erwbol

Though her Bösendorfer is poorly recorded.

Since the delay is already on your end, I think not ...

I do not think it has been released yet. My local book store has it listed as a preorder here. Release dates were pushed back a number of times on Amazon over the years. Currently it is listed as October 2019, but unavailable for (pre-)order. Seeing is believing. And I can't order directly from the UK anymore due to a hard Brexit being imminent. Packages from the UK can take a little over a month to arrive this time of year. I can't take the risk of the book not shipping immediately but close to 31st October or after. I am currently awaiting delivery of 5 second hand books spread over 4 orders from the UK and progress is sloooow. I shudder to think what delivery from the UK to the EU will be like once the UK is out without a withdrawal agreement.

Off topic, but does anybody know if and when Brian Morton's book on Eric Dolphy will finally be released?

A long time ago I read a short biography of Beethoven and it pales in comparison to Swafford's, though at over a 1000 pages it's going to take me a while to finish.

I bought the set at amazon.de a couple of years ago. I paid about €100. The set is still available on the label's website here. Perhaps they are planning to sell the remaining copies themselves to maximise profit? I don't think Tákacs is emotionally lacking. And the recording brings out every nuance in his playing. I think what's the case is people have become accustomed to their favourite eccentricities and identify them with this material. A very eccentric performance can still hold the attention in poor sound quality. The Bösendorfer Imperial and recording quality make Tákacs shine. As a college professor he is also clearly knowledgable about Beethoven as is evident from the liner notes. There is also good interview footage of him online, including about a visit to Bonn to inspect original manuscripts: The Whole Note. Perhaps instead of a favourite eccentricity I have a preferred piano sound. I prefer Bösendorfers over Steinways.

So apparently the Mobley CD artwork got mislaid at the CD manufacturing plant, but was eventually retrieved? At least now the Mobley will be in stock at Jazz Messengers in time for Christmas.

Geldwolf (money grubber). Enough top 5% earners in the SF area, so that's OK. Paupers prefer Kenny G and country music anyway.

Not per night?!

International Phonograph's CD of Dogon A.D. sounds fantastic. If possible, I would try to get a (second hand) copy of that CD or else the vinyl that was released later on. Jonathan Horwich also did Horace Tapscott Quintet The Giant Is Awakened. That was recently reissued in Japan by Solid Records. I managed to download a FLAC rip of that Japanese CD and the difference in sound quality between these two reissues is not trivial. Basically, the Japanese CD sounds like shit in comparison. I bought just one of these Flying Dutchman reissues on CD, Oliver Nelson's Black, Brown and Beautiful, and now can't help but think it could have sounded better as well.

New arrivals:

Where's the CD?

Now:

RIP Uli.

I use the 4K Retina screen of my iMac for movies and tv shows. I turn the lights low, hook up my Sennheisers and pull my comfy chair in front of my desk. I do have an old 1080p flatscreen stored in my bedroom that gets dragged into the living room when I want to watch sports. When that eventually breaks down, I'll never buy another tv again. Never had trouble with the motion smoothing effect on my 4K Retina screen.

The series also included the eponymous debut album. I didn't get that one because of the beautiful deluxe 2CD Rhino released a while back. Goodbye and Hello wasn't included in the Tower Records Japan series, probably because the regular Warner Japan CD from 2006 was still in print until recently. That CD from 2006 sounds harsh and digital in comparison. You can't really crank it up due to the limiting/compression. The Tower Records Japan series from 2010-13, however, does not sound digital at all. A shame these masterings weren't made available outside of Japan.

You also have some of the Tower Records Japan Tim Buckley (SHM-)CDs? I thought I was the only one here. I think Happy Sad sounds spectacular. I have Happy Sad, Blue Afternoon, Lorca, Starsailor & Greetings from L.A. and all these albums probably sound as good as they possibly can. Better than any US/EU CD.

I own Igor Levit's Bach Partitas and I don't consider them mechanical either. I love instrumental Bach. Choral & vocal religious Bach can take a hike.