Dave James

Thought this was worth sharing:

From the You Must Be Kidding Dept. At different times in his post- LITB career, Ken Osmond was rumored to be both Alice Cooper and porn star, John Holmes.

One of the more memorable characters in television history. Of all the main players on the show, only Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers are left. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/18/entertainment/ken-osmond-dead/index.html

Nothing fancy was his calling card...just solid in the pocket playing. Go back to the Blackhawk recordings and listen to how he pushes the band. There's a reason Manne was always surrounded by first class players. He made everyone just a little bit better.

You have to wonder what Cuscuna might have to say about this. None of those guys mentioned in Hank's quote are still around.

Jerry Stiller was stopped short. R.I.P.

Me too. At this point, I'm guessing I'm 75% rock and 25% jazz even thought the ratio of jazz to rock in my collection is probably 85/15. For whatever reason, Southern rock as espoused by the likes of The Allman Brothers, The Outlaws, Skynyrd, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Bruce Marshall and especially Marshall Tucker has had a hold on me for some time. (The picture that accompanies my postings shows me holding a tambourine that Doug Gray tossed to me when I saw what left of MTB a few years back at the Clark County County Fair in Ridgefield, Washington). I've also become a big fan of the Marcus King Band.

Amen to that. I recall almost requiring resuscitation when I found a Japanese import of "Sonny's Crib" at one of the Tower Records outlets here in Portland. When the Connoisseur Series made its debut, I was useless for about a week.

In today's throw away, here today, gone tomorrow, auto-tuned, pitch corrected culture, few have the time or the patience necessary to study, know and understand a genre of music as diverse and complicated as jazz. Like others here, I cut my teeth on Elvis and Ricky Nelson in the late 50's. I grew up in a musical household, so it was a natural for me and my twin brother. As the 60's morphed into the 70's and early 80's, pop music became less interesting to me. What took its place was a growing curiosity about where all the music came from. I have a clear recollection of buying my first Ellington LP at Portland's venerable Music Millennium as a starting point for my investigative journey. It opened doors I had no idea even existed and the rest, as they say, is history. For maybe 10-15 years, all I listened to was jazz. That required the kind of immersion that hardly exists anymore. In lieu of it, everyone just keeps looking for the next big thing, leading to 99% of all music having the half-life of a Tse-Tse Fly. Jazz will always be here, but it's such an acquired taste and one requiring study and commitment, that too few people have the time or the curiosity to be bothered.

"Seven Days In May" very much walks in the footprint of "Fail Safe.". Both are real nail biters. Great cast that includes Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Frederic March, Edmond O'Brien, Martin Balsam and a cameo from John Houseman.

If you look at the history of rock & roll like a hotel, Little Richard had a suite on the first floor. It would be impossible to list all the musicians he influenced both here and across the pond. Music might very well have charted a different course without him.

Is it just me or does Ceravolo look a little like Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani on "Friends").

Former Colts and Dolphins coach and owner operator of one of the best steakhouses in the country passes at age 90. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/04/us/don-shula-miami-dolphins-coach-obit-spt/index.html

FWIW, it appears to be available from Amazon Japan. https://www.amazon.co.jp/Just-Coolin-Analog-Blakey-Messengers/dp/B083XX69MJ/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_ja_JP=カタカナ&crid=JK9Y68CI278G&dchild=1&keywords=art+blakey+%26+the+jazz+messengers&qid=1588386815&sprefix=Art+Blakey%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-1

Tony Allen was the little engine that could. If you've never spent any time with the work of Fela Kuti, you've missed out on some of the most exciting and energizing playing to be found anywhere. Allen's relentless drumming was a huge part of the afro-beat sound.

I'm shocked...shocked I say that we've gotten this far into a discussion of surf guitar with no mention Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys.

THE SITUATION: You are in Palm Beach with chaos all around you caused by a hurricane. There is a flood of biblical proportions. You are a photojournalist working for a major newspaper and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you. Some are disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all its destructive fury. THE TEST: Suddenly you see a man in the water. He is fighting for his life trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer. Somehow this man looks like... OMG,...

I have a really bad case of the DT'S (and I don't mean delirium tremens).

Can I safely assume that the Bobby Fuller of "El Paso Rock" is the same Bobby Fuller who had a hit with this song?

Here's one of the more bizarre examples or surf music colliding headlong with mainstream America in the early 60's.

Off. I heard long ago that leaving the shrink wrap on would, over time, encourage warping.

Speaking of Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll, this may be the strangest music video ever produced:

You could lock me in a closet for a week with this album and I'd be fine. The Beach Boys were the first live rock concert I ever attended. They played at McArthur Court in Eugene, Oregon. Had to have been around 1965.

More East Bay grease from one of the few great bands that's still around and playing at a high level. This is from their new album, "Step Up."