GA Russell

Here's the link to an article about the record industry threatening to sue ISPs over illegal file sharing: http://news.independent.co.uk/business/new...icle2162919.ece The last paragraph adds this tidbit: "During 2006, global digital music sales doubled to about $2bn on the back of an 89 per cent surge in music downloads to 795 million. The success of the digital music market has been underlined by bands like Koopa which is expected to score a Top-40 hit this week despite having no record label or any physical copies of their CD on sale." It looks like the future is here.

Well, I haven't seen numbers for specific newspapers, but I've read nothing to indicate that the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the Washington Times are hurting. In regard to what makes a newspaper liberal, I think it's clear in the news articles when a paper consistently puts up front criticism of the Republicans and praise for the Democrats. By the way, I don't read the WSJ, but I have read a number of times the view that its neoconservative editorial page is nothing like its news articles, which are said to be much more liberal than the WSJ's reputation would have one believe. I do remember for years seeing the WSJ's Al Hunt on talk shows, and he was treated as if he were representing a conservative point of view. That ended when he went on the Capitol Gang and he was labelled a liberal.

Guy, I would expect that in New York City and Washington, DC, a liberal newspaper would do very well. But when I lived in Pittsburgh there were two papers (the Press and the Post-Gazette) and they were both liberal. Today Pittsburgh has a conservative paper, the Tribune-Review. When I lived in Atlanta there were two papers (the Journal and Constitution and the Daily News) and they were both liberal. It just seems to me that in a country where only 27% identify themselves as liberal, the liberal newpapers in a one-paper town are not giving the readers what they want to hear. edit for typo

I received Dec. 11 an advance copy of a group I've never heard of before called the Brad Shepik Trio entitled Places You Go. This is an SACD 2+5 CD. I decided to hold off until Christmas Day, and give it to myself as a present, since none of my family ever gives me music for Christmas. I've been listening to this a lot in the three weeks since, and I really enjoy it. Shepik is an electric guitarist, with Gary Versace on the Hammond B-3 and Tom Rainey on drums. All three musicians are quite good. Shepik takes the lead role as a soloist, but Versace on organ gets plenty of solo time too. I suppose with any organ combo there is at least a hint of soul jazz, but here the primary influences are two sounds of the 70s: the quiet ECM sound blended with the Canterbury prog rock style. There are ten songs (all written by Shepik) totalling 57 minutes. All songs are good; but none of them are hummable, so I don't expect that any will become jazz standards. The CD is on the Songlines label, which is out of Vancouver. I found its website which is impressive. It appears that the company was founded about ten years ago to release "cutting edge" jazz. You can read an interview with Shepik and download an mp3 of one of the songs here: http://www.songlines.com/ A google search shows that Songlines CDs have been available from CD Universe in the past, but it's not clear to me that any are available from them now. If 2005 was the year I discovered Adventure Music, and 2006 Cryptogramophone, 2007 may be the year of Songlines for me. The website says that the US release date is Feb. 13; but it appears that the CD can be ordered now from the website for $15.99 (Canadian dollars?). 2007 is starting off as a good year!

David Asper presented his proposal to take over the Bombers on Sunday. I don't think anything will come of it. It's very possible that Asper would develop the property better than any community board would, but as I understand it the Bombers have plenty of money in the bank and the board doesn't feel any need to step aside. The board's spokesman says that he prefers that the club be community owned, and no one is quoted to disagree. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Win...388608-sun.html

I remember Sangrey's comment that The Four Freshmen are in hell. I think he's dead wrong in his assessment of their music, but I had to laugh at the comment.

I wonder if we should assume that Mosaic's involvement will preclude BMG/Your Music getting ahold of this.

