GA Russell

Just to refresh your recollection of this North Carolina thread...

Happy Birthday 2015 Amir!

Twinkle was an English one hit wonder in 1964 with the song Terry. I've never heard of her before, but maybe some of you Brits have recollections of her which you would like to share. RIP. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11628455/Twinkle-singer-obituary.html#disqus_thread

Happy Birthday Jim!

RIP. Here are some obits, including Jazz Times. https://www.bing.com/search?q=Marcus+Belgrave&filters=tnTID%3a%22FFE52A55-CF68-4ac7-9352-2052082CF457%22+tnVersion%3a%22908404%22+segment%3a%22popularnow.carousel%22+tnCol%3a%228%22+tnOrder%3a%224ac1b19d-be8a-4ccc-a195-6c5734e55d8c%22&FORM=BSPN01&crslsl=1298&efirst=9

I wonder how expensive the turntables get to be before not even the golden ears can hear a difference. I think I mentioned this before. Some years ago I was at a high-end audio shop. The salesman gave me an A/B test. I could hear a difference, but it was not obvious to me which one was superior.

I'm still trying to find the thread with the most gay covers. Can anyone provide a link, please?

Clunky, the first post is a cut and paste of the press release professional jazz reviewers receive. I post the few that I receive just so the members can read about new albums coming out. In this case, the press agent is the same lady organissimo has used. I think that her clients are consistently good. She sent me a promo copy of this album, and I hope to listen to it soon. But now that the album is up on Spotify, there is no need for anyone to rely upon my opinion. Everyone has the opportunity to hear the album for himself.

Here are a number of today's links. https://www.bing.com/search?q=Marques+Haynes&filters=tnTID%3a%220766283E-1071-422f-B14B-4D2E462C4C18%22+tnVersion%3a%22906913%22+segment%3a%22popularnow.carousel%22+tnCol%3a%2229%22+tnOrder%3a%22b9cc5fc0-7134-4bea-b02a-f7b4e54bdeea%22&FORM=BSPN01&crslsl=3893&efirst=25

Thanks Chuck!

Thanks, Mike!

I see that this one is now up on Spotify.

I see that this one is now up on Spotify.

I see that this one is now up on Spotify.

New Bob Mintzer Big Band CD, "Get Up!," Due from MCG Jazz June 23 5th Big Band CD for the Label & 20th Overall By the Grammy-Winning Bob Mintzer Big Band Draws on R&B and Funk Traditions May 20, 2015 Since 1983, tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger Bob Mintzer has been delving into the big band format and its myriad stylistic possibilities, collecting five Grammy nominations and one Grammy win in the process. His newest recording, Get Up!, which is his 20th big band album to date, will be released by MCG Jazz on June 23. Mintzer describes the nine tracks on the new CD as "clearly R&B influenced, but [they] then go to many other places along the way. ... Using these relatively simple tunes as a springboard for harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic exploration was a real adventure, one that I had been thinking about for a long time." Produced by MCG's Marty Ashby and arranged by Mintzer, Get Up! features guitarist Ray Obiedo and bassist Will Lee, as well as Mintzer's longtime colleagues in the Yellowjackets, pianist Russell Ferrante and drummer William Kennedy. Besides five originals by the leader, including the James Brown-inspired title track, the set is made up of Mintzer's vibrant arrangements of the Wayne Shorter-penned