GA Russell

cfl.ca 7/12 power rankings http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/12/bombers-take-off-fly-up-nissan-titan-power-rankings/ ***** Jamie Nye Week 4 picks http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/12/weekly-predictor-can-nye-pick-em-players-turn-things-around-week-4/

Here are a few items from the past two weeks. Most important, the story on SJ Green. http://3downnation.com/2016/07/01/fears-alouettes-star-receiver-s-j-green-suffered-torn-acl/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/02/meltdown-montreal-green-done-sutton-6-gamed-carter-facing-suspension/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/07/alouettes-lose-another-offensive-playmaker/#comments ***** Shawn Lemon wanted to start, so the Riders traded him to the Argos. http://3downnation.com/2016/07/02/argos-make-swap-riders-disgruntled-dl-shawn-lemon/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/03/video-breaking-shawn-lemon-trade/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/04/newly-acquired-riders-ol-matt-sewell-wants-play-close-home/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/06/life-presents-lemon-argos-add-defence/#comments ***** Geoff Tisdale apparently recovered from his off-season injury, but the Ticats released him. http://3downnation.com/2016/07/03/ticats-release-db-geoff-tisdale-blowout-loss-b-c/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/04/tisdales-sudden-release-wake-call-ticats/#comments ***** Hamilton traded former BC LB Alex-Hoffman Ellis to Edmonton. http://3downnation.com/2016/07/04/ticats-traded-alex-hoffman-ellis/#comments ***** You may recall that the Riders had a bye for Week 1. So here are two Rider previews filed before Week 2. http://3downnation.com/2016/06/28/6-predictions-riders-2016-season/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/06/30/dream-status-quo-look-riders-season/#comments ***** Stampeders preview http://3downnation.com/2016/06/25/stamps-season-preview-dream-scenario-nightmare-alternative/#comments ***** Lions preview http://3downnation.com/2016/06/25/dream-nightmare-lions-hope-buono-2-0-makes-difference/#comments ***** Blue Bombers preview http://3downnation.com/2016/06/24/dream-scenario-nightmare-alternative-winnipeg-blue-bombers/#comments ***** Redblacks preview http://3downnation.com/2016/06/24/redblack-predictions-2/#comments ***** Tiger-Cats preview http://3downnation.com/2016/06/23/dream-scenario-nightmare-alternative-hamilton-tiger-cats/#comments ***** Mark Fulton 6/22 power rankings http://3downnation.com/2016/06/22/2016-power-rankings-projections-game-predictor/#comments

I have now updated the July 6 post with links to Week 2's games.

Happy Birthday 2016 Agustin!

And fortunately for the league, it was on ESPN2. Tonight... Ottawa 30....Toronto 20 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/ottawa-redblacks-toronto-argonauts-20160713/Stats http://www.tsn.ca/harris-stellar-in-return-as-redblacks-top-argos-at-bmo-field-1.526410 http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/13/harris-beats-former-team-redblacks-remain-undefeated/ ***** I want to say before we go too long that SJ Green hurt his knee and is out for the season. It sounded to me that his career is over.

7/13 checking down http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/13/checking-cato-tabbed-start-week-4/ **** 7/12 game notes http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/12/cfl-ca-game-notes-a-look-at-week-4/

