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The Cedar Walton just out on High Note -- One Flight Down -- is on emusic. Some more obscure things that I have enjoyed Evan Ziporyn, Typical Music (performed by the Arden Trio) World music -- Amadou and Mariam, Rachid Taha (most of his albums), Tinariwen No World Circuit so far, but fingers crossed that that label will show up eventually.

I was thinking that the definition of a horrible pop song was one that didn't have an interesting melody or chord changes, but that some musicians found a way to use it anyway. So that would break the category in two -- singers who found ways to bring sappy lyrics to life and musicians who enlivened the instrumental version of a poor tune. But of course we all hear things differently. I really dislike Miles noodling away through Time After Time.

I'll be interested to find what people think about this. I generally have enjoyed Pynchon's novels, but thought Mason & Dixon was long, overindulgent and worse of all quite boring.

I think it is a terrible shame that the guy totally lost control like that. But I can't see any explanation other than he is a racist at core. You just wouldn't say things about sticking forks into people and stringing them up. No way. My wife has decided that in fact she won't watch Seinfeld anymore. Watching him, even in character, in nearly every scene is too much for her. Guess I'm glad I only ever got her Season 1/2 on DVD, cause we'll have to give it away now. I'm sure I could still enjoy the show, even knowing the guy is a jerk, but it was her show, and not one I really followed. And now it is totally ruined for her. Thanks a lot, Mr. Richards.

I don't like ending of Short Cuts, but aside from that it is a very interesting film based on Raymond Carver's stories. Definitely worth watching once.

Well, I dl'ed it, listened to it a couple of times, then dropped it. I do like mash-ups, but this was just too rap-heavy for my taste. There was a brilliant remix/mash-up of Green Day's American Idiot called American Edit, and I listen to that about once a month. I like it a lot more, as it samples rock and pop and smashes it together with the Green Day tracks.

What part of "don't videotape yourself having sex" do these celebrities not understand? It's going to get out there, and unless you have unusually thick skin, you're going to be burned by it. It is certainly unfortunate for Ms. Spears, but this was quite preventable (just as marrying the rat was a disaster that everyone saw coming), so ultimately, I can't feel sorry for her. Maybe if she was the first celebrity to have this happen to, but not the 10th...

Longish interview in the UK Observer today: Tom Waits interview I particularly like this paragraph, which is about his wife, who has been a major creative partner for him apparently:

I think the Chicago Cubs and White Sox also play 2 3-game series each year. It seems to be quite the attraction. I guess there's something to be said for this kind of interleague rivalry, but in a lot of cases it doesn't make too much sense.

There is a good excuse to reissue this material. Perhaps I could have phrased it differently and asked if people knew how this material stacked up against Solomon Ilori's African High Life and the Blakey material like Holiday for Skins (both of which I bought). There must be some kind of market for percussion-heavy material or they wouldn't keep releasing it. Also, MC has been going through the Imperial catalog recently, but he had better step it up if he wants to stay ahead of Lonehill et al.

I haven't seen any discussion of this, but in browsing through an Imperial label discography, I came across these two releases: LP-9007 - Afro U.S.A. - Anayogu Ukonu and Afro-Calypsonians [1956] Originally issued in mono only. Reissued in 1958 in rechanneled stereo as LP-12003. Bo Bo Wor Foro Satide/Ada Lee/War Dance/I'm Serious/Afro-Maringa/Mhuru-Gi-Nanya (I Love You)/Where Is My Mama/Sapara/Agnese/Okorobia/Oboli/Elenwua LP-9044 - African Night Life - Anayogu Ukonu [1957] Issued in mono only. Everybody Goes For Calypso/Ghana Ayeiko/Drive Her Home/Abiana/I Got My Fingers Crossed/Anywhere You Go/Obiutom/Donkey City/Talking Drums/Chusie Baby/Mambo Africana/Mulenga Don't know if they are that great, but I'd probably pick them up if they came out as a Conn, esp. if it fit on one CD. Of course, MC would have to move quickly, as they are going into PD in the EU pretty soon. Eric

Most of Mingus At UCLA (skipped tracks under 30 seconds though). Henry Grimes Trio The Call A few tracks off Dub Side of the Moon (reggae covers of Dark Side of the Moon) Next month will probably download some Soweto Kinch - two of his Dune albums are on emusic.

