Musings: The Musical Worlds of Gunther Schuller

Composer, conductor, French horn player, publisher, broadcaster and former president of the New England Conservatory of Music, Schuller is a learned authority on jazz and one of the world's best writers on music. Introduced by a formidable pundit, this collection of Schuller's writings brings together pieces on Duke Ellington, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, Sarah Vaughan and the third stream, reflections on the performance of new music (including his own opera The Visitation), esthetic and educational ideals, and objectivity and subjectivity in the arts.

FANG by James Patterson

Max and the Flock are flying high over Africa, but this time they're not alone. A sky full of cargo planes accompanies the team as they bring much-needed aid to the continent's poverty stricken regions. Among the volunteers is the mission's benefactor--the mysterious billionaire, Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen. Max is intrigued by his generosity, but there's also something about him--and his intense scrutiny of the Flock--that makes her nervous.