I have been in sick bay since Sunday night, so these will have to be brief. Friday's games... Calgary 26....Ottawa 26 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/calgary-stampeders-ottawa-redblacks-20160708/Stats http://3downnation.com/2016/07/09/despite-missed-opportunities-redblacks-still-undefeated/#comments ***** Edmonton 39....Sask 36 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/saskatchewan-roughriders-edmonton-eskimos-20160708/Stats http://3downnation.com/2016/07/09/chris-jones-shows-cojones-riders-loss-esks/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/10/sober-second-thoughts-chris-jones-made-right-calls/#comments ***** Scott Cullen 7/12 power rankings http://www.tsn.ca/stampeders-hold-lead-in-cfl-power-rankings-1.525586 ***** 7/12 nine thoughts on nine teams http://3downnation.com/2016/07/12/nine-thoughts-on-nine-teams/#comments ***** Mark Fulton 7/13 power rankings and win projections http://3downnation.com/2016/07/13/fun-fibonacci-week-four-statistical-power-rankings-predictor/#comments ***** 3Down Week 4 picks http://3downnation.com/2016/07/13/week-four-picks-can-riders-get-off-schneid/#comments ***** Malcolm Kelly 7/11 power rankings http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-power-rankings-week-3-1.3674707 ***** After three weeks, the home teams are 2-8-1. ***** More on Thursday's Winnipeg win. http://3downnation.com/2016/07/08/good-bad-hamiltons-mistake-filled-loss-bombers/#comments

Sun Ra?

Happy Birthday Guy!

Laurie is re-releasing this album for download for $10. "High Jingo" is free. http://artpepper.bandcamp.com/album/track-6-is-free-album-10

"Leap of Faith," 4th CD by Trumpeter/Composer Steffen Kuehn, To Be Released July 29 by Stefrecords With Guitarist Drew Zingg, Keyboardist Colin Hogan, Bassist Dewayne Pate, & Drummer Tommy Igoe Plus Guests Bob Mintzer, Marc Russo, Christian Tumalan, John Gove, Alexa Weber Morales, & Others July 6, 2016 Trumpeter/composer Steffen Kuehn has become a mainstay of the Bay Area jazz and Latin music scenes since arriving from his native Germany in 1997. He won a 2014 Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album for the self-titled debut by the 20-piece Pacific Mambo Orchestra, which he co-leads with pianist Christian Tumalan. An alternately robust and warmly lyrical soloist and an on-point horn-section player, he works regularly with bands led by Latin drummer Brian Andres and timbalero Louie Romero and with jazz drummer Tommy Igoe's Groove Conspiracy. And he has performed and recorded as a leader, releasing three albums on his Stefrecords imprint: Now or Later (2002), with fellow trumpeter Tim Hagans; trumpop (2008); and Constantine (2011). Kuehn considers his newest recording, Leap of Faith, "my first recording in a way, because," he explains, "I did everything myself. On my previous recordings maybe I had a producer or I was recording somebody else's music. I produced this record. I wrote the horn sections. I played in the horn section, and I'm also the soloist. I think the writing is my best writing so far." The CD will be released by Stefrecords on July 29. The cast of local luminaries assembled by Kuehn includes drummer Tommy Igoe, bassist Dewayne Pate, pianist Colin Hogan, onetime Steely Dan guitarist Drew Zingg, former Tower of Power and Yellowjackets alto saxophonist Marc Russo, current Tower of Power tenor saxophonist Tom Politzer, and trombonist John Gove. Guesting on one track