Willie The Lion Smith was one of the famous Harlem stride pianists of the teens and twenties, a piano ticker who played rent parties as well as big shows, and is credited with being Duke Ellington's piano mentor. With ever present derby hat and cigar, The Lion was a great story teller, and here he talks about the stride piano style and his contemporaries including James P.Johnson and Fats Waller. He punctuates his anecdotes with numerous musical examples from brief demonstrations to full lengh performances. He was almost 70 when he recorded this lively session in 1967. It's an entertaining lesson from a still-feisty master.

Very sleek, unusual design. Fits nicely in the hand. The pieces have a solid feel, especially the knives, yet are not at all heavy. Even though the pieces are longer than most flatware, the bowls of the spoons and the prong parts of the forks are on the small side, which is a plus for younger family members. I particularly like the one-piece design, without any joints or grooves where water could leak into the knives or where dirt could get trapped. They seem to be withstanding water spots and retaining their shine nicely.

She said it perfectly. This is a sleek but hefty weight service. Very euro-modern, with a lovely deep shine. Substantial. Elegant. I have had mine for two years, and they are beautiful still. I am ordering more.

Although it can't be counted as among the classic ones this CD gives glimpse of what and who McDowell is.

Pretty cool collection of essays on radio. Found pieces I'd been looking all over for in English by Dadaist Kurt Schwitters and French theorist Felix Guattari and Futurist F.T. Marinetti. Add to that writing by everyone from Bertolt Brecht to Hakim Bey to Negativland to Arnold Schoenberg to LaMonte Young to the U.S. Office of Censorship to the Emperor of Japan, and you have the most mind-opening writings I've ever seen on radio. This is not a book about pirate radio at all (though there are some good essays on that too--but for how-to I'd recommend Zeke Teflon's pirate radio manual). It's a book on radio theory, radio pranks, radio history, radio as art, telepathy as radio, radio in war, extraterrestrial radio, and a great argument for finding new things to do with radios besides listening to Britney Spears. Highly recommended for anyone interested in radio or media.

This book merely perpetuates the many myths associated with pirate radio. Real people who want real information on how to operate a pirate staion should avoid this book at all costs.