GA Russell

Tom Poston died today. He was 85! I remember him well each week on The Steve Allen Show. I also remember him as a regular on To Tell the Truth. From time to time the guest would be someone related to jazz. Poston would never fail to ask the contestants, "What instrument does Miles Davis play?" Then, when each panelist would reveal whom he voted for, Poston would say EVERY TIME "Miles is a friend of mine." Here's his obit from the LA Times website: Tom Poston, a master at playing clueless sidekicks, dies at 85 From the Associated Press 1:44 PM PDT, May 1, 2007 Tom Poston, the tall, pasty-faced comic who found fame and fortune playing a clueless everyman on such hit television shows as "Newhart" and "Mork and Mindy," has died. He was 85. Poston, who was married to Suzanne Pleshette of "The Bob Newhart Show," died Monday night at home after a brief illness, a family representative, Tanner Gibson, said Tuesday. The nature of his illness was not disclosed. Poston's run as a comic bumbler began with "The Steve Allen Show" after Allen plucked the character actor from the Broadway stage to join an ensemble of eccentrics he would conduct "man in the street" interviews with. Don Knotts was the shaky Mr. Morrison, Louis Nye was the suave, overconfident Gordon Hathaway and Poston's character was so unnerved by the television cameras that he couldn't remember who he was. He won an Emmy playing "The Man Who Can't Remember His Name." But when Allen moved the show from New York to Los Angeles in 1959, Poston stayed behind. "Hollywood's not for me right now; I'm a Broadway cat," he told a reporter at the time. When he did finally move west, he quickly began appearing in variety shows, sitcoms and films. His movie credits included "Cold Turkey," "The Happy Hooker," "Rabbit Test" and, more recently, "Christmas With the Kranks," "Beethoven's 5th" and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement." On "Mork and Mindy," which starred Robin Williams as a space alien, Poston was Franklin Delano Bickley, the mindless boozer with the annoying dog. On "Newhart," he was George Utley, the handyman who couldn't fix anything at the New England inn that Bob Newhart ran. And on Newhart's show "Bob," he was the star's dim-bulb former college roommate. "These guys are about a half-step behind life's parade," Poston commented in a 1983 interview. "The ink on their instruction sheets is beginning to fade. But they can function and cope and don't realize they are driving people up the walls. "In ways I don't like to admit, I'm a goof-up myself," Poston continued. "It's an essential part of my character. When these guys screw up it reminds me of my own incompetence with the small frustrations of life." Goof-up or not, Poston was a versatile actor who made his Broadway debut in 1947 playing five roles in Jose Ferrer's "Cyrano de Bergerac." One role called for him to engage in a duel, fall 10 feet, roll across the stage and vanish into the orchestra pit. Other actors had auditioned and failed but Poston, who in his youth had been an acrobat with the Flying Zepleys, did the stunt perfectly. He went on to play secondary roles in Broadway comedies and starred at regional theaters in such shows as "Romanoff and Juliet" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." For 10 years he was also a panelist on the popular TV quiz show "To Tell the Truth." He made guest appearances on scores of television shows, including "Studio One," "The Phil Silvers Show," "The Defenders," "Get Smart," "The Bob Newhart Show," "The Love Boat," "St. Elsewhere," "The Simpsons," "Coach," "Murphy Brown," "Home Improvement," "Touched by an Angel," "Will & Grace," "Dream On," "Just Shoot Me!" and "That '70s Show." Poston and his first wife, Jean Sullivan, had a daughter, Francesca, before their marriage ended in divorce. He married his second wife, Kay Hudson, after they met while appearing in the St. Louis Light Opera, and they had a son, Jason, and daughter, Hudson. Poston and Pleshette, who had appeared together in the 1959 Broadway play "The Golden Fleecing," had had a brief fling before marrying other people. Both now widowed, they reunited in 2000 and married the following year. Their paths had crossed on "The Bob Newhart Show" in the 1970s. Poston made several guest appearances on the sitcom in which Pleshette played Newhart's wife. In 2006, Pleshette underwent chemotherapy for lung cancer that her agent said was caught at an early stage. Born in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 17, 1921, Thomas Poston moved from city to city as a child as his father hunted for work during the Depression. As a teenager, he made money as a boxer. Following two years at Bethany College, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and flew troops to the European war zone during World War II. Hunting for a postwar occupation, Poston read an interview with Charles Jehlinger, creative head of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and was inspired to sign up for a two-year course at the Academy. Besides Pleshette, Poston is survived by his children, Francesca Hudson and Jason Poston. A private service was planned for immediate family. Details of a public memorial service were to be announced later.

