GA Russell

The draft is tomorrow, so let's look at some final thoughts about the teams and the prospects. http://www.3downnation.com/2017/05/03/orridge-wont-host-cfl-draft-coverage-report/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/04/five-prospects-dropped-cfl-draft-failed-drug-tests/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/04/final-2017-cfl-draft-prospect-rankings/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/05/four-things-redblacks-may-first-round-cfl-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/05/madani-bombers-negotiations-ekakitie-will-draft-first-overall/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/05/nine-things-know-ticats-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/06/dunk-final-cfl-mock-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/06/five-questions-alouettes-draft-coordinator-eric-deslauriers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/26/game-changing-linebacker-late-add-to-cfl-draft/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/05/primer-need-know-2017-cfl-draft/ http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/05/oleary-draft-preparation-different-cfl-team-says-gms/ http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/05/mock-3-0-bombers-got-faith/ http://www.cfl.ca/live/2017/05/03/ferguson-mock-draft-qa/ http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/04/gray-tops-canada-west-cfl-prospect-rankings/ http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/03/forde-ferguson-tackle-drafts-burning-questions/ http://www.tsn.ca/blue-bombers-in-talks-to-make-ekakitie-no-1-pick-1.744309 http://www.tsn.ca/lions-draft-preview-back-to-work-while-dealing-with-loss-1.744227 ***** And here are recent podcasts. http://3downnation.com/2017/05/02/podskee-wee-wee-episode-72/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/03/blue-bomber-talk-podcast-episode-45-ft-duane-forde/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/06/3downpodcast-2017-cfl-draft-preview/#comments ***** More Canadians have been invited to NFL mini-camps. http://3downnation.com/2017/05/02/sherbrooke-fb-anthony-gosselin-invited-chiefs-mini-camp/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/03/several-canadian-players-invited-new-york-giants-mini-camp/#comments ***** Shawn Gore has retired. http://3downnation.com/2017/05/04/shawn-gores-retirement-means-lions/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/04/lions-gore-retires-7-cfl-seasons/ ***** The Riders have released Greg Jones. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/21/riders-release-linebacker-greg-jones/#comments ***** The Als have signed Devon Bailey. http://www.3downnation.com/2017/04/20/canadian-receiver-devon-bailey-signs-with-alouettes/ ***** David Foucault has decided to play in the CFL, and has signed with BC. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/17/david-foucault-contract-details-bc-lions/#comments ***** Here is a look at first round picks of the past five years. http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/05/draft-rewind-5-years-1st-round-picks/

Happy Birthday!

Thanks!

Keyboardist-Composer Roy Powell Leads Mumpbeak on Tooth Prog-Rock-Jazz Power Trio's Sophomore Outing on RareNoise Release CD, VINYL AND MULTIPLE DIGITAL FORMATS AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE ON MAY 26, 2017 AND THROUGH WWW.RARENOISERECORDS.COM. Roy Powell Hohner Clavinet, Moog Little Phatty, Hammond Organ, Tubular Bells Lorenzo Feliciati Bass Torstein Lofthus Drums New York, May 3, 2017 - On their followup to their formidable self-titled debut on RareNoiseRecords in 2013, Mumpbeak again conjures up memories of vintage King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant and other prog-rock pioneers on Tooth. Led by the innovative keyboardist-composer and Oslo-based UK expatriate Roy Powell, whose other RareNoise output includes releases by Interstatic and Naked Truth, and featuring bassist and longtime collaborator Lorenzo Feliciati (Powell's bandmate in Naked Truth who has also released the solo albums Frequent Flyer and KOI on RareNoise), this new edition of the prog-rock-jazz power trio showcases the remarkable Norwegian drummer Torstein Lofthus, who is also a member of the avant garde group Shining and the psychedelic prog-rock-jazz trio Elephant 9. Together this like-minded triumvirate travels from slamming, intricately executed vehicles like "Boot," "Cot" and "Brick" to more atmospheric soundscapes like "Slip" and "Caboose" to the explosive free jazz jam on "Stone." Says the leader of the group's blend of discipline and highly interactive playing on display throughout Tooth: "It´s just a case of having three like-minded musicians in the studio playing loose, off-the-cuff stuff over some semi-composed material." As he did on Mumpbeak, Powell again explores the sounds of his heavily-effected, guitar-sounding clavinet throughout Tooth. "I play a stock Hohner E7 clavinet into a series of guitar effects pedals going into a Fender valve amp," explains the keyboardist, whose debut as a leader was 1994's A Big Sky. "Over the years I have become less interested in stock electric piano or Hammond organ or acoustic piano sounds. So one day when I was playing my clav at home I thought I would max the guitar aspect of the instrument and see where it would take me." photo credit: Einar Thorbioernsen Those ambitious experiments led to Mumpbeak and now Tooth, which prominently features Powell's souped-up clavinet while also utilizing a few of his other trusty keyboards in the mix. "The use of Hammond organ and Moog synth are just to add a little variation in color," he explains. Powell's signature clavinet sound is in full effect on the odd-metered opener "Boot," which introduces the powerhouse drumming of Lofthus, whose muscular, whirlwind approach to the kit sets the pace on this intricate, stop-time vehicle. "Brick" brings an element of swing into the Zappaesque proceedings while the thunderous "Saw," fueled by Lofthus' power-precision playing, has Powell dialing up some nasty distortion, wah-wah and whammy bar articulations on his clav. The keyboardist takes a more gentle approach with a clean clavinet sound on the more serene "Slip," which serves as a kind of palette cleanser after the tumultuous grunge jam of "Saw." "Cot," with its interlocking arpeggios and muscular drumming underneath, is very Crimsonesque in its finely-executed latticework patterns. "Caboose" opens with a full four minutes of ambient washes and soundscapes executed by Powell and Feliciati, both generating mesmerizing loops, before segueing to a swinging section paced by Felicity's insistent walking baselines and Lofthus' loose swing factor on the kit. This nine-minute suite features Lofthus' most explosive solo of the session. Tooth concludes with the wah-wah fueled jam "Stone," a provocative piece clearly influenced by Miles Davis' landmark Bitches Brew that builds from a delicate koto-like intro to a funk section to a wild free jazz blowout underscored by Lofthus' rampaging approach to the kit. Says Powell of his ongoing hookup with Italian bassist Feliciati, "I first met Lorenzo at a Bass Day event in Manchester in 2007. We immediately had a connection both as people and as musicians, being the same age and sharing a common musical heritage and shared references such as Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, and Allan Holdsworth. We kept in touch and started to play together whenever possible. This led to the formation of the Naked Truth quartet with Cuong Vu and Pat Mastelotto. When I realized that I was going to have a European-based working Mumpbeak trio, it was obvious to ask Lorenzo to join." Powell discovered drummer Lofthus while performing a series of educational concerts in Norwegian schools. "Torstein´s name came up and I jumped at the chance to work with him, having see him with Elephant 9 and Shining. He has great technical skills together with a hard hitting style that defines the music."

