GA Russell

In New Orleans in the 60s, instrumentals were used because they could easily be faded out at precisely the top of the hour. As I recall in August of 1964, The Ventures' Walk Don't Run '64 was played every hour. The New Orleans stations played the jazz songs that were hits like In Crowd, Hang On Sloopy, Hard Day's Night (all by Ramsey Lewis), Mercy, Mercy, Mercy by Cannonball, Misty by Groove Holmes, and The Batman Theme by Ronnie Kole (a local musician). But most of the instrumentals were rock and r&b numbers. In regard to elsewhere, I never noticed any jazz other than the hit singles when I would listen to rock stations when I would travel; and I think I would have noticed because I preferred the instrumentals to the vocals. Sounds like you were lucky, if only for thirty seconds at a time!

I was surprised to hear him pronounce his name on the radio some months ago. He had a weekly program on the CBC. He pronounces his name "Back-mun", not "Bach-mun".

Barry Miles (Poppy) 1971 Elton Dean, Joe Gallivan, Kenny Wheeler - The Cheque is in the Mail (Ogun) 1977

I don't suppose many here remember Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. He was a great orator. He had a radio show for many years, and in the 50s moved to television. In 1954 and 1955, his show (which was just him standing in front of a blackboard for a half hour) was the #1 Nielsen-rated show on the ABC network. My mother did not watch much TV during the daytime, but when I was a pre-schooler I remember her watching the reruns of Bishop Sheen shown in the afternoons. In the past few years I have picked up three books of transcripts of his. 99% of what was in the books was of a religious nature. I wondered how a preacher discussing religion could be the number one show of a network! I figured that times sure have changed! Well, Sunday night I was travelling in my car and I picked up a Wilmington, NC, radio station that was broadcasting Sheen! It was an excellent talk about Abraham Lincoln. Nothing religious about it. The station was an affiliate of something I had never heard of before called Relevant Radio. Today I went to their website, and I see that it is a Catholic radio network. I looked at the schedule, and saw that they broadcast two episodes of Sheen every night seven days a week at 10:00 pm eastern, and they stream their programming on the internet. So I have just spent the past hour listening to Bishop Sheen. In the first episode he discussed the intentions of the Soviets in their desire for "peaceful coexistence", and in the second episode he discussed the origin of the phrase Love is "a Many-Splendored Thing", which it turns out is a line from a poem by a British poet named Francis Thompson. So nothing religious about any of it, except to say that he broadly discussed peace and love. So if any of you would like to hear Sheen, you can get him at http://www.relevantradio.com I'm sure that I'll tune in again the next chance I get.

There were three King Herods during Jesus's lifetime. The first was Herod the Great, who reigned when He was born. The second was I think Herod Agrippa, who had St. John the Baptist executed. The third I think was Herod Philipi (not sure about that), who met with Jesus Good Friday morning. No. Agrippa I came later, during the 30s and 40s -- when Caligula and Claudius were emperors. This is the Herod of I, Claudius, Herod the Great's grandson. You may be thinking of Herod Antipas. Don't hold me to that, however. Guy, that's it! So Herod Antipas was second and had St. John the Baptist executed, and Herod Agrippa was the one who met with Jesus on Good Friday, right?

There were three King Herods during Jesus's lifetime. The first was Herod the Great, who reigned when He was born. The second was I think Herod Agrippa, who had St. John the Baptist executed. The third I think was Herod Philipi (not sure about that), who met with Jesus Good Friday morning.

WD and Ubu, I recommend getting a carton of empty jewel cases! They're only a quarter each at the warehouse stores like BJ's. I keep each CD in its own jewel case and never fool with the boxes. Me too, CJ! I like box sets for that reason.

Does this mean that it's really 2013 now? Yes. I remember thinking at the time that the people who believed that the end of the world would come in the year 2000 should have been worried in 1994!

Actually, it's 52% according to the ESPN.com article written by Jayson Stark. That's more than half; a majority. That's not what this morning's Raleigh News & Observer said. It said that 37% are rooting for him, 52% are rooting against him, and 11% don't care.

This morning's paper in an AP story quoted an ABC/ESPN poll that said that only 37% of fans hope that he breaks Aaron's record.

I do too! I enjoy it whenever I pull it out, but that hasn't been very often. I'll have to listen to it again today.

Wasn't he dead for 4 years when Jesus was born? WL, Jesus is believed to have been born in 6 B.C. The monk who created the modern calendar miscalculated.

