GA Russell

Mambo Koyama '81 https://artpepper.bandcamp.com/track/arts-birthday-freebie-mambo-koyama-81

Resonance Records To Issue Set of Sonny Rollins Discoveries From the Dutch Jazz Archive, "Rollins in Holland," As a Limited 3-LP Record Store Day Exclusive On November 27 Collection of Unheard "Take-No-Prisoners" Live & Studio Recordings From the Tenor Sax Master's 1967 Netherlands Tour Will Arrive as a 2-CD Set On December 4 Packages Will Include New Interviews with Rollins & Dutch Sidemen Han Bennink & Ruud Jacobs, Comprehensive Notes by Rollins's Biographer Aidan Levy, An Essay by Journalist-Researcher Frank Jochemsen, & Rare, Previously Unseen Photographs  August 27, 2020 Los Angeles – On Nov. 27, “Black Friday,” independent jazz label Resonance Records will continue its ongoing tradition of releasing previously unissued archival recordings as limited-edition Record Store Day exclusives with a stellar new three-LP collection of historic Sonny Rollins performances, Rollins in Holland: The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings. Featuring more than two hours of music, this stunning collection, drawn from tenor saxophone master Rollins’s Netherlands tour of May 1967, will also be presented as a two-CD set, due Dec. 4. The Rollins set succeeds Resonance’s critically acclaimed RSD archival finds from such jazz giants as Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, and Wes Montgomery. Last November saw the release of the label’s poll-topping 10-LP/seven-CD Nat King Cole box Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943). Resonance co-president Zev Feldman, known within the industry as “the Jazz Detective,” says of the forthcoming release, “The music on Rollins in Holland is extraordinary. Rollins fans will rejoice when they hear the news of this discovery. These performances follow an important time in his life, and he brought those experiences along with him to make this incredible music.” In a new interview with Feldman included in the set, the 89-year-old Rollins says, “I’m so happy that Resonance is putting it out because it really represents a take-no-prisoners type of music. That’s sort of what I was doing around that period of time; that was sort of Sonny Rollins then—a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am approach. It was very much me. And I loved it and I loved playing with those guys.” The music heard on the Resonance album is drawn from a little-documented period in Rollins’s career. The musician’s 1966 Impulse! album East Broadway Run Down was his final record date before a studio hiatus that lasted until 1972. In 1969, mirroring a celebrated public exit of a decade earlier, he began a two-year sabbatical from live performing. Rollins in Holland captures the then 36-year-old jazz titan in full flight, in total command of his horn at the height of his great improvisational powers. He is heard fronting a trio, the same demanding instrumental format that produced some of the early triumphs of his long career: the live A Night at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1957) and the studio dates Way Out West (Contemporary, 1957) and Freedom Suite (Riverside, 1958). During his brief but busy 1967 stay in the Netherlands, the saxophonist was supported by two of the nation’s top young players, bassist Ruud Jacobs and drummer Han Bennink. The pair had together supported such visiting American jazzmen as Johnny Griffin, Ben Webster, Wes Montgomery, and Clark Terry, among others. Jacobs was a celebrated straight-ahead accompanist, while Bennink had developed a reputation as an avant-garde lion, having backed Eric Dolphy on 1964’s Last Date. The pair jelled magnificently behind their celebrated leader. Rollins in Holland brings together material drawn from three separate appearances by the trio: a freewheeling May 3 concert at the Arnhem Academy of Visual Arts, at which Rollins stretched out in expansive performances that sometimes topped the 20-minute mark; a four-song May 5 morning studio session at the VARA Studio in Hilversum, where Dolphy and Albert Ayler had also cut unforgettable dates; and two live shots captured during the band’s stand that evening on “Jazz met Jacobs,” a half-hour national NCRV TV show presented from the Go-Go Club in Loosdrecht and hosted by bassist Jacobs’s pianist brother Pim and his wife, singer Rita Reys. In his essay for the collection, Dutch jazz journalist, producer, and researcher Frank Jochemsen notes that while recordings of the Arnhem show (presented here with carefully restored sound) had been passed hand-to-hand by Dutch jazz buffs over the years, the rest of the music was only recently unearthed. In 2017, the four stereo tracks from VARA Studio were discovered by Jochemsen, and they were authenticated by Ruud Jacobs and Han Bennink as they were being digitized for the Dutch Jazz Archive (NJA). In 2019, Jochemsen also discovered the audio from the “Jazz met Jacobs” appearance