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Well, that's easy. Jazz afficiandos almost always consider themselves marginalized and interested in the counter-culture, whereas mainstream country music is, with very few exceptions, steeped in patriotism. The few tolerable exceptions, like Johnny Cash, are the figures who glorify outlaws. In its own way, this is as silly as the Mods and the Rockers or the Hot Jazz vs. Moldy Figs back in the day.

And I am going to strongly disagree. This is too much of the great men of history way of thinking. If it weren't Pops, it would have been someone else, and we still would have eventually gotten around to somebody like Elvis. Too many people were playing music for somebody not to have broken through. Just as with science/engineering. There would have been assembly lines without Henry Ford, and certainly the telephone without Bell, and somebody would even (eventually) have come across relativity without Einstein.

I don't know about Middlemarch, but I will give it a shot. I've read Moby Dick and wouldn't say I was blown away by it (I found the "Extracts" section with all the quotes about whales to be kind of deadly), but after it settles in, there are a lot of interesting parts. I might give it a another go, though I would be a lot more likely if either of my kids has to read it in high school. I would recommend Melville's The Confidence Man as a real under-rated delight. It's probably my favorite Melville. Anyway, yes I think Man in the High Castle is great and do plan on re-reading that within the next 12 months. I haven't come across The Confidence Man, but the haunting Melville short story "Bartleby", read on my course, has never left me. Reading "Bartleby" fairly recently was a strange experience. It moved and disturbed me, though I could never reason out a meaning. That's probably the point of the story. Bartleby is pretty great (although I would certainly hate working with such an odd fellow). I think there is something to be said for fiction that eschews easy, pat answers. That said, stretching this to novel length wouldn't work. One last plug for The Confidence Man. There are actually some overlaps with Mark Twain, as much of the action takes place on a riverboat going up and down the Mississippi River. It is never entirely clear what the Confidence Man is after. I just think Melville has a lot of interesting layers and can be a deeper author than most give him credit for (i.e. Moby Dick is not just a simple story of an obsessed man and a whale). The same way that Hawthorne can be a lot deeper in his story stories than in A Scarlet Letter, for example. Anyway, I think it is worth seeking out (and it is a short book, which is often a good thing).

Both of those Dicks get my vote! There's a somewhat interesting novel that sort of brings the two together -- Mobius Dick by Andrew Crummey. It is an alternate history novel where the Nazis did invade Britain. However, I read it at a stressful time in my life, and I cannot tell you anything else about it, including whether I enjoyed it or not. So I'll have to read the book again to tell you what is in it... Probably worth a look in, but this is not a strong recommendation on my end. Sorry about that.

I don't know about Middlemarch, but I will give it a shot. I've read Moby Dick and wouldn't say I was blown away by it (I found the "Extracts" section with all the quotes about whales to be kind of deadly), but after it settles in, there are a lot of interesting parts. I might give it a another go, though I would be a lot more likely if either of my kids has to read it in high school. I would recommend Melville's The Confidence Man as a real under-rated delight. It's probably my favorite Melville. Anyway, yes I think Man in the High Castle is great and do plan on re-reading that within the next 12 months.

At least Silas Marner is short, but yeah I am not liking this book on any level. I am quite baffled how she (apparently) made such a quantum leap from what I consider basically failed novels (far too contrived and/or depressing plots--even where she sympathizes with those who buck convention, she shows them ground down by society) to an apparently terrific novel (Middlemarch). Color me quizzical. I read some of Kafka's stories a bit too young, but then I came back around to them (and the novels) during high school and enjoyed them considerably. I am trying to figure out when to squeeze in a rereading of Kafka before letting another decade slip by...

I wrapped up Dickner's Apocalypse for Beginners, which was ok (a bit better than his first novel). I'm midway through Douglas Coupland's Generation X, which I've never read. I'm also reading George Eliot's Silas Marner. I really don't like the beginning (and am pretty sure I will find the ending far too saccharine). I hated the ending of The Mill on the Floss. This gives me pause. While I am still committed to reading Middlemarch one of these days and probably Felix Holt, I think I am going to scrub Adam Bede from my To Be Read pile. Life seems too short right now... (Actually I meant Daniel Deronda not Felix Holt, but I'm still way more likely to read Felix Holt than Adam Bede.)

