GA Russell

It was in the past year or so that I read for the first time that Hurricane Smith worked on the Beatles' records. Here's his obituary from the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...1,2701047.story March 11, 2008 <h2 style="">Norman Smith</h2>Sound engineer for the Beatles Norman Smith, a leading record producer who was the original sound engineer for the Beatles through 1965 and later signed the band Pink Floyd to a recording contract, died March 4 of cancer in East Sussex, England, British newspapers reported. He was 85. Smith, who later had a No. 1 hit in the U.S. singing under the name Hurricane Smith, was selected by Beatles producer George Martin to handle the controls when the group cut its first session June 6, 1962, which included the early hit "Love Me Do." He would handle the engineering for every Beatles recording through the "Rubber Soul" sessions in December 1965. The hit songs he engineered included "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "A Hard Day's Night," "Help!," "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out." When Martin left EMI Records in 1966, Smith took over as senior producer. In that role, he signed the psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd and produced their albums "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and "A Saucerful of Secrets." He was 50 when his singing career started, and his song "Oh Babe, What Would You Say" was a hit on the U.S. charts. Smith was born in North London in 1923 and trained as a glider pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II but never saw combat. After the war, he formed a band called the Bobby Arnold Quintet, in which he played mostly drums and vibes. In need of a job, he saw an EMI advertisement in the Times of London in 1959. The recording company was looking for apprentice engineers, and Smith, then 35, said he was 28 to qualify for the job.

Happy Birthday FFA! Type here!

Many years ago I saw Harry Blackstone, Jr., on Larry King. He said that as a professional magician he could appreciate what another magician does, but he does not have the thrill of wonder that the general public has when it sees a good magic trick. (For that reason, I have always avoided reading how to do a magic trick.) I have long suspected that Blackstone's feeling is often true for many professional jazz musicians, although maybe not so thoroughly. Like Noj, I am attracted to melody and harmony. I still enjoy bossa nova very much after more than forty years. I suspect that many jazz musicians don't play simple but excellent music because they don't appreciate it and find it boring to play. They apparently find difficult music more interesting, and I'm guessing it is because they understand it much more than the general public jazz fan.

Malvin Wald was the co-screenwriter of the movie The Naked City. I did not realize until I heard on the radio news yesterday that The Naked City was the first police procedural drama of any sort. (Interesting that the first was a movie and not a book.) I thought that the Dragnet radio show had been the first. Here's his LA Times obituary: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...1,1492526.story Malvin Wald, 90; prolific screenwriter got Oscar nod for 'The Naked City' template_bastemplate_bas By Claire Noland, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 8, 2008 Malvin Wald, a prolific writer for film and television best known for co-writing the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for the 1948 film "The Naked City," died Thursday of age-related causes at Sherman Oaks Hospital, said his son, Alan. He was 90. Wald wrote the story for the archetypal police drama, which ended with the now-famous line, "There are 8 million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them." He and writer Albert Maltz, one of the blacklisted Hollywood 10 who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee, were credited with the screenplay, which was also nominated for a Writers Guild Award. The gritty black-and-white film noir, produced and narrated by Mark Hellinger and directed by Jules Dassin, follows a police investigation of a model's murder. Filmed on location on the streets of New York City, it spawned a television series by the same name and, ultimately, a genre of film and TV dramas that includes "Dragnet," "Hill Street Blues" and the "CSI" series. "What we see all over our TV screens today originated in large part in that movie," film historian Leonard Maltin told The Times on Friday. "It was a novelty then, deglamorizing Hollywood's depiction of crime-solving, taking it out of the hands of glamorous or exotic private investigators and following the day-to-day, mundane activities of the police." Wald, a Brooklyn native who had worked in a New York post office after college, wanted to capture the feel of his hometown streets. "No one had done a film where the real hero was a hardworking police detective, like the ones I knew in Brooklyn," Wald told the Hollywood Reporter last year, not long after a restored version of the film was released. "We knew we were making a new genre that became the police procedural." He did research by shadowing NYPD homicide detectives, who were initially skeptical. "When I met Inspector [Joseph] Donovan, he said to me, 'Oh, you picture guys always make cops look so stupid, like we couldn't find a sail in the Navy yard,' " Wald told the Hollywood Reporter. The movie became a critical and popular success. It won Oscars for cinematography and film editing. Born Malvin Daniel Wald in 1917, he got his start in Hollywood by following in the footsteps of his older brother Jerry, who began writing screenplays in the 1930s and became a noted producer. After graduating from Brooklyn College in 1936, Malvin moved west and began writing. When World War II began, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and was assigned to the First Motion Picture Unit at the old Hal Roach Studio in Culver City. He worked as a writer on more than 30 military training and recruitment films, sometimes getting screen time as an extra. After the war ended and he was discharged, Wald continued writing for film and, later, for television, including many of the anthology programs of the 1950s and multiple episodes of "Daktari" and "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams." He taught screenwriting at USC for many years and wrote essays and articles about film history. In addition to his son, Wald is survived by a daughter, Jenifer Wald Morgan. His wife, Sylvia, died in 1999. His brother died in 1962. No services are planned.

