etherbored

i've had the pleasure of seeing stanko and his incredibly empathetic trio play on his first and second trips to the u.s. they have such mastery that their performaces ran the gamut from sublime to smoldering. all the while maintaining that haunting eastern european gestalt of which kryzstof komeda was at the center of. stanko is, in my estimation, an unheralded genius who is just withing the past few years getting his critical due. 'nuff said, -e-

'kafka...' is a great read. long, like 'the wind up bird chronicle', but more satisfying. 'pinball 1973' and 'hear the wind sing', his first novellas, are very short and evocative. these two introduce and establish characters that seem to visit most of his work. have you read either 'dance, dance, dance' or the non-fiction work 'underground'? there's also an anthology of short stories (in english) coming on august 29th. one of, if not my favorite contemporary writers, -e- ps: 'hard boiled wonderland' is so odd because the writer attempts to create a complete subterranean world that just loses the reader (IMHO).

is it me or does it seem like those strips are more sticky and difficult to remove than ever...? we should never have complanied about those prism colored dogbones. -e-

haruki murakami: afterdark

i'm not sure if anyone has ever shared this, but toshiba japan posts downloadable calendar wallpaper designed around classic coverart (for example, 'chet baker and crew' and sue raney's 'songs for a raney day'). click here for the link to this quarters two choices. enjoy, -e-

'hearts and bones' is a masterpiece. if you're comparing it in any way with that record, it's a huge compliment. i was given 'suprise' for my birthday on june 2nd and still haven't spun it yet. what's wrong with me? -e-

then there are the critics, such as the ones whose work used to populate jazz times (which i haven't read in years), that seem to take every assignment as marching orders write much and say nothing. i find the reviews at AAJ to be like this, too. work like this is at the opposite end of the scale. from my experience, the quality of the writing, more often than not, seems directly correlative to the reputability of the periodical you're reading it in. -e-

what does the color difference represent? 10 and 12 inch issue? or simply pressing generations? -e-

next time, bring that wagon...! . -e-

i've seen 'OM' from japan, albeit it was several years ago... -e-

agreed...

you've been telling us that for years. whaddaya think of the redesigned homepage? -e-

the obi is the belt to the kimono, hence its nickname for the rectangular strip of paper that translates into japanese (et al) the details of the package it represents. "obi strips", or something equivalent, are on all sorts of consumer goods in japan... -e-

never seen 'em - have a catalog number? china, korea, and other asian countries place obi-strips around their releases. -e- ps: all pressings are going to be somewhat inconsistent and not pleasing everyone because their masters are inconsistent.

yes, all japanese RVG issues come in mini-lp format... if you pick up a jewelcased japanese bluenote, it can be one of basically three issues; 1. the most recent 24-bit 1500 Yen issue 2. the prior BN works (what most refer to as the "TOCJ" series) issue 3. the first generation toshiba pressings, scarce as they are, which are earmarked by less refined graphics and label printing (not to mention sound that, to simplify, sounds like a lot of OJC pressings) regards, -e-

excellent work - i love the logo! a minor note: the homepage proper could be a shade more clean, graphically speaking. otherwise, the redesign is very impressive. it represents who you are and what you do far better than the prior incarnation... -e-

my opinion is that this is one of those sides whose master was never quite as sparkling as some of us would like it to be... wasn't that the UA way? it sort of enhances the immediacy of the session. -e-

afik, this one hasn't received the RVG treatment... are you referring to the japanese mini-lp in the SBJC series? -e-

just a note that 'money jungle' is being reissued in 24-bit by our good friends at toshiba on 10/25/06 as catalog # tocj 6849 at a price of 1500 Yen / $13.00. regards, -e-

since you're a huge CTI fan, you must own these two. both are absolute classics of the label in every way. i may have otherwise prefaced my remarks with a precaution, but since you're a fan of 'from the hot afternoon', then without a doubt you'll enjoy 'bridge over troubled water'. i wouldn't quite call it more of the same as the orchestrations are somewhat spare by comparison. after all, alot of folks feel this period to be overtly commercial and boring. do you have 'summertime'? it completes a sort of desmond triology (of orchestrated recordings; 'pure desmond' not withstanding) for the label. 'afro-classic' is equally representative; very downtempo and awash in period funkiness. it's my favorite of laws for the label, and i've heard or own them all. track 'em down, -e-

sir - pm'd ya r.e. hamp... -e-

$40.00 @ amazon...(click here)

i wandered into norman's once and saw a stack of singers unlimited box sets for $25.00 a pop (that retailed for around $80.00 to $90.00). they had that 'just-fell-off-the-truck' (as assisted by one of the afl-cio's finest) vibe all over them. -e-

sound samples here