Big Al

I think I'll go to Circuit City and surreptitiously slip in my Getz/Tjader disc and pretend nothing's happening.....

Anything for you, my friend!

So far, I've heard one very good review (from a nine-year-old) and one very bad review (my sister). I can't stand Tom Cruise, though, so it would take a lot for me to go see this one.

Yup, sorry I missed that in your first post (still pretty early on this side of the pond!). I checked out the Analogue Production website. VERY bad idea! I see that may favorite Bill Evans album--MOON BEAMS--is available as an Analogue hybrid SACD. Man, if they ever release its companion HOW MY HEART SINGS in that format...... hey, I can go without food for a few days, right? (My gut says I can afford to!)

Just checked out Amazon and answered both questions. GEEZ!!!! Why do I keep doing this to myself?

I hope!

I oughta check 'em out! Are they available thru Amazon? Also, are they hybrid or single-layer? I may never get a SACD player, but you never know! Drat! I should've checked Ultimate Electronics while they were having their Going Out Of Business sale. Ah well, c'est la vie!

As far as K2's go, I've had Benny Carter's JAZZ GIANT and Milt Jackson/Wes Montgomery's BAGS MEETS WES, but didn't have anything (like prior issues) to compare them to. Also got Blakey's UGETSU, but for some reason that one didn't sound that much better than the OJC (and the OJC sounded horrible to these ears). Then I picked up the Getz/Tjader Sextet SACD. Oh.... my..... WOW!!! As fantastic as this sounds, the real improvement is how the mixer got the sound of Eddie Duran's guitar to sound so prominent; very important when you consider how important his sound was to that group/album. So then this weekend, I picked up Bill Evans WALTZ FOR DEBBY (K2), after having had the OJC all this time. Again, WOW!!! Talk about feeling like you're there! Lafaro's bass and Motian's drums (hell, even Evans' piano) sound so much more prominent, where the OJC made it sound like you were listening from the back of the room! As a result, I went apeshit over at yourmusic and picked up: Bill Evans PORTRAIT IN JAZZ (SACD) Bill Evans SUNDAY AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD (K2) Wes Montgomery THE INCREDIBLE JAZZ GUITAR (SACD) May go back for more later! Wow! Still can't get over how fantastic these sound!

Yup, and the Gambler was selected to the All-Star Team. Controversy continues to sell, and I will tune in just to see the fans boo his sorry ass. Honestly, what is the point of the All-Star Game anymore? Seems more like politics than anything else. Just like life, I guess.

Amen to that!

Oh sure; it was bad enough that I went to the site. It was bad enough I clicked on the sample of "Cuban Sugar Mill." But then my son HAD to hear it and say, "Good music." To which I replied, "You like that?" To which he replied, "Yeah. Who wouldn't?" Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! DAMN!!!!!!

Have to agree there, as I just picked it up in the recent J&R sale. Guaraldi is so locked in, you'd think he was plugged directly into Tjader's mind. Also received the SACD of Sextet yesterday, which has the original cover restored. I'm listening to it right now, and though I loved this album before, the SACD is a whole new listening experience. I mean, they sound like they're playing here in the room with me! Needless to say, this will not be the last Fantasy SACD I get. I could just shoot myself: I'm already broke enough as it is!

Yeah, last night was definitely a fluke for Kenny, but still: the Angels are the team the Rangers are gonna need to beat if they wanna talk playoffs at all. So if Kenny goes 19-2, but his two losses are against the Angels, those other 19 wins are gonna be pretty meaningless (baseball-wise, not contract-negotiations-handled-by-Satan-Boras-himself-wise) if the R's aren't in the playoffs. ← Ehhhhh, I don't often quote myself, but in light of recent events, I stand firmly behind my original statement!

Damn straight! I just wish it had been 20 STARTS instead of games. What really pisses me off about this is that he still gets paid. Nice punishment: he's not allowed to work, but he is allowed to collect a salary. Nice message THAT sends! What has been truly disgusting is the lack of leadership from anyone in the organization. They all act like if they say something forceful about this situation (oh, I don't know, something like, "Kenny screwed up, it hurt us, and he will pay for this") might either a) bruise his already fragile ego, or b) cause Kenny to go after THEM and kick the shit outta THEM. It's been nothing but mealy-mouthed vagueness: "Well, Kenny's going through a tough time, so we understand his frustration; but at the same time he's hurt himself as much as he's hurt anyone else." Or words to that effect. Tell ya what, Dan: I'll see your maroon and raise you four: Hicks, Hart, Showalter, and anyone else circling the wagons around this piss-poor excuse for a pitcher.