apiece are current Yellowjackets tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer (on the Afro-Cuban "Storm") and Pacific Mambo Orchestra vocalist Alexa Weber Morales (the bossa nova "Serenity"). The 10-song set consists of eight original compositions and arrangements by Kuehn, Aaron Lington's arrangement of "Helen's Song" by pianist George Cables, and John Gove's arrangement of "Geraldine" by Yellowjackets keyboardist Russell Ferrante. "This is the most personal recording I've ever done and the closest to me so far," says Kuehn. "It not only puts the spotlight on me as a trumpeter but also on my writing, which for me was equally important." Born (1965) and raised in Mannheim, Germany, Steffen Kuehn was drawn to the trumpet as a child and began lessons at age 8. Initially he was interested in hard rock and then soul music (Earth, Wind and Fire and Chaka Khan) before getting into jazz via the Yellowjackets and Pat Metheny. "I grew up listening to the Yellowjackets," says Kuehn. "They're one of my biggest influences." He cites Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis as influences as well. Kuehn was writing music and active in a number of bands before he decided to leave Germany, at age 23, to attend North Texas State University. During his five years there, he played in the school's big bands. A roommate from Colombia introduced him to Latin music, which would eventually become a cornerstone of his career. After graduating North Texas State in 1993 with a Bachelor of Music degree, Kuehn moved to Munich. There he hooked up with onetime Woody Herman and Stan Kenton high-note trumpet specialist Al Porcino, which whom he played duets in private and with his big band in public. He also played in Munich with a big band led by Serbian bop trumpeter Dusko Gojkovic. Since relocating to Northern California in 1997, Kuehn has kept busy playing gigs with such artists as the Temptations, Four Tops, Platters, Cold Blood, John Handy, Mark Levine, Ray Obiedo, Louie Romero, Brian Andres, Generation Esmeralda, Tommy Igoe, and many more. His resume also includes recordings with Andres, Igoe, Obiedo, Wayne Wallace, and onetime Stooges guitarist James Williamson. The Pacific Mambo Orchestra, the large ensemble he co-leads with Mexican-born, Bay Area-based pianist Christian Tumalan, started out in 2010 as the Monday night band at Café Cocomo in San Francisco playing music rooted in the old-school salsa and mambo sounds of Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez. The band, which sports a 13-member horn section, has since expanded its repertoire to include more original contemporary Latin compositions and arrangements, some by Kuehn. Little-known at the time outside the Bay Area, the orchestra sent shockwaves throughout the international Latin music community when it won the 2014 Best Tropical Latin Album Grammy over superstar nominees Marc Anthony and Carlos Vives. "Imagine the biggest surprise you're capable of and multiply that by 100," Kuehn says of his initial reaction to the award. Leap of Faith may or may not win the trumpeter another Grammy, but the variety and vitality of the 10 tracks within it seem certain to bring Kuehn greater recognition as a jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger of the highest caliber. Photography: Ricardo Tellez (CD cover photo by Lisa Konczal) "Who Knew?," from Steffen Kuehn's "Leap of Faith" Web Site: steffenkuehn.com Follow: View:

