Big Al

see --> HERE Big deal. The average NPR-type isn't your average jazz-head (except Ghost of Miles and WD45, but they are the exception, not the rule), so yeah NPR's gonna have a story about Redman. Big deal and so fucking what. They're a commercial venture like everything else in the world; can you imagine the outrage from the blue-haired patrons who fund this shit (who like to think they're all artsy-fartsy because they contribute to NPR, go to museums, they "support the arts" and are therefore more intellectual than you or me) if they played any of the music you suggest? As much fun as that would be, it ain't gonna happen. All NPR is doing is pleasing the advertisers. Or playing down to the level of intellect. Take yer pick.

Must be a Michigan thing: my wife and her family salt EVERYTHING! (They're all from Michigan) When we get a bowl of chips & salsa, I have to grab a couple of chips before my wife salts them. My mother-in-law pours salt in her beer! As for the butter, my wife and her dad put on a whole chunk of butter on any kind of bread. It makes me gag!

Select on hold. Added another non-jazz box set.

List updated, added a Mosaic Select and a Jazz Crusaders disc. A couple items that were on hold have been placed back in the list.

Maybe THAT'S what's missing from today's jazz.....

Here! Borders actually had these? Color me surprised!

The Mavs season is officially over, and it will go down in the record books as one of the most disastrous seasons in memory. Yes, even worse than those horrific teams that were winning only ten and eleven games per season. Why? Because this season was theirs for the taking, and they blew it. This team had so much to live up to, and they high-tailed it in the other direction. They've been playing all year like they're trying to cover up the gut-wrenching exit of last season's playoffs. They're still trying to prove they can win by playing "Nellie ball." AFAIC, Avery, as good a coach as he is, has lost his team. Trading for Jason Kidd was a mistake of epic proportions, the kind of deal that will be making "Top 10 Worst Trades In NBA History" lists for decades to come. After tonight, since the Kidd trade, the Mavs have yet to beat an above-.500 team. Couple that with Dirk's leg injury tonight, and you can kiss the playoffs goodbye. And even if, IF, the Mavs still manage to weasel into the playoffs, it'll be another first-round exit. Sangrey called this team correctly last year and the year before that: gutless. After two years of hoping it wasn't true, I have no choice but to agree.

So Josh Redman hasn't contributed anything earth-shattering. So what? One man's alleged "settling" is another man's cup o' tea. Not all of us feel the need to be as deep (in more ways than one) in our listening habits. But then, Redman's Wish put me to sleep, despite the presence of Billy Higgins. Oh well.

I was so mad last night: we were driving over a bridge over I-20 and I could see the moon as it had just fully risen above the horizon. It looked like a giant pumpkin! We were a few seconds away from the house, so as soon as we got home, I ran in, grabbed my camera and headed back to the bridge. When I got there, the moon had disappeared behind a big patch of clouds on an otherwise partly cloudy night. AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Where was that picture taken? That place looks familiar. A bar called BD Riley's. You been there? No. I was thinking of this one place, and now I can't remember the street it's on; all I know is it intersects Lamar, just south of the river (it's the same street that Chuy's is on). And now I can't remember the name of the place either.

Bullseye. This article/list serves no good purpose, par for the course for such a classless rag.

Not much now, but there will be later tonight or this weekend!

All PM's have been replied to and the list updated. Will probably add more later, since this is going to be an ongoing cleanup/purge.

Where was that picture taken? That place looks familiar.

Save me a trip to the used-CD store. Each disc is $6 shipped to a US or Canada address. International we can work out. JAZZ Lee Morgan STANDARDS (Blue Note) Ike Quebec BOSSA NOVA SOUL SAMBA (Blue Note RVG, BMG issue) Tony Bennett/k.d. lang A WONDERFUL WORLD Charlie Christian WHEN LIGHTS ARE LOW (Catfish) BOX-SETS, OTHER HIGHER-PRICED STUFF $35 Bobby Hutcherson Mosaic Select NON-JAZZ Thurston Moore TREES OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY Def Leppard YEAH! The Cure THE TOP (single-disc remaster) Bruce Springsteen MAGIC Bruce Springsteen THE RISING PM or e-mail. PayPal preferred. No trades please. ON HOLD Sonny Criss Orchestra SONNY'S DREAM (BIRTH OF THE NEW COOL) (Prestige/OJC) Jackson/Brown/Roker/Pass ALL TOO SOON: THE ELLINGTON ALBUM (Pablo/OJC) Jackson/Brown/Roker/Pass QUADRANT (Pablo/OJC) SOLD Kenny Dorham JAZZ CONTRASTS (Keepnews Edition) Greg Osby THE INVISIBLE HAND

PM sent on the Rich, just in case the deal falls through. I hate it when I read these things too late!

After reading this post in an attempt to find something good to read, I went to the library and picked up Cadillac Dreams (will get to FR eventually). This one is hilarious as well. Thanks for recommending this guy, Dave!

A favorite of mine, taken from the middle of Lake Grapevine: Cyndy took this one from inside her uncle's cabin on Wall Lake in Michigan:

That is TOO cute!

Now THAT looks like Michigan. The sunsets there are gorgeous.

Nothing really to add other than that this was a very enjoyable BFT! I'll be looking for the Eardley & Fischer CD/LPs.

'Ronnie the Popular' said "it was a Communist plot"

I have the 45 of "Susie Q" and it is a two-minute definition of what rock & roll is all about: ballsy, menacing, loud, destructive, etc. I love the CCR version, but it doesn't even come close to the original.

Does anyone know if the air situation has improved over there? When I was there in November, the air was unbelievably smoggy and smoky. Certainly not a good situation for runners, and from what I've heard, some athletes were backing out of the Olympics for that very reason. Seems like that would be TWO good reasons to boycott the whole thing.

Not to be picky, but I had no idea that this was VERY SAXY until I clicked on the link.