Д.Д.

Baroque Opera, 39 CD set on Harmonia Mundi, available for preorder. http://harmoniamundiuk.wordpress.com/tag/baroque/

OK, I finally got around to doing some A/B-ing of these boxes with the old CD issues using headphones. I checked Muhal Richard Abrams's "Blues Forever". It's a large band music allowing for a lot of dynamic variety. So yes, the new versions sound very treble-heavy and harsh. The large-ensemble passages are blurred and messy. The older versions sound significantly softer in comparison. For my ears, the old edition is much more enjoyable. Checked the Dixon "Live in Italy 1" - same thing.

These Cyrille discs are really nice, the ones with Ted Daniel in particular. I guess I have most of them, so won't be buying the set. I have the Waldron set and it is indeed treble-heavy. Don't have the single CD issues to compare, though.

Richter was one of the great pianists, but music from the Baroque Era was not his strong suit in my opinion. I agree.

Elisso Wirssaladze... she is excellent. I hope she records this Ravel concert one day.

It's a good one. Not sure pone needs 10 CDs of it. Used to be £18 at amazon.co.uk when I bought it in 2011, might still go down to that level.

On Cecma. In good condition. Asking €50 ($66) plus shipping (around $5-7). Payment by PayPal.

Yes, that's the one I have. i hope she gets to record the whole cycle once.

This one is even cheaper at the UK amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BM9I028/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE Strange collection, this one. have you heard any of it? No, was just looking at the track list.

This one is even cheaper at the UK amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BM9I028/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE Strange collection, this one.

Loved it, just ordered the CD. Thanks! Saw Midori live yesterday playing Bach's sonatas and partitas. She was fantastic.

Richter playing Bach's WTC for €10 at amazon.es: http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B000026OHN/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=3626&creative=24822&creativeASIN=B000026OHN&linkCode=as2&tag=bonsplanscl05-21

Great bassist, even though I find him a bit too busy and disruptive at times. I like him most in duos with Archie Shepp and Walt Dickerson.

It actually seems to have gone OOP recently. My Reprise CD sounds just fine to me, so I think I will skip.

Zappa Family Trust is reissuing Trout Mask Replica later this year: http://barfkoswill.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=971_15167

Matt Bauder is a good one. Porter has generous sounds samples for their releases.

Everybody here is a fan of solo bass guitar, right? Daniele Camarda, a phenomenal bassist, recently released a new digital-only album: http://www.danielecamarda.net/ . I have his previous ones, both are excellent. I skimmed through the samples, this one sounds more flamenco-show-offish than his two (excellent) previous ones, but still is quite good. Hos older album with alto-sax monster Gianni Gebbia can be heard in full here: https://soundcloud.com/danielecamarda

A lot of good stuff here. Track list with samples here: http://www.deccaclassics.com/en/cat/single?sort=newest_rec&PRODUCT_NR=4782759&SearchString=20th+century+classics&UNBUYABLE=1&per_page=100&flow_per_page=100&presentation=flow

Sure enough, 38 versions of the Rite of Spring from Universal are not enough, so you get another 10 from Sony.

This is an old and tendentious book. I understand that Alan Clayson is working on an FZ bio at the moment, could be interesting.

I don't, I first learned about Zappa after he was already dead. But I have read a lot about him. There are dozes of interviews where he is obnoxious and cranky (particularly during the PRC saga), and the things he says are obvious posing. He most definitely cultivated a certain image of himself that may have been just a facet of his true personality (which I tend to think was much kinder and warmer). Of course, I used the word "belligerent" not in the direct meaning - Mingus he was not. Regarding FZ's interaction with his fans, there are some great stories, e.g. him - after playing two sets - agreeing to pay a visit to a young Swedish fan somewhere in the outskirts of Stockholm, then spending the night discussing politics with his parents, and traveling further the next day.

Zappa could be extremely arrogant and belligerent, particularly to passing acquaintances. I think this was an element of the public image that he cultivated. At the same time, people who knew and worked with him for a long time almost invariably seem to be in awe with him - as musician, but also as a person.

I am not.

"The Closer You Are" is great, but it does not provide any new inside compared to the original by Earl Lewis & the Channels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsiN4vXspbM

They did, it just was not released officially.