Dave James

"...and, boom goes the dynamite." Up over and out.

Robert Plant? Up over and out.

Kevin, Here's hoping you had a great day. Up over and out.

I'm massively disappointed. I've been a Red Wing fan since the late '50's. Hockey is my sport, so I kind of live and die with them. Like many others, and maybe the Wings themselves, I thought at The Joe they were money. When you go 11-1 at home in the playoffs and the one loss was triple OT, there's reason for optimism. I don't know, it looked like after the first five minutes, they lost their legs. The offense just wasn't there, very few quality opportunities until the last five minutes of the game. Kronwall's shot that ricocheted off the post and then traversed the crossbar about did me in. I guess that's why they say close only counts in horseshoes. I'm still tweaked about the non-call that led to the Penquin's first goal. How two linesmen can miss such an obvious icing is beyond me. That puck was shot from at least three feet inside the red line. Sorry, that's icing and that's all there is to it. If something like this had happened in the NBA, the conspiracy theorists would be all over it. While I know Gary Bettman would have stood on his head in a bucket of shit to get the Cup into Cindy Crosby's hands, I can't go quite that far. I'd like to say wait until next year, but there are a number of things that need to happen. Say goodbye and thanks for the great memories to the likes of Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Tomas Holmstrom and Chris Chelios and think twice about signing Hossa to another deal. In spite of a great regular season, he really sucked when it counted. And for cryin' out loud fix the penalty kill. Up over and out.

That's a shame. I'll bet there probably lots of folks here who may not have heard or even heard of Kenny Rankin. I've been a fan of his since the '70's. I saw him in concert many moons ago at the Paramount Theater here in Portland. Several of his tunes currently reside on my iPod, mostly from his recording "Like A Seed", but my favorite by far is "Then I'll Be Tired Of You" from an album called "A Song For You." A quintessential vocal ballad from a unique talent. Up over and out.

Is there anyone else out there who dislikes the name "Widow's Taste" as much as I do. I love Art Pepper, and I commend Laurie for doing what she can to keep his legacy alive, but, boy, that is one lousy name for a record label. I had to get that off my chest. Now I feel better. Up over and out.

Nuts, the perfect game and the no hitter are history. I'd liked to have seen Lester pull this off even if he's a Red Sock. Up over and out.

I'm not sure how to break this to you, but recent entomological affiliation studies have shown that 99% of all fire ants are Democrats. Up over and out.

Hans, Thanks for that update. I had missed it altogether. Needless to say, I hope they are able to make this happen. Up over and out.

I thought Mosaic had committed to a big box of Ahmad Jamal. I even recall seeing a list of the albums that were to be included. Did I miss something? Has this one gone by the boards? If so, that's a definite bummer. Up over and out.

I'm just spitballin' here, but the recent "ones that got away" thread got me thinking about the possibility of trading Mosaics. There's no doubt that those of us who own these sets have ones that are of desert island quality and others that wouldn't make that trip. The question is, are some of those you'd leave behind ones you might consider trading? For example, Bixieland mentioned that he wished he hadn't missed out on the Bunny Berigan. I have that set, but it's not one that I return to often. So, if I was to make that available, would there be anyone who would be interested enough in obtaining that set that they would either 1) trade a Mosaic they already own or 2) be willing to foot the bill for a set currently available from Mosaic. I know there are lots of relative value issues (in print or OOP, number of discs, condition) that would need to be worked out, but that could be something that would be left up to the trading partners once a mutual interest was identified. Just to get the ball rolling, here are some OOP sets that I'd be willing to trade: #142 The Complete CBS Studio Recordings of Woody Shaw (3 CDs) #154 The Complete February 1957 Jimmy Smith Blue Note Sessions (3CDs) #165 The Complete Illinois Jacquet Sessions 1945-50 (4 CDs) #185 Kenton Presents: Bob Cooper, Bill Holman & Frank Rosolino (4 CDs) #196 The Complete Capitol Recordings of Woody Herman (6 CDs) #199 The Columbia Jazz Piano Moods Sessions (7 CDs) #204 The Complete Columbia Recordings of Mildred Bailey (10 CDs) #213 Classic Columbia And OKeh Joe Venuti And Eddie Lang Sessions (8 CDs) #217 The Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings Of Louis Prima And Wingy Manone 1924-1937 (6 CDs) #219 The Complete Bruswick, Parlophone and Vocalion Bunny Berigan Sessions (7 CDs) Just something to think about. Up over and out.

