BillF

Indeed!

Klaus Fuchs Shagger Norris Randy Andy

In view of the way the discussion has gone, start with a shorter, early one. I think The looking Glass War is great - full of atmosphere from the first page.

BillF Genius Genie In The Lamp Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair Blondie Brian Redhead

Bill - you're obviously a big fan. I am currently reading "Tinker Tailor" on the recommendation of my wife. I am bored with it - none of it makes sense to me. What am I doing wrong? You're doing nothing wrong. LeCarre was in his depths by then. His best are his earliest 5 or so novels, and he's written better ones (like The Night Manager) in later years. I couldn't follow Tinker either. Struggled to the end then got rid of the copies of The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People that I had been planning to read next. I consoled myself while reading Tinker with spotting instances of bad grammar and poor sentence construction. A pity, as I liked The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. You surprise me Crisp. Those three novels, published collectively as 'Smiley vs Karla' are easily my favourite Le Carre's and are generally regarded as not only his best work but the best of the genre. While they all have complex plots I never found them particularly difficult to follow, just superb storytelling. Part of the problem may be that Le Carré deliberately sets out to mystify the reader as part of his narrative method. Very often his central characters don't know what's going on themselves, particularly in the earlier parts of the books. His use of secret service jargon ("lamplighters" etc) without explanation is another factor. But all gets resolved eventually.

Jazz musician named with cat

Miss Fine Oliver Nelson Horatio Hornblower RN The Trumpet Major Major Holley Bill Berry

Sir John Cockroft Christopher Cockrell Rooster Ties

Johnny Otis Otis Reading Otis Ray Appleton Granny Smith Pippin the Younger Sonny Cox

"Portraits of Harlem" on Night Lights from WFIU

Tilda Swinton Salford Van Hire Derek Trucks

Miles Davis Blows (10" LP Esquire 20-041) With Rollins, Silver, Heath, Clarke, 1954. Sleeve note includes classic Gitlerisms, such as "Airegin is not a purified alcoholic beverage" and "Listen, my children, and you shall hear."

Bones Howe Milton Graves The Dirty Digger

Kai JJ Dick Katz Bill Doggett Organ Morgan Albert Nobbs

#15 Beautiful Bud Powell-influenced bop pianist playing "Cherokee". Tete Montoliu?

#13 Amazing how it manages to combine "A Child Is Born" with "Oleo"! Sounds a bit like Michel Petrucciani, but probably isn't!

Johnny Guitar Adolphe Sax The Sax Pistols

Griselda Blanco Griselda Pollock Kate Bolick

Jazz Library from BBC Radio 3: Bob Brookmeyer Includes archived interview.

A.K.A. So and So Thingummy

#6 The obvious guess is Charlie Parker playing "Stardust" on a live date.

#2 The tune is Mingus's "Self Portrait in Three Colors", so is this a Mingus band? (George Adams already identified.)

#4 "Robbins Nest" by, and featuring, Sir Charles Thompson, plus Buck Clayton (probably the leader), Buddy Tate, Dicky Wells (or Vic Dickenson)- probably Emmett Berry, too. Live recording, probably on one of their European tours. Saw them in Bradford, UK in 1958!

Ken Peplowski in Concert from BBC Radio 3