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I hope it gets straightened out, though now I am glad I got the Seven Steps box a couple of weeks ago! I don't think I would have gone after it at full price.

I would probably go with Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. Lots of different versions of this, but I like the DG album with Barenboim on piano. (This would leave me with 10 minutes or so, so perhaps I would also listen to Saeta just like that character did.)

There's a science fiction story with a similar premise -- 10 minutes until the world is destroyed. Harlan Ellison, I think. The main character chooses Saeta off Sketches of Spain. This was enough to get me to seek out the album. My brain sort of short circuits when I have to think about the last thing I would ever hear. Hopefully "April Fool."

A few comments. I'm ordering the Django Jazz in Paris (no 102) from Amazon France, which seems a little cheaper (maybe not once postage is added in). Django on Amazon.fr I guess one nice feature of globalization is that your basic account info is shared between Amazon US, UK, France and Japan, making it a lot easier to get imports at a fairly reasonable price. I was really on the fence about the fancy box sets. I finally did order them when I got a break on shipping, but I hope I don't regret it. I think that I will probably have 70-80% (or more) of the material in the JiP sets already, though the booklets certainly are a major selling point. I suppose they might be worth $20 apiece, depending on how informative they are. If there is too much duplication, then I can always give them away (right). Finally, I am not sure that this Django Reinhart 2 CD set 'The Great Blue Star Sessions 1947 - 1953' on Universal 835418-2 is really worth it. It is sometimes called Peche à la Mouche (on Verve) and does have a cool cover, but the material that is the selling point is the 1953 Blue Star sessions with Django on electric guitar. This is available on the two JiP discs from the last set: Nuits de Saint-Germain des Pres and Nuages. Nuages also has Django's final 1953 recording session for Decca. Note, however, that both of these discs are under 40 minutes and could have been combined. But I was awfully glad to find I had the material already BEFORE I went and ordered Peche a la Mouche, which I was about 10 minutes away from doing. It is terrific stuff. While Nuages is great, his version of Brazil always catches my ear. I usually play it three times in a row.

Well, you go to the playoffs with the team you have, and the team we put on the floor had a lot of heart, but not quite enough firepower, compared to the Wizards' Big 3. I have consistently said that the Bulls had the best bench in the NBA, and I do hope that Skiles continues to utilize the bench and really always have them ready to play, which is certainly not the case for the majority of NBA teams. Next year should be a good one (for once not a rebuilding year) and maybe a few role-playing veterans will consider the Bulls now that the memories of Kraus have finally been banished from the United Center. However, we essentially are crossing our fingers that they can really find a safe way for Curry to play again. It would be a terrible loss to the team if he didn't come back, but it is more important that he not risk his life senselessly.

Well, SS1 was right about the Bulls, damn you!! Game 6 hurt more than game 5, since the Bulls outplayed the Wizards almost the entire game, then had a melt down and couldn't buy a basket in the last two minutes. I bet Chris Duhon will have nightmares about the ball bouncing off his shoulder all summer. So it sucks, but the Bulls still played their hearts out and would have advanced with a few more breaks (or calls) going their way in games 5 and 6. And they were missing two of their best offensive players, and they usually were playing three rookies on the floor at any given moment. I think they played well above their talent level, so you can't be too disappointed in the overall season. Next year should be pretty good (not that I am likely to catch any of it, living in England and all). A few general comments. I do hope the Wizards get swept for two reasons -- I'm still bitter and they need a serious ego check to become a better team next year. They did step up on defense for games 3-5, but I don't think it will last. They talked all kinds of trash and didn't take the Bulls seriously. Obviously they are the more talented team, but, as I said above, a few more breaks the other way and they would be the ones going to the park and feeding the ducks. They need a serious reality check about just how talented they are, and getting swept would certainly do that. What I don't like is this sense that coaches can whine about calls, and this really determines how the games are officiated. This apparently does work, since for several of the games, particularly 3 and 4, the refs were heavily biased against the Bulls. I find it sad that the directive from the league is to call the games so tight that you can't play real defense. When you compare what these coaches are complaining about, compared to the physical play from the late 1980s and 1990s, it is night and day. I guess the league just wants high scoring games and highlight reel moments, but I think the game suffers when you can't play defense due to fears of fouling out. Obviously, the Pistons will get more respect than the Bulls, but if this is truly the trend in officiating, then there is no way they can repeat. Not sure who I will root for now, but probably Detroit.

I was hoping to see Bobby a couple of times on his upcoming trip to the Showcase, but I am caught between a couple of trips. I might be able to see him on Saturday the 28th, but even that is questionable, since I am supposed to be at the airport early on Sunday. To add to the confusion, the Chicago symphony, under Barenboim, is performing Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 that evening. That's something that also would interest me. I'll probably end up doing neither, since I will be pretty wiped out from the first trip. Anybody going to either of these performances? Any suggestions/recommendations?

