GA Russell

When I think of the Pistons, I think of Walter Dukes!

Bummer. I received word today that this is no longer available. I called them up to make sure that I could use the discount code on something else, and I ordered the Bird 3 CD Verve Master Takes box.

Jim Zorn was named the head coach of the Redskins Saturday. I haven't seen anything that mentions that he played for the Bombers in '86. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8...;show_article=1 Grammys a Ho-Hum Affair for TV Viewers Feb 11 12:13 PM US/Eastern By RYAN PEARSON AP Entertainment Writer 51 Comments Amy Winehouse Wins Big At Grammy Awards LOS ANGELES (AP) - Amy Winehouse, Herbie Hancock and Kanye West didn't provide quite enough drama to enthrall television viewers. Preliminary estimates indicate the Grammy Awards telecast was watched by 17.5 million people. Nielsen Media Research said Monday that would make it the third least- watched Grammy Awards ever if later estimates confirm those numbers. Viewership is down from the 20 million people who watched last year. The 2006 awards, with 17 million viewers, is the Grammy low point. The show had 17.3 million viewers in 1995. On a night filled with nods to the show's 50-year history, the most trophies went to Winehouse, a 24-year-old singer known for her old- soul voice. The most sought-after prize, for album of the year, went to veteran jazzman Hancock for his Joni Mitchell tribute disc.

Happy Birthday Bruce!

Thanks for the heads up FFA! I can afford $4.99!

Happy Birthday Michael!

RIP. I enjoyed him in The Seven Ups, which was made on the heels of The French Connection, and was a movie built around a car chase. I felt the movie was better than what it was given credit for, and it was a doozy of a car chase!

That's my opinion too, Bill. And I think it's the majority opinion. We're all supposed to be friends here. I think disclaimers are for people who don't trust each other.

Sask has traded DE Fred Perry, who was a league all-star the past two years, to Edmonton for third string QB Steven Jyles. Do you figure it was a salary issue? http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home ***** The Eskimos cut Trevor Gaylor this week. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Edm...837311-sun.html

A year ago I reviewed the first album of a young New York pianist named Matthias Bublath. In the thread I go over how and why I got a copy of his CD: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...&hl=Bublath Late last year he sent me a copy of his second album, just called Matthias Bublath. Those of you from New York may be familiar with the personnel, who I suspect are young New York musicians like he is: Tim Collins - vibes Takuya Kuroda - trumpet Yulia Musayelyan - flute Fernando Huergo - bass Franco Pinna - drums Ludwig Afonso - drums Most of the songs on this album have a latin beat. Bublath plays piano on all tracks. No organ this time. The album is much more accessible than his first album. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The musicians and their solos are all good, but not outstanding. The best are Tim Collins again on vibes and Takuya Kuroda on trumpet. Bublath plays well, but is again a little too heavy-handed for his own compositions! Bublath wrote ten of the eleven songs. This time, the compositions are not intellectual. Although this is not soul jazz, it probably would appeal to the same audience. An organ trio would do well with the same songs. I've been playing this for six weeks, and I continue to enjoy it. It's happy music, and everyone sounds like he is having a good time. At first I gave it 3.5 stars, but over time I have bumped it up to 4 stars. You can listen to it here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/bublath2

I got my Maynard Ferguson Roulette last week, and it is great! Reminds me a lot of the Buddy Rich PJ band, but not as high strung. My pick this month is Stan Getz - Getz au Go-Go. Twenty years ago I found a selection of European (I think Italian) cassette tapes called Collections, and one that I picked up was the Stan Getz Collection. There were no liner notes, as was common with cassettes, but I think that all of Getz au Go-Go was included in it. But I don't think that the songs were presented in album order, or even consecutively. I'm not sure. As I recall, this was the first Getz album released after Getz/Gilberto, and after The Girl From Ipanema was a hit. I'm not sure about that either. Astrud sings on the bossa nova half of the album. Gary Burton is also on it.

MG, Groove Holmes returned to PJ in 1968 when it was owned by Liberty. I would consider that to be a major in those days.

I'd be very interested in the Paul Bley.

...2) How many "regular guys" have "contacts"? Larry, we've been through this before, in the summer of '06 I think. You must have missed it. I have a number of times recommended to the board that anyone interested do what I did. I reviewed CDs for AAJ for a while, and got on a few record companies' mailing lists. After a while I tired of that and stopped. I told the record companies that I would no longer be reviewing for AAJ, and that I would be doing most of my posting on the O board, if they were interested. Some were. As far as I know, every "regular guy" here who hasn't been banned (!) is welcome to review records for AAJ. I think a lot of people here would enjoy it, and I recommend it.

...If you're reviewing these discs for ECM, I'd guess ECM's goal is to generate sales/revenue from your review, and that's why you're getting the free promo copy? It kind of goes against this"agreement" to recommend people wait and buy the disc from BMG then. I wouldn't share your review with ECM, I guess. Aggie, you think I'm a shill for the record companies??!!! Whose side do you think I'm on? All of my contacts know that I am just a regular guy who spends his evenings listening to jazz instead of watching television. My arrangement with them is that they send me copies of new releases, and if I like one I post my thoughts about it and give the guys here a heads up on something they might like. My contacts know that I will be candid with my friends here on the board. They also know that I won't spend the effort to review records I don't like. That's what professional reviewers get paid for. In my opinion, if a record company doesn't want me to recommend buying it from Your Music, it shouldn't let Your Music have it in the first place. That's not my problem. My friends here and I (as you well know) do a lot of shopping at Your Music. People here are always speculating about what Blue Note RVGs will be carried by Your Music. Why shouldn't I do the same about ECMs? As I suggested above: 1) At the Your Music price of $6.99, I consider getting this album a no brainer just because it is so different from every other album in my collection. And 2) If you can't wait, you won't feel that you have been burned by paying the regular CD Universe price. Finally, your suggestion that I not share the review with ECM floors me! It's as if I have something to hide. I don't go through life saying things about people I don't want them to know about; and I don't go through life looking over my shoulder to make sure that everyone approves of my actions. That's no way to live!

