Jim Dye

Hokum Blues.

Max Roach.

I found this article I read last year...yuk. Never underestimate the market for any surgical operation which leaves its recipients with a badge attaching them to the permanent underclass. Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,52052,00.html 02:00 AM May. 06, 2002 PT Shopping around for birthday gifts? How about a decorative pair of of wings that can be grafted on to your back? Part pig, part human, this biologically-engineered accessory could give you that angelic look you've been seeking. That particular piggy product hasn't yet made its way to market, but artists Guy Ben-Ary, Ionat Zurr and Oron Catts are engaged in the process of redefining the word bizarre by creating a new artistic palette using tissue engineering and stem cell technologies as the medium for their sculptures. Their project, Pig Wings, which will be presented as part of the Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth (BEAP) this August, will showcase wing-shaped objects made from living pig tissue, wings that will be animated using living muscles grown from rat cells. An extension of the Tissue Culture and Art project, whose goal is to create a vision of futuristic objects that are partly artificially constructed and partly grown/born, the semi-living pig's wings explores the area of xenotransplantation -- the transplantation of cells, tissues or organs from non-humans. The artists are experimenting with the state of-the-art, including genetic mainpulation and insertion of human genes into the animal genome for better compatibility. "Tissue engineering offers a possibility to change our own design as well as create a new breed of 'things,'" says Ionat. "Presently, scientists are trying to mimic nature. However, how will we look when we decide to improve nature? Are we going to see fashion driven neo-organs? Are we going to completely objectify living matter?" Though the pig wings that have been developed now are only about an inch long, Guy sees mainstream treatment to replace whole complex organs in general, as being only around 10 to 15 years away. Experimenting with different kinds of ideas, the artists have grown tissue over representations of technological artifacts such as cogwheels, bombs, surgical instruments, pre-historic stone tools and cultural artifacts (Guatemalan worry dolls and found glass objects). In Oculus Latus, tissue was grown over an eye retractor to give an idea of a future where living biological matter interacts seamlessly with constructed systems to create semi-living tools. Fish and Chips, an undertaking of SymbioticA, University of Western Australia, aims to create a "semi-living artistic entity" assembled from fish neurons grown over silicon chips. Part of the Biofeel exhibition, the goal here is to explore how "arty" this being can get over time by inspiring it with music and other external inputs, with its responses being decoded into drawings and music. "Semi-Living objects consist of constructed elements and living parts of one or more organisms assembled and sustained by humans," says Oron. "These entities we create might become our 'naturalish' companions, our machines and even our dwelling." The artists are working on a new project in which they will grow a steak made out of the muscle cells of a sheep that is still alive and kicking. They plan to eat the steak, while the animal from which the cells originated is in the vicinity. "The vision of not needing to kill animals for protein production really fascinates us, but on the other hand, highlights the ambiguity of dealing and caring for living biological systems for human-centric activities." The projects of the TCA aim at highlighting what is possible when medical technologies are used for purposes other than strictly saving life. "These semi-living entities are our own creation and we do carry the responsibility for their survival and well being," says Oron. "We hope that most people who interact with our work realize that they are presented with something that their belief systems are not able to deal with. "We want people to recognize that the tools of modern biology confront us with a need to start to formulate a new moral framework to deal with what we know about life and our newly acquired ability to manipulate it. Frankenstein (ran) away when he was faced with his own creation. I hope we, as a society, will be wiser."

McGhee for me!

Believe it or not, I have a copy of this record in mp3 format. It's hilarious. "Whose gonna beat Mr. Tooth Decay?" chorus: "ALI!!!!!"

Alabama. Although I believe it belongs in a category of its own. It never ever fails to break my heart every time I hear it.

I know what you mean Jim. Within a ten day period, I have Mothers Day, an Anniversary, AND my wife's birthday!

http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/lessig/blog/

Well, I've got a decade on you, B-3er! I have vague recollections of going to a game. Must have been 6 or 7 then. I could just be remembering all the local news coverage at the time. Nothing says 1974 like Pigs vs. Freaks!