Here's his obituary from today's LA Times: Tommy Newsom, 78; 'Tonight Show' band member, Johnny Carson's foil By Dennis McLellan, Times Staff Writer May 1, 2007 Tommy Newsom, the former longtime saxophonist for "The Tonight Show" orchestra who regularly subbed for bandleader Doc Severinsen and earned the tongue-in-cheek nickname "Mr. Excitement" as the famously low-key butt of Johnny Carson's jokes, has died. He was 78. Newsom, who had bladder and liver cancer, died Saturday at his home in Portsmouth, Va., said his wife of 49 years, Pat. Newsom became an NBC staff musician in 1962, having recently finished touring with Benny Goodman's big band in Latin America and the Soviet Union. Shortly after joining the network, he was assigned to "The Tonight Show," where he remained until Carson retired in 1992. "He was, of course, a fantastic arranger, composer and saxophone player — that goes without saying," Severinsen told The Times on Monday. "He was one of the sweetest guys that ever came down the pike, a gentleman through and through." Newsom, who wrote arrangements for the "Tonight Show" orchestra and played lead alto sax — Severinsen credited him with helping "make that band what it was" — became assistant music director in 1968. As substitute bandleader, Newsom's plain wardrobe and unassuming demeanor offered a stark contrast to the outgoing and flamboyantly attired Severinsen. "Johnny blanched when he saw me" leading the band for the first time, Newsom recalled in a 1992 interview with The Times. "I was such a contrast to Doc, who was dressing like a demented flamingo, while I just wore my other suit — I had a limited wardrobe. I don't think I said a thing." Newsom's self-described "cardboard-cutout style" quickly proved to be a perfect foil for Carson, who called him "The Man from Bland" and "the cover boy for Oatmeal Illustrated." How dull was Newsom? He was, according to Carson, so dull he "wants to come back as a plant, so somebody will talk to him" and "was the only person to reach puberty and senility at the same time." But occasionally, as Newsom told the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in 2001, "I'd get a zinger in." When he uncharacteristically wore a loud yellow jacket on one show, Carson cracked, "Look at that big, dumb canary." To which Newsom replied: "You'll know what kind of bird I am when I fly over you." Carson sidekick Ed McMahon recalled another time that Newsom's dry wit surfaced. Noting that the wardrobe department would pick out what they would wear on the show, "although you didn't have to wear it," he said that Carson walked out on stage one night wearing a tan jacket and dark brown pants when he noticed that Newsom was similarly attired. "We're wearing the same outfit," Carson said to him. Deadpanned Newsom: "I had no choice." "He'd come up with those bons mots that would just devastate the audience," McMahon said. The son of a pharmacist father and a kindergarten teacher mother, Newsom was born in Portsmouth on Feb. 25, 1929. He received his first saxophone for Christmas when he was 8, and he was playing in local bands by the time he was 13. After graduating from high school in 1945, Newsom attended the Norfolk division of the College of William & Mary (now Old Dominion University), then spent four years majoring in music education at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Joining the Air Force after graduating from Peabody in 1952, he toured with the Airmen of Note, an Air Force jazz ensemble. He then moved to New York, where he earned a master's degree in music education from Columbia University and freelanced as a musician, both on the road and in studios, as well as playing with the Vincent Lopez band for a couple of years. Newsom won a Clio Award for an American Airlines commercial and shared Emmy Awards for his musical arranging on "Night of 100 Stars" in 1982 and the 40th annual Tony Awards in 1986. Newsom, who recorded several CDs, did arrangements for artists ranging from opera singer Beverly Sills to country singer Kenny Rogers. He also did symphonic arrangements for Severinsen. Newsom, who moved from Tarzana to Portsmouth after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, continued to do occasional gigs until March, as well as writing arrangements until a few weeks ago. In addition to his wife, Newsom is survived by a daughter, Candace Liebmann. His son, Mark, died in 2003. A memorial service in Woodland Hills is pending.

Thanks for posting this, Guy. It looks like greed may catch up with some people, the ones buying the riskiest tranches.

Pet Clark - My Love (Warner Bros. mono) 1965 The Beau Brummels Sing (Post) 1965 (70s compilation of their Autumn albums) Sounds Incorporated (Br. See For Miles) 1983 compilation of their two mid-60s albums The Very Best of Bobby Vee (United Artists) (Today is his birthday.) Blossom Dearie - Once Upon a Summertime... (Verve) 1958 (1987 reissue)

Mike Ricci announced today that AAJ is starting a new download store. All the songs are DRM free. It appears that the albums go for $12.00, while each song goes for $1.20. Obviously, you would want to download the tracks individually when there are fewer than ten tracks, it seems to me. I haven't heard of most of the labels, but CTI and Cryptogramophone are included. http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=20945

I lived in Boston in September of '72. I'm sorry I didn't go to see this.

