GA Russell

I have a problem with the Jeffrey Toobin New Yorker article (the only one of Larry's three that I've read so far; Thanks, Larry!). I was taught that a prior conviction for one crime is considered irrelevant to the matter at hand. Now Toobin is suggesting that the prosecution may present not a prior conviction, but rather a number of witnesses alleging that he did things similar to what the prosecution is charging. Then, as Toobin says, the prosecution will not base its case upon evidence regarding the crime charged, but rather that the jury members ask themselves, Can they all be lying?

My hard drive shut down a couple of months ago, so I have switched to something small for the time being. Yesterday I went to Spotify to check what they had available, but they insisted that I first download their player. And they insisted that before I do that, I first agree to their collection of my data. No thanks. Now that Grooveshark is gone, what is the next best thing to Spotify that is free? Google Play?

This, from ECM: It is with deep regret that we share the news below from the family of the great Paul Bley: Paul Bley, renowned jazz pianist, died January 3, 2016 at home with his family. Born November 10, 1932 in Montreal, QC, he began music studies at the age of five. At 13, he formed the “Buzzy Bley Band.” At 17, he took over for Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge, invited Charlie Parker to play at the Montreal Jazz Workshop, which he co-founded, made a film with Stan Kenton and then headed to NYC to attend Julliard. His international career has spanned seven decades. He's played and recorded with Lester Young, Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, Jimmy Giuffre, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorious and many others. He is considered a master of the trio, but as exemplified by his solo piano albums, Paul Bley is preeminently a pianists' pianist. He is survived by his wife of forty three years, Carol Goss, their daughters, Vanessa Bley and Angelica Palmer, grandchildren Felix and Zoletta Palmer, as well as daughter, Solo Peacock. Private memorial services will be held in Stuart, FL, Cherry Valley, NY and wherever you play a Paul Bley record.

(original) Star Trek (complete) - $41.99 http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Original-Series-Complete/dp/B013Q1BVIE

Let's continue on. Every year that I can recall, everyone in the league takes the week following the Grey Cup off. Not this year. A lot happened that week. Jeff Tedford resigned as the BC coach, and to my great surprise, he was replaced by Wally! http://3downnation.com/2015/12/02/buono-back-to-the-sidelines-as-lions-dump-tedford/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2015/12/06/tedford-resigns-as-lions-head-coach-buono-to-take-over/ http://www.tsn.ca/tedford-resigns-as-lions-head-coach-1.403035 http://3downnation.com/2015/12/02/ullrich-wally-on-the-hot-seat-to-rebuild-the-lions/#comments http://3downnation.com/2015/12/03/wally-buono-hopes-to-bring-the-roar-back-to-lions/#comments http://3downnation.com/2015/12/12/critical-decisions-face-wally-buono/#comments ***** Jon Cornish announced his retirement. He didn't want to risk another concussion. http://3downnation.com/2015/12/02/cfl-suffers-a-huge-loss-as-cornish-retires-from-the-stampeders/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2015/12/06/jon-cornish-announces-his-retirement/ http://www.tsn.ca/cp-newsalert-stampeders-running-back-jon-cornish-announces-retirement-1.403203 ***** Before the week following the Grey Cup was over, Chris Jones left the Eskimos to become the GM and head coach of the Roughriders! http://3downnation.com/2015/12/06/whirlwind-of-activity-lands-jones-gm-role-in-saskatchewan/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2015/12/07/report-chris-jones-hired-by-saskatchewan-roughriders/ http://www.tsn.ca/riders-hire-jones-as-gm-head-coach-1.405187 http://3downnation.com/2015/12/07/head-coach-chris-jones-bolts-from-champs-to-rival-saskatchewan/#comments

Robert Stigwood passed away today. RIP. It's been a long time since I've read his name, but there was a time in the '70s when I saw it in print maybe once a week! http://www.bing.com/search?q=Robert+Stigwood&form=PRHPS1&refig=68526d66e91e4caebb94970f05398895

Happy Birthday 2016 mg!

