GA Russell

Happy Birthday 2014 Don!

Finals picks cfl.ca http://cfl.ca/article/finals-predictions-cflca-writers-make-their-picks Winnipeg Free Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/cfl-this-week----division-finalsby-paul-wiecek-283455001.html

Thanks, guys! Etcetera it will be!

Dan Ralph Finals picks http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/2014/11/20/cfl_picks_jon_cornish_gives_stampeders_edge_over_eskimos_in_west_final.html

I don't know what the heck this is, but for the price I would certainly include it with an order from Amazon UK. Wayne Shorter - Blue Note TSF - 1.87 GBP http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003KWA14A/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=15OXMQC9Z0YS9&coliid=I1QUYX9UOKM6EV

Two Wayne Shorter questions: 1) I'm thinking of getting Etcetera, Moto Grosso Feio or Odyssey of Iska. Is one better than the others? 2) I'm confused about Native Dancer. Is a CD of that currently available that has corrected the objections to the original CD? Thanks!

Thanks, Jim! That one slipped by me. Any interest in the Sakata with Pete Cosey?

BILL LASWELL'S BILMAWN - LITTLE VILLAGE AVAILABLE ONLINE ON DECEMBER 2, 2014 AND VIA WWW.MOD-TECHNOLOGIES.COM New York, November 20, 2014 - Taken from the soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch's newest film "Only Lovers Left Alive." Bilmawn captures the strong raw rhythmic elements of Morroccan music (trance and spirit). TRACK 1. Little Village (5:19)

With Pete Cosey! AKIRA SAKATA WITH BILL LASWELL, PETE COSEY, HAMID DRAKE KAIGARABUSHI - BILL LASWELL REMIX AVAILABLE ONLINE ON DECEMBER 2, 2014 AND VIA WWW.MOD-TECHNOLOGIES.COM New York, November 20, 2014 - Japanese free jazz icon Akira Sakata in collaboration with the legendary Pete Cosey (Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf), drummer Hamid Drake and bassist Bill Laswell. A remix of a track from the album fisherman's.com released in 2001, it offers traditional Japanese folk art meets funk and free improvisation. Mix-construction by Bill Laswell. TRACK

Note the presence of Bill Laswell. M.O.D. TECHNOLOGIES TO RELEASE PETER APFELBAUM'S SPARKLER I Colored It In For You AS PART OF THE INCUNABULA DIGITAL SERIES AVAILABLE ONLINE AND VIA WWW.MOD-TECHNOLOGIES.COM ON DECEMBER 2, 2014. NEW YORK CITY RECORD RELEASE PARTY AT NUBLU WED., DECEMBER 10th @ 9 PM (one set) www.nublu.net Peter Apfelbaum vocals, keyboards, saxes, percussion Natalie Cressman vocals, trombone Jill Ryan vocals, alto sax Will Bernard guitar Barney McAll homemade instruments Willard Dyson drums Aaron Johnston drums, drum programming Liberty Ellman mixing, mastering, additional bass Produced by Peter Apfelbaum & Aaron Johnston All music and lyrics by Peter Apfelbaum New York, November 19, 2014 - Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum (New York Hieroglyphics) introduces the debut track by his newest band, Sparkler. Co-produced by Apfelbaum and Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls), featuring Natalie Cressman (vocals, trombone) and Jill Ryan (vocals, alto sax) I Colored it in for You is a multidimensional electronic world music track with lyrics as Apfelbaum explains, "about the act of creating art, and the desire to give it away." Also included with I Colored it in for You Pts 1 & 2 is a Mix Translation (dub remix) of Pt. 1 by Bill Laswell. TRACKS 1. I Colored it in for You (Pt. 1) 2. I Colored it in for You (Pt. 2) 3. I Colored it in for You (Bill Laswell Remix) ABOUT THE LABEL - M.O.D. Technologies - revealing light on the development of new sound experiences in material culture. A multi-directional music / sound / information system. Initiated in 2010 by bassist / producer Bill Laswell and Giacomo Bruzzo, co-founder of the progressive / future music label Rare Noise. M.O.D. - A futuristic hybrid of music exploration - dub / dub step / reggae / world / africa / drum'n'bass / mutant hip hop / avant metal / experimental / vocal music / instrumental / DJ culture and much more. M.O.D. resumes and continues the legacy of AXIOM, the timeless imprint established in 1989 by Bill Laswell with Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. ABOUT THE SERIES - The Incunabula Series promises to present rare and unique, one time only captured events, in some cases originally experienced by a fortunate few and recover unusual, lost until now studio recordings. Documenting as far back as the early 80s up to present time. Moments seldom heard or experienced by anyone.

