a sense of scale

I find the following passage from Ethan's interview of Ron Carter puzzling:

EI: How many records are you on?

RC: Over 2000.

EI: I've heard only a couple of hundred of them

Only? Perhaps that's just Ethan being deferent, but surely hearing 200 of a musician's recorded performances doesn't need to be thus qualified? It's as if that old Frank Zappa joke applied to the whole of jazz. Five albums by, say, Stevie Wonder, if well chosen, might tell you everything you need to know about him. Five by Monk (by five), no matter how well chosen, will get you shouted/laughed out of any discussion. But maybe they are enough?

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Extensive article on the concertisation of jazz in Chicago.

"It's as if we've discovered another side of jazz, where jazz functions in a similar way to classical music," notes Orbert Davis, music director of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (which plays Millennium Park on Aug. 27).

Jazz in a concert setting, adds Davis, "allows us to think, to reflect, to consider the music in a different way." ...

"It's like the difference between eating a home-cooked meal [and] going out to a restaurant."
(...)
"There's no other city in the country that does so much free music," says Weisberg, noting that the city now spends about $2 million a year on various music events, much of it jazz.

Furthermore, by joining forces with organizations such as the Chicago Jazz Partnership -- a collection of blue-chip corporate foundations that committed $1.5 million to Millennium Park's "Made in Chicago" jazz series and other jazz events -- the city has leveraged additional resources to jazz concert-going.
(...)
In Chicago, however, the combination of high-toned jazz series and a plethora of free, citywide shows may -- or may not -- have taken a toll on the club life. "I think the free stuff has been more detrimental than anything," says Jazz Showcase founder Segal. "If people can see stuff for free, why should they pay money for it?"

Dan, Uli, what's the scene like?

A classic passage:

The quintessential jazz performance always will unfold in clubs, where sparks fly not only among the performers but between the musicians and the listeners, who can watch the sweat gather on their heroes' faces.

Yeah, that's why I'm there, the sweat. And if you're sitting in the first row and lucky enough, some of it might even fly onto you!

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CD sales crash in the UK:

The problem began in January after a surge in sales of digital music players over Christmas. Apple’s dominant iTunes online record store allows listeners to buy two or three single tracks in preference to a whole album, depressing revenues.

Piracy also remains widespread, as is listening to songs and watching music videos – legitimately – without paying on internet sites such as YouTube.

The conclusion is obvious: ban MP3 players and force everyone to wait for their favourite songs to be played on MTV.

Meanwhile, Prince is up to no good once more.