GA Russell

Happy Birthday 2015 jlhoots!

Hot Rod Hundley passed away yesterday at 80. RIP. I used to think of him along with Tom Gola. Both were much bigger stars in college than in the pros, but the announcers behaved as if they continued to be big stars. I remember Hot Rod fancy-dribbling the ball when it was his turn to be introduced before the game. A real character! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/sports/basketball/rod-hundley-an-outsize-basketball-personality-dies-at-80.html?_r=0&gwh=4CA72D982F864A8023E6F65B9BD690D0&gwt=pay http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2015/03/27/hot-rod-hundley-former-nba-player-and-jazz-announcer-dies/70577966/

I have regularly listened to and enjoyed Mimi Jones' album Balance for the past year, and now she has a tour set up. Bassist/Composer/Vocalist & Label Entrepreneur Mimi Jones Takes Her Show on the Road East Coast, Midwest, & European Tours Set for 2015 In Addition to Jones's Ongoing Weekly Residency At Bar Thalia/Symphony Space, NYC Plans to Record Follow-Up to Her 2014 Hot Tone Music CD "Balance" In the Fall March 25, 2015 For bassist/composer Mimi Jones, the release one year ago of her second CD Balance accomplished several goals. It tested her mettle as a businesswoman, as the CD was released on the Hot Tone Music label she'd founded in 2009. It highlighted her propensity for collaboration and support of other indie jazz musicians, particularly women, as Hot Tone Music simultaneously released Jones's album with new discs by saxophonist Camille Thurman and drummer Shirazette Tinnin. And it established Jones as a leader to watch, a protean instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer/arranger. "Satisfying on every level," Marc Myers wrote of Balance on JazzWax.com. "The bassist plays with enormous strength and enthusiasm but she also has a cohesive vision for how the music should sound. Each track is an important statement expressed with sensuality and chops. . . . She is Grammy-worthy." Since that time, native New Yorker Jones, who celebrates her 43rd birthday today, has been expanding her professional horizons -- all of them -- with her customary dynamism. She's been appearing in a series of sidewoman dates with the Tia Fuller Quartet, Toshi Reagon, and Luis Perdomo & Controlling Ear Unit (whose new CD, Twenty Two, will be released by Hot Tone Music 5/19). Jones's work as a composer is being featured as part of the D.O.M.E. Experience, co-led by Jones and ArcoIris Sandoval and performed by artists including Steve Wilson, Jamie Baum, Bob Stewart, Tia Fuller, and many others. She shared her DIY label experience with attendees at the JazzConnect conference earlier this year and will deliver a lecture on "The Business of Music" at the International Society of Bassists convention in Fort Collins, CO on 6/4. As a leader, she's been running a weekly residency and jam session, the Lab Session, at Bar Thalia/Symphony Space (Broadway and 95th Street) most Friday nights which includes Mimi's band as well as a rotating cast of first-rate vocalists, horn players, drummers, pianists, guitarists, tap dancers, rappers, and comics. Some regulars seen at the Jazz Party are Mark Shim, Miki Hayama, Marion Cowings, Rodney Green, Jonathan Barber, and Victor Gould, among others. And now she plans to take her Mimi Jones Band on the road to points east (New England, Europe) and west (Chicago, Michigan). L. to. r.: Mimi Jones, Jonathan Barber, Miki Hayama, Mark Shim. "It's been a terribly long winter," says Jones, "but spring is here and I'm looking forward to all the wonderful things manifesting. It will be my first time performing as a leader around the country, whether it be at the annual iRock Jazz Festival in Michigan or the London Jazz Festival later this year. I am thrilled to be physically bringing this music to the people." Jones is currently in the process of choosing music for her next Hot Tone Music CD, due for early 2016 release. Born in New York City and raised in the Bronx, Mimi Jones attended Fiorello LaGuardia High School and earned a B.A. in music at the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory. She missed her graduation, however, because she'd been hired to tour Japan with saxophonist Masa Wada and drummer Denis Charles. It was the first of numerous overseas tours that would take her to Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, some under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. In addition to leading her own groups, Jones has worked with jazz artists including Kenny Barron, Joanne Brackeen, Terri Lyne Carrington (who chose Jones to play on her Grammy-winning The Mosaic Project), Ravi Coltrane, Lizz Wright, Lionel Hampton, Roy Hargrove, and many more. She has recorded two albums as leader: A New Day (2009) and Balance (2014). The Mimi Jones Band (trio/quartet): Fridays at Bar Thalia/Symphony Space (2537 Broadway), NYC, The Lab Session, 8-11pm 5/7 Smoke, NYC (Mark Shim, sax, wci; Miki Hayama, p; Clarence Penn, d) 5/29 Loews Hotel Jazz Series, Chicago (Ryan Cohen, p; Marcus Evans, d) 5/30 iRock Jazz Festival, New Buffalo, MI (Pharez Whitted, tpt; Ryan Cohen, p; Marcus Evans, d) 6/4 International Society of Bassists, Fort Collins, CO (solo lecture: The Business of Music) 6/11 Burlington (VT) Discover Jazz Festival 6/12 Riverwalk Cafe and Music Bar, Nashua, NH 6/13 The Side Door, Old Lyme, CT 6/16 Jazz Journalists Awards, Blue Note, NYC (Mark Shim, sax, wci; Miki Hayama, p; Jonathan Barber, d; + Marvin Sewell, g, 6/16 only) 8/10 Bushnell Park, Hartford (CT) Monday Night Jazz (Band TBD) 11/11-22 European Tour Photography: Jose Infante (Mimi), Phillis Kwentoh (group) Interviews with Mimi Jones: NPR/A Blog Supreme Burning Ambulance All About Jazz Web Sites: mimijonesmusic.com, hottonemusic.com Follow: Like:

