GA Russell

Every Friday I receive an email from oldies.com which highlights the day's new releases. Today's email included this one! Quite a surprise. https://www.oldies.com/product-view/70611P.html?c=ON3242&utm_source=OLDIES.com+Emails&utm_campaign=77a2b38544-send_3242&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f79786119b-77a2b38544-187732661&goal=0_f79786119b-77a2b38544-187732661&mc_cid=77a2b38544&mc_eid=6703a4b92e

oldies.com has Lloyd McNeil's Asha for $21.11. https://www.oldies.com/product-view/45863P.html

Some of the guys drafted have attended NFL mini-camps, but none were offered contracts. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/14/no-1-cfl-draft-pick-receiver-mark-chapman-not-offered-contract-new-york-giants/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/15/no-contract-offers-for-canadian-players-invited-to-nfl-rookie-mini-camps/#comments ***** New Orleans has released Adam Bighill. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/14/former-cfl-standout-lb-adam-bighill-released-by-saints/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/14/bighill-released-nfls-saints/ ***** The Bombers have released Matt Coates. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/14/bombers-release-canadian-receiver-matt-coates/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/14/bombers-release-coates-sign-three-draft-picks/ ***** Mathieu Girard will come out of retirement to return to the Ticats. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/14/mathieu-girards-surprise-return-big-boost-ticats-offensive-line/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/14/ticats-girard-comes-retirement/ ***** Nik Lewis has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/15/nik-lewis-on-retirement-decision-ive-come-to-terms-with-it/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/14/alouettes-veterans-chip-cox-and-nik-lewis-considering-retirement/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/15/nik-lewis-trolling-us-hanging-em/ ***** Frank Beltre has signed with the Argos. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/15/argos-sign-former-stampeders-dl-frank-beltre/#comments ***** The Argos have released Jeff Mathews. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/16/argos-release-former-ticats-qb-jeff-mathews/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/15/argos-release-quarterback-jeff-mathews/ ***** Simeon Rottier has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/16/eskimos-ol-simeon-rottier-retires-least-now/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/16/rottier-retires-six-seasons-esks/ ***** Ottawa camp preview http://3downnation.com/2018/05/16/redblacks-training-camp-primer-battles-every-position/#comments ***** Hamilton camp schedule http://3downnation.com/2018/05/16/ticats-release-training-camp-schedule/#comments ***** 5/16 checking down https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/16/checking-latest-rookies-qbs-report/

Alan Hall's Ratatet Addresses Current Turmoil in American Society with "Heroes, Saints and Clowns," Set for Release June 22 on Ridgeway Records Follow-Up to "Arctic," Critically Acclaimed 2016 Debut by San Francisco Bay Area Drummer/Composer & His Sextet CD Release Show with Ratatet Octet At Hillside Club, Berkeley, Saturday, July 7, To Feature Exhibit of Paintings & Photography by Hall May 16, 2018 San Francisco Bay Area drummer, composer, and bandleader Alan Hallturned to music when he found himself in the midst of what he describes as "some of the greatest turmoil our country has ever experienced." In order to cope, he penned the sonic vignettes heard on his new CD Heroes, Saints and Clowns,set for June 22 release on Ridgeway Records. Performed by his genre-bending sextet Ratatet, which was formed in 2014 and made its recording debut in 2016 with the critically acclaimed album Arctic, the seven musical portraits reflect people who inspired, empowered, or infuriated him during today's unsettling times. "It's just impossible to escape what's going on these days," says Hall, a native of San Jose and one of the West Coast's premier drummers and music educators. "This music is informed by what I see in the news, the violence, the police, the politics. At the same time, we have to keep our chins up. I'm also looking at personal heroes, people who help me stay positive." Heroes, Saints and Clowns brings together an impressive set of improvisers, including Paul Hanson on tenor sax and bassoon (acoustic and with effects); Jeff Denson on double bass and five-string fretless electric bass; trombonist John Gove; Dillon Vado on vibraphone and percussion; and Greg Sankovich on piano, organ, and keyboards. They're joined on several tracks by Oregon's Paul McCandless on English horn and oboe, and cellist Joseph Hebert. L. to r.: Dillon Vado, Jeff Denson, Paul Hanson, Alan Hall, John Gove, Greg Sankovich. Together they use an electro-acoustic sonic palette to interpret a program of improvised and through-composed music ranging from the satirical to the sublime, from the serene to the disruptive. Hall, who blurs boundaries between composition and improvisation, uses his ensemble as a brush to paint musical portraits ranging from chamber jazz and tone poems to pieces with the moodiness of Mingus, the zaniness of Zappa, and the serialism of Stravinsky. That Hall's compositions lend themselves to being described in terms usually applied to the visual arts is not surprising given that he is a master of both the drum brush and the paint brush. Initially inspired by an exhibition of Alexander Calder sculptures he saw at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Hall has become an accomplished visual artist who creates work under the name A. Miguel Hall. He uses individual and mixed media as well as digital abstract photography (the cover to Heroes, Saints and Clowns is one of his works). Hall honors the American abstract painter Agnes Martin with the through-composed piece named for her that closes the new album. "It seems that, at any given time, one art form or the other -- visual or musical -- will demand expression, and the other must wait," says Hall. "I can't seem to be fully engaged with both simultaneously, which suggests they're both drawing on the same source, whatever that may be. This is very interesting to me, but my goal is to have both fully activated at the same time." Born (1958) and raised in San Jose, California, Alan Hall stood out early on as a precociously talented drummer. His band director at John Muir Middle School, Tony Nigro, started hiring Hall for gigs before he started high school. Part of a brilliant wave at Berklee College of Music in the late 1970s, Hall ended up teaching at the school from 1986 to 1993. A significant influence on Hall's development as a musician was his two-year course of study (1983-1985) with drummer Alan Dawson, himself a longtime member of the Berklee faculty. While Dawson had left Berklee before Hall matriculated there, the younger drummer received tremendous guidance from Dawson not only in the area of jazz drumming but in the school of life as well. "One thing about Alan was his devotion to the seriousness of the craft," Hall shared in a 2016 interview with former student and fellow Bay Area drummer Niels Myrner. "His project was refining his craft to the highest level. That standard of excellence had a very strong impression on me." Moving back to California, he settled in the East Bay and started playing with Dave Eshelman's Jazz Garden Big Band, which quickly established him as a first-call accompanist. Collaborating with veteran touring masters like Art Lande, Paul McCandless, and Rebecca Paris and younger stars such as Geoffrey Keezer and Ed Simon, Hall has provided the rhythmic foundation for more than a dozen leading ensembles over the past 25 years. A dedicated educator, he continues to teach at Cal State University East Bay, the Monterey Jazz Festival's Summer Jazz Camp, the California Jazz Conservatory, and Jazz Camp West, as well as seeing private students. Hall is thinking bigger and smaller with Ratatet, breaking out smaller lineups for particular pieces and adding new instrumentalists for others. He recently submitted a piece to NPR's Tiny Desk contest which featured an octet with an acoustic guitarist and cellist added to the lineup. "There is so much more to explore with this group!" he says. The Ratatet Octet -- the same band featured on Hall's Tiny Desk video -- will be performing a CD release show at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley, on Saturday 7/7, 8:00 pm. A selection of paintings and photography by Hall will be exhibited and for sale during the concert. The Ratatet Sextet (with Sheldon Brown subbing for John Gove) is scheduled to play the San Jose Jazz Festival, Sunday 8/12 at 4pm, on the Gordon Biersch Stage. Photography: Lincoln Adler (band), David Belove (Alan Hall) "Demographic Shift," from "Heroes, Saints and Clowns" Web Sites: jazzdrumming.com / ratatet.com Like: Bandcamp: alanhallandratatet.bandcamp.com/releases

