jazzbo

LAL, some nice stuff in those discs! Me, today NOTHING! I'm pleased!

It's a task! I try to listen to the newest stuff in, but I also try to listen to stuff I've had a while, I've been mixing and matching. I take about ten cds a day into work, and listen to a few at home before and after work. . . . I'm just barely "getting the job done" of listening to everything sooner or later. Looking forward to retirement! (Five years to go before retiring with the state and then I'll still go off to work probably so I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to! Can you take them with you?)

Heck, they really ought to name it "Turnaround Phrase!"

Bertrand, there is more than enough live material to spill over into two cds (about 100 minutes maybe?) on the Japanese copy I have, and no studio material. . . . I can post details tonight when I get home. I like the sound on the Japanese cd, it's "mellower" than the new one which is crisper. . . .

Well, Richard Horsely's books may be quite interesting to you . . . he deals with the Jesus movement within the political and religious cauldron of the time, which was boiling fiercely and spilling over the edges. Hugh Schoenfeld also has a number of books that would be along the lines of what you are after, "The Incredible Christians," "The Easter Rebellion" and a few others, but harder to find these days. And the Burton Mack would be a good read.

Looks good! I especially like that band "Copia Controllada"!

To further complicate the issue, if the French cd is a single cd, I have a two cd set from Japan that I recently bought from Reiner (thanks R) which I think has the medley-duo, and one version of all the other songs I believe, rainstorm versions.

Well, I haven't read this work and looking at a bit of reader reviews at amazon it looks as if it would be etnertaining, but not exactly what I would grab next. What are you really hoping to read about? The gospels in context, within the environment that they were produced? Just New Testament material? Gnosticism? An overview of what scholars think about the texts? As an introductory volume of a general New Testament quest I can recommend Burton Mack's "Who Wrote the New Testament? : The Making of the Christian Myth" is an interesting starting point, will make you think, will help you to find a vantage point to look further into one side of the coin or another. I have found Michael Grant's books on Paul and on Jesus to also be interesting to begin an inquiry. . . they'll give you a historical perspective that sums up a traditional historian's attitude up to the middle of the last century or so. Another good book along these lines is "Bandits, Prophets, and Messiahs: Popular Movements in the Time of Jesus" by Richard A. Horsley, John S. Hanson. Quite good overview of the diversity of political and religious thought around the time of Jesus. If you're interested in Gnosticism, Jonas' and Rudolph's books are the best primers, and I really like what Elaine Pagels has written about Christian Gnosticism in "The Gnostic Gospels" and "Beyond Belief," etc. The book that bowled me over when I read it after reading about a decade's worth of books about christian origins was . . . "The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity" by Hyam Maccoby. POWERFUL . . . it seemed to mirror my own conclusions about Paul and gentile christianity.

Yes, my order history says the same thing! I'm a little like Mulder, and a little like Scully. . . . I want to believe. . . but. . . !

Is this REALLY going to be out tomorrow? (Ya never know with Columbia!)

Anybody else have an opinion to help the Marine?

However this is not always a safe assumption to make, that early stereo is bad. There are beautiful examples of early stereo. . . check out any of the earliest Columbia stereo recordings for example. . . FANTASTIC. Also check out nonbiglabel work such as the live Tristano date with Konitz (in 1955!) and the recent Marsh at Dana's Point (excellent stereo recording in my opinion, a little too much audience noise but that too has its pluses).

The advice here is good. Exercise can help. . . and it can be as simple as a long walk through the neighborhood (if you have that sort of an environment) . . . . Just getting out of your four walls and being open to different surroundings can help get your mind on a different track. There was a period of time eight years ago when I was being attacked by someone at work who had turned the best job I ever had and still now wish I had into a nightmare, my wife had come down with a serious delusion and we were separated by a thousand plus miles and even more distance really because she believed if she returned to our homes the cats and I were in danger, and I felt as if the world was crashing in on me. I made it through by a variety of methods, one was persisting being my wife's best friend persuading her to change doctors, which she did and led to a proper diagnosis and eventual mental health, a return to this town, a career with the University and a much better life for us both. Another was toughing out round after round of conflict resolution with this coworker, which led to Human Resources asking me to come to work for them because they wanted me in their team and did not at all believe the accusations (falsely) assigned to me by my attacker; that job move led me to a better career path (though I've never since enjoyed my work as much as I did at that job before the troubles began out of the blue!). And finally I became interested in the life and work of Krishnamurti and began to read what biographies of him I could find, which I found fascinating, and very helpful . . . . His nihilistic approach and his belief that one has to extricate oneself from the conditionings of the world and family to find the right path for oneself was very explanatory to many facets of my life and very strengthening. I had almost given up on my marriage and almost lost my job, and instead things gradually turned to the better on all fronts. So get some air, evaluate what is positive and fan it to a better flame, and explore some spiritual or artistic material that seems to "speak" to you. . . . My two cents! I'm hoping all improves soon, my best to you.