Weather Report classic "Elegant People" and three of his favorite R&B tunes from the late 1960s: the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing," Sam & Dave's "I Thank You" (written by David Porter and Isaac Hayes), and Sly & the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song." "I grew up listening to this music," says Mintzer, whose radio dial was tuned to WNEW-FM when he was growing up in New Rochelle, New York. "There was less concern with classification and categorization back then. There was a kind of connection between what people like John Coltrane and Charles Lloyd were doing and what some of the rock guys were doing in terms of Indian and Eastern influences and stretching out on long vamps. For people like myself who like all different kinds of music, this was a great time for music and art." Ashby, who has worked with Mintzer on all five of his big band dates for MCG Jazz, sees Mintzer as having "created such an important body of work for large ensemble that it just cannot be overlooked. Few bands write mostly original music for large ensemble, and hardly any then have much of the music available in a published format for other bands and students to study and play. Because his range of writing for the band extends from Brazilian to funk to R&B to straight-ahead to fusion and everything in between, I think Bob stands alone as the preeminent composer/arranger for big band at this time. His passion for the idiom puts him at the top of the pyramid." Mintzer connected with Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in 2004. The Big Band debuted with Live at MCG and followed up with Old School, New Lessons (2006), both of which featured Kurt Elling, and Swing Out (2008). On the Grammy-nominated For the Moment (2012), the spotlight was on Brazilian music, with guitarist/composer Chico Pinheiro as special guest. The lifelong New Yorker, who's considered one of the tenor saxophonists to come out of the school of New York players in the 1970s (also including Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, Dave Liebman, and Steve Grossman), and whose big band dates to 1983, when the Brecker brothers asked him to put together an ensemble for their club Seventh Avenue South, has been based in Los Angeles since 2008. He lives in the former house of composer Arnold Schoenberg (his first L.A. residence, 1934-1936), and is the recipient of the Buzz McCoy-endowed chair of jazz studies at the University of Southern California. Mintzer continues to tour with the Yellowjackets (which he joined in 1990), does workshops all over the world, and serves as a guest conductor/soloist with college and pro bands. His upcoming dates with the Yellowjackets include: 5/27 Howard Theatre, Washington, DC; 5/28-29 Blue Note, NYC; 6/26 Rochester (NY) Jazz Festival; and a European tour 7/1-15. Mintzer will be appearing at the Hong Kong Jazz Festival 6/3-9 with big band and orchestra; touring Europe 6/15-20 with the Hammond Eggs trio; and serving on faculty at the Centrum Jazz Camp in Port Townsend, WA 7/20-25. Finally, Mintzer will be part of a Jaco Pastorius tribute, with Vince Mendoza, at the Hollywood Bowl 8/13 (also with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra) and the Monterey Jazz Festival 9/18. Photography: Wade Massie Web Sites: bobmintzer.com, mcgjazz.org Like: Follow: https://youtube.com/devicesupporthttp://m.youtube.com

