We have several new classical recordings that arrived the past few months that classical fans might be interested in.  There are several Bach recordings in this group, so place a hold and bring one home to listen to before the Bach Festival arrives on the 27th.

Bach Cantatas by Natalie Dessay
Soprano Dessay and composer Emmanuelle Haim tackle Bach’s Cantatas in this meeting of frequent collaborators.

Bach Partitas Nos. 2-4by Murray Perahia
A master of counterpoint and harmony, Perahia returns to form with this recording, named one of the best of 2008 by Amazon.

Bach Violin Concertos by Julia Fischer
One of the best newcomers in classical music dedicates an entire recording to Bach. 

Bel Canto Spectacular by Juan Diego Florez
Florez, a much sought after tenor, gathers an all star group of collaborators for his latest recording.

String Quartet of Ravel, Debussy and Faure by Ebene Quartet
This quartet of versatile musicians is well known for their flexibility and creativity.

Haydn & Hummel: Trumpet Concertos by Alison Balsom
Trumpet concertos from one of todays premiere trumpet players.

Homage by James Ehnes
Violinist Ehnes performs some of the greatest pieces for violin on 12 of the greatest violins ever made.

Musical Banquet by Nigel North & Monika Mauch
Soprano Mauch and Luntenist North record this set of traditional lute songs from around Europe.

Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 in E Minor by London Philharmonic Orchestra
Taken from a 1986 recording at the Royal Albert Hall in London, this represents a standout performance of one of Shastakovich’s best works.

President Obama is doing his summer reading and talking about how much he likes Netherlandby Joseph O’Neill.  Netherland is a book about New York’s multicultural nature after 9-11.  It follows Dutch banker Hans after the dissolution of his marriage as he reconnects with the sport of cricket.  He meets Chuck, a West Indian entrepreneur, who introduces him to the vibrant, marginal cultures around New York.  Hans struggles with his own tragedies as he attempts to rebuild his life.  His arc mirrors that of the New York he discovers.  Find out if this book warrants all the attention by selecting the link above and placing a hold.

Don’t Cry: Stories by Mary Gaitskill – Gaitskill is a master of short stories about relationships.  She is well-known for her other story collections and her most recent novel, Veronica.

Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned: Stories by Wells Tower – This wide-ranging debut collection features mostly male characters in difficult relationships and situations.

Love and Obstacles by Aleksandar Hemon – The Bosnian war and a common narrator connect these stories.  From the author of The Lazarus Project.

Love Stories in This Town by Amanda Eyre Ward – This first collection of short stories contain both poignant and funny moments, as well as wonderful female characters.  By the author of Forgive Me.

While patiently waiting for the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, I am excited about the possibility of HBO filming the series.  A pilot is being developed and there is even some casting news with Peter Dinklage said to be playing the role of Tyrion Lannister.  If you haven’t read this series yet, it is a great option for summer reading.

This epic fantasy series actually finds a lot of inspiration in history, particularly the War of the Roses.  The Stark family holds court in the north while the Lannisters scheme to hold onto the throne in the south as they set into motion a dangerous game that threatens to drag the entire Seven Kingdoms into a lengthy struggle for power.  This is a marvelous book that is only dampened by the fact that the author is still working on book five.

These are most of the new arrivals from the past several months in our Jazz collection.  Click on the links to place holds.  Those interested in Jazz may also like to look at Amazon’s list of best Jazz recordings of all time.

For All I Care by the Bad Plus
Singer Wendy Lewis joins the Progressive Jazz trio for this unique recording.

Jazz for Peanuts by David Benoit
Benoit records the classic Peanuts tunes from your favorite cartoons.

Mosaic: a Celebration of Blue Note Records by the Blue Note 7
An all-star group of artists looks back at 70 years of Jazz recordings.

Little Garden by Erin Bode
This new singer bridges the boundaries between pop and jazz in this recording.

Coward by Nels Cline
Eclectic guitarist Cline moves from one influence to the next, all the while keeping his music centered in this new recording.

Earfoodby Roy Hargrove Quintet
Trumpeter Hargrove records 7 original tunes and 6 covers of post-bop jazz.

Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street by Jon Hassell
Trumpeter Hassell is known for his influence on contemporary music in regards to his experimentation with electronic sounds.  This is his standout new release.

Search Within by Sean Jones
Another trumpeter steps forward with original songs that show his love of hard bop.

To Grover With Love by Jason Miles
This second tribute recording to famed Saxophonist Grover Washington is more than a collection of tribute songs.  Miles picks some less familiar tunes and arranges them in a bold way to honor Washington.

Novas Bossas by Milton Nascimento
Bossa Nova originator Tom Jobim’s offspring  join singer Milton Nascimento on this milestone in Brazilian music.

Invisible Cinema by Aaron Parks
New Jazz guitarist Parks focuses on spontaneity and cinematic sounds in this recording.

New York Days by Enrico Rava
Italian jazz musician Rava returns to New York for this Italian/American hybrid.

Compassby Joshua Redman
Redman focuses on writing pieces for the Sax/bass/drums combination with nice results.

Here and Gone by David Sanborn
Superstar Sanborn releases his newest recording with contributions from many artists like Eric Clampton and Joss Stone.

Cantandoby Bobo Stenson Trio
Modern jazz with an eclectic trio of musicians.

Unwrapped v. 5 Collipark Cafe Sessions
Hip hop tunes rerecorded with a jazz sound.