Jamie Saft Joined By Three Masters on New RareNoise Release Bobby Previte, Steve Swallow and Iggy Pop on Loneliness Road CD, VINYL AND MULTIPLE DIGITAL FORMATS AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE ON MAY 26, 2017 AND THROUGH WWW.RARENOISERECORDS.COM. Jamie Saft Piano Steve Swallow Bass Bobby Previte Drums with Iggy Pop Vocals (tracks 4, 9, 12) New York, May 3, 2017 - Over a career now spanning nearly thirty years, Jamie Saft has established himself as one of the visionaries of contemporary American music. As a composer, pianist and keyboard innovator, and collaborator of music icons such as Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, the B-52s, Donovan, John Adams and John Zorn, he has been fearless in his pursuit of spiritual elevation through music that both seeks to embrace the whole American canon, and also transcend it, by seamlessly assimilating genres, traditions, idioms and timelines. His collaboration with London based progressive label RareNoise, now dating back to 2012, reflects this polymathic approach, as can be gleaned from listening to the array of path-breaking, irreducible recordings he released with them: among these, one of the most successful was a piano trio collaboration with jazz giants Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte, The New Standard. On Loneliness Road, the follow-up album to that acclaimed 2014 release, the trio of Saft, Swallow and Previte are joined on three tracks by singer Iggy Pop (who just turned 70). Saft is quick to point out that Loneliness Road is not simply a jazz piano trio with Iggy Pop added to three tunes. "It's a deeper concept of original improvised music that transcends genre," he explained. "I constructed this music on my initial notions of what music I'd like to improvise on with these particular musicians. There was no sense of 'genre' in the conception of that music." All the elements for Loneliness Road came together in serendipitous fashion. While the intention of including Iggy Pop in the album had been discussed very early by Jamie Saft and RareNoise producer Giacomo Bruzzo. Both understood it was by no means an easy objective to accomplish, and that it was all down to the music. photo credit: Vin Cin Thus Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte proceeded to record the album as a trio June 2016 at Saft's Potterville International Sound Studio in the Hudson Valley of Upstate New York. Knowing that they would be recording to tape and cutting lacquer, Previte even brought his 1965 Rogers Holiday drums to the session, to match the burnished sound of Steve Swallow and Jamie Saft's deep touch. In his own words: "We obsessed, as we always do, over the sound of the record, but never over the music itself. How music occurs always needs to remain a glorious mystery - an unknowable, unreachable, indefinable and most importantly, unrepeatable, mystery." Saft adds that "Rather than try to anticipate what Iggy might add to our tracks and just give him a 'backing track', we instead chose three fully-realized instrumental tracks from our session that we thought Iggy might actually enjoy. Through colleague Bill Laswell, whose label M.O.D. Technologies Giacomo is also involved in and who has produced records for Iggy in the past, we reached out: fortunately Iggy expressed interest and wanted to hear the music, which we sent him. Iggy's reaction was swift and decisive - he quickly said he loved the music and was definitely going to do this project. What an enormous honor this message was for me!" Early January 2017, Iggy Pop recorded his three contributions ('Don't Lose Yourself', 'Loneliness Road' and 'Everyday') in Miami: "He sent us his very first take of each tune," says Saft. "He told me he used no music stand or lyric sheet as he was so ready to record these that the words just spilled out. Iggy said though he did many takes of each track, the first takes just 'had the juice.' Of course this perfectly aligned with the first take idea we'd used in producing the album both musically and sonically. In Previte's own words: "And Iggy - he took it so seriously. He really heard us." While The New Standard was recorded as direct-to-2-track analog by renowned engineer Joe Ferla, Saft enlisted his friend and Grammy winning producer Christian Castagno to record and co-produce Loneliness Road. Once again a fully analog path was chosen, and all tracks committed to tape were first takes. When asked about the songwriting process underlying Loneliness Road, Saft says that "Many of the pieces I wrote for this album show allegiance to the great American song forms of writers such as Bob Dylan, The Band, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Jimi Hendrix, Charles Ives, Bill Evans, & Miles Davis. Both Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte are brilliant orchestrators - each gesture is in the service of the larger whole. A simple two chord structure such as 'Ten Nights' turns into a forward lurching swing epic in Bobby's hands. He channels Tony Williams through massive cymbal techniques. This same brilliance shines through in 'Henbane' with Steve Swallow's deep attention to detail within the classic swing feel. A rhythm section at this level allows me total freedom as the primary harmonic voice. I'm always afforded vast open spaces with Steve & Bobby. This is a rarified situation and I feel extremely fortunate for this opportunity each time we play." Loneliness Road is indeed the result of a truly collaborative effort: "While I did compose all the music for this album, Steve and Bobby and ultimately Iggy were all able to realize this music with me at the very highest level. Iggy's lyrics and vocal approach are essential to each of the three tunes he contributed to. It's as if they were always there." TRACKS 1. Ten Nights 2. Little Harbor 3. Bookmaking 4. Don't Lose Yourself (w. Iggy Pop) 5. Henbane 6. Pinkus 7. The Barrier 8. Nainsook 9. Loneliness Road (w. Iggy Pop) 10. Unclouded Moon 11. Gates 12. Everyday (w. Iggy Pop)