I am reminded of the fact that when Monk joined Riverside, OK had him record two albums of standards before moving on to his own compositions.

Here's a surprise. Andrew Buckley has retired. He is going to go to med school. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/07/stamps-shocker-canadian-quarterback-andrew-buckley-retires/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/07/stamps-qb-andrew-buckley-sacrifices-one-dream-pursue-another/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/07/stamps-andrew-buckley-announces-retirement/ ***** Victor Butler has retired. This may be a contract renegotiation strategy. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/07/accusing-argos-holding-hostage-victor-butler-files-retirement-papers/#comments ***** This year's Vanier Cup will be played in Quebec City. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/07/attendance-sagging-usports-moves-vanier-cup-back-laval/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/07/vanier-cup-return-laval-2018-2019/ ***** Bo Lokombo has signed with BC. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/07/lions-bring-back-canadian-lb-bo-lokombo/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/07/lions-bring-back-national-lb-bo-lokombo/ ***** The Riders will enshrine Jim Hopson and John Terry into their Plaza of Honour. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/08/davis-hopson-terry-worthy-inductees-riders-plaza-honour/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/08/terry-hopson-latest-additions-riders-plaza-honour/ ***** Edmonton's 2017 profit was only $430,000. due to injuries. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/09/injuries-take-toll-eskimos-bottom-line/#comments ***** Kevin Elliott has signed with BC. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/09/lions-sign-receiver-kevin-elliott-pays-way-b-c-mini-camp/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/09/kevin-elliott-among-five-receivers-signed-lions/ ***** Alan-Michael Cash has signed with the Als. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/09/alouettes-repatriate-dl-alan-michael-cash/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/10/als-re-invest-veteran-dt-alan-michael-cash/ ***** Rich Stubler will be the Als' DC. Kahlil Carter will become a scout. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/10/kahlil-carter-steps-alouettes-defensive-coordinator-personal-reasons/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/10/kahlil-carter-stepped-defensive-coordinator-alouettes/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/10/kahlil-carter-steps-als-d-coordinator-stubler-take/ ***** Travon Van has signed with BC. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/10/lions-sign-former-eskimos-redblacks-rb-travon-van/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/10/lions-sign-free-agent-rb-travon-van/ ***** 2016 Hec Crighton winner Noah Picton has signed with the Argos. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/10/argos-sign-canadian-qb-noah-picton/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/10/canadian-qb-noah-picton-going-to-learn-from-a-room-full-of-greats-with-argos/#comments ***** Here's another big surprise. Darian Durant has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/11/darian-durant-announced-retirement/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/11/bombers-say-blindsided-durants-decision/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/11/bombers-paid-durant-70k-bonuses-want-back-reports/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/11/davis-end-darian-durant-proved-doubters-wrong/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/11/3down-podcast-darian-calls-quits-reaction-mega-news-week/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/12/darian-durant-quit-riders-2016-report/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/11/veteran-qb-darian-durant-announces-retirement/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/11/bombers-extremely-disappointing-durant-retirement/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/11/numbers-show-durant-exits-no-shortage-milestones/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/11/highlights-a-darian-durant-retrospective/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/11/oleary-durant-anywhere-regina-never-comfortable-4/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/12/green-colour-nye-durants-legacy-riderville/ ***** J'Michael Deane has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/11/canadian-ol-jmichael-deane-retires/#comments ***** Here is a recap of the Redblacks' off-season. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/12/recapping-ottawa-redblacks-off-season/#comments ***** Joe Scannella has died. RIP. I met him at the '78 Grey Cup. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/08/former-alouettes-head-coach-joe-scannella-dies-age-89/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/08/cfl-alouettes-mourn-loss-former-coach-joe-scannella/ ***** Chris Milo will be a scout for the Eskimos this year. https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/08/esks-add-milo-homer-scouting-staff/ ***** 5/9 checking down https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/09/checking-tolivers-return-job-opening-calgary/ ***** The league is releasing day-by-day the names of the players voted by their peers as the "Best in the League." Clutch - Ricky Ray https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/04/best-in-the-league-2018-clutch/ Physical Defender - Kyries Hebert https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/07/best-in-the-league-2018-physical-defender/ Toughest - Mike Reilly https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/11/best-in-the-league-2018-toughest/

