GA Russell

Happy Birthday Jon!

Zombie Heaven - $25.00 + $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Heaven-Zombies/dp/B0000004E0

I never noticed Night Moves being at the theatres, but I saw it a few years later on TV and really enjoyed it. My thought at the time was, Why haven't I heard of this before?

ECM Dominic Miller Silent Light Dominic Miller: guitar, electric bass Miles Bould: percussion, drums U.S. Release date: April 7, 2017 ECM 2518 B0026373-02 UPC: 6025 572 8484 3 Born in Argentina to an American father and Irish mother, guitarist Dominic Miller was raised in the U.S. from age 10 and then educated there and in England. Now he lives in France, though he has toured the globe for the past three decades. Aptly, Silent Light – Miller’s ECM debut, featuring him solo and with percussion accompaniment – has a very international feel, with the Latin influence strong in such pieces as “Baden” (dedicated to Brazilian guitarist-composer Baden Powell). “Le Pont” has an early 20th-century Parisian air, while “Valium” evokes Celtic tunes in the vein of Bert Jansch and “Fields of Gold” is a hushed instrumental take on one of Sting’s best-known ballads. Miller has long been known as Sting’s right-hand man on guitar – and co-writer of the worldwide hit “Shape of My Heart,” among others. Miller has also worked with the likes of Paul Simon, The Chieftains and Plácido Domingo. The guitarist’s playing has prompted praise from Simon, who points out, in a liner note to the album, that Miller “has a beautiful touch, with a fragrance of jazz and English folk.” In his own booklet note, Miller recalls time spent talking music with Manfred Eicher, ECM’s founder and producer of Silent Light, about two of his key ECM influences: Egberto Gismonti and Pat Metheny, pointing to the appeal of the former’s “raw” approach blended with “classical overtones” and the more “groove-oriented” vibe of the latter with his music’s “Americana feel.” The tracks “Angel” and “Tisane” on Silent Light hint at Metheny’s big-sky acoustic manner, while the guitar-plus-percussion numbers reflect the inspiration of the Duas Vozes LP Gismonti made with Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, who passed away just as Miller was rehearsing for Silent Light with his percussionist and lifelong friend, Miles Bould. For such pieces as the syncopated “Baden,” pensive opener “What You Didn’t Say,” atmospheric “Water” and “En Passant,” named after a chess move, Bould complements Miller’s guitar with subtle textural and rhythmic touches. Working alongside Eicher, Miller and Bould recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway, with the recordings done mostly live on the floor, with no overdubs. “Chaos Theory,” the one Silent Light track featuring overdubs (a second guitar and electric bass, both by Miller), sees Bould behind the drum kit. They “have fun with the beat in much the same way as the Brazilian band Azymuth might do,” Miller explains. Elsewhere, the solo guitar music is mostly hushed and intimate, as with “Urban Waltz” (which has an Antonio Lauro-like Venezuelan lilt) and Anglo-folk-accented “Valium,” as well as “Angel,” “Tisane,” “Le Pont” and Sting’s “Fields of Gold.” Having worked with Sting since the singer’s 1991 Soul Cages album, Miller has been inspired by his songwriting. “I’m strongly influenced by his lateral sense of harmony and how he forms songs,” the guitarist says. “I try to do the same by creating a narrative with instrumental music, which I treat and arrange as songs, with verses, choruses, bridges.” When not playing guitar in the studio and on tour with Sting and a vast spectrum of other pop artists, Miller has made a series of free-minded instrumental albums, collaborating with jazz players and folk musicians from such far-flung traditions as those of Wales, Morocco and Cuba. In talking about other influences on his instrumental music, Miller ranges from J.S. Bach (“the only music I practice”) to Debussy, Satie, Poulenc and Villa-Lobos, as well as pointing to English folk guitarists such as Jansch and Dick Gaughan and the folkloric music he heard during his youth in Latin America. He also refers to American R&B and English progressive rock as early motivators, not to mention the tradition of French chanson “that has gotten under my skin” over the past decade living in Provence. But the title of Silent Light came from a film of the same name by Mexican director Carlos Reygadas, whose work was also a catalyst for the album’s aura of simplicity, clarity and purity. “It’s his use of silence, light and space that really struck me,” the guitarist explains. “Minutes would go by with no movement or dialogue, which I found courageous and inspiring.” Reflecting on the title Silent Light and about Miller, his musical colleague for nearly three decades, Sting says: “Whenever Dominic plays the guitar, he creates color, a complete spectrum of emotions, sonic architecture built of silence as well as resonance. He lifts the spirit into higher realms.”

