Christiern

I'm faced with a different kind of problem: Starting January 1, my refrigerator thinks it's a freezer! Seriously.

Somewhere in my piles of tape (or in the pile that I sent to Denmark and hope soon will be returned) is an interview I did with Rex in 1959-60. I am hoping that I can post it on my blog this year. Ditto, an interview with Willie "The Lion" Smith and Billie Holiday (separately).

I think this steady diet of mindless tabloid material—whether linked to or pasted in—is both boring and out of place here. We all like a good laugh from time to time, but this is mostly Murdoch crap.

Queen Elizabeth has (or is about to) bestowed knighthood upon Jonathan Ive, the industrial designer who creates those great Apple looks. Guess the old Queen knows her Apples.

Anders is no longer your friend? I hope that's not so. Godt Nytår!

Jim, I don't recall a Riverside children's series, as such (Wonderland Records came after I left), but there were some comedy albums like Louis Nye's "Heigh-Ho Madison Avenue," which they spent a lot of money promoting (the PR kit came in a black briefcase). Barrett Clark, a stage actor/director/TV writer, produced several drama-oriented releases, as well as the immortal "Sounds of the Home" series of dripping faucets and slamming screen doors, "Sounds of Sebring" and other fun rev'ed up albums, etc. He was also—though rather regrettably—the audio engineer on my "Chicago: The Living Legends" series. BTW, my favorite Limerick comes from one of Barrett's albums: On the breast of a woman named Gail, was tattooed the price of her tail, and on her behind, for the sake of the blind, was the same information in braille.

It's a pre-Bergenfield pressing. I don't see anything odd about it. That indent around the hole is just to make it thinner (an easier drop) during a time when 45tpm RCA changers were common.

As Jeff points out, the passing of someone at age 88 should not come as a shock, but that does not lessen the loss. Sam Rivers was a musician whose work I came to admire greatly. His legacy will be a living reminder of his creative spirit. Resting in peace is something we all eventually do—whether we want to, or not.

Wrong. Apple's own price for the new Mac Mini starts at $599 and their prices are always the highest. Factory refurbished Minis can be found for around $350. Do a Google.

A Mac will save you many headaches. It will also run your PC software and do so exceptionally well if you install Parallels, which I use on my iMac when I do my St. Croix slave data work (the people in St. Croix need my database to be native PC. Anyway, it all works like a charm. My iMac is almost five, and Iam also still using a 20-year-old that has never needed service. The latest mini Mac is excellent and designed for people who are switching. It will use your old PC screen, keyboard, mouse, etc. BTW my neighbor had a Dell from hell and is now a happy Mac user. Dell has earned its bad name just as Mac has earned its good one.

Thank you, Victor, and here wishing all a merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate at this time of the year. This is the time I most miss being in Denmark—the food, the "hygge", the general atmosphere. Perhaps that has all changed, but I hope not. Risegrød (med en mandel i min portion), gåsesteg, brunede kartofler, rødkål, godt vin—I could go on and on, but only Victor and a handful of others here will know that I am describing what tonight's typical Christmas dinner used to be.

Thanks Jim! How did you ever dig up that album? I had forgotten that Don Schlitten conceived and arranged for this—a concept album? I've never before seen an "arranged for" credit, I doubt if Don had to work hard to get them, their floor, and castanets to Englewood Cliffs! Also wonder why I was asked to produce the session, and why the call came from Bob Weinstock. In fact, I have been wondering about this album since July 22, 1961. BTW, that hole in the album is not from a Flamenco hater's bullet—it indicated that the record was a promotional copy. At Prestige, it was drilled by Pop Weinstock, Bob's father, who manned a huge floor model drill and did his best to aim between the record's natural hole and the label's edge.

Sad to report that we can add Ralph McDonald to this year's grim list.

Had he been popular, my copy would have done the Lambert walk when half of my collection did. I still have that one. When He was a regular in an obscure New Jersey bar, people braved that state's foul industrial air to hear him play his bargains. Bargains? Indeed, Donald would give you two tunes simultaneously—more beat for the buck. Highly recommended, BTW, why is it less when shipped across the pond?.

I recall several "tangles" occurring in another forum, many moons ago. The details have escaped me, but Bob could get a bit feisty. I do recall feeling that he might have over-reacted, but justifiably so. About fifty years ago, I came very close to producing an album with Bob and Nancy Harrow, but I was unable to generate the interest and funds. Makes me think of all the recording projects that might have been, and others—including a couple of my own—that actually came to pass, but shouldn't have.

Don Schlitten also produced the Burgess Meredith reads Ray Bradbury album, which was wonderful. The Billy Dee Williams cabaret album, "Let's Misbehave", was terrible—I gave it to Aretha, who wanted it badly (for non-musical reasons). Then, too, there is Los Morenos, a Flamenco album that Rudy engineered and I produced—they brought their own roll-away wooden dance floor. These non-jazz sets don't necessarily reflect Bob Weinstock's taste.

Here is more.

Thank you Agustin, that sounds like a nightmare, even for people who don't take the initiative. Kenny mentioned Facebook as a useful blog adjunct, I have noticed from time to time that the visitor count on my blog goes up, considerably, and the jump-off point is Facebook. I have no idea what they are finding there that leads them to my blog, but I rather like that aspect of it. Kenny, how do you use it in conjunction with your blog? The pseudonym approach sounds interesting, but once these bastards have your IP number, I don't trust them.

Thanks, Brad, I needed that. Life without FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc. is far healthier and natural. I don't need to know who wants to be my "friend" or who among people I do or don't know has met someone else I might or might not know. Been around long enough to know the value of independent thought.

Here's a nice story about Frankie Dunlop's brother, from today's NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/an-aging-jazz-pianist-finds-a-new-audience.html?src=me&ref=general

Word has it that Alonzo and Henry were recently married—in real absentia. Their furs live on.

Why do you care who Mobley lived with? Or Young, for that matter. Grown men (and women) can cohabit with whoever makes them feel at home—don't you think?

I used to have a few of tose Vogues, and somewhere around my apartment I have a Columbia Bessie Smith picture disc that they pressed for me.

It was the Jazz Foundation of America. They give support to many older musicians. http://jazzfoundation.org/

"haha, Chris you should write fiction!" Some people think that's what I do.