Now the Globe & Mail is reporting that Sask's Kenton Keith has agreed to sign with Indianapolis. Keith was cut by the Jets in 2004, so his sticking with the Colts is not a given. But Sask would miss him big time, even if for only the first half of this season. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

The Ticats released Terry Vaughn today. If memory serves, he caught for over 1,000 yards for 12 straight years, with the streak ending this year. I'm confident there will be something on the web tomorrow about it. Also if memory serves, he played for Edmonton in 2004, Montreal in 2005 and Hamilton in 2006. So 2007 would be his fourth team in four years. He's getting up there in age, but the Ticats were the worst team in the league last year, so I don't fault him for his numbers. I don't think he's done yet, unless he just wants to retire now and get into the Hall of Fame that much earlier.

My favorite is Standing Ovation at Newport with Chick Corea and Dave Pike. I like everything I've heard of his from the 50s and 60s. As I recall it wasn't till the 70s that his records started getting panned, and I've never heard any of those.

Me too. I listened to Disc 1 often when it first came out, and never got around to Disc 2. Maybe soon.

Jim, are you sure that was Brecker? I thought it was David Sanborn.

Moose, you don't have to be a conservative Republican to recognize a liberal Democrat when you see one.

Thanks for posting that, Guy. I call into question the quote I've cited. I've lived in quite a few places over the years, and everywhere except York, PA, the newspaper was of, by and for liberal Democrats. Since liberal Democrats are far from the majority in this country, I think that is the simple reason that newspaper sales have been declining for quite some time.

I was a Boston Patriot fan when I was a boy. I remember the AFL on ABC from 1960 to 1964. I remember when Lou Saban was replaced by Mike Holovak. Gino and Babe P were my favorite players. In 1988 I worked just down the hall from Tommy Addison!!! And I remember when the Chargers' QB was Jackie Kemp.

I'll miss him a lot. For the past couple of years I have opened up one of his albums for Mardi Gras weekend. I was planning to do it again this year with his Ballads album, but maybe I'll get to that one now. When I was a senior in college, I had the first Dreams album (self-titled), which included Mike, Randy and John Abercrombie. I liked it a lot and persuaded a friend to buy it as well. I'm not sure if that was his first recording, but I'm not aware of an earlier one. One of my favorite albums, I've said this many times, is Mike Nock's In Out & Around, which was a quartet date with Mike B, George Mraz and Al Foster. I felt that his first album on Impulse! was a pale imitation of that one. Too bad it didn't get more promotion (It was on Timeless as I recall). RIP

I like Filles as well. But I believe that all of it is available in box form from Your Music (65-68 and Silent Way, right?). Considering YM's prices, I would recommend you get those box sets rather than CDs from them.

I'm listening to Sangam now. I don't put it on very often, but when I do I always enjoy it. I suppose I ought to get Charles Lloyd's Sangam to compare the two.

I see that CD Universe now has Sonny, Please available for pre-order. List price $16.98; Their Price $13.29; Pre-Order Price $11.89. Street Date: January 23.

I'm going to be the contrarian. I'm not keen on either one. True Blue is my only Tina Brooks. I enjoy it, and think that it's well worth the $6.99. But I've never thought it showed why Cuscuna felt that Brooks was worth a Mosaic box. I don't think it's that big a deal. The Bridge is my least favorite Sonny Rollins album. I think it's overrated. It's my only Sonny RCA album, and I'm curious to hear another to see if it is any better.

The talk of Janet Jackson suggests to me that the companies are putting too many eggs in too few baskets. One disappointing album shouldn't get senior execs fired.

I second TTK's recommendation of Short Stops, which is out of print but is usually available from Amazon resellers. Also out of print but very important is the EMI/Capitol/Blue Note/whatever CD The Birth of the Cool Vol. 2, which is half Shorty Rogers and half Gerry Mulligan's tentet with Chet Baker. As I recall, this includes Art Pepper's original recording of Over the Rainbow.

Happy Birthday Andy!

Noj, $5.99 is the old price. I'm elated! (Well, I saved a buck, anyway. )

I received my queue shipment confirmation today, and it said that the price was $5.99.