in the Dutch Jazz Archive, along with a unique set of photos shot at the sound check and live broadcast of this lost TV show. Jochemsen says, “I find it an exciting idea that so much has been recovered and documented from this modest tour and that the music is indeed of such high quality. Even more sensational is the fact that the whole world can listen to it now. The great Sonny Rollins at his best, accompanied by a great rhythm tandem, which makes me, as a Dutchman, extra proud.” An extensive overview of Rollins’s Holland trek is supplied by jazz journalist Aidan Levy, whose biography of the saxophonist will be published by Da Capo Books. Levy says, “Rollins in Holland is a resounding, still-urgent argument for jazz as a universal art form, transcending time, place and race. This is jazz at its most international and interdependent, with no boundaries or borders.” Rollins in Holland also includes an in-depth interview by Levy with Han Bennink and Ruud Jacobs, conducted a year before Jacobs’s death from cancer in July 2019. In it, the late bass virtuoso recalled the experience of playing with the American legend as “something spiritual. [There was] a very special atmosphere on the stage where I felt I could do anything.” The opportunity to bring Rollins’s exceptional Netherlands performances to the public for the first time has proven a special moment for Resonance, Feldman says: “Working with Mr. Rollins has been the experience of a lifetime, and I’m so grateful that he has put his trust in Resonance and our team to bring forth this newly unearthed, previously undocumented chapter in his career.” Photography: Toon Fey (at Academie voor Beeldende Kunst, Arnhem, Netherlands; May 3, 1967)  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Last week's 40-minute game was the great '76 Grey Cup - Rough Riders vs. Roughriders. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/21/oleary-retro-blogging-64th-grey-cup/ ***** Tommy Joe Coffey has died at 83. RIP. I had his bubble gum card in 1959. That was an unusual card because that was his rookie year. A rookie having a card was unheard of then. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/26/cfl-ticats-mourn-loss-legendary-wr-k-tommy-joe-coffey/ https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/tommy-joe-coffey-cfl-obit-1.5701131 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/26/cfl-legend-tommy-joe-coffey-passes-away-at-age-84/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/26/ticats-mourn-the-passing-of-wall-of-honour-member-tommy-joe-coffey/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Joe_Coffey ***** Wade Miller discusses the federal government's refusal to lend the league money. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/17/bombers-president-wade-miller-vents-about-canadian-federal-government/ ***** The Riders will lose C$10 million due to the cancellation of the season. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/18/president-craig-reynolds-states-riders-will-lose-10-million-due-to-cancelled-cfl-season/ ***** With no games being played, the teams will not be paying the players this year. However, the federal govt will pay the players a form of emergency unemployment insurance. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/19/cfl-players-association-secures-cews-package-opt-out-provision-for-players-seeking-nfl-deals/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl-players-association-says-it-has-secured-financial-assistance-for-members-1.1511542 ***** Due to the unexpected provincial govt's COVID-19-related spending, the plans for a Halifax stadium are out the window. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/21/cfl-stadium-in-halifax-another-likely-covid-casualty-report/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/24/cfl-team-in-atlantic-canada-very-unlikely-states-halifax-mayor-mike-savage/ ***** The league has granted players whose contracts expire in February or the following February the opportunity to terminate their contracts. This will give them the opportunity to try to make an NFL roster. More on this later. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/22/cfl-players-association-details-opt-out-procedures-for-contracts-which-expire-in-february-2021-and-2022/ ***** Vernon Adams, Jr., has now posted his list of the best defensive tackles. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/26/alouettes-qb-vernon-adams-jr-ranks-his-list-of-the-top-cfl-dts/ ***** This week, the players discuss the best pass rushers. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/24/best-in-the-league-s5-ep3-pass-rusher/ ***** Now we can vote on the best quarterback of the past ten years. https://www.cfl.ca/cfl-decade-team-quarterbacks/ https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/25/oleary-eyes-shift-quarterbacks-decade-voting/ https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/26/kevin-glenn-weighs-decade-qbs/

