GA Russell

Thanks, Ag. I've been waiting for the Stacey Kent since it came out.

There seems to be two issues here. The first is the concept of the mental illness itself. The second is the sum of money the taxpayers have forked over. I wonder how that sum compares to the cost of homeschooling.

ECM is on a roll with classical pianists recording solo albums. Two weeks ago they released a very enjoyable album by Misha Alperin entitled Her First Dance. Alperin is occasionally accompanied by a violin, cello, french horn or flugelhorn, but for the most part this is a solo album. In the past I haven't bought into Stanley Crouch's argument that for a music to be jazz it must be based upon the blues. But I am starting to think that he may have a point. This album is categorized by the label as jazz, but I don't think that it would satisfy someone with a jazz jones. On the other hand, I really like it, particularly late in the evening as the day is winding down. There's not a bad track. Alperin is quite talented. I think that those of you who enjoy classical music would like this, as long as you don't expect jazz that swings.

I can top you in the clueless department, Larry! I didn't know it was her.

I have to disagree with the negative vibe this board has toward Charlie Byrd. I saw him in Pittsburgh in 1975 and really enjoyed him. Just about every song on Jazz Samba became a bossa nova standard. And they are all songs that I haven't gotten tired of, no matter how many different recordings of them I have. I play a lot of bossa nova during the warm weather months, and this one in particular gets a lot of play.

Looks like she's an Edmonton Eskimos fan!

Matt Dunigan will host a cooking show on the Food Network. http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Football/article/423907 ***** Mike Maurer has retired. http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...c3-4a26b1cfc7f9 ***** The Spectator has begun a series of pre-season analyses. First up is the Saskatchewan Roughriders: http://www.thespec.com/Sports/article/369989

RIP. I have a Sue Raney album of Johnny Mandel music she did with Florence on the Discovery label. I'll have to dig it out and play it.

I saw her at the 1991 New Orleans Jazzfest. I would say that she had the crowd rockin' more than any other artist at the festival.

TTK, not so new. I got the Sergio Mendes entry from Your Music in November of 2006. I'd be interested in reading your reviews of what you picked up.

He was Phil Spector's engineer, so I guess he deserves much of the credit. Here's his LA Times obituary: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...0,2714664.story Larry Levine, 80; engineered record producer Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound' in the 1960s By Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 13, 2008 Larry Levine, the recording engineer who helped translate the grandiose sonic vision of record producer Phil Spector into some of the biggest-selling and most influential recordings of the rock era, died Thursday, on his 80th birthday, at his home in Encino. The announcement by his wife, Lyn, gave no cause of death, but he had suffered from emphysema and heart ailments, his cousin Stan Ross said. If Spector was the visionary architect of the "Wall of Sound" that defined such 1960s hits as the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," the Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron" and the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," Levine was the nuts-and-bolts contractor charged with making it work. Inside the cramped Studio A of Gold Star Recording Studios at Santa Monica Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Levine applied his skill to capturing and shaping arrangements that often encompassed three or four guitars, several pianos, brass, percussion and other instruments, not to mention the vocals. "He made Phil Spector a genius by applying the simple logic of using echo chamber," Gold Star's co-owner Ross said Monday of Levine. "Phil had a tendency of overbooking the room, and there were more musicians than there should have been in the studio. "It began to saturate the walls, and you couldn't make it happen unless you get some separation, and the only way you could do that is by getting some echo and making the room sound larger. . . . "I showed him how you work this echo chamber thing and he got into it and sure enough it worked. . . . If Phil had gone into another place to do it, it would have been a normal record without any wall of sound. . . . It gave it dimension, it sounded like it was a football field." Born in New York on May 8, 1928, Levin grew up in Los Angeles. After serving in the Army during the Korean War, he learned the craft of recording from Ross, who had opened Gold Star with Dave Gold in the early 1950s. Though Levine might be most strongly associated with Spector, his distinctive resume also includes the early rock 'n' roll records of Eddie Cochran and those by the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, Wings, the Carpenters, Dr. John and Herb Alpert. Levine won a Grammy for best engineered recording for Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' 1965 hit "A Taste of Honey," and Alpert brought him to his A&M label to build and oversee an in-house recording studio modeled on Gold Star. "Larry was just the easiest guy in the world to get along with," said drummer Hal Blaine, who worked with Levine on the Spector, Tijuana Brass and other sessions. "It was just a delight working with Larry. He really enjoyed what he was doing." Besides his wife, Levine is survived by his sons Rick, Rob and Michael; four grandchildren; and sister, Joyce Black.

