GA Russell

This arrived in the mail yesterday, and I opened it up today. It's a mighty fine album, and I expect it to grow on me over the course of the next month. I want to say that the album reminds me of David S. Ware, but that may not be on the mark. The music is impressionistic, without hummable melodies.

Well scored! Great session! Thanks Bill! It looks like two of your fellow Brits are having a price war.

Happy Birthday 2013 FFA!

Better than water or Gatorade!!! http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/10/scientists-suggest-beer-after-workout/

Roy Brown, the designer of the Edsel and the Cortina has died. My recollection of the Edsel (and maybe those of you who are older may remember differently) was that it was a good car which was overpriced. They had basically two models - a Mercury priced like a Lincoln, and a Ford priced like a Merc. People didn't see the need to pay the premium. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-roy-brown-20130310,0,7077935.story

Buddy Rich - Big Swing Face $3.19 from an Amazon Marketplace Seller http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000005H3M/ref=ox_ya_os_product

Happy Birthday 2013 jazztrain!

Happy Birthday Jazzjet!

Great news Pete! Congratulations!

Happy Birthday BC! Going to the Grey Cup in 2014?

Congrats everyone! I remember when the BNBB sojourned over to AAJ, wasn't completely happy there, so Jim founded organissimo.org. I was an AAJ regular at the time. I lurked for a while, and took the plunge here in August. The board has evolved over time, with not much discussion of BN nowadays. Perhaps there is little more to be said about BN that hasn't already been said. But this place has a very solid group of very knowledgeable aficionados of the art form, and there's no place like it!

RIP. I saw Ten Years After in Baltimore in early '69 as a warm-up act to the Mothers. Lee was terrific, and the show was great, even though I couldn't hear the organist at all!

Jay, you're right! With Bobby Broom, The Deep Blue Organ Trio and Brad Goode on their roster, I assumed they were based in Chicago. I'll correct the OP. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_Records

I consistently receive good albums from the Origin label, so we'll see if this one is good too. Is anyone familiar with Anthony Branker? Origin Records to Release "Uppity," by Composer/Bandleader Anthony Branker & His Sextet Word Play, March 19 Word Play Features Tenor Saxophonist Ralph Bowen, Trumpeter Eli Asher, Trombonist/Keyboardist Andy Hunter, Pianist Jim Ridl, Bassist Kenny Davis, & Donald Edwards on Drums March 5, 2013 On the provocatively titled Uppity, Anthony Branker's second CD with his all-star sextet Word Play, the prolific composer and bandleader harnesses his vibrant jazz originals and his band's dynamic interplay to deliver a bracing social and spiritual message. Uppity will be released by Origin Records March 19. His "Ballad for Trayvon Martin," one of the album's emotional centerpieces, honors not only the 17-year-old who was slain in 2012 because of "what he looked like," but victims of racial violence who came before. "While the music on Uppity addresses, out of necessity, such themes as intolerance, hate, and prejudice," writes Branker in his booklet notes, "it also serves to remind us of the power and resiliency of the human spirit when we keep the notions of 'hope' and 'healing' at the center of our lives." Branker, the founder and director of the Program in Jazz Studies and associate director of the Program in Musical Performance, both at Princeton University, has in recent years been composing for and recording with two different although similar handpicked ensembles. With Ascent, he's recorded four albums, most recently Together (Origin, 2012). Prior to Uppity, he made the 2011 Origin CD Dialogic with Word Play. Tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen and bassist Kenny Davis, whom Branker first heard when they were with OTB (Out of the Blue) in the late 1980s, are members of both groups. Completing the Word Play lineup are trumpeter and flugelhornist Eli Asher (of the Respect Sextet); trombonist and keyboardist Andy Hunter, who also performs with Germany's WDR Big Band; "monster pianist" Jim Ridl; and Mingus big band drummer Donald Edwards, who "plays with such incredible commitment to groove." Branker gets a remarkably fat sound from the six Word Play musicians through the way he voices the three horns and his use of layered repetition. "I'm always trying to give the impression that it is a bigger ensemble than the normal-sounding sextet," he says. "I like to give each voice a sense of independence, but there is still a real connection between each line." Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1958 of then-recent immigrants from Trinidad, Anthony Branker grew up listening to records by calypso greats such as the Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener as well as pop and R&B on the radio and "a little jazz." Hearing a concert by trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's big band at age 14 turned his head around. "They were swinging back then," he recalls. "Their power and precision and spirit and hearing the soloists made me really want to pursue music." Branker's own credits as a trumpet player include five years alongside Ted Curson, Eddie Henderson, and Valery Ponomarev in the trumpet section of the Spirit of Life Ensemble every Monday night at Sweet Basil in New York City's Greenwich Village. In 1999 he put the horn down after suffering a seizure and two brain aneurysms due to an Arteriovenous Malformation. After undergoing brain surgery in 2000, he now takes medication to control his condition. "The three things I value more than anything else as a writer have to do with rhythm, a sense of lyricism, and trying to make a connection with the listener on some level," Branker states. "Sometimes we get into playing and writing all this complex stuff and things that we feel are hip and are gonna impress other musicians, but I don't necessarily think that that's the direction we should be thinking, especially if we want to have an audience and expand the audience. What's really important to me is trying to make a connection with the listener on an emotional level." And on Uppity, the professor's philosophy is put brilliantly into practice. Web Site: www.anthonybranker.com Like:

The league released the 2013 schedule today. The pre-season games start June 12. The season starts June 27. The Grey Cup will be November 24. http://cfl.ca/schedule/year/2013/time_zone/0 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=417433 http://cfl.ca/article/mark-your-calendars-2013-cfl-schedule-announced ***** Yesterday Kevin Eiben tweeted his retirement announcement. http://www.cfl.ca/article/canadian-lb-eiben-to-hang-up-his-cleats

My vague recollection of 1973 purchases includes... Larry Coryell - The Real Great Escape Soft Machine Six and Seven Colin Blunstone - Ennismore (sp?) Back Door

I haven't gotten to this one yet, but Marc Myers reviewed yesterday in his JazzWax blog. http://www.jazzwax.com/

Jeff, I'm sorry you lost your friend. He sounds like quite a guy!

Happy Birthday 2013 Al!

Thanks, Jim!

The Eskimos have traded Brody McKnight to the Riders for draft picks. I haven't forgotten how Paul Osbaldiston was very well travelled before he caught on with the Ticats, so maybe McKnight will catch on somewhere too. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=417104

Guy, I'm sorry to learn of your loss of your good friend.

The Eskimos have released Mathieu Bertrand. I had no idea that he was 35 already. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=417129 ***** Scott Milanovich was named Coach of the Year yesterday. I believe that in the past only the regular season was considered;l but I have to believe that the playoffs were considered this year, because I don't think that the Argos had a good year until they got hot, hot, hot at the end. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=417037

Jim, I'm following up on your question, and hope to have an answer soon.

Amazon has The Complete Monterey Pop Festival for $39.99, which is its lowest price in three years. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Monterey-Festival-Criterion-Collection/dp/B00006JU7P?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&tag=camels-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00006JU7P