ejp626

Just saw Theatre Camp. Very funny, even if it draws hard on Waiting for Guffman and other mockumentaries and to a lesser extent Meatballs. The plot is that the director of the theatre camp is sent into a seizure by strobe light effects in a high school production of Bye Bye Birdie (while scouting for talent to attend said camp) and thence into a coma. Her son, who has never really understood the magic of theatre and is portrayed as a doofus, steps in on an interim basis to help run the camp. The rest of the staff openly belittle him. Will they all pull together (to save the magic) when there is a financial crisis that threatens the camp? They are screening Grave of the Fireflies at the same cinema, so I think I'll check that over the weekend, but I needed a bit of time to adjust...

Just wrapping up Maugham's Cakes and Ale. Very entertaining. From the introduction, there is quite a bit on how Maugham himself was very thin-skinned and threatened another author (who was lampooning him) with legal action. A bit sad, but it doesn't stop one from enjoying this novel. Will be reading Waugh's Decline and Fall next and then for something completely different, Narayan's The Man-Eater of Malgudi.

RIP. I just was streaming Straight Street (by chance, linked by Gary Thomas) for the first time a couple of days ago.

Salman Rushdie The Enchantress of Florence Managed to get most of the way through this book on a very long bus trip. It's an interesting tale of how the Mogul Empire and Renaissance Florence were linked through an Indian princess written out of history but restored through the telling of (tall?) tales. I should be able to finish it in the next few days. And then I will turn to Maugham's Cases and Ale, an amusing story with some very catty writing about the London literary world. I should have gotten further on this, but I was wrapping up Austen's Mansfield Park, which I felt was quite a dud, and the final stories in Mavis Gallant's Varieties of Exile.

I may be disappointed in how it finally turns out, but it looks like Drive-Away Dolls (by Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers) is riffing off of Pulp Fiction, at least based on the trailer, which I've seen a couple of times now. Supposedly this won't actually be released until 2024...

Sort of droll, given that this same magazine really stepped into it for promoting cultural appropriation. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/jonathan-kay-steps-down-1.4114691 Maybe that just proves their point that it is essentially impossible to have civilized discourse on the internet, but still kind of a boneheaded move.

While this is a fairly short novel, I found it got a bit baggy by the end. It could have made a killer novella or extended short story, however. I got halfway through Austen's Mansfield Park over the weekend. I don't think it really stands up as well as P&P or S&S. I dipped into Maugham's Cakes and Ale as well. Some very biting commentary on the London literary scene. I'm definitely looking forward to this after wrapping up Austen.

There's a local cinema that is showing classic and somewhat overlooked anime films (for $5!). I just saw Paprika, which is really quite a mind-bending film all about diving into people's dreams. I'd say that Fellini was at least one of the inspirations behind this movie. And apparently Nolan admitted that Paprika was an inspiration for Inception.

This is my favorite late Bellow novel by far. However, I'm a little worried that my tastes have shifted so radically that I won't enjoy it if I reread it (I just did not like The Adventures of Augie March at all this time around), but I suspect it will hold up whenever I get back to it. I did enjoy Reuss's Henry of Atlantic City more than Horace Afoot. I'm just now venturing into All About H. Hatterr (NYRB). Hoping that it lives up to the buzz.

I'm on the fence, but will probably pick this up. I probably had all the albums at one point, but currently only have 5 (of 9). Maybe a bigger issue is I really don't have shelf space for another Mosaic box, so something's gotta give... 😉

Did you see the Jaune Quick-to-See Smith? I thought that was a very interesting exhibit by an artist I wasn't familiar with. I also saw the Hokusai show in Boston, which was a lot of fun. (Yes, this is The Great Wave made out of Lego...)

Saw Past Lives about a week ago. And Asteroid City. Planning on checking out Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny tomorrow.

I have to admit that I am not feeling The Adventures of Augie March this time around. It just feels like it drags, and I am almost completely uninterested in the doings of Augie's callow older brother, Simon. I remember liking the novel very much in my 20s, but my tastes and tolerance for long novels have definitely changed... Will try to stick to shorter novels for a while. Next up are Reuss's Henry of Atlantic City and Desani's All About H. Hatterr (NYRB).

