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I'm not sure if this phrase equates to the oft used, 'trying to polish a turd', but, yes....if the song is a bit cheesy this band's attempts at giving it credibility have to be admired. Or you think not? I think not, because the hook progression in the song is so annoying/nagging that any "tasteful" attempt to play "Send In The Clowns" must attempt to significantly modify that phrase or skate away from it altogether, but when you do that, either there's nothing left or you're not even playing the song. I have a copy of "Goodbye" (don't ask why), and, as I recall, the interpretation there is close to both of those alternatives, but that damn phrase finally turns out to be unavoidable. I'd say that the only way to handle it is the way Albert Ayler might have. I guess I am lucky not to be familiar with the original song. I think their interpretation is really nice. Guy Me too. Then again, I'm no jazz writer.

Wait till you hear them play "Send In The Clowns." It's like watching someone try to wash a pile of dog poop. I'm not sure if this phrase equates to the oft used, 'trying to polish a turd', but, yes....if the song is a bit cheesy this band's attempts at giving it credibility have to be admired. Or you think not?

This is a new idea of Eicher's? Haven't most, or a good many, ECM records been mixed this way from the beginning? On the other hand, maybe there was a point when it began to get even weirder than it was initially. I recall the first time I listened to Kenny Wheeler's "Angel Song" -- rec. almost exactly ten years ago, in Feb. 1996 -- and wondering whether the players were hanging from guy wires in the studio. Apart from the obvious Health & Safety issues, is there anything wrong with this?

What do you think of this album? I decided not to pick it up in the Tower megasale -- there were a ton of copies. Guy Hmmmm!!!! Initially I passed on the album and a live gig which was very local but for unusual reasons.... A guy I know had played with Martin Speake not long before this was released and had commented on, ahem, his ego. I know it's common for high achievers to have quite high opinions of themselves but what he had told me sounded rude and obnoxious. (mind you, I'm still a big Getz fan, so if the stories are true then I'm guilty of double standards....) Anyway the band, as featured on the disc, played a series of rural gigs, one of which was only 10 miles down the road in a small village -- say 300-400 people --- at the village hall. I only found out about it that morning but still could've made it. The above put me off a bit. Anyhow, I like the album from what I've heard. It only came earlier this week so I can't really say anything critical about it yet. Later on, I'll post and try to shed some light on what's going on. Like I said though, Motian seems more direct and urgent than on the Stenson disc.

I recently listened to a Primare cd31 which was very, very nice. Built to last and nicely detailed but for me now, it's Naim all the way. Never heard anything that competes at these price points.

I got this album for Christmas and love it already; it's on at least once a day. However, I think the fact that it's sequenced in a rather odd fashion means that it does appear harder to get 'into'. The melodic pieces are grouped together at the beginning of the album with some shorter, more disparate tracks at the end. I wouldn't personally say that Motian is underused though. Given the pace of the disc, he's more inclined to add colour sparingly rather than, for example, on Marilyn Crispells 'Amaryliss' or the disc I just picked up from Bol -- Change Of Heart, where he's definitely more 'urgent' and propulsive. Again, I love it. It has all the elements and dynamics of my favourite piano trio albums; bits of Mehldau, bits of Evans' classic trios, other ECMs like Serenity, War Orphans, The Ground etc. And as for Jormin. Is it just me or does he get a lower, deeper note than anyone else? Let it grow

Looking to upgrade from the standard issue ipod earphones. How do you like these after a few months use? Still favorable? Yes, although I don't get chance to wear them much now being around the house a lot more ( rather than out at work and such). I replaced the filters about 6 weeks ago. When they go, they go. The sound just 'disappears'! Luckily you get one spare set included. I also bought, not long after, some iGrados from Todd The Vinyl Junkie over in your neck of the woods. They arrived very quickly and with all first orders you get $10 off. I prefer them to the Etys because I can wear them whilst cooking, clearing out the garage, cleaning my bike etc. and still hear supra-aural noise around me; my son coming into the kitchen etc. Also, the Etys, and others like them, are extremely microphonic. You hear your own footfall, chewing, swallowing --- everything. Sound good --- but heavy going at times. I would imagine if I was working nights again at the computer or back at college, in the library and such, they'd be great. head-fi.org was a big help. Let me know how you get on.

