GA Russell

I have a friend whose birthday is today. What a shame to have your birthday remembered universally in such a way.

The Ticats today traded Augie Barrenechea to the Eskimos for a non-import DB I've never heard of before named Jason Nedd. Barrenechea is a spark plug. I think they're going to miss him. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

Matt Dominguez hurt his knee in the game this week. He'll be out 2-3 weeks, unless it's a torn ACL, in which case his season is over. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home ***** Argos President Keith Pelley is quitting after the Grey Cup to take the job running the Olympics television coverage. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

Today I noticed an ad at Your Music's website for Zooba, a new book club operated by Book of the Month Club. It looks like it works just like Your Music. All books are $9.95 with free shipping. You make a queue (which can be changed at any time). Once a month they send you the book that is at the top of your queue. I'll peruse the catalogue to see if there are enough to make a decent queue. I might join. http://www.zooba.com/doc/signup/learnmore.jhtml

I suppose the test should be...How many people want to listen to his music now? I'm a believer in distinguishing the art from the artist. The artist's flaws and failings may be interesting but should not affect one's interpretation of the music IMO. Chet Baker and Stan Getz come to mind. If few are interested in his music today, then I suppose he should be remembered as a "conniver", not as a musician.

I've had only one Andrew Hill, Point of Departure, for a number of years. It never really clicked for me until I listened to it when he passed away. I'd like to put another in my Your Music queue. Quite a number of you are big fans of his, so I thought you could recommend to me one that isn't too weird. Thanks! edit for typo

I think there has been recently a real shortage of competent receivers. I noticed this a couple of years ago when listening to Canadian league games it seemed like everyone except a couple of all-stars were always dropping the ball. At the time I thought it was a Canadian league problem, but come Super Bowl time the Steelers played the Seahawks and there were plenty of dropped passes by both teams in that game. And they were the conference champions! I blame it on college and pro coaches who select their players based on speed rather than the ability to catch. Give me a slow-footed guy who never drops the ball like Danny Abramowitz or Lionel Taylor anyday. I think the Canadian league used to be loaded with guys like that.

The CFL announced today that fans will be allowed to vote for the all-star team online at cfl.ca and futureshop.ca. Limit one vote per day! http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home ***** The Argos have traded Mike McMahon to the Als. Why the Als would want him after they have just obtained Jason Maas is a mystery to me. The Als won with Marcus Brady starting against the Lions, which I have to consider a big upset even though the Lions were starting Jarious Jackson at QB. So I have to think that within a couple of weeks the Als are going to let go a QB or two. By the way, the article mentions that McMahon turned down the $720,000. NFL salary to play in the CFL. I really respect that. No wonder he was grousing that he wasn't playing. Not that he deserved to be. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Mon...4483080-cp.html

Week 11, cont. Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34....Saskatchewan Roughriders 15 http://sports.canada.com/default.asp?c=can.../AJN4101660.htm Montreal Alouettes 32....British Columbia Lions 14 http://sports.canada.com/default.asp?c=can.../AJN4101664.htm

Well, listening to good music is not harmful to one's health, which I think is relevant to the topic of addiction. I think staying within a budget you can easily afford is important. If you can do that, I don't think you're addicted. Many of us here are bargain hunters, judging by the many posts regarding Your Music, J&R, the Concord Blowout Sale and the place in Germany that begins with a z. Last year I read that the average monthly cable television bill in America is $56.00. I've never seen anyone suggest that the average American has an addiction for television although it has been said for years that Americans watch too much TV. If we here choose to spend our free time listening to music instead of watching TV, that's a choice regarding entertainment, not an addiction. You can buy from Your Music 8 CDs per month (two a week!), month after month, for what the average American spends on cable television. So if you can satisfy your desire for music with two CDs per week or less instead of watching television, I don't think you're addicted.

I'm not sure what you are getting at... What has Bird got to do with this? Q Q, I agree with what Ubu says, but what I had in mind was that the tracks of both boxes are not complete songs.