The Ticats are placing Joe Montford on their Wall of Honour. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/19/ticats-to-enshrine-joe-montford-on-wall-of-honour/#comments ***** The Ticats do not plan to re-sign Andy Fantuz. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/24/ticats-dont-plan-re-signing-andy-fantuz/#comments ***** The 2019 Grey Cup game will be held in Calgary. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/25/official-calgary-to-host-2019-grey-cup/#comments ***** Damon Allen has been named to the Canada Hall of Fame. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/26/cfl-legend-damon-allen-named-to-canada-sports-hall-of-fame/#comments ***** Here is a list of every Canadian drafted by the NFL since the AFL merger. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/26/every-canadian-selected-in-the-nfl-draft/#comments ***** Sask has released TJ Thorpe. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/27/riders-release-receiver-t-j-thorpe-six-others/#comments ***** Here is a list of Canadians trying out for NFL teams. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/28/canadian-nfl-undrafted-free-agent-rookie-mini-camp-tracker/#comments ***** The New York Jets have waived Micah Awe. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/29/former-lions-lb-micah-awe-waived-by-new-york-jets/#comments ***** Philadelphia has waived Elie Bouka. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/former-riders-db-elie-bouka-waivedinjured-by-philadelphia-eagles/#comments ***** San Francisco has waived Dexter McCoil. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/former-eskimos-defender-dexter-mccoil-waived-by-san-francisco-49ers/#comments ***** San Francisco has waived Bo Lokombo. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/49ers-waive-canadian-lb-bo-lokombo/#comments ***** The Argos have released Jeff Fuller and Alan-Michael Cash. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/argos-release-rec-jeff-fuller-six-others/#comments ***** Roy Finch has some legal problems in Oklahoma; so the Stampeders have placed him on the retired list. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/dramatic-arrest-last-month-stampeders-place-roy-finch-retired-list/#comments ***** Jerrell Freeman has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/former-riders-lb-jerrell-freeman-retires-from-pro-football/#comments ***** Rory Kohlert has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/canadian-receiver-rory-kohlert-calls-it-a-career-after-six-cfl-seasons/#comments

If you click on the band's website URL at the bottom of the above press release, you will find that the website's home page gives you the opportunity to listen to two tracks from the album. I recommend that you do that. I like all of the songs on the album (except one, which is too weird for me).

And here are some post-draft analyses. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/chapman-goes-no-1-first-round-cfl-draft-full-offensive-lineman/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/ticats-get-man-no-1-shore-offensive-line-bomben-trade/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/offensive-lineman-dominate-2018-cfl-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/top-draft-pick-godber-likes-look-lions/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/nine-cfl-draft-classes-ranked/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/chris-jones-draft-strategy-now-crystal-clear/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/bombers-pick-simonise-thankful-get-second-chance-pro-football-career-bombers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/green-cast-draft-mini-camp-music/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/05/ticats-draft-picks-fit-overall-plan/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/05/breaking-redblacks-draft-desjardins-sticks-script/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/canadian-qb-noah-picton-free-to-sign-anywhere/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/04/former-hec-crighton-winner-picton-goes-undrafted/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/05/lions-use-draft-continue-makeover-trenches/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/05/bombers-intrigued-draft-pick-rashaun-simonise/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/04/walters-bombers-receiving-corps-in-great-position-after-draft/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/04/touchdowns-value-picks-question-marks-draft/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/04/sunderland-elated-with-onyeka-pick/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/04/desjardins-offensive-line-depth-the-focus-of-redblacks-draft-2/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/04/oday-even-with-few-picks-riders-pleased-with-draft-outcome/ ***** Some of those picked will try the NFL first. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/riders-first-round-pick-ol-dakoda-shepley-received-substantial-jets-signing-bonus/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/05/lions-draft-pick-fb-david-mackie-accepts-invite-giants-rookie-mini-camp/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/06/canadian-nathan-shepherd-set-make-impact-nfls-jets/#comments

And now hot off the press, here is one man's grading of each team's draft, with the second link providing the analysis. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/04/every-draft-selection-graded-team/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/cfl-draft-live-grading-picks-happen/

The draft begins tonight at 8 pm eastern. You can follow it live here: https://www.cfl.ca/draft-tracker/2018/ ***** Here are more draft previews. http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/game-changer-auburn-receiver-pete-berryman-late-add-cfl-draft/#comments http://www.3downnation.com/2018/05/02/the-son-of-a-marine-mark-chapman-ready-for-pro-football-deployment/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/cfl-draft-preview-riders-need-better/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/b-c-lions-trade-sacrifice-2019-first-rounder-deal-bombers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/ticats-acquire-eskimos-first-round-pick-2018-cfl-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/cfl-draft-offers-receiver-mark-chapman-another-path-pro-football-career/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/ticats-ol-ryan-bomben-traded-to-the-alouettes/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/02/edwards-bomben-deal-nets-top-pick-creates-big-hole-ticats-offensive-line/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/whos-talking-to-who-cfl-prospects-and-teams-that-interviewed-them/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/alouettes-get-rights-to-nfl-qb-alex-tanney-in-no-1-draft-pick-deal-with-ticats/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/cfl-draft-analysis-eskimos-set-build-already-solid-foundation/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/canadian-quarterback-late-addition-cfl-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/cfl-draft-preview-live-chat-justin-dunk-drew-edwards/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/cfl-draft-analysis-b-c-lions-need-depth-big-way/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/cfl-draft-analysis-stamps-know-done/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/03/ticats-set-take-receiver-mark-chapman-first-overall-cfl-draft/#comments

