mikelz777

Ya hoo! It's a celebration!

I was interested in possibly taking up in-line skating. Is there anyone else out there who is an in-line skater who has any advice on skates and skating? It's been a couple decades, but I've both ice skated and roller skated proficiently before. I imagine that I would pick it up pretty quickly. Just looking around I see you can spend as much or as little as you'd like on skates. Knowing nothing at this point, I'm inclined to get something relatively cheap, see if I like it and then decide if I need better skates. What should I look for or avoid? Wheel size? Bearings? Any and all recommendations and/or advice would be appreciated.

These should be coming in the mail any day now.

Whow .............. I only have one !! Keep swinging Durium Time to consider 3 more!

Charlie Parker Verve Master Takes

??? I don't get it. Is this some kind of Joe Gordon dig?

I was pretty surprised at the results and talent-wise, Melinda certainly didn't deserve to go. I still don't "get" Blake. I think he's more entertaining than he is vocally talented unless you like the beat box thing. (which grows old REALLY, REALLY quickly) I don't know that he'd translate well to recordings or radio where you would not be able to watch him. I'll be pulling for Jordin! Eliot Yamin sure looks different. I still like him and would likely listen to him over Hicks and Mcfee, last year's top two, although I don't listen to any of them. Does anyone know how the sales of their CDs compare at this point? I don't think Hicks will ever become the idol that the show would like to produce like Underwood and Clarkson have become. It would be interesting to see the CD sales numbers of all the winners and near winners to compare them. I'm guessing Hicks would be behind many of the near winners. (except maybe Justin Guarini)

The Other Side Of Benny Golson This one came in the mail today to round out my early Benny Golson dates.

I love Art Pepper and finally picked up his Village Vanguard dates. I had the Complete Village Vanguard box set a couple years ago but it was a bit too much and a bit too repetitive for me so I ended up selling it. The music is great, but I think a smaller dose without the repetition will be a lot easier to digest.

I wasn't even in the market for it but at that price (and not a little guilt ), I couldn't resist springing for the Basie set. When will this buying madness end!? I seem to be powerless against it! I'm anxious to see how this plays out. Now when is that Gillespie Mosaic price going to drop?

I'm enjoying more of The Jazz Crusaders, discs 3&4. Man, Wilton Felder is a player! All these guys came to play.

I see that Amazon has bumped their shipping rates for CDs. CDs used to ship for $2.59 but now have gone up to $2.98. It must have happened in the last day or two because I just noticed it today. I placed an order today with another one of my online favorites which I think has one of the best shipping rates on the internet for CDs. I hope their rates don't go up as well but I guess it's likely to go up with everyone considering the hikes in postal rates.

The Jazz Crusaders disc 1 (so far) I'm thinking of doing a compilation disc for my buddies who aren't really jazz fans but love the Crusaders circa '74-'75.

I think this select may be vying with the Gillespie big box for my next purchase.

I loved this show as a kid and tried to get may daughters interested in it via the DVD set. One has little to no interest and the other enjoys it once we get over the hump of protests over choosing Jonny Quest over something else. Maybe it's more of a boy thing. Another favorite I forgot is Rocky and Bullwinkle!! I bought the first two seasons on DVD and my girls as well as my nephews loved it immediately! What a great show with incredible voice talent! Also Fractured Fairy Tales, Dudley Do-Right, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Aesop and Son...

Sonny Clark Trio: Complete Studio Recordings discs 2 & 3

How could I forget SpongeBob and crew? I get a kick out of this show!

The ones that come to mind are Arthur and Cyberchase as shows I enjoy(ed) watching with my daughters. For a gentle show, Clifford The Big Red Dog was pretty good.

I guess my comments about Melinda's personality and looks possibly working against her probably don't account for much because I wasn't really thinking and then I was reminded that the viewers (supposedly) pick the winner and not the judges. I guess what I was getting at was if you were to take music industry producers and execs and placed Melinda and Jordin side by side, I'm guessing that they would think that ultimately, Jordin would probably be more marketable. I'm not sure I get Blake either. I'm sure he has benefitted quite a bit from the lack of real stand-out finalists this season. He strikes me as a "flavor of the month" type performer. I still fail to understand Taylor Hicks' win last year. I heard his debut CD hasn't exactly been selling gang-busters. Have the sales of Katherine McPhee's and Eliot Yamin's releases surpassed Hicks'? I know Chris Daughtry's certainly has.

