rpklich

We (Cook County Residents) can salute our county politicians for this one. Starting with Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and all the County Commisioners including Jerry "Iceman" Butler. The government of Cook County is loaded with patronage worker who get their jobs through their political work (generally "working a precinct"). Thats what this tax increase is really about. So the county commisioners and their allies can stay in office.

I was lucky enough to have heard him live (here in Chicago) in the early 90s. He was a sideman with one of the major figures of Afro-Cuban music, Israel "Cachao" Lopez. I've heard him referred to as "the Latin Lester Young". The Lester Young influence was evident in that performance. (He didn't play violin that evening, Lewis Kahn did.)

Is chronic wasting disease an STD?

I live in Chicago, and my friend Tushar Samant runs a jazz oriented music calendar. He picked up the flag from Malachi Ritscher. Its updated everyday. Try: now-is.org

Generoso "Tojo" Jiminez The most important and influential trombonist Cuba has produced.

Sad.... Something about Frank Morgan that I haven't read in his biographies is that two of his Milwaukee high school classmates were Willie Pickens and Bunky Green.

He was one of the greatest percussionists from Cuba. (No small feat). Played with among others Dizzy, Art Blakey, Herbie Mann, Elvin Jones. He taught Bridgit Bardot some dance moves in a movie. His music will not be the only thing of importance he left behind. He invented the tunable conga drum.

I liked the Ira Sullivans. I also liked the Chris Woods "Modus Operandi". Like Bob Koester, Delmark's owner, Chris was from St. Louis.

"Tojo" Jiminez passed on a couple of days ago http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_d...ory/241213.html . He was the most influential trombonist in Latin jazz and Afro Cuban music. "Trombon Criollo" is a great descarga (jam) featuring him on "Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente". Its 50 years old and sounds great today. (That Cachao record has be reissued many times.)

...that's Chicago!

Joe addressed the entire Chicago Jazz Festival on one of the evenings, at the Petrillo Bandshell on this topic . He said its going to be in Dearborn Station (located in the South Loop). He also said he hoping to open around the first of the year.