Hungarian Power Trio JÜ Joins Norwegian Saxophone Icon Kjetil Møster On Provocative New Collaboration For RareNoiseRecords JÜ Meets Møster AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE ON DECEMBER 8, 2014 AND THROUGH RARE NOISE RECORDS ON CD, VINYL AND HI-RES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Àdàm Mészáros Guitar Ernö Hock Electric Bass Andràs Halmos Drums and Kjetil Møster Saxophones & Clarinet ABOUT THE LABEL - RareNoiseRecords was founded in late 2008 by two Italians, guitarist/arranger/ producer Eraldo Bernocchi and all-round music nut Giacomo Bruzzo. Located in London, the label was created to present a platform to musicians and listeners alike who think beyond musical boundaries of genre. For further information and to listen please go to www.rarenoiserecords.com or https://www.rarenoiserecords.com/jukebox/ju-moster/jmm/ New York, November 6, 2014 - Worlds collide when the raucous Budapest-based power trio JÜ (consisting of fire-breathing guitarist Àdàm Mészáros, fuzz-bassist Ernö Hock and the remarkably flexible drummer Andràs Halmos) joins Bergen-based saxophonist Kjetil Møster for this subversive meeting of the minds on RareNoise Records. A powerful manifesto for ecstatic, exploratory, envelope-pushing music mixed by Bill Laswell and mastered by Michael Fossenkemper. JÜ Meets Møster bridges the gap between free jazz and hellacious, distortion-laced, guitar-driven hardcore rock. The album opens on an explosive note with a turbulent tenor sax-drums breakdown between Møster and Halmos on "Dear Johann" which takes on the feel of latter day John Coltrane or free jazz icon Albert Ayler jamming with the Allman Brothers Band on "Whipping Post" or vintage King Crimson on "21st Century Schizoid Man. "Bhajan" opens on a darker, more mysterious vibe before building to a potent crescendo, with Møster wailing on baritone sax, which is steeped in the tradition of Jimi Hendrix's bold jazz-rock anthem "Third Stone From the Sun." Møster stretches freely with baritone sax on the moody and spacious "Morze" while "Hassassin," full of slamming unisons and fierce overblowing by Møster, is an intense showcase for drummer Halmos.Mészáros adds another frantic six-string onslaught at the tag of this intense offering. The four intrepid musicians explore collectively on the more atmospheric "KJÜ" and they close out the collection with the expansive, 15-minute "One," which makes dramatic use of echo to create an otherworldly texture before building to a powerhouse conclusion of thunderous proportions. "This collaboration came about because I got to know Andras after he attended the very first concert of my own band called Møster! at Kongsberg Jazz Festival in Norway," explains the esteemed saxophonist. "One of my own goals with my own group is to show that different genres are not necessarily as far away from each other as one might think today. Up until the mid-80's, musicians and artists from completely different musical directions were collaborating and drawing inspirations from one another. I dream of the times when Velvet Underground would go to Sun Ra concerts and use the inspiration in their own music. Or to hear the mythical collaboration between Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix. (My theory is that the music industry needed the segregation of musical genres to increase their sales, making people incapable of using their musical taste and to think for themselves, since the record labels already told them what the music was and who should buy what genres.) So I guess Andras heard some reflections of his own thoughts in my music and invited me to play with some Hungarian soulmates called JÜ. In describing his process of collaboration with JÜ on this RareNoise debut, Møster offers, "What surprised me was that they use some of the same compositional approaches to improvisation as I do. So the compositions are just skeletons, and we put meat on them as we improvise. And some of them, like KJÜ, is all free improvised, but as we go we talk about sound textures, instrumentation, temperature, forms and shapes. It might sound academic or intellectual, but it's done very intuitively". Regarding his own influences that came to bear on this rare encounter with JÜ, Møster explains, "For me, Coltrane has without a doubt been the strongest influence on my life as a musician. I've had many incredibly strong, overwhelming, physical experiences listening to him. And his approach to music has learned me a lot. And seeing how he influenced Albert Ayler, John Gilmore, Roscoe Mitchell, Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, to name a few, has expanded that influence, since they also influenced me a lot. As for the open-mindedness that he exhibits as a musician on this project and others, Møster says, "I do play very many different kinds of music and with many different bands. This past summer I played with Röyksopp and Robyn, an amazing Norwegian rapper named Lars Vaular and my long time electro-rock band Datarock.I find the same kind of open-mindedness in the members of JÜ. They all play and like very different kinds of music. So we can play on very different references, talking musically together in different languages, or mixing languages, so to speak. Halmos started playing music relative late, at age 17, but soon found himself in a band that played complex compositions with odd meters. "Over the last 20 years or so I've played in many bands in many styles but I've always stayed in the underground circuit as a musician," he explains. "In the last 11 years I've made my living as a concert promoter for bigger venues and festivals, bringing acts that never played in Hungary before. As an organizer, I've had a chance to spend time with many of my musical heroes like drummers Joey Baron, Kenny Wollesen, Billy Martin and learned a lot from them. I also had chance to study and play with drummer Hamid Drake and bassist William Parker as a member of a workshop big band at the Mediawave festival. The two of them introduced me to Gnawan music and encouraged me to study it. In fact some of the first things we ever played together in JÜ were based on those trance-like Gnawan patterns. Guitarist Mészáros was initially inspired by the Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin records his father turned him on to. "From age 10 we always had a guitar at home," he recalls. "I played but never got too serious about it until high school when I actually forced myself to listen to and learn jazz because I felt like this was what I had to do to get a degree in music and to be a high level player. And, of course, players like John Scofield, John McLaughlin and Bill Frisell just blew my mind." By 2005, Mészáros grew tired of formal music studies and began playing in pop-rock bands, traveling across Europe and earning money along the way. By 2007, he started to get involved in experimental and improvisational music, which led to his encounter with Hock and Halmos. Bassist Hock began playing at age 15. "My main influences were hardcore and metal back then which changed almost immediately when I was introduced to the double bass at age 21," he recalls. "First it got me into Hungarian folk music, then later jazz, and that was followed by a variety of genres (classical music, hip-hop and electronic music, music from Morocco and other parts of Africa, Avant - Garde and free music.)" TRACKS 1. Dear Johann 2. Bhajan 3. Morze (for Ágoston Bèla) 4 Hassassin 5. KJU 6. One