I have found some mock drafts. These are in chronological order, so the most recent should have the greatest credibility. http://3downnation.com/2017/03/24/justin-dunks-cfl-mock-draft-1-0/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/29/post-combine-cfl-mock-draft/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/02/post-nfl-draft-cfl-mock-draft/#comments ***** Cleveland has released Brett Maher. http://3downnation.com/2017/05/02/former-ticats-kicker-brett-maher-released-browns/#comments ***** Duane Forde has announced his interest in the commissioner's job. http://3downnation.com/2017/05/02/tsns-duane-forde-interested-cfl-commissioners-job/#comments http://www.tsn.ca/tsn-analyst-forde-interested-in-cfl-commissioner-s-job-1.740775 ***** San Francisco has released Eric Rogers. http://www.tsn.ca/49ers-release-former-cfl-star-rogers-1.740877 ***** Here are some recent Checking Down columns. 3/15 http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/15/checking-olafioye-block/ 3/30 http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/29/checking-harris-sees-future-ottawa/ 4/5 http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/04/checking-ojo-close-landing-south/ 4/12 http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/11/checking-mini-camp-season-arrives/ 4/19 http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/19/checking-maas-getting-message-across/ 4/26 http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/26/checking-ticats-close-signing-fa-fantuz/ 5/2 http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/02/checking-rogers-market/ ***** And here again are your links to Waggle podcasts #1 - 48. http://www.cfl.ca/thewaggle/

Happy Birthday soulpope!

Jeff Perrett has changed his mind, and decided to retire. http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/veteran-canadian-ol-jeff-perrett-retires/#comments http://www.tsn.ca/former-alouettes-ol-perrett-retires-1.739463 ***** Indianapolis has waived Alex Bazzie. http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/cfl-star-dl-alex-bazzie-waived-colts/#comments ***** More Canadian rookie NFL signings. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/30/montreal-kicker-felix-menard-briere-accepts-invite-giants-mini-camp/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/eskimos-draft-pick-db-arjen-colquhoun-attending-seahawks-mini-camp/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/canadian-laurier-dl-kwaku-boateng-accepts-bears-mini-camp-invite/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/saskie-native-kahlen-branning-heading-to-mini-camp-with-detroit/#comments ***** John Hodge and Marshall Ferguson look at how the NFL's draft effects this year's CFL draft. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/30/last-night-nfl-moves-shake-cfl-draft/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/30/ferguson-signings-south-change-next-weeks-draft/ ***** Now let's go back and look at what has been written about this year's prospects. http://3downnation.com/2016/12/19/top-ten-rated-cfl-prospects-accept-invites-to-tropical-bowl/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/12/26/cfl-guide-post-christmas-ncaa-bowl-games/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/12/28/canadians-set-to-play-prominent-roles-in-ncaa-bowls/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/03/coveted-cfl-draft-eligible-athletes-heading-college-gridiron-showcase/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/05/regina-receiver-mitchell-picton-attending-nfl-regional-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/08/regina-offensive-lineman-attending-nfl-regional-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/09/two-players-ncaa-championship-game-cfl-ties/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/17/top-rated-2017-cfl-prospect-attending-senior-bowl/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/20/canadian-linebacker-accepts-invite-senior-bowl/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/20/top-cfl-prospect-justin-senior-looks-catch-eye-nfl-scouts/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/01/31/scouts-saying-cfl-prospects-senior-bowl/#comments ***** Teams were required to get their rosters down to 75 men by today, so they have been letting people go. http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/01/roster-roundup-teams-make-cuts-may-deadline-hits/

