T.D.

More or less agreed. I've always had a violent aversion to his writing, and won't be checking out the latest.

Have an excellent one!

Happy birthday!!! :party: Felicitations richly deserved, since GA is very active in noticing others' b-days.

Got e-mail yesterday - Berkshire has the Regis 9-cd box of Kempff's Beethoven sonatas (mono version, originally on DG) for $26.91. I like that set (granted, I have notably poor taste).

I've bought a lot of recordings from importcd, most notably Black Saint / Soul Note boxes. Funny thing: they also sell on Amazon, but there can be big differences (not always in the same direction) between their own site's price and their price on Amazon. So it pays to check the site.

Hard to say without knowing Mosaic's financials. The "limited edition" approach seems essential in order to maintain price levels and "desirability". My personal hunch (nothing more) is that the number of sets was pitched a bit low. But 5,000 is a nice round number, something like 7,000 would look weird, and 10,000 probably too high!

Very much a latecomer, Carmell Jones Select for me. Only Selects so far, though the Clifford Jordan Strata-East may cause an alteration to that policy...

PM sent on Sam Rivers - Contours (Blue Note 73163 reissued 2004) - $15

Thanks for the comments on the Select. "Cerebral" is OK for me (tongue-in-cheek recognized ). Will order it, as the set is "running low".

Sorry for going OT, but: Tyner (as a leader) is under-represented in my collection. I noticed his Mosaic Select is still in stock, but didn't find much discussion on the forums here. Any love for the Tyner Select? Recommendations?

I got into WCJ via the Counce group (probably the biggest eye-opener), Hampton Hawes and Barney Kessel. Subsequently expanded to many others, notably Manne. +1 on Ted Gioia's book (I checked it out on intra-library loan) I also really dig Art Pepper's Straight Life and Hawes's Raise Up Off Me, though those books are not specifically "WCJ". Kudos as well to the great recording engineer Roy DuNann (Contemporary)!

Thanks! Very kind of you, much appreciated.

Many thanks. I'm not far from the venue, and wouldn't have heard about it otherwise.

Not to mention parking fees, etc...

Best-known Mozart librettist (there were several) is Da Ponte: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Da_Ponte In general, it varies. Relatively few composers (Wagner of course being a notable exception) write their own libretti. Another well-known partnership is Richard Strauss / Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

Pretty big fan, I enjoyed his music (mainly because of witty lyrics) long before I became a "jazz fan". I saw him at a club in NYC in the late '90s (thought for a minute at Bradley's, but the dates don't match up; it was in that neighborhood). Too bad that was the only time...

Big-name free agency in MLB is becoming the ultimate showcase of "Buyer's Remorse" or "Winner's Curse". NYY are screwed either way: their roster is so sorry that they can't afford to let Cano walk, but if they resign him, the tail end (or more) of the bloated contract will be a Pujolsian/Hamiltonian/A-Hole-Rodian disaster. I'll be shocked if the Yankees don't keep him.

to the Pepper Vanguard box...

Not on the verge anymore. In the last few years, Mets have outdrawn the Yankees on the radio but that could be because Mets are on an all sports station while Yankees are on an all news station. Radio coverage is changing next year. NYY moving from WCBS (all-news) to WFAN (all-sports), replacing the Mets on WFAN. (AFAICT, WCBS and WFAN have the same corporate parent). I don't know where the Mets are going, but haven't taken time to investigate... See http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-11/yankees-reach-multiyear-agreement-to-be-broadcast-on-wfan-radio.html

As sportscaster Warner Wolf used to say decades ago on one of the NYC network TV stations (or maybe it was on the "Imus in the Morning" radio program; I forget): If you had the Ravens +21...YOU LOST!

The Debussy I've heard by Michelangeli was very good IMO (granted I'm kind of a fan and opinions on ABM vary). I once purchased the Kocsis box of Debussy piano music (used, hard to find), but had to return it because one disc was scratched. I'd buy it again if available. Once purchased the famous Gieseking box, but wound up selling it (sound quality was not good, for one).

Interesting - I recall City Primeval as my favorite Leonard title. I prefer his earlier stuff, just personal taste. I'd like to see those reviews, too.

The Don Pullen Select. One of those things I missed out on when current and wound up purchasing used...

+1...Well said, I was getting ready to post almost the same thought.

The Gesualdo Hex by Glenn Watkins.