GA Russell

I guess the party is over. The word is that Amazon is "sold out", and is not taking any more orders.

Amazon has a program competing with Groupon and Living Social called Amazon Local. Today's deal is a $10 Amazon gift card for $5. The deal expires tonight at midnight pacific time. I think you can order it over the phone at 1-866-395-2090. I also think you can get it online at https://local.amazon.com/

I wish everyone well, but I am skeptical that Manning will last all year without an injury.

Congrats Jeff! Thanks for posting those!

Paquito D'Rivera's Panamericana Suite came out in November of 2010, but I didn't get around to listening to it until a year later. I listened to it closely, and hated it. Today I had it on in the background, and quite enjoyed it. Go figure! It's unique all right. So I have dug out the press release that came with it for you to see. Paquito D'Rivera's "Panamericana Suite," A Concert Recording, To Be Released on CD November 2 By MCG Jazz D'Rivera's Panamericana Orchestra Features Edmar Castaneda, Dave Samuels, Andy Narell, & Soprano Brenda Feliciano October 6, 2010 Few jazz artists have been as musically omnivorous -- and dazzingly accomplished -- as the Cuban-born alto saxophone and clarinet virtuoso Paquito D'Rivera. Equally at home performing bebop, tango, and classical as well as Afro-Cuban styles, D'Rivera displays his mastery of many genres on his new CD, Panamericana Suite, which will be released by the MCG Jazz label on November 2. Recorded live at Pittsburgh's Manchester Craftsmen's Guild for MCG Jazz in April 2008, Panamericana Suite takes its name from a piece commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center that D'Rivera premiered in 2000. A stunning cultural synthesis encompassing North, Central, and South America leavened with a Caribbean rhythmic sensibility, the project reflects D'Rivera's embracing musical vision. "I am an eclectic person," D'Rivera says. "I grew up the son of a classical saxophone player who loved jazz. He loved to put on Heifetz and Mario Lanza, and then listen to Benny Goodman and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Growing up in Havana, Latin American music was in the air." The new CD boasts an all-star international cast, with Pedro Martinez (batas, timbales, vocals), Pernell Saturnino (percussion), Oscar Stagnaro (bass), and Mark Walker (bass) comprising the supple rhythm section. Also featured in the Panamericana Orchestra are pianist Alon Yavnai; Dana Leong on trombone and cello; Hector del Curto, bandoneon; Andy Narell on steel pans; Dave Samuels, vibraphone and marimba; trumpeter Diego Urcola; the Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda; and the Puerto Rican lyric soprano Brenda Feliciano. "This recording expresses the essence of Paquito D'Rivera," says Marty Ashby, who produced the CD with his brother Jay Ashby. "From refined Classical compositions to swinging jazz, Paquito takes the listener on a journey celebrating the multitude of Latin and World rhythms, connecting them with the best of jazz and Classical traditions." Since making his way to the U.S. in 1979, Paquito D'Rivera has established himself as a force in the jazz world, with numerous solo albums and a long-running association with Dizzy Gillespie, culminating when he became one of the musical directors of the trumpeter's last great band, the United Nation Orchestra. D'Rivera led the United Nation Orchestra to a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 40th annual Grammy Awards with its Live at MCG CD, which was recorded at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. In 2005, he was named an NEA Jazz Master and awarded the National Medal of Arts at the White House. He's the only artist ever to have won Latin Grammy Awards in both Classical and Jazz categories, for 2003's Stravinsky's Historia del Soldado (L'Histoire du Soldat) and Brazilian Dreams. No matter what style he's exploring, D'Rivera consistently collaborates with the finest musicians and ensembles, from the Ying Quartet, Turtle Island Quartet, Imani Winds, and Yo-Yo Ma to the London Royal Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. As a leader of numerous bands and projects, and an increasingly acclaimed composer, D'Rivera continues to blaze new trails, combining the styles and traditions that excite his imagination. He was recently commissioned by Caramoor, as Composer in Residence, to write a concerto for the St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra; the work, titled "Conversations with Cachao," is dedicated to the Cuban bass legend. D'Rivera has just released a new CD called Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Paquito Records/Sunnyside Records. Web Sites: www.paquitodrivera.com www.mcgjazz.com

Best wishes Jeff!

Valerie, it's Granny! Didn't you ever watch the show? LOL Yes, Irene Ryan looks to me like a different person than Granny. She was 60 years old when she started playing Granny, and IMO she looked closer to 75. I wonder how much of it was make-up, and how much of it was her.

Who's this?

Happy Birthday 2012 RT!

The Ticats have released Stevie Baggs. http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=390449

Honey West: The Complete Series - $14.28 http://www.amazon.com/Honey-West-Fullscreen-Anne-Francis/dp/B001B0H7DG/ref=pd_cp_mov_3

Happy Birthday Conrad!

We had the Americana from the mid-40s. I rarely used it.

I had the four-volume Canadian Encyclopedia when it came out about 1980. Most of what I learned I picked up on the way to finding the page that had what I was looking for on it. Very interesting stuff. I still have it somewhere.

Has anyone else been listening to Tord Gustavsen's The Well? I'm enjoying it. It harkens back to the classic ECM sound without becoming boring. Very mellow and soothing, but interesting.

Irene Ryan?

We should get Neal to try it!

In the early years of this forum, there was a lot of enthusiasm expressed for soul jazz, but not so much any more. Maybe there haven't been many releases to talk about in the past five years. I'll leave it to the true greaze aficionadoes to decide where The 11th Gate should be on the list of soul jazz albums, but it's good enough for those who love the genre to pick up. Although it's the trombonist Dennis Rollins' album, the key is Ross Stanley on the Hammond. He's the one who makes it greazy. The replacement of the tenor sax with the trombone makes for an interesting sound.

This is a solid three-star album - very enjoyable. It's a simple piano trio date with Kenny Werner at the piano. Although the bassist Veneziani is the leader, he doesn't make his presence felt much throughout the album. However, most of the compositions are his. Not much in the way of experimentation here, although there are a few tracks whose melodies are not hummable. It's all very tasteful and for the most part fairly quiet. I imagine that most people have an idea of what they think of Werner by now, so those who like him will go for this. Am I the only one who thinks that Werner may be the most recorded jazz artist over the past couple of years?

Sounds interesting!

Maybe we were spoiled during Christmastime, but there haven't been many deals on this thread since then.

Peter Lind Hayes Correct, Jack! He was a favorite of my mother's. Snooki without the makeup?

I have had mine for almost a year. It works much better with my new refurb'd computer, so I guess your processor is relevant. It pays for itself in two months or less, so I would certainly recommend it.

Here's a very hard one. Chuck might get this.

Here is the up-to-date listings of the free agent signings from the league's website: http://cfl.ca/page/2012-free-agent-tracker