Last night's games... Winnipeg 28....Hamilton 24 http://www.cfl.ca/games/2284/winnipeg-blue-bombers-vs-hamilton-tiger-cats/#/boxscore http://www.thesnap.ca/now-see-ryan-smith-didnt/ http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/winnipeg-blue-bombers-hamilton-tiger-cats-20160707/Stats http://www.tsn.ca/bombers-top-ticats-for-first-win-of-season-1.523133 http://3downnation.com/2016/07/07/ticats-lose-another-ugly-one-28-24-bombers/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/07/bomber-win-quiets-osheas-critics-now-17-thoughts/#comments ***** Toronto 25....BC 14 https://ca.news.yahoo.com/argonauts-beat-lion-25-14-ricky-ray-surpasses-050435090--spt.html?nhp=1 http://www.cfl.ca/games/2285/toronto-argonauts-vs-bc-lions/#/boxscore http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/toronto-argonauts-bc-lions-20160707/Stats http://3downnation.com/2016/07/08/five-things-learned-argos-win-lions/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/08/sober-second-thoughts-lions-qb-not-issue-now/#comments

Thanks Paul!

Dan Ralph Week 3 picks http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/6756269-cfl-picks-week-3-another-grey-cup-rematch-for-eskimos-head-coach-jason-maas/ ***** 7/6 checking down http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/06/checking-latest-henry-burris-week-3-notes/ ***** Justin Dunk's 7/4 QB rankings http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/04/dunks-quarterback-index-durant-trending-up-after-week-2/

Happy Birthday 2016 Randy!

Happy Birthday 2016 Jack!

