A few links

Two interesting links to share ... Harvard Magazine ran an 800-word feature on flautist/saxophonist John Payne. I particularly enjoyed this passage:

In an essay, "Reversing the Dwindling Spiral of Musical Enjoyment" (see his entry under "Teachers" at www.jpmc.com), and at his school in Brookline, Massachusetts, Payne rejects what he calls "the tyranny of competence," noting that the first question people often ask when they learn that someone plays an instrument is, "Is she any good?" Payne suggests that "Is she having fun with it?" might be more appropriate.

Also, I recently stumbled across a site known as AllMusicBooks. An undated entry by an individual named Pat Thomas included this interesting tidbit:

I've never understood why people feel the need to expand the tale (and myth) of Astral Weeks. It’s perfect just the way it is. And yet, some people aren't satisfied. Amongst the things I've heard thru the years include, "The album could have been a double LP; every song was twice as long and was edited down." Uh, no. A good friend of mine recently reviewed the multi-track master tapes, his report stated, "There's not much extra there."

Reviewed the multi-track master tapes? You don't say ... Efforts have been made to get in touch with Mr. Thomas. Stay tuned.