Closer to You by Cassandra Wilson
Powerful vocalist Wilson takes on some pop standards from U2 to Glen Campbell.

OPB radio’s outstanding morning program Think Out Loud has kicked off a new segment called Northwest Passages that will spotlight local authors. They began with a conversation with Peter Rock, whose new novel My Abandonment was inspired by the true story of a father and daughter who were discovered to have lived in Forest Park for years. Listen to the program here.

The Sourcebook (REF 352.387 SOU 2009) provides detailed information on how to retrieve public records at the county, state, and federal levels. Its directories of state, county and local agencies and record departments are excellent tools. In addition, researchers will find the “Public Record Primer”, which provides the layperson or newcomer to public record searching with a very complete overview of how records become public domain, search strategies, finding records online, and how to use a vendor to obtain public records. Read a detailed review at the ABA website.

This is not just for national searches; the information listed here for our own state is a great, concise overview of our court systems, county and recording office structures. And, it is a boon to genealogists for tracking down people and the paper trails they leave behind.

Here are some recent arrivals in the World music category.  These include music strongly influenced by rock all the way to traditional folk music.  Many of the Latin recordings were grammy winners or on best of lists for 2008.

Latin

Un Dia by Jauna Molina
Amazon’s best world music CD of 2008 from an Argentinian rock artist.

Live in Japan by Rodrigo y Gabriela
Amazing live CD from these rock and classical guitarists from Mexico.

Tarde o Temprano by Tommy Torres
Popular latin grammy winner from Puero Rico.

After the Carnaval by Zuco 103

Tales of High Fever by Zuco 103
The new and previous CD’s from this eclectic Brazillian band.

MTV Unplugged by Julieta Venegas
Latin pop music that won a grammy last year.

India

3 Cities by Bombay Dub Orchestra
This layered recording mixes many musical stylings to bring us the type of cd we are coming to expect from India, much like Slumdog Millionaire’s Soundtrack.

China

Classical Chinese Folk Music by Chen Dacan Chinese Ensemble
Traditional Chinese folk music.

Africa

Asa by Asa
Many influences can be heard here in this Nigerian artist’s recording.

Tchamantche by Rokia Traore
French and English recording from artist from Mali.

Europe

Cuilidh by Julie Fowlis
A young singer from Scotland records some beautiful traditional Gaelic music.

Csardas Hungarian Gypsy Music
Traditional folk music from Hungary.

With all the challenges facing our public schools, the candidates running for the Beaverton School Board this May will have to make some difficult choices if they win.  Many of the candidates have graciously shared with us some of the books they’ve been reading lately, both on education and/or leadership and recreational reading.  Take a look and place a hold if you want.  I found the choices to be interesting and I have several new books in my holds queue because of it. 

To learn more about the candidates and their positions check out the following links.  Registered voters will vote on ALL elections, not just for your zone.

http://thevoterguide.oregonlive.com/
http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2009/03/school_board_races_set_for_may.html
http://www.co.washington.or.us/deptmts/at/election/may09/filmay09.htm
http://beavertonschoolboard.info.googlepages.com/home

Zone 1

Kris Alman

Educational/Leadership books:
Mislabeled Child: How Understanding Your Child’s Unique Learning Style Can Open the Door to Success by Brock Eide
A Mind at a Time by Melvin Levine

Recreational reading:
Crossing California by Adam Langer
Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Karen Cunningham

Educational/Leadership books:
Detracking for Excellence and Equity by Carol Burris
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Recreational reading:
Helen Hath No Fury by Gillian Roberts
Dare to Die by Carolyn Hart
Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan’s Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts and Deeply Serious Geeks by Zach Hample

Zone 2

Tom Quillin

Educational/Leadership books:
The Global Achievement Gap: Why even our best schools don’t teach the new survival skills our children need – and what we can do about it by Tony Wagner
When the Rivers Run Dry: Water, the defining crisis of the 21st Century by Fred Pearce
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Recreational reading:
Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
PHP for the World Wide Web by Larry Ullman

Doak Schulte

Educational/Leadership books:
The Schools We Have, the Schools We Want: An American Teacher on the Front Line by James Nehring

Recreational reading:
If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians by Neenah Ellis

Zone 5

LeeAnn Larsen

Educational/Leadership books:
QBQ!: the Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountablility in work and in life by John G. Miller

Recreational reading:
The Shack by David Gregory

Kim Overhage

Educational/Leadership books:
The Snowball:  Warren Buffett and the business of life by Alice Schroeder

Recreational reading:
Judge and Jury by James Patterson
Sundays at Tiffanys by James Patterson
What I Know Now - Letters to My Younger Self by Ellyn Spragins

Check out these books that inspired films – on the big screen now or coming soon!

The Soloist by Steve Lopez – The true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who becomes schizophrenic and homeless, and his friendship with Steve Lopez, the Los Angeles columnist who discovers and writes about him in the newspaper.  In theaters now.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown – The murder of a world-famous physicist raises fears that the Illuminati are operating again after centuries of silence, and religion professor Robert Langdon is called in to assist with the case.  This is by the author of The Da Vinci Code.  In theaters May 15th.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult – Anna was genetically engineered to prolong the life of her sister, Kate, who has leukemia.  Anna has donated blood, bone marrow and more.  Now 13 years old, she is ready to take her parents to court over the rights to her own body.  In theaters June 26th.