I'll leave that to you.

I've had successful transactions, both selling and buying with Al. I've also had recent experience that packages from Canada to the USA, and vice versa, take longer than they ever have had before. War on terror my guess. And that is nothing compared to the last package I sent to Agustin in Spain! Three months or so to get there, and that was airmail!

My wife is rarely interested in my audio interests. . . . I have done this comparison with my trumpeter friend Dave who seems to agree with me. 0s may be 0s, but there are many non digital aspects to playback from rotations to laser light waves. . . nothing is as simple as "bits are bits" in my experience. Anyway, remastering and fromat/equipment used makes a difference. For instance in my opinion the new Columbia DSD remastered cd of "Blues in Orbit" sounds better than the gold Mobile Fidelity cd release cd layer. The SACD layer of the same disc sounds better to me than the Columbia cd. Wierd!

I'm sure that the executives would have been swayed by the money they could make on the post Jack Johnson box. BUT I would not at all doubt that the producers (especially Bob Belden) have a sincere wish for this material to be given a box set. . . . Kudos to Michael and Bob, I really love this series and am glad that this is not the final box! I really hope one day there will be a Miles at the Fillmore box. . .When I interviewed Michael Cuscuna some years back he responded to my inquiry about a release of the Fillmore material without edits hopefully, saying that there was a desire to produce the release and he felt a possibility the idea would have label support. In this same conversation he revealed to me that the Cellar Door material was planned for release (and we're still waiting, with hope).

Chronogical (sic) Classics can indeed be a good way to go for the collection of the work of these artists. The sound is not bad. In general it's pretty good. There ARE better sounding sources for some, perhaps most of the work of these artists, BUT the Classics series allows one a quite comprehensive method to collect the work including commercial releases of all labels, in decent sound and well annotated. In addition there is a series on Neatwork that will provide the alternates that aren't included in the Classics series. One good way to go, certainly.

The bottom cd layer of these gold cds is a thin veneer (?) of gold rather than aluminum (or another metal, there is at least one other alloy used for some pressed cds). Mobile Fidelity used to put out a theory that the gold layer led to less errors when the pits and lans are read, and therefore better sound. (I think that's right, I'm too lazy right now to dig something up that has that information). Almost any gold cd will also feature careful remastering often by excellent engineers in excellent studio setups. . . . THIS contributes to pretty darned good sound in a lot of cases. So an argument is often made that this remastsering is what gives the gold cds their possible edge in sound. However, I actually think there may be something to the gold layer itself being a contributing factor. I have made cdr copies of a gold cd that don't sound to my ears as good as the original. They sound nearly exactly the same but there is something. . . warmth? smoothness? . . .that is not quite there in the same extent on those that I have tried this on (DCC, Mobile Fidelity). So. . . I'm interested to hear others' opinions. I like a lot of the gold cds I've bought (Sony/Columbia, DCC, Mobile Fidelity, a few others) for whatever reasons.

It sounded beautiful, and very blue. . . my guess is that it wasn't really a classical piece, but I could be wrong. Thanks for the information about the instrument (very cool instrument!) and here's hoping someone will know about the music itself.

Yes, very interesting different perspective than that of John. John sure dissed him too! Must have been worried. . . .

Does anyone know what that instrument is that the blind musician plays in the first battle scene? Is that an unmodified traditional Chinese instrument, or something else?

Great score on the Pascoal---you know I love him as well! The Costa lps I don't know about but I like all the Gal Costa I've heard. The Edu Lobo/Chico Buaroque could be quite good; I like the little bit of these two gentlemen I've heard. Egberto Gismonti . . . I have three or four of his ECMs (later recordings?) and enjoy them, though their sort of an acquired taste, I think you would like them though, they have a Pascoal like differentness to their conception, though they are guitar centric and spacier, noodlier than Hermeto's work. . . . These lps may be cool.

My secret.

Thanks John!