J.A.W.

Sad news. Mr Persip was 91.

You do know that Gerry Teekens died on October 31, 2019? I have no idea who runs Criss Cross right now, or who owns the label. Gerry Teekens / Criss Cross

A shame the Selects turned out not to be economically viable. It was a great series.

They're offering the Mobley 63-70 set for over $200, apparently unaware of the fact that it's not OOP (yet), or hoping for ignorance on the buyer's side...

No outage or loading problems here (Netherlands).

Someone on another forum suggested that it has to do with the guitar Bickert was playing; he said it was the same brand/type Bill Frisell plays - well, I don't like Frisell's sound either, so that could be it.

Decided not to get the new Desmond set. I've heard parts of the material and, while I like the old Desmond set with Jim Hall, this is not my cup of tea. I really don't like Bickert's guitar playing, or rather guitar sound, and I'm not going to spend about 160 euros on something I'd probably hardly ever listen to.

Just heard back from Jorge. He is expecting the Desmond set tomorrow (Wednesday 24 June), and he thinks it'll be around 165 euros - which is pretty steep I think. [edit] The price of the Desmond is actually just under 160 euros, which, in my opinion, is still a bit high.

I wonder if they will ever get it, I'm beginning to have doubts... OK, there's probably been some delay due to the corona thing, but they could have had some Desmond sets by now, I guess. The 63-70 Mobley has also been missing from their site for quite a while; I jumped on that one when they did have a few copies, it was gone in the blink of an eye.

Just checked the Jazz Messenger site and they still don't have the Desmond set. Sent them an e-mail and will report back. Anyone here know anything about it?

That's not correct. I had CD Japan orders shipped by FedEx and received them within days without having to pay anything in advance. I got VAT invoices from FedEx after 2-4 weeks. I wish Pim luck with his order, but I'd be surprised if he'd receive it tax-free.

That sounds good, but how about VAT (21%) that is payable for orders over 22 euros and duty (payable if the total value exceeds 150 euros)? Smaller packages may slip through customs, but a large order like yours probably won't.

Clear again, but I was talking about the thinking of some Americans in general, not about a specific contract situation. For example, some said they are allowed to carry guns abroad because they have the right to do so according to US law, even if the country they were visiting doesn't allow it.

OK, clear, but that's not what I meant. In my experience some Americans seem to think that US law is applicable everywhere in the world even if there is no reciprocity and whether the rest of the world likes it or not, "American law above all, wherever you are"; a misunderstanding, of course - to put it mildly.

I'm not familiar with international law, but I doubt American law and courts have any jurisdiction outside the US.

As an outsider I've refrained from commenting on what's happening, but this is now really beginning to sound creepy... What's the US descending into??

Maybe it's me, but I don't see what part of this thread is not political and why it still exists, against forum rules ("no politics. no religion").

OK, thanks. I can see why some of these acronyms are what they are, well, acronyms

These acronyms are probably easy to understand for American users here, but for non-US posters like me it's usually abracadbra - so, what does TDS stand for?

We've had demonstrations here too and the authorities are worried about people not adhering to social distancing rules. So, relatively quiet compared to what you all are going through. Watched CNN yesterday and was shocked by what I saw. Maybe I shouldn't say this as a non-US citizen, but I really hope November will bring change...

Sad news.

We got the message

Actually, 36 - below are the (almost) complete cycles I have (I was thinking of getting rid of some of them, but no one wants classical CDs anymore, so I might as well keep them): (listed chronologically, with recording dates) Wilhelm Kempff (Polydor, Grammophon; incomplete, 1925-1936, 1940-1943) Artur Schnabel (EMI; 1932-1937) Rudolf Serkin (RCA; incomplete, 1941-1977) Wilhelm Backhaus (Decca; 1950-1954) Wilhelm Kempff (DG; 1951-1956) Walter Gieseking (EMI; incomplete, 1951-1956) Solomon (EMI; incomplete, 1951-1956) Yves Nat (EMI; 1953-1955) Wilhelm Backhaus (Decca; incomplete, 1958-1969) Claudio Arrau (Philips; 1962-1966) Sviatoslav Richter (Philips and Melodiya; incomplete, 1963-1992) Wilhelm Kempff (DG; 1964-1965) Friedrich Gulda (Amadeo; 1967) Claude Frank (RCA; 1967-1969) Éric Heidsieck (EMI; 1967-1973) Bruce Hungerford (Piano Classics; incomplete, 1967-1976) Alfred Brendel (Philips; 1971-1978) Emil Gilels (DG; incomplete, 1972-1985) Vladimir Ashkenazy (Decca; 1974-1982) Maurizio Pollini (DG; 1975-2014) Annie Fischer (Hungaroton, 1977-1978) Rudolf Buchbinder (Teldec; 1980-1982) Claudio Arrau (Philips; incomplete, 1984-1990) Stephen Kovacevich (EMI; 1991-2003) Alfred Brendel (Philips; 1992-1996) Richard Goode (Nonesuch; early 1990s) Andrea Lucchesini (Stradivarius; 1999-2001) Ronald Brautigam (BIS; 2003-2008) András Schiff (ECM; 2004-2006) Daniel Barenboim (Decca; 2005) Paul Lewis (Harmonia Mundi; 2005-2008) Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (Chandos; 2008-2014) François-Frédéric Guy (Zig-Zag Territoires; 2009-2012) Stewart Goodyear (Marquis; 2010-2012) Igor Levit (Sony; 2013, 2017-2019) Konstantin Lifschitz (2017-2019) Wilhelm Kempff made his first recording of Op.110 in 1936, but I assume you mean his 1951 recording.

Interesting project indeed. I have more than 30 cycles, most of them complete and some incomplete, but I can't name any favourites - it all depends on the sonata, and the mood I'm in also plays a part.