Rod Pedersen Week 3 picks http://www.rodpedersen.com/2016/07/ckrms-week-3-cfl-picks-2016.html http://www.rodpedersen.com/2016/07/week-3-cfl-primer.html ***** Week 3 game notes http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/06/cfl-ca-game-notes-look-week-3/ ***** 3Down Week 3 picks http://3downnation.com/2016/07/07/no-love-bombers-week-3-picks/#comments ***** Mark Fulton 7/6 power rankings and "win projections" http://3downnation.com/2016/07/06/life-magic-8-ball-week-3-statistical-power-rankings-predictions/#comments ***** 7/4 nine thoughts on nine teams http://3downnation.com/2016/07/04/nine-thoughts-nine-teams-domination-drama-disaster/#comments

Here are last weekend's results. 3Down Week 2 picks http://3downnation.com/2016/06/30/ya-got-not-much-faith-riders-among-week-two-picks/#comments ***** Ottawa 28....Montreal 13 http://3downnation.com/2016/07/01/dont-even-know-happened-carter-says-bumping-redblacks-coach/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/02/48-hours-later-2/#comments Duron Carter bumped Rick Campbell, who was on the field. http://3downnation.com/2016/06/30/alouettes-receiver-duron-carter-bumps-redblacks-coach-gets-ejected/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/01/video-blame-carter-bump/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/04/montreals-duron-carter-suspended-bumping-redblacks-coach/#comments ***** Toronto 30....Sask 17 http://3downnation.com/2016/07/01/riders-drop-season-opener-argos/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/01/riders-good-football-team-arent-yet/#comments ***** BC 28....Hamilton 3 http://3downnation.com/2016/07/02/good-bad-hamiltons-humiliating-28-3-loss-bc-lions/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/02/ten-thoughts-video-ticats-loss-lionms/#comments http://3downnation.com/2016/07/01/17034/#comments ***** Calgary 36....Winnipeg 22 http://3downnation.com/2016/07/02/osheas-walters-bombers-officially-worse-macks-11-thoughts/#comments ***** Malcolm Kelly 7/4 power rankings http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-power-rankings-1.3664550 ***** Scott Cullen 7/5 power rankings http://www.tsn.ca/stamps-lead-lions-roaring-in-cfl-power-rankings-1.521386 ***** cfl.ca 7/5 power rankings http://www.cfl.ca/2016/07/05/nissan-titan-power-rankings-roaring-start-b-c/

Happy Birthday 2016 greggery!

Spiderman 1, 2 & 3 - $7.99 prime https://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Set-Tobey-Maguire/dp/B00520L1D8

Crock Pot https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1851974 ***** Barbecue http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/264/Barbecue_Raccoon9749.shtml ***** Mississippi Coon Stew http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zracoon10.html ***** helpful list http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zracoon.html ***** As an alternative, the fans can throw a raccoon onto the field when the Argos score, like the Detroit fans throw an octopus. Just a thought.