I just dropped way too much on a 9-CD collection from the Swedish Metronome label. It's called, Jazz in Sweden, 1949-1961, The Legendary Years, a Rhino Japanese-only release. For a fan of Nordic jazz, it's a genuine treasure trove. Among others it includes artists like Ake Persson, Harry Arnold, Rolf Ericson, Gunnar Johnson, Georg Riedel, Jan Johansson, Arne Domnerus and two full CD's of the great Lars Gullin. In addition to the "locals", there are generous appearances from visiting Americans the likes of Stan Getz, Benny Bailey, Roy Eldridge, James Moody, Freddie Redd, Jimmy Raney, Tommy Flanagan, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson, Teddy Wilson, Zoot Sims and last, but not least, Clifford Brown. The packaging is first rate, as nice as I've seen. A hard shell case with a beautiful booklet. Only problem is it's mostly in Japanese, but this is a minor negative considering the overall quality of he music and the presentation. I couldn't be happier. An easy 9 out of 10. Up over and out.

Call me irresponsible, but there's something about Manny with a stick in his hands that's just different. I know when the Yanks were playing Boston, he's the last guy I wanted to see headed to he plate. No denigration of Youk, he's solid, but Manny he ain't. Up over and out.

I don't think there's any doubt at this point, that the Sox are missing Manny big time. I know he was a cancer and that they needed to get rid of him, but losing a quality bat like that in the middle of the lineup is just devastating. Look at the Yankees before A-Rod came back and you get some idea of how much a guy like Manny meant to them. Just ask David Ortiz. He'd kill for a Manny-like presence to take the heat off and give him better looks. Jason Bay is a solid player and way ahead defensively, but he can't bring it to the plate like Manny did. Up over and out.

Same here. I was underwhelmed. If you want to hear some good Indian based jazz, I'd suggest either Indo Jazz Fusions or Indo Jazz Suite from Joe Harriott and John Mayer. Up over and out.

From the looks of the game tonight, the Lakers are in the finals. Anyone want to bet that by some strange coincidence, the Cavaliers will beat Orlando tomorrow night and then win at home on Monday? Personally, I wouldn't put anything by David Stern and the NBA. Up over and out.

Dan, Can you help me with my lottery numbers? Yanks up 3-1 in the bottom of the 7th in Cleveland. A win put 'em first all by their lonesome. Up over and out.

Agreed. Out here in Orygone, I have noticed the cops pulling over way more cars than I can ever recall and I've lived here all my life. I think the belt tightening in government and the need to develop alternative sources of income has something to do with this. As Bill Clinton used to say, "It's the economy, stupid." Up over and out.

Dice K served up four wild pitches in five frames tonight. Maybe he could give Rick Ankiel a call to see about playing some in the outfield. Yanks in first. Finally! Up over and out.

Here are the artists that will be featured in the next release in the Jazz Icons DVD series: Coleman Hawkins- Live in '64- (w/ Sweets Edison) Art Blakey- Live in '65- (w/ Freddie Hubbard) Max Roach - Live in '68 Jimmy Smith- Live in '65 & '69 Woody Herman- Live in '64 Anita O'Day- Live In '63 & '70 Art Farmer- Live In '64- (w/ Jim Hall) Boxed Set featuring bonus performances, including a one-hour unseen Coleman Hawkins concert from the Adolphe Sax Festival in Belgium in 1962. Up over and out.

You can say what you want about Davis' show business-y, syncophantic personality, but pound for pound or by any other measure, I've long thought he may be the single most talented performer to ever set foot on a stage. He was a comic, an actor, a dancer, an impressionist and, as this video clearly illustrates, an accomplished percussionist / instrumentalist. There just wasn't a whole lot this guy couldn't do and do well. Yo! Sammy. You da man. Up over and out.

From over on Rifftides. I can't imagine the time it must've taken to put this together. Good? Not sure. Unique? Absolutely. Jazz is sometimes defined as a musical conversation. This guy just takes that concept to a whole new level. http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/2009/...z_argument.html Up over and out.

Those of us who have been around music for awhile realize that for every new band, there's a point of reference, a touchstone without which a group might never have existed. We all know about The Beatles and skiffle and that R&B and eventually rock came out of bands like that of Jimmy Lunceford, but where do organ trios come from? I've often wondered about that. Until today. Finally, I have stumbled across what had to have been the inspiration for Organissimo and, in particular, for Jim. Joe, don't fret. If you have the nerve to stay with this until around the 3:00 minute mark, you'll be amply rewarded. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9kHqyu-xsE One thing for sure. It's a good thing these guys aren't around anymore, or it would be even harder to find gigs. Up over and out.

I see in this morning's newspaper that a recent air quality study in Madrid, Spain found that the air there is laced with at least five drugs, the most prominent of which is cocaine. In addition, trace amounts were also found of amphetimines, opiates, cannabinoids and LSD. Looks like it may be time to brush up on my Spanish. Up over and out.

It's not just Big Papi. The Captain went 1 for 6 and left 7 on. Ortiz and Varitek combined went 1 for 13 and stranded 19. That, my friends, has got to leave a mark. Up over and out.