Jacam Manricks Reveals New Musical Dimensions On "Samadhi," Set for Sept. 4 Release by Manricks Music Records Multi-Reedist/Composer's 6th Album Showcases Manricks as Composer, Arranger, Primary Soloist, Engineer, Producer, Mixer On 8 Tracks That Also Feature Pianist Joe Gilman, Bassist Matt Penman, Drummer Clarence Penn August 25, 2020 Saxophonist/composer Jacám Manricks marks his arrival as a full-fledged auteur on the splendid Samadhi, set for a September 4 release on his own Manricks Music Records. Already an accomplished composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and improviser, Manricks’s sixth album adds recording, engineering, producing, and mixing to his overflowing skill set. Thus it stands as a vision entirely of the leader’s own making—albeit with input from his high-caliber colleagues, pianist Joe Gilman, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Clarence Penn. Samadhi is a Sanskrit term that refers to a state of heightened, holistic focus that allows for communion with the divine. Manricks uses that title not to announce his achieving it, but his goal of reaching it: “Getting to that state of intense concentration where everything else disappears around you and only the music exists,” as he explains in the liner notes. The wide spectrum of creative mastery he deploys on the album reflects that goal. So does the music on display. Samadhi’s eight tracks (seven Manricks originals, with one improvised collaboration between the saxophonist and Gilman) feature a remarkable range of ideas and emotions, from the paradoxically bright yet tense opener “Formula One,” to the ruminative title track, to the playful “Common Tone” and the mysterious “Ethereal.” The range of textures and timbres is also formidable; Manricks plays alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones as well as clarinet and bass clarinet, flute and alto flute, and MIDI strings (for which he wrote the orchestrations). Of course, part of Samadhi’s purpose, Manricks says, is to allow him to flex these polymathic muscles. “It’s not just the horn anymore. It’s about me as a composer and orchestrator. It’s about what sort of environments I’m putting myself in and how I’m orchestrating colors within that. … ultimately trying to make something beautiful with rhythms and pitches”. “I’m wearing so many hats,” he adds. “This is the culmination of a lot of things for me, and I’m extremely proud of Samadhi.” Jacám Manricks was born in 1976 in Brisbane, Australia, the child of two classical musicians in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra—and the grandson of a celebrated Portuguese jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, and a Sri Lankan concert pianist. As a boy, Jacám quickly began finding a niche in this musical family, immersing himself in his father’s jazz records and in his parents’ concert performances. He began learning to play the piano at age five and the saxophone at age nine. After receiving a degree in music performance (classical and jazz saxophone) from the Queensland Conservatorium, Manricks began making his way in the Sydney music scene before moving to New York in 2001 to study at William Paterson University. He earned a master’s degree in composition there, then a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music in 2007. While at the Manhattan School, he composed and premiered a large-scale work, “Chromatic Suite for Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra,” for the school’s 90th birthday celebration. Its combination of classical and jazz traditions presaged Manricks’s 2009 debut album, Labyrinth, which blended a chamber orchestra with a venturesome jazz quintet. Trigonometry followed in 2010, then Cloud Nine in 2012, Chamber Jazz in 2016, and GilManricks in 2017. Each received international acclaim. One could say that Manricks, with 16 international tours as a leader and countless credits as a sideman, has also graduated from the “real school,” particularly during his 13 years in New York working for luminaries such as Jeff “Tain” Watts, Tyshawn Sorey, and Elio Villafranca, to name a few. Relocating to Sacramento, California, in 2014, Manricks spent five years teaching at the nearby University of California, Davis, working as a member of Sacramento’s Capital Jazz Project, running his own super sax style ensemble (Super Saxto) and leading his own 19-piece big band (Jacám Manricks Orchestra). Meanwhile, Manricks also learned the ins and outs of sound engineering, using that knowledge to build his own home studio where Samadhi was recorded and mixed. “2020 has been rough,” says Manricks. “The pandemic is hitting the performing arts hard with prospects for safe public gatherings more than ever remote. The loss of artistically enriching events, which typically uplift and create our communities, imposes a cultural deficiency impacting the quality of life for all, including those working outside the arts industry. Therefore, it has never before been more important that artists create and where necessary find new ways to share our work. For me, this means producing new music and providing access to it through any means I can. “In late June,” he adds, “I was bedridden for two weeks with COVID, quarantined in my son’s bedroom while my family remained safely at bay. During the entire shutdown and especially while quarantined, I’ve had more time to reflect on life, my personal goals, music and how it enriches our lives. One thing that became abundantly clear was that focused listening to music—the kind you do with your eyes shut—is an incredibly healing experience. Using your ears and mind to escape, meditating to music in search of beauty, we can find solace, inspiration, and a refreshed state of mind. Samadhi is being released during the shutdown for this purpose primarily. Go forth and find solace in this music.” Manricks and his Quartet (with Joe Gilman, p; Michael Gilbert, b; Tim Metz, d) will be performing a CD release concert to be live-streamed on Saturday 10/10 at 5:30 pm Pacific time (see poster above right). Concert link here. Photography: Lauren Jenkins  Jacám Manricks: Samadhi EPK Web Site: jacammanricks.com  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

