Big Al

Well, they weren't thinking; they were reacting to Herbie's Grammy win, which got tons of attention and suddenly thrust him back into the the center of popular culture, at least for 15 minutes. Collectively, the folks who put together a list like this don't really know anything about music, art, theater, literature, etc., so it becomes a barometer of which creative people have managed to sneak onto the radar of the mainstream, and it becomes an outlet for the list makers to prove how "hip" they are. Except they're not. But that's why I think this kind of stuff (Herbie's Grammy win; Time magazine, etc.) is good for jazz; it gets the music into the discussion. Not that any single moment will change the world. In the end, it may well end up being meaningless, but if enough little moments can coalesce, it might make a difference. Maybe. Reminds me of the marketing strategy that says any single radio ad, billboard, TV commercial, newspaper ad or whatever is unlikely to move somebody into the "buy" column. But the aggregate has an effect on people. Suddenly, the product "clicks" with consumers and lodges in their mind -- it's the 10th contact that does it, not the first. That's another reflection of the shame of jazz disappearing from TV, radio, general interest magazines, newspapers, etc. Out of sight, out of mind. Another interesting thing about the list by the way, is that Wynton Marsalis is not on it (unless I missed him). Ten years ago, if a jazz musician would have made the list, it would have been him. I completely agree.

I wouldn't call it a "nice" win, I'd call it lucky, stolen, were the beneficiaries of a horrid performance by the closer. Exciting works, too. But it ain't nice. Nice is 8 innings of excellent pitching, a few clutch hits, 3-1, over and done. That's what the Cubs had, until Wood gave it to you on silver platter: 1st pitch, hit batsman second batter, double to left over Soriano's head, any other outfielder on the roster catches it for the first out. unintentional walk strikeout line drive that just clears Fukodome's mitt, then clears the bases. The last hit was the only well-hit ball. Not nice. Lucky. If you're a Brewers fan, it's still nice! Getting rid of Soriano was one of the smartest things the Rangers ever did. Unfortunately, he was picked up by my other favorite team. Kerry Wood has to be one of the saddest stories in baseball, and a case-lesson for any kid thinking they can go straight to the majors out of college. He should've been one of the game's greatest pitchers, but either he or his handlers didn't give him the time to properly develop. Now he's floundering as the Cubs closer. It didn't have to be this way.

I hope this experience doesn't lead to an ever-dwindling interest in ice cream, Al! STFU FFA!!! :D

The definition of injustice is the fact that we live in a world where Avery Johnson can lead the Mavericks to four straight playoff appearances (including one appearance in the Finals), have the winningest record of any Mavericks coach, and still get fired; yet Ron Washington can be a consistent loser with a loser attitude ("Everything's just fine, folks!") who can't motivate his players to play above Little League level; and then to top it off, he leaves his best pitcher, Kevin Millwood who's pitching well with a huge lead, to pitch 114 pitches to allow KC to get back in the game, and everyone in Rangers (mis)management says that Wash is doing a heckuva job. Un...fucking....believable.

Sonic Youth is always good for some wild song titles: "Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream" (original title of "Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream") "Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style"

What, did you get an invitation to the party?

We went to two different B-R's tonight without getting any ice cream. Both had lines, but they weren't very long. Problem was those lines were moving unbelievably SLOW! One poor guy had been waiting an hour and he wasn't even inside yet! We figured that there were people asking for multiple samples, descriptions of each flavor, asking for substitutions, etc etc etc. It just seemed like management didn't have this too well-planned. What they should've done was put up a sign: NO SAMPLES. You're paying THIRTY-ONE CENTS for an ice cream cone, fercryinoutloud! Get three cones for less than a dollar! Anything to keep the line moving!

Al! Say it ain't so! To quote Dr Johnson: "A man who is tired of jazz is tired of life".

D'Antoni's reportedly out in Phoenix as well. I think they'll both land on their feet elsewhere though. Both stupid firings, imo. Two great coaches who didn't have the personnel to win. Amen! Avery deserved better than the gutless schmucks who quit on him AGAIN.

"May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose"

I noticed last week in my Borders store that they had just done a big reorgnization of the CD area and that the jazz section now takes up about half the space it used to. Looks like the beginning of the end. ....happened to the store a few miles from my home this week....sad~ I was in there the other day to buy a book (imagine that!). The CD section is literally cut in half now. You can see where the bins used to be by the marks in the carpet. That space is now taken up by comfy chairs ("Not the comfy chair!!!") and endtables. I don't know how that generates more revenue, but I guess that's why I'm not in charge of Borders. I print these coupons out of habit, but I hardly ever use them anymore. But that may have as much to do with my ever-dwindling interest in jazz as much as anything else.

The Mavs season is officially over. What's really sad about this last game is that they FINALLY showed some guts in the last three minutes of the game. A win was still in reach until Stackhouse had to commit that stupid technical which got his stupid loud-mouthed ass ejected. Any trade value Stack had vaporized with that foul tonight. Gonna be an interesting off-season.

Happy birthday, my friend!!! :party:

That's one I'd like to get sometime. Add it to the eternally-growing wish list.

Not for me! Every time I listen to that CD set, I laugh as hard as the first time I listened to it. The compilers really got it right on this one, because of all the tracks that were left off, none of them are missed terribly. My favorites are "Introducing Tobacco to Civilization," "Defusing a Bomb," and "The Mrs. Grace L. Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Company." And, of course, "Driving Instructor!" BTW, the compilation is called Something Like This: The Best of Bob Newhart. I don't know that I'd call Bob Newhart a stand-up comedian. His style seems more like "sit-down" comedy.

What CD(s) is that?

I'm always amazed that when a team plays badly - especially in the playoffs - that the coach gets the blame. Coaching may have something to do with it - making adjustments against a team seen every second or third night in a series - but the players are the ones who are on the court, and the ones who have to do it. If Wallace and McDyess play badly, they should bear the brunt of the responsibility, not the coach. Unfortunately, that's the way it is. Avery Johnson is on the hot seat right now because the Mavs are pulling yet another gutless collapse (except Dirk, who is playing his heart out). Is it fair? Maybe, maybe not; depends on who you believe wanted the Kidd trade more: Avery or Cuban? Personally, I think Avery wants out anyway. I think he's tired of Cuban trying to coach the team.

Dirk is playing like a man possessed. That ankle injury seems to have been a blessing. Jet's not doing too bad either, but everyone else needs to follow their lead.

The Waltz That Carried Us Away and Then a Mosquito Came and Ate Up My Sweetheart - John Fahey

Thanks for mentioning this album. I'd never heard it and am listening to it on Rhapsody right now. "Jesus Maria" makes me want to buy the CD right now. Wow, what a beautiful song!

Happy birthday JG! 80 years and approximately 80 million notes, not a one of 'em wasted!

Wish I had something constructive to add, but I'm only familiar with his music through the way it/he moved others. That's worth a lot more than any song that I know of. RIP

The only team worse than the Rangers is the Washington Nationals. That irony is not lost on me one bit. And so goes yet another wonderful baseball season here in Loserville, TX. But Al - I just read that Baseball America says Texas has the fourth best farm system in baseball. If they are big sellers in June, they should have an even better group of prospects in hand - and that usually means that better times are near. Well, you know what you usually find out on the farm...... Actually, since Nolan Ryan's an old cowboy himself, maybe he'll know how to whip the youngsters into shape. This will only happen if he stands up to Hicks and tells Hicks that Ryan himself should be in charge of the farm system. One can only hope.

The only team worse than the Rangers is the Washington Nationals. That irony is not lost on me one bit. And so goes yet another wonderful baseball season here in Loserville, TX.