The draft will be Thursday, so here are some previews. https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/01/ferguson-will-signings-south-impact-thursday/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/01/forde-ferguson-weigh-2018-cfl-draft/ http://3downnation.com/2018/04/30/draft-preview-assessing-ticats-canadian-talent/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/30/top-5-cfl-prospects-from-the-canada-west-conference/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/30/teams-inquired-alouettes-first-overall-pick-cfl-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/30/draft-preview-examining-redblacks-drafting-history-predict-future/#comments http://www.3downnation.com/2018/04/30/draft-preview-alouettes-talent-little-depth/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/cfl-draft-preview-grey-cup-win-means-argonauts-pick-last/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/cfl-draft-preview-bombers-position-strength/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/23/alouettes-narrow-list-of-players-in-play-with-no-1-pick/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/26/krown-countdown-u-radio-cfl-draft-preview-edition/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/05/01/3downnation-podcast-cfl-draft-comes-focus-much-possible/#comments ***** Teams held their mini-camps last week, so here are some observations. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/23/ticats-mini-camp-different-june-jones-just-like-everything-else/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/23/two-big-questions-riders-mini-camp-opens/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/24/receiver-kevin-elliott-going-to-lions-mini-camp-on-his-own-dime/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/25/eight-things-learned-ticats-mini-camp/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/25/chris-jones-makes-his-feelings-on-the-riders-qb-competition-crystal-clear/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/25/redblacks-qb-trevor-harris-prepares-2018-new-mindset-regime/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/25/ticats-latest-chapter-tales-june-jerry/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/25/ullrich-b-c-lions-take-low-key-approach-big-off-season-opportunity/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/26/bombers-leggett-credits-fiancee-quick-recovery-torn-achilles/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/26/june-jones-influence-growing-within-ticats-organization/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/27/seven-players-stood-ticats-mini-camp/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/30/podskee-wee-wee-episode-106/#comments

Final 2018 Scouting Bureau rankings http://3downnation.com/2018/04/12/final-2018-cfl-scouting-bureau-rankings/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/21/who-dropped-off-the-cfl-scouting-bureau-and-why/#comments ***** BC cut Alex Ross and DeQuin Evans. Ross quickly signed with Winnipeg. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/12/lions-release-qb-alex-ross-dequin-evans-sign-another-pivot/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/19/bombers-sign-former-lions-qb-alex-ross-one-pivot/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/19/familiarity-led-to-bombers-signing-qb-alex-ross/#comments ***** Kent Austin is out at Hamilton. He will remain on the payroll as a consultant. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/12/austin-ticats-go-collaborative-effort-front-office/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/13/3down-podcast-comings-goings-austin-henoc-johnny/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/13/ticats-players-wanted-austin-gone-came-back/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/15/kent-austins-ticats-legacy-complex-one/#comments ***** New Als coach Phil Sherman has another job! He is a head coach in something called the Your Call Football League. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/10/double-dip-alouettes-mike-sherman-coaching-team-call-football-league/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/17/alouettes-gm-sees-benefits-for-mike-sherman-double-dipping/#comments ***** John Salavantis will not be the Ticats' radio analyst this year, after 18 years. He will instead work on the pre-game show. Mike Morreale will be the new analyst. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/17/coach-sal-ready-new-role-ticats-radio-broadcasts/#comments ***** Now it can be told: Bo Levi Mitchell hurt his shoulder in Game 5 last year. It still hurts. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/18/bo-levi-mitchell-avoids-the-knife-while-rehabbing-shoulder/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/19/3downnation-podcast-finchs-arrest-bos-shoulder-bombers-profit-trents-a-fa/#comments ***** Winnipeg enjoyed a C$5.1 million profit last year. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/19/blue-bombers-profits-jump-5-1-million-2017/#comments ***** Every team came in under the salary cap last year. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/20/all-cfl-teams-come-in-under-the-salary-cap-during-2017-season/#comments ***** Ejiro Kuale, age 34, who last played in 2013, attended the Riders' Florida free agent camp! http://3downnation.com/2018/04/22/blast-from-the-past-two-time-grey-cup-champion-lb-ejiro-kuale-attends-riders-free-agent-camp/#comments ***** Pierre Lavertu has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/23/former-no-1-pick-stamps-ol-pierre-lavertu-retires/#comments ***** The Riders cut Peter Dyakowski, Jeff Hecht and two others. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/24/riders-release-four-players-including-canadian-ol-peter-dyakowski/#comments

Edmonton has released Marcell Young, who missed much of last year due to injury. Young then quickly signed with BC. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/28/eskimos-release-db-marcell-young/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/11/lions-sign-former-eskimos-and-ticats-db-marcell-young/#comments ***** James Stanley has joined the Bomber staff as a defensive coach. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/02/bombers-add-former-ticats-coach-staff/#comments ***** Ottawa has released Kenny Shaw, Quincy McDuffie and Josh Stangby. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/03/redblacks-release-receiver-kenny-shaw/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/03/redblacks-release-quincy-mcduffie-and-josh-stangby/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/03/redblacks-releases-create-cap-space-questions/#comments ***** Brett Maher is set to sign with Dallas. So the Redblacks have signed both Sergio Castillo and Richie Leone. Also Brandon Stewart. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/04/former-redblacks-ticats-kicker-brett-maher-sign-cowboys-report/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/09/redblacks-sign-another-kicker-add-sergio-castillo/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/09/redblacks-sign-former-lions-kickerpunter-richie-leone/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/10/redblacks-make-kicker-signings-official-add-veteran-db-brandon-stewart/#comments ***** Jeff Hunt will step down as President of the Redblacks at the end of this season. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/10/jeff-hunt-stepping-president-redblacks/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/11/hunts-decision-step-testament-redblacks-health/#comments ***** Calgary's Deron Mayo has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/10/injuries-force-stampeders-linebacker-deron-mayo-retire/#comments ***** Henoc Muamba has signed with Montreal. http://3downnation.com/2018/04/12/alouetttes-sign-canadian-linebacker-henoc-muamba/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/12/henoc-muamba-deal-means-alouettes/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/04/12/henoc-muamba-believes-the-future-is-bright-for-the-alouettes/#comments

