More on those mesmerising Pompeian frescoes, what they tell us, and why so much of Pompeii remains unexcavated...

It was a pleasure talking to James Kaplan about his new book, 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool.

We spoke about Miles, Trane, Evans (Bill & Gil), Bebop, Hard Bop, Modal jazz and why Kind of Blue matters.

audioboom.com/posts/8489240-…

My latest in Engelsberg Ideas. For all the doom & gloom surrounding the future of historians, their ability to sift through & process vast amounts of information renders them uniquely suited to jobs in policy in an era of cognitive overload & distraction.

engelsbergideas.com/essays/an-earl…

This is remarkable: do read. Michael Tanner was extraordinary: a one-man Sturm und Drang, a champion of opera and truth, Wilhelm Furtwängler's greatest fan, and Britain's most prolific collector of LP records:

Lovely tribute to the superlative critic, Michael Tanner

Suzanne giving the long view on the Jihadist threat.

My review of ⁦Christopher Phillips⁩ new book for ⁦Engelsberg Ideas⁩ — a welcome addition to the emergent literature on the post-Arab Spring Middle East engelsbergideas.com/reviews/there-…

Important reflection by Suzanne on the difficulties western observers have with groups like ISIS-K. It's complicated indeed.

We’re pleased to announce that the London Defence Conference 2024 will be held 21-23 May at King's College London

This year's theme is “Deterrence: Building Capacity to Counter Global Threats”

Find out more ⬇️
londondefenceconference.com

This is excellent.

Very sharp essay by Erica here.

The fear of a gerontocracy – the dominance of politics by old men – as well as an appreciation of the benefits of geriatric wisdom, both found favour in the ancient world.

The age of gerontocracy is nothing new | Erica Benner

engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-age…

A wild Winterreise | Benjamin Poore

engelsbergideas.com/reviews/a-wild…

On this day 300 years ago, JS Bach conducted the first performance of the John Passion.

What a moment in musical history.

In which I ambitiously make the case that terrorists have a grand strategy and Alastair Benn mostly disagrees.

Best thing about this is Jimmy's classic lack of visible enthusiasm: 'I'll bowl a few... see how it goes'.

Really enjoyed chatting all things terrorism with Suzanne on the latest episode of EI Talks... (Engelsberg Ideas Podcasts)

EI's Deputy Editor Alastair Benn speaks to Suzanne Raine, visiting professor in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, about the evolution of the terrorist threat and its long history.

audioboom.com/posts/8484295-…

In which I discuss a new book whose manifesto for our cultural life initially sounded promising but ultimately turned out to be alarming.

I wrote about Michael Tanner and his thrillingly chaotic taste. Things he loved: Rilke, Peanuts (the cartoon), Astrid Varnay, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Gluck, Susan Sontag, Bruckner, Jeremy Corbyn, Messiaen’s Saint Francis of Assisi, Thomas Mann

spectator.co.uk/article/wise-p…