in a class of its own
927155
I'm not a big reader of mysteries, but I could not resist this one since it's by one of my favorite authors. It's a really outstanding book about a gruesome killing that leads Detective Jude Devine to Utah to investigate members of a polygamous Mormon sect known as the FLDS. It also tells the story of Adeline, a feisty young girl who's meant to be married to an old man with numerous wives but runs away into the desert.

Some of the material in this book is very disturbing, partly because it's factual, but also because it's so vividly written. Ms. Beecham must have done a lot of research because the level of detail is amazing. As usual, the author's unique dry dark humor is strongly in evidence, as is her gift for creating powerful settings and compelling characters.

Jude Devine has a love interest, "star" forensic pathologist Dr. Mercy Westmoreland, and somehow Ms. Beecham manages to make them a very hot couple even though their romantic encounters don't take up much of the plot. Jude's working relationship with Deputy Virgil Tulley, and the sub-plot about the K9 bloodhound is just another great part of this fantastic book.

I'm probably leaving out important stuff, but all I can say is Grave Silence is in a class of its own and is nothing like any lesbian mystery I have ever read. Ms. Beecham blows her competition away. The writing is just stunning and even if you are not a mystery fan this book is so original and fascinating I think most readers would enjoy it.
2720509
In the liner notes to this CD, Cherkassky is quoted as saying: "Some people like my playing, and some perhaps don't.  But I don't think anybody can call me boring."

That was exactly my thought when first listening to his interpretations.  The tempos and phrasing are inventive and unique. There are times he seems to be so inventive that his hands sound as if they are not quite operating in sync, yet it all works beautifully. Cherkassky's playing demonstrates the difference between a skilled technician and an artist.

His rendition of the Chopin Barcarolle is a true masterpiece, one I never tire of listening to.  It alone would justify buying this album.
2141781
Apart from the seven Helios reissues from Ohlsson's complete Chopin survey, Anderszewski's 2003 Virgin recital is the greatest reissue the bicentennial anniversary has brought about so far. That is especially so for this reviewer, as I missed it on its initial release.

Probably every pianist plays a fair amount of Chopin; why do so few manage to penetrate beyond the surface of his seemingly accessible writing, looking so perfect in the scores? As memorably put by Olivier Bellamy in the liner notes: 'Chopin, at one and the same time the pianist's blessing and curse. Blessing, because Chopin is the alpha and omega of the piano: he knew all its possibilities better than anyone and invested it with the power of his peculiar genious. Curse, because if Chopin's music attains the universal, his art demands a taste, refinement and poetic soul which very few pianists are blessed with.'

Let's go straight to the point: This may well be the most captivating and original Chopin disc of the past decade. Anderszewski is no ordinary pianist; his talent is indeed extraordinary in many aspects--being blessed with that rare taste, refinement and poetic soul. Above all, his understanding of the elasticity of Chopin's writing is unique; the way he discovers new paths through the late Mazurkas is virtually on the same level as that of Ohlsson, whose complete Mazurkas are absolutely revelatory. Anderszewski's Op 59 is a marvel of pianistic colouring, inner voices and natural rubato--just listen to the middle section of the A minor or the ending of the A-flat major and you will immediately know. In the central F-minor piece of Op 63, Anderszewski opts for a Lento pace which is so slow that the anguished music verges on cracking in its seams (at 3:04 over 50% slower than Ohlsson, Ashkenazy and Rubinstein); yet the effect is disturbingly haunting.

The Third and Fourth Ballades are done almost as well, although I tend to favour a slightly more lively approach to the former (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Zimerman/dp/B000001G8Q/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Zimerman</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Perahia/dp/B000002A6J/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Perahia</a>); the magical Fourth is given a heart-wrenching performance to rival Demidenko and Ohlsson. However, I am not fully convinced by Anderszewski's approach to the Opp 44 & 53 Polonaises; the reason being that some highlighted elements do not feel entirely organic--especially in the passionate Op 44 that comes out as somewhat understated and self-conscious.

The recorded sound, caught at Air Lyndhurst Studios, is very good and wide-ranging but not ideal, with fortissimo passages sounding loud rather than large. Reduced to mid price, this Virgin Premium reissue displaces the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/original-full-price-incarnation/dp/B0000DIGJ8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">original full-price incarnation</a>&nbsp;and becomes an essential anniversary acquisition.

