Ron S

Damn. I haven't even cracked open the cellophane on those two yet ! What??? And miss out on some vintage Bing Crosby???

I have volumes 2-4 (all three disc sets, I do not have the single disc volume 1 of the op.31 sonatas). These are straightforward performances with less drama than most. Leaving aside the British critics (who have hailed his Schubert and Liszt recordings from a couple of years ago as also great; and truth to tell his Schubert D958 & 959 are not bad) there were enough who were indifferent or had negative reactions, mostly because of such castration. Though they are played competently, you will hear less extreme tempos and less of a dynamic range here than in most other recordings of the sonatas. Quite good sound, recorded clearly but not too closely. His proponents have said that he is truer to the score than those "more dramatic" readings. Whether that it true or not if you already have number of recordings of these sonatas this is not a set I would recommend in that I do not think it provides a fresh/interesting perspective (whereas for a first set it might be alright, good sound, can be had relatively cheaply, and the mostly middle-of-the-road performances will not bother those with a passing familiarity of the music). Though I have not done a side-by-side comparison, of the recent cycles, I prefer to listen to Schiff's or Brautigam's (on fortepiano, of course). Thanks Gökhan. A respected Dutch critic was also quite enthusiastic about Lewis' performances, that's what made me curious. I think I'll pass, though, I don't need "middle-of-the-road" interpretations. Speaking of (and with ) the Dutch, has anyone else been keeping up with Ronald Brautigam's ongoing hybrid-SACD fortepiano Beethoven sonata cycle on BIS? I have all 6 discs issued so far (looks like 2 more discs will complete the sonata cycle), and have thoroughly enjoyed them.

Beiderbecke, Trumbauer, and Teagarden--discs 5 & 6

I guess he's not a big fan of "The Producers."

Beiderbecke, Trumbauer, and Teagarden--discs 3 & 4

Beiderbecke, Trumbauer, and Teagarden--discs 1 & 2

Erik, where do you get these codes, anyway (not that I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth)?

Where is Oliver these days? Haven't seen him here in a long while. EDIT: "Last Seen: 26th February 2007 - 08:03 AM"

Mine was the full shebang.. So was mine.

Send me the gift card--I'll find a way to use it.

My favorite is track 10.

In my library, I have the predecessors to this NHT speaker: http://nhthifi.com/current/products/speakers/three.html They provide phenomenal sound for bookshelf speakers (our fearless leader, Jim Alfredson, raved about the sound when he first heard them in my house). They're acoustic supension, as opposed to the more common bass reflex design, and as a result the bass is very tight (great for jazz and classical). The current model has bass frequency response down to 45hz, which is generally unheard of in anything smaller than a tower or large floor-standing speaker (the older models that I have go even further--down to 39hz). Bottom line, they sound much larger and more detailed than most speakers of comparable size.

Gerald Wilson, disc 5

Simple explanation: set #240 will be released later. As noted in a separate thread I started a while ago a few sets are still in preparation (Braxton, Goodman). Understood. But normally they're numbered in the order in which they're released. I guess #240 (Braxton or Goodman) was delayed beyond the originally anticipated release date.

Anyone else notice that with the OP set, they've jumped from #239 (Lester Young) to #241? What's up with that?

Now it's gone! I bet they did that just to make me look foolish.

Here.

Yep--thanks, Erik.

If they also throw in a turntable on which to play the included LP, I might consider it.

Another for Blue Hour. Be sure to pick up the 2-disc "Complete Blue Hour Sessions": http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Sessions-St...8906&sr=1-1

Gerald Wilson, discs 3 and 4 Really diggin' this one. Sorta glad it went into "Running Low" so I had an excuse to pick it up.

Gerald Wilson, discs 1 and 2

Thanks, guys! I can't wait to hear this one! The clips on the site are terrific, and I'm eagerly awaiting the rest of it! Gotta love that Cindy! Did she say no charge for shipping? How did you swing that?

You might even be able to drag me along to a couple of these.

The Gerald Wilson set I just got is 4291 out of 5000. Since it just went into "Running Low," this may be a case of running out instead of timing out.