GA Russell

Greg Xenakes Week 5 picks http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4516092

Greg Mohns has died. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=401419 http://www.cflblogzone.com/2012/07/lions-confirm-passing-of-greg-mohns/ http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4516154

This is a very fine album that you can catch on Spotify. Imagine Stacey Kent making a contemporary bossa nova album. I find that most albums frontload the best songs, but to my taste that is not the case here. Brazilian Vocalist Carol Saboya Makes Her U.S. Solo Debut with "Belezas: The Music of Ivan Lins & Milton Nascimento" CD Was Produced and Arranged by Pianist Antonio Adolfo June 12, 2012 Already established as a premier recording artist in her native Brazil and in Japan, with eight albums to her credit, vocalist Carol Saboya is poised to make her U.S. solo debut with the July 10 release of Belezas: The Music of Ivan Lins and Milton Nascimento. The CD, on the AAM Music label, features guest appearances by saxophonist Dave Liebman and harmonica master Hendrik Meurkens, and was produced and arranged by renowned pianist (and Saboya's father) Antonio Adolfo. Having previously recorded an album based on the Antonio Carlos Jobim songbook, Saboya decided on a different tack for the new recording. "I thought about great Brazilian composers who are known in the States, and Ivan Lins and Milton Nascimento made sense," she says. "They're modern in a way that's not bossa nova. They have these great harmonies and beautiful melodies, and their music really lends itself to jazz." On Belezas Saboya sings in both Portuguese and English, including a new translation of Lins's "Estrela Guia" -- a paean to Nascimento -- by the New York Voices' Kim Nazarian that was commissioned by the composer especially for this project. Other Lins songs on the CD include "Abre Alas," a 1970s-era song of protest against the Brazilian military dictatorship; "Doce Presença," with an English lyric by Jane Monheit; and "Soberana Rosa" (She Walks This Earth), which Carol sings in both English (lyric by Brenda Russell) and Portuguese. Among the Nascimento songs are "Bola de Meia, Bola de Gude" (Sock Ball and Marbles), a lively baião/maracatu that dates from early in Nascimento's career; "Tarde," one of his most magnificent ballads (with Dave Liebman featured on tenor saxophone); "Três Pontas," inspired by the train station in the small Minas Gerais town of Três Pontas, where the composer grew up; and "Beleza e Canção" (Beauty and Song), presented here in a Brazilian afoxé style. As for the arranger's tasks, "I tried to build this bridge between Milton and Ivan, so you can't tell one from another," Adolfo says. "I brought some of Ivan's harmony style to Milton and vice-versa, those intervals of fourths pioneered by McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea. And in one of Ivan's songs I use phrases from the first song that Milton presented at a festival in 1967. They have much in common. They came to the scene at the same moment, when there was a very strong musical movement." Saboya is backed by a stellar quartet featuring Antonio Adolfo on piano; bassist Jorge Helder (often heard with Chico Buarque and Maria Bethânia); drummer Rafael Barata (Edu Lobo, Rosa Passos, Mônica Salmaso); and guitarist Claudio Spiewak, who's recorded with a wide range of Latin music stars from Nestor Torres to Elba Ramalho. "Carol floats with the group with her supple dynamics and her soft, very energetic voice," Adolfo says. "I asked the band not to play grooves like bossa nova. I wanted them to play very freely, and she's like the fifth musician." In many ways, Belezas is Saboya's reintroduction to America, as she spent several formative teenage years living in Los Angeles. The elder of Adolfo's two musical daughters, Saboya, now 37, made her first recording at eight, but began her professional career as an adult on Sergio Mendes's Grammy-winning 1992 album Brasileiro, recorded during the family's Southern California sojourn. When the family moved back to Rio, Saboya continued to study and refine her craft, releasing an impressive debut album in 1997, Dança da Voz, which won Brazil's Sharp Prêmio award for Best New Pop (MPB) Singer. Saboya has released a series of acclaimed albums, including a 1999 session exploring the music of Jobim with guitarist Nelson Faria, Janelas Abertas. In 2007, father and daughter released the award-winning collaboration, Antonio Adolfo and Carol Saboya Ao Vivo/Live, a seductive set of Brazilian standards, and followed up with 2010's Lá e Cá (Here and There), a session devoted to classic jazz tunes and American Songbook gems. It's a Brazilian artist's love letter to American jazz, a passion that Adolfo passed on to his daughter. (She also guested on two tracks of Adolfo's 2011 CD, Chora Baião.) "There are many, many, many great composers here [in Brazil], and it's an honor to be able to sing them," Saboya says. "I can do something different with these songs. It took me a while, but I always knew that Ivan and Milton were there, waiting for me someday." Web Sites: www.carolsaboya.com www.carolsaboya.com.br