REFERENCES: Mazurkas & Polonaises--<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ohlsson/dp/B001F4YGUA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ohlsson</a>; Ballades--<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Demidenko/dp/B0007XTNYO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Demidenko</a>
73507
In some circles Andras Schiff's Schubert is considered indispensable. It's certainly copious. Besides the solo piano music, Schiff has accompanied tenor Peter Schreier in the three great song cycles and joined chamber musicians for the piano trios and Trout Quintet. His fans will gravitate to the 9-CD box set of Schiff's solo Schubert, of which this is CD 8. Immediately it should be said that Decca's sound is not as hard-edged as in some installments; nor is the piano as clangy and pingy.

Which would be good news if I enjoyed Schiff's polished, smooth, almost anodyne approach to this composer. At times his performances are like very talented sight reading. The surface is undeniably appealing, but no matter how different the character of each piece, the pianist glides along like a swan on a summer pond. Yet this is an appealing program, centered on the first set of Impromptus D. 890 and the six Moments Musicaux D. 780. The delightful Hungarian Melody begins the recital, and Schiff's mellifluous style suit this little charmer very well.  But as soon as he launches into the first Improptu, in the serious, often turbulent key of C minor, the panist's foursquare phrasing and indifferent expression are telling. the second Impromptu, which could be a second Raindrop Prelude by Chopin, shows off a pearly touch, but the left hand is anemic. The flowing third Impromptu, again very Chopinesque, is pleasant enough, but Schiff shows so little involvement that I am baffled why he has earned acclaim when a moment's comparison reveals the superiority of Perhai, Uchida, brendel, and others in these very popular pieces.

Among Schubert's miniature dances, some lasting less than a minute, I like the 6 German Dances D. 820 better than the Waltzes, for variety and invention. Schiff dispathces them rather briskly, without affection. The Moments musicaux have attracted major pianists; despite their inconsequential name, these are emotionally subtle, musically challenging works, considerably more so than Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words, on the whole.  As one would expect by now, Schiff is better at the quiet ones, like No. 2 in A flat, than the bolder No. 1 in C.  but one only has to listen to his clipped once-over-lightly of No. 3 and its famous march tune to feel that he isn't trying very hard, relying on an easy, assured manner to get by.

For those who admire this CD more than I do, it can be had in a two-fer with the other set of Impromptus and the great Drei Klavierstucke. Schiff's manner is the same throughout.
2346528
In the course of his long recording career, Monk made exactly five solo piano records (as well as scores of solo SONGS, of course, on nearly all of his records). The first was in 1954 for the Vogue label while touring France (and unbeknownst to his label at the time, Prestige, who wouldn't have allowed it). That record is easy to find, but few seem to have it, perhaps because the sound quality is not all it should be. The fourth and fifth were after his Riverside time, with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Solo-Monk/dp/B0045DO7ZC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Solo Monk</a>&nbsp;for Columbia in 1964 and a capping of Monk's career some eight years later with a record of solo pieces recorded while on tour in London for Black Lion. The second,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Thelonious-Himself-Keepnews-Collection/dp/B001D6OKJC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Thelonious Himself: Keepnews Collection</a>, was for Riverside in 1957, and the marvelous solo work is a bit overshadowed by its one recording with musicians, though that recording is "Monk's Mood" and features the first ever appearance of John Coltrane on a Monk record. The third is here. Orrin Keepnews, Riverside owner/producer, notes in the liner notes to "Thelonious Himself" that "Alone in San Francisco" is more mellow than its predecessor, and that Keepnews prefers a slightly more tense Monk. Sure, why not, but don't think for a second that this fantastic album is simply a flip side to the other, a "west coast" Side B to the decidedly "east coast" Side A. They're both their own unique albums, and each demands its own time and attention to appreciate, and both are worth it.

"Alone in San Francisco" came together spontaneously, and that is one of its joys. Keepnews and Monk had already begun to battle a bit by this mid-59 recording date, so it's a surprise that it seems to have gone down so smoothly, especially considering that Monk left his wife in LA post-surgery and was apparently quite worried. On top of this, he was to play with a pick up band at the Blackhawk that week, so he couldn't have been in good spirits considering his love of having the EXACT band he wanted to play with at every show. Yet a few notes into opener "Blue Monk" and it's obvious that Monk feels cool and carefree. Maybe it was Fugazi Hall, a curious place that inspires the spontaneous blues "Round Lights"? That and "Bluehawk" play the role that "Functional" did on "Himself", though here they are two short blues improvisations instead of a terse long one. They also break up a set devoted to pop standards more popular ("Remember") and obscure ("You Took the Words Right Out of My Heart" and "There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie", which Monk loves so much that both takes form two of the finest moments on this disc). There are also Monk songs he'd played many times of late (see again "Blue Monk" as well as "Pannonica" and "Ruby, My Dear") and a closing "Reflections" that may be his all time best take of that ballad.

