Dexter on DVD

Dexter on DVD

I’m making my way, too slowly, through the latest set of Naxos’ “Jazz Icons” DVDs, taken from TV broadcasts of great American jazz musicians on European tours in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Some time ago, I <A HREF="http://blog.stereophile.com/fredkaplan/092607jazz/">wrote</A&gt; about <I>Charles Mingus: Live in ’64</I> (a terrific companion piece to his CD, <I>Cornell 1964</I>, recorded just before and released just last year). Tonight I watched <I>Dexter Gordon: Live in ’63 & ’64</I>, and recommend it highly, too.

I miss the old days

In the old days you could walk into record stores with little booths that you could go into and listen to samples of various records. The people that worked there were actually experts that could help you decide what performance of a classical piece was better. I miss record stores that sold cds (like tower records) where you could actually go into and browse for an hour or so before making your purchase. It was a fun thing to do.

We Will All Rejoice

We Will All Rejoice

Alright. There was <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119464399153888326.html">that piece</a> in the Wall Street Journal where the writer, Terry Teachout, says he's cool with MP3s because they're wildly convenient and because he can't hear very well anyway, being middle-aged and all. He goes on to say that his hearing loss has set him free from the "snare and delusion of audiophilia"&#151that wallet-choking merry-go-round of upgrading for sonic improvements.

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