Funny you should post this today, Bev. I'm just back from a week in Seattle (Pacific time). I got up each day at 5:30 am, which was like sleeping in till 8:30 am Eastern time!

I took Chuck's posting of Jimmy Piersall's card to mean, "You're nuts!"

Last night I tried to get my flight changed to go through Atlanta, but it would have cost me $300 (!), so I decided to try my luck this morning. When I got to the airport (Seattle) I was told that there was no problem in Cincinnati. But for the time being, the Atlanta airport was closed! We lost a little time in Cincy getting the plane de-iced, but it was all good.

Happy Birthday! I remember when you started the board, but I preferred to lurk for a few months before making the move. It sure doesn't seem like five years!

I'm scheduled to change planes in Cincinnati tomorrow. Should I be concerned?

Well, that was quick. The league has run out of money before training camps have opened. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/New...4933076-ap.html All American Football League on verge of scrapping inaugural season By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA - The new All American Football League will postpone its 2008 season unless it finds additional financial backing. The announcement Thursday came less than a week before camps were to open for the six-team league. The league, which held its inaugural draft in January, has rosters and staffs in place for six teams: Detroit; Little Rock, Ark; Gainesville, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn., and Houston. Training camps were scheduled to open Wednesday, followed by the first games in April. The league will push its plans back to 2009 unless it secures a TV deal or other funding. The league announced Thursday it was exploring "multiple financing options" to address its funding crisis. League chief executive officer Marcus Katz said Thursday night that discussions continue with several prospective investors. A statement released by the league and attributed to Katz said the start of pre-season training camps will be "delayed briefly" with plans for games to begin on April 12. The AAFL was formed to fill the void created when the NFL shut down NFL Europe earlier this year after 16 seasons. That league was losing a reported US$30 million a season, and now the AAFL, lacking a TV deal, also faces a financial crisis before it can stage its first game. Among the first players drafted on Jan. 26 were quarterbacks Bryan Randall, by Tennessee, and Eric Crouch, by Texas. Former Troy offensive lineman Zarah Yisrael was drafted No. 1 overall by Arkansas. According to a statement released by the league, the AAFL's financial problems are tied to the national subprime mortgage crisis. Katz co-founded a company that provides student loans. The statement said camps would open Wednesday "if liquidity can be immediately restored." If not, plans for an inaugural season will be pushed back to 2009.

I think I'm in love with Diana Poth. Who is she? Anyone I should have heard of before?

Stop the presses! The Riders have traded Kerry Joseph to the Argos! http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...lobeSports/home ***** The Ticats have signed Pat Woodcock. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't make the team. He's had four bad years in a row. http://www.thespec.com/Sports/Local%20Sports/article/334339