RIP. I enjoyed an album of his on LaserLight from 1990. I'll go see if I can find it. https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Neville-Diversity/dp/B000001VNN/

Highly recommended to the members of the Blue Note forum. This is hard bop with a lot of energy and youth.

The Zombies - Zombie Heaven - $34.05 https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Heaven-Zombies/dp/B0000004E0 This is Amazon's lowest-ever price, but IMO is still too high because half of it is alternate takes, etc.

You car guys would know better than me: 1) Didn't the discontinuation of classes signal the beginning of the end of both AMC and Studebaker? 2) Are the crossovers higher off the ground more likely to roll over?

Ford will concentrate on SUVs and trucks for the US. https://www.bing.com/search?q=Ford+US+sedans&filters=tnTID%3a"4D1CFC31-9EAE-463f-812C-23B669DA37B9"+tnVersion%3a"2445564"+segment%3a"popularnow.carousel"+tnCol%3a"32"+tnOrder%3a"327b3406-7741-4d8f-8312-ba472ff9d8d5"&FORM=BSPN01&crslsl=4332&efirst=27

My experience last night was that the phone did indeed believe that I wanted to charge its battery. I couldn't do anything until that was finished.

Vocalist Tiffany Austin Celebrates the Resilient Spirit of African-American Culture On Her Sophomore Recording "Unbroken," Set for June 1 Release on Con Alma Music All-Star Rhythm Section of Pianist Cyrus Chestnut, Bassist Rodney Whitaker, & Drummer Carl Allen Backs Versatile San Francisco Bay Area-Based Singer On Album Honoring Depth & Diversity of Her Rich Musical Heritage CD Release Shows Set for June 7 Birdland, NYC; June 29 Campbell Hall, Stanford Jazz Festival; July 5 Kuumbwa, Santa Cruz; August 11 SFJAZZ, San Francisco April 18 , 2018 With the June 1st release of Unbroken, on her Con Alma Music imprint, Tiffany Austinfurther solidifies her standing as one of the leading vocalists on the current international jazz scene. Austin was propelled onto the national stage in 2016 when her debut recording, Nothing But Soul, received rave reviews from media outlets such as DownBeat and NPR's Fresh Air as well as airplay on jazz radio stations across the U.S. With her sophomore CD Unbroken, Austin has raised her artistry to a higher level both conceptually and musically. Her silky smooth voice has gained an earthy smokiness and a gravitas ideally suited to expressing her broadening, deepening artistic vision. Unbroken is a soul-steeped affirmation embracing the blues and swing, spirituals and R&B, bebop, post-bop, and Austin's Louisiana Creole heritage. "I've experienced multiple instances of people trying to separate blues from jazz," Austin says. "How can you divide the music that comes from the same diaspora, the same spirit? The idea behind this album is that the African-American spirit remains unbroken. After all of the things we go through we're still here, joyfully creating great art and great music." Produced by the Grammy Award-winning jazz advocate Richard Seidel and arranged by trombonist Mitch Butler, the music on Unbroken is impeccably executed by the rhythm section of pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Carl Allen as well as Butler, veteran tenor saxophonist Teodross Avery, and the formidable young trumpeter Ashlin Parker. In addition to four originals, Austin penned lyrics for the arrangements of Charles Mingus's "Better Git It in Your Soul" and Ornette Coleman's "The Blessing." The multi-generational band mirrors Unbroken's repertoire, which touches on several eras of African-American history. The album opens with two Austin compositions that speak to the vicious response that has sometimes met black accomplishment -- "Blues Creole" evokes the pioneering Louisiana Creole accordionist Amédé Ardoin, and the searing "Greenwood" connects Watts and Ferguson to the 1921 pogrom that wiped out Tulsa, Oklahoma's prosperous "Black Wall Street" neighborhood. As if in direct response to these tales of oppression, Austin answers with a rollicking version of the old gospel song "Ain't No Grave," which builds to a glorious sanctified scat solo. She embraces the transformative power of love with a sumptuous "You Must Believe in Spring" and offers an object lesson in gratitude with her lyric for Ornette's early free bop invocation. Soaring to the heavens on Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free," Austin also summons the spirit with a wordless sojourn through Coltrane's "Resolution," scatting his entire solo note for note. Unbroken closes with righteous marching orders by way of a riveting duet with Whitaker on the civil rights anthem "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize." The song provides the key to Austin's overarching argument, that whether the source is Sunday morning worship, Saturday night revelry, or an afternoon protest, African-American music is animated by a liberating imperative. "Freedom songs aren't only about freedom from an oppressor," she says. "It's about living your life soulfully. We must live with soulful connection to ourselves and our history." Born and raised in South Los Angeles, Tiffany Austin grew up in a house filled with music. Her parents listened to soul and pop masters like Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, while her Louisiana Creole grandmother introduced her to jazz. Austin graduated from the prestigious Los Angeles High School of the Arts and then attended Cal State Northridge where she majored in creative writing, while studying classical voice. After graduating in 2004, Austin set out for Tokyo with the plan that she'd look for work as a singer and spend a year in Japan. After finding regular work as an R&B chanteuse, Austin ended up staying in Tokyo through 2009 and only returned because UC Berkeley's School of Law made her a scholarship offer she couldn't refuse. Austin submerged herself in law school and left music behind but after her first year realized she desperately needed a musical outlet and began performing with bassist, composer, and bandleader Marcus Shelby on numerous projects, including the title role in Harriet's Spirit, an opera about Harriet Tubman. (She went on to earn her J.D.) With a series of prestigious gigs and residencies, Austin quickly gained attention as the most exciting new vocalist in the region. Now, with Unbroken, Austin makes it clear that she's far more than a beautiful voice. Claiming her cultural birthright, she's an artist drawing nourishment from all of jazz's roots. Tiffany Austin has planned a series of CD release concerts on the West Coast and in New York City: 6/7 Birdland, NYC; 6/29 Stanford Jazz Festival; 7/5 Kuumbwa, Santa Cruz; 8/11SFJAZZ, San Francisco. At all but the Stanford date, Austin's septet will feature special guest Carl Allen; Cyrus Chestnut will be with Tiffany at Birdland. Photography: Bill Reitzel Tiffany Austin "Unbroken" EPK Web Site: tiffanyaustin.com