Tony, on your recommendtion I picked up Neighbourhood from BMG using one of Aggie's $2.79 codes. Haven't had a chance to play it yet. Speaking of Wasilewski, I hope that everyone has seen the thread on his latest, January. It's a winner!

Six String, my reception is greatly improved for every station that the box has picked up. However, there are a number of distant stations which my antenna used to get in a snowy fashion that the box did not pick up automatically. I need to play with the manual controls to see if the box will pick up these distant stations. As I said above, the network affiliates broadcast digitally two or three stations, so there are about 7 stations that I can get now that I could not get before.

I remember well reading about it for the first time the following Friday, a week later, in the obit column of USA Today. I'll play Vol. 1 of Chet in Paris.

I thought Jerry Wallace was a one-hit wonder. I had no idea that he enjoyed great success as a country singer. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...0,2468677.story <h2 style="">Jerry Wallace</h2>Singer's biggest hit was 'Primrose Lane' Jerry Wallace, 79, the smooth-voiced pop and country singer who scored his first two hits in the late 1950s with "How the Time Flies" and "Primrose Lane," died of congestive heart failure Monday at his home in Victorville. Wallace began recording in 1951 and had his first hit in 1958 with "How the Time Flies"; a year later came "Primrose Lane," which reportedly sold more than a million copies and was his biggest-selling record. He had more than 45 pop and country chart successes, according to the Hit Parade Hall of Fame website, including "Life's Gone and Slipped Away," "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry" and "Do You Know What It's Like to Be Lonesome." In 1972, he was nominated for the Country Music Assn. Award as male vocalist of the year and his "To Get To You" was nominated as single of the year. A Navy veteran, Wallace was born Dec. 15, 1928, in Kansas City, Mo.

Thanks Nate. It wouldn't surprise me if this group gets some votes for Group of the Year in the Readers Polls. If the vote were today, I'd vote for them.

The Eskimos have cut Tim Cheatwood. I guess that's the end of the line for him. http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...19-8fce58db9bfc ***** Former Detroit Lion Charles Rogers, the #2 pick in the 2003 NFL draft, is close to signing with the Alouettes. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home ***** Bryan Randall, who was a big star QB for Virginia Tech, is close to signing with the Bombers. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/to...p-4758754c.html ***** Julian Radlein has retired. As I recall, he was very impressive as a rookie, but he never stood out after that. Since he was a running back, I wonder if injuries slowed him down. http://www.thespec.com/Sports/Local%20Sports/article/365788 ***** Here's a brief article quoting an anonymous CFL executive who says that Calgary, BC and Winnipeg had the best drafts. http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/spo...2f-a84c91b7008e

Tony, I haven't heard Trio, but it must be amazing if it is better than January. This new album blows me away. It's the best new piano trio album I've heard in years. There is one song, King Korn, whose title doesn't ring a bell, but I am sure that I have Mike Nock doing it. I'm struck by the balance of the three instruments. It reminds me of the Evans/LaFaro/Motian trio in that way. It's great to see that their tour later this month will be in major US cities where plenty of jazz fans will have the opportunity to catch them (if the fans are hip enough to know who they are!). I wish I could be among them.

Jim, I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. He'll be in my prayers tonight.

Bruce, I do blame the Great Depression on Calvin Coolidge! I think that history has given Herbert Hoover a raw deal.

I haven't tried this code yet, but it might get you two free CDs: Y8B1 PS - Nope, apparently it just sweetens the offer, but it won't get you two free CDs by themselves.