Bay Area Vocalist Tiffany Austin Debuts June 2 With "Nothing But Soul," To Be Released by Con Alma Music On the New CD, Produced by Howard Wiley, Austin Reimagines Compositions by Hoagy Carmichael CD Release Concert at SFJAZZ Center's Joe Henderson Lab June 12 May 13, 2015 One of the fastest rising jazz singers in Northern California, with a tradition-rooted yet thoroughly modern style, Tiffany Austin brings a wealth of experience to her debut CD Nothing But Soul, scheduled for June 2 release by her Con Alma Music label. The Los Angeles native, currently based in Berkeley, worked with producer Howard Wiley to adapt and expand on her November 2013 SFJAZZ "Hotplate" concert for which she reimagined compositions by the great American songwriter Hoagy Carmichael. Nothing But Soul is made up of six Carmichael tunes -- "Baltimore Oriole," "Stardust," "Skylark," "I Get Along Without You Very Well," "Georgia on My Mind," and "Sing Me a Swing Song (And Let Me Dance)" -- as well as two non-Carmichael numbers that he recorded as a vocalist: Henry Sullivan and Harry Ruskin's "I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)"; Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line"; and "Tête-à-Tête," a wordless a cappella duet by Austin and Wiley based on the chord changes of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation." Tiffany was joined for the recording by bassist Ron Belcher, drummer Sly Randolph, pianist Glen Pearson, and producer Howard Wiley on tenor saxophone. "Hoagy is a treasure trove of classics," says Austin. "When I looked at his catalog, I realized that I'd been hearing, singing, and even piano-plunking away at his tunes for a great chunk of my life -- 'Heart and Soul,' for instance! I wanted to share that wonder of finding treasures in plain view with other folks, while adding some other musical flavors to the recipe. It's also fascinating to me that Hoagy achieved his law degree," adds Austin, who earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of California Berkeley's Boalt School of Law in 2012, "and still decided to pursue a career in music. Whatever your calling is, there's something in your bones that tells you there is nothing that will make you happier in life. And it takes a lot of courage to follow it." Born in Los Angeles, Tiffany Austin studied classical voice while attending Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. During her junior year at Cal State Northridge, from which she would graduate with a B.A. in creative writing in 2003, she went to England on an exchange program and began singing in London clubs. After a brief stint back in Southern California, she moved to Tokyo in early 2004 and spent the next five and a half years singing a variety of music, including some pop, jazz, and gospel music, six nights a week. "As I worked in those styles I could hear a different quality coming out in my voice, and I wanted to explore that further," says Austin, who also received lyric writing commissions and recorded for television, film, and album projects during this period. "I also fell in love with Japan, and when I left there it was with tears in my eyes," she adds. "I was struck by how the artisans I met would not settle for anything but the best of themselves and their craft, and would work with such patient diligence. That work ethic resonated with me, and I find myself summoning up memories of Japan when I brace myself for big challenges." In 2009, Austin returned to the United States to attend U.C. Berkeley Law School, with an emphasis in entertainment law and copyright. After graduation, she found herself at a crossroad. "I could have gone into a law firm, which can be rewarding, particularly if you're helping an underserved community, but my calling has always been to do music," Austin says. "I don't just want to make decisions based on money. I want to feel connected to my art and my community. I want to really be in touch with my soul. "Although cliché, it's true," she continues, "that law school teaches you how to think, how to work efficiently, how to teach yourself, and how to be tenacious. Since graduating, I've started my own music company (Con Alma Music), put together my album, deepened the study of my crafts (vocalist, lyricist, songwriter), and began independently studying harmony. I feel like every bit of my education and experience has come together, in a marvelously unlikely way, to make me an artist." In Northern California Tiffany has appeared at the SFJAZZ Center, Yoshi's in both Oakland and San Francisco, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco, and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and in January 2014 traveled to New York to perform with choreographer Nicole Klaymoon's Embodiment Project at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Besides working with innovative local bandleaders Marcus Shelby and Howard Wiley, Austin has sung with the bands Orgone and MoonCandy, and has recorded with, among others, Orgone, The Monophonics, The Droptones, and on UnderCover Presents Sly and the Family Stone's Stand! tribute project. The CD release concert for Nothing But Soul will take place at the SFJAZZ Center's Joe Henderson Lab on Friday 6/12. Shows are at 7:00pm and 8:30pm, and tickets are $25. Other upcoming shows are scheduled for 7/17 at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco, and 8/29 at the Sound Room, Oakland. Photography: Bill Reitzel Web Site: tiffanyaustin.com Like: Follow:

