T.D.

Thanks for the comments! A while back, I read an article (forget where) that discussed The Man Without Qualities and thought I might enjoy the novel. Then I perused a used copy of Vol. 1 in a bookshop and held off because it looked like very tough sledding. Will definitely skip it now.

Listening to late quartets after the Vegh Qt. recordings of same.

This Chessbase story (with many pics) mentions Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles. Here (different source) is Diz vs. Gene Lees: I've gotta believe trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson is a chess player. He has a band called "Sicilian Defence" and recorded a number of tunes with chess titles.[Added] Indeed he is: https://jazztimes.com/features/profiles/jonathan-finlayson-the-chess-player/

The late quartets, maybe the rest in a while.

More from the lot of recent purchases: Really enjoy the Ken Benshoof works. Never heard of him before this. The Milhaud (cond. Nagano on Erato) is of course good.

Wilpon's a terrible owner who has always struck me as a thoroughly disagreeable personality. Supposedly lost a big percentage of his net worth with Madoff, which may have constrained baseball spending.

Recently bought a bunch of used (mostly modern classical) CDs. Hit-or-miss proposition, but these have impressed so far: The lower left is Janacek string quartets performed live by Smetana Qt, Prague 1979.

I own a fair number of Rahsaan Roland Kirk CDs, and Joel Dorn frequently mentioned Dorthaan in the liner notes of his 32Jazz RRK releases. I only became aware of her radio activities a few years ago.

Got e-mail today stating that it shipped yesterday (Monday). I had been slightly concerned (but not enough to send an e-mail query) because I received no confirm from Dark Tree at time of order (only the PayPal confirm).

Good points, John. I guess I overlooked the ancillaries because I won't be purchasing any either. As I recall, Lang's selling point to ex-sponsor Dentsu (Japanese advertising concern) was that Dentsu had been involved in a big scandal, and sponsoring a music festival was a way of rehabilitating the company's reputation. With the Street now involved, it'll be much more P/L driven.

This sounds a bit fishy. Back when the Japanese investor pulled out and "canceled" the festival, we read: Multiple plans for the festival were presented on Friday, April 26, according to [promoter Michael] Lang. All involved “a slight profit,” which Lang has long said is par for the course with such festivals. But then, on April 29, [Dentsu] said they were taking control of the festival, and then cancelled it…“without any advance notice to me or my team.” But now Lang has retained a Wall St. investment bank to find investors? Those guys don't get involved with "slight profit" ventures. Or else Oppenheimer will be collecting big fees to bring in dumbass investors who will lose money. (The lamented Dentsu seemed like a prime mullet; presumably Oppenheimer will cast a wider net.) In any case, Lang will have to disavow his earlier plans and claim bigger profits. And I'm sure Lang himself will pocket substantial fees. $18 probably won't even buy a meal at the concession stands.

Agreed. RickLopez broke the news here over a month ago.

Agreed. The recent "Live at IUCC" reissue is awesome.

Many thanks for posting this. I'm in. 15 Euro, not US $, but that's OK.

PM / query sent on Janacek - String Quartets 1 & 2 (Supraphon) $4 Darius Milhaud - Le Carnival d'Aix/Le boeuf sur le toit/creatrion/piano concertos/harp (2 cds on Erato) $4

PM sent on: Ross Lee Finney - Piano Music (CRI) Stockhausen - Kurzwellen (1968) Stockhausen 1992 cd self reissue, light marks on the disc that do not affect play Eighth Blackbird - Strange Imaginary Animals (Cedille) C. Curtis-Smith - Twelve Etudes for Piano/The Great American Symphony (Albany) Ken Benshoof - 24 Preludes (Albany) Donald Martino - 12 preludes/impromptu/fantasy/etc (Albany) The Piano Music of William Albright (CRI) Barbara Benary - Sun on Snow (New World) Benedict Mason - String Quartet/Double Concerto (Bridge) Max Roach - M'Boom Live at SOB's New York (Blue Moon) Max Roach - M'Boom (Columbia)

The early LvB sonatas. I really enjoy this box.

I once read a fair amount of "real Shakespeare" theorizing - de Vere, Marlowe, etc. A few years ago, someone recommended I read Will in the World. I got about halfway through the book (which does not iirc advance alternate identity theories), thought it was clever enough but nothing more than speculation, and vowed to read no more historical speculation re. WS. Thanks for the link, but no time for this latest. [Added] Despite the fact that we'll never have real proof, I believe the identity speculation can be enjoyable in its own right for lifetime Shakespeare aficionados with whom all the textual allusions and linkages immediately resonate. But I lack that degree of erudition.

Bought this only recently, when I found one at a really low price. Held out for a long time - wasn't sure I needed more Dexter, especially late vintage. But it's a great set!