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Generally slowed way down, but I did order the Vogue recordings of Don Byas and then the Szell Decca/Philips box set:. This last one is a particularly sore point as I ordered it through an Amazon vendor. It never turned up. I complained and they claimed (eventually) they sent a replacement copy. I doubt very much that either was sent, but the length of time had gotten so long there wasn't much to do other than post a negative review. But it is going out of print, so I figured I had better act now if I ever wanted it.

Just wrapping up Futility by William Gerhardie. This is an unusual book. It was written in 1922 by an Englishman who basically grew up in Russia. I believe this book is somewhat autobiographical, so it seems that in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, he was sort of an Russian expert attached to the British army and saw some of the post-revolution chaos. The main plot centers on a man with an extremely complicated family -- by the end he has two mistresses and innumerable hangers-on who keep hoping that his gold mines in Siberia will actually produce anything (he has been borrowing on them all this time). I guess the best way to describe it is the lassitude of Chekhov's Three Sisters with some of the desparation of Dostoevsky's The Gamblers, but all played for comic effect. Nonetheless, it is a bit exhausting (despite being a short novel), and I certainly don't care for any of the characters. It is basically a curiosity, but probably worth reading if one likes Russian literature. There is one small moment that I like quite a bit, however, where the narrator is talking to one of the Uncles, who says that rushing around makes one feel that life is purposeful (even if nothing at all is accomplished). I think I fall victim to this from time to time -- rushing around to avoid thinking about the void... Am about halfway through Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart. After that, I will finish up with Mill on the Floss (stopped right when the mill ownership is transferred). Then Faulkner's The Reivers. So things are looking up a bit from the last couple of months when I really didn't enjoy what I was reading.

Make sure that the second "img" actually reads "/img" (replace quotes with square brackets). That might fix the problem.

I did make it to the show. It was quite good. The set list is fairly stable from the other shows, though he substituted Back in the High Life for Pearly Queen. I don't know if this was the first time (or perhaps he did it in Seattle as well). I think it was a good switch. He seems to be trying to mix the 80s songs up a bit but clearly enjoys the Traffic stuff the most. Light Up or Leave Me Alone was epic, and Low Spark was suitably drawn out. Dear Mr. Fantasy was done as an encore with Winwood on guitar, the winds player on organ and just the main drummer. It certainly never occurred to me that I would get to see so much Traffic material live -- and that it didn't sound like an oldies tour.

Thanks for the report. I am definitely going to buy this (probably early next year) and it sounds like I won't be disappointed.

I'd certainly be interested in the Tapscott, though I am not in a huge rush either...

I've seen Pacifica 6 or 7 times and have really enjoyed each concert. Inspired by Ed S., I have tickets to see Steve Winwood tonight! He's leaning quite heavily on the Traffic material on this tour. Should be fun.

Sounds like a great show, though I do like some of his solo hits quite a bit (Valerie, Arc of a Diver, even Roll with It). It turns out that he is playing Vancouver tomorrow. I hadn't really intended on going, but there are still some relatively cheap seats in the balcony, so maybe I will. Have to check it with the wife though... What I am really hoping for is another Bowie tour coming to the West Coast, though he usually plays pretty much straight-forward rock, not jazz-rock.

Maybe this should go elsehwere, but I figured I would start here. In May 2010, I was making a short visit to NYC. I was running a bit late and was moving quickly through the subway (transferring at 14th-Union Square). I ran across 2 buskers doing a kora duet. They sounded quite good and even had a CD for sale. I really wish I had stopped the 5 minutes it would have taken to pick one up, but I didn't. They may be on the web for all I know, but without even a name there isn't much to go on. I haven't found anything so far at least. While a long shot, if this sounds familiar to any of the NYC board members, do let me know. Thanks!

