ValerieB

and you, Mr. Phunkey, have so eloquently stated what i so clumsily tried to say. thank you!

i remember buying my first "jazz" record from a store on Mass. Ave. in Boston. can't come up with the name of the store right now. it was approx. 1953 and i thought i was so "hip" purchasing "Chet Baker Plays and Sings"!! it was the small-sized lp, whatever that was called. i still have it! believe it or not, a record store has opened up right near me in Santa Monica. i think it moved from another location and i think it's called Record Surplus. haven't been in there yet. i know i did a double-take when i first saw it!

just to set the record straight, Allen, the only problem i have is with your saying you have never and would never listen to "Speak Like a Child" because of the title. talk about biased and closed-mindedness. that was a big disappointment hearing that coming from your mouth. i always thought you were much more intelligent and hip to utter such words (and stand by them vehemently)!! i remain incredulous.

Like George Benson & Lou Donaldson, right? Damn those middle class values. Damn them all to hell. They ruin everything they touch. Especially the Negro-American ones. thanks for providing me with some good laughs, JSngry!

very young, very talented, very sweet, very, very sad.

i think your brain is a virgin also!! LOL

i'm with you, Mr. Rooster!

i love you, Marla!!!

just a bit of "trivia": i assume most folks don't realize that the cover of the "Speak Like a Child" album was Herbie and his new wife (or about-to-be wife), Gigi. they have now been married approx. 43+ years!

this statement absolutely speaks volumes about you!!! thank you for making yourself so transparent. LOL

I can't drink strong decaf in the morning. It puts me to sleep. i got off the caffeine years ago when i realized it just made me jumpy and hyped up. when i'm up in the morning, i'm as up as i care to be. and thank goodness, they started making decaf as delicious as any regular coffee. i do remember the Sanka days when i was very young. ugh!

! i don't think this is very funny at all, Allen, or clever. sounds like you'd maybe like to be slapped with a lawsuit. don't you have something better to do with your time than make up crap like this?!? if you're going to engage in this kind of behavior, you'd better think better of putting things in quote marks!!!!

i absolutely love my breakfasts, probably more than any other meal of the day. it varies from some of the following: toasted bialy w/butter & sliced Nova, strong black decaf (every morning). english muffin w/various cheeses. english muffin w/fig & ginger jam on one-half and orange marmalade on the other. glorious omelets, usually w/shallots, mushrooms, cheese & whatever veggie i have in fridge (rapini, asparagus, sprouts, etc.). newish favorite: Kashi GoLean Crunch mixed w/fruit-flavored lo-fat yogurt w/added fresh berries. YUM to all of the above!

Domestic or import label? Motema Records they don't have it up on their website yet. i'm assuming they will soon.

ah, i had forgotten about the Academy of Music. i remember it from the '60s when i lived in the East Village. that's when my friends and i thought we would get a nosebleed if we went above 14th street!! LOL!!

just for the record, Big Al, you've always been one of my favorites. i think i've told you this before but it bears repeating!

wonderful!!

i believe Mike passed last night at a facility in CT at 93 years old. i have been a big fan of his (warts and all!) since he began at 60 Minutes. there was certainly no one like him, consequently he accomplished the seemingly impossible with the dialogues he had with the famous people of the world. he certainly never pulled his punches which sometimes made his subjects and his audiences squirm. i got to meet him a few years ago when he was publicizing his last book. since we were from the same hometown, Brookline, MA, and graduated from the same high school, we had a very pleasant little chat while he was signing my book. he was still charming, quick-witted, articulate and good-looking, even at his advanced age. thanks for everything, Mike. and my condolences to his family and friends.

Hopefully, ones that aren't put together yet. the opposite, actually. they look just like some of the adult puzzles i put together when i was a kid.

i always think of jigsaw puzzles when i see his paintings.

just want folks to know that the above was reported by Gwen Terry on March 19th.

offsprings of the Beatles.

that's the Blue Note for you!! would never trust them. someone has to really attract me strongly before i'll go there. hate the way they do business and always have.

i hope the catalog is finally in the hands of someone who will responsibly do something of value with it!

dear Freddie H. was infamous for "no-showing," especially during the last couple of decades. but, when he did, watch out! i first started hearing him in the '60s and was forever a fan, in spite of his iffy behavior!