GA Russell

It occurs to me that for the $51 billion spent for Sochi, Putin could have purchased every NFL team!

Yes.

Rather than tell you what the deal is, I'll let you read the article for yourself, and wonder why you or I didn't think of this first. http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/01/28/man-uses-one-first-class-ticket-to-get-free-airline-lounge-meals-for-year/

LOL! Bev, I wonder if the kids think I'm a "mouldy fig" because I like '50s and '60s jazz!

This one should be good. Pianist Mike Longo Reconvenes His Trio with Bob Cranshaw & Lewis Nash For "Step on It," Their Third Recording CD to Be Released March 4 By Longo's Consolidated Artists Productions February 7, 2014 In his distinguished and sometimes surprising career, pianist Mike Longo has established himself as an invaluable sideman, most notably with Dizzy Gillespie, and as a versatile leader of groups ranging from his 17-piece New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble to his six-man eponymous Funk Band. Longo is also a master of the trio format, and he dedicates his new CD, Step On It, to explorations of jazz standards in the company of two favorite trio-mates, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Lewis Nash. Longo's label, Consolidated Artists Productions, will release the disc on March 4. "To the average listener he is playing great jazz," says producer Bob Magnuson of Longo, "but anyone who has followed the curve of his career hears the highly refined development of a consummate artist." The trio had previously been heard on Sting Like a Bee (2009), a Top 5 jazz radio staple, and its follow-up To My Surprise (2011), which added guest soloists Jimmy Owens and Lance Bryant. "We seem to have an enormous amount of rapport as a unit once the downbeat hits," understates Longo. For Step On It, he rehearsed with Cranshaw and Nash for two hours the day before the recording: "We just ran down the heads so we would know the direction each composition would take and the concept of performing them." Almost everything at the session was nailed in one take. (Pictured at left: Bob Cranshaw, Mike Longo, Lewis Nash.) Playing songs you've heard hundreds of times, Longo makes you think you're hearing them for the first time. Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti," a pensive modal classic by the Miles Davis Quintet, is transformed on Step On It into what Longo called "a real groove thing." Joe Henderson's mini-tone poem, "Black Narcissus," is pumped with energy. "We play it like a delicate waltz," said the pianist. His polymetric threesome's treatment of "Poinciana" was influenced not by Ahmad Jamal's classic cocktail recording but the Four Freshmen's textured, high-spirited rendition. "Jazz is like a baseball game," says Longo. "People say, oh man, I've seen all this before. But then you start playing, even with the least bit of preparation, and you find something new in the themes, the time conception, the band's touch. The three of us all come from the same school of playing. We don't know what's gonna happen." Born in Cincinnati in 1939, Mike Longo was 8 when his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he crossed paths with (and got some early breaks from) Cannonball Adderley. He got "hooked on" Oscar Peterson and, in the fall of 1961, spent six intensive months in Toronto taking private lessons from the keyboard virtuoso. "I had to practice 13 hours a day," he says, "but it was worth it." Back in New York, he accompanied such singing greats as Jimmy Rushing, Nancy Wilson, and Joe Williams. Serendipity struck at the Metropole, where Longo was performing downstairs with trumpeter Red Allen at the same time Dizzy Gillespie was leading his band in the room upstairs. During a break, Gillespie saw Longo perform and was impressed enough to name him as one of the best young talents around in the union magazine, International Musician. Two years later, Gillespie saw Longo perform at Embers East; some months after that, Gillespie asked him to become his pianist after seeing Longo's trio (with bass great Paul Chambers) back Roy Eldridge, a hero of Dizzy's, at Embers West. Longo held down the piano chair in Gillespie's quintet from 1966 to 1973 (following Kenny Barron). He became Dizzy's music director, composer, arranger, and devoted blood brother, and continued working with the man long after going out on his own. "When I first heard Dizzy and Charlie Parker's music in the eighth grade, it was like listening to tape running backwards," says Longo. "But something I heard stuck in my head, a certain sound in Dizzy's playing. I had this weird dream in which I went to the piano and played that sound like I knew it, the sound of that place in his playing that was falling in a strange place in the time. Everything seemed different to me after that." Longo's 1962 debut album, A Jazz Portrait of Funny Girl, was one of numerous jazz-goes-Broadway collections released during that era. In the intervening years, he has amassed a deep body of originals, including a wide assortment written for or about Dizzy ("Matrix," "Soul Kiss," "Samba," "I Miss You John," and the orchestral work, A World of Gillespie). He also has enjoyed a successful second career as an educator and creator of instructional books and videos. "One of the most important things I learned was discovering the place inside you where real music comes from," says Longo. "You don't really compose something, you uncover it. Dizzy used to say music is out there, waiting for someone to come get it." Web Sites: www.jazzbeat.com www.mikelongojazz.com

Since about New Year's, the board's clock has been 15 minutes slow. Any idea what's going on?