RareNoiseRecords Presents an Exceptional Project by GAUDI THE RARE NOISE CATALOG RE-SCULPTED. Let loose in the RareNoise vaults, Gaudi has composed an album of entirely new music using various mutitracks from different RareNoise releases. AVAILABLE AS 10" WHITE VINYL IN CUSTOM PVC PACKAGE AND MULTIPLE DOWNLOAD FORMATS IN STORES, ONLINE AND VIA WWW.RARENOISERECORDS.COM ON JULY 22, 2016. ABOUT THE LABEL - RareNoiseRecords was founded in 2008 by two Italians, entrepreneur Giacomo Bruzzo and music producer Eraldo Bernocchi. Located in London, the label's mission is to detect and amplify contemporary trends in progressive music, by highlighting their relation to the history of the art-form, while choosing not to be bound by pre-conceptions of genre. It seeks to become a guiding light for all those enamored by exciting, adventurous and progressive sounds. For further information and to listen please go to www.rarenoiserecords.com. New York, June 30, 2016 - This 10" Vinyl EP is the first manifestation of an exciting collaboration between London-based music producer / performing artist Gaudi and the ever classy champions of genre-bending and experimental contemporary music, RareNoiseRecords. This hot-off-the-press taster, which will also be available in multiple DL formats, is an introduction to the forthcoming full length release, to be titled Magnetic, due to be released late Spring 2017. Gaudi, a much respected producer and performer with 15 studio albums under his belt, has been working to dissolve musical boundaries for over 35 years now, and is best loved and noted for his genre blending and high quality dub-centric productions. He has been let loose in the RareNoise vaults and has set himself the creational challenge of composing an album of entirely new music using the full palette of the RareNoise catalog as his orchestra. Gaudi is no stranger to this kind of undertaking having previously taken on the challenge of composing and producing an album of new music working with vocal parts from archives of legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The result of this multi-year endeavor, released with the title "Dub Qawwali", earned him a nomination for a BBC World Music Award: It was not only a beautiful and sensitively handled piece of work, but also a landmark album in which the very concept of 'remix' was taken to the next level to become 're-composition'. In this respect, "Magnetic' represents an even greater challenge than Dub Qawwali: the sheer breath of the source material offered by the RareNoise catalog, which spans a high dimensional manifold of genres, has stimulated and challenged Gaudi to work with a vast array of styles, instrumentation and flavors in order to create the master blend, a true challenge of distillation. Side A of this 10" Vinyl EP is home to the track "30Hz Dub Prelude" and there's no mistaking from the first bar that this one is all about the bass - provided by psychedelic prog-rock artist Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree fame. Drawing also from the rock side of the spectrum this track gets edge and pace from the drums of Ted Parsons from cult band Killing Joke. Guitars are by Eraldo Bernocchi and vocals by Japanese experimental vocalist Coppé are used as texture throughout and under the surface. Gaudi plays Minimoog, korg MS20 and fender rhodes. The trombone of Brian Allen (member of Brainkiller) draws you in and leads you as it meanders like a liquid brass river through the track. Side B is a more subdued affair. "Electronic Impromptu in E-flat Minor" is an evocative time-slip into subjective reverie. A melancholy piece featuring Bill Laswell and Lorenzo Feliciati on Bass. Electronic noises and textures are crafted by Masami Akita (aka Merzbow) and tremulous nostalgic guitar by Eraldo Bernocchi punctuates the soundscape. It is a deep, drawing track which is tense and moody in tone, but softened by the satie-esque piano of Alessandro Gwis and Gaudi's trademark Theremin with it's unmistakable and luring voice. Drums by Steve Jansen (the drummer from art pop band Japan) give the track a purposeful yet faltering pace which further reinforces the space and flavour of the track - it is a song of counterpoints, spacious yet introspective, dark yet with a hint whimsy. The list of artists who have lent their sounds and skills to the overall project reads like a 'who's who' of musical talent and gives warranted indication as to the quality of the ingredients; Artists to be featured in the final full length release Magnetic willinclude Tony Levin (best known for his work on bass with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel), Pulitzer prize finalist and avant-garde jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, ambient music legend and master of sonic experimentalism Harold Budd, Pat Mastelotto (drummer from XTC, David Sylvian, King Crimson, Sugar Cubes), experimental guitarist Buckethead (Guns 'n' Roses, Bootsy, Iggy Pop) and internationally acclaimed Italian born jazz trombonist Gianluca Petrella to name but a few. In this project Gaudi has become like the master blender at the whisky distillery... Carefully searching through the warehouses to find the right flavours, taking a hand picked selection of the best spirit of the RareNoise stable and from amongst their individual notes and character, creating his own unique blend - the RareNoise signature malt! TRACKS AND CREDITS A SIDE - 30HZ DUB PRELUDE GAUDI - minimoog, korg MS20, fender rhodes, programming COLIN EDWIN - bass TED PARSONS - drums BRIAN ALLEN - trombone ERALDO BERNOCCHI - guitar COPPE' - voice B SIDE - ELECTRONIC IMPROMPTU IN E-FLAT MINOR GAUDI - theremin, minimoog, piano, programming BILL LASWELL - bass STEVE JANSEN - drum ERALDO BERNOCCHI - guitar MASAMI AKITA (aka MERZBOW) - electronic noise LORENZO FELICIATI - bass ALESSANDRO GWIS - acoustic piano Produced and arranged by Gaudi. THE VINYL contains the download code for a third track as well - called "Nocturnal Sonata," which also will be part of the 2017 release "Magnetic." Bonus Download - NOCTURNAL SONATA GAUDI - Drum, Piano, Vocal Choir, Minimoog, Korg MS20, Programming. MARK AANDERUD - Piano BILL LASWELL - Bass, Drones BUCKETHEAD - Guitar Noises MARTIN SCHULTE - Electronics, Programming HERNAN HECHT - Drums