I liked his salute to Lou Rawls very much. "Invitation," New CD by Vocalist Nicolas Bearde, Due for Jan. 29 Release By Right Groove Records Produced & Arranged by Nat Adderley Jr., & Featuring Guest Soloist Vincent Herring on Alto Sax, CD Is Bearde's 5th Album & 1st Straight-Ahead Jazz Recording CD Release Shows at Cafe Stritch, San Jose, March 5 & Sound Rooml, Oakland, March 26 December 15, 2015 Nicolas Bearde is a San Francisco Bay Area treasure. As a charter member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra ensemble as well as the innovative vocal sextet SoVoSó, he's long been internationally recognized as a versatile and fearless vocal improviser, charismatic performer, and distinctive jazz and soul stylist. While Bearde has drawn on his love for both R&B and jazz on his previous four CDs, Invitation, the singer's fifth release on his own Right Groove Records label, is his first entirely straight-ahead set of songs. Produced largely by renowned pianist/arranger Nat Adderley Jr., Invitation will be released January 29. "Nat has a way of starting you in a different direction," says Bearde of Adderley, who spent nearly 20 years as music director for Luther Vandross and grew up in a deeply musical family including his cornetist father Nat Sr. and his alto saxophonist uncle Cannonball. "He has a way of voicing chords that is so very musical. You don't have to hear the melody to hear the melody within the chords. We found that during rehearsal of this new material. I thought, this is probably the most beautiful way I've ever heard these songs." The relaxed phrasing and depth of feeling that Bearde brings to such standards as "Nature Boy," "Lush Life," and "Save Your Love for Me" and to a rarely heard vocal version of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" place him firmly in the tradition of such deep-voiced greats as Billy Eckstine, Al Hibbler, Arthur Prysock, Johnny Hartman, Bill Henderson, Lou Rawls, and Jon Lucien. Seven of the tracks were recorded in East Orange, New Jersey, or Brooklyn, New York, with Adderley on piano, Belden Bullock or Kenny Davis on bass, and Vincent Ector or Rocky Bryant on drums, and, on three tracks, alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, considered by many to be Cannonball Adderley's foremost stylistic disciple. "I Want to Talk About You" was produced in Oakland by the late Bud Spangler with pianist John R. Burr, bassist John Wiitala, drummer Akira Tana, and tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz. "Maiden Voyage" was produced in San Francisco by Bearde and Peter Horvath, who played piano in the company of bassist Gary Brown, drummer Leon Joyce Jr., and percussionist Peter Michael Escovedo. Bearde was introduced to Adderley nearly three years ago while appearing at Trumpets in Montclair, New Jersey. The club's owner recommended that Bearde call Adderley, who lived in the neighborhood, about the possibility of their working together at his next Trumpets engagement. "Nat said 'Send me the music and info, let's hear what you do,'" says Bearde. "So I sent him three albums' worth of material, and he called back and said, 'Where have you been? Why don't people know who you are? Of course I'll work with you.'" Nashville native Nicolas Bearde, who's been based in the San Francisco Bay Area since the 1970s, has worked extensively as an actor for stage, screen, and television and as a voice-over artist in addition to his vocal pursuits. By the mid-1980s, he'd hooked up with Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, and when McFerrin decided to take a break from the group in the mid-'90s, Bearde and other members branched off into a smaller a cappella unit called SoVoSó, which included Molly Holm, Linda Tillery, Rhiannon, Joey Blake, David Worm, and Edgardo Cambon. "We followed in the improvisational tradition of Voicestra, but added more gospel, Latin, and R&B elements," he says. Bearde maintains a busy touring schedule. He has appeared at the Russian River Jazz Festival, San Jose Festival, Salt Lake City Jazz Festival, Usadba Jazz Festival in Russia, and Minsk Jazz Festival in Belarus, as well as such clubs as Yoshi's in both Oakland and San Francisco, B.B. King's and Café Cordial in Los Angeles, and the abovementioned Trumpets. Besides being a master singer, Bearde has distinguished himself as an actor. Since taking part in Juke Box, a 1986 radio play starring Danny Glover, he has appeared in such films as True Crime, Final Analysis, and Pacific Heights; on television in Monk, Henry Lee, Nash Bridges, and Baby Snatcher; on the stage in Flying West, Two Trains Running, Full Moon, Twelfth Night, American Song, and Master Harold...and the Boys; and in commercials for the California Lottery, Chrysler, Orchard Supply Hardware, and Verizon. Bearde has released four albums through his Right Groove imprint: Crossing the Line (1998), All About Love (2004), Live at Yoshi's: A Salute to Lou [Rawls] (2008), and Visions (2013). Connoisseurs of fine jazz singing will be thankful to hear him in the uncompromising context of Invitation. Nicolas Bearde will be performing two CD release shows in the Bay Area: Saturday 3/5 at Café Stritch in San Jose and Saturday 3/26 at the Sound Room in Oakland. Web Site: nicolasbearde.com