Happy Birthday .:.!

Not to beat a dead horse, but let me point out, TTK, that the records for the bonus tracks session were so poor that they do not know who the personnel were. Because of the poor record keeping, I don't think a conclusion can be fairly reached regarding why the discrepancy you mention exists. The CD liner notes say, "Two selections with possibly the same stellar line-up as 'Afro-blue', Monkey Beams and Ming..." The use of the word "possibly" indicates to me that they don't know for sure who is even on the record. If they can't get that right, why should we expect them to get anything else right?

Three times I have gone to a club, sat at the front, and have the entertainer come sit down beside me and chat between sets: Bob Shane of The Kingston Trio Vince Guaraldi Mark Murphy

Return To Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Polydor) 1973 I've had this album for 24 years, but never played it very much. I'm hearing now for the first time the influence this had on Hugh Hopper.

Phil Kelly (SGUD Missle) reported at AAJ today that Tommy Newsom died yesterday of liver cancer. He was 78. I'll post the LA Times obit when it comes up tomorrow. http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=20914

I remember well those senses of discovery and revelation when I was in college and getting into jazz by buying $1.99 cutouts of Riversides and Prestiges; and later when I was getting into Canterbury prog rock which were only available as import LPs. But in both cases there were two factors: The music was new to me, and there was a shortage of what was available in the record stores. Nowadays, I'm not aware of any new music trends that excite me. And the ability to easily purchase all of an artist's catalogue currently in print is a definite improvement to me. Plus, even though I am on a strict budget, I have more money to spend on music now (especially with Your Music!) than I had when I was a student; so each individual album is not going to be as precious as it was then. And also, I'm more than thirty years older than I was in those days; and maybe with time the thrill of the hunt wears off. But I think that it would return if I discovered a new type of music which excited me.

Happy Birthday Joe!

Happy Birthday Niko!

Durium, I think the guy is amazing! I've raved about him in this thread: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...mp;hl=Adventure Hope you get to see him.

The Searchers - Love's Melodies (Sire) 1981 Gerry & the Pacemakers - Ferry Cross the Mersey original soundtrack (United Artists mono) 1964 Gary Farr - Addressed to the Censors of Love (Atco) 1973

What's his name? Should I know him?

Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys - The Street Giveth...and the Street Taketh Away (Polydor 24-4001, US Polydor's first release) 1969

ejp, you're making me laugh again!

In 1976 I had a summer job working for MCI. I sold their long distance service at a time when no one had heard of them. I would call up businesses and give the presidents the pitch. I spoke to four relatively famous people without knowing when I dialed that they were in charge: Dagmar (late night TV personality) Ralph Guglielmi (Notre Dame and St. Louis Cardinals quarterback) Van McCoy (Do the Hustle! ) Bob Purkey (Cincinnati Reds pitcher) edit for typo