Correct, Valerie! Wikipedia says that Colleen's dad Fred played for the Ottawa Rough Riders! Now don't you think these two ladies look alike, or am I nuts? (And is the second too obvious for everyone to say?)

Correct, Jim! Now don't these two ladies look a lot alike?

Have we done this lady yet?

The Als have released Aaron Hunt. He was a league All-Star last year, and started every game this year. Very odd. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=401352

Happy Birthday 2012 Marcel!

The Complete Woody Shaw Columbia Albums Collection - $33.28 http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Woody-Columbia-Albums-Collection/dp/B005QOR1ZM?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&tag=camels-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B005QOR1ZM

I agree. The evidence against everyone is very damning, but we haven't heard their sides of the story yet. I would still like to learn more about what the local police knew, and if they failed to act.

NBA teams will have ads on their uniforms starting in 2013. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/nba-board-of-governors-approves-ads-on-jerseys/article4429148/

Hamilton Tiger-Cats 39....Montreal Alouettes 24 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=401174 Lots of fun. Not much defense. The Ticats certainly seemed for real tonight. The record for kicks returned for touchdowns in a season is five. Chris Williams would have had his fourth, but turned around at the twenty and ran backwards the rest of the way in. He was caught and tackled at the one. I hope the coach fines him. Chevon Walker scored on the next play.

Here is yesterday's AP article about the fiftieth anniversary of The Girl from Ipanema. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/20/the-girl-from-ipanema-turns-50/?page=all#pagebreak

I seem to recall that Bobbie Gentry married a very rich guy.

Perhaps someone should start a new NHL thread now that the season is over, but in the meantime, here is a very thorough analysis of the finances of the teams as they head into labor negotiations. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/why-nhl-teams-cry-poor-despite-the-leagues-record-growth/article4429817/

Edmonton Eskimos 27....British Columbia Lions 14 http://www.sportsnet...aspx?id=4515156 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=401115 An upset for sure. Another surprise is that the Lions are only 2-2, when three of their first four games have been at home. ***** The Stampeders have signed Tad Kornegay. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=401114

Happy Birthday 2012 BeBop!

Happy Birthday 2012 Joel!

In all of last year, there were eight kicks returned for touchdowns. This year, after 14 games, there have been seven.

Calgary Stampeders 41....Saskatchewan Roughriders 38 http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=401036 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfl/news/news.aspx?id=4514861 The Roughriders had a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter, and let it slip away. I went to bed at the end of the third quarter, so I'll have to watch the video of that fourth quarter at TSN's website.

The league announced today that nine regular season games (starting August 27), all four playoff games and the Grey Cup will be carried on the NBC Sports channel in the US. I don't get cable, but this news means that I won't have any trouble finding the games at a sports bar! http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=401051 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/nbc-announces-cfl-broadcast-plans/article4429686/