Week 11: Calgary Stampeders 20....Edmonton Eskimos 17 http://sports.canada.com/default.asp?c=can.../AJN4101304.htm Same as Monday: The Eskimos dominated the first half; the Stampeders made adjustments and dominated the second half. As I recall, Sean Fleming missed 41 and 45 yard FG attempts which went for a total of one point. Obviously, that made a difference. Toronto Argonauts 35....Hamilton Tiger-Cats 22 http://sports.canada.com/default.asp?c=can.../AJN4101393.htm With Jason Maas gone for Montreal, Timmy Chang started at QB for Hamilton, and was pretty bad, although the team is so bad I don't feel like the QB can be blamed, just like I never blamed Maas. Third-string QB Richie Williams came in in the fourth and looked pretty good, although the game was over by that time. Casey Printers will probably start for the Ticats next week. The rumor in Hamilton is that the Ticats were a million dollars under the salary cap, which is why they could afford to spend so much money on Printers. I think the salary cap is less than five million, so that low payroll may indeed explain why the Ticats are so bad. The announcer said that the Ticats have 20 new players on the team this year, many of them rookies. He also said that I think four of the assistant coaches are former US college coaches with no CFL experience. One in particular is the defensive coordinator. How can you compete for the world championship of the sport of Canadian rules football with a defensive coordinator who has never coached or played the game? ***** During the Eskimos' pre-game show, a reporter said that she had heard that Anthony Calvillo had a torn rotator cuff on his throwing arm/shoulder, and should be out a minimum of four weeks. No wonder they wanted Maas.

We talked about this some time ago. Here's the latest on Bernie Parrish's beef with the players' union: http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home Federal district judge dismisses suit by retired NFL players Associated Press September 7, 2007 at 12:38 PM EDT SAN FRANCISCO — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing the NFL players' union of inadequately representing 3,500 retired players. Judge William H. Alsup of the federal district court dismissed the case Thursday by former NFL players Bernie Parrish and Herb Adderley. It alleged the NFL Players Association and its licencing subsidiary, Players Inc., has done little to secure deals with clothing manufacturers, video game makers and other venues. It also sought class-action status to represent the 3,500 retired players, who it says might be owed "tens of millions of dollars." Parrish was a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns and Houston Oilers from 1959 to 1966. Adderley was a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys from 1961 through 1972. The lawsuit claimed $7 million was given to 358 retired players in 2005, meaning a small percentage of players have been compensated. The union said in a statement in April that its motions to dismiss were based on what it called "the frivolous nature of the suit." In a prepared statement Friday, the association said "those claims have now been rejected by a federal judge as having no merit whatsoever as pled." "The court found that Parrish's complaint was a combination of smoke and mirrors," said Jeffrey Kessler, lawyer for the NFLPA. "Aside from one more deposition, the judge has stopped all discovery starting Sept. 10 by Parrish and his co-claimants against the NFLPA because of the court's doubts that the plaintiffs will ever be able to state a claim."

Sonny's birthday was listed in the paper this morning. Wayne Shorter's was a few days ago. Times sure have changed, seeing jazz musicians' names in the paper. Maybe the editor is a jazz fan!

The Ticats traded Jason Maas to the Als today for non-import fullback Jeff Piercy. Maas caught an early flight to Montreal, and is expected to be in uniform for the game Sunday against BC. Anthony Calvillo was injured last week and won't play this week. I wonder how serious his injury is. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home ***** Week 11 previews: http://sports.canada.com/default.asp?c=can.../AJN4101135.htm ***** On Monday I listened to the Eskimos broadcast of the game against the Stamps in Calgary. Four streakers disrupted the game at various times. Bryan Hall said that he suspected the idea was put into their heads by a new television commercial that includes footage of a streaker. He wouldn't mention the company, but felt strongly that the league should move to have its airing discontinued. Here's an article about problems with drunks at the Bombers games. Last year Bob Ackles mentioned in a halftime interview that people in BC had complained about drunks there. Maybe we will start to see something done by the teams, but this article says that fans are showing up to the games drunk. I can't imagine the teams forbidding beer at the tailgate parties, but if the situation gets bad enough they might try something. Has anyone seen the television commercial Bryan Hall spoke of? Who was the company? http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