Taking a bit of a flyer, but if anyone is offering to sell these two Leo CDs (not part of the sale) with "reasonable" shipping to Canada, please PM me. Should be able to obtain through other channels, but just thought I would check here first. Thanks! Nabatov/Bennink: Chat Room Perelman/Sclavis: The Ventriloquist

I had this on downstairs: And my son came down and said it was really nice, like Christmas music. Not really sure how to react to that, but I was glad he enjoyed it...

I do wish shipping outside Europe was a bit less, but it's a pretty good deal nonetheless. I might be swayed by the Simon Nabotov CDs. About half the ones I picked out aren't in the sale, leaving me with 4 or so. I'm taking that as a sign that I really don't need any more CDs, esp. a box of 10. I'll just pick up the one at the very top of the list from some other vendor.

Probably about the same as the 3-CD set from Definitive that covers 1946-51 (master takes only).

Yeah, the last paragraph is a real kick in the gut. But seriously, how many people have actually reduced their driving due to "global warming"? I have tried to organize my life to minimize car use (don't even own one at the moment) and I even work for a transit agency. I can't think of that many people willing to follow my lead, esp. just for environmental reasons. But shee-et, I sure miss the convenience and with two growing children, I'll probably get a car next year. And I did rent a car to road trip down to Seattle, and I'll probably do a road trip this summer as well. To say nothing of the plane travel I do from time to time (related to work or not). Not much point in pointing fingers, since we essentially all are part of the problem (unless you really are a hermit and a locovore, etc.).

Howard has been Shaqiriffic in his free throw futility. The Lakers may have to avoid letting Howard touch the ball at the end of games or we may hack-a-shaq part two. Very true. Shaq might actually have been slightly better free throw shooter than Howard, but still pretty awful.

It's early. They might figure it out, but they probably need a more effective coach. (Somebody not afraid to make Howard practice free throws for hours on end )

Suggests to me that he found it an unpleasant memory, best repressed. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for him to change his mind...

And if you deregister, can you still access the books? I think not, unless you do strip off the DRM and convert the files first -- which in itself violates Amazon's user agreement.

Jazz is dying -- to me at any rate. The scene is at a creative dead end (to me). It mostly feels like picking over old bones when obscure releases from the 1950s or 60s (like this Ben Webster in Norway set) are far more satisfying to me than 95% of the new releases (which on top of everything else generally seem few and far between). There are some new directions, but they just don't speak to me (aside from Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa I guess). I also feel I came to the scene too late (well past the peak) and am starting to drift away again...

I think I do have all of Andrew Hill's output, including one or two super rare sideman appearances. It helps that recorded so little when he wasn't leader. Maybe Julius Watkins as well...

That looks nice! Ditto. Would like more info on that, as there is nothing on the Storyville website at the moment. I did find out about a relatively new release - Jure Pukl - Abstract Society. Vijay Iyer is on piano, so I will want to check it out. It appears eMusic has this, so I will see if I can download tonight. But if anyone has heard it, please weigh in.

I am re-reading Rushdie's Midnight's Children -- possibly his best novel. I've decided to go ahead and see the movie, so I wanted to have the book fixed in my head before it can be "spoiled" by the movie. But just in general, I'm hoping to read or reread some decent novels, after a really long string of duds. I also have a couple of much shorter novels that I may end up tackling on the bus: Futility by William Gerhardie and The Waitress Was New by Dominique Fabre.

And Importcds for $23 (before shipping): http://www.importcds.com/Music/1492799/Vladimir-Sofronitzki-Vladimir-Sofronitsky-Edition-Hist-CD Those are great deals, but I was having trouble with shipping to Canada. There is also an ebay seller with a few (6) left with very competitive international shipping rates: ebay seller I don't think I've ordered from them before, but it looks like a reliable outfit. I'll edit the post if it turns out to be a scam...

Most likely if you want to explore Sofronitsky, you will want the 9 CD set (I'm looking into it right now), but there is a 3 CD set with the Scriabin (or most of it) and then a disc of Borodin and Prokofiev compositions that is a little easier to source: 3 CD set

Now will they believe in global warming...