RareNoiseRecords Presents Merzbow/Haino/Pandi An Untroublesome Defencelessness CD, VINYL (45 RPM) AND MULTIPLE DIGITAL FORMATS AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE ON JULY 22, 2016 AND THROUGH WWW.RARENOISERECORDS.COM. Merzbow electronics Keiji Haino guitar, electronics, occasional vocals Balazs Pandi drums ABOUT THE LABEL - RareNoiseRecords was founded in 2008 by two Italians, entrepreneur Giacomo Bruzzo and music producer Eraldo Bernocchi. Located in London, the label's mission is to detect and amplify contemporary trends in progressive music, by highlighting their relation to the history of the art-form, while choosing not to be bound by pre-conceptions of genre. It seeks to become a guiding light for all those enamored by exciting, adventurous and progressive sounds. For further information and to listen please go to www.rarenoiserecords.com. New York, June 30, 2016 - The renowned Japanese electronic maestro Merzbow (aka Masami Akita) joins forces with his fellow countryman Keiji Haino and Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi on another example of extreme sonic experimentation in the form of An Untroublesome Defencelessness. Merzbow and Pandi, who have been playing together since 2009 and previously collaborated on two RareNoiseRecords releases -- 2013ʼs Cuts (with Swedish free jazz saxophonist Mats Gustafsson) and 2015ʼs Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (with Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore) -- push the envelope once again with improv singer and noise guitarist Haino. The resulting sound is a relentlessly intense cauldron of caustic power chording, adrenalized blast beats and double bass drum thunder, and grinding white noise fusillades, courtesy of this fearsome threesome. While some might call it noise, Merzbow offered this explanation in a New York Times interview: "Noise is the unconscious of music." Together these three intrepid explorers plumb the depths of the unconscious on An Untroublesome Defencelessness, which is comprised of the three-movement suite "Why is the courtesy of the prey always confused with the courtesy of the hunters" and the four-part "How differ the instructions on the left from the instructions on the right?" And to Pandi, this outing, like all of Merzbowʼs singular sonic experiments, remains "music of great mystery." In a post-Cage-ian world where there are no wrong notes - in fact, no notes at all, just silence and the absence of silence - the enigmatic Merzbow is a Magellan of sound, fearlessly traveling uncharted waters on each new project he undertakes (he has made over 350 recordings since 1979). Born on December 19, 1956 in Tokyo, he was originally attracted to rock guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed and Robert Fripp, and later was influenced by free jazz icons Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor and Frank Wright as well as electronic music pioneers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis. "Then I found the forum for mixing these influences into pure electronic noise," he said in a 1999 interview with EsoTerra Magazine: The Journal of Extreme Culture. "I was trying to create an extreme form of music." Merzbow has found a true kindred spirit in Pandi, who has become a kind of ʻhouse drummerʼ for RareNoiseRecords, appearing on projects by Obake, Metallic Taste of Blood and Slobber Pup as well as vibrant recordings with saxophonist Ivo Perelman (One), trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith (Red Hill) and trombonist Roswell Rudd (Strength & Power). Says the flexible drummer of his highly conversational approach with his avant garde partner Merzbow: "The chemistry between us was there right from the very beginning. Masami has been flirting with the idea of live drums on his shows for a while as he is a drummer himself, but according to him, the metal drummers were too much in the autopilot zone and jazz drummers were not intense enough and couldnʼt keep up with volume. My way of playing was fitting his music perfectly, as I play both improvised music that is changing shape all the time and heavy amplified music. We donʼt have things anchored, we just have a continuously expanding vocabulary and we pay attention to each other and find immediate hooks in each otherʼs playing." Adds the Hungarian-born drummer, whose endurance and sheer intensity throughout An Untroublesome Defencelessness is nothing short of awesome, "I approach these live recordings with Masami and Haino as meditation and let the sound carry my body and mind through these concerts and recordings. l let my spirit take over my body rather than using power or force consciously." Pandi explains that the remarkable versatility he has displayed on this and other RareNoise recordings, whether it's playing brushes with Wadada Leo Smith, underscoring Roswell Rudd with an African-flavored momentum or playing with slamming, full-tilt abandon with Obake and Slobber Pup, derives from his musically rich upbringing in Budapest. "When I was nine years old, I got introduced to black/death metal by a friend at music school and also started my studies as a classical percussionist. At age ten I joined a youth orchestra where we played everything from marching music to operas up to contemporary composers pieces. Because of this, I appreciated different music by itself before getting into a certain scene or genre too deep." This open-minded musical aesthetic ultimately led to the expanded vocabulary that now manifests in a variety of gigs for the versatile drummer. And he loves to mix up his wide-ranging vocabulary from session to session. As he explains, "It can be interesting sometimes to add some random blast beats to a more sensitive recording with Wadada, just as its great to figure out how to leaves spaces open in an intense musical environment to create a certain tension." The third member of this formidable triumverate, singer-songwriter-guitarist Keiji Haino, had previously worked with Merzbow under the moniker Kikuri. The idea of collaborating with Keiji on An Untroublesome Defencelessnes goes back to 2010. As Pandi explains, "When Masami and I did a gig in Osaka back then, we threw a couple ideas back and forth and decided that it would be great to try and form a trio with Haino-san. Keiji is like an infinite well of ideas. Itʼs incredible how he can push music and sounds into new directions. Sounds coming from him have way more qualities than the ones coming from most musicians, as he uses every possible way to alternate sounds and give them extra qualities that people just donʼt know about." And they make scintillating music together on the live-in-the-studio recording An Untroublesome Defencelessness, yet another mind-blowing addition to the burgeoning RareNoiseRecords catalog. TRACKS 1. Why is the courtesy of the prey always confused with the courtesy of the hunters...(Part I) 2. Why is the courtesy of the prey always confused with the courtesy of the hunters...(Part II) 3. Why is the courtesy of the prey always confused with the courtesy of the hunters...(Part III) 4. How differ the instructions on the left from the instructions on the right? (Part I) 5. How differ the instructions on the left from the instructions on the right? (Part II) 6. How differ the instructions on the left from the instructions on the right? (Part III) 7. How differ the instructions on the left from the instructions on the right? (Part IV)

