GA Russell

Happy Birthday 2012 BC!

Yes, Mincher's 1960 card was an example of that. He and Earl Battey were traded in the spring to the Senators, and his card had a picture of him wearing his new Senators cap.

Thanks Jim! It occurred to me that I forgot to mention that I had his bubble gum card in 1960 - #548 above. I remember it because it was in the seventh series (the #500 cards) which were not widely sold each year.

Mosaic could have made a nice box of Julie London's jazzier albums. I'd like to read who some of the sidemen were.

Don Mincher has died. I have two memories of him. The first is when he and Earl Battey were traded by Bill Veeck to the Senators for Roy Sievers. The second was the Senators' last game in '71. We waited outside to wave goodbye to the players, and out last came Frank Howard riding with Mincher in Mincher's Caddy. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-don-mincher-20120306,0,4706014.story

The Rookie Evaluation Camp ended yesterday. Here's what the upcoming calendar looks like: May 3: CFL Canadian DraftMay 12: CIS East-West BowlMay 30: Rookie Camps OpenMay 31 - June 3: Officials Training CampJune 3: Training Camps Open

Brent Johnson has announced his retirement. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/brent-johnson-announces-retirement-after-11-cfl-seasons/article2358894/

Here's an opportunity to study one free lesson with Berklee. I'm not a musician, so I haven't examined it to determine if it's a good deal. https://www.berkleemusic.com/welcome/berklee-jazz?pid=4276&gclid=CLn9sNKx0K4CFdCb7QodgCcg-g

I got this press release today. This is on Origin. I think I've liked everything I've heard on that label, so I'll start with a positive attitude. The name Noah Preminger rings a bell. Is anyone familiar with him or have any opinions about him or Cray? Pianist/Composer Dan Cray Shifts Gears With "Meridies," His 5th CD, Due Out March 20 on Origin Records Recording for the First Time with a Horn, Cray Offers Engaging Originals & Two Standards With Bassist Clark Sommers, Drummer Mark Ferber, & Tenor Saxophonist Noah Preminger CD Release Shows at Kitano, NYC, April 19 & Andy's, Chicago, June 15-16 March 5, 2012 Pianist/composer Dan Cray's first four CDs -- trio recordings featuring his Chicago-based threesome of bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Greg Wyser-Pratte -- built their repertoires around enticing cover versions of standards and jazz classics. Now with Cray's bold new disc, Meridies, due out March 20 on Origin Records, the Chicago-area native has expanded his trio -- here with Sommers and drummer Mark Ferber -- to a quartet that includes the well-regarded young tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger. And the program now spotlights mostly Cray originals, with only two covers. The main reason behind the shifts in Cray's musical perspective was his move in 2009 to that hotbed of activity and creativity, New York City. Like so many jazz musicians before him, Cray felt that he needed to be in New York's challenging, fertile milieu to test himself as a musician and discern his potential. Since arriving in there in 2009 and settling in Brooklyn, Cray has done just that. He's earned a Master's in Music from New York University, where he taught as an adjunct music professor, and he's met many simpatico musicians with whom he regularly performs in clubs or more informal house sessions. Two of these recent acquaintances -- drummer Ferber and saxophonist Preminger -- are heard on Meridies. Through the now-NYC-based Sommers, of whom Cray says "he knows what I'm gonna do before I do," the pianist met the in-demand Ferber. "He's so clear with everything he does," says Cray. "I've never heard him make a mistake." Subsequently, the pianist met Preminger, a fellow Brooklynite. "We hit it off from the start," he says. "I could just tell we were gonna play together. I loved the fact that he loved ballads. Not all young players do." Meridies is an exciting package, full of modern-minded material given imaginative, accessible treatments. This slant to the program is partly the result of Cray's thirst to find personal expression within the contemporary acoustic jazz framework, and partly due to mentoring by Mike Kocour, the pianist's teacher at Northwestern University (where he received his B.A). "More than anyone, Mike taught me about communication," says Cray. "He showed me how to break things down to their essential elements and develop lines in a meaningful way." The program is replete with choice cuts. "Worst Enemy" segues from a wide-open Latin groove for the composer's solo to a natty blues for Preminger; the pop standard "Smile" is done as a perky jaunt in 7/4. Cray's "East 69" is a winsome trio outing in 3/4, while "Winter Rose" is a fresh contemporary tune with percolating rhythm. Joe Henderson's "Serenity" is fast and spirited; Cray's "Amor Fati" and "At Least" are succulent ballads that exhibit the pianist's warmth and Preminger's alluringly breathy sound. Cray, 35, was born and grew up in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, and started studying piano at age 4. After graduating Northwestern, he cut his teeth with live dates in Chicago, where he played with such top locals as saxophonists Eric Schneider and Greg Fishman and bassist Eddie de Haas. His first four CDs -- 2001's Who Cares, No One (2004), Save Us (2005), and Over Here Overheard (2008) -- enhanced his visibility. Meridies (me-ri-dee-ayze), Latin for midday, "refers somewhat to William Butler Yeats's book A Vision," says self-professed Latin geek Cray, "where he talks about the 35th year of life being the 'apex of individuation.' Hence, midday in the daily cycle." Musically speaking, it refers to the mature and vivid work heard on Cray's new recording. Dan Cray's New York CD release show will take place on Thursday 4/19 at the Kitano (Park Avenue at 38th Street, Manhattan). He'll be performing with tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, bassist John Tate, and drummer Matt Wilson. Cray returns to Chicago for a two-night engagement at Andy's (with Preminger, Clark Sommers, and drummer TBA) 6/15-16. Web Site: www.dancray.com

