Dmitry

I had to go back to work this morning, so we hit the supermarket all the way on other side of our vast state, which is a 35 minute drive. Garlic is plentiful there, both the USA product [at least the sticker said so], and Chinese. The Chinese one was 5 bulbs for $2.29, packaged in tidy plastic netted socks, the Americano was $1 per bulb. There was also an organic variant, three small bulbs per box, but it didn't look great, so we took a few bulbs of the alleged US garlic. There was also the pickled, minced variety in jars below, but that was of no interest, and will be the last resort, if the need arises.. So it appears there are purveyors that have ran out [like the two my wife hit yesterday, and was told they haven't seen a clove in a week], while others, some distance away, are stocked up. I took a cruise around the market, and some items, like frozen vegetables, cleaning products, paper goods, fish, some meats, are all but gone. The kid at the fish counter said they are going to only be selling the pre-packaged portions on a smaller scale. The fish section is gone, for now. Looks like pork butts have been cleaned up. Could be Easter. Could be the 89c/lb. deal. There's PLENTY of other meat, and meat-containing products on the shelves. My mother in law, who literally missed the last plane to Europe, and is stuck with us for who knows how long, which is pretty nice, planted some sprouted cloves of garlic that she found in the pantry. Apparently this stuff grows anywhere. We shall see.

Since I've been self-unemployed, I started to enjoy cooking again. Aside from the regular shortages of paper goods, yesterday I discovered that America has run out of garlic...yes, Allium Sativum is in short supply, meaning we couldn't buy it at two supermarkets. My Salmoriglio was ruined. Unbeknownst to me, most of the garlic is supplied to the world by the Chinese conglomerates using prisoner labor, and it's not what you might call an OSHA-compliant process. Apparently the garlic trade wars have been raging for decades, and we had no knowledge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_production_in_China#cite_note-FT2018-11 "Prison labour is common in China, where the law states that prisoners able to work must do so — a system known as “reform through labour”. China is home to around 2.3m prisoners and pre-trial detainees, according to the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, giving it the world’s second-largest prison population after the US The hours are long, and "Former prisoners say the pungent acids in the garlic can melt detainees’ fingernails, exposing stinging flesh. Those who can no longer use their hands bite off the garlic skins with their teeth." Once I finally get a hold of a bulb, I'll start planting my own. Will post some more photos that I've been snapping.

I was a big fan of the show. Back when comedy was funny, self-deprecating and not PC. Now, back to our scheduled program - Our two thieves. The tubby was a feral kitten, and still won't let anyone touch him, unless caught off guard sleeping.

That's how he views himself, probably...a mighty warrior, and the subject of Picasso's.

An unusual style of arranging your vinyl.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/rGbd6HvAT6CM4gHmJEp2hw.xAQ6WJRrSIbXyTtr5tDF9o

One'of ours is a born stone-cold killer of anything smaller then himself. He dramatically reduced the chipmunk numbers in his one square acre kingdom. I hope some of the birds he's killed and eaten weren't on the endangered list. Does yours eats his kill also? The sound of a tiny skull cracking in his jaws...unforgettable.

The Monster is here. That's what the birds are chirping about....not about the joys of Spring.

The COvid edition -

In the Times’ 2017 profile, Willner lamented changes he saw in the passionate connections people felt with the strange and wonderful fringes of culture. “Weird isn’t in right now,” he said. ““I don’t know what inspires people now,” he said. “Maybe they don’t need to be inspired in that way. Do these last two generations have heroes? I’m not sure they do. I go to Avenue A now and listen to what people are talking about, and it isn’t culture. When John Lennon died I couldn’t go to work for two days. I wonder if they have someone that they look at like that — an author, a poet, whatever. Those are people who made us what we are. … But then again, were we right?” Yes, indeed.

That's pretty good. We've all seen much worse.

Cannonball Adderley - WHY AM I TREATED SO BAD? Picked it up last summer in a garage sale in Bristol,RI. Paid a cool dollar. This was the only jazz album they had. Also bought there what I believe to be a genuine Persian rug, for $3. Anyone knows antique rugs ? It’s an excellent, even, quality album from 1967, wish it were recorded better. CD version has 2 bonus tracks. Haven’t heard them. It still has shrink wrap plastic with a discounted price sticker, cover is hole-punched, the punch hole is inside the plastic, which wasn’t punctured. Hole- punched in the Capitol warehouse, and sold to a discounter, and wrapped later?

Wallace Roney- Blue Dawn-Blue Nights was released in August of 2019, and he passed on just a few days ago. Its a very strong, adventurous post-bop album, and I enjoy it a lot. Roney’s last young band is a welcome collective, with potential to be very strong on a national scene. I hope they carry on as a group, perhaps with another older authority in American jazz who’d continue into Mr.Roney’s position.

I know the thread is about cameos, but how about a leading man? Harry Connick Jr. has starred in too many films to mention. Sinatra was a film star, of course. Bing Crosby...

To make this thread more trying - what abut jazz musicians playing non-musician roles, or roles of musicians who also happen to be integral in the film plot, not just cameo music number appearances?

I think it's trying to appear period, but it's not engaging, or serving the status of a record "finally to be released after 60 years". To me it looks like a "ok I guess" effort for a Reid Miles class assignment in a design school. The BN could've done a lot better. To illustrate why I'm underwhelmed - the upcoming album was recorded on March 8, 1959. This was recorded on April 15, and released the same year. This was recorded a year later, almost to the day.

Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s - Doing It to Death

Aric should really be the one to be lauded for bringing this to everybody's attention. Way to go , Chewy!

You are probably right, but I'm still hoping there was a 50-album grand prize.