The draft will be this weekend, so I will plan to post relevant links. First, the combine. http://3downnation.com/2017/03/23/five-prospects-from-western-regional-earn-invites-to-national-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/23/linebacker-jordan-herdman-looking-improvements-cfl-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/23/cfl-week-fireside-chat-setting-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/24/3down-podcast-tweaking-cfl-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/25/3down-podcast-winners-losers-cfl-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/26/top-5-performances-at-the-cfl-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/27/top-prospects-interviewed-cfl-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/27/laurier-defensive-lineman-boateng-performs-well-cfl-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/28/mackie-vandervoot-make-mark-cfl-combine/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/03/29/ranking-one-one-performances-cfl-combine-ol-vs-dl/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/01/ranking-one-one-performances-cfl-combine-wr-vs-db/#comments

Happy Birthday 2017 ...impossible!

Happy Birthday 2017 Lazaro!

A few Canadian rookies signed NFL contracts today. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/29/manitoba-ol-geoff-gray-signs-packers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/29/laval-te-antony-auclair-signs-tampa-bay/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/29/ucla-dl-eli-ankou-signs-texans/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/29/canadian-lb-jordan-herdman-to-attend-rookie-mini-camp-with-chiefs/#comments ***** The Scouting Bureau's #1 man Justin Senior was drafted by Seattle. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/29/mississippi-state-ol-justin-senior-selected-in-nfl-draft/ http://3downnation.com/2017/04/26/canadian-ol-justin-senior-taking-low-key-approach-nfl-draft/#comments ***** I don't have a publicist. Do you have a publicist? Well, Johnny Manziel has a publicist, and he met with Chris Jones. Manziel is on the Ticats' neg list, so the league fined the Riders $31,000. for this and various other infractions. One wag on Twitter said that Jones has had nearly as many fines as wins! http://3downnation.com/2017/04/28/riders-chris-jones-fined-meeting-manziel-publicist/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/28/riders-fined-31k-roster-recruitment-violations/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/28/riders-lions-issued-fines-violating-cfl-laws/ http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/roughriders-fined-for-meeting-with-johnny-manziels-publicist-1.4090265 http://www.tsn.ca/jones-fined-for-meeting-manziel-s-publicist-1.737516 ***** The Argos have signed Cleyon Laing. http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/29/back-blue-argos-sign-free-agent-dl-cleyon-laing/ http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/toronto-argos-sign-cleyon-laing-1.4091974 http://www.tsn.ca/argonauts-sign-canadian-dt-laing-1.738373 ***** Jarious Jackson discusses trash talk. http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/26/cfl-trash-talk-101-with-riders-jarious-jackson/ ***** The CBC's Zack Smart provides an early pre-season analysis. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-off-season-roundup-1.4088077

Happy Birthday 2017 Niko!

Happy Birthday 2017 Steve!