Undoubtedly, Melinda is the most consistent and professional quality singer among the remaining group. I like her, but her personality and I only say it because it counts so heavily in "the business"-her looks are somewhat going to work against her. Jordin has the over-all idol package. Like jazzbo said, she has great charisma. When I see her she just seems to shine and it comes off as very genuine. I'm pulling for her and Melinda to face off in the final two.

I feared the same thing as you jazzbo, I hope Jordin doesn't go home this week. Her Bon Jovi song choice was not good for her at all and her delivery was pretty rough. Hers was probably the worst performance last night. She was pretty strong last week so I hope that pulls her through. My guesses for elimination tonight are Chris and Lakisha though I'd like to see creepy Phil go.

Shout Factory

*****SOLD***** Thanks for looking. ***Brand new and still sealed!*** No hole punches, cuts or marks. $40.00 shipped to the U.S. lower 48. (includes proof of delivery/tracking) Shipped securely in cardboard mailer. Paypal only. PM me if you are interested. Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens: The Big Ol’ Box of New Orleans takes the music of the Big Easy and puts it in the context of that vibrant city in a way that has never been done before. The four CDs feature more than 80 hits—old and new—by such artists as Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Louis Armstrong, The Meters, Fats Domino, Buckwheat Zydeco and many others. The result is a spicy gumbo containing all of New Orleans’ musical styles and flavors: jazz and blues, Cajun and Zydeco, R&B and funk. Also included is a gorgeous 84-page book that features essays and sidebars that completely explode the idea of what liner notes can be. Writer Mary Herczog takes you by the hand through the narrow streets of the Quarter, through the Garden District and up through Bayou St. John-imparting the history alongside the colorful legends, while giving an insider's-eye view of the city's great (and notorious) bars and restaurants; and boxed set producer Chuck Taggart shares his deep knowledge of New Orleans music in his richly detailed track-by-track commentary. Disc 1 1 Welcome To New Orleans --Galactic Feat. Theryl Declouet 2 Drop Me Off In New Orleans --Kermit Ruffins 3 I’m Walkin’-- Fats Domino 4 Dr. John --Dr. John 5 Potato Head Blues --Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven 6 My Darlin' New Orleans-- Lil' Queenie & The Percolators 7 Para Dona Vas (Where Are You Going)-- The Iguanas 8 Meet The Boyz On The Battlefront-- Anders Osborne 9 Ain't Got No Home-- Various 10 Feel Like Funkin' It Up-- Rebirth Brass Band 11 Zydeco Gris-Gris-- Beausoleil 12 Mother-In-Law-- Ernie K-Doe 13 That's Enough Of That Stuff-- Marcia Ball 14 Confidential-- The Radiators 15 Hey Pocky A-Way-- The Meters 16 I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say-- Jelly Roll Morton & His New Oreleans Jazzmen 17 Food Of Canal Street-- Paul Sanchez 18 Down In Honky Tonk Town-- Vernel Bagneris & The Cast Of One Mo' Time 19 Rocking Pneumonia And The Boggie Woogie Flu-- Huey (Piano) Smith & The Clowns 20 More Hipper-- Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen 21 Release Me-- Johnny Adams 22 Preachin' Blues-- Sidney Bechet & His Hew Orleans Feet Warmers 23 Jambalaya-- Clifton Chenier Disc 2 1 Dog Days-- Leigh Harris 2 No City Like New Orleans-- Earl King 3 Salçe Dames, Bon Jour-- Don Vappie & The Creole Jazz Serenaders 4 Marshall's Club-- Balfa Toujours 5 You Can Have My Husband-- Irma Thomas 6 Go Go-- Galactic 7 Not Too Eggy-- The New Orleans Klezmer All