I've been enjoying this one. It's nothing like I thought it would be. It's not any thing like modern jazz in any sense. It's good-timey music, of the sort you would expect to hear on NPR on a Saturday afternoon. It was recorded last June as part of the SaratogaArtsFest, not a jazz setting, and the audience seemed to appreciate every minute of it. Dave Brubeck comes on stage in the middle of Blue Rondo a la Turk, and receives applause from those who recognize him (a nice part of the crowd, but not everyone). I think every song except Take Five has vocals. The liner notes don't say who is the group's lead vocalist. About twenty years ago I had an Alligator Records compilation which included a song called "I Think it was the Wine" by a blues band whose name I don't remember. The vocalist here sounds a great deal like him, and I wonder if it is the same person.

The Saints coach Gregg Williams previously coached at Buffalo and Tennessee, and now the word is that players from those two teams have admitted that they had bounties too. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/bills-titans-latest-nfl-teams-tied-to-injury-bounties/article2358173/

Alex Webster has died. He played two years with the Als, and made the league all-star team in '54. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/former-als-giants-great-alex-webster-dies/article2358011/

My introduction to it was the Town Hall orchestra recording. Still enjoy it!

ditto Now that I have a new refurb with 2 gig of memory, I am looking at Catraxx. How does it work? Do you have to type everything in, or does it read most of the information off the disc?

Here's a follow-up that says that it is league-wide and has been going on for years. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/nfl-bounty-pay-extends-beyond-saints/article2357939/page1/

Jim, that's a major bummer. It's fraud in my book.

Happy Birthday 2012 Johnny!

The LA Times has an editorial cartoon about Kate Upton and her Sports Illustrated cover that you might want to see! http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-kate-upton-debate-20120216,0,7879203.story

However else I feel about Ken Burns, I will be grateful for his showing in its entirety the film clip of the famous circus act Charlie Parker was watching when he died.

Allen, it's great that you remember that. The rest of us read it in the OP article!!!

Wally was named the winner of the Annis Stukus Trophy as Coach of the Year for the fourth time today. He retired on top. I had the pleasure of meeting Wally in 1978 and Annis in 1985. http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=389314

Sarah Michele Gellar?

It was fifty years ago today that Wilt Chamberlain scored one hundred points in a game. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/wilts-record-100-point-game-hits-50-year-mark/article2356533/ I remember it well. About a month later, Sport Magazine (which was a major publication back then) had an article..."Will Wilt Chamberlain score a hundred points in a game?" By the title there was an asterisk with a footnote at the bottom of the page saying that Wilt scored one hundred points March 2, 1962. So although the article was rendered obsolete by his feat before it hit the stands, it showed that the editors were on top of the issues of the day!

What about Jasmine? Are they strictly a PD outfit? I've ordered a Sauter-Finnegan release of theirs made up of music never before released on CD. We'll see if it's a needle drop.

Happy Birthday 2012 Al!