GA Russell

A friend recently recommended that I have a burger made of ground brisket.

Welcome back MG! I was concerned because you haven't posted in quite a while.

I have a friend who is an employee of the Ottawa Senators, so I will be rooting for them. I haven't figured out how the Carolina Hurricanes could go from Stanley Cup champs to out of the playoffs overnight.

Edu Lobo - Sergio Mendes Present Lobo (A&M DJ copy) 1971? I don't think those two guys got out enough. Mendes married Lobo's ex-wife Gracinha; and Lobo married Mendes' ex-singer Wanda da Sah!

Milton Nascimento - Journey to Dawn (A&M) 1979

The market has bid the price up, so this may not be over yet. http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSL2173292420070521 EMI agrees to Terra Firma offer Mon May 21, 2007 5:27PM EDT By Kate Holton and Jeffrey Goldfarb LONDON (Reuters) - British music company EMI agreed to a 2.4 billion pounds ($4.73 billion) cash takeover from private equity group Terra Firma on Monday in a surprise move that could finally shut out long-time suitor Warner . The offer of 265 pence a share sent EMI's stock up to close 9.3 percent higher at 271 pence, indicating investors thought a higher counter bid was possible. Sources familiar with the deal told Reuters that Terra Firma intended to keep EMI intact and proceed with plans to securitise the company's reliable music publishing assets. The sources said Terra Firma, whose chief executive is buyout mogul Guy Hands, did not have a management team lined up to take over as is often common in such deals. The difficulties facing EMI were also laid bare on Monday as the group released its final results, showing pretax profit down more than 60 percent. Terra Firma said that including debt the deal put a value of 3.2 billion pounds on EMI, home to artists including Kylie Minogue and Norah Jones. The agreement also includes a break fee of 24 million pounds if EMI pulls out. The price tag values EMI at 18.5 times EBITDA, according to figures for the year ended March 31 compared with the 9.4 multiple against where Warner Music is trading, using its figures for the year ended September 30. If accepted by shareholders, the deal would bring an end to the seven-year standoff between the world's third-largest music company, EMI, and the fourth-largest, New York-based Warner. The two groups have tried to combine many times, but any deal might have struggled for regulatory approval. Another merger, Sony/BMG, is still being examined by the European Commission. Warner declined to comment on Monday. Its shares were down 2 percent at $17.04 in late Monday afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. HARD CASH "The EMI board received a number of proposals from several different parties," Chairman John Gildersleeve said. "Terra Firma's offer is the most attractive proposal received and delivers cash now, without regulatory uncertainty and with the minimum of operational risk to the company." Numis analyst Paul Richards said it was good to see an official bid price for EMI after months of speculation but said he still expected Warner to try again as he did not see the 24 million pound break clause as too large in this case. Sources familiar with the situation had previously told Reuters that EMI had opened its books in recent weeks to Warner and three other private equity groups. Details of Terra Firma's strategic plans will also be a blow to Warner as it had been thought that any private equity buyer might only keep the cash-generative music publishing arm and sell the struggling recorded music division to Warner. "It believes in the digital growth opportunity in the music market, in general, and so the expectation is that the business will be held together," said the source. Another source familiar with the talks said Warner was considering its options and did not think it would have to return with a counter bid immediately. Alternatively, it could return at a later date to buy EMI from Terra Firma once the regulatory outlook is clearer. British-based EMI also released full-year results, showing a 61 percent fall in underlying profit before tax to 62.7 million pounds in the year to end-March, due to worsening market conditions. Underlying group revenue fell by 16 percent on a reported basis and by 12 percent at constant currency. Revenue from its recorded music unit fell by 15 percent at constant currency, while it said the EMI publishing unit outperformed the recorded music market with revenue declining by only 0.9 percent. EMI was advised by Greenhill, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank while Terra Firma was advised by Dresdner Kleinwort. Citigroup is arranging debt for the acquisition.

The price went up 11 cents overnight here Saturday: from 3.08 to 3.19.

Happy Birthday David!

kh, I bought Historically Speaking about 1969, and inside I found John Coltrane's Soultrane! I didn't bother to take it back to the store. It's a pretty nice record--with Mulligan and lots of Alan Eager. Yes, I have the OJC LP, issued under the title Mulligan Plays Mulligan. I enjoy it. Funny that you too had problems buying Historically Speaking!