I meant After he stole his music back from CBS, whatever that means. There can be hit men from the Mob and then some heavy sent by CBS following him around. Maybe we can have Miles stop for a minute under a bridge, start to open the trumpet case (which he carries around with him throughout the whole picture), get ready to blow, but then he is interrupted by the guys chasing him. (Just trying to see what other clichés we can work in here. Maybe some showgirl that Miles is going to rescue...) Honestly, I wasn't dying to see a biopic about Miles, but this sounds like a complete disaster, and I know I will never watch it. Sorry, Don.

Well, usually, but they did mail out just the fix of the one defective CD in the Toscanini set (as Ubu said). Also I vaguely remember being able to exchange one CD from the Jazz in Paris set. (I can't remember the details but I think I was sent a box with 2 of one CD but missing another one.) I actually mailed it off to some corporate address in France!

Maybe they can make it sorta psychedelic (the grungy tail end of the hippie era) and make it the Performance of jazz movies. Miles hiding out in a squat in North Hollywood from the hit men sent from CBS. (Note: some people really like Performance, but I thought it was a terrible movie.)

Sorry, I can't approve. They seem to be having too much fun...

I really can't see this going past 5, but maybe the Rangers get a lucky bounce or two and push the series to 6 games. The Kings really seem to have the hockey gods on their side, particularly in Game 7 against the Blackhawks.

Great book. Let me second that. First thing I thought of when I started reading about Bowe Bergdahl. There's also a kinship, I think, between this book and "Red Badge of Courage." I have to admit that, Bergdahl or no, I haven't thought of Tim O'Brien in quite some time, but I did admire his earlier books (it looks like he really has slowed down since 2002). I actually saw him give a reading at U Michigan, most likely from The Things They Carried. Incidentally, I'm making a list of books I ought to reread one day, and I think this one and The Things They Carried both belong.

Bulgakov -- what a joy, and this one is a favorite. 20 or so years ago Harvey Pekar's review of "The Master and Margarita" in the Chicago Tribune book section, edited by Larry Kart, was what introduced me to Bulgakov. Big fan of Bulgakov. At one point I read the 2 newish translations of Master and Margarita, back to back, one chapter at a time. In the end, I decided both were good but that Pevear-Volokhonsky was the better of the two. (What a great team! I am really looking forward to reading some of their translations of Dostoevsky.) I just wrapped up Murdoch's Under the Net and enjoyed that. I am midway through Zachary Mason's The Lost Books of the Odyssey, which is an awful lot like Einstein's Dreams but applied to Homer. Actually quite interesting and even thought provoking in a few sections. After that it will be Dickner's Apocalypse for Beginners.

I have had only very brief interactions with Joshua Redman, Eric Alexander, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Vijay Iyer but they were all quite pleasant. Redman was just getting started in his career, (though I haven't heard that he has gotten a huge swollen head or anything) and he answered some really dopey questions about his soprano sax playing. Actually, the very last time I talked to Viyay, it felt a lot more awkward, but I didn't present myself as well as I would have liked either.

Yes, but the kicker is that it is only if hundreds if not thousands of other people share our shopping choices will the shops survive. I find it is really hard to convince Americans that their individual will is only a relatively small part of the story -- that it is collective decisions that matter. And there, the trends are not good.

It might be better to start with shorter Murakami. I think the short story collection After the Quake is quite good. I also liked the moody atmosphere of After Dark (and there is a trombone-playing character) but the ending was a bit unsatisfying. I can't (yet) personally vouch for the stories in The Elephant Vanishes, but I imagine they are fine.

I would have to strongly disagree with the last statement. People very quickly rationalize what it is that they are doing (essentially a cash grab) as something artistic. Maybe not the first album of pop hits, but certainly by number 4, 5 or 6. (I'm looking at you, Bud Shank.) I think there is no question that jazz musicians are put in this terrible bind. If they do covers that end up being cheesy (which is no means all of them), they are accused of selling out. If they refuse to play standards, then they are stuck up and helping to kill off an art form. Most of us want something right between these two poles, but we all have different view where that middle path should be. And of course, a relatively small minority really do want the avant stuff. I would generally agree with Bev, that if you are in New York, London or Chicago (the Empty Bottle), you can find a mixed audience enthusiastic about even the most out music, but this really is not the case elsewhere where the crowds are older, white and musically quite conservative. Over time, I've joined this crowd and developed a real distaste for out music (and seeing this played live has not helped matters at all!). I certainly see contemporary jazz musicians as chasing the fringe of the fringe of the fringe, and I don't think the long term prospects are particularly good, either financially or musically.