Here's what Doug Ramsey has to say in his Rifftides blog today: May 7, 2007 Alvin Batiste, Gone The news of Alvin Batiste's death of an apparent heart attack early Sunday morning came as I was preparing to write a few words about his new CD. A great clarinetist, a masterly transmitter of the jazz tradition, Batiste was scheduled to play Sunday at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr., two of the legion of Louisiana musicians who learned from him. As head of the music department at Southern University in Baton Rouge, much of Batiste's teaching was in that four-year institution, but in recent years he was also the primary teacher of jazz instrumental music at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).Batiste.jpg He teamed with NOCCA's founder, his lifelong friend Ellis Marsalis, to help shape the abilities of Connick, the Marsalis brothers (Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason), drummer Herlin Riley, saxophonist Donald Harrison and dozens of other young New Orleans musicians who have become prominent in jazz. The first black soloist with the New Orleans Philharmonic, Batiste was thoroughly grounded in the formal rules of music and brilliant in breaking them. As effective in free music as he was in traditional jazz and bebop, Batiste jammed with Ornette Coleman during Coleman's New Orleans sojourn in the 1950s. Along with Ellis Marsalis, Harold Battiste, Ed Blackwell, James Black, Melvin Lastie, Al Belletto, Warren Bell, Jr. and a few others who fell under the spell of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell and other pioneers of bebop, he helped establish modern jazz in the city. In my encounters with Batiste in New Orleans over the years, I found him kind and gracious, with an endearing soft humor. In Batiste the educator those qualities were wrapped around a core of iron; he once ejected Branford Marsalis from the Southern University jazz band for insufficient commitment. Marsalis later said that the experience concentrated his focus. He went on to become one of the deepest improvising musicians of his generation. Batiste's Cd titled Alvin Batiste is an initial release in the Honor Series on the Marsalis Music label. It was produced by Branford Marsalis, who plays saxophone on three of its tracks. Riley is the drummer. The other name musician is guitarist Russell Malone. They are supported by two youngsters Marsalis recommended, pianist Lawrence Fields and bassist Ricardo Rodriguez, both impressive in this fast company. Singer Edward Perkins appears on four tracks. Batiste has played farther out than he does in this collection, but the CD provides a broad acquaintance with his scope, his daring and the depth of his fat sound. Seven of the ten compositions are his, including "The Latest," a harmonic obstacle course in the manner of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" and the funky anthem "Salty Dogs," which was adopted years ago by Cannonball Adderley. Exchanging phrases on "My Life Is A Tree," Batiste and Marsalis, on tenor sax, are continuations of the same line of thought. Batiste's bebop foundation is in stimulating evidence in the "Cherokee" derivative called "Bat Trad." Batiste's concentration on music education kept him occupied. As a result, there is precious little of him on recordings. We may consider the CD Alvin Batiste a posthumous gift. Quint Davis, the director of the New Orleans JazzFest, sums up Batiste's importance in this interview with WDSU-TV. The New Orleans Times Picayune combines an obituary and a wrapup of the tribute that replaced Batiste's appearance at the festival. Branford Marsalis will play with his quintet this week at The Seasons. I look forward to reminiscing with him about his friend and mentor.

Here is the AP report. I had no idea that he was the king for 70 years. This is the same King Herod who met with the three Wise Men, and ordered all the children of Bethlehem to be killed. JERUSALEM — An Israeli archaeologist has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Hebrew University said late Monday. The tomb is at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem. Herod built a palace on the hill, and researchers discovered his burial site there, the university said. The university had hoped to keep the find a secret until Tuesday, when it planned a news conference to disclose the find in detail, but the Haaretz newspaper found out about the discovery and published an article on its Web site. Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 74 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem still stands, and he also ordered big construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other sites. It has long been assumed Herod was buried at Herodium, but decades of excavations had failed to turn up the site. The 1st century historian Josephus Flavius described the tomb and Herod's funeral procession. Haaretz said the tomb was found by archaeologist Ehud Netzer, a Hebrew University professor who has been working at Herodium since 1972. The paper said the tomb was in a previously unexplored area between the two palaces Herod built on the site. Herod died in 4 B.C. in Jericho. Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman troops in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Lani Hall - Hello It's Me (A&M DJ copy) 1973? Larry Coryell - Offering (Vanguard) 1972 Janis Siegel - At Home (Atlantic) 1987 Jack Jones - The Look of Love (Br. RCA Camden) 1967 Don Ellis - Shock Treatment (Columbia)

Me too. I made the mistake of letting her live outside while I was at work. Apparently she lost a fight and got feline HIV. I've since moved, and they won't allow pets here. Like 7/4, when I move again I'll get another.

Thanks, SS! I'll try listening to it with that in mind.

A lucky guess! (PS - re Sonny, Please)

My pick this month is Gerry Mulligan - Jeru. In the 70s Columbia re-released a few of its best jazz albums under the banner "Jazz Odyssey" series. This was one of them. Tommy Flanagan is on it, and I've never heard an album with him that I didn't like. So I thought I would give it a try. I discovered this two weeks ago while looking for something to give a friend. I think I'm going to have to revisit the website to reacquaint myself with their selection.