I have pulled out my bossa nova albums, and plan to play them all over the next several days. Astrud Gilberto Plus James Last Orchestra (Verve) 1986 Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 - Pais tropical (A&M) 1971? Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 - Homecooking (Elektra) 1975

I remember Fats' home on Elysian Fields when I was growing up in New Orleans. It was a landmark. A nice new white house with a purple roof!

kh, I bought Historically Speaking about 1969, and inside I found John Coltrane's Soultrane! I didn't bother to take it back to the store.

I found this AP story on the Fox News website: 2 Plumbing Companies Battle for Rights to 867-5309 Telephone Number Saturday, May 19, 2007 LINCOLN, R.I. — One-hit wonder Tommy Tutone made the phone number 867-5309 famous in the band's 1982 hit single, which uses the digits over and over in its catchy refrain. Now, a Rhode Island company and a national firm are battling over the right to use the number, which doesn't reach the "Jenny" that Tutone sings about, but could find callers a decent plumber. Two years ago, Gem Plumbing & Heating of Lincoln, R.I., trademarked the phone number in the early 1980s hit, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Gem acquired the number in Rhode Island when its original owner, Brown University, gave up 867-5309 after growing weary of the constant prank calls. Gem's number works in the 401 area code in Rhode Island and the 617 area code in southern Massachusetts. But Florida-based Clockwork Home Services, also a plumbing company, uses a toll-free version of 867-5309 in New England. They argue a company can only trademark a vanity number, like 1-800-FLOWERS. Gem won round one in its legal fight over the number when a federal judge in Boston recently barred Clockwork from using the number in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, effective this week. But Clockwork's lawyers said they would fight on. Tommy "Tutone" Heath told The Boston Globe that he'd prefer if neither company used the number. "It's ridiculous," said Heath. "If I wanted to get into it, I could probably take the number away from both of them."

jazz1, I haven't heard The Abashiri Concert yet, so I'll have to get back to you on that one.

The Argos signed Michael Bishop through 2009 today. That means that they will have coming into camp this year five quarterbacks: Damon Allen and four with NFL experience. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Tor...4188702-cp.html ***** The last of the original three groups to bid for an Ottawa expansion franchise has dropped out. The league says that it is holding discussions with other parties. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Ott...4182206-cp.html

Listened to it two more times today. Still not tired of it after seven times in three days! I would like to add to my review that I think the reason time passes so quickly when I listen to it is because it swings so well. John L mentioned Art Pepper Today above. I like that one a lot. I don't think that Art plays better on this one than he did on Today. And I find Stanley Cowell a more interesting pianist than Kellaway. But I prefer this to Today because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And I think that is because it swings so well. And for that I give credit to Kellaway.

This from The Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bbe3caec-03bd-11dc...0b5df10621.html Amazon to start selling digital music By Joshua Chaffin and Aline van Duyn in New York Published: May 16 2007 16:08 | Last updated: May 17 2007 00:46 Amazon moved to shake up the online music business on Wednesday by setting up a direct rival to Apple’s iTunes that will sell tracks without copyright ­protection. Amazon said its decision to abandon so-called digital rights management software and instead sell tracks in the MP3 format would allow consumers easily to transfer music among a variety of devices – from iPods to personal computers and compact discs. The pioneering online retailer believes that will help to spur the next growth phase of the burgeoning digital music market. “Our MP3-only strategy means all the music that customers buy on Amazon is always DRM-free and plays on any device,” said Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon. The Amazon service will launch later this year with support from EMI, the third-largest record company, and more than 1,000 smaller labels. Six weeks ago, EMI became the first major label to abandon copyright protection when it announced an agreement with Apple to sell its catalogue through iTunes without DRM. The decision was hailed by Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive. David Card, an analyst at Jupiter Research, said Amazon’s clout would increase the pressure on EMI’s competitors to follow suit. “Getting another big, big player to endorse DRM-free is a big deal.” The other major record companies – Universal Music, Sony-BMG and Warner Music – are testing the MP3 format. Yet they are still concerned that dropping copyright protection could increase piracy or cut into their growing sales of music to users of mobile phones. Some indicated on Wednesday that they had no immediate plans to join Amazon. The web-based retailer’s decision to enter the digital music market comes at a time when the record companies are desperate for a rival to iTunes. In spite of challenges from Microsoft, Yahoo and others, the Apple service still commands roughly 80 per cent of the online music market, which has allowed it to dictate terms to the music companies on pricing and other issues. Bill Carr, vice-president of digital media at Amazon, would not disclose pricing information for the new music service but did say it would be “competitive”. Barney Wragg, EMI’s top digital executive, predicted Amazon’s participation would “take the whole digital music business on to the next level”.

