T.D.

Thanks. I missed out on the Porter release and don't have a turntable, so will consider the C & D. Speaking of Porter, I e-mailed the label several times in late 2020 but got no response. I'm not sure they're still active.

The Sounds of Liberation with Khan Jamal, Byard Lancaster et al. got my attention. I've purchased several discs from C vs. D but somehow overlooked this. Any good?

I was just going to post... Ordered Thursday night, arrived Monday in upstate NY. Pleasant surprise. And recently (less than a month ago) a 1-CD media mail package from Brooklyn took well over a week to arrive!

+1 on both (emphasis added). I just ordered directly from the label; would rather support them directly than wait in hopes of cheaper offerings.

+1. The Real Thing is where I first heard him.

Just received Rivers vol. 4 (Braids) from NB. Can't listen until after work. [Added] It's good, certainly a worthy addition to the series.

Anyone received vol. 4 yet? I was notified of shipping (by eBay) on Nov. 24, still waiting.

Very fond of this. Bought it relatively recently, didn't expect much but it made a big impression.

RIP. Shattered to see this, at a loss for words.

I have and recommend the first three. A fourth is scheduled for November 15. http://nobusinessrecords.com/archive-series-volume-4-braids.html

Wow. Seems like a great buy! With booklet and box?

Yes! I think the puzzle's pretty well put together. Among other answers are CHARLIE, PARKER, YARD, BIRD, VERVE, ORNITHOLOGY, ALTO, BEBOP, RARA, AVIS, HEROIN and LIVER (ouch). And much of the cluing is Bird-related. [Not overly worried about spoilers - only once before did I post a link to a puzzle on the forum, and that one got zero replies. ] I acquired a taste for British cryptic crosswords early in this millennium.

For me it's purely inertia. I have a decent sound system based on CDs (gave up on vinyl about 20 years ago and no longer have a turntable). Going to downloads would involve purchasing a hard drive (or maybe 2 incl. backup), researching software (maybe purchasing, depending on research), purchasing a suitable DAC to play the files through my sound system, and then ripping/cataloguing my CDs. I'm some combination of too lazy / cheap to do all this. I hear you on "safety". I occasionally drop and scratch CDs, long ago gave up on lending them out because of damage, and have had discs rot.

I sold a lot on Amazon 10-15 years ago, but stopped because my selling slowed down and it became too much of a PITA. Then the terms started getting much worse. I stopped paying attention and wouldn't even consider it now.

The Independent (UK) has a Charlie Parker themed cryptic crossword today (8/29) https://puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/cryptic-crossword-independent/#!202008 It's a difficult one.