Jim, I didn't know you were interested in the Canadian league! Here are a few more reports that I had planned to post in the Canadian league thread. http://3downnation.com/2017/02/23/football-pioneer-bernie-custis-passes-away-age-88/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/23/cfl-mourns-passing-bernie-custis/ http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/24/ealey-holloway-reflect-path-custis-paved/ http://www.tsn.ca/pioneering-quarterback-custis-dead-at-88-1.679497 http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/bernie-custis-death-cfl-1.3996606 ***** In addition, there is a book for youngsters which highlights Custis's career called Choice of Colours. https://www.amazon.com/Choice-Colours-African-American-Quarterbacks-Recordbooks/dp/1550289934/

Miller’s ECM debut has an international feel: the Latin influence of his heritage strong in such pieces as “Baden”, an early 20th-century Parisian air on “Le Pont” and the evocation of Celtic tunes on “Valium”. Miller has long been known as Sting’s right-hand man on guitar and a hushed instrumental take on “Fields of Gold” appears here. Miller has also worked with the likes of The Chieftains, Plácido Domingo and Paul Simon who points out Miller’s “beautiful touch” in the album’s liner note. © 2017 ECM | ECM Records USA | 1755 Broadway, 3rd floor | New York NY 10011

Vivendi announced yesterday that much of its losses the past year would have been much worse were it not for its Universal Music unit's streaming of music. https://www.ft.com/content/847d9666-f9ec-11e6-9516-2d969e0d3b65

Peter Green - Man of the World (1968 - 1988, 2 CDs, 36 tracks) - $7.17 + $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/Man-World-Anthology-1968-1988-Peter/dp/B0001FUI88

ECM Trio Mediaeval & Arve Henriksen - Rimur  Album release April 14, 2017 Anna Maria Friman voice, hardanger fiddle Linn Andrea Fuglseth voice, shruti box Berit Opheim voice Arve Henriksen trumpet Over several summers Trio Mediaeval and trumpeter Arve Henriksen spent many days together by the beautiful Dalsfjorden on the Norwegian west coast, and it was there that most of the music for this recording was born. Fascinated and inspired by Icelandic sagas, beautiful chants, folk songs, religious hymns and fiddle tunes, the quartet has arranged a unique set of songs where improvisation, mediaeval and traditional music from Iceland, Norway and Sweden meet the present. The singers and trumpeter have often performed in live settings with the collaboration reviewed by The Guardian as "a richly musical and imaginative encounter". Rimur is their first extensive collaboration on disc and was recorded in February 2016 at Munich's Himmelfahrtskirche, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Great find, Michael! As I recall, Robin Leach had a column in Go Magazine.

Happy Birthday 2017 TF!

Tony Bennett - OAC - $12.04 + $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005TOTTUY/

Who remembers who was on the cover of his first issue of Downbeat? I do. It was Larry Coryell. I loved his work with Steve Marcus. I was lucky enough to see him and Marcus together in the Foreplay band in Boston in '72. I'll go dig out Tomorrow Never Know and Count's Rock Band, and spend the rest of the day listening to them. RIP Larry!

I listened to this one today, and it occurred to me that this entire album reminds me very much of the last song on Miroslav Vitous's Infinite Search album, I Will Tell Him on You. I mention that because that's a popular album around here, isn't it?

Happy Birthday 2017 Mike!

Happy Birthday 2017 Hans!

Happy Birthday 2017 Alan!

Happy Birthday 2017 John!

Here is a great summation of all of the free agents, ranked by skill. Also noted is who has signed with whom, and who is left. http://3downnation.com/2017/02/18/every-single-cfl-free-agent-ranked-position/

And now Ivan Koloff has passed away at 74. I doubt that Ivan had a Master's! http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pattisonave/Legendary-wrestler-Ivan-Koloff-passes-away.html

Happy Birthday 2017 Sandy!

George "The Animal" Steele has died at 79. I knew that he was a high school teacher, but I had no idea that he had a Master's! http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/02/17/wwe-star-george-animal-steele-dead-at-79.html

Now again $19.96 prime.

© 2017 ECM | ECM Records USA | 1755 Broadway, 3rd floor | New York NY 10011

THE DRAWING CENTER Hideo Yamaki, Bill Laswell with Dave Douglas AVAILABLE ONLINE MARCH 10, 2017 AND VIA WWW.MOD-TECHNOLOGIES.COM New York, February 14, 2017 - M.O.D. Technologies presents another stunning release as part of their digital Incunabula Series, this time with high-caliber artists Hideo Yamaki, Bill Laswell and Dave Douglas. Hideo Yamaki is Japan's most renown, respected and in demand drummer. He is a veteran of countless recordings and live projects with Japan's most celebrated pop / rock artists as well as many with Japanese icons such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Toshinori Kondo, DJ Krush, Akira Sakata and many others. Bill Laswell is a legendary Ikonoklast, bassist / producer, who has worked with Hideo Yamaki since the eighties in many diverse and unimaginable configurations. They have been able to establish a bass and drum dialog that explodes with fluid, spontaneous blasts of telepathy, an ever expanding, dynamic matrix. Dave Douglas is one of the leading trumpeters of his generation, and was recognized as "Trumpet player of the year" by the Down Beat critics poll for the first time in 2000. He continued that billing 13 times in the 15 years since. He has worked with John Zorn's Masada, Horace Silver, Anthony Braxton, Joe Lovano and many others. A transcendent style and sweeping vision. TRACK The Science of Imaginary Solutions (45:48) Recorded by Hiroyuki Sanada & Fuso Murase at The Drawing Center, NY, on August 19, 2016.