Dave James

Chuck, What's the latest on the Parker sides that were discovered at a flea market? It used to be listed on Jazzmatazz, but I didn't see it when I was looking at the site just now. Thanks for the update. Up over and out.

Is this one out yet? Alan's Jazzmatazz website still lists it on the 7th, but Amazon has bumped it back to the 21st. Up over and out.

Dan, Oops...3 1/2 back. Guess the BoSox forgot they have to beat the bad teams as well as the good ones. By the way, I've heard the expression before, but exactly what does COWBOY UP mean? Up over and Harold.

My understanding is that Jennings makes it to his 75th appearance before he loses. I think he was around 40 when this "season" began, so it's not like he's going anywhere anytime soon. Guess his winnings wind up totalling over $2 million. WOW! I'm sure that by the time he tanks, it'll probably be common knowledge. Wonder what the ratings will be like for his final show. Through the roof I'd guess. Up over and out? (Note that this statement is in the form of a question)

The problem with tennis (especially men's tennis) isn't bad officiating, it's boring people who have boring games. I'm glad Andy Roddick can serve the ball 150 MPH, but so what? What this sport needs is an immediate infusion of players with less mechanical games and who have discernable personalities...folks the likes of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and, dare I say it, Ilie Nastase. I know tennis has always had it's share of uncharismatic people...Borg, Lendl and Edberg come immediately to mind...but today's men's product is so stultifyingly dull, I can't even bring myself to watch it. And this is coming from someone who played the game for years and years and used to enjoy watching it as much as any sport on television. I'd take any match Connors and McEnroe ever played over anything I've seen in the last half dozen or more years. At least you could tell they cared. Up over and out.

Dan, Hello my friend. Harold here. If you've been looking for me recently, your chances of finding me PEEKING out from under a rock would have been fairly good. It's been a tough week in the Bronx. After Kevin Brown did a number on his own hand the other night, I felt like booking passage on a slow boat to China (destination: PEKING) to let this all blow over. But, I'm here now to take my medicine. Your boys continue to execute well and while the Yanks are still maintaining their slim lead, pitching is bound to become an issue in the not too distant future. Usually, my faith in the Yanks is unshakable, but, given the tenuousness of our situation, I'm starting to feel a bit, shall we say, PEAKED. Up over and Harold.

Hey guys...thanks for the follow up. For some reason, when I wrote my note, I had Artie Shaw on the brain. Even though they played the same instrument, I'm not sure how I could have crossed him up with Woody Herman, but that's what I was thinking when I made the statement about egos. I agree that commercial interests may have dictated the vocal frequency. Still, with others to fall back upon (the aforementioned Frances Wayne and Mary Ann McCall) I still wonder why so much Woody. Oh well...if I get this it will definitely be for the band and not the vocals. Up over and out.

Like some others, I'm a bit torn by this one. I have the other Herman Mosaic, which I think is OK, but my curiosity over the number of vocals on the new release led me to do some research. Here's what I found. There are 141 tunes on the new set. 56 of these are alternate takes, so there are really only 85 tunes if you care to look at it this way. Out of the 141, there are 50 vocals (about 1/3 of the set) with Woody either singing by himself or joined by other vocalists or vocal groups. So, you really can't avoid allowing your feelings about Herman's vocal work to enter into your buying decision. I guess I'd say I've heard worse, although if he couldn't play the clarinet, I don't think I would have counseled him to quit his day job. His style is relaxed and comfortable...like he doesn't take himself too seriously. If I was pressed for a comparison, I'd call him a poor man's Johnny Mercer. I guess what surprises me is that with the kind of cooking band he had behind him, why he thought it was a good idea to sing so much and so often. Seems to me with the inherent limitations in his voice, he might have opted for fewer trips to the microphone. Could have been an ego thing. I don't think Woody ever lacked for self-confidence. I guess the question for me would be, is his singing appreciably different in his earlier years than it is on the newer recordings. Not having any of the former, I have no way to compare the two "eras". Hmmm...guess that means I'm still pretty much on the fence. Up over and out.

Dan, Yes indeedy...a three game sweep against the all-of-a-sudden flaccid Angels. And I predict a weekend sweep of Texas as well. Simply more proof that the Sox are spending it all too early. Since my visit earlier this week from the three headed Hydra, I've completely changed the way I look at this. The more Boston wins, the more I like it. Go Sox! Up over and Harold.

Dan, Didn't see anything on ESPN last night, but if you want to start calling me Harold, that's OK. Seriously though. I know enough about baseball to know that pitching is what wins games in the post season and the Yankees are pretty short in that department. My word, just think where they'd be if they hadn't rescued El Duque from the scrap heap. Brown has been marginal over the last couple of months, Vasquez seems to be completely lost, Mussina is a shadow on the old Mike and Loaiza, my God...what a mistake. Then you have the bullpen with three guys who rank at the top of the league in terms of appreances. If you combine ineffective starters with a worn out bullpen, it does not bode well for the post season. Then again, they are the Yankees. I'll tell you one thing, if the Yanks should somehow miss the playoffs, I think I'd be able to see the explosion in Tampa all the way from here in Portland, Oregon. Up over and Harold.