RIP Peter King! I have a couple of albums he made with Georgie Fame. He appeared to me to be a musician who was highly respected by his peers.

Engineered May 12, 2008.

Fleetwood Mac: 1969-1974 (8CD) $46.99 https://www.amazon.com/Fleetwood-Mac-1969-1974-8CD/dp/B08DBHCYXJ/ 37.99 GBP https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DBHCYXJ/

Won't this guy's actions ruin his reputation in the industry? https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nessa+records&i=popular&crid=37BR7NYO2V7QL&sprefix=Nessa%2Caps%2C186&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_5

I'm expecting to hear from Jeff, but no response yet. If anyone would contact him via email, I would appreciate it.

The league's cancelling the season has made Bing's headlines. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29680815/cfl-cancels-2020-season-citing-financial-losses https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/canadian-football-league-cancels-2020-season-after-being-denied-30m-government-loan/ https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/08/17/cfl-2020-season-canceled-coronavirus https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/cfl/news/cfl-2020-season-canceled-loan/9ng3j9czvxml1e8nfoieffs2r https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/cfl-cancels-2020-season/ar-BB1849xo https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-football-league-cancels-2020-season-amid-covid-19-outbreak https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/17/cecchini-als-issue-statement-following-cancelled-season/ https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/17/pinball-clemons-season-cancellation-champions-embrace-challenge/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/17/cfl-commissioner-randy-ambrosie-acknowledges-failure-in-cancelled-season-expresses-optimism-for-2021/

The league has cancelled the 2020 season. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/17/cfl-not-play-shortened-season-fall/ https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-cancel-season-pandemic-1.5689252 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/17/cfl-votes-to-cancel-2020-season/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/17/cfl-officially-cancels-2020-season/ https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/17/bob-young-issues-letter-ticats-fans-partners/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/sc-timeline-2020-cfl-season-cancelled~2015576 https://www.tsn.ca/naylor-cfl-facing-complicated-road-to-2021-return-1.1510350 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/17/the-cfl-wanted-to-be-treated-different-than-every-other-canadian-citizen/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/17/canadian-heritage-minister-steven-guilbeault-committed-to-working-with-cfl-to-support-sustainable-recovery/ ***** Congratulations to ss1, who called it! Jeff, I will PM you to verify your address, and get your prize right out to you.

The federal government has informed the league that it will not lend it the money it needs for a 2020 season. The board of governors will meet tomorrow to discuss if there is any point in continuing to work toward a 2020 Grey Cup. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-federal-loan-denied-reports-1.5688868 https://www.tsn.ca/talent/federal-government-denies-cfl-s-request-for-30m-loan-1.1510103 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/16/canadian-federal-government-wont-provide-cfl-specific-financial-package-for-2020-season/ ***** Sportsnet reported that the Argos didn't want to play this year anyway. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/14/argos-dont-want-to-play-modified-2020-cfl-season-report/ ***** TSN announced its all-time BC roster. https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/tsn-s-all-time-cfl-teams-b-c-lions~2014304 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/14/tsn-unveils-all-time-b-c-lions-roster/

And now Derek Dennis lists his top seven defensive ends. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/11/former-most-outstanding-offensive-lineman-derek-dennis-shares-his-breakdown-of-top-cfl-des/ ***** Here the players pick the league's best playmaker. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/11/best-in-the-league-s5-ep2-playmaker/ https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/12/cfl-stars-debate-best-playmaker-league/ ***** Joe Barnes (!) and Matt Dunnigan discuss the two-quarterback system. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/12/cfl-stars-debate-best-playmaker-league/ ***** This week's 40-minute game is the Toronto-Montreal TD Atlantic game. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/13/cfl-game-40-td-atlantic-trickery/ Last week's game was the '96 Grey Cup, which was one of the best games I've ever attended. https://www.cfl.ca/live/2020/08/06/cfl-game-40-84th-grey-cup/

No word yet on government funding. There won't be any unless Health Canada approves. https://www.tsn.ca/approval-from-health-canada-crucial-for-cfl-in-quest-for-federal-money-1.1505816 ***** Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and colleagues have purchased the XFL out of bankruptcy. Johnson put up half the money. A fool and his money? https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/dwayne-johnson-xfl-purchase-1.5673849 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/03/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-becomes-part-owner-of-xfl/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/03/cfl-players-react-to-the-rock-purchasing-the-xfl/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/03/alouettes-qb-vernon-adams-jr-says-he-choose-cfl-over-xfl/ ***** Vernon Adams, Jr., ranks the league's top quarterbacks and defensive ends. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/04/vernon-adams-jr-announces-his-cfl-quarterback-rankings/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/10/alouettes-qb-vernon-adams-jr-ranks-charleston-hughes-as-best-de-in-the-cfl/ ***** The league is again this year asking players to name the best players in the league. At quarterback, Bo Levi Mitchell. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/04/best-in-the-league-quarterback-2/ https://www.cfl.ca/bitl2020 https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/05/best-best-cfl-players-weigh-leagues-top-pivot/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/04/cfl-players-pick-bo-levi-mitchell-over-cody-fajardo-for-best-qb-in-the-league/ ***** The juniors have cancelled their 2020 season. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/cjfl-cancels-season-1.5676400 https://www.tsn.ca/canadian-junior-football-league-cancels-20-season-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-1.1505198 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/06/canadian-junior-football-league-cancels-2020-season-due-to-covid-19/ ***** The Bombers have revealed their Grey Cup ring, and will give one to Bob Irving. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/07/bombers-get-iced-gc107-rings/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/06/winnipeg-blue-bombers-unveil-2019-grey-cup-championship-rings/ https://3downnation.com/2020/08/07/bombers-gift-long-time-cjob-play-by-play-voice-bob-irving-with-grey-cup-ring/ https://www.tsn.ca/winnipeg-blue-bombers-unveil-grey-cup-championship-rings-1.1505503 ***** I don't believe polls, but...An Angus Reid poll says that the majority of Canadians support Edmonton's dropping the Eskimo name, but the majority of CFL fans and the majority of Edmonton fans do not. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/poll-cfl-edmonton-name-change-fans-dislike-1.5677820 https://3downnation.com/2020/08/07/majority-of-cfl-fans-oppose-edmonton-name-change/ ***** TSN Friday announced its all-time Argonaut roster. https://3downnation.com/2020/08/07/tsn-unveils-all-time-toronto-argonauts-roster/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/tsn-s-all-time-cfl-teams-toronto-argonauts~2010050 https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/who-stands-out-on-the-argos-all-time-team~2010047 ***** Vote now for members of the Special Team of the Decade. https://www.cfl.ca/cfl-all-decade-team-st/ ***** The league reviews the 1996 Argo team (whom I saw in both the Eastern Final and the Grey Cup) on its website, and has conducted a virtual reunion. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/06/long-read-don-matthews-often-overlooked-argos-defence-96/ https://www.cfl.ca/2020/08/05/remote-reunion-1996-argos/