"This Could Be That," 3rd CD by Drummer Brian Andres & the Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel, Due for Jan. 15 Release by Bacalao Records Guest Percussionists Include Alex Acuña, Louie Romero, John Santos, & Michael Spiro December 8, 2015 Drummer Brian Andres has been leading his powerhouse Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel since 2007, establishing them as a prime voice in the thriving San Francisco Bay Area Latin jazz scene. With his third album, This Could Be That, which is due for release by his Bacalao Records imprint on January 15, Andres and his Cartel exert a firm grip on the music's cutting edge, playing with confidence, poise, and rhythmic imagination. Featuring a core octet drawn from the cream of local players, This Could Be That includes guest appearances by innovators such as Cuban-American vocalist Venissa Santi, Fania All-Stars timbalero Louie Romero, bata master Michael Spiro, Peruvian percussion star Alex Acuña, and percussion maestro John Santos. Over the past decade, the Cartel has earned a sterling reputation as a turbo-charged vehicle for interpreting challenging material, and This Could Be That includes compositions and arrangements by top-shelf writing talent from within and outside the band's ranks. "The first two albums we did had concepts," Andres says. "Our debut Drummers Speak [2007] focused on compositions by Latin percussionists and jazz drummers. San Francisco [2013] highlighted composers and arrangers of the Bay Area. On this one, things just happened organically. Everybody wanted to contribute. We ended up with a lot of different things in the record, and there wasn't one single thread." But the album's disparate program expresses the Cartel's vivid and distinctive personality. In many ways This Could Be That embodies the Bay Area's close-knit Latin music community, which got a burst of international attention when the Pacific Mambo Orchestra won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Latin Tropical Album. The PMO's co-leaders, German-born trumpeter Steffen Kuehn and Mexico City-raised pianist Christian Tumalan, both play a significant role in the Cartel. Kuehn, who plays on about half the album's tracks, brought in a state-of-the-art timba-powered arrangement of his original "Limite," which features Cuban timbalero Calixto Oviedo as a special guest. And Tumalan, who holds down the Cartel piano chair, "and is integral to developing the sound of the Cartel" Andres says, contributed a thrilling Cubanized arrangement of Chick Corea's Elektric Band anthem "Got a Match?" that slyly references Corea's standards "Armando's Rhumba" and "Spain." Other highlights include the (translated) title track, "Esto Puede Ser Eso," a lovely cha cha by Cartel percussionist Javier Cabanillas and arranged by Cabanillas and trombonist Jamie Dubberly, who leads one of the Bay Area's top salsa bands, Orquesta Dharma; bassist Saul Sierra's arrangement of the Daniel Ponce salsa classic "Bacalaitos," with legendary Nuyorican percussionist Louie Romero adding conga, timbales, and maraca; and the bilingual bolero rendition of "My One and Only Love," featuring Cuban-American vocalist Venissa Santi as well as Andres's father Mike Andres on alto saxophone (reuniting him with a piece he recorded years ago with Cincinnati's Symphony Jazz Ensemble). Born (in 1968) and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of professional musicians, Brian Andres started playing drums in the fourth grade. After high school, he took classes at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music but abandoned formal studies once he landed a full-time gig with veteran bluesman Cincinnati Slim and the Headhunters. Andres was in the midst of a thriving career playing rock, funk, R&B, and blues when he experienced his clave epiphany, courtesy of the Cleveland salsa band Impacto Nuevo. "It changed my trajectory of where I wanted to go," Andres recalls. "I've often likened it to the first time I kissed a girl. I just wanted to do it over and over again. The first time I heard it done well live, it had me." He put together a Latin jazz band of his own, and started buying up whatever albums he could find, which introduced him to leading Bay Area artists such as John Santos's Machete Ensemble, Andy Narell, and Pete Escovedo. It was Bay Area Latin jazz stalwart, the late Dutch-born drummer Paul van Wageningen, who convinced him to make the move to San Francisco rather than New York or L.A. by offering real encouragement when Andres came through town on a visit. Landing in the Bay Area in early 1999 at the height of the high-tech boom, Andres quickly found work in an array of Latin settings, playing salsa, Latin funk, and Latin jazz. He undertook his first recording under his own name in 2007, motivated by his love of the multidimensional writing of Latin jazz pioneers Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri, and has been developing the Cartel concept ever since. This month he placed among the Top 20 drummers in the Down Beat Readers Poll, right behind Eric Harland, Dave Weckl, and Cindy Blackman Santana. "It's an honor to have so many world-class musicians on the new album," says Andres. "That they all were willing to contribute to the recording is a testament to the high quality of music that we've created." Photography: Ricardo Tellez Web Site: brianandres.com