Stars 8 St. James Infirmary-- Preservation Hall Jazz Band 9 Going Back To New Orleans-- Deacon John Moore 10 Hot Tamale Baby-- Buckwheat Zydeco 11 Fear, Hate, Envy, Jealousy --The Neville Brothers 12 Poop Ain't Gotta Scuffle No More-- James Andrews 13 Mardi Gras Mambo-- The Hawketts 14 Ice Cream-- George Lewis' Ragtime Band 15 No Doubt About It-- J. Monque'd 16 Don't You Feel My Leg-- Dirty Dozen Brass Band 17 Dog Hill-- Boozoo Chavis 18 Au Bord De Lac Bijou Au Bord De Lac Bijou-- Zachary Richard 19 Mardi Gras In New Orleans-- Tuba Fats' Chosen Few Brass Band Disc 3 1 Shrimp And Gumbo-- Dave Bartholomew & His Orchestra 2 St. Phillip Street Breakdown-- Dr. Michael White 3 Going Back To Louisiana-- Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown 4 Tell It Like It Is --Aaron Neville 5 The Saints-- Coolbone 6 Canaille (You're Cute, But You're Sneaky)-- Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie 7 Carnival Time-- Al Johnson 8 La Negra Tomasa-- Fredy Omar Con Su Banda 9 Let The Good Times Roll-- Shirley & Lee 10 The Broken Windmill-- Tom McDermott & Evan Christopher 11 Way Down Champion-- Jack Dupree 12 Hallelujah-- Raymond Myles With The Rams 13 I Hear You Knocking-- Smiley Lewis 14 La Crçve De Faim/Starvation 2-Step-- Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys 15 Main Street Blues-- The Red Stick Ramblers 16 Sea Cruise-- Frankie Ford 17 Tee-Nah-Nah-- Henry Butler 18 Smoke That Fire-- The New Birth Brass Band 19 Give Him Cornbread-- Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers 20 I Like It Like That, Part 1-- Chris Kenner 21 Classified (Version Two)-- James Booker 22 Southern Nights-- Allen Toussaint Disc 4 1 Tipitina-- Professor Longhair 2 Party-- The Wild Magnolias 3 Dr. Jazz-- Ellis Marsalis 4 Ooh Poo Pah Doo-- Troy Andrews 5 South Of I-10-- Sonny Landreth 6 Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)-- Benny Spellman 7 The Right Key But The Wrong Keyhole-- Charmaine Neville Band With Reggie Houston & Amasa Miller 8 Rip It Up-- Little Richard 9 Royal Garden Blues-- Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band 10 Stoned, Drunk & Naked-- Anders Osborne 11 Laissez Faire (Let It Be)-- Bruce Daigrepont 12 Digga-Digga-Do-- The New Orleans Jazz Vipers 13 Tailspin Walter-- 'Wolfman' Washington 14 Lawdy Miss Clawdy-- Lloyd Price 15 Havin' Fun In New Orleans-- Edie Bo 16 King Of The Mardi Gras-- Tim Laughlin 17 Red Beans-- Snooks Eaglin 18 S.U.V.-- Mem Shannon & The Membership 19 'Tits Yeux Noirs (Little Black Eyes)-- The Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band 20 Lazy River-- Pete Fountain & His Band 21 Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?-- Louis Armstrong & His Dixieland Seven

Deny yourself nearly 2 hours of great music for lack of one song which may or may not have needed to be included to be "complete". That doesn't make much sense to me. Buy it and love it for what is there!

One of my favorite memories of Tommy was one night when he happened to be leading the band on the Tonight Show. Johnny Carson always seemed to enjoy giving Tommy a hard time and that particular night, Tommy was wearing a particularly wild/loud sport coat. Unable to imagine what kind of store might sell such a sport coat, Johnny couldn't resist bringing everyone's attention to it and asked somewhat mockingly, "Hey Tommy, where did you find that jacket?" Tommy, in his own special straight faced low-key way replied, "In my closet". I think the reply caught Carson a bit off guard but it had him totally cracking up in gales of laughter. I'll have to give The Feeling of Jazz a spin which Newsome co-lead with Ken Peplowski.