Complete Bill Evans Verve - 25.99 GBP http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IK5I0OA/ref=pe_198281_66844491_pe_epc__1p_1_lm

Moose, I read Double Indemnity shortly after reading The Postman Always Rings Twice. I thought that they were too similar, and that Postman was better. I've never seen either movie.

One of my favorites of the A-list noirs. It has a great score by Miklos Rozsa. TTK, your recommendation is good enough for me! I've informed the camels to let me know the next time the price drops.

Looking at Amazon UK. All prices GBP. I find that typically, when a CD box is on sale at Amazon UK, it is also on sale by a Marketplace Seller on Amazon.com. For those in the UK, many of these come with the free AutoRip downloads. Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band - OAS - 9.79 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NIUEDHK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=15OXMQC9Z0YS9&coliid=I2SIVLXUXR5W2Y ***** Ten Years After - OAS - 9.99 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NIUEDHK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=15OXMQC9Z0YS9&coliid=I2SIVLXUXR5W2Y ***** Rickie Lee Jones - OAS - 8.37 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Rickie-Lee-Jones/dp/B003097B7I/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169213&sr=1-2&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** The Pretenders - OAS - 8.60 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Pretenders/dp/B0030HG3LK/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169267&sr=1-3&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Fleetwood Mac - OAS - 9.00 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Fleetwood-Mac/dp/B008MMFBQ6/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169321&sr=1-6&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Warren Zevon - OAS - 9.09 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Pack-Warren-Zevon/dp/B003097BA0/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169364&sr=1-7&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Chaka Khan - OAS - 9.33 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Pack-Chaka-Khan/dp/B003097B6E/ref=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169436&sr=1-8&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Todd Rundgren - OAS - 9.33 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Pack-Todd-Rundgren/dp/B003097A9M/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169481&sr=1-9&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Dwight Yoakum - OAS - 9.36 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Dwight-Yoakam/dp/B008M4HBFI/ref=sr_1_11?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169529&sr=1-11&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Curtis Mayfield - OAS - 9.41 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Curtis-Mayfield/dp/B00DDVPXSW/ref=sr_1_12?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169588&sr=1-12&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Duke Ellington - OAS - 10.00 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Ellingtons-Session-Ellington/dp/B003097AHY/ref=sr_1_30?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169639&sr=1-30&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Django Reinhardt - OAS - 10.97 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Django-Reinhardt-Original-Album/dp/B00KNSLI6Y/ref=sr_1_48?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169737&sr=1-48&keywords=original+album+series+rhino ***** Wynton Marsalis - OAC (classical, not jazz) - 6.90 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wynton-Marsalis-Original-Album-Classics/dp/B00E00GVHM/ref=sr_1_11?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427169894&sr=1-11&keywords=original+album+classics ***** Louis Armstrong - OAC - 7.11 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Classics-Louis-Armstrong/dp/B003JA5MKG/ref=sr_1_22?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427170068&sr=1-22&keywords=original+album+classics ***** Monk - OAC - 9.99 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Classics-Underground-Criss-Cross/dp/B000UO7IM4/ref=sr_1_126?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427170345&sr=1-126&keywords=original+album+classics ***** Mahavishnu Orchestra - OAC - 10.29 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Classics-Mahavishnu-Orchestra/dp/B000VWOV3O/ref=sr_1_137?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427170395&sr=1-137&keywords=original+album+classics ***** Al Di Meola - OAC - 10.50 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Classics-Al-Meola/dp/B003ZBX83M/ref=sr_1_139?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1427170458&sr=1-139&keywords=original+album+classics

Blu-ray only... Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection - $98.99 15 movies with a ton of extras. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DCAG9M/ref=amb_link_431388622_4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=hero-quick-promo&pf_rd_r=1RAA1JX00KAVKYY2AKF3&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=2062106422&pf_rd_i=B0086IMP9M

Since moving to the Raleigh area 13 years ago, I have been consistently pleased with the service of the post office folks. In the late '80s in Atlanta, I had frequent bad experiences. I wonder if the difference is merely a boss or two in this area who run a tight ship.

Here's something that I find interesting, although what if anything it proves, I'm not sure. Mediametric is a website which keeps track of the websites which have the most reader comments. http://mediametric.com/ Today Alex Jones is bragging that his site gets more comments than ESPN's. Here is the relevant portion of the list: 13. TMZ 14. Infowars (Alex Jones) 15. CBS News 16. ESPN 17. The Hill The Hill is a quite high-brow political site. TMZ is a low-brow celebrity site. http://www.infowars.com/infowars-beats-espn-in-total-reader-comments/ Any thoughts?

