without requiring permission (and hope for the best).

Re Trooper, for me it's always been about "We're Here for a Good Time" and "Two For the Show" (although Santa Maria is equally fine). Which reminds me, why does no one talk about Prism? Why is it always Trooper? It's not right. "Spaceship Superstar" was quite inspiring when I was thirteen, and "Armageddon", equally anthemic.

I figured there was no point in throwing my 2 cents worth into the mix as long as we're still waiting for Brian and Kyle to cement a date that all can live with. I'm fairly flexible with any date in October at this point so I will leave it in the capable hands of the rest of you.

monday oct 2 is good for me.....I think Brian and Derek still have their heads stuck in the film festival to confirm thats ok...as for trooper, all I have to say is that at this blogsite ...round round we go to raise a little hell ...so to speak ( OK thats really lame...apologies)..."santa maria" is the song that does it for me from them...

Thanks for the invite guys, although after a quick look around I fear I may be out of my league. Doesn't anyone listen to Trooper anymore?

I've linked both to the new Yo La Tengo album and David Cross in the past and I will do so again now, because I found this review of their new album, released only yesterday, to be very funny.

You may agree. You may disagree. You may completely ignore the invitation to blog here, causing Stuart and Brian to look like major liars. You may, in fact be drunk, sitting at a bar, but still alert enough to make use of this temporarily free wifi thing in the city. At any rate, enjoy.

mon oct 2nd works for me but i think Brian might be out of commission for that week...Brian?

Monday October 2nd is the only early in the week date that is looking promising for me right now, which I know is a kind of crap night to listen to music and have a few beers. Of course, it might be fun to have something to look forward to on a Monday night. Hope it works for some of you. Again, if not, no worries.

To those who are new to the blog or have received the invitation to post and are a little apprehensive about taking the plunge, let me posit a question.

What are your top 5/10 'best/most effective' uses of music in a movie? It can be use of a song (ie. Dick Dale's 'Misirlou' in the opening credits of Pulp Fiction) or just most moving score (ie. Morricone's soundtrack for 'The Mission'). I'll come up with some better answers myself but you get the drift. Look forward to you joining us here!

Kyle, are there any beginning-of-the-week dates in October that you can do? I can’t bear the thought of a club meeting without you!

Brian, forgive me, but does not the presence of your mother in law make it a good week for another excuse to get out of the house?

kyle, would any beginning-of-the week dates work for you in October?

my schedule is almost completely booked for october so none of those dates work for me. i'd suggest you go this one without me.

brian, digging the kingsbury manx, which you brought to the last club and which i recently downloaded from emusic. for other emusic people out there, i recommend a band called Maritime, whose 'We, the Vehicles' album is pretty good, as is the Submarines 'Declare a New State!', which is steadily growing on me.

also, i've been really digging, perhaps overselling, the new M. Ward disc, a recent release and available on emusic as well. i'd really only downloaded the odd song by him in the past and i know that one of you (brian, derek) brought one of his discs to a meeting recently so i'm going to have to revisit some of his previous discs as well.

I have my mother in law visiting from Oz for that week....I'd prefer to look at the Thursday the 13th if that works for others.

im good for either date

Actually, Kyle, my offer for a “listening party” was in response to Brian’s query of when the next “cd club meeting” was; a term you all know I am loath to use because, in fact, I am a snob! …but I like the idea of a jazz night as well.

Starting with the cd club, how would October thurs 5th or fri 6th work for people? or earlier in the week if need be. …or following week?

Perhaps it is I who should be explaining himself! Now while I’m sure that Brian is simply thinking that I am merely trying to be my usual wanker self, and Derek is sure to think I am taking the piss, I assure you I am not; maybe. It is interesting to make a list of this type because it all depends on what your criteria are as to where something ends up on a list or if it ends up there at all.

Now, while it might well be argued that Nightmares on Wax is not even Jazz, it can not be argued that I, (rightly or wrongly) consider that it belongs to one of the genres that jazz has evolved into and is in itself acid jazzesque.

To suggest that Carboot Soul is actually more important, more significant or any way better than A Love Supreme is unequivocally absurd. The list is a snapshot of the jazz that I love most at a given moment in time (1:48am), and what I find intriguing is that given that, it might look completely different in three months time. I can honestly say that throwing on Carboot Soul gives me marginally more pleasure than listening to A Love Supreme. …and isn’t pleasure what it’s all about?

Btw, does any body have my copy of Carboot Soul? I seem to have lost it and actually need to listen to it to refresh my memory of it... I don't really remember it that well.

Fresh legs, posters are always welcome. Please extend this invitation to Rob, Greg, Mike, Dick, Harry, Jane, Cubby, Binky, Small Bob, Big Bob, and anyone else who would like to contribute to this space. You can either post post or email me their contact information so I can send them an invite.

Also, with the TIFF upon us, let me invite you all to share you comments at our September-only sister site Toronto Filmfestiblog. This year the official TIFF website has links to various blogs and I've submitted ours for linkage so this could be your chance to shine in front of a wider audience.

I like Marc's suggestion for getting together and playing some of this music on the list but September is a bad month...perhaps sometime in October. Marc, I noticed that you have Brian's #1 pick in your top 10 but Brian doesn't have Nightmares on Wax anywhere in his Top 40. Brian, care to explain this omission on you part?