“The Distance” from Michael Formanek’s Ensemble Kolossus releases February 12th Ensemble Kolossus is an 18 piece big band featuring some of the most distinctive musicians on the New York scene bonding to realize Formanek’s epic design. The band will open the second night of ECM @ Winter Jazzfest (press release attached) and then perform in Baltimore the following week – then following the February 12th release of the album EK plays two nights at Jazz Standard in NYC – see all tour dates below. Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus in concert: January 16 - New York NY @ Winter Jazzfest ECM night 2 January 22 - Baltimore, MD @ The Creative Alliance March 22-23 - New York, NY @ Jazz Standard

Avishai Cohen’s ECM leader debut - “Into The Silence” - will release February 12th. Avishai Cohen: trumpet Yonathan Avishai: piano Eric Revis: double bass Nasheet Waits: drums Bill McHenry: saxophone Avishai Cohen on tour 2016 Avishai Cohen Quartet January 15 - New York, NY – 1st night of ECM @ Winter JazzFest– (w/ Jason Lindner, Tal Mashiach & Nasheet Waits) Avishai Cohen on tour with SF Jazz Collective: April 6 – Louisville, KY at The Clifton Center April 7 – West Lafayette, IN at Purdue Convocations April 8 – Carmel, IN at Carmel Center for the Performing Arts April 9 - Dubuque , IA at University of Dubuque Avishai Cohen Quintet on tour: April 27 – New York, NY at Jazz Standard April 28 – Cambridge, MA at Regattabar April 29 – Chicago, IL at Old Town School of Folk April 30 – Des Moines, IA May 1 – Minneapolis, MN – The Dakota May 4 - Oakland, CA at Yoshi’s May 7 – Vancouver, BC at Norman Rothstein Theatre

Happy Birthday 2016 Marty!

The Monkees - OAS - $15.99 http://www.amazon.com/The-Monkees-Original-Album-Series/dp/B008M4HBS0

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that everyone has enjoyed the past month as a respite. One thing that I think hurts the various pro leagues is that there is so little time between the championship game and the following opening day of training camp. It's like it never ends. So let's look at a few articles about Edmonton's 26-20 victory over Ottawa in the Grey Cup. http://3downnation.com/2015/11/29/esks-win-2015-grey-cup-26-20-over-redblacks/#comments http://3downnation.com/2015/11/29/burris-and-the-redblacks-come-up-short-at-grey-cup/#comments http://3downnation.com/2015/12/01/a-friendly-manitoba-grey-cup/#comments http://3downnation.com/2015/12/02/thoughts-on-the-2015-grey-cup/#comments http://3downnation.com/2015/12/03/esks-proved-theyre-top-team-from-overcoming-injuries/#comments http://3downnation.com/2015/12/04/the-most-grey-cup-thing-ever-all-the-parties-one-night/#comments http://www.cfl.ca/2015/11/29/spirit-of-edmonton-eskimos-capture-103rd-grey-cup/ http://www.cfl.ca/2015/11/30/early-adjustment-helped-esks-shut-down-redblacks/ http://www.cfl.ca/2015/11/30/burris-redblacks-fall-short-of-cinderella-finish/

Yesterday I saw an NC plate: LA D DA

Wayne Rogers from the cast of the television MASH has died. RIP. Wasn't he an outspoken fan of jazz? I'm not sure about that, but I think so. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3380872/Wayne-Rogers-played-beloved-character-Trapper-John-McIntyre-hit-M-S-H-dies-aged-82-Los-Angeles.html

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - OAC - $11.85 http://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Classics-Stevie-Vaughan/dp/B00CFK5JKY

Happy Birthday 2015 LWayne!

I usually receive each Christmas a few boxes which were released during the year. Erroll Garner - Complete Concert by the Sea Roland Kirk OAS Django Reinhardt OAS Shirley Bassey OAS Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion Miles - At Newport 1955-1975 Sarah Vaughan OAS

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Sugarfoot - Season 2 - $23.99 http://www.amazon.com/Sugarfoot-Complete-Second-Will-Hutchins/dp/B00G3BRCBU/

Happy Birthday 2015 Jeff!

Happy 40th Birthday 2015 Swinger!

http://www.npr.org/sections/ablogsupreme/2015/12/21/460527087/the-2015-npr-music-jazz-critics-poll Any thoughts?

Maverick - Season 3 - $23.99 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FNRA0KA