Claire Daly Salutes One of Her Chief Musical Inspirations On "Rah! Rah!," To Be Released October 2 By Ride Symbol Records Renowned Baritone Saxophonist Performs Eight Pieces Associated with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Two Original Variations on Kirk Compositions In a Quartet with Eli Yamin, Dave Hofstra, Peter Grant August 7, 2020 Baritone saxophonist Claire Daly celebrates the music and influence of the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk with all the enthusiasm promised by the title of Rah! Rah!, her new album. Set for an October 2 release on Ride Symbol Records, it’s a quartet date featuring pianist Eli Yamin, bassist Dave Hofstra, and drummer Peter Grant. It also includes eight tunes from Kirk’s repertoire, as well as two original compositions in which Daly reworks a pair of Kirk’s seminal pieces. (Kirk, who died in 1977, would have turned 85 today.) Blind, eclectic, and larger than life, multi-reedist Kirk was also the musician who inspired the 18-year-old Daly’s direction in the music. “There was this spirit in his sound that I had never encountered,” she recalls. “He was such a force of nature. He made me so happy, and still does.” The spirit, the force, the happiness—all of it radiates throughout Rah! Rah! Whether in Daly’s sashaying, Afro-Cuban take on Kirk’s “Theme for the Eulipions,” her uproarious interpretation of “Volunteered Slavery” (which morphs in its middle section into Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People”), or the hard-driving aplomb she brings to “Blues for Alice” (a Charlie Parker composition, Kirk’s 1962 cover of which was his breakthrough recording), one can feel the icon’s zest for life and for bebop—and the lessons in both that Daly soaked up from him. Daly also honors Kirk on the album, and indeed throughout her career, by playing multiple instruments. Her vocals appear on the aforementioned “Volunteered Slavery/Everyday People” as well as on Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Alfie,” both delivered with an understated charm. Kirk was also a key exponent of modern jazz flute, as Daly acknowledges with her agile fluting on “Serenade to a Cuckoo,” “Funk Underneath,” and “Momentus Brighticus,” Daly’s light-footed contrafact of Kirk’s “Bright Moments.” That said, Daly pointedly did not go overboard in paying respects to her idol. “I wasn’t interested in mimicking Kirk or playing two horns at once like he did,” she says. Surely, if there was any message Kirk intended to impart through his art, it was to be steadfastly, defiantly oneself. With Rah! Rah!, Daly manages to both adhere to that message—“I think he gave me the freedom to have my own vibe,” she muses—and to give the messenger his just deserts. Born in Yonkers, New York, Claire Daly was 12 years old when she picked up the alto saxophone in her Catholic school’s brand-new music program; however, she truly became a saxophonist a year later, in a moment so profound she’s never forgotten the date: September 23, 1971. That was the day her father took her to see a big band festival ending with a set by the Buddy Rich Big Band, and the sound of his saxophone section tearing into the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” absolutely electrified her. Daly attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music as a saxophonist whose life changed when she encountered Rahsaan Roland Kirk through his 1976 release Return of the 5000 Lb. Man. She had not yet settled on the baritone sax, making her way through Berklee on alto and tenor. Upon moving back to New York, Daly had the opportunity to purchase Howard Johnson’s first bari sax, which provided the next epiphany of her life: “This is where I live. I am a baritone player.” In New York, Daly built a prolific freelancing career, including work accompanying the likes of Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Rosemary Clooney, and Taj Mahal; playing in saxophonist Sahib Shihab’s big band; and holding the founding baritone chair in Sherrie Maricle’s DIVA Big Band, which she retained for seven years. In 1999 she made her solo debut with Swing Low. In the years since, Daly has become an acclaimed soloist and bandleader. She is a three-time winner of the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Baritone Sax of the Year” Award and has made multiple appearances in the annual polls administered by Down Beat, JazzTimes, Hot House Jazz, and others. Rah! Rah! is her seventh release. “If there was ever an inspiration to me at this time in history,” says Daly, “it is the unstoppable, fearless courage of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Let us all summon his energy to move forward and find our new reality. Dream on.” Photography: Judy Schiller  "Simone" by Claire Daly Web Site: clairedaly.com  ‌ ‌ ‌

As I always say, the purpose of a woman is to love her man. Wayne Fontana died Thursday at 74. RIP. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/07/wayne-fontana-game-of-love-dies The flip side of my copy of Game of Love was called Since You've Been Gone. Most copies had a different flip side. I went to high school with a kid named Wayne Fontana. He was always wearing shades even before Game of Love came out.