Milestones, you might be interested in this Montreux DVD for $3.98 http://www.oldies.com/product-view/13508M.html

Mike O'Shea announced today that Drew Willy will be the Bombers' starting quarterback. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443246 This announcement surprises me a great deal. It's as if O'Shea has no recollection of Stefan LeFors' being named the Bombers' starting quarterback in 2009 under similar circumstances. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_LeFors http://www.examiner.com/article/winnipeg-blue-bombers-fire-head-coach-mike-kelly (With the second link, I also got a Bob Dylan Chrysler commercial.) ***** Kerry Joseph has officially retired. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/could+still+Newly+retired+Edmonton+Eskimos+quarterback+Kerry+Joseph/9464859/story.html

Seriously? I've never gotten that impression over the decades, either from print or conversations. TTK, I can't recall ever reading something about Herbie that did not mention that he played with Miles.

Happy Birthday 2014 mr jazz!

My hunch is that Herbie will always be remembered as Miles' piano player.

Weston Dressler has signed his contract with Kansas City, which will become official with the start of the NFL's fiscal(?) year. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443063 ***** Joe Paopao is returning to the Lions as their receivers coach. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443129 http://cfl.ca/article/receiving-help-paopao-joins-lions-coaching-staff ***** Luca Congi requested and received his release from the Ticats. He was going to become a free agent on Tuesday anyway. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443154 http://cfl.ca/article/release-granted-ticats-part-ways-with-congi ***** The Bombers traded Jade Etienne to the Riders for Drew Willy. Willy was set to become a free agent, but signed a two-year contract with the Bombers. Will the Bombers still go after Glenn? Apparently Glenn's contract depends upon playing time, so he's not going to be happy sitting behind Hank. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443151 http://cfl.ca/article/getting-their-man-bombers-acquire-qb-willy-from-riders ***** Marc Cohon will meet with the Mayor of Halifax Sunday to discuss their getting an expansion team. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443195 ***** Doug Kyed of NESN is reporting that Indianapolis has signed Henoc Muamba. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443182 http://nesn.com/2014/02/cfl-star-lb-henoc-muamba-released-to-pursue-nfl-career-patriots-had-interest/

Larry, the Wall Street Journal made a similar observation a couple of months ago. It was the author's belief that teams would stop paying such a high percentage of their payrolls to the quarterbacks in order to have money to spend for a good offensive line. I usually skip the Super Bowl halftimes, but I'm glad I didn't this year. I was very impressed with Bruno Mars' band. I think that they would make a lot of people look good.

Great, Chris! I have a couple of memories of May of 1972, so this would be more enjoyable than usual for me.

Happy Birthday 2014 Big Wheel!

I've only ordered from them once - a group of Black Saint/Soul Note boxes. I was very pleased with the service.

Henoc Muamba has been offered contracts by New England, Minnesota and Indianapolis; so the Bombers released him today, a week before the free agency date, so that he could get on with his life. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443067 http://cfl.ca/article/muamba-released-by-blue-bombers ***** Corey Chamblin was named Coach of the Year today. I thought it should have been Kent Austin. Does anyone know when the vote is taken? It seems like recently it has typically been given to the Grey Cup champion. I think the results would be different if the vote were taken immediately after the last game of the regular season. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443076 http://cfl.ca/article/capping-it-off-chamblin-named-2013-coach-of-the-year http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/94467

sk, It's my attitude that I will scarf up any 4-CD pre-retirement Miles box of previously unreleased live material if it is reasonably priced. Sometimes it's not in my budget, but that's another matter!

Thanks, Craig! I'll listen to your Soundcloud items tomorrow.

