GA Russell

I tuned in at 10 o'clock, and watched the last hour. It was tied 71-71 at that point. It seemed to me that much of GS's offense was Curry attempting three-pointers that didn't come close. I read a few days ago that GS's center Andrew Bogut was injured and out for the series. Certainly it was remarkable that Cleveland came back after being down 3-1, but I don't recall a team winning a championship without its starting center for the last two games either. I had good friends in school from Cleveland, so I'm happy for them. Bay Area sports fans have enjoyed a number of championships in recent years.

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This was in The News & Observer the day before Memorial Day... Colorful ode to McPartland Jazz Roberta Piket “ONE FOR MARIAN: CELEBRATING MARIAN MCPARTLAND” No visiting jazz musician endeared herself more to Triangle audiences than the late pianist Marian McPartland. Whether performing at the Frog and Nightgown, NCSU’s Stewart Theatre, UNC’s Memorial Hall or one of the area’s elementary or high schools, she was the jazz ambassador you’ll always remember. Classy, humorous and accessible, she not only played much-admired jazz piano but also composed enduring tunes. It is the latter talent that draws pianist Roberta Piket’s focus on “One for Marian: Celebrating Marian McPartland” (Thirteenth Note Records). Leading a band composed of Bill Mobley on trumpet and flugelhorn, Steve Wilson on alto saxophone and flute, Virginia Mayhew on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Harvie S on bass and Billy Mintz on drums, Picket makes colorful work of McPartland’s compositions. Opening with “Ambiance” the horns play in close harmony for an exotic effect, with Wilson’s flute solo complementing the mysterious mood. McPartland’s “In the Days of Our Love,” introduced by Piket at a ballad tempo, features swinging solos by Mobley on trumpet and Mayhew on tenor saxophone. Piket caps the soloing toward the end, employing lively treble lines and block chords. “Twilight World,” another McPartland tune, features vocalist Karrin Allyson in a lovely, delicate duet with Piket. Other McPartland tunes heard here include “Threnody,” “Time and Time Again” and “Kaleidoscope.” Piket contributes two originals to the program: the bright “One for Marian” and the appropriately titled “Saying Goodbye,” the latter featuring a technically advanced bass solo. It’s good to hear these in concert with McPartland’s compositions and it’s good to hear McPartland’s tunes colorfully arranged for an ensemble larger than her customary piano-bass-drums trio. — CORRESPONDENT OWEN CORDLE

I see that on this date in 1967 the festival began.

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"Z Octet," New CD by Pianist Peggy Stern, To Be Released July 8 On Her Estrella Productions Imprint Composed and Arranged by Stern, & Recorded in Austin, CD Features Su Terry, Clarinet; Alex Coke, Flute; Alex Heitlinger, Trombone; Ilia Delarosa, Cello; Richard Mikel, Bass; Wayne Salzmann, Drums; &, On Two Tracks, Suzi Stern, Vocals June 13, 2016 Finding inspiration in the physical surroundings of her current hometown of Austin, Texas, and drawing upon what jazz critic Harvey Pekar called her "fertile imagination" as a pianist, composer, and arranger, Peggy Stern has recorded the deepest and most personal album of her distinguished career, Z Octet. Comprised of several of her most poignant compositions, the recording shapes them into a cohesive work of great beauty, color, and tender emotion. Stern's Estrella Productions will release the CD on July 8. At once bold and subdued, shimmering and shadowy, Z Octet is neither jazz nor classical, bridging those genres in a way that recalls Maria Schneider's efforts with her larger ensemble. "I like that it doesn't really fit into any genre," says Stern, who has never let generic expectations color her approach to the music or the way she plays the piano. On the new CD, recorded at Greenhaven Studio in Austin, pianist Stern is joined by an unusual blend of players, including clarinetist Su Terry, featured with Stern on The Art of the Duo (2010); flutist Alex Coke, a seasoned avant-gardist; trombonist Alex Heitlinger, a gifted and widely experienced young player and composer; and Ilia Delarosa, a cello virtuoso from the Dominican Republic. The CD also features bassist Richard Mikel and drummer Wayne Salzmann, as well as vocal harmonies on two tracks by the leader and Austin favorite Suzi Stern (no relation). Ranging from "The Elephants' Tango," a gently swaggering tango named after the Elephant Room, an Austin club, to "Phille," a rich, choral-style piece written after the death of Stern's mother, Z Octet covers a wide range of emotions and styles. While Z Octet is a suite, with a trajectory and atmosphere all its own, each piece within it radiates its own particular qualities. Native Philadelphian Peggy Stern began playing classical piano at an early age, acquiring her Bachelor's Degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York in 1968, and then her Master's in 1970 from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Stern moved in the early 1970s to San Francisco, where she learned to improvise and expanded her musical horizons. One of her first jobs in town was with the popular Latin dance band SuperCombo, the hardcore Cuban rhythm section of which toughened her approach to salsa montunos, six nights a week for two years. She also played in the Latin-rock big band Azteca, the R&B band Cat's Cradle (which she co-founded with Linda Tillery), and jazz trumpeter Eddie Henderson's group. After moving to New York, she added to her Latin resume by playing in legendary percussionist Machito's legacy band and performed jazz in varied settings. Heading to Seattle in the early '80s, Stern thrived in a music community that was more amenable to outsiders and non-conforming styles than New York. "I have consistently found that the West Coast is more open to new musical ideas," she says. In Seattle, where she lived for eight years, Stern played with such local heroes as Julian Priester, Gary Peacock, and Jay Clayton and was an assistant professor for six years at the Cornish College of the Arts. Her first album, City Hawk (1985), a collection of originals save for Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way," featured her on piano and synthesizer. In 1988, she recorded the solo album Aliyah, a collection of Jewish tunes (one that neatly paired up with her earlier release, Christmas Collection). Two years later, she was back in New York, where, when not teaching upstate at SUNY-Purchase, she immersed herself in the downtown scene. She played with a formidable number of first-rate artists, including Lee Konitz, with whom she recorded such albums as Lunasea (1992), much of which she composed. She co-led a quartet with a very different saxophonist, singular avant-gardist Thomas Chapin, a collaboration documented on The Fuchsia (1997). "Free jazz is my favorite thing to play," says Stern, who was good friends with Chapin when his life was tragically cut short by leukemia in 1998. Her other '90s recordings include the trio effort, Pleiades, which teamed her with rising bassist Ben Allison and drummer Jeff Williams; The Jobim Collection, a duo album with Konitz; another trio work, Room Enough, consisting largely of jazz standards and featuring Harvie S and Jeff Williams; and her first large ensemble recording, Actual Size, a kind of precursor to Z Octet featuring such stalwarts as trumpeter Ron Horton and trombonist Art Baron. In 2006 her Estrella Trio released a self-titled CD. Stern, who has also extensively performed, recorded, and taught in Europe, relocated to Austin in 2013 in order to be close to her married daughter Sarka and her two grandchildren. Moving to Texas, Stern quips, was "a little like moving to the moon," but Peggy has adapted by playing everything from modern jazz to salsa to western swing. She also added a popular jazz venue to the scene -- her living room aka Salon Peggy -- and a gorgeous new CD to her discography. Photography: Brenda Ladd Photo Web Site: peggystern.com Follow: Like: View:

One of the last great radio actresses, Janet Waldo, has passed away at 96. Like many of her peers, when radio work dried up, she moved over to cartoons. http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36516741 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Waldo

Happy Birthday 2016 Kevin!

I have forgotten to post about this one. As you know, my tastes are more conservative than many here. Unfortunately for me, the songs on this album don't have the hummable melodies that I would prefer. On the other hand, everyone on this album sounds just the way I like - with a warm, rich tone. Really beautiful. I can recommend every Carey album I've heard because of that rich tone of his.

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The Marcin Wasilewski Trio tour dates below are hyperlinked. Marcin Wasilewski piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz double bass; Michal Miskiewicz drums “Marcin Wasilewski's piano playing is lyrical at heart, building from simple melodies and incorporating indirect shades of gospel. Bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz has a way of getting in and around the center of the music without crowding it or being obvious; Michael Miskiewicz's brushwork is the very definition of lush, probably contributing as much to the misty feel of the music as Wasilewski's predilection for pedaling.” -Nils Jacobson, Allaboutjazz.com “This all-acoustic, piano-trio disc boasts pristine sound and impeccable playing…” -Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post IN CONCERT 17 June - Baltimore, MD (An Die Musik Live!) 19 June - New Haven, CT (University Theatre - International Festival of Arts & Ideas) 22 & 23 June - New York, NY (Dizzy’s Club Cola) 25 June - Ottawa, ON (Ottawa Jazz Festival) 26 June - Vancouver, BC (Vancouver Jazz Festival) 28 June - Seattle, WA (Triple Door) 30 June - Portland, OR (Polish Hall) ©2016 ECM | 1755 Broadway, Floor 3, New York, NY 10019

$9.99 per month with a catalogue similar to Spotify's. This may also help sales of Amazon's Echo. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/exclusive-amazon-preparing-launch-streaming-music-sources-195823099--finance.html

The Zombies - The Singles As & Bs (2 CDs, 42 songs) - $7.68 + $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/Singles-As-Bs-ZOMBIES/dp/B00006ALRU N.B. Most tracks are mono.

Happy Birthday 2016 Craig!

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Good news! ESPN will again this year carry 20 games, and stream another 60. http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/espn-will-again-televise-20-cfl-games-in-the-u-s-stream-69-more.html

UPDATED Marcin Wasilewski piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz double bass; Michal Miskiewicz drums “Marcin Wasilewski's piano playing is lyrical at heart, building from simple melodies and incorporating indirect shades of gospel. Bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz has a way of getting in and around the center of the music without crowding it or being obvious; Michael Miskiewicz's brushwork is the very definition of lush, probably contributing as much to the misty feel of the music as Wasilewski's predilection for pedaling.” -Nils Jacobson, Allaboutjazz.com “This all-acoustic, piano-trio disc boasts pristine sound and impeccable playing…” -Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post IN CONCERT 17 June - Baltimore, MD (An Die Musik Live!) 19 June - New Haven, CT (University Theatre - International Festival of Arts & Ideas) 22 & 23 June - New York, NY (Dizzy’s Club Cola) 25 June - Ottawa, ON (Ottawa Jazz Festival) 26 June - Vancouver, BC (Vancouver Jazz Festival) 28 June - Seattle, WA (Triple Door) 30 June - Portland, OR (Polish Hall) ©2016 ECM | 1755 Broadway, Floor 3, New York, NY 10019

It says here that the average NBA player spends $42,500 each month. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/average-nba-player-spends-42-500-month-article-1.2667233

Sarah Vaughan - Best of, 20th Century Masters (with AutoRip) - $3.59 prime https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002M5T66/

I was wrong. It was Montreal at Winnipeg. Winnipeg 36....Montreal 13 http://3downnation.com/2016/06/08/bombers-top-alouettes-pre-season-opener/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2016/06/08/castillo-kicks-bombers-pre-season-win-als/

Happy Birthday 2016 bertrand!

The pre-season's first game is tonight at 8:00 pm eastern - Winnipeg at Montreal. You can listen to it here: http://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690

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