Hello indeed and welcome to the wonderful world of BFT! Don't worry about being an expert at this: I've been participating since BFT #4 (ironically, JSngry did that one, too!), and I think I've correctly identified six songs and maybe ten players. In other words, you're in good company!

Aw, leave it up! THe repoire between Mike & Ubu is great, almost like watching Jack Benny & Fred Allen!

Are you kidding? It was right on the... er, mark!

The ONLY upside to this whole Rogers debacle is that Scott Boras must be shittin’ bricks right now. Hey, anything that causes that jerk any professional discomfort is alright with me.

(To be posted on the Texas Rangers mesage board in 24 hours, or the minute my membership becomes active, whichever comes first): Kenny Rogers is the biggest moron this side of Kevin Brown. Let’s see, his team is going south quickly after losing eight of the last nine, including six straight to the team the Rangers are trying to catch to keep the pennant race tight. Then he pulls himself out of a start against the Angels because of a broken pinky on his NON-THROWING hand. Yet he manages to find that lost strength to attack two cameramen on the field two hours before the game!!! What a baby, a coward, a petulant brat, A MORON!!!! There can be NO excuse for Rogers’ behavior. Anger doesn’t cut it; you’re angry before the game? Cool off. Don’t take it out on guys ON THE FIELD (not in the dugout, for those who apparently weren’t watching any of the coverage) who are there to do a job. (And let’s also not forget that these guys were there as part of a promotion where they were getting footage for a story on how the Rangers are trying to be strong during a life-draining slump. Well, we sure found out how Kenny’s dealing with it) I would hope that any contract negotiations he was hoping for have been quickly deep-sixed. Hell, if there was anything resembling leadership in the Rangers front-office, they would’ve terminated his contract right then and there. Fuck his record, fuck his ERA; he wussed out against the team (the Angels) against which the Rangers needed him the most, and then did something so colossally stupid as to probably (hopefully) get him suspended for the rest of the season. Didn’t this asshole learn anything in Oakland last year? And while they’re at it, the Rangers should dump their so-called “closer,” Francisco Cordero. Hell, at this point, I’ll trust Chan Ho Park with a lead of less than two runs before I’ll trust CoCo. Last night was the final straw. If I was Showalter, I’d have left Coco in that game until his arm fell off. Giving up a two-strike two-out game-tying home run to a PINCH HITTER is not only inexcusable, it’s completely unacceptable! Unfortunately for Cordero, it’s also the norm. Look at how many games he’s come in with a four- or five-run lead, and by game’s end, he’s managed to whittle the lead down to one! Last night should have been the final straw: two-run lead against the team that the Rangers DESPERATELY need a win against, and he blows it. Again. Yet, we as fans, are supposed to believe that letting go of Ryan Drese was a good thing. Uh huh. And what’s the Rangers record since that day? I think I’ll start rooting for the Nationals.

Strangely enough, out of all of Trane's Atlantic repertoire, this gets the least play. Perhaps changing that is in order.....

Hey, if Chuck likes it, it must be pretty good....

Tower has it, and I just got my confirmation that they shipped it out. There were a few people who expressed interest in this on Mr. Bauer's passing.

Yeah, nice pitcher you guys have. Fella by the name of Drese. I think I'll be a Nationals fan now, since the Rangers aren't gonna be getting him back anytime soon. I'm going to tonight's bloodbath. Will report gory details tomorrow if I have the stomach for it!

Ahhhh, for a return to the good old daze..... -_-

Only partially true, my man! Granted, Fort Worth is redneck central, but that ain't all it's known for. Fort Worth has quite an arts district, one that Dallas only dreams of having. The Kimball Art Museum is there, and that's one of the most prestigious art museums in the country. There is a lovely botanical gardens which not only contains a wonderful Japanese garden, but also hosts outdoor summer concerts every year, with fireworks displays that are almost literally out of this world. The Fort Worth Zoo puts the Dallas Zoo to shame in terms of cleanliness and attractiveness. And that whole neighborhood is jammed with antique houses. Then you have Sundance Square, which is fine, but when you consider no one down there thought much of the passing of Caravan of Dreams (and put up a snooty two-star-masquerading-as-four-star restaurant in its place), that knocks it down quite a few notches. However, the atmosphere in that area is infinitely more inviting on a weekend evening than Dallas ever was. West End doesn't even come close. Having said that, though, it's not for nothing that George Strait wrote "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?"