J Larsen

And that is more than understandable, just as the same impulse is for poor country white folks when it comes to rap & hip-hop, or anything even remotely urban (regardless of "ethnic origin"). But (and I think I'm hearing you say this) one of the biggest barriers that people are up against is confusing specific point of origin with basic universal humanity. Sure, circumstances real and manufactured conspire against making the expectation of getting over that hump on a broad scale all but unthikable , but when personally confronted with the very real possibility that we all got our issues in our own way, the choice to either open up to the possibility of recognition on a scale beyond that of pure, immediate self or simply choosing to live in a self-centered microverse and pretending it's the universe is one that must be made. The fallout from whatever choice one makes is far-reaching and will ultimately decide what kind of world you will live in and create for those around you. And the "easy" choice is seldom the right one. I agree - it just takes a little time to get there. In my case, until about my late 20s, which is (not coincidently) about when I learned to relate to people from dissimilar backgrounds. I went to really rich schools from jr high through college, but until grad school I always gravitated to the other poor students (without even consciously trying - we all just kind of found each other). In grad school there were no other poor students, so I guess I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter! Getting back to the musical implications, the prospect of having to re-evaluate entire "classes" (of you will) of music and of possibly feeling compeled to expand my cd library even further was not a positive motivator!

should be. I heard my first show at the Stone Thursday night, Steve Sandberg. I've known him for years, we took a singing class together years ago. He really can sing a number "world" music styles convincingly. First gig with his new band too, real solid. The Stone is a nice little venue, I'll be back... Fred Frith is playing there seven times in May, if you're into him. I've seen him at The Stone a few times and he was consistently great.

That's a very convincing analysis.

I give Starbucks credit for two things: 1) drastically raising the bar for average coffee and 2) giving relatively decent jobs with benefits to people who otherwise would, for the most part, likely be working in fast food chains. On the downside, Starbuck's espresso and espresso drinks are among the worst I've ever had.

I've never cared for bossa nova, not one bit.

Paul Motian Octet. I hope they are good; I'm unfamiliar with most of the musicians.

There is a certain innocent and almost twee quality to their music that I (and I think others) associate with the comfort that comes with growing up middle class or better.

Just for the record, I made my comment above as someone who grew up really fucking poor (and yes Jim, I know you knew this). Hearing the Beach Boys as a kid made me want to kick them in the knees and tell them to get back on their boards and surf to a place far, far away from me. But like I said, I'm over this now and can appreciate Pet Sounds and Smile. And to comment on what someone said above, I've always thought that, for many of their fans, at least 50% of the appeal of VU was the slum factor.

You know, my initial problem with the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson is that they sounded very "middle class" to me, and I harbored a bit of a grudge against that in my youth. I think it was only after I came to terms with that that I could get into their music. It was a long time before I could take any music that lacked a certain "bite" seriously.

There are a bunch of those older sets I really want that I worry about hitting last chance all around the same time: the Horace Parlan, Hank Mobley, HRS Sessions (at least as much for the lady friend as for me), Gerald Wilson, Hodges and Max Roach. Frankly, I also expect those selects to hit last chance a lot faster than the big boxes, both because they are more affordable and because you can find them in every record store around town (at least in NYC).

I like the Thad Jones too. The most interesting sets for me have been two that I already had in other formats: the McLean and the Hill. I find the Hill to be much more powerful on its own than mixed into the Mosaic set - it's really a stunning set. The McLean is an interesting one for me because I hadn't listened to my previous version in two or three years because Ornette's trumpet playing initially bugged me. Now I'm not so sure what I didn't like about it. First off, he's obviously not a great trumpet player, but he actually isn't all *that* bad. Moreover, there is what I hear as a smart humor to his playing that I really like. It's a much better record than I remembered it being. Is it too early to start wondering if we'll see another batch in Sept/Oct?

I used to buy either Kona or an Australian bean that I can not remember the name of at around $30/lb. However, if you can find it, there is a coffee from Vietnam called "Duy Dung" that is even better than what I used to drink and costs about half as much. Check your local asian grocery. It comes in a red box (the beans themselves are vacuum packed in a plastic bag within).

I think I actually got into Smile first, then went back to Pet Sounds and found that it made a lot more sense to me. Smile is just awesome - one of the best new releases of the last several years that I am aware of.

The Orchestra of the Americas is not recommended. Tonight: ICP Orchestra @ Tonic. Tomorrow night: Paul Motian @ VV.

Didn't realize they had an official September residency. Thanks.

Interesting conincidence that Motian is playing the Vanguard this week and Frisell next week. Would have been great to see them play together.

It's only in the last few years that I've been able to appreciate anything that these guys did at all. Until I was in my very late 20s it left me completely cold. Now I like Pet Sounds quite a bit, as well as Surf's Up (Sunflower, the album currently packaged with Surf's Up, is not something I would listen to of my own free will).

Realistically, my next Mosaic is probably whatever hits running low next.

That article is revolting. I've never been able to understand why anyone would set foot on a cruise ship.

Apparently almonds, cashews, pine nuts and pistachios are all technically seeds (botanically speaking), not nuts. Didn't know that.

Yes, whenever they are not having really good deals on cds that we want.

I'm kind of hoping for a total suckfest from my hometown Giants. If they end up being good (against all odds), I'm going to feel really conflicted about rooting for them. If they just suck, it will make it a lot easier to not care.

They had the same exhibit at the Met a few months back. It was a pretty good show. Last thing I saw was asn exhibit of early 20th century modernist Spanish art and design, also at the Met. Oddly, the most striking piece in the show was a house designed by Mies van der Rhoe, who of course was not Spanish.

It took him a few days to get used to it, but my cat really digs this stuff now.

That's just nutty.