GA Russell

I saw something on Drudge last week about this, and today it was confirmed with this email I received. Concord and Starbucks are starting a new label called Hear Music, and they have signed Paul McCartney. ***** SEATTLE, March 21, 2007 – Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) and Concord Music Group proudly announced today that Hear Music’s inaugural CD release will be from none other than music legend Paul McCartney. The album is slated for release early this summer and will be available at all traditional music retail outlets and Starbucks locations internationally. The announcement was made at the Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Seattle where McCartney made a surprise appearance via satellite. “For me the great thing is the commitment and the passion and the love of music, which as an artist is good to see,” said McCartney. “It’s a new world now and people are thinking of new ways to reach the people and for me that’s always been my aim.” “Having the honor of releasing an album by Paul McCartney as our first project under the Hear Music label is in a word, remarkable,” said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment. “This demonstrates how Hear Music can present even the most successful recording artists of all-time with unique opportunities to reach existing fans, as well as a new audience of listeners.” “It is such a privilege to be able to present this amazing new album to the world,” said Glen Barros, president and CEO of the Concord Music Group. “I believe that McCartney fans, like myself, will find that this album connects them to everything that they’ve always loved about Paul, yet also delivers a new personal dimension that shows his continued evolution as an artist. It is a truly profound recording.” With their recent creation of the Hear Music label and the newest offering from McCartney, Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Music Group have taken big first steps in the evolution of their partnership. Hear Music grew from the two companies’ mutual quest for music that demonstrates quality, authenticity, relevance and passion. Hear Music seeks to provide a new platform for reaching music fans and introducing them to both emerging and established artists with inspired vision and a keen sense of purpose. This will result in compelling music selections for consumers. Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Music Group’s past collaborations include Ray Charles’ “Genius Loves Company,” which to date has sold 5.5 million copies worldwide and won an unsurpassed eight GRAMMY® Awards including Album of the Year. In addition, Sergio Mendes’ “Timeless” won a Latin GRAMMY® for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album of the Year and to date has sold close to a million copies worldwide.

I haven't thought of him in years. Sorry to hear this. Here's this from the LA Times: Calvert DeForest, 85; cult hit on Letterman's show as Larry 'Bud' Melman By Dennis McLellan, Times Staff Writer March 22, 2007 Calvert DeForest, the roly-poly character actor with the black-framed glasses and seemingly clueless delivery who developed a cult following as Larry "Bud" Melman on "Late Night With David Letterman" in the 1980s, has died. He was 85. DeForest, who continued appearing with Letterman under his own name after the late-night comedian moved from NBC to CBS in the 1990s, died after a long illness Monday at a hospital in Babylon, N.Y., a spokesman for Letterman's production company said. "Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself: a genuine, modest and nice man," Letterman said in a statement Wednesday. "To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him." A struggling sometime actor from Brooklyn, N.Y., DeForest was working part time as a receptionist in a drug rehabilitation center when his role as a deranged studio mogul in a student film caught the attention of Letterman and his head writer, Merrill Markoe. The first thing viewers saw when they tuned in to the debut broadcast of "Late Night With David Letterman" in 1982 was DeForest, in a suit and tie, offering a disclaimer before the show's opening credits: a parody of the prologue to the classic horror film "Frankenstein" in which he warned viewers that what they were about to see "may shock you. It might even horrify you." So began one of the more unusual success stories in show business. "What we liked about Calvert was he had this very odd, naive quality, almost like a kid," Markoe told The Times on Wednesday. "We always had him reading cue cards because of the way he read. It's like what kids do at a grade-school play — that kind of drone. There was just something intrinsically hilarious about it. He didn't have a satiric edge at all; it was a kind of sweet, naive quality that made it very funny." Letterman and his writers soon had DeForest, as Larry "Bud" Melman — a name Markoe said she and Letterman came up with — doing fake commercials for Melman Buses and "Toast-on-a-Stick." He also appeared in countless sketches and was sent on oddball missions, such as handing out hot towels to arriving passengers at the Port Authority Bus Terminal or manning a booth across from the Russian Consulate and encouraging passersby to "C'mon and defect!" DeForest, who was known for what has been called his "braying laugh" — "Ha, ha, ha, ha!" — also offered advice in an "Ask Mr. Melman" bit and did unlikely impersonations of Ronald Reagan, Andy Rooney, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley and other celebrities. He also once sang a duet of "I Got You Babe" with Sonny Bono and was even sent to Norway to report on the 1994 Winter Olympics. As Letterman's "resident oddball," as People magazine once called him, the unassuming DeForest became an unlikely TV celebrity. He went on to appear in a string of commercials for various products, including MCI, Frosted Cheerios and Pizza Hut. He also appeared in numerous films, television movies and TV shows and even starred in his own home video, "Couch Potato Workout." When Letterman switched networks in 1993, NBC claimed the character of Larry "Bud" Melman as its intellectual property and the character had to be dropped from the CBS show. DeForest, who was born in Brooklyn on July 23, 1921, and never married, made his last appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" in 2002. "It was the greatest thing that had happened in my life," he said of his first appearance on Letterman's show. At DeForest's request, there will be no funeral service, but donations may be made in his name to the Actors' Fund of America, 729 7th Ave., 10th floor, New York, NY, 10019.