RARE NOISE TO RELEASE TWO NEW RECORDINGS IN MARCH Bassists Lorenzo Feliciati & Colin Edwin Join Forces on Twinscapes Powerful Debut Release Scheduled for March on RareNoise AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE MARCH 3, 2014 AND THROUGH RARE NOISE RECORDS ON CD, VINYL AND HI-RES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Lorenzo Feliciati fretted and fretless bass, fx Colin Edwin fretted and fretless bass, fx and Nils Petter Molvaer trumpet David Jackson saxophone Andi Pupato various percussion and metallics Roberto Gualdi 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/twinscapes/twinscapes/ New York, February 3, 2014 - Two bassists from two different continents -- Italian Lorenzo Feliciati of the adventurous jazz-rock band Naked Truth and the intensely searching nu jazz group Berserk! and Australian Colin Edwin of the longstanding prog-rock band Porcupine Tree and the heavy-duty, experimental Metallic Taste of Blood as well as Ex-Wise Heads and Burnt Belief -- come together to make one potent statement on Twinscapes. With special guest appearances by acclaimed trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer, saxophonist David Jackson (of Van der Graaf Generator), Swiss percussionist Andi Pupato (of Andreas Vollenweider and Nik Bartschʼs Ronin) and drummer Roberto Gualdi (of the Italian prog-rock band PFM), this bass-dominant project, which was mixed by renowned bassist-producer Bill Laswell, travels from ambient soundscapes to slamming funk workouts and kinetic grooves to cinematic-sounding pieces that defy easy categorization. And there are plenty of virtuosic fireworks along the way by all the principal soloists on this outstanding RareNoise release which is released on March 3rd on CD /vinyl and Hi- Res digital download. Feliciati and Edwin first got together for an impromptu one-off gig in London early in 2013, and they discovered an instant chemistry on the bandstand. As Colin recalls, "I was familiar with Lorenzoʼs band Naked Truth and also his solo album Frequent Flyer, and coincidentally had been toying with the idea of a dual-bass project with a bass player friend of mine. So I immediately thought it was something worth doing as an experiment, at least. And I knew that this project would lead us to explore other things you tend to do a lot less of in a regular band set-up, like using different effects, E-bows, have the bass playing melodies and so forth." In preparing for their session together, Feliciati and Edwin spent a few productive days in a studio in the English countryside, fleshing out compositions from the bones of each otherʼs sketches. Playing both fretted and fretless basses, the two kindred low-end spirits create a formidable undercurrent on the 11 powerful tracks from Twinscape while embellishing the open-ended pieces with freewheeling improvisation. "We had a very short time to plan what to do and only a small amount of rehearsal," says Edwin, "but even from our brief rehearsal, it certainly felt like we had a natural way of playing together. Without any real discussion we managed to find a way of fitting around each other, despite occupying the same frequency area. It requires a certain amount of intuition and sensitivity just to be able to do that, without stepping on each others toes and filling up the same space." That kind of complementary attitude permeates Twinscapes, though each of the bassists do step out with stunning solos from track to track. They kick off the proceedings with "Shaken," which begins with a calming, ambient drone before developing a thickly textured undercurrent from multiple overdubs laid down by the two bassists. As drummer Gualdi fuels the track with powerhouse backbeats, Edwin plays the fretless solo, the harmonic delays and the picked bass parts while they combine on the tight unison riffs. Feliciati adds false harmonics and octave bass lines on this dynamic opener. On the more lyrical "Alice," a piece written by Feliciati for his daughter and which appeared on his first-ever solo release in 2003, he plays the main bass part and the chordal part while Edwin covers the melody, the harmonic slides and the beautiful fretless bass work. Lorenzo provides the ambient wash with his bass pedals on "In Dreamland" and Colin contributes to that ethereal vibe by using the E-bow in conjunction with his bass. With Andi Pupato, Nils Petter Molvaer, David Jackson and Roberto Gualdi, Feliciati and Edwin have gathered a group of world-class musicians who bring this release to new creative heights. TRACKS Shaken Alice In Dreamland Breathsketch Transparent i-DEA Conspiracy Perfect Tool Sparse Yügen Solos FREE NELSON MANDOOMJAZZ Debuts on RareNoise with Double EP The Shape of Doomjazz to Come / Saxophone Giganticus AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE MARCH 3, 2014 AND THROUGH RARE NOISE RECORDS ON CD, VINYL AND HI-RES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Rebecca Sneddon alto sax Colin Stewart bass Archibald 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/fnmdj/2ep/ New York, February 3, 2014 - With a crunching sound that is as teeth-chatteringly heavy as metal icons like Slayer and Megadeth or ferocious grindcore groups like Napalm Death and Brutal Truth, yet is imbued with the freedom principle of such avant garde jazz icons as saxophonists Marshall Allen, Albert Ayler and Peter Brötzman, the formidable instrumental power trio from Scotland known as Free Nelson Mandoom Jazz debuts on the London-based RareNoise label with a provocative double EP that will confound jazz critics as it challenges the thrashmetal-grindcore community. Jointly named for the late South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela and the genre of fuzz-bass-inflected heavy-duty improvisation dubbed 'doomjazz', this renegade trio of bassist Colin Stewart, drummer Archibald and alto saxophonist Rebecca Sneddon rattles the very grey matter of your brain on their imposing Shape of Doomjazz to Come/Saxophone Giganticus. With a throbbing, slow-grooving undercurrent created by bassist Stewart and drummer Archibald, freewheeling saxophonist Sneddon wails with impunity in the altissimo register of her horn on doomjazz anthems like "Where My Soul Can Be Free," "The Mask of the Red Death" and "Black Sabbath." Their atmospheric "Nobody Fucking Posts to the UAE" takes a more deliberately melodic approach with Stewart's unaffected basslines doubling with Sneddon's alto sax on the head before she embarks on a searching solo. Midway through this more introspective piece, Stewart kicks on his fuzzbox and Archibald slams more emphatically as Sneddon builds to some cathartic blowing on her horn. "K54", inspired by Domenico Scarlatti's K54 sonata, introduces a swing element into the proceedings with Stewart's up-tempo walking basslines and Archibald's insistent ride cymbal work. The trio navigates through some intricate stop-time passages before Stewart once again stomps on his distortion pedal, a cue for Sneddon to head for the stratosphere with her emphatic overblowing on the alto sax. "Saxophone Giganticus" (the title a playful mutation of Sonny Rollin's "Saxophone Colossus") finds the trio in a more relaxed mode with Stewart's clean bass lines and didgeridoo combining to create a darkly insinuating undercurrent for Sneddon's sinewy sax lines. A little less than midway through, this kinder, gentler approach evaporates in the face of another formidable doomjazz excursion. And the closing track, "Black Sabbath," carries all the heavyweight underpinnings that name would imply while including some of Sneddon's most ferocious, take-no-prisoners approach to overblowing on the recording. These brand new recordings were mixed by renowned Italian sound sculptor Eraldo Bernocchi. A brand new album is currently being worked on and will be released later this year. TRACKS Where My Soul Can Be Free Into The Sky The Mask Of The Red Death No One Fucking Posts To The UAE K56 Saxophone Giganticus Black Sabbath