Umbrella Music is having their 2nd Annual Festival at the begining of November. This stuff is subject to change and I suggest using now-is.org to keep up. UMBRELLA MUSIC is pleased to announce the complete schedule for the SECOND ANNUAL UMBRELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL, celebrating the diverse and cooperative nature of the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene. Scheduled for November 1st - 5th, 2007, the festival will take place across the city at some of the main venues for jazz and improvised music, and will feature an all-star lineup of visiting musicians alongside many of Chicago’s finest veterans, journeymen, and upstarts. Better yet, this year’s festival introduces a new partnership between Umbrella Music, The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and several European consulates and cultural organizations, culminating in a full evening of concerts on Monday, November 5th at the Chicago Cultural Center entitled “EUROPEAN JAZZ MEETS CHICAGO.” For more information about the performers, venues, or the event in general, visit WWW.UMBRELLAMUSIC.ORG. The second annual Umbrella Music Festival is sponsored in part by The Boeing Company. 2007 UMBRELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE AND LINEUPS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST @ ELASTIC 2830 N. Milwaukee Ave. 2nd Floor $10 requested donation www.elasticarts.org 773-772-3616 9 PM : PETER EVANS SOLO Peter Evans – trumpet 10 PM : COR FUHLER/JIM BAKER DUO Cor Fuhler – piano/electronics Jim Baker – piano/electronics 11 PM : FREQUENCY Nicole Mitchell – flutes Ed Wilkerson – reeds Harrison Bankhead – bass Avreeayl Ra – drums FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND @ THE VELVET LOUNGE 67 E. Cermak Rd. $15 cover www.velvetlounge.net 312-791-9050 9 PM : BOEREN/BOWDEN/KESSLER Eric Boeren – trumpet Mwata Bowden – reeds Kent Kessler – bass 10 PM : MAT MANERI/RANDY PETERSON DUO Mat Maneri – violin/viola Randy Peterson – drums 11 PM : LOOSE ASSEMBLY Greg Ward – saxophone Tomeka Reid – cello Jason Adasiewicz – vibes Josh Abrams – bass Mike Reed – drums SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD @ THE HIDEOUT 1354 W. Wabansia $15 cover www.hideoutchicago.com 773-227-4433 9 PM : MAHALL/BISHOP/MCBRIDE/JENNESSEN Rudi Mahalll – bass clarinet Jeb Bishop – trombone Nate McBride – bass Uli Jennessen – drums 10 PM : MATEEN/CARTER/ZERANG Sabir Mateen – reeds Daniel Carter – reeds Michael Zerang – percussion 11 PM : INGEBRIGT HÅKER-FLATEN QUINTET Ola Kvernberg-violin Dave Rempis-saxophones Dave Miller-guitar Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten-bass Frank Rosaly-drums 12 AM : DANCE PARTY W/DJ’S JOSH ABRAMS AND JOHN HERNDON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 4TH @ CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER 3 PM @ Preston-Bradley Hall 78 E. Washington St. FREE!! www.chicagoculturalcenter.org 312-744-6630 Ari Brown – reeds Gianluca Petrella – trombone Junius Paul – bass Paolino Dalla Porta – bass Tim Daisy – drums W/OPENING REMARKS BY JAZZ WRITER JOHN CORBETT SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 4TH @ THE HUNGRY BRAIN 2319 W. Belmont $10 suggested donation www.emergingimprovisers.org 773-935-2118 9 PM : BERMAN/BEARZATTI/RODER/ACCARDI Josh Berman – cornet Francesco Bearzatti – reeds Jan Roder - bass Fabio Accardi - drums 10 PM : DÖRNER/DRUMM/LONBERG-HOLM Axel Dörner – trumpet Kevin Drumm – electronics Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello 11 PM : KLANG James Falzone – clarinet Jason Adasiewicz – vibes Jason Roebke – bass Tim Daisy – drums MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 5TH @ THE CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER “EUROPEAN JAZZ MEETS CHICAGO” Produced in partnership with: -The Austrian Consulate General -The Consulate General of the Czech Republic -The Goethe Institut Chicago -The Italian Culture Institute of Chicago -The Consulate General of The Netherlands -The Swiss Consulate General -The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs 78 E. Washington St. www.chicagoculturalcenter.org (312) 744-6630 ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC!!! -6:00 PM : WOLFGANG SELIGO TRIO (AUSTRIA) Preston-Bradley Hall Wolfgang Seligo – piano Anton Hatwich – bass Andre Beasley - drums -6:30 PM : ERIC BOEREN QUARTET (THE NETHERLANDS) Claudia Cassidy Theater Eric Boeren-trumpet Cor Fuhler-piano Nate McBride-bass Mike Reed-drums - 7:15 PM : IVA BITTOVA SOLO (THE CZECH REPUBLIC) Preston-Bradley Hall Iva Bittova – solo violin/vocals -8:00 PM : GIANLUCA PETRELLA QUARTET (ITALY) Claudia Cassidy Theater Gianluca Petrella-trombone Francesco Bearzatti-reeds Paolino Dalla Porta-bass Fabio Accardi-drums -8:45 PM : IRENE SCHWEITZER SOLO (SWIITZERLAND) Preston-Bradley Hall Irene Schweitzer – solo piano -9:45 PM : DIE ENTTÄUSCHUNG (GERMANY) Randolph St. Cafe Axel Dörner-trumpet Rudi Mahall-bass clarinet Jan Roder-bass Uli Jennessen-drums WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL IN NOVEMBER!!! UMBRELLA MUSIC is a group of Chicago-based musicians and presenters working together to provide concert opportunities for creative and improvising musicians. Their goal is to pool resources in order to reach a larger audience for the music, and to provide better performance situations for artists. Umbrella members curate weekly concert series' at Elastic, the Hideout, and the Hungry Brain, and work together to produce the Downtown Sound Gallery concerts seasonally at Gallery 37. They include Josh Berman, Mitch Cocanig, Mike Reed, Dave Rempis, Ken Vandermark, special adviser Mike Orlove, and web developer Tushar Samant. Their website, complete with venue and concert information, is WWW.UMBRELLAMUSIC.ORG