I recently bought some gear and started off looking at around those figures. From what I heard the Rega Apollo CD player and Brio 3 integrated amp were the best bet. I think you can get the Rega R3 speaker (floorstander) for around the same £450 ish. They were a lot better in my opinion than similarly priced Arcam, Rotel and Nad kit; upfront, brighter, more detailed etc. The Roksan Kandy range were also very good but didn't have the same build quality as the Rega. Good luck.

How much for UK shipping please Bol?

£3.99 from Borders!!!!

Have a very good day 7/4!

All the best Andy!

All the very best Patricia!

Happy Birthday fellow European! Have a great day.

I'd definitely second eMusic purely for their choice of Prestige/ Contemporary and Fantasy releases alone. You can quite often get some good introductory offers with them too, and when you try to cancel they tempt you back at reduced prices! eBay is of course marvellous if you read the descriptions and check out the feedback. Have fun and sorry about your wallet (or purse!).

Have a good one Clifford!

I always loved Suddenly It's Spring, but many favour If I'm Lucky. I don't think you can go wrong with late-period Zoot. It might be worth getting Jazz Alive: A Night at the Half-Note recently released on Blue Note. It features Al Cohn plus Phil Woods on one track IIRC. The contrast of styles is very noticeable on 'It Had To Be You'.

That'll explain that then!

Right. I understand that it can be very forward sounding, direct and 'attacking'. However, I don't really like bright or thin either. So I know where you're coming from. Interestingly I took a few discs with me, one of which was a VME of The Steamer; quite a warm master IMO. It sounded amazing to me. I didn't bother taking Jackie Macs RVG of A Fickle Sonance! With the older stuff I would think the forward nature of the equipment highlights the flaws in any recording. As for hearing different frequencies: I recently completed one of these online tests which plots your curve by a bleep test. Can't remember where I found it. My curve was fairly typical with the average human ear but it was shifted noticeably to the left. i.e at lower frequencies I was able to hear more, at higher frequencies my ability diminished. I suppose that concurs with my longtime gripe, if you will, about not being able to hear the subtleties and differences between clarinetists. Obviously stylistically I can point things out but tonal nuances always fool me at higher registers.

been listening to John Cage's Organ piece again have we?

I believe Cambridge Audio are now owned by the UK retailer Richer Sounds. As a business they are now tending to veer toward the home cinema market. I've heard many hi-fi enthusiasts complain about the decreasing standards so this may be a possible reason.

What Naim stuff are you getting, if it's not a secret? I had their CD5i player, and found it unsuitable for classic jazz reissues. I do indeed have the 5i (starter level ) but I'm not sure what you mean by 'unsuitable'. Does it not read the discs or is there another sonic problem? Or are you referring to the Classics label?

This is nice to see this. Since it may be difficult to estimate what your average song duration is, you can put in "1 minute" and the numbers become the total minutes you can store. Probably obvious, but thought I'd point that out in case it was missed. I did it this way; Click on the time tab so all tracks are listed downwards in order of time, then scroll to the halfway point: so if you have 2000 tracks go to 1000th on the list. That time in my case was 5'04" and many tracks shared that same time. Not a 'true' average but the median and given that most tracks increase in quite small increments between 1min and 30mins there's not that much variation over a few thousand.

i'm sure it just reads the file on your drive so it should only be 5kb in your example. However, there might be extra memory usage for 'labelling' and the like. When I've created very long playlists for journeys in the car, it doesn't add great amounts to the disc usage, but there is some increase.

i've just bought Epos M12.2 (£450) and they are stunning with many brands. They are made by Creek so have a good reputation. I also listened to Monitor Audio and B&W in the £500 bracket. None came close.