to Professor Campbell et al, what an impressive thread! Having just stumbled upon it (my first real day off since the holidays), I've read each and every one of these posts, and must offer my own stamp of approval to nearly every recommendation that's been made here. I would add my own comments for Kaldec, only in that these were possibly overlooked by the many jazz enthusiasts who've posted here. There was no mention of Kenny Garrett's album, PURSUANCE: THE MUSIC OF JOHN COLTRANE, which is, perhaps, one of the finest releases by a new artist to appear in the past several years. As for noteworthy books, I'm sure that most of you would agree that Barry Kernfeld has contributed more than his fair share of good information on the music and musicians that make up this wonderful genre. Although his GROVE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAZZ is probably indispensible to the ardent fan, I think his BLACKWELL GUIDE TO RECORDED JAZZ is equally important. I'm sorry that I can't recommend a single album that is my all-time favorite; there are just too many of them that I couldn't possibly live without, but if pressed, I might have to say that THELONIOUS MONK WITH JOHN COLTRANE ranks among my absolute favorites. Happy listening!