Partners Mark Aanderud & Hernan Hecht Present a New Take On the Piano Trio with their Highly Evocative 'RGB' Bassist Stomu Takeishi Joins the Inner Circle on Molé's Second RareNoise Release AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE ON DECEMBER 8, 2014 AND THROUGH RARE NOISE RECORDS ON CD, VINYL AND HI-RES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Mark Aanderud Piano, Keys, Electronics Stomu Takeshi Electric Bass Hernan Hecht Drums ABOUT THE LABEL - RareNoiseRecords was founded in late 2008 by two Italians, guitarist/arranger/ producer Eraldo Bernocchi and all-round music nut Giacomo Bruzzo. Located in London, the label was created to present a platform to musicians and listeners alike who think beyond musical boundaries of genre. For further information and to listen please go to www.rarenoiserecords.com or https://www.rarenoiserecords.com/jukebox/mole/rgb/ New York, November 6, 2014 - Freedom, experimentation and telepathy are the watch words for RGB, the latest transcendent collaboration of pianist-composer Mark Aanderud and drummer Hernan Hecht under their collective name of Molé. Joining the two longstanding partners on their second RareNoise outing is the inventive Japanese bassist and longtime New York resident Stomu Takeishi, whose highly expressive and adventurous low-end presence has graced albums by such forward-thinking, cutting-edge artists as saxophonist Henry Threadgill, cellist Erik Friedlander, trumpeter Cuong Vu, saxophonist Patrick Zimmerli, pianists Myra Melford and Satoko Fuji. Together these three refined, deep-listening musicians strike a rare accord on pieces that range from meditative motifs to rhapsodic crescendos, from spacious, ECM-ish soundscapes to turbulent, collective jams. It was nearly ten years ago that Mexican-born pianist-composer Mark Aanderud (now living in Prague) began playing with Argentinian drummer Hernan Hecht. Their chemistry was immediate and natural, eventually leading to the formation of Molé, a vehicle to explore their common interests. As Aanderud explained, "Hernan and I do have certain unspoken philosophies. We love sound, groove, freedom and songs. The first things we did were all related to free music, with electronic elements or not, but always with the idea of creating songs or forms in the moment. We do have some incredible magic going on, as much as we can play concerts or record without ever speaking of music, and never repeating ideas or stop developing. This actually hasn't changed over the years." After exploring their tight duet chemistry together on gigs, Aanderud and Hecht began inviting other musicians into their inner circle to see how it affected their music. "In the process of creation, we always considered the possibility of working with more people to achieve different characters, sounds and experience new artistic possibilities," explained Hecht. To date, those musicians who have stepped into Molé's inner circle have included American saxophonist Tim Berne, Israeli saxophonist Eli Degibri, Austrian saxophonist Edith Lettner, American guitarists Jonathan Kreisberg and Mike Moreno, Mexican bassists Aaron Cruz and Marco Renteria. Mole's hard-hitting 2012 RareNoiseRecords debut, What's the Meaning?, featured Mexican upright bassist (and Aanderud's boyhood friend) Jorge "Luri" Molina and New York guitarist David Gilmore, whose impressive list of credits includes tours and recordings with the likes of Wayne Shorter, Trilok Gurtu, Don Byron and Steve Coleman's Five Elements. On RGB, with bassist Takeishi affecting the overall vibe with his intuitive genius, things opened up and became more conversational and telepathic in the process. "After What's the Meaning?, it became very clear that the music we should continue doing had to go back to what we always did, and that was to experiment," says Molé's principal composer Aanderud. "And we always had Stomu in mind. We always loved his sound, his approach and concepts. He is unique artist. We couldn't think