GA Russell

Happy Birthday jl!

Growing up in New Orleans, we had reasonably famous locals play at our high school dances. The first that I went to had Benny Spellman ("Lipstick Traces") in 1964. My first jazz concert was I think 1967 - Roland Kirk in a parochial school gymnasium jamming with locals including Ellis Marsalis and Alvin Batiste. I also saw Mongo Santamaria with Hubert Laws in the band at Al Hirt's club on Bourbon Street about that same time, so that may have been first.

Suppose you had a neighbor who was a talented jazz musician, and you could hear him through the walls. Are you the sort who would complain about the noise to the landlord, or would you dig it like it was a free concert? I remember about twenty years ago when Sonny Rollins released a solo album. Suppose you had a tape of Sonny practicing on the bridge. How often would you listen to it? Mort Weiss went into the recording studio July 14 and recorded 17 songs without accompaniment and without overdubbing. The album is called Raising the Bar. Fourteen of the songs are standards, and three are Weiss compositions. I like Weiss's tone a lot. His tone has been the defining part of his other albums that I have. But here, the defining part is the fact that there is no accompaniment. So if you are the sort who would enjoy the neighbor's free concert, I think you would enjoy this album. But if you would call the landlord about the noise, then this album is not for you.

That Groove Holmes has been a favorite of mine for over forty years. I listened to it just a couple of weeks ago.

Saskatchewan has signed Barrin Simpson. I'm surprised that he is only 32. He might have plenty of good years left. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/barrin-simpson-joins-roughriders/article1513344/

Lala: Mose Allison - The Way of the World Art Pepper - Road Games Cal Tjader - Monterey Concerts

Congratulations and best wishes, Stefan!

I see that this new album is up on lala: http://www.lala.com/#album/360569445168255940/Mose_Allison/The_Way_Of_The_World

Thanks for that link, Quincy. Seeing Dr. John with the human head reminds me of Halloween, 1974. One of my roommates was a dental student. For Halloween he brought home a human skull that they used in class. Not a single kid was impressed. I imagine that it never occurred to them that it was real!

Thanks for that link, Hbj. Interesting that the exec from Newbury Comics should be quoted. I think the most important concept other than lower prices is that the price of the hardcopy will be about the same as the price of the digital. This is a big topic in the eBook publishing industry.

Happy Birthday nathan!

Edmonton has signed Lenny Walls and Lawrence Gordon. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Edmonton/2010/03/24/13341151-qmi.html

Dave, that was a great deal of money in 1967. You were spoiled!

Tonight I finished The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers (1925), the first Charlie Chan story. Light escapist fare, but a page-turner.

BC has hired Rich Stubler to be a defensive coach. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Koshan/2010/03/22/13325536-qmi.html

BC has signed Jamal Robertson. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/lions-sign-jamal-robertson/article1508280/ http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=/cfl/news/AJN4299673.htm

I admit that I'm losing my mind, but I seem to recall hearing Missa Luba in 1967 as a leit motif of the movie If. Am I right?

I'm unable to get onto lala over half the time nowadays. The site loads partially, and then stops before its click buttons are functional. Anybody else have this problem?

If it were me, I'd go to a Winnipeg Blue Bombers game. I've never been to Manitoba, and I understand that it is great camping country. Don't forget that up that way is Hormel's International Spam Museum. It's on the interstate. I drove past it once, but i wasn't in the mood to stop. It's something that everyone back home could appreciate!

I got two African albums in the summer of '71, although they may have both been recorded in England - Osibisa's self-titled first album and Demon Fuzz's self-titled first (and only?) album.

Winnipeg has released Fred Perry. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Winnipeg/2010/03/19/13293726-qmi.html

Here's a New York Times article that says that Universal will sell throughout 2010 CDs for $10. It says that "deluxe" CDs will sell for more, but it doesn't define "deluxe". SoundScan says that CD sales are half what they were in 2000, and Universal thinks that is because the price is too high. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/business/media/19music.html?ref=media

Congratulations RJ!

I remember the Davy Crockett shows well. But it is a mystery to me how the whole coonskin cap thing took off on the basis of only three television episodes. (a fourth was made later). Did Estes Kefauver wear his coonskin cap before the Davy Crockett shows?

He was on a recent live album with Terje Rypdal, called Life in Leipzig I believe. Very nice album. They also did a couple of ECM albums in the 90's together, The Sea and The Sea II. Thanks Aggie. I have Life in Leipzig. I'll put it out over the weekend and give it another listen.