Monday the 17th will be a holiday in much of Canada - Family Day in most of the provinces that will have the day off. The league and the players union have decided to move the date of free agency up four days so that it will not interfere with the long weekend. So it will be Feb. 11 this year, not Feb. 15. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=443011

TSN's Farhan Lalji has tweeted..."Just landed in Ottawa to hear from source #RedBlacks paying Burris way over 400K and #Bombers weren't in ball park."

Surprise! Hank has signed with Ottawa. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=442977 http://cfl.ca/article/report-burris-to-sign-with-redblacks So where does this leave the Bombers? Will they trade for Kevin Glenn?

The promo of this one arrived on Saturday, and I couldn't wait to open it up because I like so much the two Ian Carey releases I already had. I have four thoughts: 1) It's a great selection of songs. The are many people I would enjoy listening to doing these songs. 2) Ben Stolorow on piano is terrific. He's perfect for the album. I hope we hear more from him. 3) I expected that I would miss the bass and drums, but I don't. I usually prefer the typical quartet or quintet lineup, but this time I don't miss it. 4) For whatever reason, I don't think that Ian Carey had as good a day in the studio as usual. His playing is pretty good, but not as good as on the two previous albums of his that I have. By the way, this was recorded last June 15, only seven and a half months ago. That's a quick turnaround. Of course, I imagine there was little post-production work to do.

A word about yesterday's Super Bowl. I don't pay much attention to the NFL. I usually check the scores each Monday, and that's about it. I thought that there was a pretty good chance that Denver with Peyton Manning would win big. So the 43-8 final score doesn't surprise me. But it was the wrong team! This reminds me of the '86 Grey Cup, when Edmonton was expected to clobber Hamilton, but instead Hamilton clobbered Edmonton 39-15.