Dave James

This is a series I've enjoyed a great deal over the years. If I recall correctly, there were some 39 recordings released on the Moodsville "label". Most have made it to CD. Not all ballads either. Some nice, mid-tempo numbers appear on almost all of these. I'm a particular fan of the two Coleman Hawkins entries, "At Ease" and "The Hawk Relaxes". The Red Garland with Lockjaw Davis is a nice one as others have pointed out, as are the Oliver Nelson and the Lem Winchester. Certainly nothing you could even begin to call cutting edge, but at the right time and place, nice to have around. Also not a bad way to introduce people to the music. I've had people listen to and enjoy these who otherwise wouldn't give jazz the time of day. I'll see if I can find the list I made up and bring it with me to work tomorrow. Up over and out.

Dan, Yeah the trick is getting in there in the first place. That's the only way there's anything left to talk about. If I was an A's fan, I'm not sure I'd be physically or mentally capable of even typing out this message. Santana is definitely a load and in a five game set, with him going twice, that could make it tough. Glad to be a home, though, and also glad to have the mojo. I think my boys have taken the last 17 of 19 from the Twins or something close to it. Brown's outing against Toronto on Saturday was encouraging. He was up into the lower 90's and pitched really well. If El Duque can come around, that would be a bonus. I have to think if this was two weeks ago, he starts game one. I don't know what to think about the Angels. Certainly, they have one of the most dangerous players in the league and a guy who is absolutely hitting on all cylinders in Guerrero. He has the ability to take over not just a game, but a whole series. If I was an Angel's fan, it would be their pitching that would worry me. But, you can pretty much say that about any of the teams going into the playoffs. Like I'm sure you're not worried if it's pooped out Pedro or overpowering Pedro who shows up over the next few days. Let the games begin. Up over and Harold.

According to today's Wall Street Journal, it is possible to draw statistically relevant conclusions from an analysis of a team's performance in one run ballgames during the regular season. They've dubbed this "The Nailbiter Index". For six years in a row and seven out of the last nine, at least one team that topped its league playoff draw in Nailbiters has made it to the World Series. Further, in the wild-card era, only four teams with sub .500 Nailbiter records have won a playoff series. So, without further ado, here are the American and National League indeces. Wins and losses followed by the percentage: AMERICAN Oakland 31 18 .633 New York 23 16 .590 Minnesota 22 16 .579 Boston 16 17 .485 Anaheim 18 20 .474 NATIONAL Los Angeles 32 16 .667 San Diego 24 14 .632 Atlanta 26 17 .605 St. Louis 29 19 .604 Houston 24 18 .571 San Fran 18 25 .419 Chicago 19 28 .404 Up over and out.

Keeping your SR-71 looking good is a snap when you use the new no rinse product from Mr. Clean. You just apply the solution, wait a few minutes...no wiping necessary...and you're ready for take off. Not that I'd mind a little help from a spare redhead. Up up up up up up over and out.

Be sure to let Aric Effron know. I realize he's headquartered the Seattle Tacoma area, but I don't think a cross country jaunt is out of the question when you're good friends. Up over and out.

I have two SR-71's. I keep one in flying condition and the other I use for parts. That one's in the back yard. They stopped making parts for Blackbirds in 1992, so having one you can scavenge works out just right. Up up up up up up over and out.

Dan, Well I'm feeling a bit better this morning, although the news about El Duque is a bit unsettling. A couple of nice performances from my boys yesterday...getting past Santana, even if he didn't take the loss, is something not many teams have done of late. Magic number is down to one. Boston is off today while we finish up the series with the Twins. Then it's on to Toronto and the Sox get the Orioles. Someplace in those seven games is the magic "1". Hopefully, that comes tonight so the Yanks can get some rest between now and next Tuesday. I hear you about Pedro. He really seems to have come up lame. You guys have got to have 100% of him in the playoffs, or that will make the Sox staff a lot more average and a lot more beatable. Shilling can only go so often. Of course, the Yanks aren't faring much better. Looks like Brown is out of the starting rotation, so we're going with Hernandez, Leiber, Vasquez and Mussina. With Brown's stuff, he and Rivera could make a formidable pair of "closers", dare I say along the same lines as the Rivera / Wetteland combo of 1996. When you throw in Quantrill and Gordon, it could, for all intents and purposes, turn most games into six inning affairs. The problem is you've got to get to the sixth inning. Boy, how much are you looking forward to the A's and the Angels this weekend. The schedulers couldn't have come up with a better plan. Mano a mano, head to head...that's the way it always should be. Up over and Harold.

