BeBop

You're talking about Houston Oilers Blanda, I assume. Growing up in Oakland, my family had ties to the Raiders (still do), so I met Blanda, Biletnikoff, Lamonica, Otto and a bunch of others. I never did get into football, but I do remember that.

Since Dan's doing album titles, I hope it's Cookin', Relaxin', Steamin'. (No Workin')

I remember going to KJAZ to do some volunteer work (shelving LPs, moving boxes) with Bob Houlehan and thinking "who's that guy?". My puzzlement only lasted a moment. "Ah, must be Herb Wong." And of course it was. So it goes with people on the radio (especially before the internet). Hip far beyond his appearance, IMO.

My Dad's place came through okay. The really ferocious winds (80mph) never came. The hill across the street and above him slid (radial slump, for you geologists). Today's challenge: I'm at SFO, waiting for a flight (actually for a seat on a flight, after something like 300 cancellations yesterday.)

MIssed by a quarter mile (5800 Skyline slide): http://news.kron4.com/news/oakland-29-trees-down-3-mudslides-reported-in-oakland/

Yes, between Oakland and Moraga (St. Mary's). Just two public buildings. For the rest of the town, local code prohibits building within sight of the road. Basically, the whole town is squatters - no one owns the land under his/her geodesic dome/treehouse/shack/shed/tent...

Pretty much all of them, if we're talking about jazz-ified versions.

Kind of cool. My current "hometown" (where I lived 1978-1999 and still park my heart) is unknown to people living even a few miles away. But my neighbor's quoted on the SF Chronicle website: Ethan Allen, a 43-year-old construction company owner, said he was worried about his home in the wooded community of Canyon, near the Alameda-Contra Costa County border. “I’m a little nervous,” he said. “There’s a lot of trees.” Indeed, LOTS of trees. Canyon was the town cut off for three weeks. Book on Canyon

The house of my young-youth was wiped out by a mudslide; rebuilt, the stream in the backyard overflowed its banks and washed away a car in the driveway. A tree fell on this house in 2009. The same year - different storm, the three front windows were blown out by flying debris*. My adult hometown was cut off (no roads) for three weeks in 2010, due to mudslides and fallen trees. High likelihood the media's overdone this one, but I take Mother Nature seriously. We're vulnerable on the hillside - steeper than 45% here, I would guess. Don't get me started on snow problems. No, we don't get much, but the driveway incline and street countours... Still waiting. Soon, RADAR suggests. *Boarded up in advance this year. They face northwest, toward Richardson Bay.

I listen to the radio - and I'm speaking of all radio, not just jazz here - seeking some degree of clash. For me, an old man, I'm always checking out college (and high school) radio.

I set aside work for a few days to come to the Bay Area to look after my aging father and a big house at 2,000 feet elevation that's in the path of lots of rain (mudslide potential) and 80mph winds. I hope I'm going to be twiddling my thumbs for 48 hours or so. But I have stocked the refrigerator, bought ice, battened down hatches readily battened and charged everydevice (including back-up medical) I can. Any other Bay Area board folks feeling vulnerable to wind, slides or flooding? National Weather Service

Pete Douglas - Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, CA

I listen about seven hours a day. More when I'm in a car; fewer when I'm on a plane. I'm always listening from when I get up (2:00AM) until work begins. I only listen to terrestrial radio, including BCS. (I studied at UW.) Since jazz (or creative music) radio isn't ubiquitous, I listen a lot through TuneIn application and website. I don't listen to the packaged programming, JazzRadio and such. Downloads and streaming are great for people who never want to be surprised. (I say that tongue-in-cheek, but you know what I mean.) Pandora (full-disclosure: I worked with them, back in the Genome days) doesn't appeal to me. To carry my analogy of "surprise" forward, Pandora is for people who want to be surprised that unknown Person Y sounds a lot like old-favorite Person X. I'm being a little unfair, but I'd rather find myself stopping what I'm doing and listening intently when one song ends and I'm waiting for the next one to begin. Surprise! In terms of content, I dislike vocals; breathless white chicks most of all. But that's just me. Other than that, I listen to the entirety of jazz. As alluded to above, I'd rather hear something new, surprising, challenging, ear-opening. Hearing Joe Henderson play Inner Urge for the 5 millionth time in my (long) lifetime doesn't do much for me. It's on my MP3 player, if I want it. Recently, KCSM, San Mateo, CA replaced Big Band Jump, hosted by Don Kennedy, with Breakfast Dance and Barbeque with Clint Baker. God bless Don Kennedy for what he did, but the change was a delight. I'm not sure Kennedy ever played anything I hadn't heard before - I probably even played the same arrangement. Baker plays forgotten, ear-opening, interesting, educational stuff...without going beyond the early 50's, style-wise. To me, a good DJ (1) provides complete personnel, not just leader name, (2) plays sets of (generally) 20+ minutes, (3) mixes it up, with three-minute and 25-minute songs, which feels like busting-out of radio format, (4) throws in a little color commentary from experience or historical tidbit, not just hyping some other album or selling something. Good luck and keep up the good fight.

I'm an hour early (European time), so Happy pre-Birthday. I hope it's a great one!

I can't buy recorded music any more, unless I discard it, usually within a week. So I only bought one CD in 2014: Randy Weston and BIlly Harper, Roots of the Blues. So without any comparison to any other CD purchased in 2014 (but compared to what I heard during about six hours of radio listening a day), I'll say, "I liked Roots of the Blues".

You wouldn't want to know. I gave up on my pro sport career years ago, but my exercise program remains effectively unchanged - though managed down to accommodate my need to work and travel. Sleep time is severly curtailed to accomodate.

I've developed an interest in James Carter & Cyrus Chestnut: Duets too. Anyone seen it lately?

Congratulations to Noj and Stefan! I'm living vicariously these days, until I get re-settled in life and maybe, someday, a fixed domicile, so I like this thread. ...maybe kinda like stephnrr Right now, I'm trying to find a hotel for the weekend. (During the weeks and working weekends, my employers choose; non-work weekends, it's seeking out the cheap but habitable options.) I hate uncertainty, but most weeks, I go through this little ritual, putting off a decision until late Thursday or Friday, watching rates (generally) fall before pulling the trigger. I suppose the "hate uncertainty" is kind of a lie - otherwise I'd have settled down decades ago.

I've enjoyed the content of your website for years. I'm glad you're finding something of value here.

Well, the site is live again. I seem to be able to post, though no one but RSS Feed Guy has.

Obviously just a concept piece/low art, but hard not to like: Link

Very nice reply, jeffcrom. I was a Bundy kid back in the 1960s. A Bundy that was in good repair was a fine thing. They seemed to be fundamentally sound, standing up to some abusive students who had no financial attachment to the instruments (school loaners).

Craftsman ain't what it once was, but I'm not the mechanic once was either. So I still buy Craftsman tools.(SnapOn for the fancier stuff.)

Happy Birthday!