Randy Twizzle

Well it's a start...

He's also appeared in a Paul Auster film called "Lulu on the Bridge" http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:162490

From the NY Daily News By DON SINGLETON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Jazz trombonist Charles Stephens vanished mysteriously last Saturday after leaving his Brooklyn home with his horn and hasn't been seen since, his family said yesterday. Stephens, 59, who has played backup trombone with a galaxy of top jazz bands over the course of his 40-year career, was seen leaving his Clinton Hill home with his instrument in its case. Family spokesman and longtime friend Marty Sonnenfeld of Community Communications said Stephens' wife, Tami, found no notation on her husband's normally well-organized calendar to indicate he had a performing or recording engagement on that date. Furthermore, Sonnenfeld said, Stephens, a "staunchly reliable veteran musician," failed to show up for scheduled engagements on Monday and Wednesday evenings, leading the family to file a missing persons report with the Police Department. Sonnenfeld said Stephens, a large man, had high blood pressure, but no indications of Alzheimer's disease or any other form of dementia. "Stephens is considered a master musician," Sonnenfeld said. "He performs frequently with such leading big bands as the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the George Gee Big Band. His 40-year resume includes touring the world and recording with such major artists as the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra [and] vocalists Nancy Wilson and Eartha Kitt." "Charles is well-loved and 100% dependable," said bandleader George Gee. "It is extremely unusual for him to be out of contact with his family and friends for this long. "The Stephens family is desperately seeking any information - including where he may have been slated to perform last Saturday, or if anyone may have seen or heard from him since then." Anyone with knowledge of Stephens' whereabouts is urged to contact Tami Stephens at (718) 638-7903.

This headphone amp promises that you'll hear a lot more: http://www.headphone.com/products/headphon...s/the-max-line/ "• Max Balanced Amp. No one needs this amp; there’s just no excuse for it. Unless, of course, you can afford thoughts like, “I can hear the cellist breathing through his nose. He needs to clip his nose hairs.” Personally, we have a hard time thinking at all when we listen to this amp. "

A Saunter-Finnegan Orchestra CD was missing for a few years and eventually turned up under a pile of magazines that I was throwing out. Coincidently, today I lost a portable CD player, most likely on a NJ Transit train where I last used it. I'm still trying to figure how it happened. Alcohol was not involved.

The last time I was in Chicago was 20 yrs ago, but a recent trip to google tells me that the name of the place is The Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery

All I know is that Clementine used "Ya'll" and that's good enough for me.

BY ZAN STEWART Star-Ledger Staff A unique hybrid trumpet, a poster autographed by scores of musicians, and a Grammy statuette are among the many items up for auction from the estate of John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, the jazz trumpet icon, and his wife, Lorraine. About 3,000 items owned by the Gillespies, who lived in Englewood from 1965 until their deaths -- Dizzy in 1993, his wife last year -- will be put on sale Sept. 14 by Dawson & Nye Auctioneers in Morris Plains. "The Gillespies lived a rather modest lifestyle. But I think they knew of their global importance, because they seemed to have kept nearly everything," said Andrew Holter, director of business development for Dawson & Nye. The items, which have yet to be cataloged, will be assembled into about 1,000 lots for the auction, Holter said. The memorabilia range from the spectacular to the everyday. Among the former is the hybrid trumpet, called a "pudgy" -- part trumpet, part cornet, part fluegelhorn -- designed by Bob DeNicola of Trenton. Holter said it might fetch $5,000 to $10,000. The autographed poster, commemorating Dizzy's 75th birthday, is covered with handwritten greetings, among them from noted musicians Jackie McLean, Red Rodney and Steve Turre. Holter estimated it would go for $2,000. The auction will benefit various individuals named in Lorraine Gillespie's will. Marion "Boo" Frazier of Dumont, who was Dizzy's cousin, said Lorraine had wanted the auction because she and Dizzy "had so much, she said, and the best way to get rid of it is to let the public have it." Frazier will be one of the auction's beneficiaries. The Grammy statuette, for 1975 best solo jazz performance (in "Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie"), should bring around $5,000, said Holter. Also among the items is a sepia-toned publicity photo of the young Gillespie in the 1940s that he inscribed to his wife: "The only breath of fresh air that has ever entered my lungs. Yours, 'Dizzy.'" A bronze bust of the trumpeter by artist Dexter Jones and an admiral's cap worn by Gillespie in photos with Cuban leader Fidel Castro are also up for bid. Much of what is to be auctioned has historical interest. There's a telegram from Gillespie to Robert F. Kennedy. There's also a handwritten ribald note from a friend and colleague, pianist Mary Lou Williams, and a jovial typewritten diet from trumpeter Louis Armstrong that he based on the laxative Swiss Kriss. The Rolleiflex camera that Gillespie took on his State Department-sponsored tour of the Middle East in the mid-'50s is to be auctioned. Thousands of personal snapshots are on the block, as are stacks of musical manuscripts, some in Gillespie's hand, a conga drum that he often played in public, a drum set, an upright piano, reel-to-reel tapes (which have yet to be identified), and more than 1,000 LP records, many vintage. The nonmusical items range from articles of clothing, including several of Lorraine's fur coats, to many pieces of her gemstone jewelry, and glass and kitchenware. Previews for the auction, which is open to the public, will be Sept. 11-13, at Dawson & Nye, 128 American Road, Morris Plains. There will some musical performances in conjunction with the auction, including one at the auction house by the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. Further information on the auction is available from Dawson & Nye at (973) 984-6900 or www.dawsonandnye.com. The auctioneers say bids will be accepted in advance, and during the sale they may be submitted in person, by phone and through eBay Live.