I received my advance copy of The Last Concert yesterday, and I have played it five times already. I don’t recall another album about which I can say that the time passes so quickly. The first time I played it it seemed to last a half hour. There are only five songs, but each is of a different tempo and style. The concert including three minutes of patter lasted 58 minutes. I imagine that most people will be interested in this because it was Art’s last performance. I was looking forward to hearing this, but not for that reason. I can see someone planning to retire, going out on a farewell tour, and pulling out all the stops for the last show. But Art didn’t know that this would be his last gig, so I didn’t see any reason to expect that his performance would be better than usual. I wouldn’t say that it is, but it’s great! My interest in hearing this was based on my curiosity to hear Art with Roger Kellaway. Kellaway is a player that I have heard of for years, going back at least to seeing his name on the credits of All in the Family (whose theme he wrote), but I don’t have any of his records. I have a vague notion that I saw something of his on the A&M label, but maybe not. Kellaway does a fine job comping, and he takes the lead in keeping the band swinging. But I don’t find the chords he plays very interesting, and for that reason I find him a little bit disappointing. He is a little bland. David Williams, on the other hand, is excellent on bass. And the bass is perfectly mic’d! I suppose that it is ironic that the last song Art performed in public was on clarinet. But it is fitting that his last performance on the sax was Over the Rainbow. Laurie Pepper wrote the liner notes. Either she has a good editor or she has a real talent for writing. They are the most interesting notes I have read in a long time. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Herbie Mann in the 60s put out a number of live dates.

Happy Birthday Larry!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

I guess the old saying applies: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

This is from Wired.com. I'm not sure if this would appeal to many jazz fans initially, but I can see those with audiophile systems going for it. U.K. Music Label Creates a Vinyl-MP3 Hybrid Charlie Sorrel 05.14.07 | 12:00 AM While the copyright fight rages between big record companies and their customers, some smaller, independent labels are moving in with innovation instead of litigation. First Word Records, a U.K. label based in Leeds, has one new idea -- vinyl records that include downloadable MP3s. First Word's primary customers are DJs, an often challenging market for record labels. DJs embrace new technology or repurpose old (think scratching), but at the same time scour old stores and markets for rare, used vinyl. First Word is attempting to address both these needs with DigiWax. The records are beautifully packaged, double-weight vinyl discs that come with a unique code. With the code, buyers can download an unprotected, 320Kbps MP3 version of the music, to use however they like. First Word is not the only label offering an LP-plus-MP3 combination. Saddle Creek, which puts out Bright Eyes records, also includes a download code with some of its LPs. The double-headed approach makes sense for several reasons. DJs and audiophiles will always want the top end of quality, so they will buy physical media, but for convenience you can't beat a digital file. First Word cofounder Andy H is a DJ and knows the difficulties and dangers of traveling with rare discs. "The sheer weight and size of vinyl meant that I had to be very selective of what I took abroad to DJ," he says. By contrast, digital files weigh nothing, and if you have a backup, they are impossible to lose. Publishing MP3s without the technology for digital-rights management was a deliberate choice. First Word cofounder Aly Gillani explains the DRM-free approach in terms that echo those of consumer advocate. "Once a customer has paid for the track they should be free to play it in any player," he says. "Making a legal, paid-for version of the file less useful than a copied or pirated one doesn't make sense." Perhaps even more importantly, DRM also makes tracks unplayable in software used by many DJs, such as Serato. First Word also sells its music on iTunes, Napster, Clickgroove and DJ Download. The company sees DigiWax as an extension of this choice. "This is just a little something extra for the true vinyl fans and collectors," says Andy H. So, will vinyl ever go away? Probably not, if you ask First Word. "The sound of vinyl is still warm, rich, and -- if mastered properly -- sounds amazing in a club," says Andy H "Even the crackles before the record starts sound good." Additional reporting by Eliot Van Buskirk.

The Best of the Gerald Wilson Orchestra (Pacific Jazz) 1978 compilation Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. - Like a Duck to Water (Earthquack) 1976

DB4EVA, I went to a game in Pittsburgh in the late 70s to see Gaylord Perry pitch for the Padres. San Diego wore the uniform you posted, and the Pirates wore their gold uniform, and it was very difficult to tell the teams apart! (As I recall, Perry won a close game and made it look easy.)