This looks interesting. Has anyone heard of him? Bay Area Pianist/Composer Eric Vaughn To Release First Nationally Distributed CD, "Minor Relocation," August 7 CD Release Shows Planned for 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley, August 9 Rasselas, San Francisco, August 15 & Piedmont Piano Co., Oakland, October 13 July 20, 2012 Eric Vaughn has devoted most of his life to jazz, but recognition for his distinctively personal music has long eluded him. Vaughn's luck can be expected to turn, however, with the release on August 7 of Minor Relocation, the 58-year-old pianist/composer's first nationally distributed album. The new CD, released on his Vaughn Music label, serves as an introduction to a fresh and intriguing voice on the piano. Vaughn describes his music, which fuses elements of Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum, McCoy Tyner, and others, as "hard bop to modern-esque." "I've definitely learned from the traditional players," he says. "I've taken from a little bit of everybody and I've taken some classical and I've put it all in there." The "minor relocation" of the disc's title refers to the pianist's 2009 move back to the Bay Area from Seattle, where he'd resided the previous 12 years. Vaughn recorded the CD over a three-year period in both locales, working in Seattle with bassists Nate Omdal and Mark Bullis and drummers Nicholas Quitevis and Jamiel Nance, and in the Bay Area with tenor saxophonist Bob Kenmotsu, bassist John Wiitala, and drummer Kent Bryson. "I hadn't seen them in 35 years," Vaughn says of the three latter musicians, with whom he once worked in San Francisco's North Beach. Most of the CD's repertoire consists of Vaughn's striking originals, including the swinging title track, the minor-blues-based "Tune for Trane," and the bossa ballad "Joyce," as well as his takes on "Stella by Starlight," "Alone Together," and "On Green Dolphin Street." Bronx, NY-born Eric Vaughn grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he moved at age 7 with his mother and stepfather, a semi-professional musician. When Eric was 9, both he and his stepdad began taking piano lessons from Sal Mosca, the Lennie Tristano disciple noted for his recordings with Lee Konitz, among others. The younger Vaughn continued his studies till he was 14, when basketball became a primary focus. A basketball scholarship brought Vaughn to the University of San Francisco, but knee injuries thwarted his athletic ambitions. He applied for, and won, a music scholarship, despite having been away from his musical studies for nearly five years. Vaughn went on to earn his Bachelor's degree in music and a Master's in music performance, both from USF. Several years of classical piano lessons during this time "influenced my technique for sure and my ideas as well," he says now. "It's useful for improvising and my chops and reading." Vaughn spent two years in the early '80s playing in Europe with bassoonist Michael Rabinowitz, another former Mosca student, then moved to Oakland and became part of a circle of avant-garde players that included saxophonists Ghasem Batamutu and Julius Hemphill, trumpeter Rasul Siddik, and bassist James Lewis. In 1985 he moved to Vancouver, BC and remained there for 12 years, performing regularly at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and working a steady club engagement with trumpeter Gabriel Mark Hasselbach. He also spent two years in the early '90s touring as a member of former B.B. King bassist Russell Jackson's blues band. During his years in Seattle (1997-2009), Vaughn played with his own groups and those led by tenor saxophonist Bert Wilson and conga drummer Billy Poindexter (son of Pony Poindexter). He recorded three little-noticed albums -- a solo piano date titled Reflections: Past and Present; the trio session A New Beginning; and The Chaotic World We Live In, on which he overdubbed piano and melodica parts. With Poindexter's quartet, he recorded Live at the Birkshire (2007). Vaughn's "minor relocation" back to the Bay Area in 2009 marks an exciting new chapter in his musical life. A Kickstarter campaign is supporting the release of his new CD, and higher-profile gigs are coming his way. To celebrate the release of Minor Relocation, Vaughn and his quartet (Bob Kenmotsu, John Wiitala, Kent Bryson) will be performing at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley on Thursday 8/9 at 8pm. He's also set to appear at Rasselas, San Francisco, on Wednesday 8/15, 8pm, and at Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland on Saturday 10/13, 8pm, with more bookings in the works. Web Site: www.ericvaughnjazz.com

Here's a video of the Top Ten Special Teams plays of 2011. http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/76345/autostart/true

six string, would you like to share the link with us so that others can share in your find?

Here's a video of the Top Ten plays of 2011. http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/76345/autostart/true