It's always wonderful to run across a long-forgotten treasure. This live recording of Garbarek (saxophone), Gismonti (guitars & piano) and Haden (bass) was made in 1981, after two studio recordings by the trio, but not released until late 2012. The group manages a precarious balancing act, skillfully navigating folk, jazz and avant-garde stylings. This isn't in-your-face "blowing." There's lots of space, often only two instruments being played together at a time, but it's always engaging. Gismonti's guitar work is haunting and ethereal, his piano soulful. Garbarek plays with his trademark icy tone that just grabs you right away, while Haden's bass rewards deeper listening. For me, the high point is Haden's composition "All That is Beautiful." It's intensely lyrical at the start (it reminds me of some Keith Jarrett songs), and then the ensemble starts exploring, until it sounds like contemporary classical music...only to bring it all back together at the end. Since this is an ECM release, you get the clarity that is a hallmark of Manfred Eicher's productions. A great listen.

I'm an unabashed fan of  "progressive rock." I hum Mike Oldfield music in my sleep (this really annoys my wife). Imagine my delight at seeing that his 1980 album QE2 was reissued in late 2012. Frankly, it's an under-appreciated album. His longer works (Tubular Bells, Ommadawn, etc.) are classics, but you sometimes had to wade through the long, repetitive quiet parts to get to those great Oldfield guitar solos. Not in QE2. The songs are shorter and with a stronger, more accessible rock feel than his earlier work. That's not to say that there's not the necessary pomp--snippets of Bach in "Conflict," a brief horn fanfare in the title track, African drums, kettle drums...you get the idea. Ultimately, though, it's Oldfield's guitar that gets you. It's, well, majestic...and you never have to wait too long to hear it. The use of 1980s vocoders (synthesizers that give the singer kind of a robot voice) make the album seem a bit quaint and retro in a few places, but that's part of the fun. The bonus alternate takes and live tracks are OK (the stripped down live performances have an even harder edge), but lack the expansive sound of the main album. Ultimately...if you like this kind of thing, this is the kind of thing you'll like.

Library users now have full access to  ConsumerReports.org. This is an upgrade from our previous subscription to the Consumer Reports Health product, and still includes all of the health-related information that was found there. You can find it listed on our Research/Databases page, as well as in our Consumer and Health categories.

It has just just been reported that Illinois Senator Mark Kirk suffered an ischemic stroke over the weekend .  While doctors are optomistic regarding his recovery, this might be a good time to become aware of the signs, symptoms and treatments for such an event.

 

The Internet Stroke Center has a brief overview of ischemic stroke, noting that it "... occurs when an artery to the brain is blocked.  The brain depends on its arteries to bring fresh blood from the heart and lungs.... If the artery remains blocked for more than a few minutes, the brain cells may die. This is why immediate medical treatment is critical."   The related article on stroke includes a list of warning signs, including:

The library also owns a number of books on the topic of stroke and you can find numerous informational overviews and magazine journal articles from the library's databases for health information (requires library card login).