Shawn

Okay, I'm guessing the majority of us on the board left our teens behind a while back...and have most likely changed a great deal in the process. But what were you like? What "clique" did you fit into...or were you the rebel that refused to be associated with "cliques" (aside from being a rebel of course..ahem)? What music did you listen to? Were you stylin'? I'll start the embarrasement... I was a teenager in the 80's. I fit the aforementioned "rebel" category. Hated High School, quit as soon as I turned 16. Drinking, illicit sex and other substances were FAR more interesting than algebra, let me tell you! I was also a Metalhead. Yes, you've seen lots of people like me. Blue jean jacket (with Iron Maiden & Motorhead patches), torn jeans, leather biker jacket, long hair, pierced left ear with upside down cross or pentagram earring, wallet on a chain, combat boots...and lots of drawings of skulls and stuff all over my room...and I shouldn't forget the black candles either. Music? You guessed it. Metal. The Heavier the better. My circle of friends hated all the poseur shit (Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Def Leppard, etc)...we thought they sucked even more than the pop stuff on the radio. We liked the "bash your skull in" kind of Metal. We lived by Motorhead, Slayer, Venom, Celtic Frost, Trouble, Voi Vod, Savatage, Metallica (before they sold out), Megadeth (ditto), Anthrax (ditto ditto), Sepultura and of course...BLACK SABBATH!!!! The funny thing is that all my friends from that era that I'm still in touch with (or are still alive, there were a couple casualties along the way) are all basically the same people inside...it's just the external trappings that have changed. Older, fatter, more grey hair, different musical tastes. But when a few of us got together and partied awhile back...it could have been 1985 again. All the old vibes from our teenage years were still there, and before the night was over we were listening to Ozzy & Judas Priest records (all very scratched I might add)! Next.....

Well I remember one time I scared myself into thinking there was a bomb scare! I was working at a used CD store in the Broadway neighborhood of Seattle and we had our fair share of weirdos that would come in from time to time. One night this rather suspicious looking guy came in with this big suitcase, he walked around the store a couple times, glancing all around...then he set the suitcase down in the middle of the store and left!!!! My first instinct was to yell after him to take the suitcase, my second impulse was to pick it up and throw it in the dumpster...but as I reached down to pick it up all the espionage movies I had ever seen came to mind...and I decided to call the cops instead. About 30 minutes went by, this one VERY bored beat cop walked in, looked at the suitcase..and then KICKED IT!!!!! I almost dropped dead, anyway, he realized that it was empty. He opened it and the only thing inside was 1 dirty sock..... I felt pretty damn stupid...but now it just strikes me as funny.

I searched the world over and thought I found true love...you met another and..ptthhhh you were gone! Gloom, despair and agony on me....

Gene Ammons - Live In Chicago (Prestige)

Happy Birthday Chuck!!!! I'm still thinking about all the great music you shared at Sangrey's little get-together in Dallas...what a great night. Have a wonderful day. -Shawn

I had a deer hit ME once... I was driving my 1973 Volkswagen Bug, about 1/8 mile from my house...when a whole pack of deer ran out in front of me. I managed to come to a complete stop before hitting any...but then one came running out of the woods at full steam and smashed headfirst into the passenger door! Scared the hell out of me, buckled the door in like it had been hit by a train...of course the deer just got up and walked away. In the process the door was trashed and the front fender was damaged. Luckily for me I was able to buy a used door for my car for $15 (!)...the only problem was that it was a different color...so for a few months I was driving around in a yellow bug that had an orange passenger door with a black pin stripe!!!!! HA!

Tony Williams, Billy Higgins and now Elvin. The Lamp Is Low indeed.... R.I.P. and thank you for all the joyous music you left the world.

Great...just when I THOUGHT I was going to be able to sleep tonight....just the image I needed..

I'm kind of "out of the loop" when it comes to Washington D.C./Baltimore clubs...been years since I went out to shows in this area. Can anybody recommend some clubs? Any festivals or anything coming up? Thanks.

It's between 1.89 to 2.09 where I live, which is particularly hard for those of us who commute long distances to work everyday. My Uncle told me he spends about $120 a week for gas to fill his welding truck up with. CRIKEY! I don't see it coming down anytime in the near future. I remember just a couple years ago when it shot up into the 1.40 range I was appalled...wasn't prepared for this....

Soul Song - That's the one! Slammin' record!

Charmed. Simple premise: steal idea from the movie The Craft, hire unbelievably beautiful young actresses, grab as many horror story cliches as possible, insert trendy soundtracks...cheesy digital effects and a serious splash of humor. What do you get? Well, what on the surface (and underneath) is actually a pretty dumb show...but guess what...it works! Somehow amongst it's many faults, through the talent of the actresses, this show has managed to develop a little "magic" of it's own and become a wonderful guilty pleasure. I KNOW I should have more taste than this...I know it's bottom of the barrell entertainment...BUT WHO CARES ANYWAY? It's got a great sense of humor, you can tell everyone is having a blast and the girls ain't too hard to look at either! I liked it a little better before Rose McGowan came on board, but even she has gotten better (although she still suffers from the eternal cutes). Anyway, have any of you guys found yourself somehow glued to the channel when these witches catch your eye?