In all, it adds up to a wonderful time spent as if sitting in a room with Monk as he mulls some standards and plays a few favorites. It is the last great album Monk recorded for Riverside, and one of his best solo piano albums, period. Something about the ocean air and the trolleys, perhaps, but this Monk is a breeze of a record to enjoy.
3810583
This album defies categorisation. Andy Dragazis takes individual writing credits for 7 of the tracks, sharing the rest with vocalist Tahita Bulmer. Her voice fits well within the overall sound that is developed across the whole album. Dragazis plays most of the "instruments" on most of the tracks, the other common factor on all but one track being Jon Chandler on drums who propels the pieces with a very 'live' drum sound. Elsewhere instruments are added carefully in layers, with a skillful use of cello and violins, and trumpet and trombone (Gary Kavanagh & Billy Rumfill-excellent throughout). There's a choir on "Season Song" and washes of other sounds (conga and lap steel for example) but the whole project is clearly driven by Dragazis' notion of what he wanted to create. It's an album that will need a lot of listening to to reveal everything that it has to offer. Favourite tracks for me are "Colouration", which has lots of added percussion, "Studio 20" an electronic confection, "Doublespeak" which has all manner of unexpected instrumentation courtesy of Dragazis, and finally "Adrift" which has some lovely tonal shading. The other really good thing about this album is that it will make your system rattle as it delivers it's extraordinary sound screen. It seems pretty pointless trying to categorise what this is about, it's a remarkable album, best played very loud with time to listen to it as a coherent whole.
1550625
A beautiful, effective unit at a remarkably low price
3584825
It deserves to be said right up front: this is a 4000/5000-level cookbook.  If it were a college class, it would be the one with about 15 people in it, mostly exhausted grad students, with the entire grade being an original research project.  Attendance will not be graded, and Smillie doesn't care if you have to pull an all-nighter to get it done.

That said, damn.  This is one great cookbook.  Lots of Italian-Mediterranean flavors, but compellingly unique and original in their composition - nontraditional, highly original, cheffed-up, and fascinating.  Often the result is sort of a mutated, creative riff on something traditional, like paella or roast chicken or grilled fish, just familiar enough to hit the same spot but often rethought and reconstructed for maximum impact. The recipes are ruthlessly uncompromising in their commitment to technique and often span multiple steps over hours and days, but Smillie is a patient guide, and provides scheduled milestones for recipe completion.  The instructions are detailed, and a committed intermediate home cook should do fine - but a breezy, easy cookbook this is not.

I find myself raiding this book for flavor pairings, ingredients, and ideas much more often than I actually cook the entire recipes straight through.  I've done a few, yes, but my availability doesn't do this book full justice - and I am hardly a slavish recipe-follower in any case.  However, as a source of ideas and culinary concepts alone, it's worth the price.  I just did some chicken thighs with Smillie's rosemary-anchovy rub, indirect roasted on the grill.  I'm sure his full thrice-roasted chicken recipe is better still, but just skimming off the rub and the ideas made for a really great dinner.  You may wish to do the same until you have a winter Sunday free to throw yourself in.  Either way, I think you'll find it worth it.
1141281
A rather rare earphone, with a distinctive sound signature. My reference set of IEMs is the Shure 846, Senn IE-8, JVC 850, and B&W.

Overall signature: A warm, heavy-bodied and powerful sound signature.

This IEM has some truly wonderful aspects. The large driver can convey an amazing sense of weight and do so effortlessly. (The JVC has similar properties, but you know that the driver is not doing it's job effortlessly!)
Be warned, that you need a proper Amp to do this IEM justice. A iPhone will sound fine, but it does not uncover the potential of the ASG2.5!! The treble is polite, detailed, but takes a back seat to the bass. Midrange is clear, slightly veiled, and can occasionally sound husky in vocals. The soundstage is immense and far wider than the Shure. It is on-par with the IE8 in width and depth. In many ways, the ASG2.5 is what the IE8 would sound like if you turbocharged it. But the signatures are remarkably similar. The ASG though, has details to spare. The resolution is far superior to the IE8 and slightly better than the Shure. The shure does have that wonderful midrange that will steal your breath on just the right recording.