I listened to the Smile "outtakes" from the Beach Boys box set a couple of nights ago and thought they were just OK. After I caved yesterday and bought the new release and listened to it last night, I must say I'm very pleasantly surprised. First of all, the band Brian has pulled together is terrific. I'm sure these folks were all hand picked in terms of their ability to conjure up a Beach Boy like sound, but I thought, if anything, they out Beach Boy-ed the Beach Boys. For sure, Brian can't hit the notes like he could 35 years ago, but he's just fine too. And I don't think you can say too much about the music and the arrangements. First cabin stuff through and through. Nice package too. My only quibble is the lyrics. I know Van Dyke Parks is/was kind of off the wall, and that Brian's goal was, according to the liner notes, to make people actually smile but wow, there's some serious non-sense going on here. Strangely enough, it doesn't detract from the aural experience; I only paid attention on my second time through when I was reading along with the lyrics. Makes me wonder what was behind the decision to bring Parks on board when it always seemed to me that Brian handled this OK. Up over and out.

IMO, lease returns can be a pretty good deal. The seller is looking to move these cars and I think you can say that, in general, they've been well maintained. Nonetheless, I would never even think about buying any used car without one of those reports on the vehicle history. I think it's called Certifax or something like that. Most reputable dealers will run these for you free of charge. Up over and out.

I'm pretty sure it was the Buddy DeFranco Mosaic. I've bought 50-60 items on e-bay and never had a bad experience. Mostly music and golf equipment but some old baseball cards as well; mostly domestic sellers but some overseas. Each and every transaction has been hassle free. I know there are rip-off artists on e-bay and that bidding manipulation is a problem, but it's never had any impact on me, at least that I'm aware of. The people I've "met" and interacted with have been uniformly top drawer. Up over and out.

"Make a noise like a pig." Up over and out.

I'll probably get killed for this, but I'd love to see "Leave it to Beaver" on DVD. I'm a huge fan. Hidden beneath the need to deal on a weekly basis with the Beaver's penchant for lying on a near pathological scale, there are some really good (and timeless) messages one can take from this show. I don't care much for the term "family values", but that's precisely what I mean. And how can anyone forget arguably the most duplicitous character in the history of television, Eddie Haskell? Bring it on. Up over and out.

Another vote for the J.J. Johnson. IMO, one of the best. Up over and out.

I read the Tosches book about a year ago. Even though its been roundly ragged upon by hard core Martin fans, I think it probably paints a fairly accurate picture of the man. I don't think there's much argument about his talent or the charisma that went with it. This is a guy who really knew how to work a room. But, as is the case with many artists and/or famous people, some core elements of his personality were pretty unattractive. Martin was a guy who never took things too seriously - even his closest relationships - and who basically chose to float right over the top of life. I never thought the character he played on his TV show was a whole lot different than who he really was. Still, you have to have a grudging respect for someone who decided he was going to live life on his own terms and had the wherewithal (and the talent) to do so. Up over and out.

Jim, I guess you could look at it another way - kind of like The Sidewinder making it possible for Blue Note to release all kinds of music they probably couldn't have afforded to release without it - in that these sessions, however by the numbers and pedestrian they might have been, allowed people like Red Mitchell or Barney Kessell or in other cases, Red Norvo and other jazz guys to do the things they really wanted to do. That's a good thing. I'm a big fan of Martin and of Frank Sinatra. I think both of them could be characterized as "friends" of the jazz genre even if the music they made set down somewhere South of jazz itself. Up over and out.

I heard an interesting cut from this CD on our local jazz station the other day, so I picked it up over the weekend. As you might expect, the tunes are jazz variations of songs from "The Wizard of Oz". I know that sounds pretty cheesy, but as it turns out, this ain't half bad. Nothing groundbreaking, just some really solid piano trio jazz focused on tunes most of us could probably whistle from memory if push came to shove. Worth picking up, IMO. Up over and out.