Have received disks and they are going out to Cannonball-addict and billyboy.

What are the odds this guy becomes the next Jarrod (of Subway) for easyMobile?

And you didn't stop to give him a lift!?

I'll try to catch this soon, since there is no guarantee how long it will be in theatres. Probably can't convince the wife to go, since there just isn't enough "action" in it, as if blowing up the Earth in the first ten minutes isn't enough ... Anyway, I've read all the HH books save the last one, and tracked down the radio programs on the internet and then even found the old PC game. I had an original copy of that game (long lost now) -- I recall that it came with a Don't Panic button and completely black sunglasses that were "danger sensitive," i.e. if you were in danger they turned black. I guess of all the various formats, I think the radio program was the best, then the books, then the BBC shows a distant third. Hard to say about the new movie. I was pleased to hear that Adams added a new character to the screenplay, keeping up with the tradition that each format is a bit different. I was fortunate enough to see Douglas Adams give a reading (of Dirk Gently I think). This probably was in Ann Arbor in the late 1980s. He was witty and charming, as you would expect, particularly during the Q and A session. Well, it was certainly a shame that he died so (relatively) young.

I listened for about two hours yesterday. Nice. A little jealous to see you have an advance copy of the Vijay Iyer CD, but it's about to hit the streets, so I'll get it then. Eric

Sal, jazzshrink and sheldonm. I can't recall any others, though I came close to meeting some folks at the Stanko concert a while back.

Bulls up over the Wizards 2-0. I'm now thinking it will be Bulls in 5. What's funny is that the Wizards still don't have any respect for the Bulls, since they [the Wizards] have more raw talent. But they still don't play team ball as well as the Bulls. And all the offense comes from three starters. Very little bench scoring.(Interesting stat from game 2 -- no one on the Bulls took more than 15 shots, and of the top three Washington players, each at least 16 shots and usually a lot more.) This makes it a little easier to defend against the Wizards, since it is always going to be the same players taking shots. Actually, the Wizards are pretty good, particularly if all three of their top players are on, and with a different coach that emphasized defense and more ball movement they could be a lot better next year.

I do want to apologize if I've offended anyone who played with (or knows of anyone who played with) Sonny Rollins over the past twenty years or so, but it isn't a real secret that he has not put together great touring groups. The focus has generally been on his soloing, and that's ok. But in the past few years I've seen him he has turned over more space to his group and they often weren't up to the challenge. Anyway, I just saw him perform last night and this was the group: SONNY ROLLINS, Tenor Saxophone CLIFTON ANDERSON, Trombone BOB CRANSHAW, Bass STEVE JORDAN, Drums KIMATI DINIZULU, Percussion BOBBY BROOM, Guitar The interplay between Rollins and Anderson was pretty good; I suspect they are the core group and Broom was just brought in for the Chicago performance. (I could be wrong of course.) It was a good but not spectacular show. I was really bored by the drum solo. The percussionist was better. I didn't think a 20-minute calpyso piece was stunning in and of itself, since the variations Sonny played weren't really that challenging. I certainly didn't make an ass of myself and jump to my feet like half the crowd did after it finally ended. It was a good piece but not riveting by any means. I thought it was more interesting that he had a 5 minute solo section -- with everybody else completely silent -- and it didn't suck, like the Solo album sucks. I also thought his last song -- Italian Melody -- went on way too long. I've seen him play better and worse. But it was an entertaining evening nonetheless. They played two hours straight without an intermission, and of course it was another chance to see one of the greats. I think it is a good sign that he is playing with stronger musicians and maybe he will be recording again soon. On the other hand his voice sounded terrible and weak; hopefully it was just a cold and nothing more serious. Just as a side note, they've announced the CSO jazz line-up for next year, and it sure looks weak to me. The last two years have been quite good, but this just isn't in the same league. (I guess that's good for me, since I won't feel like I am missing out while over in England...)

