patricia

Helen Gurley Brown [former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan] has the biggest head, proportionate to her body, that I have ever seen. There she is, this huge head, atop a toothpicky body, eyes wide, wide, wide, never blinking, her high-pitched voice, squeaking away. Now, that scares me. Holy man!!

Noj and JSngry, Thanks. My father always said that learning when to shut up was the most important thing. I guess I must have been talking and didn't learn that. B)

As with any other type of critic, the critics who write in the Penguin Guide, as well as AMG are giving their opinion, which may or may not be mine. However, the mere listing of less well-known artists has been invaluable to me, especially when I first became re-acquainted with jazz, about seven years ago now. If I hadn't browsed the lists, and read about the artists, I would have had no idea where to start. That, combined with recs from more experienced jazzers is the base of my collection of jazz. Of course, the Penguin guide lists only CD's, so artists whose work is mainly found on vinyl are a little shortchanged, but that doesn't happen as often now that re-mastered CD's are to be had of the really old stuff. I haunt a vintage vinyl shop here and am more often delighted, than disappointed in discs I have bought, solely on the strength of the covers and the extensive descriptions on them. The field is enormous and any help is good help, I think.

Chris is actually being uncharacteristically modest. There's talk of his book being made into a feature film, although I think that a doc. would be easier to control, factually. I would love to have seen the real Bessie. This book will be the next best thing. I love biographical books, particularly jazz-related ones so, of course I will be buying this one.

Just walked in and hung up my [large] hat. Thank you for the warm welcome.

Now them there's fightin' words! LOL!!! Ten bucks says I can beat her, two falls out of three, if she's not a hair-puller. B)

By a big head, do you mean in proportion to their bodies? If you mean that, I guess I have a disproportionatly large head, because I'm quite slight, and my daughters make fun, gently, of me, saying that I look like a lollipop. It's impossible to do something about a large head, except what Ms. O'Donnell has chosen to do, which is get fat enough to balance the head with the body. If nobody is grabbin' their kids off the street, in horror, then that's somethng, I guess.