of anybody better for this, so we just decided to send him an email and invite him to do a tour and record. Once he said yes I started composing all the music thinking of the three of us. I wanted to do music that would be as open as possible but that would provide a rhythmic and structural base to start with. As you can imagine, Stomu absorbed and exceeded the music." From the meditative soundscape of "Sub-All" to the frantic funk of "Reasons," fueled by Hecht's slamming backbeats and Aanderud's hyper piano solo, to the suite-like "Trichromatic," which travels from an evocative rubato into to a free section in the middle which resolves to a lyrical theme, this edition of Molé is perhaps the most flexible and experimental of all. "Winip" opens with a hymn-like refrain before heading into a heavy-duty Bad Plus-like theme underscored by Hecht's big-as-a-house backbeats. "Freelance" has Takeishi pushing the envelope with effects before soloing over a drum 'n' bass groove by Hecht while "Rodriguez" is Molé's unique take on the classic Clyde Stubblefield-Jabo Starks funky drummer groove from classic James Brown bands of the '60s. The extremely spacious "T-Overlap" leads into some provocative collective improv while "Ine Sest" opens on a classical not with a piano etude by Aanderud before evolving into a whimsically tuneful number underscored by Hecht's supple brushwork. And the closing three-way conversation on "Wix," paced by an exacting and infectious 6/8 over 5/8 groove, is perhaps the best example of collective improvisation on the record. "I had written eight songs for this record," says Aanderud. "Some, like 'Winip,' 'Reasons,' 'Wix' and 'Rodriguez', had a lot of notes. So I thought I had to balance it and add some songs that would be easier and would provide an atmosphere for creating something. So I wrote other four songs -- 'Sub-All,' 'Ine Sest,' 'Freelance' and a fourth one that became the ending part of 'Winip.' But for the recording I thought we should start playing something free, and that was 'T-Overlap.' I liked it so much that I proposed to do another free improvisation which became 'Trichromatic.' After that we just went on to do what was planned. There is a lot of experimenting in the music, but there is very precise stuff. There are no chords on this music. There is no structure for improvisation either. Some ideas are very chromatic with hard rhythms and others are just the simplest I could think of. But there was always a direction towards improvisation." Aanderud is also quick to point out, "I had some clear influences for writing this music. Tim Berne was one, Paul Motian another. I was also inspired by other bands like Aphex Twin, Massive Attack, Lamb or Sigur Ros and, of course, Cuong Vu, Peabody and many other bands that may be of inspiration." While eight of the titles on RGB were composed by Aanderud, his kindred spirit Hecht is a key component in the band's overall sound. "In this Molé project, Mark is the composer and I create opportunities for the music to thrive," says the inventive and flexible drummer. "I'm involved in the creative process of interpreting the songs. In this environment, our aesthetics work together." Adds Hecht, "I think we are part of a worldwide movement, a generational shift that has fewer stylistic prejudices. I am interested in music that is broad, not determined by a style. I like breadth of concepts and the possibility of being in infinite change, refreshing me, trying to find freedom for the child in me and permit manifestations to occur in music; a deep love of life and nature, a freshness to grow and advance in years, sure to shape a better person and hopefully help make this world a better place for everyone." In the company of the extraordinarily sensitive and expressive bassist Stomu Takeishi, Aanderud and Hecht make some startling sonic discoveries together on RGB. TRACKS 1. Sub-All 2. Reasons 3. Trichromatic 4. Winip 5. Freelance 6. Rodriguez 7. T. Overlap 8. Ine Sest 9. Wix