Sad news from the Times Picayune (New Orleans). Keyboard player Willie Tee died. His brother Earl Turbington played with Joe Zawinul on Joe's record on Atlantic. Don't confuse this Willie Tee with the swamp pop Willie Tee. The Wild Magnolia sides referred to below are being reissued. Anyone interested in New Orleans funk should check them out. From the Times Picayune: Early ambassador for N.O. funk, soul Thursday, September 13, 2007 By Keith Spera Music writer Keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger Wilson "Willie Tee" Turbinton, an early architect of New Orleans funk and soul, died Tuesday of colon cancer at Touro Infirmary. He was 63. Mr. Turbinton secured his place as a New Orleans music legend by arranging, co-writing and leading the band on the Wild Magnolias' self-titled 1974 debut album. That landmark recording and the subsequent "They Call Us Wild" record introduced the Mardi Gras Indians' street-beat funk to the world. "Willie was a warm and wonderful man, a charmer, a character, a natty dresser, an avid golfer, a doting grandpa, a real Runyonesque figure," said producer and longtime friend Leo Sacks. "He was also one of the most unheralded musicians on the planet. "In a city of treasures, he was rich in taste and tradition. The depth, breadth, scope and command of his piano-playing were profound. He helped shape the sound of New Orleans for more than four decades." Mr. Turbinton and his older brother, modern jazz saxophonist Earl Turbinton, who died last month, grew up in the Calliope public housing complex alongside the Neville brothers. His earliest influences ranged from the raucous rhythm and blues of Professor Longhair to the bebop jazz of John Coltrane. He made his first recordings for the local AFO Records in 1962 while still a teenager. Three years later, he cut "Teasin' You," a soulful, mid-tempo composition with a laid-back, instantly memorable hook, for Atlantic Records. His "Walking Up a One-Way Street" and "Thank You John" were also popular. In the late 1960s, Willie Tee & the Souls performed everywhere from the Apollo Theater in Harlem to the Ivanhoe on Bourbon Street. After hearing the band at the Ivanhoe in 1968, jazz musician Cannonball Adderley encouraged Mr. Turbinton to record an instrumental album. The album was never released, but the master tapes were recently rediscovered in the vaults of Capitol Records, Sacks said. "His pop was expressive, his funk was ferocious and his jazz was like mirrors in a prism," Sacks said. "And he was a monster on the B-3 organ." His early recordings, many of which were reissued by New York's Tuff City Records, found fresh life as source material for rappers. Houston's Geto Boys sampled "Smoke My Peace Pipe," a song Mr. Turbinton wrote for the Wild Magnolias. Sean "Diddy" Combs borrowed riffs and grooves from the Gaturs' "Concentrate" for the 1997 album "No Way Out." More recently, New Orleans rapper Lil' Wayne sampled "Moment of Truth," a song from Mr. Turbinton's 1976 album "Anticipation," for "Tha Mobb," the opening track on Lil' Wayne's multimillion-selling "Tha Carter II." Mr. Turbinton remained active as a producer, songwriter, performer and session musician. His collaborations with his brother Earl included 1988's "Brothers for Life." He contributed to Dr. John's 2004 album "N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or D'Udda" and appeared briefly in the Oscar-winning movie "Ray." In October 2005, Mr. Turbinton accepted a job as a visiting lecturer in the music department at Princeton University in New Jersey. He spent the next four months working with music students there. In January 2006, he returned to Louisiana and settled in Baton Rouge. His cancer was diagnosed four weeks ago. Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Martin Turbinton; a daughter, Racquel Turbinton Bruno; a sister, Joyce Turbinton Gill; and two grandchildren. A Mass will be said Sept. 22 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 1835 St. Roch Ave. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. Wilson 'Willie Tee' Turbinton