Thanks. I've been looking at them.

Lon, what is your opinion of Pangeia cables, in terms of both performance and value?

House Oversight Committee Invites New U.S. Postal Chief to Testify on Nationwide Mail Delays https://time.com/5875215/house-us-postal-service-delays/

As the saying goes, the people who are talking don't know, and the people who know aren't talking. It appears that there will be no 2020 season unless the government provides financial assistance. The federal govt offered a short term loan at a high interest rate. The league turned it down, saying that the deal would make them even worse off financially. https://3downnation.com/2020/07/27/federal-government-still-examining-financial-aid-request-from-the-cfl/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/28/canadian-government-examining-request-to-see-where-cfl-may-fit-in-existing-emergency-assistance-programs/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/30/ontario-alberta-provincial-support-vital-for-potential-cfl-loan-from-business-development-bank-of-canada/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/31/federal-government-offers-high-interest-loan-cfl-believes-it-would-put-league-in-worse-position-moving-forward/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/31/cfl-no-longer-talking-to-bdc-about-loan-focus-shifts-to-business-credit-availability-program/ https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/steven-guilbeault-federal-assistance-cfl-1.5658960 https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-federal-government-funding-assistance-1.5670646 https://www.tsn.ca/feds-offer-loan-to-cfl-but-league-wary-of-conditions-1.1502405 ***** The league suggested to the union that the regular season be six games, 33% of normal, with pay reduced to 33% of their contract amounts. Many players, especially Americans, are saying that the 33% pay amount just doesn't make any sense for an annual income. https://3downnation.com/2020/07/23/cfl-players-overwhelmingly-reject-most-recent-financial-proposal-for-shortened-2020-season/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/24/riders-brett-lauther-33-percent-base-salary-offer-from-cfl-not-even-a-conversation-starter/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/24/brandon-banks-doubles-down-on-2020-cfl-season-absence-its-not-worth-it/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/29/veteran-redblacks-db-antoine-pruneau-i-dont-know-if-its-worth-playing-for-the-proposal-thats-on-the-table/ ***** This week's 40-minute game is the Week 9 contest between Hamilton and BC. This was Dane Evans' first start. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/07/30/cfl-game-40-danes-time-shine/ ***** TSN has announced two more teams' all-time rosters. Ottawa https://www.tsn.ca/canadian-qb-russ-jackson-highlights-cfl2020-s-all-time-ottawa-roster-1.1499375 https://3downnation.com/2020/07/24/tsn-unveils-all-time-ottawa-football-roster/ https://3downnation.com/2020/07/28/recency-bias-muddies-tsns-all-time-ottawa-team/ Edmonton https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/tsn-s-all-time-cfl-teams-edmonton~2005765 https://3downnation.com/2020/07/31/tsn-unveils-all-time-edmonton-football-team-roster/ ***** Here is a video of a Duron Carter catch, just to remind us of what we are missing. https://3downnation.com/2020/07/26/redonkulous-duron-carter-grab-wins-cfls-catch-madness-bracket/ ***** There are a number of guys who are still looking for a contract. https://3downnation.com/2020/07/29/the-3downnation-cfl-all-free-agent-team/ ***** Ted Gerela has died at 76. RIP. https://www.cfl.ca/2020/07/22/cfl-lions-mourn-loss-ted-garela/