Buddy Dial died Friday. The first year I watched pro football every week on TV was 1960. NBC carried the Baltimore Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers games. The Colts were the defending league champions. The Steelers were pretty bad, but fun to watch. They had Bobby Layne throwing to Buddy Dial and Jimmy Orr, and not much else. Lyndsey Nelson did the play by play. By the way, he was a Texan, and decided that he would retire unless the Steelers traded him to the Cowboys; so they did. Here's Buddy Dial's obituary from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08065/862467-66.stm Obituary: Buddy Dial / Steelers end only 5 years but high in record booksJan. 17, 1937 - Feb. 29, 2008Wednesday, March 05, 2008By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteBuddy Dial played only five seasons for the Steelers, but he made such a lasting impression that he remains high in their record book and on their highlights films. "He came at a time when you were really switching over to the modern-day game," Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said. "He was a great receiver for us and played extremely well and gave us an opportunity to play in that transition." Mr. Dial, 71, will be buried today in Magnolia, in his native Texas, where he lived most of his life. He died Friday in a Houston hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for cancer and pneumonia. He also had a long history of kidney problems and recently discontinued his dialysis treatment. Acquired in a trade from the New York Giants after they drafted him in the second round in 1959 from Rice University, where he was an All-American, Gilbert Leroy Dial played from 1959-63 with the Steelers. He was traded to Dallas, where he retired after the '66 season. But it was with the Steelers where Mr. Dial made an impact. Even though the NFL has turned to a more prolific passing game the past 30 years, Mr. Dial set the Steelers' record for most touchdown receptions in a season, 12, in 1961 -- it has since been equaled by Louis Lipps and Hines Ward. Mr. Dial also ranks 11th in team history with 229 receptions and sixth with 4,723 receiving yards. His 235 yards receiving against Cleveland in 1961 are second in Steelers history. His 1,295 yards receiving in '63 rank sixth highest on the team in a season, and his 42 career touchdowns are fourth. "Buddy Dial was a heck of a receiver," said former Steelers halfback and teammate Dick Hoak. "He was the real deal. He had some speed, the moves, had great hands and no fear -- he could catch the ball over the middle. He had all the things you want in a receiver. He had pretty good size [6-1, 194] too for the position. He was very good." Although the Steelers never won a playoff game until 1972, their best seasons until the 1970s occurred when Mr. Dial played for them. They had three winning seasons in his five years, made the old Playoff Bowl in '62 and came within a last-game loss of playing for the NFL championship the next season. Mr. Dial, born in Oklahoma, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992 and the National High School Hall of Fame in 2002. His 20.8-yard average per catch over his career still ranks second in NFL history. Although he was among the league's most accomplished receivers, an enduring vision of Mr. Dial remains on one of NFL Films' blooper films. After he caught a touchdown pass in a 1962 game, Mr. Dial was startled in the end zone when the Steelers male cheerleaders, called the Ingots, fired a cannon packed with powder seemingly right into Mr. Dial's face. A theatrical man by nature, Mr. Dial leaped as if he were truly shot. "He jumped up in the air and dropped the ball," Mr. Hoak said. "Only he would think of doing that. He was a funny guy. He was a buddy of [playboy quarterback] Bobby Layne's, even though he didn't drink like those guys did. He was a clean-living religious guy, really." "He was somewhat of a showman," Mr. Rooney said. Former cheerleader Bill Hunt recalled for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last year that "I went up to Buddy to apologize to him after it happened, and he said, 'Aw, shucks, it wasn't nothing. Just scared me, that's all.' " After his playing career, according to The Associated Press, Mr. Dial settled in the Houston suburb of Tomball, where he was a prominent speaker for civic, church and charity groups. Survivors, according to the Houston Chronicle, include sons Darren Dial of Katy, Texas, and David of Tyler, Texas; a daughter, Sherri Dial of Houston; and five grandchildren.

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Belated Happy Birthday Garth!

Belated Happy Birthday Al!

Happy Birthday Paul!

Chris, I have admiration for the schools which gave their students a good education. But I wonder two things: 1) With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, there has been a great deal of talk about "teaching to the test". I wonder if the schools of the 1890s did the same thing. 2) I wonder what percentage of the American population of 1895 could pass that exam.

John, I have the BMG Direct release with ten tracks, issued last year. I haven't heard any other release, so I'll take WorldB3's word that the sound is an improvement.

Charles Lloyd's quartet will have a new album coming out March 11 called Rabo De Nube. The quartet includes Jason Moran on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums. Here's the tour lineup: March 27 Santa Fe, NM Lensic Theater March 28 San Francisco, CA Herbst Theater March 29 La Jolla, CA Athenaeum March 30 Los Angeles, CA Catalina Bar and Grill March 31 Seattle, WA Triple Door June 1 Santa Barbara, CA Lobero Theater

Interesting that the Eskimos made a profit while finishing out of the playoffs. Here's a brief CP article: http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home Eskimos finish 2007 season in the black Canadian Press February 29, 2008 at 12:07 PM EST EDMONTON — The Edmonton Eskimos finished the 2007 season in the black. The CFL club announced following its annual general meeting that it posted a $229,054 profit in 2007 compared to just $34,823 in 2006. The community-owned franchise's operating revenue for '07 was almost $13.86 million, an increase of $863,000 from 2006. Overall expenses were $13.63 million, an increase of $668,000 from the previous season. The Eskimos finished fourth in the West Division standings last season, missing the CFL playoffs for the second straight season after capturing the '05 Grey Cup title.

medjuck, I was going to say that in the liner notes of the Cellar Door box, Jack DeJohnette says that Miles asked him to play like Buddy Miles!

