Ross does write eloquently and knowledgeably, but he is disappointing on the stage. Where we were sitting, near the back, he was hard to hear, because he talks (actually, he was simply reading from his book) very fast, swallows his words, and tends to throw away his punch lines by lowering his voice and turning away from the microphone. The piano music was wonderful, and Ethan Iverson amazingly versatile, but I was hoping to learn more; what Ross read did not relate that precisely to what Iverson played. This was a curious hybrid, neither concert nor lecture. It would have been more enlightening to stay home and read Ross's book.
This, is the first time I have been so disappointed by a UMS performance, and I've attended for years, so I feel a bit guilty for my comments!