Author's rebuttal...
First, I'd like to say that open and honest discussion is what makes forums like this great (and is generally welcome). However, if you had THAT big a problem with my review, you could have emailed me (or Gene) privately and voiced your concern. Suffice to say that the positive comments sent to me (privately) far outweigh the negatives, and the hour or so I spend writing each review (not to mention a life-time of listening experiences) is as much a labor of love as it is for the money (let's just say its less than I make an hour--every hour--at my day job). As for the "why are you reviewing OLD CD's question", there are several answers:
1) Sharing my favorites (more below)
2) Building an interest in the artists themselves, as is definitely the case for groups like Mike Stern and the Yellowjackets (believe me, I fully intend to review later releases for both of these artists)
3) As the music business has become more "dysfunctional" (trust me, I have very close friends in the business), the sad fact is that there just aren't enough (new) jazz CD releases widely available to share on a monthly or bi-weekly basis.
Obviously, once I get through my "all-time favorites" (which is soon), there will be nothing left to do but (mostly) new releases. I appreciate Gene's effort to remain neutral in this case, and I will continue to provide reviews as long as he wants to post them; it's worth noting that the impetus to start writing these reviews was based on Gene's encouragement to share some of MY favorite (mostly jazz) CD's with those looking for the same, since that seemed to be an area lacking on the website.
Keep those cards and letters coming...
