ejp626

Am wrapping up Marilynne Robinson's Gilead. It's definitely a bit slower paced than I normally read, and about a type of person (rural pastor) who is not generally on my radar screen, but I do like the narrative voice (as I said, shades of Garrison Keillor) who is simply decent with a lot of insight into human motivations. After this, Molly Keane's Full House. This makes the 4th of her novels I have read (I'm reading them roughly in the order of composition). I've enjoyed Taking Chances and Conversation Piece the most. This one doesn't strike me (initially) as quite as good, but we'll see. Then I will turn to a darker novel set in Mumbai (or rather Bombay and Mumbai): Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis.

I missed one of the Von Freeman-Ed Petersen tenor battles at the Green Mill because of a huuuge blizzard. This was probably 1999. I actually called and they said they would be open. But it kept snowing or something. At any rate, I didn't call a second time, and I headed over to the club through snowdrifts and such only to find the club was shut down. I did see them battle it out at least on one other occasion, but I had three or more times to see the battle over the years around New Year's, but I lived further away and just couldn't be bothered. So that's a bit of a regret. I also regret never going down to the old Velvet Lounge to see Fred Anderson in residence. I definitely should have, particularly that year that I lived in Hyde Park. But I just never did. Now I did see Vonski on several other occasions and Fred Anderson 2 or 3 times, so it could have been worse, but I definitely should have taken more opportunities to see them when I could have. I was supposed to see David Fathead Newman at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago but he didn't make the gig, and he died roughly two or three weeks later. That was particularly disappointing, as I was going to bring my father-in-law, who was a fan of Fathead.

I do not understand why you say that technically he didn't really have to. Copyright is there to protect artists. A photograph is a work of art just as well as a recorded song. Because this should be considered sufficiently transformative to fall under fair use. Furthermore, the balancing test would (or certainly should) indicate that this would have no "market harm" to the copyright holder.

There are certainly artists I decided fairly early on not to follow so intensely, precisely because they have just too much output to consider buying it all.

For a while I was picking up everything put out by Vijay Iyer as well as Rudresh Mahanthappa. It helps that they have a fair number of releases but not (perhaps) an overwhelming number. I'm generally finding that I am less interested in where they are heading now, and this is particularly true for Vijay. I was quite underwhelmed with his recent performance at the Vancouver Jazz Fest (with Tyshawn Sorey). I probably do have a Fieldwork recording (with Sorey), but I doubt I'll pick up any more by that particular ensemble.

Thanks Lon. When I ordered it on Amazon from a marketplace seller the description said 2 cds... but it showed up as one. Maybe if the performances aren't that great I will not return it or attempt to get the 2 cd set. Well, I enjoy "Free Man in Paris," but I don't know how much bother it is worth to obtain it. I do think it is really odd they would be removing previously issued material. Sorry, ignore what I wrote. I was thinking of the original Court and Spark CD and not Shadows and Light. No idea how that sounds.

Hu? Can't quite follow ... to go live in Germany is to go and die soon? I think he meant given the distance he was waiting for more verification?

Don't know the Frank Morgan but will keep an eye out. I totally agree about the Osby. While I enjoy Osby's recordings, I had to let most go during a recent shelf purging. Invisible Hand was one of the few to survive. Maybe I should put it on tonight!

In addition, there was an OJC of Beethoven. I have this, and it is nice. I pull it out from time to time. The symphonies and a few overtures have just been reissued in a very reasonable set: http://www.amazon.com/George-Szell-Conducts-Beethoven-Symphoni/dp/B00EC0VVRA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388592309&sr=8-1&keywords=szell+beethoven And this cheapo Haydn set is still around: http://www.amazon.com/George-Szell-conducts-Haydn-Symphonies/dp/B003TUG3UO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388592907&sr=8-1&keywords=szell+haydn Also, there is a curiosity -- 5 CDs of his Decca and Philips recordings, primarily with European outfits: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009A41XS/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 While I might have been in the market for this back in the past, at this point I have quite a bit of Szell between various box sets and a few single CDs. I'm now wondering if there will be a massive Ormandy set on the way, which is something that I would at least consider.

15 minutes to go here. Happy New Year!

Sounds interesting. I'll try to check it out.

Gregor von Rezzori Orient Express -- apparently his last novel translated into English. Kain, which is truly his last (posthumously published?) novel has not been translated so far. Also reading Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, which is more compelling than I had imagined. It basically in the form of a (very long!) letter that an elderly preacher is writing to his young son because he does not expect to see the son live even into his teens.

Perhaps. But then would it not be a form of child abuse to attempt to induce (or rather inculcate) this state in his child. I don't go around trying to convince my kids of the glories of mimeo machines.

Probably the jazz that brings back the most memories is Monk on BN and Mingus Ah Um. But they aren't exactly relaxing slipper music in my mind. I think that would be Miles Davis Sketches of Spain.

It's in the Duke Box from Storyville and is still sold as a single CD. Iit is also on eMusic and perhaps iTunes.

Agreed -- someone who has fallen completely for the vinyl hype. The preciousness in how he describes what is a right nuisance and makes it into a sacrament. And I certainly don't feel any closer to Coltrane or any other musician through the crackle and pops on most of the LPs I have than I do listening on CD.

The Hantai was a bit cheaper on Amazon.ca ($30 rather than 30 Euros). But there was some moment in time when it dipped down to $20, and I managed to get it at that pre-order price. Not bad...

I surely bought some jazz there, but curiously I have much stronger memories of browsing the DVD store and picking up various items. Still, very sad tidings for those tied to brick and mortars.

I thought I had heard all of Coltrane's Prestige sessions, but now it looks like I have overlooked Stardust, so I'll have to look into correcting that.

It really seems almost yesterday that this was announced and I picked it up after it had been out maybe a year. * My understanding is that much of the material does time out at about 7 years. Obviously doesn't apply to the Mobley and a few other sets. * Sad that time is just flying by; not a good sign...

Fair enough, but there are enough R2 must-haves that you could even buy a cheapo region-free DVD player for $100 (or less by now) and use it only for that. I am just dipping my toes into Blue-Ray and will have to ensure that, by hook or crook, the player I buy plays Regions A & B.

This may be the best you can do in R1, but over in R2-land, there is a 20 DVD box set for under 30 GBP: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Woody-Allen-Collection-DVD/dp/B007W21JZO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387560201&sr=8-1&keywords=woody+allen It also takes up so much less space on the shelves! A few good ones missing: Husbands and Wives and arguably Deconstructing Harry. But a perfectly good set for most of us.

Gregor von Rezzori Oedipus at Stalingrad (1954) This is an interesting novel so far, like a George Grosz tableau come to life, with a heavy sprinkling of Freud on the top.

Poor Canada is even more exceptional in that all three forms of date can apparently be found. That's what comes from being browbeat by the UK, the US and increasingly China. Though in truth, I've normally seen DD-MM-YYYY. However, it is true that my (former) manager insisted that file names for final drafts all start with the date the document was finalized in the YYYY-MM-DD convention.

Yes, done with shopping. Even better everything except one small gift is in the house (that one is in the mail). Tree went up today. Just some wrapping to do, so feeling pretty pleased...