There is a bass-volume knob too. Don't touch it. Leave it fully closed. trust me,

Fit: You need a decent sized ear to fit them, but the design is wonderful. Slides into ear, does not fall out. Cable is supple, but mid-grade.
Finish: OK. Printed shells are cool, but can't beat high end injection molding. But then again...these are made in the USA, locally, by a small shop. BRAVO! to small business and what these guys have achieved.

Overall, The ASG is a superior IEM to most on the market. It is not better than the 846, but rather a different flavor. It is better than IE8, but it is like it's twin brother that went to college and attained a higher polish. The JVC 850 is more delicately musical, has superior treble details and superior timbre. But the JVC runs out of steam on dynamics. The B&W is not mentioned here because it was simply outclassed.
The ASG, if driven properly is occasionally astonishing. On an iPhone, it is merely an excellent IEM.
To improve it, I would prefer a slightly more sensitive driver. Otherwise, this is a top shelf IEM!
3706677
To be fair, this album has received the kudos and superlatives it has done, because it deserves them. As all punk fans know, there are so many different styles, that it would be folly to pick one fave from all the artists and albums out there. But, this one is worthy of consideration in anybody's  Top 10. Maybe even Top FIVE. And, that's coming from, essentially, a British-centric punk listener (Clash, Pistols, Skids, the Business). So, if this classic isn't already in your collection, add it, NOW.
1582196
Although there is no justification for the one star rating, I must confess I do agree with many of the last reviewers points. It is a show-off album  where Coleman's abrasively self-conscious soloing overshadows much rhythmic, let alone melodic chemistry. It is a prime piece of early free jazz indeed, a subgenre that is not without its divinely morbid spirals into atonal bliss, but also not without its rambling, compositional indulgences. There are plenty of innovative moments on the album to justify a place in the history books for students of the craft, though a classic piece of music that does not necessarily make.
4742996
Every relationship between a user and their keyboard is unique. Many factors shape the relationship -- the size and shape of the user's hands, the user's sense of tactile aesthetics, what the keyboard is used for, for how long, etc. The point being, there can be no single keyboard that is ideal for everyone. Issues that may be not matter to most people may be glaring flaws for others. No matter how many reviews you read, ultimately, the only way to find out if a keyboard will work for you is to try it out.

After having tried it out, my executive summary of the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 is: This clearly was not designed by a 'vi' user.

I'm a software engineer, and use my keyboard for programming and command entry. My Saitek keyboard was starting to behave strangely, and needed replacing. Although the Sidewinder X6 is billed as a "gaming" keyboard, I've found such keyboards in general to be of overall higher quality than "regular" keyboards and excellent for general use. The macro programming and "gaming" features were not of primary interest to me. I'm very particular about a keyboard's tactile qualities. If I can get those qualities out of a so-called gaming keyboard, then so be it. (And I'm also a sucker for decorative lighting.)

In many respects, the Sidewinder X6 is a very fine product. Key feel is firm and decisive, with no mushiness. They keys are stiffer than is common and require more downforce, which is exactly how I prefer it. Despite the "hard bottom" of the keypress action, the keyboard is fairly quiet and won't disturb your cube neighbors. Backlighting is as intense or subdued as you wish. And the volume control knob is a welcome and superior departure from the '+' and '-' volume keys that so plague keyboards today.

Some minor issues with manufacturing were apparent. The keycaps were not as smooth and well-finished as the keyboard's price tag would suggest, and I found myself scraping small bits of plastic flashing off the surface of some keys to smooth them down.

But, for me, the X6's greatest handicap is a consequence of the text editor I've been using since 1982 -- 'vi'.

'vi' ("vee-eye") is a text editor from the UNIX world which, by its design, requires frequent use of the Escape key, and this is where, in my use case, the X6 inexplicably and perhaps fatally fails -- the Escape key is in the wrong place.

ESC is normally placed above the tilde ('~') key. However, from the photographs, you can see that Microsoft added a column of macro keys on the left side of the keyboard, and placed the ESC key above this new column. They then stretched the row of function keys out such that F1 is above the tilde key. The result is I've been hitting F1 nearly every time I actually wanted to hit ESC.

Microsoft's choice to do this is bewildering. Perhaps, in a gaming context, access to function keys is considered more important than putting ESC in the standard location. But other "gaming" keyboards have not made this choice. The&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Saitek-PC-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B000JL41Q4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Saitek PC Gaming Keyboard</a>, which my X6 was intended to replace, puts ESC in the standard location. Even the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Razer-Tarantula/dp/B000I20IHA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Razer Tarantula</a>, which also has an extra column of programmable keys on the left, still places ESC above tilde.