A new 2-CD compilation on the World Circuit label. So far it is quite reasonable in the UK and pretty expensive elsewhere. World Circuit This is the label that put out Buena Vista Social Club, and there are a few tracks by them and associated artists. Also, a lot of African artists -- Orchestra Baobab, Toumani Diabate, Ali Farka Toure, etc. 6 unreleased tracks and 1 track never on CD. All this and the weirdest cover of A Love Supreme you'll ever hear by a Cuban artist called Anga Diaz. If you like "world music" or more specifically the Andy Kershaw show on BBC radio 3, you'll want this.

I just picked up the Righteousness comp for £7, which I thought was a great price. I do have most of the material already, but there are a few new tracks. I'll take a look at the other comps a bit later. I think I will pass on Sharp Shades, as I have all the material, but Hip Hammond looks tempting, as does Back Down to the Tropics.

I just picked up the Righteousness comp for £7, which I thought was a great price. I do have most of the material already, but there are a few new tracks. I'll take a look at the other comps a bit later.

Been to 31 States (though 3 just passing through) and most of the Canadian Provinces, except for the Maritimes. The only places I really wish I had visited are New Orleans (obviously very sorry now) and St. Louis.

As if the world didn't already have enough novelty crap ...

From what I have heard, all Tower Record stores everywhere will be liquidated, which seems kind of crazy. I really think the Manhattan and SF stores in particular could survive, and perhaps they will be converted to some other record chain. But like most people here, I found them too expensive with too few sales to justify going in on a regular basis (and the Chicago stores were never really anything to write home about).

Thanks for the heads up on Candid. I saw Stablemates (Blue Mitchell) and a Zoot Sims CD I'll probably download. They have just added Mingus At UCLA, which is pretty exciting. I think I will pick and choose a bit here, however, since I really don't want to use a download on an 8 second breakdown track.

This (Music played at UCLA) has been added to eMusic, so I'll probably get it this way now, and perhaps get the CD with notes a little later.

I have the Definitive and don't plan on upgrading to the Columbia set. The Definitive has a few bonus tracks not on the Columbia set, mostly radio broadcasts on Disc 10.

I think it is going too far, particularly Rae Sings, Basie Swings. How could you possibly read that title and not expect that Basie (even archival Basie) is the pianist? I do think it is willfully misleading and unethical.

A third time? So how bad could it be? I'm going to jump into this soon. As soon as I finish Proust. (Not even joking here, either, as I'm two-thirds through Marcel's opus and hope to finish it by year's end). I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that Brit engineers/programmers don't know who Powell is. Bet they know who Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore are. I think you will enjoy most of it, and it probably does make more sense to read Proust, then Powell, as you would catch where Powell is riffing (not ripping) off Proust. But I thought that reading Powell while living in England made a bit more sense. As it turns out, I will probably only be in the UK for another 5 months. Anyway, these engineers/programmers aren't coming from tech schools. They graduated from Imperial College in London or Cambridge University, where I would expect a broader exposure to culture. I think 10 or certainly 15 years ago a Cambridge grad would at least have heard of Powell, if not necessarily read the whole series.

What - no love for her role in S.O.B.?

I just completed Anthony Powell -- Hearing Secret Harmonies. This is the 12th and final book in his cycle A Dance to the Music of Time. No question it was ambitious, deliberately recalling Proust though different in that the narrator mostly lived through time and grew old, rather than reflected back on life (book 6 does have a high proportion of flashback, however). Some parts, maybe even most, are quite good. Other parts are a bit contrived. On the whole, I probably liked books 4-5 the best, covering the narrator's early adulthood basically. I wasn't quite as taken with the books covering the narrator living through WWII (7-9). The final set of books have some really odd and even unbelievable plot twists. But what Powell is good at is showing how people go in and out of one's life and how the threads sometimes can be integrated and how the whole web of relations unravels as one ages and friends and relatives begin to die off. Some of the interactions are only possible because he is focusing on the elites and near elites who do tend to congregate in London. One could imagine writing the same type of thing for New York City, but not too many other US cities (maybe a case could be made for SF with Maupin's Tales of the City). I doubt I will take the time to read it again, but maybe the mood will strike me. I am astonished at how few Brits have heard of Powell, but I also mostly hang out with engineers and programmers, and not too many literary types. Maybe Powell is a bit out of fashion now as well.