Mike Smith was a major part of my high school years. Although I tired of the Dave Clark Five's "Tottenham Sound" before too long, I liked them because they sounded nothing like the Liverpool groups. I had an import copy (on CBS) of his album with Mike d'Abo about 1976, and I enjoyed it! I never watch the late night shows, but I was fortunate to tune in to the Letterman show the night that he was on, not too long before his accident that left him paralyzed. The DC5 also lost saxophonist Denny Payton this past year. The group was up for the Hall of Fame last year, but I read that they were nixed by the owner of Rolling Stone just because he wasn't a fan. Too bad those two will miss out on the induction. Here's his LA Times obituary: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...1,5903011.story Mike Smith, 64; singer and face of Dave Clark Five template_bastemplate_bas From Times Staff and Wire Reports February 29, 2008 Mike Smith, the lead singer, keyboardist and face of the Dave Clark Five at the height of the British band's popularity, died Thursday of pneumonia. He was 64. Smith was admitted Wednesday morning to Stoke Mandeville Hospital outside London with a chest infection stemming from complications of a 2003 spinal cord injury that had left him paralyzed, his New York agent, Margo Lewis, said in a statement. Smith had been hospitalized since the accident and was released in December when he moved into a specially prepared home near the hospital with his wife, Arlene. His death came two weeks before the group was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Smith had said that he was hoping to attend the March 10 induction ceremony in New York. Although the Beatles were the most popular of the British Invasion bands of the 1960s, the Dave Clark Five claimed a string of U.S. billboard hits, many of them co-written by Smith and Clark, including "Because," "Glad All Over," "Any Way You Want It" and "I Like It Like That." The band made 12 appearances on Ed Sullivan's variety show, the most for any British act. The group's antics were captured in John Boorman's 1965 documentary, "Catch Us if You Can," which followed Smith and the band through the English city of Bristol. The group was founded by Clark, who played drums, in 1958. Smith was not an original member. He joined in 1961 as keyboardist, lead singer and the band's most recognizable face. The "Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll" called Smith "a truly outstanding soul shouter." Years later, Smith noted that there was a certain irony in the British Invasion. While groups from England were bringing new sounds to America, many of the musicians in those groups were soaking up American blues and pop recordings. "I used to buy import records and discovered the Contours, Isley Brothers, Lightnin' Hopkins. . . . America wasn't listening to that, but in England we thought they were brilliant," Smith told the Record newspaper of Bergen County, N.J., in 2003. Smith was born in London on Dec. 12, 1943. He began studying classical music at age 5 and was admitted to Trinity Music College in London at 13. He was also a fan of the great jazz artists Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson. When he joined the Dave Clark Five, he was the only member of the group to have had classical music training. After the demise of the band in the early 1970s, Clark and Smith continued to release singles as Dave Clark & Friends until 1973. Smith later worked with Mike D'Abo, onetime vocalist for Manfred Mann. He also produced records for Shirley Bassey and European opera performer Michael Ball. In addition, he sang on the original recording of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Evita." Smith made a good living writing commercials for companies including American Airlines, British Airways, Volvo and McDonald's. In 2003, he returned to performing in the United States with Mike Smith's Rock Engine. But later that year, tragedy hit his life. His son was killed in a diving accident, and Smith severely injured his spinal cord after falling while attempting to scale a fence at his home on the Costa del Sol in Spain. Many of his peers, including Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, helped defray his high medical bills through donations and fundraisers. David Letterman's "Late Show" bandleader Paul Shaffer helped organize a benefit concert in New York in August 2005 that featured many of Smith's fellow British Invasion stars, including the Zombies and Peter & Gordon. A DVD of that concert is scheduled to be released.

Thanks to Aggie's codes, I've just pulled the trigger on these four: Various Artists - Cafe Jazz (Savoy bebop) Manu Katche - Neighbourhood (I thiink it was sidewinder who strongly recommended this.) Horace Silver - Horace-Scope (has Nica's Dream on it) Return to Forever - Light as a Feather (I've heard it's good.)

Maybe it was F8E2 - I tried F8E1 through 4, and two of 'em worked. Try again, Nojjy! Thanks Aggie and Noj! Now there's no excuse for everyone not to get the two March AotW's!