Paul Erdman died Monday. I enjoyed very much The Billion Dollar Sure Thing and The Silver Bears back in the day. I remember seeing him interviewed on television. This obit is the first I've heard about his being charged with fraud. The minimal $25,000. judgment makes it sound bogus to me. At the time he made it clear that he felt that the only "crime" he committed was presiding over a Swiss bank that failed. He said that the Swiss don't tolerate that sort of thing. He suggested that he was a fall guy of the real powers that be in international finance. So in his first novel his hero was a guy that the powers that be tried to make take the fall. Here's his obit from today's LA Times: Paul Erdman, 74; banker-turned-novelist By Dennis McLellan, Times Staff Writer April 27, 2007 Paul Erdman, a noted economist and former Swiss banker who tapped his knowledge of international finance and monetary trends to write best-selling financial thrillers, including "The Billion Dollar Sure Thing" and "The Crash of '79," has died. He was 74. Erdman died of cancer Monday at his ranch in Healdsburg in Sonoma County, said his son-in-law Hernan Narea. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), in a statement to The Times this week, called Erdman "one of the leading financial minds of the 20th century" and "a dear friend whose intellect was dazzling." Dubbed "the king of the financial thriller" and the "Adam Smith of the crime novel," Erdman launched his career as a novelist three decades ago in an unlikely venue: a 17th century Swiss jail. He was chief executive of United California Bank of Basel, Switzerland, in 1970 when he presided over what has been called "one of the most spectacular collapses in the history of Swiss banking." Erdman and seven other bank employees, according to a 1972 story in The Times, were charged with fraud, forgery and other crimes in connection with commodity speculation resulting in a $53.4-million loss. Erdman began writing his first novel, "The Billion Dollar Sure Thing," during the months he spent behind bars after his arrest. Published in 1973, the international tale of various attempts to manipulate the value of the dollar and the price of gold reportedly sold more than 2 million copies and earned Erdman an Edgar Award for best first novel from the Mystery Writers of America. "I had just come off the excitement of international banking," Erdman later told Time magazine, "and I was full of theories. Primarily, I was convinced that the world was facing the first cataclysmic financial events since World War II: a massive increase in the price of gold and the devaluation of the dollar." Erdman originally had intended to write a book on economics. "But since I was in jail at the time, I had no research facilities, so I decided to try it in novel form," he told the New York Times Book Review in 1981. Erdman's 1974 novel "The Silver Bears" became a 1978 movie starring Michael Caine and Cybill Shepherd. "The Great Game," his 10th novel, is expected to be published this year, his family said. "I probably have a better background in international economics than most economists in this country," Erdman told San Francisco Business Magazine in 1990. "I think my credentials are just fine. It's just that it's a rather boring profession. Who in hell wants to spend their life being an economist?" Born May 19, 1932, in Stratford, Canada, to American parents (his father was a Lutheran minister), Erdman received a bachelor of divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 1954 and another bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. After stints as an assistant editor of the editorial page at the Washington Post and working in a brokerage house in Washington, he earned a doctorate in economics, European history and theology from the University of Basel in 1958. During the late 1950s and early '60s, Erdman served as an international economist with the European Coal and Steel Community (the forerunner of the European Common Market) and the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif. With funding from San Diego financier Charles Salik, Erdman launched the Salik Bank in Basel in the mid-1960s, reportedly becoming the first American to establish a private bank in Switzerland. By late 1968, the Salik Bank reportedly had assets of nearly $50 million. It was bought by United California Bank in 1969. Then came the bank's closing in 1970. The Swiss prosecutor, according to the 1972 Times story, said the bank's losses were incurred through large-scale unauthorized speculation by key bank officers on silver, cocoa and other commodities and by foreign exchange dealing in the late 1960s. The losses, the prosecutor said, had been covered up by falsifying the bank's books. Erdman, who blamed the bank's commodities traders for the problems and disclaimed personal responsibility, left Switzerland after posting bail. Tried in absentia, according to a 1987 Times story, he was convicted of fraud, sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. He also was banished from Switzerland for 15 years and would have faced incarceration had he ever returned. Under U.S.-Swiss treaties, however, he could not be extradited. Erdman's time in jail became a colorful biographical footnote as he pursued his career as a novelist and continued to be sought after for his views on international finance as a speaker and writer. In addition to his novels, Erdman wrote several nonfiction books, including "Tug of War: Today's Global Currency Crisis." And from 1998 to 2005 he wrote a column on international finance and affairs for MarketWatch, an online financial news service. "Paul was one of these characters who could really capture the intersection of international relations and the financial markets," MarketWatch managing editor Alexander Davis told The Times this week. "He wrote with a kind of idiosyncratic wit and flair; he was a pretty rare talent." Erdman is survived by his wife, Helly; his daughters, Jennifer Erdman and Constance Erdman Narea; and two granddaughters.

Speaking of pushing aside, I did it once myself, and I've felt bad about it ever since. This was about 1979. I was in a record store in Pittsburgh. The import section was upstairs. I don't recall why, but I was in a really bad mood. As I was leaving, a punk rock and roll band in black leather jackets were lined up side by side at the foot of the stairs. Perhaps to have their photo taken. Really posturing like they were bad. I stepped between this short skinny petite guy and a guy that looked like a girl and pushed them aside so I could leave. The band went on to have some hits. They were called The Talking Heads. The skinny guy was the lead singer, I think his name was David but you rock fans would know. He looked startled and hurt, and the bravado disappeared in a flash. The blond guy really was a girl. Her name I'm pretty sure was Tina.

Couch is now the third string quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts. P.S. Oops! Couch is not with the Argos. The Argos QB is another NFL bust named Eric Crouch, I think. Jackson is now the third string QB for the British Columbia Lions.

Stan Getz - Another World, disc 2 (Columbia) 1978 Elton Dean's Ninesense - Oh! For the Edge (Ogun) 1976

The league will webcast its draft at its cfl.ca website on Wednesday starting at 1:00 pm eastern. ***** Calgary has signed former Cincinnati QB Akili Smith to challenge Henry Burris. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home