GA Russell

The Rules Committee finished up its annual meeting today, and made three recommendations. I have never known the Board of Governors to turn down a Rules Committee recommendation. 1) There will be video review of every scoring play. 2) When a ball carrier loses his helmet, the play will be blown dead immediately. 3) When a non-carrier loses his helmet, he must stop participating in the play. http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=389257

Quincy, that's a great way to put it! It's been a long time since I have played an album so often over a two week period.

The league has lost another coordinator to the American college ranks. The Stamps' defensive coordinator Dave Walkosky has quit to join Georgia Tech's staff. The Stamps have hired Hugh Campbell's son Rick from the Eskimos to replace him. http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=389144

I seem to recall from Li'l Abner that Sadie Hawkins Day is the Saturday after Thanksgiving every year. I guess in England it's different.

Welcome Tim! Thanks for the input!

RIP. It makes me feel old.

Thanks, everyone, especially Jim! I'll be working in a relatively new program called Scrivener, so I'll see later today if what you suggest works in it..

How do I go about typing letters or symbols other than the standard English alphabet on my computer? My specific interest at this time is the symbol for the word "Section", as in "Article 1, Section 1" of the Constitution. What I have in mind looks like two s's, one above the other. Anybody know? Thanks!

Correct Paul! It's Tricia Nixon Cox.

Congrats Paul! I never would have gotten her. So while we're doing the impossible, who's this?

The Riders have signed Colt Brennan. http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=389067

I've been meaning to read a book about The Wrecking Crew. About 1975 I heard Hal Blaine on Larry King's overnight Mutual show promoting his book, which I think is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Blaine-Wrecking-Crew-3rd/dp/188840812X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330451655&sr=1-1 Not long ago I added Tommy Tedesco's book to my Amazon wish list. http://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Tedesco-Confessions-Guitar-Player/dp/0931759714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330451807&sr=1-1

Here's an interesting obituary. This is the guy who invented putting the two pinball flippers at the bottom of the game next to the exit chute. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-steve-kordek-20120224,0,1021087.story

Billy Strange has died. Here is his LA Times obit: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-billy-strange-20120224,0,767015.story

I wonder if this means that I won't be able to see their obits page without paying.

The Bombers have released Fred Reid. http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=389014

Now I see that the list also includes Dr Pepper. Unless something has happened very recently, Dr Pepper and 7Up are owned by an independent company. Perhaps these surprises are a distribution deal rather than a label ownership.

I didn't know that Canada Dry and Crush are Coke brands.

The Bombers' new ballpark may not be ready in time. As it is, they are scheduled to play their first four games on the road, with their home opener not until July 26. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/construction-delays-set-back-blue-bombers-stadium-debut/article2351489/

I understand both sides of the argument, but I don't understand why there is so much negativity toward the Real Gone issues yet none toward the Chronological Classics issues.

I got this press release today. This looks interesting. RAD JAZZ MUSIC INTRODUCES THE TIP OF THE SWORD THE LATEST RELEASE FROM CONRAD HERWIG featuring RICHIE BEIRACH and JACK DEJOHNETTE AVAILABLE NOW AS CD OR DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH http://conradherwig.com/ NEW YORK, February 27, 2012 - Trombonist Conrad Herwig, known for "Latinizing" the classic compositions of jazz greats John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, among others, presents "The Tip of the Sword," a vital new release featuring Richie Beirach and Jack DeJohnette. It is a couragous recording - freely interactive, oftentimes fierce - that focuses on daring improvisation within a trio context. It showcases 7 originals and it couples Herwig with one of jazz's legendary figures (pianist Beirach graced the leader's first recording in 1987), and a pioneering NEA Jazz Master (drummer DeJohnette, who continues to push the boundaries of jazz and world music expression). Herwig has long been regarded as an advanced writer, arranger and educator. He is a 3-time Grammy-nominee (on Latin adaptations of Coltrane, Davis and Shorter), and his discography boasts 20 titles as a leader. On "The Tip of the Sword" he breaks free of idiomatic constraints, revisiting an improvisatory approach. It is a progressive document, capturing a trio without safety nets, showcasing an uncommonly adventurous and free-wheeling spirit. For further information on Conrad Herwig and "The Tip of the Sword," please visit http://conradherwig.com/ TRACKS 1. Where the Tip of the Sword Settles 2. Mastery of the Mind 3. Thought Precedes Action 4. The Void 5. Inner Sincerity 6. Moonlight on the Water/Rebirth 7. Being/Non Being