Here's a review of the new McCartney album from a gossip columnist (!) on the Fox News website: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270434,00.html Masterful McCartney I told you last week in my exclusive first review that Paul McCartney's "Memory Almost Full," due on June 6 from Starbucks' new Hear Music label, is better than anyone could have expected. Here are a couple of other thoughts about a song called "The End of the End," the penultimate track on the album. I think McCartney's written a lyric here that stands up to anything during his time with the Beatles or since. It's a sad song, for sure, maybe a result of Paul's bad year and marriage break-up. But it's also so lovely that I think people are going to be using it as an elegy for years to come. Here's a verse: "On the day that I die / I'd like jokes to be told / And stories of old / To be rolled out like carpets / That children have played on / And laid on while listening / To stories of old." There's really nothing like "Memory Almost Full" available right now from a contemporary singer-songwriter. It's quite amazing that we're depending on artists in their late 50s and early 60s to fill an artistic void. Amazing, and sad. Last year, Paul Simon's wonderful "Surprise" album was totally ignored, however, even though it was the best CD of the year by miles. I hope that doesn't happen this time around to McCartney. "Memory Almost Full" is too good.

When I first got it I burned a copy for the car, and over the past year I have listened to it a great deal. I never warmed up to it quite the way so many of you have, and it finally dawned on me that I don't like the first song and the second song I prefer to hear last. So I may burn another copy omitting the first song and placing the second song last. I enjoy it when I listen to it that way.

I saw Benny Goodman on with Carson once. I remember that Benny cracked a joke about Selmer, but I don't remember what they were talking about.

Here's his obituary from the Washington Post via the LA Times: Alvin Batiste, 74; veteran jazz clarinetist By Adam Bernstein, Washington Post May 7, 2007 Alvin Batiste, a widely respected jazz clarinetist, composer and educator who played across the musical spectrum, from traditional to avant-garde styles, and was a prolific figure on the jazz festival circuit, died Sunday at his home in New Orleans after an apparent heart attack. He was 74. He played Saturday at FestForAll, a celebration in Baton Rouge, La., and died hours before he was scheduled to perform with pianist and singer Harry Connick Jr. and saxophonist Branford Marsalis at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Batiste recorded sparingly but performed with saxophonists Ornette Coleman and Cannonball Adderley, considered modern jazz greats, as well as musicians as diverse as drummer Billy Cobham and pianist Dr. John. Never a household name but always admired among musicians, Batiste received broader recognition in the 1980s, touring and recording with Clarinet Summit, a quartet that included John Carter, David Murray and Jimmy Hamilton. Batiste was born Nov. 7, 1932, in New Orleans, where his father, a railroad worker, played traditional jazz clarinet on the side. Outside home, Batiste grew immersed in the city's music offerings. "I remember following a parade when I was 3 years old," he told a Baton Rouge reporter last year. "It was Easter Sunday. I had on a little white suit and, all over New Orleans, the people fed me. When I got home, after they expressed the happiness for me being there, then they almost killed me." Batiste received extensive musical training through the school system and, as a college student, was a guest soloist with the New Orleans Philharmonic, playing a Mozart clarinet concerto. He was a 1955 music education graduate of Southern University and later earned a master's degree in clarinet performance and composition at Louisiana State University. Batiste was increasingly influenced by bebop jazz pioneers such as saxophonist Charlie Parker. In 1956, he helped start the American Jazz Quintet in New Orleans with drummer Ed Blackwell, pianist Ellis Marsalis, saxophonist Nat Perrilliat and bass player Chuck Badie. Batiste considered the American Jazz Quintet an experiment in a modern chamber-jazz sound, and it resulted in an early album, "In the Beginning." Competent on piano and saxophone, Batiste was called on for his multi-instrumental skills while touring with rhythm-and-blues artists such as Ray Charles, Guitar Slim and Little Willie John. He also was a studio musician for the AFO ("all for one") label in New Orleans and toured regionally with his band, the Jazztronauts. That group included many of his music students at Southern University, where he helped create the jazz studies program in the late 1960s. As an educator, Batiste influenced several generations of performers, including Branford Marsalis (son of Ellis, brother of Wynton) and pianist Henry Butler. Though retired from Southern University, he continued to teach at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, a conservatory for young adults. His first major-label release was 1993's "Late" for Columbia Records, which included several of his compositions and a trio led by pianist Kenny Barron. This year, Branford Marsalis produced "Marsalis Music Honors Alvin Batiste," which showcased Batiste's compositions. Batiste is survived by his wife of 53 years, Edith Chatters Batiste of New Orleans and Baton Rouge; three children, Alvin Batiste Jr. of Plaquemine, La., Marcia Wilson and pianist Maynard Batiste, both of Baton Rouge; a sister; and 12 grandchildren.

Happy Belated Birthday ASNL!

Today (Sunday) was the 70th anniversary of the Hindenburg crash. This morning I heard on NPR (I think the show was Weekend Edition) the tape of Herb Morrison announcing the event. All these years, the playback of the Morrison tape has been too fast (and therefore too high). It was pitch-corrected for today's show, and Morrison sounded like a professional radio announcer, not like a geeky accountant.