In the next few days, I will post a number of links regarding this year's draft prospects. For now, let's look at the Scouting Bureau's final rankings. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/13/cfl-scouting-bureau-releases-final-rankings-draft/#comments Justin Dunk lists five players he would add to the rankings. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/14/five-players-not-ranked-cfl-scouting-bureau-probably/#comments ***** The Eskimos have hired Redblack Asst. GM Brock Sunderland to be their new GM. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/20/redblacks-brock-sunderland-interviews-edmonton-gm-job/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/22/brock-sunderland-will-named-eskimos-general-manager-report/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/22/brock-sunderland-will-named-eskimos-general-manager-report/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/27/oleary-redblacks-deserve-kudos-sunderlands-transition-gm/ http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/24/steinbergs-mmqb-quick-resolution/ http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/24/esks-name-brock-sunderland-new-general-manager/ http://3downnation.com/2017/04/24/eskimos-to-compensate-redblacks-after-hiring-brock-sunderland/#comments ***** The Als traded SJ Green to the Argos for two draft picks. You will recall that Green injured his leg severely, so he may be unable to come back. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/22/argonauts-acquire-star-receiver-s-j-green-trade-alouettes/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/24/s-j-green-signing-toronto-beyond-happy/ http://3downnation.com/2017/04/21/alouettes-chose-ernest-jackson-s-j-green/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/20/alouettes-deal-s-j-green-argos-draft-picks/#comments ***** Wayne Smith has retired. http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/28/argos-veteran-ol-wayne-smith-announces-retirement-12-seasons/ http://www.tsn.ca/argonauts-ol-smith-announces-retirement-1.737540 ***** The Argos have signed former Als Jeff Perrett and Kyle Graves. http://www.tsn.ca/argonauts-add-former-als-perrett-graves-1.734530 http://3downnation.com/2017/04/20/argos-sign-canadian-ol-jeff-perrett/#comments ***** Here are some recent podcasts, in chronological order. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/17/podskee-wee-wee-episode-71/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/21/3down-podcast-domestic-violence-policy-esks-gm-search-argo-moves/#comments http://3downnation.com/2017/04/24/3downpodcast-esks-hire-brock-sunderland-new-gm/#comments The league has its own podcast, The Waggle, which can be found here: http://www.cfl.ca/thewaggle/ ***** Santino Filoso thinks these four unsigned free agents could help the Redblacks. http://3downnation.com/2017/04/27/four-veteran-free-agents-redblacks-invite-training-camp/#comments

Fleetwood Mac OAS - $10.57 + $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Fleetwood-Mac/dp/B008MMFBQ6/ Fleetwood Mac 3-album OAC - $7.38 + $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Classics-FLEETWOOD-MAC/dp/B0030BCCB6/ ***** oldies.com has a number of jazz twofers on sale, most at $1.99 or $2.99. http://www.oldies.com/collection-view/Collectables-Records-CDs/genre_Jazz.html?c=ON2087&utm_source=OLDIES.com+Emails&utm_campaign=ec2cc760f9-send_2087&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f79786119b-ec2cc760f9-187732661&goal=0_f79786119b-ec2cc760f9-187732661&mc_cid=ec2cc760f9&mc_eid=6703a4b92e or https://www.oldies.com/product/topsellers.cfm/collection_Jazz.html