Happy Birthday 2016 WD!

Trombonist Reggie Watkins Delivers a Deeply Personal Tribute to Jimmy Knepper On His 3rd CD "Avid Admirer," Set for July 15 Release on BYNK Records With Support from Matt Parker, Tenor Saxophonist/Co-Producer; Pianists Orrin Evans & Tuomo Uusitalo; Bassist Steve Whipple; & Drummer Reggie Quinerly CD Release Shows Include Pittsburgh Winery, 7/23; South, Philadelphia, 8/31; Cornelia Street Cafe, NYC, 9/1 June 30, 2016 Trombonist Reggie Watkins had the opportunity to meet trombone master Jimmy Knepper just once, shortly before Knepper's death in June 2003. Watkins was performing in his native Wheeling, WV with Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau Band, and Knepper, himself a Ferguson alumnus, was in the audience. The older musician complimented Watkins after the concert and shook his hand. Little did Watkins realize that a series of remarkable circumstances ten years later would lead him to record an album of Knepper compositions, played on the late musician's Bach Stradivarius 36 trombone. The CD in question, Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project, will be released on Matt Parker's BYNK Records on July 15. Avid Admirer, Watkins's third album as a leader, was first set in motion by his mother Liz's friendship at church in Wheeling, circa 2013, with a woman who was the widow of Jimmy Knepper. After Maxine Knepper passed the following year, Jimmy's daughter Robin Knepper Mahonen donated her father's collection of musical instruments to Watkins. "Dad made me promise that his horns would go to a musician," Mahonen writes in the CD liner notes. "Reggie Watkins is the man that will take up these horns and give them a voice again." Avid Admirer is a magnificent result of Mahonen's generous gift. It features the trombone virtuoso performing eight of Knepper's original compositions, as well as "Goodbye," a Gordon Jenkins ballad that Knepper had been especially fond of playing. Matt Parker, the brilliant saxophonist who co-produced the disc with Watkins, alternates between soprano and tenor. (Parker worked alongside Watkins in Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau from 2004 to 2006.) Orrin Evans and Tuomo Uusitalo take turns at the piano. Bassist Steve Whipple and drummer Reggie Quinerly round out the quintet. They are New Yorkers all, save for the leader, who has long been based in Pittsburgh. "I've always been a serious Charles Mingus fan and became aware of Jimmy Knepper's work through Mingus's music," Watkins says. "Having contact with Robin was the beginning of me exploring Jimmy Knepper the composer." Watkins found "Avid Admirer," a swinging blues in B-flat from a 1957 Bethlehem album by Knepper with Bill Evans on piano, to be an ideal choice as a title for the present CD. "I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a session more," says Watkins. Born in 1971 in Wheeling, WV, Reggie Watkins played trumpet and tuba in high school before switching to valve trombone, then eventually slide trombone. It was as a music major at West Virginia University that he was first exposed to the playing of 'bone legend J.J. Johnson. In Pittsburgh, Watkins was influenced by Roger Humphries, the local legend known for playing with Horace Silver on such classic albums as Song for My Father. Watkins became involved in various bands and gained a reputation for his strong, groove-minded playing. In 1999, Watkins became Maynard Ferguson's trombonist, music director, and arranger. He is featured as a trombonist and arranger on Swingin' for Schuur, the 2001 album the trumpeter made with singer Diane Schuur. The next year, Watkins recorded his first album, A-List, which was part of the Maynard Ferguson Presents series. The recording featured his compositions and arrangements. One for Miles, One for Maynard, his second date as a leader, was released in 2014. "Reggie Watkins brings a sophistcated fire to his music that is infectious," says Matt Parker. "Working with him on The Jimmy Knepper Project showed me what it means to learn from the masters that came before us." "I feel as if I have been set upon a wave of musical destiny that began a long time ago and could continue long after I'm gone," says Watkins. "What I hope for this record is that people listen, enjoy the music, and be compelled to further explore the music of Jimmy Knepper. I will forever be influenced and inspired by his artistry." CD Release Shows for Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project: 7/16 V.O.M.A. (Venue of Merging Arts), Johnstown, PA, 7:30pm (w/ Matt Parker & Friends) 7/23 Pittsburgh Winery, 9pm (w/ Matt Parker, ts; Orrin Evans, p; Paul Thompson, b; David Throckmorton, d) 8/31 South, Philadelphia, 7pm & 9pm (w/ Matt Parker, ts; Orrin Evans, p; Matt Parish, b; E.J. Strickland, d) 9/1 Cornelia Street Café, NYC, 9pm (w/ Matt Parker, ts; Tuomo Uusitalo, p; Steve Whipple, b; Reggie Quinerly, d) Photography: Sienna Watkins Reggie Watkins "Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project" - Trailer Web Site: reggiewatkinsmusic.com Follow: View: