BeBop

Noticed this in a shop today.

Enjoy your birthday!

All the happy-most. Hey, my wife's in Rhode Island. She'll buy you a beer.

The BBC is largely paid for through the television licence fee which costs about $230 a year. It's technically possible to escape the fee by not owning a television set and just listening to radio, though I don't know anyone in this position! Interesting! If I moved to the UK, I could be this "freeloading" person! I haven't watched television or a movie or video (VHS, DVD, BluRay) since 1978. Telly-free. Thanks for the enlightenment, BillF

Then again, I suppose y'all paid (taxes) for it... Just for old times' sake, I'm listeneing to WDNA, Miami.

I hit a bunch of keys on my computer (roughly a Cmin7) and ended up at the website of some guy who plays piano in mainly trio settings (one with George Mraz), with one solo recording and one quartet. Touches of Hampton Hawes, Red Garland. Pictures taken in New York in 2010. Website text in what looks like Czech; plays a lot in Prague (Praha). Anyone know the guy? I hadn't heard of him. Suppose this could be a thing-to-do during my upcoming (bummer) trip to Prague.

Anyone else feel like the Brits are rubbing it in a bit here...I mean for the rest of the World that can't partake in the BBC offerings?

The MIM (Musical Instruments Museum) in Brussels is well worth a visit: http://www.mim.be/en Its wind collection contains some 125 instruments made by different members of the Sax clan, including a series of saxophones, a wide range of saxhorns, saxotrombas, cornets, trumpets, instruments with six valves and seven bells, omnitonic and valve horns, bugles, flutes, clarinets, etc. It is one of the largest collections of Sax instruments held in a public collection. Fantastic suggestion. Many thanks!

The produce section of the grocery store, as take-away.

I'm headed for the Blue Note...in Dakar. No idea who, if anyone is playing. But it's a 30 minute walk from my hotel - as close as anyplace. Website seems to be more dead than alive.

Just finished up John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday. I suppose it didn't suit my mood. Just cracked open Sophocles' Three Theban Plays.

I'm headed for Brussels in about eight days. Looking for high-value, non-touristy things to do with very limited time. After work hours with a jazz leaning would be ideal. I don't eat in restaurants.

Sorry if I scared anyone. I still can't get in, but there are a lot of sites I can't get in from here. A typical message (from Pandora): --------------------- Dear Pandora Visitor, We are deeply, deeply sorry to say that due to licensing constraints, we can no longer allow access to Pandora for listeners located outside of the U.S. We will continue to work diligently to realize the vision of a truly global Pandora, but for the time being we are required to restrict its use. We are very sad to have to do this, but there is no other alternative. We believe that you are in Senegal (your IP address appears to be 213.154.00.225). If you believe we have made a mistake, we apologize and ask that you please contact us at pandora-support@pandora.com

I don't know. The site seems to be up now. I was thinking of getting a few things, so I will go see what happens when I put them in the basket. No kidding. Wonder if it's because I'm out of the U.S. I just get a contact screen: --------------------------------------------------------- EMAIL cdbaby@cdbaby.com Need to send us an attachment? Call us at 503-595-3000 to get instructions on how to do that. PHONE 1-800-289-6923 1-800-BUY-MY-CD FAX 1-503-296-2370 MAIL CD Baby 13909 NE Airport Way Portland, OR 97230 HOMING PIGEON Let it go. It knows the way.

Thanks to all who remembered me during my five month hiatus. (And a happy belated to Fasstrack...and everyone else whose birthday I missed. Actually thought about Lon on his, because I've got the date lodged in some brain cell or another.) I'm doing my best to put five-plus, trying months behind me. Maybe even include a little music in my near-term future. For now, I'm in Senegal and heading for The Gambia. Plenty of music hereabouts, but no time to enjoy it. Can't even listen to the ol' Walkman on the 15km, 35-40C, often-rainy walk to work. 12 million people make for one noisy city. And they'd run inattentive me over for sure.

Looks like they're gone. If so, quite a shame. I really used to like the place. I think they even sold Organissimo CDs. I know they went through some sort of ownership change a while back, but I thought they generally survived the transition.

It's going to be like when the music industry went after Napster. Almost hard to police. I'm on the side of the content providers. I subscribe to 70 magazines, pay for and read them all. I hope your Napster comparison is prescient: where's Napster today? Do YOU pay for them, or does your boss? I do.

Fashionably late to the party; that's me. Happy Birthday!

I only play "cool" jazz. Besides, CDs can take only so many "bops", not to mention "hard bops" before they crack.

Heck, we've got a vinyl forum: that's enough for me.

It's going to be like when the music industry went after Napster. Almost hard to police. I'm on the side of the content providers. I subscribe to 70 magazines, pay for and read them all. I hope your Napster comparison is prescient: where's Napster today?

I found this post to be most harmonious with my own experience. I stop by three times a year, once per Chicago visit. I don't buy or sell for myself - I enjoy browsing and buying gifts. I don't go lookiing for bargains - as was noted, Reckless and others fill this need. The most appealing stuff I see is the non-big name "rarities" - Interlude, Cobblestone, Spectrum, Soul Deep... They cost $, but wher else you gonna get 'em, eBay? Okay, those are LP labels (with which I'm more conversant), but same for CDs - BYG, DIW, Media 7...

Presumably, there will also be a crackdown on the theft of their content, as other media outlets have done/considered/tried.

Listen for me in the audience.

Ben Webster is the voice of God. Listen.