I wonder if with the aging of the baby boom population we will see an increase in the popularity of classical music. If so, I wonder if we will see more third stream jazz. I have two new jazz albums which feature string quartets. The first is by John Surman, called The Places In Between. Surman is joined by Bassist Chris Laurence and a string quartet (two violins, viola and cello) called Trans4mation. Trans4mation's sound is lush and smooth. The album was recorded in an Austrian monastery, so perhaps the acoustics there has something to do with it. The strings provide the body of the music, with Surman floating on top of them. I note that the CD Universe blurb refers to the music as "chamber jazz". There are 11 tracks totaling 60 minutes. It's all very relaxing, and maybe hummable after repeated listenings. A great gift for someone who likes classical music. 4 1/2 stars ***** Last year Quartet San Francisco's album Latigo was nominated for two Grammy's in the Classical Crossover category, including Best Album. Their new album is called Whirled Chamber Music. This quartet too is made up of two violins, viola and cello, but its sound is much more earthy than Trans4mation's. There are 18 songs on the album, 7 by Raymond Scott. I didn't know till now that Scott did not compose music for cartoons. Rather, Warner Bros. used his music for their cartoons after the fact. The other 11 songs are standards, if you stretch that concept to include songs by The Average White Band and Tower of Power, as well as Duke Ellington, Earle Hagen and Leonard Bernstein. On The Places In Between the improvisation comes from Surman. I don't get a sense of jazz from Trans4mation. On Whirled Chamber Music the jazz comes from not only the improvisation but also the Django Reinhart feel of the performances. The Surman album is more serious, the Quartet San Francisco album more fun. Quartet San Francisco is a group I would like to see in a club while having a drink. The Surman with Trans4mation effort would be better suited for a concert hall. Both are winners. 4 stars

That's good to know, Lon. I was hoping it wasn't the same thing over and over again like the JJ box.

Thanks Claude! Reading your link makes me a bit ambivilent about picking up the box. I get the impression that it will be like the Jack Johnson box, which I think Teo Macero referred to as "bullshit". The JJ box has been a disappointment to me. Maybe it appeals to the same people who bought the Dean Benedetti Mosaic. I broke disc 2 of the JJ box removing it from my jewel case, and haven't missed it. When the JJ box came out, it got a million raves over at AAJ. Partly because of that I don't trust many of those posters' judgment now. I trust this group much, much more. I'll wait till some of you early adopters pick it up and see what you have to say.

I've seen comments here that much of the music is currently available, but I haven't seen a list of the albums the music comes from. Can anyone provide a list please?

Original Peter was by far my favorite track from the Love Songs album.

The Ticats have won the Casey Printers sweepstakes. Three year deal at $500,000. per year, making him the league's highest paid player. So long Jason Maas. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...ory/GlobeSports The Ticats could afford to outbid four other interested teams because they have room under the salary cap. Maybe that room explains why the Ticats are so bad this year. ***** The Bombers have signed Juran Bolden and Ike Charlton. Bolden was great once upon a time, but I don't expect him to have much left in his tank. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Win...4472890-cp.html ***** The Argos cut Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch today. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...ory/GlobeSports ***** The practice roster is increased by five this week to make room for the NFL cuts.

Happy Birthday Sidewinder! Put on the Four Freshmen Mosaic in celebration!

I saw a guy over the weekend whose belt was at crotch level. That's too low IMO.

My sister had that one! Christmas of 1963 as I recall. People forget what a breath of fresh air the British Invasion was.

That day will come, Kevin!