ECM Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan Small Town Bill Frisell: electric guitar Thomas Morgan: double bass U.S. Release date: May 26, 2017 ECM 2525 B0026546-02 UPC: 6025 574 6341 5 Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan on tour: June 23 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Jazz Festival June 24 Toronto, ON Toronto Jazz Festival June 25 Rochester Rochester Jazz Festival June 27 New Haven, CT Firehouse 12 June 28 Pawling, NY Darryl’s Place June 29 Bay Shore, NY Boulton Center for the Performing Arts June 30 Brooklyn, NY Roulette July 1 Evanston, IL SPACE July 2 Montreal, PQ Montreal Jazz Festival Small Town presents guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan in a program of duets, the poetic chemistry of their playing captured live at New York’s hallowed Village Vanguard. Frisell made his debut as a leader for ECM in 1983 with the similarly intimate In Line, establishing one of the most distinctive sounds of any modern guitarist. His rich history with the label includes multiple recordings with Paul Motian andSmall Town begins with a tribute to Motian in the form of a searching, 11-minute interpretation of the late drummer’s composition “It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago,” the duo’s counterpoint yielding a hushed power. Morgan, who also played with Motian, has appeared on ECM as bassist of choice for Tomasz Stanko, Jakob Bro, David Virelles, Giovanni Guidi and Masabumi Kikuchi. Frisell first met the California-born Morgan through Joey Baron in the 1990s, when the bassist was “very impressive, even though he was still a kid, basically,” recalls the Grammy-winning guitarist. “Later, we played together at a session led by drummer Kenny Wollesen. In the midst of all this action there, a kind of cacophony, I heard this bass note that just felt so present and right – even though Thomas was 40 or 50 feet away from me in a big studio. It struck me. And we played together again at Paul Motian’s last session, so it’s special that we both have this connection to Paul and his music. I asked Thomas to sit in with some of my groups, and we developed this rapport. Thomas has this way of almost time-traveling, as if he sees ahead of the music and sorts it all out before he plays a note. He never plays anything that isn’t a response to what I play, anticipating me in the moment. That sort of support makes me feel weightless, like I can really take off. “Thomas and I are also similar in that we’re both quiet personalities,” Frisell continues. “Whenever I play guitar, that’s my true voice. It’s not so dissimilar with Thomas, I think. Playing the bass is his natural way of expressing himself. And I'm going to steal a phrase from the saxophonist Charles Lloyd, who once said to me before a gig, ‘I’m really looking forward to singing with you.’ I think that way about playing with Thomas, too. He really plays the song, whether it’s a Fats Domino tune or something abstract – the energy comes from the same place.” The Village Vanguard, opened in 1935, has a unique resonance for Frisell. He recorded there with Motian and Lovano, as well as later as a leader on his own. Moreover, the guitarist first started soaking up the club’s vibe as a listener in 1969, “when it already had so much history, including Paul recording famously there with Bill Evans,” Frisell says. “I first went there to see Gary Burton’s band, then it was Mingus, Roland Kirk, Hank Jones, Charlie Rouse, so many amazing artists. With all the notes that have been played there, the room is like a Gibson guitar from the 1940s – the history is in the molecules of the wood. I’ve played the Vanguard myself now many times over the years, and Thomas played there with Paul and others. We know that the club’s sound and atmosphere will make things happen in a certain way. Playing duo has a special intimacy but also a fragility. We’re not pushing the walls back with volume, after all. You need focus and attention from the audience. You can get that at the Vanguard.” “It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago,” the opener for Small Town, had its studio debut on the 1985 ECM album of the same name by the trio of Paul Motian, Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell. That iconic trio had a standing two-week residency at the Vanguard in Paul’s last years. When Frisell and Morgan played the piece at the Vanguard, “the spirit of Paul seemed to hover over us,” Frisell says. “There’s a singing quality to Paul’s music. It’s not like math – it comes from an almost vocal place. The song is deceptively simple, just the melody and one chord, basically; but it conjures this atmosphere that you can really move around in. It’s like a structure without walls; it doesn’t box you in. It’s magical to me, and moving.” Frisell and Morgan also paid homage to two living jazz icons at the Vanguard, playing Konitz’s “Subconscious Lee” and Frisell’s melody-rich original “Song for Andrew No.1,” dedicated to drummer Andrew Cyrille. The guitarist has worked with Konitz on multiple occasions (including Kenny Wheeler’s 1997 ECM album Angel Song), and the saxophonist was in the audience at the Vanguard when Frisell and Morgan recorded Small Town. The duo pulled out his bebop “Subconscious Lee” of 1949 as an impromptu tribute. “Song for Andrew” made its debut on the drummer’s ECM album of last year, The Declaration of Musical Independence, which featured Frisell. “Andrew is a real elder of the music, his experience going all the way back to Coleman Hawkins and then onto Cecil Taylor through today. There’s a lot of music running through guys like Andrew and Lee.” Guitaristically, “Small Town” includes Frisell’s characteristic country/blues accents and has its basis in the playing of Maybelle Carter of The Carter Family, an exemplar of American country music in the 1920s and ’30s. “Maybelle Carter has been a big influence on me,” Frisell notes. “Actually, she’s a big influence on most non-classical guitar players, whether they know it or not, with that way of playing melody and rhythm simultaneously.” The guitarist makes another nod to The Carter Family on Small Town by playing the folk tune “Wildwood Flower,” made