Kalo

Just one of many reasons to love that film.

There's something extremely disturbing about that picture. Then again, I find there to be something disturbing and repellent about every photo of her.

But just how much gravy is on that train? That is the question. A lot, my friend. Enough to last a lifetime.

I saw that on Slate the other day and it definitely piqued my interest. Partly because I am a fan of Evan Eisenberg's book Phonography, and I haven't run across any writing of his for years. I messed up the name of Eisenberg's book: actually, it's called The Recording Angel: Explorations in Phonography. Amazon lists it here. And it appears that he has a website. Looks like I've got some catching up to do.

They are that, but they are also full of a good deal of preening self-promotion as well as a general smack-down of anything he dislikes or disagrees with, which is my problem with him. He's entitled to his own opinions. He just won't acknowledge that I am equally entitled to mine. Actually, I've been disappointed by Clem's posts lately. He's been selling out, I fear. The spelling is far more orthodox, the references less obscure, fahchrissakes, I even understand them the first time through nowadays. How the mighty have fallen! But seriously, I've always kinda dug Clem's thing and have found his opinions worth a reading, even if I disagree with them. I also understand why his postings alienate many of us.

And, by the way, I've got Violin Summit on vinyl as well, and I'm very glad that I do. But the Ellington is truly special.

A truly fine recording! That one's not on CD, is it? At least, I haven't come across it. I've got it on vinyl. Amazon lists it on CD here.

I saw that on Slate the other day and it definitely piqued my interest. Partly because I am a fan of Evan Eisenberg's book Phonography, and I haven't run across any writing of his for years.

A truly fine recording!

One word, my friend: DISINFECTANT... Yeah, I always disinfect those bacteria-laden books. The thing is that the books have hardly ever been touched, but those damn keyboards have had people's filthy hands all over them.

Good one! As I recall, they constantly belittle director Mary DiBergi (Rob Reiner) for only focussing on the things that went wrong. Then, whenever one of the songs is being performed, one bandmember (Bassist Derek Smalls/AKA Harry Shearer?), with an almost reverent tone, recommends that we just listen to the performance...

Just a guess, but based on what I've learned from my Japan-obsessed friend who married a Japanes native, it would be something like this: Oh-toh-moh Yoh-shee-hee-duh. In my understanding, Japanese tends to give equal emphasis to all of the syllables, thus none of them are stressed more than others.

Went on a bit of an OJC orgy at Newbury Comics in Harvard Square. Hard to resist their prices: mostly $3.99 and not a one of these over $7.99! Joe Albany with Warne Marsh - The Right Combination The Gene Ammons Story - Organ Combos Junie C. Cobb and His New Hometown Band Sonny Criss - Up, Up and Away Earl "Fatha" Hines and His Band - A Monday Date Bennie Green Blows His Horn Johnny Griffin with Strings and Brass - White Gardenia Coleman Hawkins All Stars Featuring Joe Thomas and Vic Dickenson Lonnie Johnson with Victoria Spivey - Idle Hands Clifford Jordan Quartet - Bearcat Elliot Lawrence Band Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements Blue Mitchell - A Sure Thing Blue Mitchell - Smooth as the Wind Ada Moore with Tal Farlow, John La Porta, Oscar Pettiford Doug Watkins Quartet - Soulnik

OK. I was in Harvard Square this evening and couldn't resist glomming another armful of fire sale priced OJCs, including some produced by our own Chris Albertson: Joe Albany with Warne Marsh - The Right Combination The Gene Ammons Story - Organ Combos Junie C. Cobb and His New Hometown Band Sonny Criss - Up, Up and Away Earl "Fatha" Hines and His Band - A Monday Date Bennie Green Blows His Horn Johnny Griffin with Strings and Brass - White Gardenia Coleman Hawkins All Stars Featuring Joe Thomas and Vic Dickenson Lonnie Johnson with Victoria Spivey - Idle Hands Clifford Jordan Quartet - Bearcat Elliot Lawrence Band Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements Blue Mitchell - A Sure Thing Blue Mitchell - Smooth as the Wind Ada Moore with Tal Farlow, John La Porta, Oscar Pettiford Doug Watkins Quartet - Soulnik In my defence (or deep in my rationalization), I haven't bought any of these for weeks! (As Free for All put it in a post above.) For anyone looking for these, check out Newbury in person, or online (either through Amazon or their own site). Great prices and excellent service. 90% of the records listed above cost me $3.99, and none were over $7.99!

I certainly would not start an exploration of the Swingville series with that one . It's a rather dull , uninspired record . A far better starting point is Budd Johnson's Let's Swing , with positively magisterial playing by Budd , and a fine supporting cast . Edit : Someone should go here and grab the Hal Singer for $4.99 . Grabbed that at the Harvard Square Newbury Comics a while back. Nice one. Their internet service is first rate as well. I visited there today and ended up buying 15 OJCs at fire sale prices, including the Swingville Coleman Hawkins All Stars. I'm looking forward to giving it a first spin.

Who was an even better cocksucker, so they say... Speaking of Bloom, I've been meaning to get around to reading Saul Bellow's Ravelstein.

The Pallisers is a pretty amazing series. For some reason, I read this first and have not (yet) gotten to Barchester Towers and the rest of that series. I second the recommendation for "The Eustace Diamonds." "The Way We Live Now" is amazing, too. Two of the most enjoyable books we've read in my long-running book group. I need to get back to Trollope soon.

A gal I work with also works in the Newbury Comics warehouse. The other day she told me that all of the Concord blowout stuff they acquired is stored near her desk. I'll pass on to her the approbation of us Organissimites.

Jazz Reunion has long been a favorite, as is The College Concert of Pee Wee Russell and Henry "Red" Allen. I'll definitely be checking out some of the other recommendations on this thread.

One of the best commentaries I can think of is on the Shattered Glass DVD. The movie, about disgraced journalist Stephen Glass, is excellent. The commentary features the film's screenwriter/director Billy Ray and the real life Chuck Lane, the editor of the New Republic who discovered Glass's forgeries and fired him (depicted by the superb Peter Sarsgaard in the film). Fascinating, especially for anyone in the journalism racket.

Wolaver's Pale Ale. Certified Organic and craft brewed in Vermont at the Otter Creek Brewery. :tup

Seeing this thread pop up again made me realize that I haven't bought any of these in weeks. WEEKS, I tell you. This Wednesday, I have to visit Harvard Square, home of a brick and mortar Newbury Comics. I hope I can resist taking a peek at what's left of their OJCS, some still going for $3.99 last time I took a gander, not to mention a plunge...

My dad, pretty much a product of the Beatnik era himself and still living the Bohemian lifestyle in Berkeley, CA, at 70 years of age, once said to me that he thought of Kerouac as "a giant eye with no brain."

Bring back the wax cylinder! But seriously, I recently attended a lecture given by Larry Applebaum, the guy in charge of audio preservation at the Library of Congress (AKA the man who discovered the Monk/Coltrane live at Carnegie Hall tapes), and he said that the most stable medium yet known in the history of recording is the 78 rpm shellac disc.