Marc - good to see you back on the blog, (a) to provide your input on the jazz list, and (b) to comfort Stuart, who was lonely. Life can be tough when you under-appreciate fantastic music from iconic sixties bands, as Stuart is discovering.

Over the past couple of months in various conversations I mentioned the blog to a few of my buddies (who will be familiar to most of you - Greg, Gerald, and Mike Charbonneau), and there was some interest on their part. Stuart, I know you had thoughts of inviting Rob McGoogan.....how does everyone feel about opening the space up a little bit?

Ah yes, my much neglected Jazz list. I had suggested this exercise in large part because I was interested in becoming more familiar with the great jazz recordings . For me, the making of the list has only served to underline just how little I know about Jazz (or anything for that matter) and how much there is to learn.

As I had suggested, I would like to at some point tabulate the results, just for the hell of it, but first, I would like to give a good solid listen to some of the other nominations. I have managed to tackle several of them, but I must admit that I find the Jazz is a genre that takes a while for new it’s new experiences to marinate and make it to a favourites list.

I will spend the next several months making a concerted effort to dig a little deeper and would hope that my final vote might look a little different by the end of the fall. For what it’s worth, here are my top 40.

40. ‘The Mercury Song Book’ 100 Jazz Vocal Classics – 1995
39. ‘The Verve Story’ 1944 – 1994
38. John Coltrane – My Favourite Things
37. John Coltrane – Blue Trane
36. Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd –­ Jazz Samba
35. Brad Mehldau – Art of the Trio
34. Billie Holiday – Lady’s Decca Days
33. Grant Green – Alive
32. Bill Evans – Live at the Village Vangard
31. Coltrane – Coltrane Time - 1958
30. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew – 1969
29. Next up is Duke Ellington - ‘S.R.O.’
28. Miles Davis – Birth of Cool
27. Charlie Parker & Dizzie Gillespie - Bird and Diz
26. Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
25. Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
24. John Coltrane – The complete Africa Sessions
23. Art Tatum – ‘Tea for Two’ 1945
22. Ornett Coleman – Shape of Jazz to Come
21. Oscar Peterson Trio – Night Train
20. Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles
19. Freddie Hubbard – Anthology 66-82 Soul Brother Records
18. Grant Green – Solid
17. Miles Davis – In a Silent Way
16. Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um
15. Bill Evans Trio – Waltz for Debbie
14. Duke Ellington – Ellington Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1965
13. Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – Gilberto /Getz
12. Art Blakey – A Night at Birdland
11. Bugge Wesseltoft – New Conception of Jazz, FiLM iNG
10. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
9. Nighmares on Wax – Carbout Soul
8. ‘The Jazz Scene’ – Verve 1994
7. Kieth Jarrett – The Koln Concert
6. Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain
5. Toshinori Kondo & Dj Krush – Ki-Oku
4 .Charles Mingus – Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
3. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
2. Modern Jazz Quartet – European Concert Volume 2.
1. Dave Brubeck Quartet. ‘Time Out’ (1959)

Listening party @ my place? ...End of September? a Friday?

And boys, belatedly, here is the list of what we all played at the last CD club:

Kyle
Thom Yorke - Eraser
Quantic Sould Orchestra - Pushin On
Cibelle - The Shine of the Electric Dead Leaves (2006) and Self titled (2003)
The Deadly Snakes - Porcella

Derek
The Islands - Return to the Sea
Manu Katche - Neighbourhood
Nomo - New Tones
Enrique Caruso - The Complete Recordings Vol 6

Marc
Grupo Fantasma - Movimiento Popular
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Ocote Soul Sounds - Adrian Quesada
Jamaica to Toronto - 1967 - 74
Built to Spill - Latest

Stuart
Band of Horses
Oliver Schroer - Camino
Arthur Russell - The World of...

Brian
Eric Matthews - Six Kinds of Passion Looking for an Exit
The Microphones - The Glow part 2
Eleventh Dream Day - Zeroes and Ones
Kingsbury Manx - The Fast Rise and Fall of the South
The Young People - All at Once

So when is the next one?

Stu, thanks for the update. Inspiring stuff.

OK, moving right along, here are my top ten jazz picks:

(10) Miles Davis - Milestones (1959)
(9) John Coltrane - The Complete Africa Brass Sessions (1960)
(8) Bill Evans - Portait in Jazz (1961)
(7) Lee Morgan - Search for the New Land (1964)
(6) Hank Mobley - No Room For Squares (1964)
(5) Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer (1964)
(4) Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (1957)
(3) McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy (1967)
(2) Bill Evans - Moonbeams (1964)
(1) Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1958)

Notables that somehow got squeezed out, but could easily have been right at the top (this list making ain't so easy)....Mingus - Ah Um; Joe Lovano - For the Soul; Bill Evans - Interplay; Coltrane - A Love Supreme; Andrew Hill - Black Fire, and finally, Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth.

well since I am the only person on metabeats Ive made a unilateral decision to turn this site into my own personal webpage, and I will be making daily comments on my life for your benefit and intellectual fulfillment so in that light....

day 1
Sept 01... I woke up today and I thought.... gosh ...its going to be a really positive day for me... I feel really good about things now and I just wanted to share that with you all