duaneiac

Kicking off summer this Memorial Day Weekend with a classic summer song, "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy"

The audio version of Pete Holmes' new book. The title is not how the author views himself. The publisher describes this memoir thus, " Comedy Sex God is celebration of losing something to find something else -- a void that became a door to spiritual exploration -- a glorious journey into the mind-blowing unknown that never would have begun if your wife hadn't cheated with a guy named Rocco."

Is there an "Album covers featuring stamps" thread? (I used to collect -- and still have my collection around here somewhere -- first day covers like the one pictured above. I have this LP too!)

Gosh, I just LOVE this album. I keep coming back to listen to it on YouTube every few days lately: Mr. Sullivan, on this album, displays the ideal mix of genuine artistry and unabashed showmanship which is right in my listening zone. If this album has not been reissued on CD, then it is certainly a buried jazz treasure. If you don't have time to listen to the whole album right now, the above video is cued up to a joyous little audio portrait sure to put a smile on the face of any one who has/has had a little four-legged, furry friend, "Frolicking Fido". After that's over, you may as well stick around for the last tune, a swinging, sumptuous "Keepin' Out of Mischief".

This time around I got distracted early on trying to figure out where Sam Spade's office was supposed to be located. Out of one of his office windows one can see a view of the city hall dome perhaps just a couple of blocks away. Yet out of another window, one can see one of the bridges. I cannot imagine any place in SF where that would be actually possible, even back in those pre-skyscraper days, given the hilly topography of the city.

Genuinely awesome!

It was in 2015 that I saw him perform as part of the San Jose Summer Fest. Here's what I wrote at the time: The highlight for me was seeing the performance of Ricky Woodard and special guest Ernie Andrews. Mr. Woodard is a wonderful tenor sax player, very bluesy, very soulful, unabashedly romantic on ballads. He performed a few numbers with the trio of local musicians (including pianist Murray Lowe, drummer Wally Schnalle and bassist John Schifflett) ranging from "Day by Bay" to Cedar Walton's "Holy Land" to "My One And Only Love". That was an excellent set in itself, but once he was joined by Mr. Andrews, things took off to another level. Mr. Andrews is 87 now, but he has not lost a bit of power and emotion in his singing voice. The show was in a small room and I swear he could have done the entire set without a microphone. He may well be one of the last of the great blues shouters. Even at his age today, he could have gone toe to toe with Joe Turner in his prime and it would have been a close contest. He sang a couple of standards, "Time After Time" and "Once In A Lifetime", but focused mostly on blues numbers including the riotous "I'd Love Me" and a version of "All Blues" which incorporated snippets of other blues classics The man was incredible and to borrow the phrase I learned from the Miles Davis autobiography, "clean as a broke dick dog". If you ever have the opportunity to see him perform live, do not miss it.

Now that is just about as fine an album as you could possibly ask for! Tracklist: A1 You And The Night And The Music (Dietz, Schwartz) A2 So Little Time (Burrell, Stephens) A3 I'm Glad There Is You (Dorsey, Mediera) B1 All Blues (Miles Davis) B2 It Could Happen To You (Van Heusen, Burke) Kenny Burrell (g) Reggie Johnson (b) Sherman Ferguson (dr)

I saw him perform maybe 3 or 4 years ago and he totally rocked the joint!!! He was 80-somthin' and he sure as hell didn't NEED no damn microphone! The man can project!

Mention of Tommy Dorsey brought to mind this old bit I think I heard on one of the AFRS "Jubilee" shows when the Dorsey Brothers were guests: MC: Which one of you learned to swing first? JD: Tommy, but I learned to duck!

Does verbal abuse count? If so, then Buddy Rich would have to be Abuser #1. It's lucky he's not around doing that shit today. Nowadays, some band member or former band member would likely show up locked and loaded at one of his gigs and blow his MFing head off right there onstage. That's just the kinda world we live in nowadays . . .

Sidney Bechet.

A thousand thanks for a thousand laughs, Mr. Conway. Rest in Peace.

Disc 5 of 6. What a thrill hearing this big band effortlessly rip through Fletcher Henderson's magnificent "Down South Camp Meeting". It's a busy chart and the band's recorded version is superb, but it's even more amazing to hear these guys nail that chart "live" without even breaking a sweat. Sure this band, like all Goodman bands, could swing, but this band, unlike most later Goodman big bands, had swagger (and justifiably so).

Needs more cowbell.

Or perhaps they are Nero Wolfe fans . . .