Dan, You will be pleased to learn (or perhaps not) that I'm still alive and kicking. While I was preparing to end it all yesterday on the heels the Yankees 22-0 loss Tuesday night, I had a vision. A three headed hydra-like being appeard to me. The three heads were Babe Ruth, Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone. They told me not to worry, that everything would be OK. Then they revealed something to me that has restored my faith. They said not to share this with anyone, but I can no longer contain myself. Here it is: THE RED SOX ARE PEAKING TOO EARLY Oh baby, I can't tell you how happy this has made me. I had all but given up and now I know I no longer need to worry. Thank you...thank you...thank you. Up over and out.

Dan, I cannot live with this shame. I must commit seppuku. I will be joined in ritual suicide by Brian Cashman...if he isn't already dead. Up over and out.

Dan - Talk to me after your boys have played Anaheim, Texas and Oakland in consecutive series. That may tell the tale. Don't get me wrong. Ever since the dust up between A-Rod and Varitek, the Sox have been unstoppable. And I'm not kidding myself about the Yankee starting pitching. Mussina got shelled again yesterday and Brown has been shaky since he came off the DL. Frankly, I'd be surprised to see my boys in the Series this year, but I'd be surprised to see the Red Sox there either. Up over and out.

Back in my early hockey playing days - before mouthguards, any kind of facial protection or even helmets - I had several front teeth knocked out by an errant puck. This necessitated some major reconstructive dental activity, part of which included a series of what are known as hard palette injections. If you're not familiar with this area of your mouth, put your index finger right behind your front teeth. That's the spot where they stuck me over and over again. As it was explained to me, this is an area that does not cotton much to pain deadeners. I can't tell you how much better knowing that made me feel. My Lordy me. One or two or three of the most unpleasant health care experiences I've ever had. The upside is it paid for part my dentist's trip to Egypt. Up over and out.

A Mr. Kenneth G apparently held a single note for some 45 minutes in New York City awhile back. If I understand correctly, the only thing that caused him to shut it down when he did was an accumulation of spit inside his horn. Johnny One Note indeed. Up over and out.

Only the New Yorker. After much hemming and hawing, I finally let my subscriptions to Downbeat and Jazz Times lapse. I'm like WD45, only time for one magazine, the newspaper and whatever books I happen to be reading. Sometimes it's even hard to get through the New Yorker. I look forward to their two week issues so I can catch up. Uniformly good writing, especially the occasional pieces by Roger Angell. Up over and out.

UGA - Thanks for posting this. It's exactly what I was looking for. Nice to see that Gates turned out OK. They both seemed to be pretty good kids. Up over and out.

I'm sure a number of you have seen the documentary called "Hoop Dreams." It was released in 1991 and followed the lives of two inner city kids as they developed into high school and college basketball players. I'd seen this film several years ago, but I got into watching it again last night. I was hoping that the coda at the end might update you as to what became of the two main "characters", Andrew Agee and William Gates. Unfortunatley, no new information was provided. It just told you that Andrew wound up at Arkansas State and that William had an on and off again relationship with basketball at Marquette. I did a search on the Web this morning, but I couldn't find anything that would bring any closure to this in terms of what happened to the two kids and what they're doing now. Does anyone have any idea what became of Andrew and William? Up over and out.

As far as I know, these are new recordings. According to the Leo Records website (leorecords.com) the set is made up of material from the group's 2003 concert tour. I won't stick my neck out far enough to say unequivocally that everything is previously unreleased, but all signs point to "yes". Up over and out.

The much anticipated Braxton standards box is now available from Leo Records. 23 tunes on 4 CD's (4 1/2 hours of music) featuring Kevin O'Neil on guitar, Andy Eulau on bass and Kevin Norton on percussion. Best price is about $50 U.S. from Amazon UK. Only 1,000 sets are being pressed. Up over and out.

I'm convinced it's the facial hair. Not only does Loaiza look goofy without his goatee, but I think when he had to shave he said goodbye to his cutter. Dan, I certainly noticed Contreras' win at Fenway. Up until that night, he'd been a complete basket case in that yard. I really do believe that there are some people who can be successful as Yankees and some who can't. The jury is still out on Loaiza, but I'd be surprised if he winds up anyplace other than on the bench when the playoffs roll around. I agree about Cashman. Between the Loaiza trade and his wife saying he's wants to throw in with the Evil Empire, he's gotta be taking some heat from The Boss. Up over and out.

EAGLES Up over and out.

Mark me up with the Paul Desmond crowd. Instantaneously recognizable. More so for me than anyone else. Up over and out.

68 and still counting, although I have not bought one for quite some time. Last new box was the Mulligan CJB. Several sets (Jones, Eldridge, Smith, Farlow and Herman) are singing their siren song, so there's no telling how much longer I can hold out. Up over and out.

I remember the first time I ever saw King Kong. I must've been 8-9 years old. It scared the beejeezus out of me I can tell you that. Since then, I've probably watched it at least a couple of dozen times. Great special effects considering that it was made in the early '30's. Certainly much better than in that joke-of-a-remake from Dino DeLaurentiis in 1976. In the original, the dinosaurs were really real looking and the fights with Kong and the T-Rex, the snake and the pterodactyl still pack a punch. The scene I most remember involving Fay Wray occurs on the way to Skull Island when the director is giving her a screen test and he asks her to react to what will turn out to be the big ape. Not sure if she did her own screaming, but it was a classic movie scream. Glad Ms. Wray lived a good long life and that she came to realize that King Kong provided her with a certain level of cinematic immortality. I doubt she'd have been much remembered without it. Up over and out.