Here's another similarity: Faulkner was a Southerner and Clem liked to type "Ya'll"

Radio station WFAN in NYC is reporting that Rafael Palmiero has tested postive for steroids("WFAN has learned...") and that this will soon be announced by MLB. At this moment I can't find the news anywhere else.

Maybe his National Guard unit was called up.

I don't often remember my dreams and when I do I don't bore people with the details but last night's dream was so vivid and filled with jazz details that I thought I would share it: I was playing a concert on a snowy night in Germany with Dizzy Gillespie. For some reason everyone thought that I was James Moody. While we were backstage waiting to go on, Dizzy worried that the snowy conditions would mean a small crowd. He then started a raunchy monologue about the differenc between men and women. Just before showtime,I was handed a gold soprano sax. I could only manage to produce a few scratchy notes. I knew that I wasn't James Moody but everyone else thought I was, so I decided to run away before the concert began. Before I could take off, the curtain opened. All the seats in the hall had been arranged in a giant circle. A woman came out and started a speech about how people who had pledged money to PBS and were not satisfied with the results could begin an investigation of how their money was spent. Bill Evans, who evidently was in the group, began questioning the woman about how to conduct an investigation. Then I woke up.

I didn't know Lincoln worked blue.

Is that a new or recent book, Randy? I'm interested in Shepherd esp. because of his Hoosier roots. ← It was published in 2004. The author also seems to be quite active in "Shep" the Yahoo email group devoted to Shepherd.

Here's some more courtesy of a google news search: "Scotty Beams up for the Last Time" "Scotty Makes Final Beam Up" "Scotty Beams Up One Final time" "Beloved Scotty Is Beamed All the Way Up" "Scotty Beamed Up to the Big Starship in the Sky" "Beam Me Up to Heaven, Scotty" "Scotty to be Beamed Up" "Scotty's Trek Ends"

Separated at Birth?

I just finished "Excelsior You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd" by Eugene B. Bergmann. I don't think it was particularly well written, but it contains generous portions of Shepherd's radio monologues and extensive quotes from some of his co-workers and acquaintances. As someone who grew up desperately trying to talk, write and think like Shepherd, it's kind of disappointing to learn just how much of a Grade A prick he could be outside of the radio studio.

He also wrote "Blackboard Jungle" which I tried unsuccessfully to take out of my local library when I was 12 years old, but was refused by the librarian who said it was too "mature" for me. I suppose she didn't want me to start calling my English teacher Daddy-o.

Coming soon to your local music store: "Jazz for a Romantic Dinner"

"The Negroes stole our dates" from Animal House

"An experiment involving 120 breast-feeding mothers was conducted in Japan. Some women were listening to classical music while others were listening to jazz and pop. There was a 20% increase in the amount of milk produced by the first group of mothers. On the contrary, the milk of those who listened to modern music was reportedly halved. Rock music can destroy the brain through the impact of ultra and infra sounds which are inaudible to the human ear. However, all the organs of a human body can "hear" those sounds. According to Dmitry Azarov, a psychologist, rock music can enhance suicidal tendencies. The results of experiments show that listeners can suffer a faint should the synchronized beating of certain drums exceed the after-threshold level of 100 decibels." http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/360/15676_music.html

Well if you're "moeing" a lawn you should expect a poke in the eye

This was the signal for a change up and this meant fast ball

Ozzie attended Rutgers, where he also played football and earned a law degree. He's in the school's Hall of Distinguised Alumni.