Dave Valentine was with one of the best salsa bands out of NYC, Manny Oquendo and Libre. He was on a couple of their early sides. I got them on vinyl and don't know if they are out on cd. One that I have on vinyl that is on cd is with a another "salsa" group called Son Primero. They were a NYC charanga band (percussion with violins and a flute) around in the 80's. Valentin sounded good on that. Some charanga tradionalists maintain that the flute have a wooden body. I think its stupid. One of the greatest charanga flute players was Richard Egues of Orch. Aragon. He played a metal body as does Dave on this. I doubt if Libre or Son Primero will ever be considered "smooth".

I'd like to add the late Luca Flores from Italy to the list. Most of his stuff was on the Splasc(h) label.

Some info on after fest sets: now-is.org

I haven't seen much on the internet, but the yahoo groups Latin Jazz listerv has alot of postings about Mario Rivera's passing on 8/10. Mario was from the Dominican Republic. He played baritone sax on alot of salsa and latin jazz records. Damn good player.

I'm curious about this one as well. Yomo Toro is a cuatro player from Puerto Rico. Probably the best known. He was a sideman on quite a few salsa records, Willie Colon and Larry Harlow come to mind. Bobby Sanabria is a very good jazz/Latin jazz trap drummer. What are they playing or basing the music on? Salsa or Afro-Cuban forms? There have been few attempts to fuse an indigenous Puerto Rican music with jazz. Mosty plena and jazz. Records by Cortijo, Papo Vasquez , William Cepeda & Ricardo Pons come to mind. They put out records that were at least interesting, or even good. The indigenous form known as jibaro is another story. The title indicates it is "jibaro". Very little jazz and jibaro "fusions" have been attempted. A few years back Pedro Guzman, a cuatro player put out a record called "Jibaro Jazz", and its all I can name. Imo it wasn't very successful. I haven't read any comments on this one in the "latin Jazz" listserv either. Bobby Sanabria posts there quite a bit. So count me among the curious.

One of Chicago's better drummers is facing deportation. blogs.chicagoreader.com/post-no-bills

I'm an ex-runner, even did a couple of marathons. I developed back problems, so I decided to take up road biking. My back was an issue with road biking as well. I've been through few road bikes, and am surprised how much difference the frame's material makes. I had a carbon frame and a couple of aluminum framed road bikes. Last year I got a Gunnar frame-they only make steel. It's made a big difference. The bike is lighter than one of my old aluminum ones. It's not cheap, but I've been able to get some distances with it, including a couple of "centuries".

He was also a sideman for Keno Duke on "Sense of Values" on Strata East and "Crest of the Wave" on Trident. I don't know if either has made it to CDs yet, but both were good. Other Memphis Jazzmen were on 'em too.

Judging by the cover, Art was influenced satorically, by David Schnitter (the bib overalls). I have the LP and saw Art at the Jazz Showcase shortly after the record was released. (The Showcase was on Rush St. then). I can't recall the piano player, but it wasn't Walter Davis Jr.

Tonight since I can walk to the gig and it's free, Plena Libre from Puerto Rico. They're playing in Humboldt Park in Chicago. The also have a great one of Puerto Rico's best soneros with them-Wichy Camacho. Its part of the Puerto Rican Parade festival. As their name says they play Plenas, an indigenous Puerto Rican form as opposed to "salsa" which is Cuban based. This is the 5th or 6th time I've heard them and they're really good.

One Christmas Eve I had to work (in the record store), for any last minute shoppers. I was working with the owner, who could charitably be described as "thin-skinned". He got into a heated argument with one of our customers (not a rare occurrence). Insults started. As he threw the guy out he uttered the Hallmark inspired "Merry Christmas motherfucker".

While working in a record store, one customer, a German, returned an LP (Kenny Davern and Steve Lacy). I asked why. He said "it was too decadent for me."