Leeway

Just finished it. Not bad as a novel, and the Spark biography shows how it came out of her situation and preoccupations at the time. What has been your favorite Spark novel so far? I figure she is someone I will get around to, but I have quite a few others ahead of her in the queue (Dorris Lessing being one). I've read six and my favorite is Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, so no surprises there. BillF, kudos to you on taking on "The Comforters." Question: who are the "comforters" and who is being comforted? Does the biography address that? I would agree with BillF that "The Prime of Jean Brodie" is her best work. Following, in my order of preference, are: "The Girls of Slender Means" "The Ballad of Peckham Rye" "Memento Mori" "A Far Cry from Kensington" (1988, but hearkens back to her early work; indeed, if one did not know the dates of publication, one would likely think it was among that first group of novels. Just finished Far Cry - very readable and thanks for your recommendation, Leeway. I can distinguish it from the early Sparks, though. In those there's a density of nuanced language so typical of literary writing of that era, which I don't find in the much more recent Far Cry. Interesting, good point. Glad you liked the book. I haven't tried Spark's non-fiction, although being this far into the oeuvre, I guess I should. Not just the essays but also the book on Masefield (an author once highly esteemed and very collectible on the rare book market during his time, now largely forgotten), as well as her other miscellany writings. Not sure I have time for all that unless it proves unusually engrossing. Anyway, will add the essays to the list. Right now I'm reading the Stannard biography of Spark; very readable and seems even-handed. I don't know "The Man Who Cried I Am," but are the identifications supposed to be that schematic? These figures are often composites (for legal and literary reasons), although some, as you point out, are easy enough to guess.

Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger Roberto "Hands of Stone" Duran Slappy White

Yes, that is a nice half hour indeed, Alexander. Some fine intense playing. Camera person was practically on the piano bench with you!

BANGLES

And many more........

This would be a good spot to close the thread.

That cover kind of reminded me of "Physical Graffiti" - Led Zeppelin:

Rosie the Riveter The Maid of Killarney Molly Bloom

That's funny. So, more beer, louder music? Yeah, I suppose I'm kind of the same way. Brotzmann of Gustafsson maybe. But if it's port, I might go in a different direction. Maybe some of these listening posts should come with an alcohol warning

PM coming on Daniele D'Agaro & Tobias Delius, "Byas a Drink" (Nota) oop [quartet w/ Glerum, Trombetta]

I ordered from Dusty Groove the 2LP "Conversations" - Roscoe Mitchell. Surprisingly low price of $16.99 for a double LP. Hmm, hope that's not reflected in the quality. While I was at it, I got the Complete Remastered Black Saint and Soul Note box of Oliver Lake. Price on that was just an OK $34.99. Looking forward to checking that out

John Major The Iron Lady The Man in the Iron Mask

JACANA - Sten Sandell (p), Paal Nilssen-Love (d). Rune Grammofon. Not usual these days to see new piano-drum duos --or maybe I just missed them. Shades of Cecil in Berlin. This one works quite well.

LOW COST SPACE FLIGHTS - Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano - Feeding Tube Records.

I think will I. am has a valid point. AT the most basic level, musicians can't do what they do unless they can make a living from it. AT a higher level, musicians have a right to receive compensation for what they produce. The music "industry" has become a cottage industry. Artists have to make their own CDs or LPs, find their own ways to distribute it (usually at their concerts), get downloads onto iTune and other sites, do incessant touring, and perhaps get a half-cent per play from Spotify. It's a hustle. The days of labels providing A&R, recording support, touring support, etc, are mostly gone. This artist-centric model has some obvious problems. They don't have the legal and financial muscle of the big corporations. They can't negotiate on an even basis with Spotify or You Tube (to name two). As someone pointed out, Google is making money from the hundreds of thousands of videos of performances. Why shouldn't the artists? Spotify has already been discussed elsewhere. Basically, the mechanisms for distributing music benefit pretty much only the distributors. They don't make, they make off of. The comparison to cassette recordings doesn't really work here. Yes, there were alarmist statements made about it, but the continued sales of records weren't really affected. In terms of copying and distributing music, the digital age changed all that. It's much different now. For one thing, it's much more massive. This is why so many labels have packed it in. Hard to sell product when everyone is giving it away.

Coincidentally, I'm now shuttling between Lessing's Four-Gated City and Stannard's Spark biography. I respect Lessing and recognize her seriousness. On the other hand, her prose style is, shall we say, utilitarian, and she has hardly any sense of humor. Comparing her to Spark is like comparing boiled potatoes to potato chips. They both have their virtues I think; just don't think you can hold either to the other's standards.

That certainly looks marvelous! I have no doubt it is.

"Brodie" is not really a plot-driven book, and so Spark throws out the ending (which is not really the ending) because that is not what she is getting at. Really the novel is one of humor, interpersonal relations, how, one feels about those relation, how one sees others over the passage of time, over betrayal and its pain. Although its not a feminist novel, it does offer a view into what it is to grow up as a woman, and to find a woman's perspective on the world. Although "Brodie" comes closer to a more apparent emotional context that much of Spark's other writings, I don't think it's "kind hearts and coronets;" Spark likes her satirical edge a bit too much for that. It's a felt book, but also a thoughtfully-considered book. If none of the humor or wit came though, then, yes, I'd have to say that Spark probably is not for you. As for Hitler and Mussolini, sad to say that in the early days of their rule, many in Britain adored them. It took awhile to see what was really going on.

Great looking venue too.

Edward Hopper Skip Bayless Jhumpa Lahiri

I don't think the gibe was directed solely at Mary H. There are other women improvisors on the scene now, and that, regrettably, is causing some heartburn in certain quarters. As for the guys in untucked plaids, well, we've heard enough about that sort of thing here too; but then again, almost every hipster in Brooklyn sports that look (non-musicians included). Sounded to me like trash-talking that found its way into a review.

I've been wondering if Freeman made his barbed witticism on his own hook, or if it is reflects something deeper (or larger). The attack seems to me to have deeper roots than one person's sense of humor. Perhaps it represents certain factions of the Downtown scene that might not be enamored of some of the more relatively recent arrivals on the scene. There are fault lines drawn. The joke is a thinly veiled jab, enough to sting, not knock anyone out, just to let someone know that it's not going to be all hearts and flowers. I'm not condoning it, just trying to analyze what seems a rather odd sideswipe.

Seal Heidi Klum Heidi Fleiss

H. Rider Haggard Merle Haggard Hagar the Horrible

I don't really get the purpose of the article either but I like this quote (if that is what it is): "We always dressed real sharp: pin-stripe suits, porkpie hats, silk ties. As if to conceal the fact that we were spending all our time playing jazz in some basement."