ECM Marc Sinan and Oğuz Büyükberber White Marc Sinan: guitar Oğuz Büyükberber: clarinet, bass clarinet Release date: May 18, 2018 ECM 2558 UPC: 6025 671 7054 9 Marc Sinan’s third ECM release is an evocative duo album with Oğuz Büyükberber which subtly covers a lot of ground. The German-Turkish-Armenian guitarist and the Turkish clarinetist have worked together in many contexts since meeting in Istanbul in 2009 and Büyükberber previously appeared on Hasretim: Journey to Anatolia, released in 2013. The individual musical directions of the two players have effectively converged from opposite poles: Marc was trained as a classical guitarist in the western European tradition, but has increasingly been drawn to improvisation and Turkish material, while Oğuz grew up surrounded by Turkish music, and was originally self-taught before heading for the Amsterdam Conservatory, subsequently making his way as both improviser and composer. For White, recorded in Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in October 2016 and produced by Manfred Eicher, both musicians provide new music. Sinan’s five-part “Upon Nothingness” includes his musical response to recordings of songs of Armenian prisoners deported to Germany during the First World War. These historic field recordings are woven into the fabric of Sinan’s pieces, which also make liberal use of electronics, blurring the distinction, as he puts it, “between the real and the surreal”. Oğuz Büyükberber also contributes a series of linked pieces, “There, I-V”, which incorporate completely written areas, guided improvisation and free playing. Sinan and Büyükberber met shortly after the release of Marc’s Fasil album with Julia Hülsmann in 2009, introduced to each other’s music via ECM’s Turkish distributor, Tansu Özyurt. Marc: “Tansu suggested I might like Oğuz’s work, and I did, a lot. His musical approach is both very abstract and very tasteful. So, when I was living in Istanbul for three months in 2012 and had a chance to invite a few musicians for a concert for the Goethe Institute, I contacted him.” That first concert, with Marc, Oğuz and ney player Burcu Karadağ, was based around Sinan’s fragmentation of material by Dimitrie Cantemir, the poet and pioneer in the notating of Ottoman music. Büyükberber continued working with Sinan in contexts including the radio play/audio piece Oksus which Marc describes as “a musical road trip through Uzbekistan”, and the “docufictional” music theater piece Komitas, about the Armenian genocide, which premiered at Berlin’s Gorki theater in April 2015. The field recordings heard now on White were deployed also in the Komitas project. Marc Sinan: “The songs all have a revolutionary background or atmosphere as well as a brokenness that you can sense when you listen to the original recordings. I’m responding to the musical content and the emotional expression in the songs, making audible what they make me feel and sharing my own perception of them by putting them at the core of my compositions.” Authorship of “Upon Nothingness, White” is co-credited to both musicians. Sinan: “It’s basically a solo composition for guitar written by Oğuz and which I changed so much that we now consider it our linking mutual composition. So, it’s also a gesture, recognising that we are very symbiotic as a duo. As the collaboration has developed we’ve become close friends and have an enormous amount of trust in each other’s musical decisions which is, I think, reflected in the way we play together.” Marc Sinan also acknowledges Büyükberber’s influence in the area of electronics: “The guitar is manipulated most of the time on this recording, and that’s not always audible. What interests me mostly is dissolving the clarity of what is real and what is virtual. This is something I’ve been developing since working with Oğuz, though he has gone much further than me in this regard. He also has a second life as a performer of modular synthesizer, which has become part of our recent concerts.” Oğuz Büyükberber was playing electronics – inspired by Ligeti, Varese, Messiaen and Stockhausen (“all the old masters”) - before he became a clarinet player and never really stopped, as he says. “I’ve been using live electronics in performance for close to 20 years, and often use it also to expand my palette as a clarinettist – although in my own compositions on White I’m playing acoustically.” Jazz has also been a major inspirational force in his life. In the early 1990s he worked as “simultaneous translator and tour manager” for artists including Cecil Taylor, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach and Steve Lacy. “These masterful musicians shaped the foundation of my perception of music performance in general, whether we call it jazz or not. I’m totally in love with that tradition.” While acknowledging the formative influence of Eric Dolphy as “inevitable” for a bass clarinet player, he also says he has not felt called to be a “flag carrier for jazz or any other genre.” Nonetheless his most recent recording under his own name features deconstructions of Thelonious Monk (Off Monk on the Kabak & Lin label), and some frequent musical partners have included Simon Nabatov, Jim Black and Gerry Hemingway. For a few years Oğuz worked as an assistant to conductor-composer-trumpeter Butch Morris and recalls with pleasure mediating between Morris’s ensemble and a Turkish Sufi group, an experience that could be seen to prefigure some of Marc Sinan’s experiments between the idioms. “I’ve also worked a lot with Greek musicians and players from all over the Balkans. And I’ve been fascinated and influenced by the overlapping musical traditions across the huge geographical area that stretches from Hungary to Iran.” Concerts with Marc Sinan and Oğuz Büyükberber are currently in preparation. For further information visit their web sites: www.marcsinan.com and www.oguzbuyukberber.com ECM Marc Sinan / Oğuz Büyükberber - White Marc Sinan: guitar, electronics; Oğuz Büyükberber: clarinet, bass clarinet Marc Sinan's third ECM release is an evocative duo album with Oğuz Büyükberber which subtly covers a lot of ground. The guitarist and the clarinetist have worked together in many contexts since first meeting in Istanbul in 2009, and Büyükberber previously appeared on Hasretim: Journey to Anatolia, released in 2013, as well as in Sinan's music-theatre piece Komitas. The individual musical directions of the two players have effectively converged from opposite poles: Marc was trained