T.D.

Best wishes from a very big fan! My father spent some time in a rehab center earlier this year, and those places aren't pleasant...Barry could use our support.

I've gradually come to believe that computers have killed chess. Here's an interesting item: Google's "DeepMind" AlphaZero, after minimal preparation, thrashed Stockfish, which is universally highly ranked on the short list of strongest computer programs. [Added: computer programs such as Stockfish are so strong that "man vs. machine" matches such as Kasparov used to play are practically extinct; when they do occur, the computer has to give the Grandmasters odds (material plus moves)!] Some games here [Added -2-] More details here: DeepMind’s AlphaZero crushes chess Blurb: Google-funded DeepMind has now shown that their AlphaZero algorithm can't just be used to beat Go but can outplay the best existing chess engines at chess and shogi. Their algorithm took a mere 4 hours of playing games against itself to teach itself to play chess at a level superior to Stockfish 8! In 100 games AlphaZero scored 25 wins and 25 draws with White, while with Black it scored 3 wins and 47 draws. It didn't lose a game, with the final score 64:36. Here you can replay 10 example games by our new computer overlord. Read the DeepMind paper (pdf): arxiv.org/pdf/1712.01815.pdf

Today in the London Chess Classic (open section, round 1) there was a Coleman-Hawkins game! (0-1, 27)

I enjoy the Black Saint / Soul Note box (1980-86 material, Strange Serenade + Faces of Hope + Verona Rag + Shades). I prefer the 2 trio/quartet albums (Strange Serenade + Shades) to the two solo albums, but consider them all worthwhile.

Happy Birthday !

+1. Not necessarily being pessimistic about music; the same could be said of my book collection and many other possessions...

Congratulations to...GA! First pick made was the winner!

Retired 2008.

Whoa, I usually enter this very late (and lose pathetically). I know nothing about CFL, but looked on a gambling site and saw Calgary listed as 7 point favorites with over/under of 53. So the unoriginal pick is...Calgary 55.

!!!

Interesting. Her later recording of the suites was praised on this forum, but I never got round to hearing it. If you've heard both, which do you prefer?

Happy birthday!

Super Typhoon Lan heading for Japan. Center looks to pass almost directly over Tokyo, according to this diagram as a Category 2 (possibly low-end Category 3) hurricane. Stay safe, kinuta.

Here are 11 works/recordings that I enjoy (no reps/warranties made about the recordings, they're just what I happen to own for whatever reasons). Bach is definitely my favorite. I listen to very little orchestral music, but like opera. Obviously much great and worthy stuff had to be omitted. Bach, sonatas/partitas for solo violin (Podger / Channel Classics, Grumiaux / Philips, Szeryng / DG) Bach, solo cello suites (Bylsma 1 / Philips) Bach, keyboard partitas (Schepkin on piano / Ongaku) Bach, Goldberg Variations (Hantai / Op. 111 on hpschd, Tipo / EMI, Schepkin / Ongaku on piano) Wagner, Parsifal (Kna 1962 / Philips) Beethoven piano sonatas (Kempff mono / DG, Yves Nat / EMI) Beethoven string quartets (I have the old Vegh set on Valois) Mozart violin sonatas with Grumiaux and Haskil on Philips Borodin string quartets # 1 and 2 with Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence (Borodin Quartet on EMI) Haydn string quartets op. 64 (Quatuor Mosaiques on Naive) Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6 (Mravinsky / DG) - had to expand to 11 because I couldn't stand to leave this out.

Very kind, many thanks. This was #60, so I'm still wrestling with related psychological issues...

All the best! (belatedly) Hey, our birthdays are very close (mine 10/12).

Doggone, David Paich, who played keyboards, wrote and co-wrote many of the tunes on Silk Degrees (see Wiki link above), is Marty Paich's son! Big surprise to me, though no doubt not to the cognoscenti.

+1!

It's all cool, as long as it doesn't cause problems with airport security. Spinal Tap - Derek Smalls

I agree with you on the Hawes. Didn't think of posting it here, and would have hesitated to bring up the subject, but this set never did anything for me (and I own a lot of HH recordings).

I know I'm old/old-fashioned and baseball analysts don't care about whiffing any more, but striking out 40% of the time suggests an area for improvement. Still, many kudos for the HR, OPS, etc.

I was planning on ordering the Clifford Jordan during the stampede, but ran into a bunch of home and auto repair expenses that wiped out the CD budget. My birthday is coming up in October, so maybe I can use that (or related gift certificate) to justify a purchase.