Is this the set that also includes the previously unissued Bob Zieff tunes? Late, no it's not, unless I've missed something. This was my first Your Music selection. It's OK, but I'm not a fan of Montrose. If you are, it reminds me of the work he did for Clifford Brown's Pacific Jazz album.

Janice Friedman is a pianist who has been a member of the Rutgers faculty since 1993. She is not young. She was born in 1960. Swingin' for the Ride is her third album, but her first as a vocalist. This is a self-produced album available at CDBaby and her website www.janicefriedman.com starting today. Knowing that, I didn't expect much when I put the disc in the player for the first time. There are twelve songs, totalling 49 minutes. Seven of the songs are standards and five were written by Friedman. This is a Diana Krall/Dena DeRose type album. But what a surprise! She can sing. Her alto voice has more body than Julie London's, but she has the same effortless approach to the songs that London had. Her piano playing is good, with brief interesting solos. And for the biggest surprise of all, her compositions are worthy of becoming standards. The music does not challenge the listener, but is not watered down either. Bassist Sean Conly supports well and is given a few brief solos. Drummer Diego Voglino is very competent for the style of music. On several tracks percussionist Daniel Sadownick adds color. If this were released by a major label with proper promotion, it would sell plenty. This is the best new album I've heard in months. 4 1/2 stars

Jen, I would like to see Universal release on CD all of the Cal Tjader Verve albums it has not already re-issued.

I'm very happy with USAA.

Ed Hervey retired today. He was one of my favorites. I was surprised to read that he made the all-star team only twice. As I think I have said before, I think the league suffers from a shortage of guys who can catch, and Hervey could do that. (I think the NFL has the same problem.) Hervey is going to be a scout for the Eskimos on the US West Coast. http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsFootball/home

It's running now on my local station. I've just heard part one. It didn't occur to me that anyone would be on top of this (sorry, TTK!), so I posted about it on the what did you hear today thread. The guy was sure at the right place at the right time for a certain generation. The fact that he owned the UFO club is enough for me.

I'm listening now to Fresh Air, which is a program heard on public stations. They are conducting a lengthy interview with Joe Boyd, who is promoting his new book White Bicycles. Boyd was a record producer and concert promoter in the 60s. He was a honcho when Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival. He was the owner of the UFO club in London. He produced Pink Floyd's first single Arnold Layne. Might be a book I'll want to read.

Last night: Joe Pass - I Remember Charlie Parker (Pablo OJC) 1979 Larry Coryell - The Real Great Escape (Vanguard) 1973

This goes on sale tomorrow. I heard it on the radio twice last week. Different songs on different radio stations.

I ordered two CDs today: Michel Legrand - Legrand Jazz Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri - El Sonido Nuevo Both were $4.98. The shipping charge is $5.48, making the total $15.44, or $7.72 each. We'll see how long it takes for them to arrive.

Guy, I don't know the album you ask about, but I can recommend another Dauner recorded about the same time called Rischkas Soul on the Brain label. Good jazz rock.

Felser, I'll be interested to hear your opinions of 5, Six and Seven if you got them.

Yes. I'll have to look for it sometime. I have almost all of her albums, and it's been a while since I opened one up.

TTK, is that Astrud Now album any good? I have seen a reference or two to it on the internet, but I don't recall ever seeing it in the stores.

Happy Birthday Rooster!

Since you like the Blackhawk recordings, I recommend Shelly Manne's Son of Gunn with Feldman on the marimba.

Congrats Dave! Sounds like a fun place to check out.

I believe that some of Cal Tjader's Verve material has never been on CD. I would release it all and keep it all in print.

Wednesday I heard Where is the Love? from the new Bobby Broom CD. Tonight I heard The Four Freshmen doing Easy Street.