If you love the Turrentine/Shirley Scott tandem as much as I do (Queen Of The Organ is AMAZING) then let me suggest a few more titles... Stanley Turrentine - Never Let Me Go (Impulse) Shirley Scott - Soul Shoutin' (Prestige 2fer CD, both w/ Stan) Shirley Scott - Legends Of Acid Jazz (another 2fer with Stan) There's an Atlantic album also...slipping my mind at the moment...think Dusty Groove carries it on reissued vinyl and I know it was a Japanese CD at some point...hmmm..what's that damn title...???

Dracula's Daughter is full of interesting lesbian overtones...especially considering it came out in 1936. I actually really like Son Of Dracula alot, you can see alot of ideas that first came out in that film that still survive in the "lore" to this day. It's a little odd having Lon Chaney Jr. as Dracula...but interesting nonetheless.

I definitely want to go see this one, just too much going on this weekend for me to make it. But it's on the "want to see list" I still haven't had a chance to go see Kill Bill Vol. 2 yet and that's another one I'd like to catch in the theaters instead of on TV. And to what Lon mentioned, Kate Beckinsale is a B-A-B-E!!!

Well, I'm not going to give out all my life details but I could use some advice. After a prolonged period of unemployment I'm left with my credit in ashes and the collection agencies, etc nipping at my heels. So what is the best method of dealing with this stuff. Is debt consoldiation the answer (Consumer Credit Counseling, etc) Or is bankruptcy the better choise, and if so what type of bankruptcy? It's a depressing topic I know, but I want to try and have a life again one of these damn days, and to do so I need to work this shit out. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

As for Prince/Kottke/Al Green/Van Morrison, etc being released on Blue Note...I think it's pretty cool actually. Jazz or not, these are all quality artists that deserve the little bit of "prestige" that still goes with the name Blue Note. Plus, with the way jazz sells in the marketplace it's a way for Blue Note to "keep the doors open" and the sales help keep the reissues coming. Prince on Blue Note could equal quite a few RVG's is the way I look at it.

Bey is a major talent and the material he's releasing now is the strongest in his career, he just keeps getting better. I first noticed him on the Duke Pearson albums (especially Clara from How Insensitive) and I've been a fan ever since. All of his recent albums are must-haves. I'm looking forward to picking up American Songs.

I listen to all the instruments and in jazz I usually find myself leaning towards the tenor sax, followed closely by piano. I'm a huge Burrell fan, but when I listen to Midnight Blue or Freedom I'm paying just as much attention to Turrentine as I am Burrell. No real reason for that, it's just where my ear tends to lead me. That's not to mean I don't focus on the guitar as well, I just like to listen for the overall ensemble sound. Rock guitarists are a different animal of course since it's the primary instrument in the music. There I tend to lean towards the players that have the most interesting sounds, not just chops. Some rock faves would be: David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Brian May, Steve Morse, Ty Tabor, Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Josh Homme.

I was at the Record Exchange in Roanoke Virginia when I was a kid, was looking around through the used records and bought Out Of The Blue just because I thought the cover was COOL. Luckily for me at the time I loved the music as well, I totally wore that record out. Thought it was really brilliant. I never really owned any of the other records but I knew all the hit singles and was a closet fan for many years. I seem to remember the last thing I heard from them was a single called Time (?), not sure what that's from but it must have been around 1982 or 83. Wish I had a copy of Out Of The Blue right now, I'd love to hear Wild West Hero again....

Simple...UNEMPLOYMENT. I've been "between jobs" for many months now and I haven't bought a single CD...but I've had to sell quite a few. A humbling experience but it does put life in perspective....

I pulled this out and gave it a spin for the first time in awhile. A good album, not a classic in my opinion, but a damn fine session. Stitt never had any problem with the blues and those are the strongest cuts on this session I think. The aforementioned guitar interplay is another nice contribution. I think this was a project near and dear to Stitt and that comes through in the performance. My only complaint is that at times it seems a little too restrained (not a word that is used to describe Stitt very often), but it's still very solid.

My main complaint with Oscar is that he steers me towards indifference. I don't hate him, I don't really like him either...he just has never really registered with me. I like his playing when he's supporting other soloists, he puts in numerous good performances on various Verve albums throughout the 50's and early 60's...but I haven't heard any of his leader albums that made me desire a copy of my own. The only exception to that rule is Oscar Peterson Trio+1: Clark Terry. That is one of my all-time favorite jazz albums, but that's because of Terry for the most part. So for my part I will agree that he's a talented musician, he just doesn't connect with me on any emotional level.

The Complete Miles Davis At Montreux 1973-1991 box set for sale. $125, price includes shipping. Some light scuffs on outside of box, booklet & discs are in excellent condition. If interested email: playbackseattle@aol.com Thanks.

Art Tatum - The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces (7 CD box) for sale. $60, price includes shipping (insurance extra). Box, booklet & discs are all in near mint condition. If interested email: playbackseattle@aol.com