Surprisingly, the weather cleared up (though it was pretty muggy) and I saw the Trash Pandas Brass Band (mostly playing arrangements of Lady Gaga and Madonna songs 🏳️‍🌈) and Mark Kelso & the Jazz Exiles at the Jazz Fest. Then later I swung by The Rex. Pat played one original and lots of interesting standards, including Tricotism and Monk's We See (instead of more commonly played songs). Neil Swainson was terrific. Pat said that he actually was playing the saxophone once owned by Lucky Thompson! Tonight, bad weather prevented Brad Mehldau from making the gig!!! ☹️ In truth, I was there mostly to see Avishai Cohen (this was the bass player and his trio), but of course would have preferred to see both. Some people clearly requested refunds, but for those who stayed, Avishai played for 90 minutes and it was quite the set. So a lot of stunning bass playing over the past few days. 👍

Weather does not look like it will cooperate at all tomorrow for the Toronto Jazz Fest, which is a real shame. ☹️ I am not sure I will be able to get to any of the outdoor events. I am still planning on going to The Rex tomorrow to catch Pat LaBabera and then have tickets to Brad Mehldau Trio/Avishai Cohen Trio at Koerner Hall on Monday.

Well, I can tell you whom I'm not seeing. Vijay Iyer has a mini-tour across Canada in next two weeks: Vancouver, Montreal and even Ottawa, but he can't be bothered to squeeze in Toronto. https://vijay-iyer.com/events/ While the local jazz scene isn't too bad, the overall jazz scene in Toronto (and ability to drawn bigger names from the States or Europe) is absolutely dire. It really was quite a bit better when I was living in Vancouver. Sigh...

Wow - that is lucky. (I didn't send it that way.) So glad it made it ok.

Thanks for looking, everyone. I'm shutting down the sale. Most of the CDs I really wanted to go to good homes were picked up except the Barbara Thompson. I may have another flash sale at the end of July but not 100% sure.

On hold. Thanks!

Yes. Apologies...

Hi all. I'll be in NYC this weekend, and thus can offer media rate shipping ($3) to US addresses (free if you order 3 or more CDs). However, I need to finalize any orders by Wed. (tomorrow) evening. Sorry for the short notice! I'm only going to list a small number of items that I would prefer to sell to folks on the board rather than flog them at the second hand shops (such as still exist...). Louis Armstrong Integrale Vol 6. 1931-33 (Fremeaux) 3CDs - 15 HOLD Kenny Drew Home is Where the Soul Is (Xanadu) - 10 Dexter Gordon In the Cave (Live in Utrecht) (Dutch Jazz Archive) - 10 - one light mark not affecting play HOLD Bennie Green Soul Stirrin' (Blue Note - TOCJ) - 6 HOLD Ian Hamer Sextet (w/ Tubby Hayes) Acropolis (2 CDs) (Jasmine Records) - 8 HOLD John Hicks Inc. 1 (DIW) - 11 HOLD John Hicks Sketches of Tokyo (DIW) - 9 - very light scuffing not affecting play HOLD Terumasa Hino Unforgettable (Blue Note) - 4 HOLD Hank Mobley To One So Sweet, Stay That Way (Dutch Jazz Archive) - 12 J.R. Monterose The Message (Xanadu) - 10 - hole drilled in case/bar code Joe Newman and Joe Wilder Hangin' Out (Concord) - 4 John Patton Boogaloo (Blue Note Rare Grooves) - 3- light scratches not affecting play John Patton Got a Good Thing Goin' (Blue Note Rare Grooves) - 5 - one light mark not affecting play, notch in spine John Patton Blue John (Blue Note) - 5 HOLD Bernie Senensky Re-Action (Unity) - 5 Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia The Last Fandango - 7 - still sealed! HOLD Barney Wilen & Philppe Petit Flashback (Paris Jazz Corner) - 10 Thanks for looking! Eric

I know that he comes and plays in Toronto from time to time. I found that there is a fairly interesting group, BadBadNotGood, coming to the Toronto Jazz Fest, but I can't go to both shows unfortunately. Will opt for LaBarbera (and hopefully Swainson!).

Had a bit of a detour but now will try to wrap up Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March. I was reading Murakami's new short story collection - First Person Singular. Unfortunately, I found these stories pretty shallow and unsatisfying. Definitely glad I just picked it up from the library!

Sadly, Swainson wasn't at the gig on the 28th. He also was going to miss the 29th, so I didn't stop back on the 2nd night. Thermo is a pretty good outfit, but I was really hoping to catch Swainson again. He is supposed to be backing Pat LaBarbara at the Rex on June 24, and I should be able to make that show.

Just saw the news this morning and am pre-ordering now. 😊 Discussed here in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/01/john-coltrane-recordings-lost-in-new-york-public-library-will-finally-be-heard