Holdsworth

All Night Wrong; live trio from '02, I think. He really only does one thing; the album didn't really grab me at first, but something brings me back constantly. Obviously, amazing tone, great harmonic development and a zillion perfectly played notes. But I think what he gets at is explicating this basically Trane thing and its uniquely beautiful. More power to him. I enjoy it more with every listen; and I've never heard the compressed intensity that he offers before.

Post Apocalypse

Just started Cormac McCarthy's The Road. What a return to form. Harrowing beauty. Prose is almost Hemingway-direct. Quite an evolution from the surging formal baroque, through neo-classical (All The Pretty Horses) to the old man just riffs now; he's internalized all the thought, ambition and theory. And he doesn't need it any more.

Recent Good Fortune

Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc ** yummy, not as complex as Kim Crawford, but full-featured and refreshing.

Le Casalte Vino Nobile di Montepulciano straight outta Venice via Meg. ** Soft, rich, satisfying. Long finish. Awesome with food.

Finca Flichman Tupungato Malbec-Cab-Merlot ** Macho, with structure; big, balanced obviously great with grillage. Will get more...

Sebastiani Sonoma Merlot ('03 or '04); buttery, complex, with black cherry very long finish. Classy & a bargain.