I received this press release today. I like Kenny Werner, so I'm going to look forward to this. Jazz Bassist Andrea Veneziani Debuts on CD March 13 with "Oltreoceano" Trio Session with Kenny Werner & Ross Pederson Features Veneziani Originals As Well as Compositions by Bird, Monk, Bill Evans February 27, 2012 Bassist Andrea Veneziani followed his musical dreams from Rome to New York in the summer of 2009, and those dreams are made manifest with the release on March 13 of his ravishing debut CD Oltreoceano ("Overseas"). A trio session with pianist Kenny Werner and drummer Ross Pederson, the disc is a striking introduction to the gifts of this Tuscan-born bassist and composer. "Kenny is one of the major pianists who operates in trio settings today," says Veneziani of Werner, who was an instructor in the bassist's NYU Master's program. "I like his playing, very sensitive and creative, a true improviser." Pederson, a rising young drummer on the New York scene, "knows how to shape the music, which was essential for me, because of the nature of my compositions." Those compositions include two ("Night Flight," "In Viaggio con Te") inspired by his travels, which included a July 2010 tour of Costa Rica; "Traffico," for which Veneziani composed only the melody, with the remainder of the performance free-form; and the minor-key "Mark Rothko," for the late American abstract painter. Three short interludes -- "Free Episode #1," "Free Episode #2," and "Free Episode #3" -- were improvised in the studio by Veneziani, Werner, and Pederson without advance planning, other than the moods requested by the bassist beforehand. (Pictured at left: Pederson, Veneziani, Werner.) The nonoriginals are from the oeuvres of three jazz icons: Charlie Parker ("Segment"), Thelonious Monk ("Pannonica"), and Bill Evans ("Time Remembered"). Evans's influence can be felt in the effortlessly floating interaction between Veneziani, Werner, and Pederson, not just during "Time Remembered," but throughout Oltreoceano. "It's really about interplay," the bassist says. "I had listened to a lot of Bill Evans's piano trio recordings during my years of studies. Bassists in those kinds of groups have more space -- Scott LaFaro, Marc Johnson, all the bass players who played with Bill Evans always had the chance to play longer solos and counterpoint lines. You have more space and you can also break a bit the typical role of the instrument. I was always attracted to that." Andrea Veneziani was born April 21, 1977, in Pescia, Italy, a small town in Tuscany. At 15 he moved with his family to Rome and by 19 had taken up electric bass, initially inspired by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and other funk bass players. He gradually developed an interest in jazz and began studying acoustic double bass, "transfer[ring] all the technique I already had from the electric to the double bass." Veneziani studied at jazz clinics like Siena Jazz and at the Conservatory of Music Licino Refice in Frosinone, Italy, where he was awarded an Advanced Academic Diploma in 2007. From 2004 until leaving Italy in 2009, Veneziani performed at jazz festivals all over Italy, and was also active as a composer and arranger in many different settings, from jazz to theater and film. The bassist arrived in New York in the summer of 2009 on a scholarship from the Fulbright Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange between Italy and the United States. He was enrolled at New York University's Steinhardt Department of Music and performing Arts Professions, from which he graduated in May 2011 with a Masters of Music Degree in Performance with a Concentration in Jazz. His teachers at NYU included Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, John Scofield, and Kenny Werner, his trio-mate on Oltreoceano. Veneziani is in the process of planning a fall 2012 tour of Italy with an American trio. Meanwhile, the Harlem resident stays busy with teaching (private students as well as at the New York Jazz Workshop) and performing engagements with various bands, including his own trio. "I'm playing a lot here," he says of New York, "and better, because the level is higher. You can always play with good musicians. You can always meet new musicians from all over the world. Music here is really alive." Web Site: www.andreaveneziani.com

Happy Birthday 2012 Noj!

I am enjoying Snakeoil. I thought I would miss the bass, but I don't.

Correct, Chuck! It's Mary Astor.