The Dinesen tales go beyond short story, they almost reach the novella. The first one in the book, "The Deluge at Norderney," is the long and most challenging I think, or maybe just its position as first tale forces the reader to acclimate to the word of the tales. It might be worth starting with the last, "The Poet". There is some interconnectedness but it is not crucial or requiring a particular order. ... I like the pairing of Martin and Kingsley, probably done for reasons of profit and to give both books' sales a nudge, but it makes good literary sense too. I'll keep that in mind and perhaps go back to front... Anyway, I suspect a more apt pairing would have been Lucky Jim and Malcolm Bradbury's The History Man, but yes, I'm sure this had more commercial possibilities (not that this kept it in print...).

I have to admit I've had a couple of Dinesen's Tales books practically forever, and I keep meaning to read them... Given that I am reading other short story collections periodically, I can perhaps read one at a time (as you suggest) and mix them up with the rest of my reading. Anyway, I finished Molly Keane's Loving Without Tears and didn't care much for it, for all kinds of reasons. I somehow came across Michal Ajvaz's The Other City and The Golden Age (probably recommended by Amazon) and deeply disliked them. There are no internal rules in The Other City. Literally anything can happen (even more surreal than Alice in Wonderland but without the underlying logic that Carroll developed) and thus there is no real interest on my part. But I am enjoying Under the Net so far. The main character's voice reminds me just a bit of Donleavy's The Ginger Man, but without being such a complete shitheel. (I'm pretty sure a year or so back I said that I gave up on The Ginger Man after some appalling scenes of the main character berating and even beating his wife.) I've also enjoyed the opening sections of Martin Amis' Other People so far. On the topic of literary Amises, I seem to recall there was a two-fer published pairing Lucky Jim with something else. (My Google-fu was on the blink, but I seem to have found it -- Lucky Jim and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis.) Has anyone seen this? It's no longer in print, but there seem to be at least a few copies floating about.

Douglas Coupland has a solo exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The second half is heavily inspired by Pop Art, particularly Warhol and Lichtenstein. It was definitely better than I thought it would be, i.e. it wasn't just a smart-alecky takedown of the art world. I plan to make a second trip towards the end of June, ideally taking the kids. I'll probably write a full-blown blog post on it this weekend, and if there is interest, I can provide the link.

I haven't seen a post on the upcoming Vancouver Jazz Fest. Full details here: http://www.coastaljazz.ca/ There are some big names coming through, like MMW & Scofield, Charles Lloyd and Cassandra Wilson. Generally, the prices are a bit too high or the times don't work for me. (I also have to finish packing up my house by the end of June, so late evenings are a challenge!) There's a small chance that I will see Cassandra Wilson on June 29. But this does look like a particularly good year for the festival, so I encourage anyone in the Pacific Northwest to come out. I will make a major efforts to see is Rudresh Mahanthappa on June 22. Note that And Alexander Hawkins is all over this festival with 3 or 4 performances and workhops. Awesome! I am aiming to see him on Canada Day at Granville Island.

I'm putting my money on a hologram of Graham Chapman... I don't begrudge them this tour -- I actually saw Eric Idle doing the best of his bits in a solo show -- but it does feel very much like they have actually dozed off in their laurels.

Lot of fluky stuff going on in that game, with Chicago getting two more bad bounces than the Kings. Definitely a disappointing outcome, but really both teams deserved to move on. I guess Game 2 is the one that Chicago really did give away, and had they won that one, we would have been looking at a totally different story. On paper, I would say either the Blackhawks or the Kings should be able to handle the Rangers fairly easily, but both teams looked completely drained by the third period, and I don't know how fast the Kings can bounce back.

I know we are all trying to declutter our lives , but I bought a cheap DVD player that could be made multi-region (well, you also have to make sure it will play PAL). It was a good investment, in addition to any "good" DVD player I had. For that matter, you can pick up a cheap laptop and change the settings to R2 (can only be changed a few times, but if you just leave it R2, there's no problem) and watch DVDs on that. There have been some amazing deals on box sets from Amazon.co.uk over the years, and I wasn't going to let them get away...