famous by the group. A different sort of classic American music is symbolized by Fats Domino’s “What a Party,” an off-kilter example of New Orleans rock’n’roll that Frisell and Morgan recast in a pointillistic way at the Vanguard, at the bassist’s suggestion. “I think it’s a tune that belies the composer’s craft, giving the impression it was discovered rather than composed,” Morgan says. “The opening bass line is ingeniously simple, and the melody has a vocal quality. It wouldn’t seem to lend itself to being played instrumentally, but Bill is the perfect person to do it. His sound is as expressive as a voice, and he weaves the rhythmic and vocal parts together so that you somehow hear more than what’s being played.” Small Town also includes “Poet – Pearl,” a Morgan original bolstered with a Frisell intro. “It was one of my very first compositions,” Morgan says. “I came up with the melody on the subway when I was in my first year at school in New York. Talking about how I wrote it and the title, Bill pointed out that a pearl is rare and beautiful and takes an element of chance to find, like that piece in a way. I think those words have nice connotations not only for the song but also for our collaboration.” The duo rounds off their album with a totem from Frisell’s youth, “Goldfinger.” He recalls: “The atmosphere of that song takes me back to the early 1960s, when I was first getting fired up about playing the guitar, but also when I was learning to drive, doing things like going to downtown Denver on a date to see a James Bond movie. The music itself is so cool, with some pretty amazing things going on in the melody and harmony. Because the tune became so popular, you can miss some of the deeper musical things going on – they become almost subliminal.” Reflecting on the Vanguard and the experience of making Small Town, Frisell concludes: “Even though I’ve played ‘It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago’ what must be hundreds and hundreds of times, it always feels different somehow. I mean, it’s the same melody, the same song, but it’s not fixed – it lives. The music lives beyond Paul, just as it will live past us. The Vanguard, too – the notes keep resonating off the walls there, night after night. The listeners down through the years are part of that. They were there with us, as they were for Bill Evans or John Coltrane. Now the music we played on that night is on a record for more people to listen to, the notes resonating further. It’s incredible if you think about it.” ECM Quercus Nightfall June Tabor: voice Iain Ballamy: tenor and soprano saxophones Huw Warren: piano U.S. Release date: May 26, 2017 ECM 2522 B0026547-02 UPC: 6025 574 3078 3 “An unlikely trio, you might think, but the combination proves quite magical. Together they create a subtle new idiom.” - The Observer Quercus, the trio in which pianist Huw Warren and saxophonist Ian Ballamy shape new contexts for the dark and moving voice of June Tabor, made a major impact with its ECM debut album, issued in 2013. The recording won the German Record Critics’ Prize as Album of the Year (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Jahrespreis) and the international press recognized what the UK folk world has known for many years: that nobody gets inside the meaning of a song in the way that June Tabor does, illuminating a lyric and exploring a tune’s emotional atmosphere. On Nightfall, recorded in December 2015 at Cooper Hall in the Somerset town of Frome and produced by Warren and Ballamy, Quercus takes its creative process to the next level. There are wonderful songs from folk tradition here, including “The Manchester Angel” and the 19thcentury broadside “Once I Loved you Dear (The Irish Girl)”, pieces collected by Somerset folklorist Ruth Tongue (“On Berrow Sands” and “The Shepherd and his Dog”), a charming version of “The Cuckoo” inspired by the singing of Dorset gypsy Queen Caroline Hughes, and there are subtly phrased instrumental pieces – Warren’s pastoral “Christchurch”, Ballamy’s ballad “Emmeline”. There are also four songs which almost every listener will know. The album opens with that most famous song of farewell, “Auld Lang Syne”, and right away Tabor, Ballamy and Warren alert us to the notion that even the most familiar songs can yield new meaning if looked at from new perspectives. Freshly arranged versions of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice”, the West Side Story Bernstein/Sondheim song of yearning “Somewhere”, and the jazz standard “You Don’t Know What Love Is” similarly prove to be fine vehicles for Tabor’s focused, respectful and austere approach, a matter of honoring the song, even while transforming it. Traditional folk song, contemporary songs, show tunes, jazz – Quercus’s concept can embrace it all. “The folk singer June Tabor has been a marvel of English music since the 1960s, and her long-term pianist Huw Warren and saxophonist Iain Ballamy only enhance her clarity, stillness and deep but fragile sound,” wrote The Guardian’s John Fordham of the trio’s debut album. “Nobody plays a note too many or expresses a false emotion. It’s a unique tribute to the power of song.” As melodic counterpart to Tabor, saxophonist Iain Ballamy is an ideal partner. In a sense, he is a second singer in Quercus. His other primary ECM context, the electro-improv band Food – see the albums Quiet Inlet, Mercurial Balm, This Is Not A Miracle – might seem a long way from Quercus’s pristine sound-world, but there too Ballamy has been refining his sound down to essentials and savoring each tone. Pianist Huw Warren, whose rare combination of originality and understatement has been appreciated by many singers, has been arranger-accompanist for Tabor for nearly three decades. Concurrently, he has been active across a broad span of genres, as composer, jazz improviser and educator, and has worked with musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra to Kenny Wheeler. Huw Warren and Iain Ballamy also play duo concerts. Quercus is on the road in the UK in the weeks ahead with concerts including Turner Sims Hall, Southampton on April 8, Oxford Contemporary Music on May 10, and King’s Place, London on May 11.

