Brad

Especially after eating a lot when you’re as tight as a fiddle.

So basically, if you have problems playing this... Blue Note doesn't care. Why should they care if you have played thousands of records fine? If you can't play this record, it's your fault, not theirs. That's really great news for those customers who can't play it. I'm glad I bought the Pure Pleasure LP of this title a few years ago. That’s completely effed up. Glad I have the cd. Too bad that instead of talking about a great recording, people are left with a sour experience.

Tonight it will be 10. Better than last night. Still need to do a wash. However, it’s warming up overnight. It’s a heat wave!

Very. 4 degrees here last night. As the pipes for the washing machine can get frozen when it hits single digits, I did a wash last night at 1am.

Beyond excellent!

I love those Verve reissues from the 70s. Great album jackets too. Recently listened to:

The other day.

Disc 1.

Review by Ben Ratliff in The NY Times. The Sound of Sonny “Aidan Levy has written a revealing, comprehensive biography of the improviser-hero Sonny Rollins.”

One of the commentators mentioned that Lloris is not comfortable doing PK shootouts and it showed. Martinez was up for the challenge.

Glad to help. Just starting this:

I have almost next to nothing of this JATP period so I’m looking forward to it. It’s not the kind of set I’d sit down and listen to straight through. I rarely do that with Mosaics anyway.

First time I’ve preordered in many years. I feel this one may go quickly.

My feeling is that because it’s JATP, they expect this one to do well.

Sorry I didn’t reply. The sound is great. I can’t say I’m the biggest Oscar fan but I enjoyed this one a lot. According to the liner notes this was only the second recording of this trio of Oscar, NHOP and Louis Hayes.

Disc 3.

The Spatial Frontiers of Jazz: New, previously unissued recordings reveal the pianist’s innovations at a critical moment in the evolution of jazz.

I happened to see the book today when I was in B & N but since I was there to look at le Carre’s book on his private letters, I didn’t look at it.

I don’t know if it was the first but it was the first for me and blew my mind when I heard it the first time. Still love hearing it.

There’s a book on Islamic Spain that was well received when it came out called Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain by Brian Catlos. If you like Hemingway you might enjoy the podcast One True Pod. I find it invaluable.

SCW recommendations. A good one is Hugh Thomas’ book but it’s long Written a long time ago but still holds up well. Ronald Fraser’s Oral History of the Spanish Civil War is incredible but, again, long Adam Hochschild’s Spain in our Hearts is good but more focused on the International Brigades. Hotel Florida by Amanda Vaill isn’t bad. Lastly, Giles Tremlett’s Ghosts of Spain gives you a good look at the country and how it deals with the SCW. Coming to grips with it more than 80 years after it ended is still contentious. Since you are going to be in Madrid, if you have access to a car, I’d recommend going to Sepúlveda for the roast lamb. It literally falls off the bone. It’s north of Madrid, an hour’s drive I think. Also go to Segovia. The Roman aqueduct still works. Meson de Cándido is a good restaurant. A little touristy but the food is good. Avila is a walled city south of Madrid. Worth a visit. Madrid has tons of restaurants. A touristy spot but a very good restaurant is Casa Botín off the Plaza Mayor. I love the place.

I’d say it’s more an area of interest as I lived there when I was a teenager. It depends on what you’re looking for and where you’re going to be. Historically, Tremlett’s book should do it for you. If you want to go more in depth about the Spanish Civil War, for example, I can make some recommendations. A book I have always liked because it gives you a flavor of Spain is The Sun Also Rises, although it’s not just about Spain.