GA Russell

Happy Birthday 2009 Michael!

Lon, if my memories were limited to my experiences with women, I'd kill myself!

Here's her LA Times obit: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...0,4427856.story

Great news! Congratulations, Michael!

The Be Bop Betty Boop! RIP. She was once of my favorites. Once Upon a Summertime was one of my favorites as well. As I recall, the first times I heard her on the radio, the DJ had in rotation two songs, I'm Following You and Peel Me a Grape. This was about '75 or '76. I read an interview with Gerry Mulligan some time ago which said that Blossom was one of the gang during the Birth of the Cool sessions. I first heard of her from the liner notes to a Bobby Jaspar album mentioning that they were married. She had quite a career for someone that most people have never heard of.

I have a Joe Locke channel on Pandora. Really enjoy it.

Milt Stegall will announce his retirement in a few weeks. Marcus Brady will not only be the Als' backup QB this year, he will also be the assistant coach for receivers. http://sports.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/...tsFootball/home ***** This will be Bryan Hall's last year doing the play-by-play for the Eskimos. He will turn 75 this year, and has been covering them for 55 years. I met him at the 1978 Grey Cup. Nice guy. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Edm...303476-sun.html ***** The Bombers have cut Tom Canada. You will recall that he discovered a health problem when they traded him to the Ticats last year, voiding the trade. I suspect that he will not play again. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Win...303596-sun.html

My recollection is that for the first ten years most stereos were consoles, pieces of nice furniture, so the speakers were close together, and the high fidelity rather than the stereo separation was the sales pitch. I am referring to most consumers, not the audiophiles. High fidelity is a relative term, and by the mid 70s when nearly everything sold was component systems the fidelity of those consoles would seem quite poor.

Happy Birthday!

Dave Dickenson announced his retirement yesterday. Believe it or not, he retired because the doctors wouldn't give him medical clearance. Apparently he was willing to go back out there after all those concussions. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Cal...274101-sun.html ***** The Ticats cut Tony Miles and Pat Woodcock this week. I guess that might be the end of the road for them both. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Ham...8277391-cp.html

So two middle-aged college professors in the music dept. of a school in Denver I have never heard of before (not that I have heard of every college in America) are chatting, and one says, "Wouldn't it be fun to do a CD with orchestra?" So they apply for a grant, and surprise! it's approved. The result is Just a Little Taste - Al Hood Plays the Writings of Dave Hanson. Now that sounds to me like the recipe for a really mediocre record, but it's not! Al Hood is a trumpeter whose prior claim to fame is that he had a trumpet solo on Phil Collins' 1999 album A Hot Night in Paris. He has a great, rich, mellow, full sound, spending most of his time in the lower register. (The bio that came with the album says that he can comfortably hit a high F.) Dave Hanson wrote the charts and half of the songs. The arrangements dominate the album. It could just have easily been called "Dave Hanson featuring Al Hood". One of Hood's favorite albums is Clifford Brown with Strings, and so that album was used as a reference/inspiration. The core band is trumpet, piano, bass and drums. In addition to the string section, the instruments include flute, oboe, french horn, and one track each with alto sax, tenor sax and vocals. The standards are Ceora, Pure Imagination, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, If I Loved You, I Remember Clifford and a song Shirley Horn did called Here's to Life. Speaking of Pure Imagination, you learn something new every day. I didn't know that it was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, and that it is from the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Although the disc is on the "Al Hood Music" label, it is up on Amazon and various download sites as well as CD Baby. If either Hood or Hanson were famous, I think that this album would be a best seller. (By the way, they are on the University of Denver faculty.)

Have to respectfully disagree there, GA. That's a tough act to follow. Please elaborate. FFA, what I have in mind is that the texture is rough, not smooth and effortless. To compare to another instrument, not at all like Paul Desmond.

Sal, I didn't know that you were a Canadian league fan too!

Clifton Anderson is Sonny Rollins' trombonist (and nephew). He has a new album out on Sonny's Doxy label called Decade. It's a very solid mainstream effort, but you have to like trombone music, because Anderson gets 95% of the spotlight. He has quite a line-up of friends joining him, including Larry Willis, Bob Cranshaw, Al Foster, Kenny Garrett, Stephen Scott, Christian McBride and Kimati Dinizulu. But they all stay in the background. Standards include I'm Old Fashioned, I'm Glad There is You, We'll Be Together Again, and the David Gates hit If. Half the album is originals. Anderson plays the trombone kind of like Sonny plays the sax. He is not as smooth and mellow as JJ Johnson or Curtis Fuller or Kai Winding or anyone else I can think of. I would be interested in Free For All's take on his playing here, as obviously FFA knows more about the trombone than anyone else here. I enjoy this album more and more each time I play it. But as I say, if you don't like trombone then this isn't for you because that's all there is here.