Fumi Tomita Explores The Musical Conception of Charlie Parker With the September 25 Release of "Celebrating Bird: A Tribute to Charlie Parker" On Next Level Records Bassist's Recording Features Contrafacts of Parker Standards, Composed by Tomita & Saxophonist Dave Detweiler & Performed by a Quartet That Also Features Pianist Art Hirahara, Drummer Jimmy Macbride July 30, 2020 Bassist Fumi Tomita celebrates the 100th anniversary of jazz icon Charlie Parker with thoroughly Parkerian flair and resourcefulness on Celebrating Bird: A Tribute to Charlie Parker, set for a September 25 release on Next Level Records. Tomita, along with tenor saxophonist and longtime collaborator David Detweiler, presents an inspired set of contrafacts—new melodies, composed upon familiar chord changes—of tunes in Parker’s repertoire. Bird was a legendary creator of contrafacts. One of the bebop revolutionary’s key innovations was the language with which he reimagined songs like “Cherokee,” “Lady Be Good,” and even the basic possibilities of the blues. It’s this spirit that Tomita and his quartet (Detweiler, pianist Art Hirahara, and drummer Jimmy Macbride) channel on Celebrating Bird, both in terms of writing original songs on classic changes and the expression of those songs in a bright and upbeat bebop aesthetic. “I’ve always loved Charlie Parker’s music,” Tomita says, musing on the idiom Bird did so much to create. “It’s a style rooted in a certain language but very open to other styles.” That openness is very much evident on Celebrating Bird. Whether in the subtle calypso echoes of “Like Sigmund” (a contrafact of Parker’s “Segment”), the Latin charms of “Intersection” (based on “Repetition,” a tune from the famous Charlie Parker with Strings sessions), or the funk suggested by Tomita’s doubling of the melody line with Detweiler on “Oceanology” (a blues in C, a favorite Bird framework), the album offers a unique insight into the vast reach of Parker’s musical ideas. Then again, any jazz performance is also about the musicians performing it in the moment—and Tomita and company do not disappoint as artists in their own right. The glory of Detweiler’s sustained solo on “Bird’s Yard” is immediately rivaled by Hirahara’s piano chaser; Macbride makes punchy but sleek statements on “Bird Dreams”; and the leader taps into fathomless depths of soul with solos on “Alice Changes” and “Intersection.” As ever, the high point of Parker’s genius is in how it enables the individuality of visionaries like Tomita. Fumi Tomita was born November 26, 1971 in New York. Fittingly for the era, his first musical loves were progressive rock and jazz fusion, which led him to begin on the piano in high school. He soon took up guitar and bass; the latter instrument gained his commitment, which in turn gained Tomita a spot in the jazz performance program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He spent some time as a working musician in Montreal; spent a year in Portland, Oregon; then returned to his hometown in 2000 to earn a master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music (studying with Jay Anderson and Larry Ridley). Being at MSM put him directly in touch with the New York jazz community, and Tomita began working with the likes of Joey Baron, Vincent Herring, Jeremy Pelt, and Art Hirahara. All the while he continued pursuing musical scholarship, finishing his master’s and going on to study ethnomusicology at Hunter College and jazz and contemporary media at Eastman School of Music (where he met tenor saxophonist Dave Detweiler). He ultimately gained a tenure-track position in the jazz program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he currently teaches. Tomita’s debut recording, Untold, appeared in 2011, with Impromptu appearing that same year. (The albums were recorded in 2003 and 2004, respectively). He and Detweiler made their first record together in 2015 on the saxophonist’s Dave Detweiler Trio. In 2019 came the ambitious The Elephant Vanishes: Jazz Interpretations of the Short Stories of Haruki Murakami, through which Tomita explored his Asian-American identity. (His father was Japanese; his mother a Chinese-American.) The new Celebration of Bird is, in a sense, another examination of identity: that of a contemporary jazz musician who is building on the foundation Charlie Parker laid. “Conceived before the pandemic, this tribute record to Charlie Parker will, I hope, still be relevant in the new normal with the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Tomita. “The sweeping changes for social justice for African Americans that have dominated the summer of 2020 were a dream that Parker, living during the pre-Civil Rights era, was denied. Yet he still led a musical revolution known as bebop that contributed to the great music known as Jazz. His music can be viewed as a form of protest during an era when African Americans could not voice their opposition to racial discrimination, segregation, or lynchings. During his centennial year, I hope that Charlie Parker will continue to be remembered and that his music will resonate with listeners during an age of protest.” Photography: Sara Pettinella @littlecombproductions  "Oceanology" by Fumi Tomita featuring David Detweiler Web Site: fumitomitamusic.com  ‌ ‌

Dear friends, The Downbeat Readers Poll is now open and I’m on the ballot in two categories: Organ (18) and Piano (16). If you feel I am deserving, I hope you will consider voting for me. It’s a small niche so, unlike in some elections, in this one every vote really counts. While you don’t have to be a paid subscriber to vote, you at least have to subscribe to Downbeat's free newsletter which you can do quickly and easily. You don’t have to vote in every category but I recommend checking out the following artists who are nominated in the poll this year: Tenor Saxophone: Virginia Mayhew, Tony Malaby Baritone Saxophone: Lauren Sevian Flute: Jamie Baum, Andrea Brachfeld Guitar: Vic Juris (the great guitarist we lost at the end of 2019) Miscellaneous Instrument: Scott Robinson (bass saxophone) Female Vocalist: Dena DeRose The link below will take you directly to the poll: https://downbeat.com/readers-poll As always, thank you for your support! I hope you are staying safe and healthy, and those around you are wearing masks! Sincerely, Roberta Get Some Good Music and Help Two Great Causes Thirteenth Note records is continuing our donation campaign. Get some good music and help a great cause. If you purchase anything from the 13th Note Records web site in the month of July or August, we will donate the total proceeds to either Doctors Without Borders or the Jazz Foundation of America. We have CDs featuring great side musicians like Billy Mintz, Cameron Brown, Joe La Barbera, Tony Malaby, Steve Wilson, Karrin Allison and more. So please check out the site. We won't even subtract the shipping charges or taxes before sending in the money. We will donate those charges out of pocket. This offer applies to downloads as well as CDs. https://thirteenthnoterecords.com/ Please stay safe and healthy. Mr. Mintz is an underrated composer, and these performances convey a warmth that goes beyond the collegiality of most jazz.” –Martin Johnson, Wall Street Journal My first solo piano CD since 2015, my new recording features the music of my husband, composer and drummer Billy Mintz. Listen and Download! Here's a video we did back in 2011 that still makes me smile. I hope it brightens your day. Check out the Video EPK for Domestic Harmony Find me on social media and share jazz with your friends: ‌ ‌ Thirteenth Note Records | 751 Palisades Ave. #62, Teaneck, NJ 07666