This was released Tuesday. M.O.D. TECHNOLOGIES PRESENTS MARTER & YONY'S RHYTHM MATTER AS PART OF THE INCUNABULA DIGITAL SERIES AVAILABLE AS DOWNLOAD ONLY. ONLINE AND VIA WWW.MOD-TECHNOLOGIES.COM ON NOVEMBER 18, 2014. LP TO BE RELEASED IN 2015. New York, November 4, 2014 - Marter & Yony is a sensational Japanese DUB duo featuring Masateru Yamauchi (Jazzy Sport, Japan) and Yoshio Kabayashi (Aokoya Afrobeat, New York). Intentionally recorded on cassette & ¼" tape to retain a unique, raw yet warm analog sound. Reminicient of Sly & Robbie, Basic Channel (German NEO DUB), yin-yang drum 'n' bass - perfect harmony of dubbed out reverb & echo...creates a blasting dub experience. Recorded in Brooklyn, NY & Nagano, Japan, mixed & mastered in NYC by Hideyuki Waki (Helio Parallax), also inludes a bonus track remix by Loop Diary (Marihito Ayabe - Helio Parallax). Produced by Marter & Yony. Level 16 (Loop Diary Remix) by Marihito Ayabe. TRACKS Definition Rhythm Surfer Spy (2014 version) Level 13 Cosmic Dance Electric Forest Palm's Dream Fung-Ku Retrofit Alpha Waves High Wind Reel To Real Dub Loop 16 (Loop Diary Remix) ABOUT THE LABEL - M.O.D. Technologies - revealing light on the development of new sound experiences in material culture. A multi-directional music / sound / information system. Initiated in 2010 by bassist / producer Bill Laswell and Giacomo Bruzzo, co-founder of the progressive / future music label Rare Noise. M.O.D. - A futuristic hybrid of music exploration - dub / dub step / reggae / world / africa / drum'n'bass / mutant hip hop / avant metal / experimental / vocal music / instrumental / DJ culture and much more. M.O.D. resumes and continues the legacy of AXIOM, the timeless imprint established in 1989 by Bill Laswell with Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. ABOUT THE SERIES - The Incunabula Series promises to present rare and unique, one time only captured events, in some cases originally experienced by a fortunate few and recover unusual, lost until now studio recordings. Documenting as far back as the early 80s up to present time. Moments seldom heard or experienced by anyone.