Being the last person alive from the 1800's reminds me of the fanfare given to the last Confederate widow. In late 1999, I read frequently that 100 years prior the New York Times argued that the 19th century did not end untill 12/31/1900 because there was no Year Zero.

Trumpeter/Vocalist Bob Merrill Celebrates the Musical Legacy of Pianist/Songwriter Joe Bushkin with "Tell Me Your Troubles: Songs by Joe Bushkin, Vol. 1," Set for May 19 Release by Accurate Records First Volume of Two-Album Tribute Project Features Rhythm Section of Howard Alden, Nicki Parrott, & Steve Johns Plus Guest Appearances by Singer Eric Comstock, Bucky Pizzarelli, Harry Allen, Wycliffe Gordon, & Virtuoso Vocal Accompanists Laurence Hobgood & John Colianni at the Piano Merrill to Serve as Musical Director For Bushkin Centennial Concert At BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, NYC, Thursday, May 4 April 24, 2017 Coinciding with the centennial of pianist/composer Joe Bushkin's birth, the release on May 19 by trumpeter and singer Bob Merrill of Tell Me Your Troubles: Songs by Joe Bushkin, Vol. 1 (Accurate Records) celebrates the musical legacy of a man who was revered by many of America's foremost entertainers for his wizardry at the keyboard and skills as a tunesmith. He also happened to be Merrill's father-in-law. Bushkin penned songs with his longtime lyricist John DeVries or the great Johnny Burke in the repertoires of the likes of Sinatra (Joe's "Oh! Look at Me Now" was Frank's first hit), Bing Crosby, Nat "King" Cole, Benny Goodman, Louis Jordan, and countless others. This first volume of a planned two-album commemorative project pays reverential tribute to Bushkin's oeuvre and its special blend of mood and merriment on contemporary interpretations of 10 songs ranging from the popular to the obscure. The album opens and closes with archival spoken word salutes to Bushkin by Sinatra and comedian Red Buttons. Cut from the same engaging entertainer's cloth as Bushkin -- not to mention trumpeter-singers like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Prima, and Chet Baker -- Merrill was already performing crowd-pleasers like "Oh! Look at Me Now" and "Boogie Woogie Blue Plate" (a 1947 hit for Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five) before he met his future wife Christina and bonded with her gregarious father. "These songs have such a timeless, universal appeal," says Merrill. "I really hope the album exposes them to a new generation. Maybe Harry Connick, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, or even Lady Gaga will give them new life." Tell Me Your Troubles is full of classic tunes and rediscoveries, charismatic vocals, swinging solos, and sparkling arrangements and presents Merrill at his elegant best, whether showcasing his brass palette of trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn or his smooth Tormé-like vocals, easy articulation, and natural enthusiasm. In addition to the A-List rhythm section of guitarist Howard Alden, bassist Nicki Parrott, and drummer Steve Johns, the album features an illustrious list of guest artists including saxophonist Harry Allen, trombonist/singer Wycliffe Gordon, cabaret star Eric Comstock, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and pianist Laurence Hobgood. A previously unreleased performance of "Oh! Look at Me Now!," from Bushkin's final recording session in 2003 with Merrill, Howard Alden, and drummer Duffy Jackson, is one of the album's standouts. "Joe's tempo for the song had increased over the years," says Merrill, "but I suggested we slow it down to the tempo of Sinatra's later version, from the 1957 album Swingin' Affair on Capitol." (Pictured at left: Bushkin and Merrill, 2003.) "I got to spend a lot of time with Joe, always looking over his shoulder, absorbing stuff by osmosis," recalls Merrill, who coaxed Bushkin out of retirement in the early 1990s and performed with him at festivals and clubs such as New York's Tavern on the Green and L.A.'s Jazz Bakery until his passing in 2004 at age 87. He also produced and wrote liner notes for CD reissues of four Bushkin albums, including last fall's release of Live at the Embers (Dot Time Legends) from 1952. Born in Manhattan in 1958, Bob Merrill traces his early interest in jazz to the fact that Benny Goodman lived in the penthouse of the building he grew up in on the Upper East Side. After his father took him to a Tonight Show taping where he heard Doc Severinsen, Merrill devoted himself to the trumpet (Bushkin's second instrument). He studied with William Vacchiano, first trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, and received improv tips as a teen from Red Rodney. Merrill attended both the New England Conservatory of Music (studying with Jaki Byard, in whose Apollo Stompers he played) and Harvard, where he co-founded a jazz concert series at the Hasty Pudding Club and led a house band for such visiting artists as Illinois Jacquet, George Coleman, Lee Konitz, and Warne Marsh. Merrill released his first album as a leader, Catch as Catch Can, in 1997, the same year he was featured on American Movie Classics leading the AMC Orchestra on the series Gotta Dance! His second album, Got a Bran' New Suit, featured pianist Bill Charlap among others. It was followed by Christmastime at the Adirondack Grill, and then the wildly eclectic Cheerin' Up the Universe (2015), which featured pianist John Medeski and trombonist Roswell Rudd. On Thursday May 4, Merrill will preside over a Joe Bushkin Centennial concert at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (199 Chambers Street, Manhattan), part of Jack Kleinsinger's Highlights in Jazz series. Featured performers include several from the new CD's cast (Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Comstock, Nicki Parrott, John Colianni, Harry Allen) as well as pianists Ted Rosenthal and Spike Wilner. Photography: Pam Setchell Web Sites: bobmerrill.net / accuraterecords.com

Happy Birthday 2017 Mark!

It's been so many decades that I've watched a full nine innings that I suppose my opinion counts for nothing. Nevertheless, I'll say that when I was a boy, the best outfielders didn't make the spectacular plays because they were already standing where the ball was hit.

Bill Frisell: guitar | Thomas Morgan: double bass Small Town presents guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan in a program of duets, the poetic chemistry of their playing captured live at New York’s hallowed Village Vanguard. Frisell made his debut as a leader for ECM in 1983 with the similarly intimate In Line. Small Town sees Frisell and Morgan pay homage to the Paul Motian with a searching, 11-minute interpretation of the late drummer’s composition “It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago,” the duo’s counterpoint yielding a hushed power, and to jazz elder Lee Konitz on “Subconscious Lee.” In addition there are several country/blues-accented Frisell originals, including the hauntingly melodic title track, and the set is capped with an inimitable treatment of John Barry’s famous James Bond theme “Goldfinger.” © 2017 ECM | ECM Records USA | 1755 Broadway, 3rd floor | New York NY 10011 SPECIAL OFFER FOR ECM VINYL FANS https://arkivjazz.com/ecm-vinyl-titles © 2017 ECM Records, 1755 Broadway, New York, NY 10011 Share on Facebook, Twitter, Forward to a Friend

Thanks Lon, crisp and everyone in between!

And I too!

Well, Lon, do you think I should get the Koln or the Paris?