tonym

It's good. Came out here back in ...well, January I think. Not as good IMO as Trio which just is just a sublime piece from start to finish but 'Cinema Paradiso' from the new one wouldn't be out of place one jot on the first disc. I managed to see them live with Stanko doing the rounds for his last but one album and they were incredible. Enjoy!

Ornette Box Not me but a possible bargain if you don't have it.

Since I went 'hi-fi' I found that speaker distance/equipment placement has made a considerable difference. I concocted my own rack last year using quality materials and it has some wife-friendly credentials.

'nuff said.

Many good recommendations above; I'm immersed deeply into the Kubelik set that Bev mentioned at the moment. Also, on Monday I found this: a very good insight into what made the man tick.

All the very, very best buddy!

novelty headphone stand?

Leather trousers. Seriously.

Personally, I think the Bax cycle on Naxos performed by the Maggini Quartet is fantastic. All the most rewarding attributes of the quartet format are present; intimacy, spaciousness, dialogue and bringing the composer's own voice to the fore. IIRC the same group have performed Britten's cycle too.

and my third cycle of the Shostakovich symphonies for a snip off th'Bay

I too slept through the whole thing ( no, I wasn't with 7/4.....) which is a shame really because I normally don't turn in til around 12:30 1 am but last night, I managed an early night and must have been in deep, deep sleep. I remember the meteor hitting the North Sea though back in 92/93!

Windows was still very good last month when I visited last. Didn't expect it to be but they are managing to hold on to a fair selection of classical CDs. Now Hamilton's & Austin Record Service. Isn't it a small world. The last thing I thought we'd be discussing on a Michigan based jazz forum would be these two dusty little gems!

Brad Mehldau Trio Live

I've got this sat on my shelf and read it when it was first released (without the CD). I thought then, and still do, that it's a brilliant intro to the world of hard bop and jazz in general. I'm not sure about this but I don't think many books actually take the time to break down what is actually happening in a tune and what the players are doing with the melody/harmony. Of course this applies to all jazz, no just hard bop, but given the infectious nature of the Blue Note idiom King made a great decision in analysing those particular tunes.

For me it's those Roost sessions with Al Haig and co. (as BillF mentioned), they summ up everything that a tenor player should have --- a heart full of swing and a head full of bop --- as someone famously said (can't remember who though!) Next up it's The Steamer with Lou Levy and Stan Levey --- great band, swinging like mad. I obviously love the Gilberto stuff and Jazz Samba Encore is one I keep going back to. Although I like his later Concord and Emarcy discs, I haven't grown to love them.

I was in Banks' Music, York yesterday and noticed a fair collection of Finzi's music on offer; most of it on the Lyrita label IIRC. I was very tempted but I'll keep listening to R3 in the hope of catching some (money's tight at the mo'). One thing that occurred to me though, and this is no doubt common knowledge to most here , but Finzi was the father to Kiffer (Christopher) Finzi who married Jacqueline Du Pre's sister, Hilary. When reading the thread a few days ago I thought the name sounded familiar! Sorry!

It sounds like a bit of an idyllic place to me! I've a friend who's been working there now for almost two years in an area around Kalumdborg (sp?). He and his wife both cycle and immediately commented on the (typical) European attitude toward two wheeled transport. ie. you get respect! Relaxing, tolerant and courteous were also adjectives in abundance. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but the above town recently had a branch of McDonald's close down due to lack of custom. That's the sort of place I'd like to live.

Why am I thinking 'Squidward Tentacles' right now....... But come on guys, read the ad again please. You get a photo too.

The first jazz album I ever bought. What a great choice eh? A fantastic disc that warrants many repeated listens. I was thinking about Ornette's music most of last night and how it draws you in --- the reason for these thought? After some ealry evening supermarket shopping in our nearest Tesco, I was alerted to the CD aisle by the presence of Ornette On Tenor on the £5 rack! Not the norm for British supermarkets as far as I'm aware.

That certainly can't be your "edge"! When you're as skint as I am....it's pretty damn close!

7/4 has pushed me over the edge........

I too have been great affected by the beauty of 'English' classical music over the last year or so. I suppose my 'moment' was attending one of my wife's concerts which featured pieces by Grace Williams, Vaughan Williams and Elgar. I'd never heard the Tallis Variations before and was utterly gobsmacked at the simplicity yet emotion that was drawn from the theme. Since then i've managed to acquire the EMI/Haitink set of Vaughan Williams symphonies (No. 2 is on heavy rotation at present), lots of Bax chamber music (expertly recorded and well recommended on the Naxos label) and the complete Arnold symphonies --- a composer who I'd shied away from, dismissing it as 'film' music --- how wrong one can be! During the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday back in 2006, I had the urge to go out and get Britten's War Requiem and came away with that and the Peter Grimes set. I'm wanting to hear lots more: Frank Bridge is a name on various wish lists.