as a classical guitarist in the western European tradition, but has increasingly been drawn to improvisation and Turkish material, while Oğuz grew up surrounded by Turkish music, and was originally self-taught before heading for the Amsterdam Conservatory, subsequently making his way as both improviser and composer. For White, both musicians provide new music. Sinan's five-part "Upon Nothingness" includes his musical response to recordings of songs of Armenian prisoners deported to Germany during the First World War. These historic field recordings are woven into the fabric of Sinan's pieces, which also make liberal use of electronics, blurring the distinction between the real and the surreal. Oğuz Büyükberber also contributes a series of linked pieces, "There, I-V", which incorporate completely written areas, guided improvisation and free playing. White was recorded in Oslo's Rainbow Studio in October 2016 and produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM Ketil Bjørnstad - A Suite of Poems release date: May 18, 2018 Anneli Drecker: voice; Ketil Bjørnstad: piano Norwegian-Danish author Lars Saabye Christensen is one of Scandinavia's most widely-praised and prolific contemporary writers. For many years now, in the course of his travels around the globe, he has been sending "hotel poems" to his friend Ketil Bjørnstad, inviting him to make music out of them. These literary postcards explore a range of moods. Bjørnstad says: "I feel very connected to the lonely, existential perspective of these poems, made in different hotel rooms." For this recording, Ketil worked closely with singer and actress Anneli Drecker, former lead vocalist of pop group Bel Canto. Settings of poetry and other texts form a special category in Norwegian pianist-composer Bjørnstad's discography and A Suite of Poems is a song cycle to put alongside such projects as A Passion for John Donne, Sunrise, and The Light. ECM Ketil Bjørnstad A Suite of Poems Anneli Drecker: voice Ketil Bjørnstad: piano Poems by Lars Saabye Christensen Release date: May 18, 2018 ECM 2440 UPC: 6025 672 8356 0 The sky rolls in from the sea Like blue timber I am almost awake, lost Between dreams and departures Time is not on my side - Lars Saabye Christensen Settings of poetry and other literary texts form a special category in the discography of Norwegian pianist-composer Ketil Bjørnstad and A Suite of Poems, recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in June 2016, is a song cycle to put alongside such projects as A Passion for John Donne, Sunrise, and The Light. Norwegian-Danish author Lars Saabye Christensen is one of Scandinavia’s most widely-praised contemporary writers. A prolific author, he published his first book, the poetry collection Historien om Gly in 1976, and won Norway’s Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris for best newcomer, to be followed in due course by many more literary awards. He has since written more than 40 books, novels and poetry primarily, as well as film scripts. Lars Saabye Christensen and Ketil Bjørnstad – both born in Oslo (Christensen in 1953, Bjørnstad a year earlier) have known each other since they were teenagers. For many years now, in the course of his travels around the globe, Christensen has been sending “hotel poems” to his friend Ketil Bjørnstad, inviting him to make music out of them. “I started writing music to his poems more than 20 years ago,” writes Ketil in his liner note for A Suite of Poems. “His ability to expose the inner conflicts we all bring with us in our suitcases is striking.” Christensen’s literary postcards explore a range of moods. Bjørnstad: “I feel very connected to the lonely, existential perspective of these poems, made in different hotel rooms.” For this recording, Ketil worked closely with singer and actress Anneli Drecker, vocalist of pop group Bel Canto. Ketil and Anneli are also friends of long-standing. Drecker had sung on Bjørnstad’s Grace album, with settings of John Donne, back in 2000, and toured with him. She too had taken to sending Ketil “poetic, sad, or funny” messages from far flung hotels when she was out touring the world with A-ha or Royskopp. “So what is the hidden secret of travelling, and living such a big part of our lives in hotel rooms?”, asks Ketil Bjørnstad. “In a certain sense, we are three of a kind, making this album together.” *** Ketil Bjørnstad, described by The Guardian as “a cultural prodigy”, trained initially as a classical pianist, transferring his allegiances to jazz after hearing Miles Davis and Terje Rypdal. Bjørnstad made his first recording, with a quartet that included Jon Christensen and Arild Andersen, in 1973. Another 20 years would pass before he came to ECM, with Water Stories, a collaboration with Rypdal and Christensen. Bjørnstad is also a bestselling and widely translated novelist, and although the composer long kept his two creative currents apart, in recent years there has been much more overt cross-fertilisation. A Passion for John Donne, released in 2014, is inspired by the great English Metaphysical poet who has fascinated the composer for decades. A previous song cycle of Donne settings featured on the album, The Light. The double CD Vinding’s Musictakes the listener into the heart of Bjørnstad’s literary world, and is a sort of “literary soundtrack” to his trilogy of novels about a young Norwegian pianist, Aksel Vinding. Anneli Drecker, born in 1969 in Tromsø first came to international attention in the 1980s as vocalist with Bel Canto, whose synthesizer driven pop music and ‘Arctic electronica’ dreamscapes proved highly influential in the period, and led to collaborations with musicians including Jah Wobble and Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, as well as many experimentally-inclined Norwegian players. In parallel, Drecker has had a successful career as an actor in Norway, appearing in numerous theater productions, as well as films and TV and also made several solo albums. Anneli Drecker has also set poetry to music, including verse of Arvid Handsen. CD booklet includes texts of all poems and an introductory note by Ketil Bjørnstad New album: J.S. Bach Suiten Für Violoncello “A deeply thought-out, very human, sometimes quirky set of performances that speak directly to the listener. Nothing feels as if it is played on autopilot, and the music never loses sight of its dance origins…” - Janet Banks,The Strad © *2018 ECM Records US, A Division of Verve Music Group. All rights reserved.