It's my understanding that Chet Atkins was the man responsible for that. He was not only a recording artist, he was also RCA's a&r man for Nashville.

Before reading this obit, I would have said that his biggest hit was Make the World Go Away. I bet that there will be quite a crowd at the Ryman Auditorium. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...96.story?page=1 Eddy Arnold, 89; country music's all-time hit maker Mark Humphrey / Associated PressCountry music legend Eddy Arnold in his memorabilia-filled office in Brentwood, Tenn., in 2002. Arnold died at a care facility near Nashville. He was 89. The elegant, pop-influenced singer, who once had 57 consecutive top 10 hits, helped transform country from 'hillbilly music' to mass appeal. By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 9, 2008 Eddy Arnold, the most successful country hit maker of all time, who played a crucial role in transforming what had long been considered "hillbilly music" from a rural phenomenon into music with broad-based national appeal, died today. He was 89, a week short of his 90th birthday. Arnold, an elegant, pop-influenced singer, died at a long-term care facility near Nashville, family spokesman and Arnold biographer Don Cusic said today. His wife of 66 years, Sally, had died in March and Arnold had broken his hip the same month in a fall at his home. Photos: Eddy Arnold: 1918-2008 Determined throughout his life to transcend the rural poverty he had known as a child in Tennessee, he carved out an identity as an urbane crooner unrestricted by the trappings associated with country music stardom. He has been called "the Garth Brooks of his time" for creating the template still followed today for country singers who reach beyond a niche audience to capture a broad following, a move that angered many traditional country fans. "He epitomized how someone could become a huge star in this genre," Kyle Young, director of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, said today. "He certainly set the bar: He sold 80 million records, had his own TV show, filled in for Johnny Carson as a 'Tonight Show' host. In some ways his career defines what it's like to end up at the top of the heap." Arnold had a nine-year run of 57 consecutive top 10 hits from 1945 to 1954, among them "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)," which spent more than five months at No. 1 in 1947, and “Bouquet of Roses,” which logged 19 weeks in the top spot the following year. Many of those songs, despite the twangy steel guitars and fiddles under his voice, appealed to large numbers of fans because of his mellow tenor, which was virtually free of a drawl. "More than anyone in the 1940s, he helped change the image of the music from 'hillbilly' to 'country,' " Robert Hilburn, The Times' former pop music critic, said today. "He ranks with Johnny Cash as one of the great ambassadors of country music." Arnold's music had a huge effect on succeeding generations of country performers. "When I was about 15 years old, the only stuff I sang was Eddy Arnold," George Jones said in a statement today. "He would be just about my whole show. I'd sing 'Bouquet of Roses' and 'I'm Throwing Rice (at the Girl I Love).' All I sang was Eddy until I heard Hank Williams." And Arnold acted as a mentor for countless younger singers. "He's given me a lot of advice," singer Josh Turner wrote in the liner notes for his 2006 album "Your Man," which reached No. 2 on Billboard's overall album chart, "but the one thing that stuck out in my mind when it came to making this record was when he told me, 'You go and record some love songs, because that's what people relate to.' He said, 'The relationship between a woman and a man relates to people better than anything else.' " Although Arnold's popularity dipped for a time in the late 1950s in the wake of rock 'n' roll's arrival, it rebounded in the 1960s, after a crucial change in the people guiding him musically and professionally. That led to another run of hits that crystallized what became known as "the Nashville Sound," typified by swelling orchestral backgrounds and female choir voices behind songs such as and "I Want to Go With You," both No. 1 country hits. "He always had a sense that his voice could carry him into the pop market," Michael Streissguth, author of the 1997 biography "Eddy Arnold: Pioneer of the Nashville Sound." "It really was a vision that he had of where his career could go." Arnold's career spanned seven decades, from the 1930s, when he hosted a radio show for five years in Memphis, until 1999, when he last appeared on the country singles chart with a duet with then-teenage singer LeAnn Rimes in a new version of his 1955 yodel-laden western hit "Cattle Call." "I don't know that that will ever happen again," Young