I'll look forward to that. I learned last year that Melvoin was one of the Wrecking Crew. I had never heard that before. I don't know what I have him on, except the Cal Tjader Burt Bachrach Skye album.

Dominique Dorsey has signed with the Redskins. He was the only star the Argos had last year. The article mentions three other Argos who have signed with the NFL. http://sports.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/...tsFootball/home

The league announced its 2009 schedule today. http://sports.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/...tsFootball/home TORONTO — The Canadian Football League's 2009 schedule as announced Tuesday by the league (all times ET): Pre-season WEEK 1 Wednesday, June 17 Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m. Hamilton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. Saskatchewan at Edmonton, 9 p.m. B.C at Calgary, 9 p.m. WEEK 2 Tuesday, June 23 Winnipeg at Montreal, 7 p.m. Toronto at Hamilton, 7 p.m. Calgary at Saskatchewan, 9 p.m. Edmonton at B.C., 10 p.m. ——— Regular Season WEEK 1 Wednesday, July 1 Toronto at Hamilton, 7 p.m. Montreal at Calgary, 10 p.m. Thursday, July 2 Winnipeg at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Friday, July 3 B.C. at Saskatchewan, 9 p.m. ——— WEEK 2 Thursday, July 9 Edmonton at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 10 Calgary at Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. Hamilton at B.C., 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 11 Saskatchewan at Toronto, 1 p.m. ——— WEEK 3 Thursday, July 16 B.C. at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Friday, July 17 Toronto at Calgary, 9 p.m. Saturday, July 18 Montreal at Saskatchewan, 3 p.m. Winnipeg at Hamilton, 6 p.m. ——— WEEK 4 Thursday, July 23 Hamilton at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 24 Toronto at Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at B.C., 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25 Edmonton at Saskatchewan, 4 p.m. ——— WEEK 5 Thursday, July 30 Winnipeg at Toronto, 6:30 p.m. Montreal at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m. Friday, July 31 B.C. at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 Saskatchewan at Calgary, 9 p.m. ——— WEEK 6 Friday, Aug. 7 Toronto at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Saskatchewan at B.C., 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 Edmonton at Hamilton, 6:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Calgary, 9:30 p.m. ——— WEEK 7 Thursday, Aug. 13 Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 B.C. at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 Montreal at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16 Hamilton at Saskatchewan, 7 p.m. ——— WEEK 8 Byes: Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Toronto Friday, Aug. 21 Saskatchewan at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. Winnipeg at B.C., 10:30 p.m. ——— WEEK 9 Byes: B.C., Montreal, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg Thursday, Aug. 27 Hamilton at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 Calgary at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. ——— WEEK 10 Friday, Sept. 4 Montreal at B.C., 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6 Winnipeg at Saskatchewan, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7 Toronto at Hamilton, 4 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 7:30 p.m. ——— WEEK 11 Friday, Sept. 11 Hamilton at Toronto 7 p.m. Calgary at Edmonton 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13 B.C. at Montreal, 1 p.m. Saskatchewan at Winnipeg, 4 p.m. ——— WEEK 12 Friday, Sept. 18 Calgary at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 Toronto at B.C., 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 Winnipeg at Montreal, 1 p.m. Edmonton at Saskatchewan, 4 p.m. ——— WEEK 13 Friday, Sept. 25 Montreal at Hamilton, 7 p.m. B.C. at Calgary, 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 Saskatchewan at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Toronto at Winnipeg, 9 p.m. ——— WEEK 14 Friday, Oct. 2 Edmonton at Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. Saskatchewan at B.C., 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 Montreal at Toronto, 1 p.m. Hamilton at Calgary, 7 p.m. ——— WEEK 15 Friday, Oct. 9 B.C. at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 Toronto at Saskatchewan, 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12 Calgary at Montreal, 1 p.m. Winnipeg at Hamilton, 4:30 p.m. ——— WEEK 16 Friday, Oct. 16 Edmonton at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 Saskatchewan at Calgary, 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 Hamilton at Montreal, 2 p.m. B.C. at Winnipeg, 5 p.m. ——— WEEK 17 Friday, Oct. 23 Hamilton at Toronto, 7 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 Montreal at Winnipeg, 2:30 p.m. B.C. at Saskatchewan, 5:30 p.m. ——— WEEK 18 Friday, Oct. 30 Toronto at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 Saskatchewan at Hamilton, 2 p.m. Calgary at B.C., 10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 Winnipeg at Montreal, 1 p.m. ——— WEEK 19 Friday, Nov. 6 Edmonton at B.C., 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 Montreal at Toronto, 1 p.m. Calgary at Saskatchewan, 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8 Hamilton at Winnipeg, 1 p.m. End of Regular Season ——— Playoffs Sunday, Nov. 15 Division Semifinals East - Third at Second Places, TBA West - Third at Second Places, TBA ——— Sunday, Nov. 22 Division Finals East - Semifinal Winner at First Place, TBA West - Semifinal Winner at First Place, TBA ——— Sunday, Nov. 29 97th Grey Cup Championship At Calgary East vs. West Champions, 6:30 p.m.

