Music - July 17, 2007
Mix tape: reissue-ville
Heartbeat has two new Studio One CDs out and both are new versions of classic LPs already reissued on CD by Heartbeat in the past. Then there's the amazing new Mingus/Dolphy live set.
Tags: Studio One, Coxsone, reggae, jamaica, lone ranger, alcapone, dolphy, mingus, blue note, byard, andrew hill, dannie richmond, coles

Music - June 30, 2007
Jazz for connoisseurs
On the heels of the long-awaited reissue of recently-departed jazz pianist Andrew Hill's 1966 "Compulsion" by Blue Note comes a batch of Connoisseur Series reissues that includes the session Hill recorded for Blue Note right after.
Tags: Blue Note, Andrew Hill, Grassel, Frank Foster, Turrentine, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Cox

Music - May 3, 2007
Mix tape: part two
Here’s part two of a journey through the stack of CDs on my desk. Part one appeared in the Sound Check section last weekend and there’s more to come, so stay tuned.
Tags: Meters, Subsonica, Steve Cropper, Brand New Heavies, Amsterdam, Turin, Blue Note, Dexter Gordon, Donald Byrd, Andrew Hill, Compulsion, Jackie McLean, Ornette

Music - April 26, 2007
Grassel gives "Compulsion" another chance
When the subject of Andrew Hill's 1966 "Compulsion" came up, Grassel told me he was disappointed by it and seemed unsurprised that Blue Note hadn't seen fit to reissue it. So, when that reissue did arrive on March 20, I sent a copy to Grassel, who vowed to give it another chance and share his thoughts.
Tags: Grassel, Andrew Hill, Blue Note, Unit Structures, Cecil Taylor, Cecil McBee, Compulsion, Andrew Cyrille, Rashied Ali, Joe Chambers, John Gilmore

Music - June 9, 2006
Blue Note Connoisseurs dish up Hill, McLean and more
Jazz fans can always count on a new batch of Blue Note Connoisseur Series reissues to brighten up a cloudy day. The latest stack of six discs hit shops on Tuesday and reprises some old gems from the label and brings some non-Blue Note sessions onboard, too.
Tags: Blue Note, Andrew Hill, Gil Evans, Jackie McLean, Art Blakey, Ilori, Lou Blackburn