This is a good one. Most of the songs are light and breezy without being mediocre. The album reminds me of Manfredo Fest. Joe La Barbera contributes a great deal.

Depth & Scope of Flutist Andrea Brachfeld's Virtuosity as Instrumentalist & Composer Manifested on "If Not Now, When?," Set for May 18 Release By Jazzheads Records CD Features Brachfeld's Quartet Insight, With Bassist Harvie S, Drummer Jason Tiemann, & Pianist Bill O'Connell, Her Longtime Collaborator & Co-Composer/Co-Producer on the New CD CD Release Shows Set for May 18, Trumpets, Montclair, NJ June 18, Triad Theater, NYC April 24 , 2018 The "incredible clarity of purpose" flutist-composer Andrea Brachfeldgained after spending 2016 in deep introspection about her life and music generated the nine original compositions on her exhilarating new album If Not Now, When?, which is set for May 18 release by Jazzheads Records. The quartet outing, featuring the dynamic rhythm section of pianist, arranger, co-composer, and co-producer Bill O'Connell, a longtime collaborator, as well as bassist Harvie S and drummer Jason Tiemann, is an uncompromising manifestation of music Brachfeld recalls came to her on a cold day in January 2017. "It seems that music always chooses me, and I very politely acquiesce to its energy. This has been my journey throughout my life and If Not Now, When? is no exception," she explains. "Of all my projects, this recording is the closest yet to my heart. Every note felt good in my body." The album's song titles, which include "The Listening Song," "Creating Space," "The Silence," "Anima Mea," "Deeply I Live," and "Moving Forward," allude to the year Brachfeld spent on an inner journey meditating as opposed to composing, an experience that was clearly cathartic. "The way I composed all of the songs was like taking a huge block of marble and chopping away until I got the image inside the marble," she says. "It was about seeing what melodies came out and working on them until they felt right." A grant from Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for the CD -- "a wonderful affirmation" -- assured Brachfeld she was on the right path. "In the end," she says, "it's all about your voice, your journey to find your voice." Brachfeld's flute playing has what the late New York Times critic John S. Wilson described as a "vigorously dark, gutty quality." It's no wonder the first jazz flutist to turn her head was free jazz pioneer Eric Dolphy. In her music, that energy she described can pour out to bruising effect. "If you want to play jazz, you have to be able to get the articulation of Charlie Parker, to make the instrument sound like a trumpet or saxophone," says Brachfeld. "With a lot of flute players, I don't hear those articulations." Andrea Brachfeld was born May 3, 1954 in Utica, NY and raised in New York City. She began playing piano at age six and flute at 10. In 1969, she enrolled at the High School of Music & Art, and, at 16, got her first jazz gig, playing her own pieces with her quartet at an "All Night Soul" presentation at St. Peter's Church. She attended Saturday morning Jazzmobile workshops; Jimmy Heath was one of her flute instructors. She went on to study flute at the Manhattan School of Music, where her fellow students included Kenny Kirkland, Fred Hersch, and Angela Bofill. After connecting with the Charanga band Tipica New York, Brachfeld recorded with the legendary band Charanga '76, which catapulted her to fame as the first woman to play flute with a Charanga band in the United States. Brachfeld recorded her first album, Andrea (1978), with Tito Puente percussionist José Madera producing. A year later, she accepted an invitation to perform in Venezuela and ended up staying for two and a half years, during which time she led her own group, opening for such visiting luminaries as GaryBurton, Chick Corea, and Paco de Lucia. When she returned home to New York in 1981, she devoted herself to her family and attended graduate school, acquiring a Master's in education. For nearly 25 years, she taught ESL and bilingual education while maintaining a local profile as a musician. Then, in 1998, Brachfeld approached acclaimed jazz flutist (and former high school classmate) Dave Valentin with material she had written and asked if he wanted to record any of it. "His response was, 'I want you to record it.'" That she did, acting as her own producer on 2002's Latin-tinged Remembered Dreams (Spirit Nectar). Over the next decade and a half she would release a half dozen albums, eventually moving away from Latin music and back toward her first love, bebop. Andrea Brachfeld will be performing at the following venues (all dates with Insight -- Bill O'Connell, piano; Harvie S, bass; Jason Tiemann, drums -- except as indicated): 4/28 The Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY; 4/29 An Die Musik, Baltimore; 5/18 Trumpets, Montclair, NJ; 6/18 Triad Theater, NYC; 8/10 Pavillion Café, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (with Bill O'Connell, piano; Lincoln Goines, bass; Robby Ameen, drums); 8/25 Long Branch (NJ) Jazz & Blues Festival; 10/4-7 La Cote Flute Festival, Gland, Switzerland; 10/12 Flushing (NY) Town Hall. Photography: Maureen Plainfield Andrea Brachfeld EPK for "If Not Now, When?" Web Site: andreabrachfeld.com

Jim, I did that. The phone was not showing up as a device. Any idea why not?