The unconventional instrumentation favoured by Tortoise is an indicator of how many different lineups have always jostled for space under the jazz umbrella. The national treasure that is The Pete Alle

LESTER COHEN / GETTY Lazarus: The Second Coming ...

In defence of the libretto and the librettist

Send your views, using ‘Dialogue’ as the subject line, to edge@futurenet.com . Our letter of the month wins an exclusive Edge T-shirt

A quest for a lost board game – and a philosophical inquiry

A composer’s idiosyncratic guide to western classical music