said. "Think of it: 80 million records sold. That's a number that compares to Garth Brooks' total. He was the Garth Brooks, the Kenny Chesney of his time, and his time spanned many years." In the latest edition of Joel Whitburn's "Top Country Songs" volume collating Billboard's charts from 1944 to 2005, Arnold is ranked as the No. 1 country artist of all time, logging 146 records in the Top 100 of Billboard's country singles chart, 28 of those making it to No. 1. Richard Edward Arnold, born May 15, 1918, in Henderson, Tenn., grew up working on his parents' farm, only to see it repossessed during the Depression, after which the family became sharecroppers on what had been their own land. His father died when Eddy was 11, so the boy started singing at church picnics and other events, sometimes earning $1 a gig. "His childhood made such an impression on him," Country Hall of Fame director Young said. "I would say he was driven, probably until his last breath, because he was still worried that some day he might wake up penniless." As a boy he idolized "the Singing Cowboy," Gene Autry, as well as Bing Crosby, whose smooth, outwardly effortless style he would later emulate. He landed a regular role on a radio show at WTJS in Memphis, and in 1940 was hired as a singer for Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys, which had a reputation for a more debonair brand of country dance music and was featured frequently on the Grand Ole Opry broadcasts. Arnold was hired by the Opry as a solo performer in 1943. Early on he'd been dubbed "the Tennessee Plowboy" and at first his recordings sounded in many ways like other country acts on the Opry. The difference was Arnold's voice, which had more in common with the easygoing delivery of Autry and Crosby. When he signed with Victor Records (which became RCA) and began his recording career, he was managed by Col. Tom Parker, who would later become Elvis Presley's manager. "All the things Parker did with Elvis," biographer Cusic said Thursday, "he got all those contacts from working with Eddy." Photos: Eddy Arnold: 1918-2008 When television arrived, Arnold was virtually the only country performer who began appearing regularly on national programs with Milton Berle, Arthur Godfrey and later Ed Sullivan. He also performed in Las Vegas showrooms before nearly any other country act. After Arnold fired Parker, he signed with a fledgling New York-based management company that strove to de-emphasize the bumpkin image often foisted upon him in those forums. When that company folded in the 1960s, he hired an ex-Mafia figure, Gerald Purcell, who insisted that he only appear on television and on stage in a tuxedo, and refused to allow fiddles or steel guitars on his records, solidifying his complete break with Nashville tradition. At the same time, he'd returned to Nashville after recording with less success in New York. He connected with Chet Atkins, one of RCA's leading country producers, who shepherded him into "the Nashville Sound" style that had been working magic in the '50s for fellow country crooner Jim Reeves. Reeves' death in 1964 in a plane crash opened a door for Arnold. Reeves' arranger, Bill Walker, gravitated to Arnold, and their collaboration resulted in the mid-1960s hits that revitalized his career. Where other country stars flashed their success with bejeweled cowboy outfits, silver-dollar-covered luxury cars and guitar-shaped swimming pools, Arnold remained the low-key country gentleman, quietly parlaying the money from his hit records into lucrative real estate investments in and around Nashville. "He was often called the wealthiest man in Nashville," Streissguth said. But you'd never know it from outward appearances. Critic Hilburn offered similar memories of Arnold: "He was a humble guy who didn't seem to care all that much about the razzle-dazzle surrounding the music business. He was just into going onstage (or into the studio) and singing his songs and then enjoying his hobbies and private life." Arnold is survived by his son, Richard Edward Arnold Jr., and daughter, Jo Ann Pollard, as well as two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Visitation will take place Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning at the Country Hall of Fame, followed Wednesday afternoon by a funeral at the Ryman Auditorium, the long-time home of the Grand Ole Opry.

I saw him in the summer of '68, a few months after he fired everyone in Brasil '66 except Lani Hall and thus replaced them all. It was very enjoyable pop music. By the way, the new second singer was named Karen Philipp as I recall, and in 1972 she had the role of Lt. Dish in the pilot of the TV show MASH. I never read why she wasn't included or replaced in the cast once the show was picked up by CBS.