Woodwind Expert/Composer/Educator Steven Lugerner Announces the Release of New Digital Single "Gravitations Vol. II," A Duo Project with Fred Hersch, May 12 West Coast Dates Coming Up in June & July With Lugerner's New Band SLUGish Ensemble & With Richard Sears Sextet Featuring Tootie Heath Full-Length CD by New Band Jacknife, "The Music of Jackie McLean," Due for Fall 2015 Release May 6, 2015 The greatest improvisers keep an eye open for stimulating new musical settings. San Francisco Bay Area woodwind expert Steven Lugerner, a rising star with a bevy of exceptional albums, has proven adept at creating situations that take jazz's foremost masters into unexpected realms. His latest album, the digital-only release Gravitations Vol. II, is a gorgeous duo project that places piano great Fred Hersch in an entirely new context. The recording with Hersch, a key mentor for Lugerner, is just one of several exceptional projects that the 26-year-old has on tap this summer. He joins forces with alto sax legend Charles McPherson on a June 5 program produced by Palo Alto Jazz Alliance at the Mitchell Park Community Center in Palo Alto. On June 6, Lugerner presents his new band SLUGish Ensemble at the Center for New Music in San Francisco, a 10-piece ensemble bristling with brilliant Bay Area improvisers including trumpeter Darren Johnston, saxophonists Cory Wright and Patrick Wolff, and drummer Michael Mitchell. SLUGish Ensemble also performs July 27 at the Stanford Jazz Festival with special guest star Allison Miller in the drum chair. "When I was in New York I got really interested in writing for a larger ensemble," Lugerner says. "These pieces are very influenced by Maria Schneider, John Hollenbeck, John Zorn, and composers like Steve Reich, John Adams, and and Nico Muhly." Honoring the storied drummer Tootie Heath is the motivation behind several concerts by the Richard Sears Sextet, which performs June 11 at the Blue Whale in Los Angeles and June 12 at Piedmont Piano in Oakland (this band will then record at Fantasy Studios). Lugerner was part of the ensemble when it premiered Sears's suite designed to showcase the drum maestro last year, and he'll be contributing on bass clarinet and alto sax with Patrick Wolff on tenor sax, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, and Heath himself on drums. "Richard wrote this suite specifically with Tootie in mind, and he did an incredible job writing something that is simultaneously adventurous and that draws from the tradition," Lugerner says. "There's a lot of seriousness in that music and a lot of joy, and Tootie embodies that whole ethos." Lugerner delves into the music of another jazz legend on The Music of Jackie McLean, an album slated for release in the fall featuring Jacknife, a hard-hitting West Coast post-bop quintet. Exploring tunes from McLean's seminal early- and mid-1960s Blue Note albums Jacknife, It's Time, Let Freedom Ring,and New Soil, the session brings together a formidable cast of rising talent, including pianist Richard Sears, bassist Garret Lang, drummer Michael Mitchell, and trumpeter JJ Kirkpatrick. Lugerner recorded Gravitations Vol. I in 2013 with guitarist/banjoist Angelo Spagnolo, and the concept for the project flowed from some of the free improvisation practices that Lugerner learned from Hersch in 2008 as part of a Carnegie Hall Foundation workshop (so it's hardly surprising that he sought the pianist out for an encounter). He recorded Hersch early one morning at his Soho apartment in the spring of 2013, looking to capture the first music that he played that day. "The idea is to record the first few phrases or gestures that come out involuntarily, whatever your hands or brain gravitates toward," Lugerner says. "I'll take eight or maybe ten minute-long snippets, transcribe them, and then I orchestrate woodwind parts on top of the original layer. Sometimes I'll do an exact orchestration of what they're doing, and other times I'll harmonize parts on top." The resulting music is unlike anything else in Hersch's extensive discography of duo encounters. Familiar but strange, Gravitations Vol. II is a beautiful and intimate conversation which distills something essential about Hersch's music, turning his building blocks into sturdy but fanciful and self-contained edifices. Born (May 20, 1988) in Redwood City and raised in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, Steven Lugerner moved to New York in 2006 to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music where he graduated with honors four years later. He moved back to the Bay Area in 2013 to take a position at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and has maintained a bicoastal presence ever since. In a relatively short period of time Lugerner has collaborated with a heavyweight roster of jazz masters, including pianist Myra Melford, percussionist John Hollenbeck, tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens, altoist Miguel Zenón, soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom, flutist Jamie Baum, and drummer Matt Wilson. A skilled and diversified woodwind doubler on saxophones, bass clarinet, Bb clarinet, oboe, English horn, flute, and alto flute, Lugerner makes music that's gloriously his own whatever horn he plays, while attracting some of jazz's most vividly identifiable voices as creative partners. Steven Lugerner in Performance: 6/5 Charles McPherson Quintet w/ Andrew Speight & Steven Lugerner, Mitchell Park Community Center, Palo Alto (presented by Palo Alto Jazz Alliance) 6/6 SLUGish Ensemble, Center for New Music, San Francisco 6/11 appearing as part of Richard Sears Sextet featuring Tootie Heath, Blue Whale, Los Angeles 6/12 appearing as part of Richard Sears Sextet featuring Tootie Heath, Piedmont Piano, Oakland (to be recorded) 7/27 SLUGish Ensemble, Stanford Jazz Festival LISTEN to Gravitations Vol. II with Fred Hersch LISTEN to a taste of "On the Nile" from the forthcoming Jacknife CD, The Music of Jackie McLean Web Site: stevenlugerner.com Like: Follow:

OK, here we go again. Amazon is out of stock for the Acryl-It platter, but Crutchfield expects to get it in on 5/29. Crutchfield is offering it for $129. Is that OK or high? I thought it would be about $100. Finally, is there any need to upgrade the cartridge of the Pro-ject? If so, what would you recommend that would be an obvious improvement, but not too good for the Debut Carbon?

Miff Mole Is the last name like the animal, or mo-lay?

The Als have signed Michael Sam. https://www.bing.com/search?q=Michael+Sam&filters=tnTID%3a%22BAD23F30-FC43-4aa8-8E83-9EF01A0F0A0D%22+tnVersion%3a%22904972%22+segment%3a%22popularnow.carousel%22+tnCol%3a%225%22+tnOrder%3a%2293d0314e-b36d-4159-9b59-f632644cf0e6%22&FORM=BSPN01&crslsl=0 http://www.tsn.ca/social-media-reaction-to-sam-s-signing-1.288926 (This TSN thread is censored to allow only comments which praise the signing.) http://3downnation.com/2015/05/22/michael-sam-signed-by-aouettes/ http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=825204 http://3downnation.com/2015/05/22/the-alsternative-michael-sam-joins-the-alouettes/ http://cfl.ca/article/d-lineman-michael-sam-signs-with-alouettes ***** The Argos' Steve Slaton and Bernard Scott have retired. http://cfl.ca/article/argos-rb-steve-slaton-retires-from-football ***** 5/22 Checking Down column http://cfl.ca/article/checking-down-argos-waggoner-and-retirements ***** The Impact of Penalties on Winning and Losing in the CFL http://3downnation.com/2015/05/21/flag-on-the-play-the-impact-of-penalties-on-winning-losing-in-the-cfl/ I'm going to need some time to study this to see if I understand it.

I received this today as a follow-up. Check out David Torn’s TedX talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMy1pv3-tw4 David Torn solo tour itinerary: May 21 - Los Angeles, CA at Blue Whale May 22 - Denver, CO at Walnut Room May 26 - Minneapolis, MN at Cedar Cultural Center May 27 - Milwaukee, WI at The Jazz Estate May 29 - Chicago, IL at Constellation May 30 - Cincinnati, OH at The Monastery May 31 - Pittsburgh, PA at Club Café June 1 - Washington DC at Union Arts June 3 - Baltimore, MD at The Windup Space June 4 - Carrboro, NC at Cat’s Cradle Clinic & Performance: http://www.catscradle.com/event/824885-david-torn-clinic-solo-carrboro/ Performance: http://www.catscradle.com/event/824887-david-torn-solo-guitar-carrboro/ June 6 - Asheville, NC at Streamside Concerts http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0844aeae2da1f49-david June 7 - Atlanta, GA at Red Light Café http://redlightcafe.com/events/david-torn

Newsradio (complete, 97 eps.) - $36.88 http://www.amazon.com/Newsradio-Complete-Packaging-Dave-Foley/dp/B001DSNEM4/ ...or better yet - $27.20 http://www.amazon.com/NewsRadio-Complete-Dave-Foley/dp/B00V5JEISU/ ***** 3rd Rock from the Sun (complete) - $22.99 http://www.amazon.com/3rd-Rock-Sun-Complete-Series/dp/B00BM2JVAA/ ***** The King of Queens (complete) - $24.99 http://www.amazon.com/The-King-Queens-Complete-Series/dp/B005D0OHA6/ ***** Mr. Bean (complete) - $17.87 http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Bean-Whole-Complete-Series/dp/B00QJN33II/ ***** Get Smart (complete) - $39.96 http://www.amazon.com/Get-Smart-Complete-Series-Gift/dp/B001E0O8DA/

RIP. He was someone whose efforts I felt were more important than his records.

Happy Birthday, Chuck!

The sale of the Argos to Bell Canada and Larry Tannenbaum was announced today, along with the move of the Argos to BMO Field. These guys are known for making lots of money operating bad teams, so I have to consider this bad news for Argo fans. Any thoughts? http://www.tsn.ca/bell-tanenbaum-announce-argos-purchase-move-to-bmo-field-1.287292 http://cfl.ca/article/bell-canada-and-kilmer-group-to-acquire-the-argos http://3downnation.com/2015/05/19/argos-sale-to-bell-tanenbaum-imminent-report/ http://3downnation.com/2015/05/20/argos-future-brighter-under-new-ownership/ ***** Neal Hughes has announced his retirement. http://cfl.ca/article/career-long-rider-hughes-announces-retirement ***** The Bombers used their 2016 first round pick to choose Dartmouth's Garrett Waggoner in the Supplemental Draft today. No one else was taken. http://cfl.ca/article/bombers-peg-waggoner-in-cfl-supplemental-draft