Eva Kess Presents A Unique, Ambitious Ensemble & Composition on "Sternschnuppen: Falling Stars," Set for August 28 Release By Neuklang Records Bassist-Composer Offers an Intricate, Suite-Like Program Written For & Performed By a Septet Comprised of String Quartet & Jazz Rhythm Section July 24, 2020 Bassist, composer, and bandleader Eva Kess unveils a remarkable expanded sonic palette on Sternschnuppen: Falling Stars, to be released August 28 on Neuklang Records. The Swiss/German musician heads a septet that also features pianist Simon Schwaninger, violinists Vincent Millioud and Susanna Andres, violist Nao Rohr, cellist Ambrosius Huber, and drummer Philipp Leibundgut—a wholly original take on the concept of chamber jazz. It’s no mere matter of semantics that Kess calls her ensemble a septet, as opposed to the more common “trio plus string quartet.” The bassist did not simply fuse two working ensembles together but assembled the group from scratch especially for Falling Stars—whose nine tracks she always performs in the same sequence as is programmed on the album. The music is a complex program that depends not on strings accompanying a jazz band, but on all seven members listening to and following each other with as much care as they give to playing Kess’s written notes. “This is highly contrapuntal music,” she explains, “where every player holds a high degree of melodic and rhythmic responsibility.” There can be no doubt about that. Whether in the kicky bossa nova of “Porto Alegre,” on which the violins play as integral role in the groove as does the drummer; the bassist’s dramatic enmeshing with the other strings on the pianoless “The Subsequent Use of Yesteryear and Futility”; the every-which-way syncopation of “Experimental Dreaming”; or the bold interactions of “Penta Piece,” it’s clear that Kess’s conception is one that makes great demands on each of her musicians and gives none priority over any others. This includes Kess herself. Except in her compositional voice, the bassist is no overweening presence on Falling Stars herself: she can emerge from the ensemble with a lustrous solo or powerful obbligato, then disappear again into the groove. “As a double bassist I’m in a team providing rhythmic as well as harmonic information,” she says. “For me it’s about the music as a whole, not only the bass.” In the case of Falling Stars, the music as a whole is both a reimagination of strings as jazz instruments, and of the fuller possibilities of a jazz ensemble. More than that, it is a scintillating work of art. Eva Kess was born Eva Patricia Kesselring on April 10, 1985, in West Berlin and grew up in Bern, Switzerland (after spending a few years in Porto Alegre, Brazil). As a child she played piano, advancing enough that as a young teenager she was able to perform a Bach concerto with a symphony orchestra. At 17, however, her world shifted radically. First, she fell in love with the double bass after hearing a street performance by a bass quartet; soon afterward, a friend took her to her first jazz concert, where she fell in love once again. Taking lessons with bassist Lorenz Beyeler—the bassist she had heard at that first jazz show—and later with fellow Bern bassist Thomas Dürst, Kess made the rounds of the local jazz scene, acquainting herself with both Bern’s musicians and the American and European artists who passed through the Swiss capital. She was soon able to form her own trio. After studying at the Music Academy of Basel, she returned to her hometown where she entered the University of the Arts Bern’s prestigious master’s program in music composition and theory. Among her teachers were pianist/composers Django Bates and Guillermo Klein, both of whom became her mentors. In 2010, Kess won a scholarship to study in New York, adding the U.S. to Germany, Brazil, and Switzerland in her array of musical and cultural experiences. That same year she also recorded her debut album, Wondering What Is Coming. After seven years came her long-awaited second recording, Flying Curly, followed by last year’s unaccompanied album Bassexperiment and, now, Sternschnuppen: Falling Stars. “Usually, I am an optimist, so I try to see the pandemic as a time found instead of time lost,” says Kess. “A time in which it is very important to keep going no matter what. At the start I’ve been asking myself: What can I do now for my future? And then I’ve decided to write some music, going for long walks in the forest or at the river, talking more with my parents, watching movies and reading some books. Of course the jazz aspect of interactive music is not possible during social distancing, so the communal experience is missing; many things have become a bit abstract lately. Music live and music online is not the same experience. As humans we are social creatures, it is a deep human need to be around others. Yet compositional processes are still the same and composition is pretty solitary and needs a lot of patience anyway. “So many things are happening at the same time everywhere around the globe. As creators we take and we convert outside influences as well as inside feelings, experiences, convictions, beliefs, etc. All in all it is a very unique time for creators in which it is very important to stay inspired and to be compassionate with yourself and with others.” Eva Kess: Sternschnuppen/Falling Stars EPK Web Site: evakess.com ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Thanks, Matthew!

I am reading Luis Tiant's book Son of Havana, and a thought occurred to me. Do major leaguers play Winter League ball anymore? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1635765439/