Happy Birthday Thom!

Twenty years ago I regularly drank my morning coffee at the Burger King in Tucker, GA, northeast of Atlanta. Apparently the manager liked jazz, because I heard Song for my Father by Horace Silver and other jazz songs over the sound system every day!

Ingemar Johansson was the last white guy to be the heavyweight champion until the Klitchko brothers came along. My recollection is that neither he nor Patterson was very good, and that by fighting each other once a year, they tied up the title for two years and kept Zora Foley at bay. Here's his AP obituary: http://sports.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/...portsOther/home STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Ingemar Johansson, the Swede who stunned the boxing world by knocking out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title in 1959, has died, a longtime friend said Saturday. Johansson was 76. Johansson died at a nursing home in Kungsbacka on the Swedish west coast, said Stig Caldeborn, a close friend who sparred with Johansson when they were in their teens. Caldeborn said he didn't know the cause of death but told The Associated Press that Johansson had recently returned to the nursing home after being hospitalized with pneumonia. Johansson's daughter, Maria Gregner, told Swedish news agency TT that the former champion died just before midnight Friday. Johansson was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia more than 10 years ago, when he lived in Stockholm. He spent the rest of his life in Kungsbacka, only a few miles from the house where he grew up. Johansson knocked out Patterson in the third round at Yankee Stadium on June 26, 1959, to win the heavyweight title. He floored the American seven times in the third round before referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight 2:03 into it. Back home, hundreds of thousands of Swedes listened to the live radio broadcast at 3 a.m. as Johansson became only the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. His feat earned him The Associated Press' Male Athlete of the Year in 1959, only the second Swede to win the award. Patterson avenged the upset loss a year later in the rematch in New York, knocking Johansson out in the fifth round. In March 1961, the Swede floored Patterson twice in Miami before being knocked out in the sixth round of the rubber match. Johansson had four more fights — all wins, one of them a knockout of England's Dick Richardson for the European title in 1962 — before retiring the following year. Johansson was married and divorced twice, and is also survived by five children. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

My Buddy Rich arrived today. Thanks for the promptness, Lon! I see that Richie Cole is on the album. I didn't know that he was once a member of the band.

Augie Barrenechea has rejoined the Ticats, a day after he was cut by the Eskimos. Ron Estay's cancer is in remission. He has retired from CFL coaching, and has returned home to south Louisiana where he has found a job. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

This thread has motivated me to go over to lala.com and listen to Dave Pike's Bophead on the Cubop label, apparently from 1994. It's good!

Shawn and others, remember that depression is a medical condition, having to do with your brain not producing enough chemicals in the proper balance. Depression is not an indication of moral weakness. So don't hesitate to get the pills you need. It's unfashionable to say this around here, but daily prayer helps. Tell the Lord what's on your mind, and ask Him for His divine guidance. One other thing. When I was young, getting laid off was seen as the mark of a loser. Now, it's happened to so many people so many times that nobody thinks the less of you for it.

I read an article that said that Cam Wake's four-year contract with the Dolphins is for $4 million, with just under $1 million guaranteed. ***** Otis Floyd has signed with the Ticats. This will be his tenth year in the league, so I don't expect that he has too much gas left in his tank. But I think he'll be able to teach some of the young guys how to win. http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=263988&lid...os=topStory_cfl ***** The Eskimos traded backup QB Stephan LeFors to the Bombers for the eleventh pick in the draft. ***** The Bombers have replaced Brandan Taman with a guy named John Murphy. Murphy has extensive NFL contacts and has been in the scoutinig business for years. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Win...8151226-cp.html ***** The Bombers signed Tyrone Williams, speaking of guys without much gas left in the tank, and also re-signed Gavin Walls. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home