GA Russell

The league announced its new Commissioner today - Jeffrey Orridge. Orridge was at one time an executive with the CBC. His appointment surprises me very much because he was born and raised in New York. I remember that during the last search for a Commissioner, the idea that he might be an American was a non-starter. http://cfl.ca/article/jeffrey-l-orridge-appointed-cfl-commisioner http://www.tsn.ca/orridge-named-new-cfl-commissioner-1.233018 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=810094 ***** Yesterday the Argos announced their coaching staff. I think that the most notable change is that Jim Daley will not be back. http://cfl.ca/article/milanovich-argos-announce-2015-coaching-staff

By the way, not too long ago I found on the web a list of every English #1 song going back to (I think) 1960. I was surprised to see that of all the British Invasion acts, 1) The first to have a #1 hit was not The Beatles, it was Gerry & the Pacemakers; 2) The song was How Do You Do It?; and 3) This was in April of 1963. How Do You Do It? was a hit in the US in August of '64, some 16 months later. That's quite a long time. And you Brits might also be interested to learn that the B side in the US was You'll Never Walk Alone, which had already been another of their hits in England, was later re-issued in the US as an A side and became a hit, and was the basis of the Liverpool fans singing that song at their games.

My first 45...

That's terrific! I'll look forward to seeing it on YouTube (I hope).

Too late, Head Man! I'm sorry I didn't know about that earlier. Oh well, we'll see how good the item I ordered sounds.

I would be interested to see a list of the best-selling jazz CDs sold over the past 30 years. Excluding smooth jazz. I bet that most of those artists are today dead. So I wonder, are many musicians today making similar records? I think that (outside of classical music) there has never been much of a market for the recordings of the now-deceased. And if today's musicians are making records which don't remind anyone of the most popular sold over the past 30 years, why would anyone expect those new records to be popular? Just because they are new?

Perigeo was an Italian fusion band in the '70s. I've never heard them, but they've got their fans on Amazon. Perigeo - Antologia (8 CDs + 1 DVD) - $54.06 + $3.99 http://www.amazon.com/Antologia-Perigeo/dp/B00OXSIZFW/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1426531674&sr=1-1&keywords=perigeo

Other than Diana Krall, who else is being issued on Verve nowadays? Is Verve primarily a re-issue label now? PS - I am referring to jazz, of course. Donny Osmond and Barry Manilow don't count!

Happy Birthday 2015 Chucky!

I am thinking about getting an inexpensive unlocked smartphone to use with magicJack's new app for Android. Any recommendations?

It occurs to me that none of us has asked the question...Where would jazz have ranked in 1970? 1980? 2010?

Beware the Ides of March! Jim Barker will be fielding questions on Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) this Wednesday March 18, at 1:00 pm eastern. https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/577228020014002177/photo/1

Happy Birthday, Conrad!

Amazon currently has the DVD boxes of each season of The Wire for $19.99, 50% off. http://www.amazon.com/Wire-Season-2-Dominic-West/dp/B0006IUD9Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1426459040&sr=1-2&keywords=the+wire+season+2

Dana, are you old enough to remember when most of Canada's best selling beers were ales, rather than lagers? I've read that it was the massive ad campaigns of American brands that got the Canadian people moving over to lagers.

I have just learned that Gary Burton's Duster is available for a reasonable price for the first time that I can remember. It is coupled with Country Roads, and together they go for $9.74 +3.99. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KYBBSO2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've just learned that if you put 3.14 up to a mirror, it looks like PIE! page, take a look again at the OP. Today is (in the US) 3/14/15. Pi is 3.1415.

The Ticats have put up a nice collage to celebrate Pi Day! https://twitter.com/Ticats/status/576740849595224064/photo/1 ***** Here's an interesting article from yesterday's National Post about the Argos. http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/13/why-the-toronto-argos-are-left-feeling-unloved-thanks-to-the-split-interests-of-mlse/ ***** Here's an interesting marketing idea of the Bombers to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! http://www.thesnap.ca/bombers-ask-cfl-fans-to-turn-their-green-into-gold/ ***** I remember the first CFL game I saw on TV. It was the 1962 Grey Cup (aka the Fog Bowl), which was on ABC Wide World of Sports, as I recall on a same-day-tape-delay basis. I remember the announcer being Jim McKay, and him struggling to pick out Joe Zuger in the fog. Thirty years later, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Joe Zuger by Joe Galat! Anyway, here's a nice article about Zuger in today's Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/2015/03/14/tiger-cats-great-joe-zuger-handles-shrine-snub-artfully.html ***** With Shomari Williams signing with the Stamps, they now have had a total of 17 first-overall draft picks on their roster over the years. http://cfl.ca/article/williams-the-latest-former-first-rounder-to-join-stamps-roster

page, it's "enriches." Your English is excellent!

I think that marketing is sometimes more relevant to this discussion than the music. Do you remember fifteen years ago when neo-swing was briefly popular with bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy? That music was found in the pop section of the record store I worked in, not in the jazz section. That's a reflection of the marketing, not the music.

Why Pi Matters http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/pi-day-why-pi-matters

The Dolphins have traded Mike Wallace to the Vikings. If I understand this correctly, he will be paid $12.1 million this year, after being paid $1 million last year. Nice raise! https://www.bing.com/search?q=Mike+Wallace&filters=tnTID%3a%222CE3161E-7C4C-4259-956F-426DC66ABA23%22+tnVersion%3a%22805652%22+segment%3a%22popularnow.carousel%22+tnCol%3a%221%22+tnOrder%3a%222f9788c0-4f66-4ee1-a482-74ac39c3bcab%22&FORM=HPNN01 http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/dolphins-trade-mike-wallace-to-vikings-exchange-draft-picks/ar-AA9K3UH?ocid=ansSBNation11

I saw him at the New Orleans JazzFest, I think in '91. i enjoyed it.

Jay Z and his friends plan to compete with Spotify, paying higher royalties, and offering better sound. http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/03/13/exclusive-jay-z-had-secret-pow-wow-with-music-superstars-including-beyonce-madonna-kanye-coldplay-to-start-renegade-streaming-service

As you probably read in today's paper, today is pi day - pi being 3.14. But to take it further, pi is 3.1415. One hundred years ago today in 1915, somebody somewhere made a special deal about that, so here we are again on 3/14/15. Maybe you should ask your wife to bake a pie for dessert tonight!