Here is an article that says that the Blue Jays are offering April single game tickets to fans in Boston and Detroit before they offer them to the fans in Toronto! http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsBaseball/home

Well, we are trying to find moderately obscure people, I think. Jazz musicians' careers are usually pretty long, if they don't die early or give up through discouragement, so most significant musicians will record for a number of companies over the years. Yes. I was thinking that with jazz many people record for small labels that don't stay in business for a long time. Also, if the artist is destined to have a long recording career, he is likely to move up to one of the majors eventually, at least for a time. The original post sought groups as well as artists. Of the two groups I mentioned, obviously Manfred Mann and the Brecker Brothers (with Dreams) have recorded for more than one label, but these groups did not. I'm a little surprised that other groups haven't been mentioned. Speaking of Dreams, John Abercrombie was with that group for its first year or two, and was on their first album. Has he recorded as a leader for anyone besides ECM?

Many thanks for all the examples of trumpet/piano duets. This board is a knowledgeable group!

Aggie, I believe that is incorrect. When I joined BMG in 1997, there was a website (don't remember the URL) that was devoted to all things about the two record clubs. The website was very credible. It said that the artists receive 50% of their normal royalties on albums sold for a price, but none for albums given by the clubs "free". My conclusion was that when the BMG offer is "Buy one, get two free", the artist for the one gets his royalty, but the artists for the two do not. But when the offer is "Buy one, get unlimited $1.99", all artists get their royalties. Since Your Music never offers a disc for free, all artists receive their 50% royalty. That's how I understand it. However, that was in 1997. Perhaps the arrangement is different now.

Enrico Rava and Stefano Bollani have a new duet album out called The Third Man. The title track is not the Anton Karas song. This is my first Rava album. I loved Bollani's album Piano Solo which came out last year. TTK doesn't like me to use the word "dark" , so I'll say that it is very melancholy throughout. Three of the songs have hummable melodies. The others sound like two very talented musicians noodling. It doesn't swing. Lovers of soul jazz aren't going to like it. But it is very pleasant to have in the background or late at night with the lights low. Bollani plays like a classical musician here. It's unique as far as I know. I'm not aware of another trumpet and piano duet jazz album. The mood would be significantly different if bass and drums were present. Now that BMG/Your Music is carrying ECM again, I will definitely recommend it when they get ahold of it, because at their bargain prices it is definitely worthwhile to own a one of a kind album. Those of you who can't wait or live outside the US will enjoy it as well.

John McWethy of ABC News has died. I used to enjoy his work. He always seemed fair to me. ABC News has posted a three page obit. I won't post it all, only the first page. You can see the rest here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4253571&page=1 John McWethy, a longtime national security correspondent -- who, ABC News president David Westin said, "represented the very best of ABC News" -- has died at age 60 after a skiing accident in Keystone, Colo. McWethy died of blunt force chest injuries after witnesses said he missed a turn on an intermediate trail this morning, and slid chest-first into a tree, Summit County, Colo., coroner Joanne Richardson told The Associated Press. McWethy was pronounced dead at 2:05 p.m., Richardson said. McWethy had recently moved to Boulder, Colo., with his wife Laurie Duncan-McWethy to enjoy retirement close to ski slopes and golf courses, Westin said in a statement to ABC News staff. "He was doing something that he truly loved, but he deserved many more years doing it than he was given," Westin said. "He was one of those very rare reporters who knew his beat better than anyone, and had developed more sources than anyone, and yet, kept his objectivity," Westin added. "Jack's work made the people he covered value him, respect him, and always know that he would keep them honest. None of us will forget his memorable reporting on Sept. 11, 2001, when he had to evacuate the Pentagon, and then continued to report live from the lawn nearby. "I wish all of you could have been there for his 'retirement' party to see the highest levels of the Pentagon — civilian and military — come to express their respect and affection for Jack," Westin said. "But as fine a reporter as he was, he was just that fine a man. There was an essential goodness to him that permeated everything he did. He loved his profession, but he loved his family more. And he always had a powerful sense of need to help those around him." McWethy and his wife had two children, Adam and Ian. Before his retirement, McWethy was ABC News' chief national security correspondent, a position he held starting in 1984. McWethy reported on military and diplomatic aspects of U.S. foreign policy, primarily from the Pentagon in Washington. In addition to his daily coverage for "World News Tonight With Peter Jennings," he also filed stories for "Nightline," "Good Morning America" and other ABC News broadcasts.

Interesting that these people aren't exactly household names.

The Argos have picked up Damon Allen's option, and he is working out every day as if he is going to play again this year! http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Tor...4831113-cp.html

Sandi, have you forgotten Princess Diana?