T.D.

Agreed on the latter; I used to have a (different) recording of Des Canyons, but wound up trading it... Funny thing: I was brought up Catholic, remain semi-observant, but still don't get Messiaen. So the religion link seems not to be essential.

I like a lot of contemporary music (including much that's considered weird or difficult), and know this is a personal failing/limitation, but generally just haven't warmed to Messiaen. I am (also) very fond of the Quartet for the end of time, and have attended live performances, but find Turangalila absolutely painful (have seen it live twice). Tried a recording (admittedly Naxos, though Austbo is usually pretty reliable) of 20 regards, and also disliked it. Have a recording of Chronochromie somewhere, and recall it somewhat more fondly, but haven't felt compelled to listen for years. I think my issue is that when Messiaen tries to communicate a "religious ecstasy" (granted, this may be getting close to cliche territory), he often employs certain intervals or chords (I don't know music theory) that rub me the wrong way. It's not the dissonance, but there just seems to be a certain dubious taste. I even sympathize to a degree with some of Boulez's comments (that's unusual!) re. Messiaen. Other suggestions would be welcome. BTW, the Turangalila rave is pretty much a stock NYT item. Essentially the same column seems to run, with variations, every two or three years. Apparently Tommasini, who is more or less the Gray Lady's designated modern music advocate, is high on the piece. Robertson also is the subject of frequent NYT profiles, probably because of his espousal of newer repertory.

Let me add my thanks. I was experiencing the same unpleasant view the past few days. Looked all over "My Controls", couldn't figure out how to fix it and was too embarrassed to ask. Was about to break down and inquire, but found this thread. [Yes, I'm a dumbass.]

I'm sure I'll read it as soon as the local library gets a copy. My library fare is heavy on commercial writing like Connolly; purchases for the home shelves run to pretentious crap.

Jean-Paul Marat Charlotte Corday Angel Cordero, Jr.

Just ordered: The Complete Novels (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) Flann O'Brien; Hardcover; Give My Regards to Eighth Street: Collected Writings of Morton Feldman Morton Feldman; Paperback

Looks more like a Thomas Tammy to me. For a more balanced image of US women's cycling :

Aha, a way out! There are also (BTW) a bunch of OJCs @ $6.99, but I'll mix in some March Blue Note reissues and specify no shipping until everything is filled. Thanks.

Lon, do you know how long this J&R sale will go on? I'd like to wait a few days, until the next credit card billing period. I get so many e-mails from them that I (as often happens) deleted the most recent one w/o reading. Missed out on the big $4.99 weekend-only event because I waited too long.

Leonard Woodcock Marvin Miller Curt Flood

As I expected, looks like it's going to wind up inconclusive. As Jon Heyman writes at the SI.com blog site: By the end of the hearing there still seemed to be a split of opinions: The Democrats believed McNamee, the Republicans did not. The hearing may not sway anyone to one side or the other. The most damaging evidence was gathered earlier, when Clemens' friend and former workout partner, Pettitte, and Knoblauch affirmed what McNamee said. And especially when Pettitte submitted an affidavit saying that Clemens admitted to HGH use back in 1999 or 2000. It doesn't appear that anything was proved today, which means that further investigation is needed.

I have only mild interest in the results of the hearing, and none at all in the process. Waiting for situation to clarify. Didn't vote, but would be closest to choice #3.

I know nothing about Fogelberg, but I know that ain't Liza, that's Julia Louis Dreyfus. Liza was in his sig at the time. He frequently changes sigs (hey, I enjoy looking, but he's featured far more attractive ones than JLD (or Liza for that matter) IMO).

I just got e-mail from an online vendor (ejazzlines; add standard disclaimer about my having no relationship with the outfit) which mentioned: Universal in Japan just launched a new budget-price series (sale price $13.48!) featuring historic titles from Barry Harris, Dodo Marmarosa, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Kenny Dorham, Oscar Pettiford, and Lee Konitz. This is news to me, and seems attractive (I'd go for the Harris practically offhand), but I know practically nothing about the Japanese reissue market. Is this program really a new development? Anybody know about remastering/sound issues, etc.? [if this is old news, or redundant, please delete the thread...]

It's been working as usual for me (Firefox, dial-up connection). I can access all pages, though they're a bit slow to load and there's the odd timeout when trying to load a page (which is almost always remedied by retrying).

i guess what shocked the industry is the Herbie won despite only selling 58,000 units. That is shocking. To the extent I follow the Grammies (admittedly, practically not at all), I always had the impression there was a very high correlation between sales and probability of winning an award.

Bummer. I received word today that this is no longer available. Damn. I'm a moron. Have been meaning to order that from BMG/yourmusic for the longest time...

There's still some cultural hope for NYC. Recently got this announcement via e-mail: FREE Lunchtime Concerts The Complete Beethoven String Quartets Mon.-Wed., February 11-13, 12:30PM Philosophy Hall at Columbia University Miller Theatre, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, presents 3 FREE lunchtime concerts this week. According to The New York Times, in the fall these concerts were "packed with people who relished the chance to break up their day with an up-close encounter with Beethoven." Be sure to arrive early, and just bring your brown bag, your friends, and yourself. February 11 - Opus 18, No. 6 February 12 - Opus 95 February 13 - Opus 132 Pacifica Quartet FREE - No tickets required. Hey- you could hear Beethoven on Mon-Wed, and cap it off with the G-man on Thur. Nah...

I only ordered six, considered the Hayes and (especially) Edwards/McGhee but passed. Only disappointment was Duke Jordan One for the Library solo piano; much as I like his playing in groups, this does nothing for me. But it's not nearly as bad as the discs Larry panned. Most pleasant surprise was Don Ewell Denver Concert. Ewell is in outstanding form.

You've got a strong stomach. I quit watching TV altogether about a month and a half ago. Although I did watch the Super Bowl at someone else's house.

Agreed on the spring training thing. Sox training camp is the #1 potential market.

Funny stuff, but you'd have to really care a lot about the issue to wear one of the shirts around... Might get better response during the season, when people could wear 'em to games. But Roger could throw a spanner in the works by retiring.

Sorry, I can't agree with you. If an athlete has enough guts to throw away his career in the name of human rights, like Tommie Smith and John Carlos in Mexico 68, well...chapeau! I agree with you. For multimillionaire athletes, like NBA or Premier League players, sure, the option of not going is easy, and maybe preferable, as they avoid potential injury and loss of earning power. But athletes in non-professional sports (say, Greco-Roman wrestling for one) may have trained all their lives for this Olympics. Tough to tell them to bag it and try again in four years.

Back to chess, this just in from Moscow: You'll find both endomorphs and ectomorphs

Ah, the "selection bias," or as readers of Nassim Nicholas Taleb's two excellent books (Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan) know it, "survivorship bias" issue... Actually, that logical fallacy is extremely widespread. So the Team Clemens braintrust could be sophists, or they could merely be dumbasses. At any rate, good catch by the Times, though astute readers would of course have laughed at the original argument.