Joe G

I've been looking at that all morning and didn't even notice it!

You can always get some classical. They've got lots of that.

That was a fun read. Jim told me about that discussion at the time it took place; it was fun to see it laid out.

Thanks Matthew. Yours is the kind of post I'd like to frame

Don't I know it! There's a bumper sticker I see from time to time that says, Real musicians have day jobs! That's heartening, and true in a way. I have friends who are full time musicians, and some of them look to me with envy because I have the luxury of choosing to play the music that I want to, rather than having to take every gig that comes along. Nevertheless, there are only so many hours in the day. Not a lot of time to practice.

Jim, Why do they need a singer? Simple. It's for those "play a song with words" types!

They used to allow this, but I think they may have changed their policy. I recently tried to order a 2cd set on a "get 3 free" card, but they sent me a note saying request denied. Wouldn't hurt to try, though. A rep from BMG called around 8p.m. Sunday night to offer me 12 cds for 3 @ the regular price. They call me with this offer like 5 times a year now. That still works out to about $80 all told, (still a good deal) and since I just spent around $50 in the last month, I declined for now. Frankly, I'm not sure how they stay in business. I rarely order cds at the regular cost from them.

And a further bit of trivia: I played a gig with him (albeit at two elementary schools) a few years back. Nice guy.

My God, Soul Stream! Sounds like Weekend at Bernie's.

Jesus! Don't let that thing fall into the wrong hands! "Soon, I will be able to control the entire universe!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Keep it to yourself, Randy!!

...and you lose some. B) I'm glad you still dig the rest of it, Dan.

You win some...

I recognized that guitar the minute I saw it on the screen! B) Welcome aboard, Theo!

WILD! :rsmile:

Seems strange, doesn't it, that because Cannonball had that quality of fun in his music, it might have lessened his reputation as a serious musician in the minds of some critics. Music is supposed to encompass the full range of human experience. And fun is a critical part of life, for sure. Genuine laughter is often the response to the sudden recognition of a revealed truth. I think it ties into that whole mythology that our culture has about artists being morose and somber and dressing in all black. If someone is festive and lively and happy, while also producing great art, I might tend to think they figured out the secrets to living a good life!

I'll admit right up front that I'm a bit of a Cannonball neophyte, with only about 7 or 8 cd's of his music in my collection. But I sure enjoy what I do have to listen to. Live in San Francisco has to be one of the greatest live dates ever put out. What a rollicking good time it must have been to be there. I just love the spirit of that music, and of the man. And how about his solo on Love For Sale with the Miles Davis quintet. Amazing. There's an interesting article on Hal Galper's webpage about his time with Cannonball. He talks about how hard that band worked on stage, as well as how huge the beat was. (halgalper.com). The downbeat article is also nicely written. I'd like to hear from anyone who wants to write about their favorite albums or tracks, or especially if anyone got to see him live. Long Live Cannonball!

That's pretty much how I see it. We humbly accept your congrats, and I look foward to that detailed review. Don't mince words; I'm interested in the whole scope of what folks think.

Mike, you should have kept your identity a mystery! Mike Patton? Are you hip to Mr. Bungle? I saw them in Detroit around '91. Wacky stuff!!!

Way cool man, way cool. I'll take a Newcastle. B)

Well, I haven't met your wife, so I guess it's cool for you. Jim's wife is a sweetheart, but I'll maintain what I said regarding her anticipated reaction. Actually, my main beef is that Jim has used this on me before.

Man, that just ain't right. And here's the test: try using that phrase on your wife. No doubt the response would be along the lines of... Time to DIE!!!

Hey Jim, should we tell everybody about the gig we are going to play in just a couple of hours?

Boney Sugar Jones, Y'all! Hell of a lot of Boneys in the house. Boney James, anyone?

Jim and I did a gig straight out of the Blues Brothers. We subbed for a country band at a little watering hole called the Sportsmen's Tavern way out in a rural Mich. town called Mulliken (Mullet-kin). The dirt parking lot was filled with pickup trucks. The jukebox blared Garth Brooks. Scrawled on the wall in the men's room was, "If I'da known it was gonna be like this, I'da picked the cotton myself!" During the first set, a woman came up and requested " a song with words". (Okay, how about this one: Oh, The Lord loves a hangin', that's why he gave us necks!...) It was a dark night, my friends. At first we tried to appease them with shuffles, but that quickly grew tiresome, and by the second set we no longer cared one way or the other. At that point we were actually playing some pretty creative stuff in spite of it all. And there were a few sympathetic listeners, good folks who came out simply because they couldn't believe there would be jazz at the old S.T. It was one of those gigs that ultimately make you stronger for the sole reason that you survived it.