http://www.lsj.com/news/local/030425_pigs_3b.html Pigs-Freaks rivalry returns to spotlight Panel discussion to recall charity gridiron battles 1973 game: The Freaks won 9-6 in sudden-death overtime in front of about 40,000 at Spartan Stadium. The rivalry between police officers and "hippies" generated money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. By Hugh Leach Lansing State Journal EAST LANSING - Some of the most intense football ever played at Spartan Stadium didn't involve the Michigan State University team. For eight years in the 1970s, the games between the Pigs and the Freaks were as hard-fought as any college or professional contest. The Pigs team consisted of area police officers. The Freaks were college-age "hippies" whose team emblem was a marijuana leaf. "We did a lot of hard hitting on both sides," recalled former Ingham County sheriff's Deputy Butch Abdo, who played for the Pigs. "It was a way for both sides to get their frustrations out. Nobody played dirty. Nobody was out to really hurt anyone. It was just a lot of hard football playing." The East Lansing Historical Society is hosting a panel discussion recalling the games at 1 p.m. Saturday at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center. East Lansing Deputy Police Chief Tom Wibert, who attended the games as a child with his policeman father, said the game originated when East Lansing police were sent to remove "hippies" who were using the East Lansing High School football field without permission in 1970. The "hippies" challenged police to a football game, and the police accepted. The first game was played at the high school field and drew 8,000 fans. Don Christy, then with the Lansing Police Department, thought the rivalry had the potential to do some real good as a fund-raiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The hospital, one of the world's premier centers for study and treatment of catastrophic diseases in children, was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas, who attended several of the games. Christy's ideas for the game were larger than the high school field could accommodate. He got permission to use Spartan Stadium for the 1971 contest. An MSU labor union agreed to supply stadium personnel. The National Guard provided traffic control. The game drew 20,000 fans. Two years later the game drew twice that number. The games raised more than $135,000 for St. Jude before the series ended after the 1977 contest, largely because of huge increases in liability insurance costs, Christy said. The Freaks won five games and the Pigs three. The largest margin of victory was seven points. The games also helped improve communication between police and college-age people, he said. Bill Iddings, now a reporter for the Muskegon Chronicle, joined the Freaks team in 1974 to get inside information for an article for the MSU Alumni Magazine. "I was not a football player," he said. "I figured the best way not to get killed was to be a quarterback because nobody went after the quarterback in practice. "I never played in the actual game," he said, "but, as I left the field in my clean uniform, a coed wrapped her arms around me, gave me a kiss and congratulated me on the great game I had played." Contact Hugh Leach at 377-1119 or hleach@lsj.com

Agreed. Invision beats the hell out of VBulletin. Congrats Jim. And thanks for making this such a cool place. The best Jazz BBS on the web is based in Lansing?!? Whadda ya know!

Hey Randissimo, I know exactly where you are coming from. I am from Lansing and know the sometimes sad state of cultural affairs going on there. I used to manage the Wherehouse Records on Grand River across from Michigan State. I moved down here to Tennessee about 8 years ago to get my degree in music business. I had planned on moving to New York, and actually worked there for about a year total with Ms. Reynolds, but ultimately decided to look for opportunities elsewhere. Its a tough out there right now, especially in the music industry. I hope to check you guys out when I'm back in town. (Are you playing around the weekend of 4th of July?) Good luck!

Hey Jim, sorry that you're selling your horn. I'd buy it in a second, but I won't have the extra scratch until late May. I worked for a while with Suzi Reynolds in New York who now manages Frank Lacy, Howard Johnson and Lynne Arriale. She used to manage Jerome Richardson and Teri Thornton until they passed away a couple years ago. She also did marketing and distribution for TCB Music SA, a Swiss jazz label. Now she is working with Motema records. I can't make any promises, and I'm not sure if she is looking for more clients, but I'd be happy to pass along a CD and press kit to her. You never know! She has a zillion contacts both foreign and domestic.

Jesus! Gates couldn't come up with an original idea to save his life.

Kenny Garrett (gotcha!)

What?? No Simon?

The original US CD release of Larance Marable w/ James Clay - Tenorman. Not technically a BN, but part of the first Blue Note CD reissue program in the late 80s.

Man, I love Elderly Instruments. I don't even play guitar and I love Elderly! The place has such a great vibe.

Yeah, that Fish Heads video was bizarre. Barnes and Barnes? that seems right. My favorite 80's video would have to be Rainbow - Can't Happen Here. A bunch of flashing images of apocalyptic events. Wild at the time.

I'd be ecstatic if I weighed 180 with a 32 inch waist. But then again, I'm 6'4 and 280. I put on about 50 lbs since I got a desk job, got married, and quit smoking. I gotta start biking again!

First, let me say I was sorry to hear about the demise of Jutta Hipp. Second, I don't know why everyone lets themselves get so worked up over Deep. If you don't like what he has to say, use the ignore function. Personally, I find him entertaining. If you can get by the bold and crude statements, there is a lot of knowledge to be mined from his posts. Was his post about Ms. Hipp in poor taste? Absolutely, but it cracked me up. But I have been known to have a 'sick' sense of humor. If you don't like it, again, just use the ignore function... Does everything connected with Blue Note have to be sacred?

I smoked from the ages of 17 to 32. I quit for 4 years once during that span, but picked it up again after a night out drinking. If you are going to give up smoking, give up drinking too. In my experience, If you have more than 3 beers, your will power is gone and you'll pick a smoke up when the opportunity presents itself. And believe me, it'll present itself! I gave it up for good 3 years ago this past March. It is a bad, addictive, nasty habit, but I tell you, if it weren't so bad for your health, I'd still be smoking now. I even lost my father to Lung Cancer in 1990. He was only 46, but that tragedy wasn't enough to make me quit. You really have to decide to do it for yourself, not for anyone else.

Home Is Africa, Baby!

I had an original copy of Elvin Jones - Puttin' It Together from 1987, before the collectors choice series that was black/silver. It came directly from CEMA, Not a record club pressing. They must have run out of blue ink that day... No rhyme or reason, just an oddity.