Dan, When all the dust cleared, I wound up having a pretty good weekend. As you might imagine, I was ready to throw myself on my sword late Friday night, but Saturday and Sunday couldn't have been better. After Sunday's game, I was sorely tempted to drop the shoe, but then I realized, as Yogi used to say, "it ain't over 'til it's over" and that's certainly the case in the AL East. If the Yanks do well this coming weekend, then I think you can book a Minnesota Boston playoff. If they don't...who knows. Up over and Harold.

I was watching Disc 2 of "The Greatest Jazz Films Ever" DVD the other night (it was the first time I'd watched it) primarily for the 1955 film of Ben Webster along with a sextet of Basie-ites. However, the group that played right before Webster featured Ahmad Jamal with Israel Crosby and Vernel Fournier. They did a couple of tunes, one of which was the most swinging and tasty version of "Darn That Dream" I've ever heard. I found it particularly interesting to watch Hank Jones (who was there for the Webster session) stand right next to the piano and react to what Jamal was doing. I only have a couple of Jamals in my collection, so when I was at Border's the other day, I noticed the Chamber Jazz release and picked it up. Very nice stuff. My only quibble (and it's a small one) is that there's no drummer. Some nice brush work would have made this one even better than it already is. Ray Crawford is an interesting player. Those bongo-like percussive touches he adds to several of the tunes remind me of that old TV commercial with the coffee percolator...the one they ended up making a song out of...something like "The Syncopated Coffee Pot." Anyhow, this is a good and very listenable release that captures early on Jamal and gives you a sense of what the buzz was all about. Up over and out.

I'm sure I'll be getting this. Maybe not on the first day it's out, but certainly by year's end. I've heard a couple of the tunes before but, honestly, they haven't done much for me. "Surfs Up" was the most interesting of these in a haunting kind of way. I'm hoping the package taken as a whole will work better than the sum of the parts I've heard thusfar. There was a fascinating two part article about "Smile" that appeared in successive Sunday issues (August 29th and September 5th) of the Portland Oregonian that is well worth seeking out if you have an interest in the history of and the story behind the release of this recording. Just the kind of thing that's wets your whistle in anticipation of its availability. Author's name is Peter Ames Carlin. Personally, I side with the "Wilson as genius" camp. Even if all he'd ever done was "Pet Sounds", he'd be at the very top of my list. I can't even listen to "Caroline, No" without getting completely wrapped up in the emotion of that song. It is flat out and unequivocally gorgeous. Having said that, some of the later Beach Boy efforts, when they were trying to somehow stay current, are barely listenable. But, even among that great wasteland of marginal music, there are occasional gems that remind you of why this band and Brian Wilson are so special. Up over and out.

If this is the I Remember You that one would refer to as a standard, just do a Google search using "I Remember You Lyrics" and you should be good to go. Up over and out.

The tunes on "Eternal" are: The Ruby and the Pearl Reika's Loss Gloomy Sunday The Lonely Swan Dinner for One Please, James Muldoon Eternal Can't say I'm familiar with any of these. Players include Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Jeff Watts on drums. Sounds interesting. I'm a sucker for a good ballad album. Up over and out.

We've had a surround sound system for about three years. Whenever I want to demo it for someone, I show them the first few minutes of "Top Gun" or the scene by the T-Rex paddock from the first "Jurassic Park". I'm sure there are better sounding DVD's out there, but neither of these has let me down. Up over and out.

From "Babylon Sisters": "We'll jog with show folk on the sand Drink kirschwasser from a shell San Francisco show and tell Well I should know by now That it's just a spasm Like a Sunday in T.J. That it's cheap but it's not free That I'm not what I used to be And that love's not a game for three." Fagan & Becker are the Cole Porters of rock and roll. Up over and out.

Speaking of Tom Waits, I caught a guy on Austin City Limits the other night who was kind of a hybrid of Waits, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. His name is Chuck Prophet. I liked him enough to pick up several of his CD's. "Hurtin' Business" and "No Other Love" are both pretty serviceable. Anyone else familiar with him? Up over and out.

Agree with Jim on this one. Braxton seems to be having some pretty serious intonation problems, especially when he takes up the soprano. This is especially evident on "Desafinado". Don't get me wrong, though, I'll still take even a weakened Braxton when he chooses to play standards and I'm enjoying this set a great deal. By the way, Kevin O'Neal, the guitarist, is really something else. If you've never heard him, you're in for a treat. Up over and out.