We have three all jazz and NPR news stations in this area; all affiliated with black colleges. WSHA Raleigh, NC WNCU Durham, NC WFSS Fayetteville, NC

I love this one. Is it the one with the Barney Kessel's version of "Round Midnight" ? Yes Michel, that is the one! I enjoy the album. I ought to play it more often.

Various - Lighthouse at Laguna (Contemporary OJC) 1955

Here's a New York Times article from the 9th which I found today. I remember John Mackey and Wayne Hawkins. The night that Sylvia Mackey and Eleanor Perfetto first met, back in October at a Baltimore Ravens reception for former National Football League players and their families, their connection was immediate. As she sat on a couch with her husband, Mrs. Mackey watched Dr. Perfetto cradle the hand of her husband as he blankly shuffled across the floor toward the Mackeys. “Your husband has dementia,” Mrs. Mackey said. “Yours does, too,” Dr. Perfetto replied. “We both just knew,” Dr. Perfetto recalled on Friday, when the two visited the assisted-living facility where Dr. Perfetto’s husband, Ralph Wenzel, resides. Mrs. Mackey quickly added, “You can see it in the wives’ faces just like the husbands’.” On that evening last October, Mrs. Mackey added another N.F.L. wife to her growing network of women who seek her guidance and support as their husbands deteriorate mentally. Her husband, John, was a Hall of Fame tight end for the Baltimore Colts in the late 1960s and early ’70s, and is probably the most notable victim of dementia among former football players. Mrs. Mackey said that she regularly communicates with about 10 women like Dr. Perfetto as they learn to handle their husbands’ dementia, which often begins as early as their 50s. “I know about 20 in all,” Mrs. Mackey said. “And if I know 20, there are probably 60 or 80 out there.” Last May, Mrs. Mackey wrote a three-page letter to Paul Tagliabue, the N.F.L. commissioner at the time, detailing John Mackey’s decline, the financial ruin it would soon cause her, and how the Mackeys were not the only couple facing such a crisis at a time when the league’s coffers are bursting. She wrote that dementia “is a slow, deteriorating, ugly, caregiver-killing, degenerative, brain-destroying tragic horror,” and appealed to Mr. Tagliabue to help. The result was the formation of the 88 Plan, a joint effort between the league and the N.F.L. Players Association named after John Mackey’s jersey number. Under the plan, families of former players who have various forms of dementia can receive money for their care and treatment — up to $88,000 a year if the player must live in an outside facility, and up to $50,000 a year if the player is cared for at home. The first applications were mailed in late February to families of 22 former players who are already known to have dementia, including Mr. Mackey, 65, and Mr. Wenzel, 64. No family has received any money yet. The N.F.L. spokesman Greg Aiello said the league would be aggressive in informing other families about the plan. Although both the league and the players union are quick to deny any connection between someone’s having played football and later cognitive failure — in an e-mail message, Mr. Aiello described dementia as a condition “that affects many elderly people” — the 88 Plan has been created at a time of heightened scrutiny of the effects of brain injuries among football players. In January, a neuropathologist who examined the brain of Andre Waters, the former Philadelphia Eagles player who committed suicide last fall at 44, said that repeated concussions had led to Mr. Waters’s brain tissue resembling that of an 80-year-old with Alzheimer’s disease. And last month, the doctors of the former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson, 34, said he was exhibiting the depression and memory lapses associated with oncoming Alzheimer’s. Coming Up With a Plan Former players who have dementia do not qualify for the N.F.L.’s disability insurance program, because neither the league nor the union consider their conditions football-related, a stance that has been cast in doubt by several scientific studies. Dr. Perfetto said that Mr. Wenzel’s neurologist had determined that on-field brain trauma was the probable cause of his Alzheimer’s-type dementia. In more lucid times Mr. Wenzel estimated his number of concussions as “more than I can count.” Sylvia Mackey said that the cause of her husband’s frontal temporal dementia was less clear, but that his football collisions — including one headfirst impact with a goal post at full speed — were the likely culprit. “I have been approached many times by lawyers who wanted to use me in a lawsuit — I turned them all down, and I’m glad I did,” Sylvia Mackey said, turning back to the 88 Plan. “This is better, because everyone who is affected will benefit, whether they were stars or Hall of Famers or just regular players like Ralph.” John Mackey and Ralph Wenzel will almost certainly qualify for aid, as they appear to be textbook cases of dementia among N.F.L. veterans. Mr. Mackey is a sturdy 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds underneath his trademark black cowboy hat. He’s convivial with fans who remember him, but soon into any interaction quickly demonstrates his mental decline. During lunch on Friday, he used a spoon to drink his