This isn't the first time I've dealt with a misplaced Escape key. My ThinkPad also has F1 above tilde, and placed ESC all by itself above F1 (sort of like hydrogen on the Periodic Table). I've managed to adapt to the ThinkPad. I don't yet know if I'll adapt to the X6.

In all other respects, the Sidewinder X6 could be a winner for me. I like the key feel, the cutesey lighting is nice, and the knobs are a welcome addition. But if I can't adapt to the Escape key's non-standard location then, for me, the X6 will be a failure. And that would be a damned shame.
4285776
Exotic,one of a kind, versatile and gorgeous
2699551
Not only is the chordal underpinning of piano or guitar absent here, so is the grounding of a bass bottom.  Sam Rivers, giant on the New York free jazz scene for decades, here unleashes the full monty of jazz ecstasy in the context of a winds, hand drums/percussion, drumset instrumental array.

A confession:  I almost certainly wouldn't've bought this disc had I not had near-absolute faith in Rivers to pull off his magic in this rather odd instrumental setting.  Those unfamiliar with or not tuned in to the free jazz aesthetic will want to tread cautiously in approaching this music:  frankly, it will seem odd, perhaps faux-ecstatic, melodically bereft.  Not to worry.  The joys it yields will be readily apparent to almost anyone, I venture to say, who engages it without prejudice.

For one thing, Rivers has forged a unique conceptual and timbral approach to each of his instruments (tenor and soprano sax and flute).  It's his soprano work that stands out for me.  Indeed, on the strength of this disc (esp. the transcendent "Motivity," on which he seriously lays claim to late great Steve Lacy's soprano crown), I think he just might be the reigning master of the high horn.

When a practitioner of such magnitude as Sam Rivers records in a chosen context, no matter how odd, we'd better attend:  Who knows what magic may ensue?

A disc of magnificent character and accomplishment.
3411773
This music is so good it's like it's its own genre.  It's as if some new musical form has been created.  I was stunned by the textures, the rhythms that got stuck in my head, the intensity.  This is an album to hear again and again.  Loud, raucous, lonely, disjointed, serene, quiet, slamming, pounding, stretching, insistent.  Take "The Social Network" (which introduced me to Reznor and Ross, and an astonishing introduction to this musical format) and expand on it for more than 2 hours.  Worth every penny.
397757
This is one of those discs that I would have gladly written a 5-star, filled-to-the-brim-with-praise review for during its first week in my possession.  Having had it for about a year now, my enchantment with FIM  has faded somewhat. Eric Lawrence Chamberlain(the guy behind Index) has  garnered copious praise from all sectors of the industrial community, and I  can certainly see why: he really IS a cut above the rest and a breath of  fresh air as far as electro/EBM goes. His style is maddeningly complex,  sound upon sound is piled on, making for virtual ocean of blips, crunches  and synth-notes. He keeps his lyrical agenda away from gothy-cheesy cliches  fairly well, rarely even employing vocals and keeping them subdued when he  does choose to open his mouth for a track. His Achilles' Heel?  In my  estimation, one of the most crippling productions I've ever heard. While he  does have a knack for pushing the stagnant genre of electro-industrial in  new structural directions, he has no idea of how to arrange or mix his new  territory.  It all sounds jumbled, disorganized, and in his worst moments  sounds(and perhaps is) piling on complexities to cover up weaknesses in the  songs themselves.  This is not to say there isn't some good, and even  important tracks contained on FIM; there are, mostly occuring in the final  few tracks, where the piled on rhythms and samples actually work, becoming  a miasma of flowing noise. I'm not condemnming him at all, in fact I look  forward to his future releases and understand that he is relatively new to  the scene, and therefore allowed a few mistakes, which, are easily  overlooked in the light of what he's accomplished so far in such little  time.
1938341
What can I say... As many others have pointed out, this is pretty much the best camera in its class. Those giving it one or two stars have a long  way to go In regards to serious photography. Its behavior at the highest ISO ratings is simply unbelievable. Practically no noise at all. The active stabilization, especially intended for movie shooting, is outstanding. I placed the camera on my dashboard and started filming. You could see the car going up and down and the image stayed  rocksteady. It is really not a point-and-shoot camera, since in order to get the best possible results some human intervention is required. I mean, your wife would be disappointed. I have decided to leave my heavy DSLR  gear at home, except for special occasions, and only bring this one with me. I mean, I can put it in my shirt pocket! I am simply in love with this show of wizardry.