Here's a perfect article for hot stove league discussion! The 9 worst members of the Hall of Fame, and who should replace each. http://www.sportingnews.com/list/4631534-worst-baseball-hall-of-famers-all-time-fame

Anybody here watch Jeopardy? https://twitter.com/Litz72/status/579486478201270272/photo/1

To be released May 26.... The Saint - The Complete Series (Roger Moore) - $149.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S4YGVZM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RVSBV717YT9&coliid=I224RCLL65DC57 A bargain? Well, these have always been pretty expensive, so I'll let you decide if it's a bargain. It was my opinion at the time that the black & white shows were much better than the color shows of the later seasons. Two years ago, I purchased the complete set of the black & white episodes (Region 2) from Amazon UK. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saint-Complete-Monochrome-DVD/dp/B000GUK3SS/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1427077705&sr=1-1&keywords=the+saint As you can see, today that box is going for 39.91 GBP.

I love this one. Too bad it's not on Spotify for you to listen to. As you can expect from the lineup, the sound is something like the George Shearing Quintet's, with vibes, electric guitar and piano. But not too much, because guitarist Yotam Silberstein reminds me of Wes Montgomery, and pianist Christian Sands sometimes reminds me of Wynton Kelly. All of the melodies are hummable (if you have more singing talent than I have!). I'm very confident that this one will be one of my most favorites of 2015.

I get the impression that all the star Japanese pitchers wind up needing Tommy John surgery. Is that right? I remember reading when Dice-K signed with the Red Sox that in Japan they have the pitchers warm up by throwing long distances first.

Cassettes, hell, LPs! WHOLE LPs, both sides with music, not the bargain jobs like they'd import from god knows where that only had half-grooves on one side, or all the grooves on the other. No sir, REAL records! I think it was between 1984-86 when the big ECM LP dump hit the stores here, definitely before our son was born, but after we had moved back to Dallas. I know I had the free time to drive around all day looking in the cutout bins at all 492.091 record stores in the greater DFW area armed only with a tank of gas and about $30 cash, and it usually being enough.That would have been in that window. Hell, even the sorryass "Record Town" mall stores in the mall, you know, the ones that were about as wide as an Italian alley and had ALL (i.e. JUST) the hits, they'd have a dinky little half-din cutout rack full of ECM LPs. It was one of those rare unambiguous Carpe-Diem moments in record buying history. I was buying shit I didn't even want to hear just because it was so cheap, you know, well, I MIGHT like it after all... I remember finding the cassettes in a small record store in a mall in Harrisburg, PA. I lived in that area from Feb., 1982, through Feb., 1985. Jim, you put your time frame at 1984-1986. So it looks to me like both you and I stumbled across our ECM cutouts some time in 1984!

Chuck Bednarik has died at 89. RIP The first NFL championship Game I watched was in 1960. I had Bednarik's bubble gum card that year. In the game, Norm van Brocklin and the Eagles beat Green Bay. Bednarik played both ways, as the center and as a linebacker. I believe that that game was the last example of a 60-minute man in the NFL. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hall-of-famer-chuck-bednarik-dead-at-89/ar-BBiwYC0?ocid=ansusasports11 http://espn.go.com/blog/philadelphia-eagles/post/_/id/11107/chuck-bednarik-greatest-eagle-dies-at-89 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/sports/football/chuck-bednarik-famed-football-tough-guy-dies-at-89.html

CJ, I think that Warner's relationship with ECM ended ca. 1982. It was about then that ECM cassettes were being dumped, sold for a dollar each.

Following up on the transcript of Jim Barker's reddit AMA (post #2050), Dan Ralph's column today deals with the fact that Barker's, Milanovich's and Ray's contracts all expire at the end of this year. The 2016 Argos might be unrecognizable! http://cjme.com/content/barker-and-others-enter-final-contract-year PS - I see that Owens' contract is in its last year too! ***** CBS has posted about the increase in interest in Canadians by the NFL teams. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25115675 ***** Here is this week's Checking Down column, with comments about each team. http://www.cfl.ca/article/checking-down-draft-chat-free-agency-and-more

I read Double Indemnity forty years go when I was on a James M. Cain kick, but I've never seen the movie. This has been on my wishlist for over a year! http://www.amazon.com/Screen-Couples-Spotlight-Collection-Anniversary/dp/B006TTC5PE/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1426896592&sr=1-2&keywords=double+indemnity+dvd

Sam Rivers - Sizzle (impulse!), which to my knowledge hasn't been released on CD. Am I wrong?

As I recall, I have one or maybe two Mulgrew Miller albums on RCA from that period.

LOL! Of course! I forgot about the many '90s Verve releases I picked up via BMG!

Now that I think about it, I don't think I've purchased a record on the Verve label that was recorded after Creed Taylor left. Can anyone think of a jazz one that is any good?