Happy b-day, Mark. Hope to see you next time you're in town. Eric

A few years back, I read all of Bellow's novels in order. I even read a late collection of stories (forgot the title) but Ravelstein hadn't come out at that point, and I haven't read it. While there is something to be said for the intensity and focus of the shorter works - Hanging Man and Seize the Day in particular - I think it is in the longer novels that Bellow really stretched out. I like Auggie Marsh the best, in part because there is more optimism. It is a relatively young man's book, unlike Samler's Planet or certainly Ravelstein. The main problem (or my main problem) with Bellow is that the characters become a little shrivelled and small of soul as they (and Bellow) age. I guess we saw the same progression in Kingsley Amis or Wordsworth for that matter. As you grow older, you have more opportunity to be disappointed in and by your family, your friends, your politicians and your society. (Unless you start out cynical and jaded.) Perhaps a bigger knock is that most of the novels really do seem the same -- there is always a nagging ex-wife in the background, some family member has a vendetta against another (usually an uncle has cheated the narrator), and some other details that I forgot. Once or twice is one thing, but I think there are five novels with the same basic plot and motivating force. It really makes you wonder if Bellow was just writing a bunch of roman a clef novels (we know that Ravelstein was based around Allan Bloom). One late novel that does escape this pattern is The Dean's December, so I actually like it more than other of his late novels.

I heard that Skiles sat most of his starters for the second half, resting them a bit. And Chandler didn't play. And of course Deng and Curry are out. And they still made a great game of it. This is a deep team, though it is hard to see them going too far this year. Maybe they'll beat the Wizards, particularly if this big man they added to the roster last week contributes. If the core team returns, next year should be pretty good.

Through the Safety Net by Charles Baxter He is an author of short stories nd poetry (much better short stories, however). Many of his stories are a bit depressing. He is probably best known for the Saul and Patsy stories. Saul is a Jew; Patsy is not. They relocate to rural Michigan and try to make a new life. The first in the series is in this book, which is why I started here. I'm about to start Checkpoint by Nicholas Baker about a man's desire to assassinate George W. I'll probably move any discussion about this book to the Politics thread.

So it is official. I have landed a position in England and will be moving there in late July. I'd like it to be permanent, but that depends on how well my wife adjusts. It is more likely to be a 2-3 year stint. In any case, it is a great opportunity to learn more about different approaches to transportation modeling, as well as to write more policy-related transportation articles. I do this already but on my own time, and now I would be paid for it! I'll also spend a lot of time in London and a bit in Paris on business. Very excited and a bit nervous. Truly negotiations with my wife were much harder than with the company, which gave me a better deal than I expected -- 5 weeks vacation as well as a fair, though not astounding, salary. And a lot of opportunity for advancement if all goes well. And even a backup plan to work out of the DC office (and shuttle back and forth a bit) if the transition simply doesn't go well for my wife (the president actually raised this as an option). So I think it should be a good move, where both parties are going to try hard to make it work. Since the presumption is that we will be coming back, I'll probably put more in storage now and only sell some CDs. If it does become permanent, I'd come back and sell off more and ship the rest over. So keep an eye out.

Finally done! I mailed them off today. What a mess. I was almost done when I realized I had missed some credits. They actually owe me money, which is nice, but I am putting it towards estimated taxes for 2005.

They played a number of cuts off the album: Nothing Personal, Red Bone Netti Bone, Summertime and Until (this is a song by Sting that is on the Kate & Leopold soundtrack). They also played a medley that was part improvisation and part Monk (don't recall which one). They did not do Montara, which I would have liked to hear, especially as Hutcherson is coming to the Showcase in May. It was a short set but vibrant. The piano player had just joined the group about a week ago, so he was fine but a bit restrained. If the group sticks together, I'd expect him to solo more. The rest of the rhythm section was good but really didn't solo. The soloing was pretty much restricted to Stefon and his alto player (probably why the set was short). It was kind of loud, but not LOUD as we had been warned. I definitely like Stefon's music and try to see him live when possible, though I do prefer the earlier albums more than Evolution. I will say that the Evolution material sounds better in person than on the album.

In fact, if I was a young guy and felt that this old dude ripped me off by ending the show early cause he hated rap, that would be the last time I would ever go to the Showcase. I've seen a lot of great jazz in Chicago, but generally the most memorable and exciting shows have not been at the Showcase.

I like the Showcase, but it does feel like it is for old-timers. I think the average age of the headliners they book is about 75. There's no question in my mind that HotHouse or Empty Bottle has more interesting acts on a weekly basis, though of course I will go and see the legends when they come to the Showcase. I guess I would have to disagree a bit with Michael. I figure Joe has a firm idea of the kind of acts he will book (and I was pleasantly surprised that he did book Stefon Harris and Blackout) but once he's booked them, it's pretty much their stage. Would it be cool to say, it's his club, so he gets to dictate the set list of every act -- or maybe just that every act during "Bird Lives Month" has to play Cherokee? Unless he said explicitly upfront, no rap -- which is unlikely -- it seems a pretty extreme over-reaction. I would have been pissed if I had paid for that Sunday show and he pulled the plug on it.

Not sure exactly how you mean defective. Mine sounds ok, doesn't skip or anything. If you mean defective like tape hiss or something dropping out of the mix, I'm not a good person to judge that. Hopefully you can get a replacement soon.