Burn Notice - each $7.50 Season 2 http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Notice-Season-Jeffrey-Donovan/dp/B001C8W7EQ/ref=pd_cp_mov_0 Season 3 http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Notice-Season-Jeffrey-Donovan/dp/B002BWP2BW/ref=pd_cp_mov_1 Season 4 http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Notice-Season-Jeffrey-Donovan/dp/B003L77GZQ/ref=pd_cp_mov_2

cissexism A debate at Oxford on abortion was cancelled because of objections by feminists who accused some people of cissexism. Had to go look it up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisgender

The Lions have fired Mike Benevides. http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/football/lions/Lions+fire+head+coach+Mike+Benevides/10399088/story.html http://www.tsn.ca/lions-fire-head-coach-benevides-1.140155 http://cfl.ca/article/bc-lions-part-ways-with-head-coach-mike-benevides http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=780011 ***** The league has a program to use social media websites to promote the Grey Cup. http://cfl.ca/article/102nd-grey-cup-to-be-the-most-social-greycup-ever ***** Malcolm Kelly Finals picks http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/sports/sports-cfl/story/1.2841804 http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/sports/cfl/story/1.2841758

Gregg Xenakes Finals picks http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=779808

Semi-Finals Plays of the Week http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/106425 ***** Eastern Final various articles http://cfl.ca/article/2014ef ***** Western Final various articles http://cfl.ca/article/2014wf ***** Here is a video of Huff saying that Cornish is good to go for Sunday. http://www.tsn.ca/video/hufnagel-on-cornish-he-s-a-full-go-1.137608 ***** The CP reports that 6,500 seats remain for the Grey Cup. http://www.tsn.ca/about-6-500-tickets-remain-unsold-for-grey-cup-at-b-c-place-1.138504 ***** Chris Schultz Finals picks http://www.tsn.ca/risky-business-division-final-picks-in-the-cfl-1.138460

Might be interesting! Cellist/Composer/Arranger Akua Dixon To Release Her Second CD as a Leader, "Akua Dixon," On Her Akua's Music Imprint, January 13, 2015 Follow-Up to 2011's "Moving On" Features Dixon's String Quartet Plus Guests Regina Carter, John Blake Jr., Kenny Davis CD Release Shows Scheduled for 1/18 Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church, NYC; 1/30 Trumpets, Montclair, NJ; 4/18 Sistas' Place Coffee House, Brooklyn; 4/24 Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space, NYC November 18, 2014 Jazz string pioneer Akua Dixon entered a new creative phase with the sleek 2011 quartet session Moving On, her first album under her own name. Her new album, Akua Dixon, is a dazzling string conclave that surveys the cellist/composer/ arranger's expansive stylistic reach. Dixon's label, Akua's Music, will release the disc on January 13, 2015. The project showcases Dixon as a powerfully emotive improviser and dauntingly creative arranger exploring sumptuous American Songbook ballads, a suave Afro-Cuban standard, erotically charged nuevo tango, and a rootsy Ellingtonian opus. "When I look back at my history I've written for all different sizes of string ensembles, from duos and trios to orchestras," Dixon says. "But the string quartet is the easiest unit to keep together and keep working, and it's the situation I've written for the most." The eponymous CD features Dixon's working string quartet (Patrisa Tomassini, first violin; Gwen Laster or Chala Yancy, second violin; and Ina Paris, viola) plus special guests like bassist Kenny Davis, violin star Regina Carter, and violin master John Blake Jr. (in one of his final recordings before his passing last August). Also featured, on one track apiece, are Dixon's children -- drummer Orion Turre, heard on the album opener "Haitian Fight Song," and vocalist Andromeda Turre, who contributes a swooning version of "Lush Life." "They got exposed to a lot of different music growing up and both became wonderful musicians," says their proud mother. "Making music for me has always been a family affair." Born and raised in New York City, Akua Dixon grew up in a family suffused with music. She started playing with her sister, the late violinist Gayle Dixon, shortly after the cello came into her life in the 4th grade. After graduating from the prestigious "Fame" High School of the Performing Arts, Dixon studied at the Manhattan School of Music at a time when the only track available focused on European classical music. She describes her post-graduation gig in the pit band at the Apollo Theater as an essential proving ground. Backing a disparate array of stars from Rev. James Cleveland and Barry White to James Brown and Dionne Warwick, she developed a vast idiomatic repertoire. With the doors of most symphony orchestras closed to African-American musicians (to say nothing of women), Dixon found a home in the Symphony of the New World, which is where she experienced the Ellingtonian epiphany that led her to jazz. "I started immersing myself in jazz and spirituals, and became determined to learn the secrets of improvising," she says. It's hard to overstate the centrality of Dixon's contribution to the rise of visibility of bowed strings in jazz. In the early 1970s the New York scene was exploding with creatively ambitious and talented string players, many of whom gathered in the String Reunion, a 30-piece orchestra founded by Noel Pointer. Dixon served as the ensemble's director of new music, supplying the group with a steady stream of original compositions and arrangements. At the same time, she launched her own string quartet, Quartette Indigo, which made its big-league debut at the Village Gate with her sister Gayle Dixon, Maxine Roach, and John Blake Jr. Dixon collaborated closely with another jazz giant in the early 1980s as a founding member of the Max Roach Double Quartet. She had honed her rhythmic drive backing the likes of James Brown, but learning to phrase bebop with one of the idiom's founding fathers was an invaluable experience. After years of lending her skills to recordings by masters such as Archie Shepp, Don Cherry, Buster Williams, Carmen McRae, Dizzy Gillespie, Abbey Lincoln, Tom Harrell, and her former husband Steve Turre, Dixon made a bold statement of her own with 1994's Quartette Indigo (Landmark), a classic album featuring violist Ron Lawrence and violinists Gayle Dixon and John Blake Jr. (reissued by 32 Jazz). Supported by a grant from the NEA to compose the music, she delivered a brilliant second album in 1997 with Afrika! Afrika! (Savant) with Lawrence, and violinists Regina Carter and Marlene Rice. She spent much of the next decade immersed in education, teaching at various institutions and conducting dozens of performances through the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series. With the release of Akua Dixon, however, Dixon has refocused her priorities and put her own music on the front burner. In support of the new CD, Dixon will be appearing with her string quartet 1/18 at the Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church, 122nd Street and Fifth Avenue, NYC (the church she attended growing up was in this facility). Other CD release shows include: 1/30 Trumpets, Montclair, NJ; 4/18 Sistas' Place Coffee House, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; 4/30 Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NYC. Photography: Jose Iorio Web Site: akuadixon.com Follow: Like:

Watch too much Fox lately, Russell? LOL! erwbol, American exceptionalism has been around a lot longer than Fox News!

Are you sure there are no scammers IN North America? Or if you want to advise against SPECIFIC regions of the world to deal with, then please say so and be specific. Otherwise you might do a huge and unfair disservice to honest collectors from outside the US of A (remember there IS a world of decent people and jazz fans out there) who might even be prepared to bear the huge shipping costs for the right item, and/or you might unnecessarily discourage newbie sellers on the forum who maybe have not dealt with buyers from abroad (or maybe even people from abroad at all) before. In short, please let's be fair. Steve, did I say that there are no scammers in North America? It looks to me like you're in a bad mood for some reason, and you're taking it out on me. I'm not here for that. Maybe there is a 900 phone number where for $3.95 a minute a beautiful woman will listen to your complaining about American exceptionalism! Your sentence which I have highlighted suggests to me that you have a desire to write my posts. That's not going to happen either. My friend, for your impertinence, I will insist that the next time I am in southern Germany, you will buy the first round of your favorite beer, which I'm confident will be outstanding!

I don't follow pro basketball, but I see that this week's power rankings are out, and I am very surprised by two things... 1) The Warriors are ranked as the best team in the league. 2) The Lakers are ranked next to last. Does this seem right to those of you who follow the NBA? http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/nba-power-rankings-warriors-continue-to-lead-the-pack/ar-BBeiHRA?ocid=ansSBNation11

Laurie, a few years ago I had to sell my Mosaics. It was my experience that if you are lucky you will get the highest price at eBay. However, the situation at eBay depends upon the current state of the economy (rather than your merchandise). You may also need to be concerned about scammers from outside of North America. If you offer your items here, you may not get the highest offer per item, but you might very well "move" the most merchandise when all is said and done. Many folks here are in the habit of buying multiple items from sellers on this board. The one Mosaic which I believe you are most likely to "strike it rich" using eBay is the Maynard Ferguson Roulette box. Before you set a price on eBay, take a look at the price that item has recently sold there for. You will probably get a similar amount.

Lowell Ullrich Semi-Finals picks http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/11/16/the-picks-cfl-semifinal-edition/ ***** CBS reports that ("up to," whatever that means) ten NFL teams have shown interest in signing Duron Carter. http://www.tsn.ca/report-up-to-10-nfl-teams-eyeing-alouettes-carter-1.136588 ***** Montreal 50....BC 17 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=779129 http://www.tsn.ca/alouettes-untouchable-in-blowout-of-lions-in-eastern-semifinal-1.136620 Montreal led 1-0 after one, and 15-3 at the half. Pretty boring. Then the Als scored 21 in the third, and another 14 in the fourth to make it 50-3. At that point, it seemed like everyone quit playing. As a result, there were some pretty exciting long runs and kick returns which the ball carriers seemed to make without any help, because both their teammates and the tacklers had quit playing! ***** Edmonton 18....Saskatchewan 10. http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=779184 http://www.tsn.ca/eskimos-advance-to-western-final-with-win-over-roughriders-1.136959 The Eskimos controlled the game. Kerry Joseph tied a playoff record by throwing five interceptions. In the fourth, Chamblin pulled Joseph and put in Sunseri, who seemed to give the Riders some spark. But then Jones pulled Nichols and put in Reilly, and he seemed to give the momentum back to the Eskimos. ***** Some good quick videos from today... http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/106403 http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/106373 http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/106371

Not jazz, but... James Brown - Live at the Apollo, 1962 (with bonus tracks) with AutoRip - $5.99 without AutoRip - $1.40 + 3.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001JXQ7O/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item