coffee, thinking it was soup, and uttered non sequiturs to almost any question, including several repetitions of “I want a cookie” and “I got in the end zone.” His most prized possessions are two rings, which he repeatedly proffered on his fists. “I got this one for winning Super Bowl V, and this one when they put me in the Hall of Fame,” he said several times. The rings are so precious to him that last year, when airport security screeners asked him to remove them, he grew enraged, ran toward the gate and had to be wrestled to the ground, screaming, by armed officials. “I was afraid they might shoot him dead,” Sylvia Mackey said. She no longer lets him fly; when the two traveled from Baltimore to Miami for this year’s Super Bowl, they rode Amtrak for 28 hours. When they are home in Baltimore, John regularly attends an adult day-care facility that costs $76 a day, with 24-hour care on the near horizon. Mr. Wenzel’s dementia is far more apparent than Mr. Mackey’s. Mr. Wenzel walks gingerly, rarely mumbles more than a few nonsensical syllables before growing tired or tongue-tied, and cannot feed himself. He can offer no memories of his N.F.L. career, whether they are about the position he played (offensive line), his seasons (1966-73), his teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers) or his teammates. “Do you remember playing with Lloyd Voss?” his wife asked, trying to give his memory some traction. “No,” he said. “Your best friend?” “Nah,” Mr. Wenzel said as his head drooped further. Dr. Perfetto, Mr. Wenzel’s second wife, found she could no longer care for her husband in their home in Stevensville, Md. In February she moved him to the Annapolitan Assisted Living Community at the cost of about $65,000 a year. His building’s doors are locked and guarded so the residents do not wander away. Families Facing Bankruptcy A senior director in health policy for Pfizer, Dr. Perfetto, 48, said that caring for her husband would eventually bankrupt her retirement accounts. (Mr. Wenzel receives a monthly N.F.L. pension of $925.) Sylvia Mackey, 65, returned to work as a flight attendant for United Air Lines several years ago solely because her husband’s pension, now $2,450 a month, fell well below their living costs. She said that if it were not for the funds from the 88 Plan, she would have to sell her home, particularly when her husband needs institutionalization. The paradox of veterans of the N.F.L., a $6 billion-a-year business, struggling to pay medical bills is compounded by another, far less obvious fact. Dr. Perfetto said that she had trouble finding a home that would accept Mr. Wenzel because victims of Alzheimer’s-type diseases occasionally become violent, and former football players of his size (6 feet 2 and 215 pounds) are difficult for staff members to subdue. “These facilities are used to older people who are fairly decrepit — who have strokes or blindness or use a walker, that sort of thing,” Dr. Perfetto said. Dr. Perfetto said that while she hoped to receive assistance from the 88 Plan, she remained cautious. Many former N.F.L. players and their families have complained that the league’s disability insurance system is far too strict, with thresholds too high and hurdles too numerous for the deserving to get help. This skepticism is shared by Sharon Hawkins, who will be applying for 88 Plan assistance on behalf of her husband, Wayne, a former offensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders from 1960-69 who receives at-home care for his increasing dementia. “I’m full of hope that we’ll be able to get it,” Mrs. Hawkins, who lives in Reno, Nev., said in a telephone interview. “Until something has really happened the way they say it will, I’m reserving judgment.” Gene Upshaw, executive director of the N.F.L. Players Association and the target of many veterans’ dissatisfaction with the disability system, said in a telephone interview that he understood Mrs. Hawkins’s doubt and agreed that there was too much red tape. He said that even though 88 Plan awards would be determined by the same six-member panel (split evenly among appointees of the league and the union) as the league’s existing disability plan, he pledged that the 88 Plan would be handled differently. “There will not be any red tape,” Upshaw said. “There will not be any hurdles to overcome.” No Memories at All Meeting up with old teammates is supposed to ease the pain among hurting N.F.L. veterans, but that was not the case with Mr. Mackey and Mr. Wenzel. They played together on the 1972 Chargers, even blocking on the same offensive line, but neither has any memory of it. Neither remembers playing for the Chargers at all. Even after spending two hours together, and being reintroduced several times, neither man knew the other’s name. “Do you remember playing with Ralph at all, John?” Mr. Mackey was asked. “Who’s Ralph?” Mr. Mackey replied. “The guy sitting to your left.” “You’re Ralph?” he asked Mr. Wenzel. “Yes.” “I’m John Mackey,” he declared, staring blankly ahead. Sylvia Mackey and Eleanor Perfetto looked on, hoping to see some glint of recognition in their husbands’ eyes. But the only sign of recognition in the room was between the two women when they turned to look at each other and smiled sadly, their connection only growing as their husbands’ disappeared.