GA Russell

I can't believe that some of you people don't have the willpower to wait until Christmas to open this up! This may be better than any of your Christmas presents!

I remember around 1966 or '67 hearing Howard Roberts' When Sunny Gets Blue played fairly regularly on my hometown's adult pop radio station.

Broke out some more LPs today: Jack Jones - White Christmas The Ventures' Christmas Album Various - Phil Spector's Christmas Album Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis Frank Sinatra - The Sinatra Christmas Album (Capitol) Christmas with Johnny Mathis

Kenny G has been popular in Iran. The government there has banned him from radio and television broadcasts. http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/13446984.htm

The Desmond RCA material is 80% of my favorite Mosaic box. I've had it for over fifteen years, and still listen to it all the time.

"Sunday"? What tune is that? "Come Sunday"? "Never On A Sunday"? If it's the latter, I'm with you! SUNDAY (Ned Miller - Jule Styne - Bennie Krueger - Chester Conn) « © '56 Feist Catalog, ASCAP » (I'll see you Sunday) I'm blue every Monday thinking over Sunday That one day when I'm with you It seems that I sigh all day Tuesday I cry all day Wednesday Oh my how I long for you And then comes Thursday gee it's long and it never goes by Friday makes me feel like I'm gonna die But after payday is my fun day I shine all day Sunday That one day that I'm with you [ sax - guitar ] And then comes Thursday... Thanks for that Jim! My favorite recording of Sunday is The Four Freshmen's. I'm surprised that it was mentioned initially, because there's no way I've heard it enough times to be sick of it, regardless of its merit.

Five years ago Telarc had some blues acts like Kenny Neal, who is one of my favorites. Maybe they are still on the roster. I gave my sister Tierney Sutton's then-current album for Christmas last year, and I saw last week that her follow up has been nominated for the Jazz Vocal Grammy. Other than Manhattan Transfer and John Pizzarelli, I'm not sure who is on Telarc anymore. I guess this Heads Up International's roster is impressive for smooth jazz. I don't know how well the acts mentioned in the press release sell anymore. Do smooth jazz fans still buy Spyro Gyra and Najee?

Considering all the discussion on this board about Dizzy/Bird and Monk/Trane, I'm surprised so few have mentioned them. The Miles box I have played the most (by far) has been the 65-68 Quintet.

I've reached the limit with My Funny Valentine.

It's the time of year for best-of lists and other recollections of the year gone by. Because we often buy or at least enjoy a CD the year after it comes out, I thought that I would ask for a survey that was not about 2005 releases per se, but rather about what you found yourself listening to the most - no matter when you got it or when it came out. So...Looking back on the year 2005, what did you spin the most often? My Top Ten were: Wayne Shorter - JuJu Jackie McLean - Jackie's Bag Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 box Sonny Rollins - Without a Song (The 9/11 Concert) Antonio Carlos Jobim - Symphonic Jobim Shelly Manne & His Men - Son of Gunn!! Mose Allison - Ramblin' with Mose The Four Freshmen - In Session Red Garland Quintets - Prestige Profiles Woody Shaw - Dark Journey, disc 1

After eight weeks, I'm still digging the Red Garland!

And from my high school years: Al Hirt - The Sound of Christmas This came out in '65. Hirt was still riding high from his best year, '64, which saw three hit singles - Java, Cotton Candy and Sugar Lips. This album had a minor hit, Nutty Jingle Bells. Hirt went on to host a TV show in the late '60s.

I've pulled out my Christms LPs today. First up: Merry Christmas by Johnny Mathis. This is the album I grew up with.

In my mail today were two CDs I have read good things about. What pushed me to get them were the recent Grammy nominations. Nnenna Freelon - Blueprint of a Lady Dianne Reeves - Good Night, and Good Luck I'm going to wait till Christmas to open them up. I'll probably listen to them on the drive home from my sister's. If they're as good as I expect them to be, I'll start a thread on them, and maybe we can have a discussion.

Happy Birthday Phil!

Monday morning I was at the McDonald's having a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper, and over the sound system came Charles Brown singing Merry Christmas Baby. It was a little soft, but it sounded like his 1961 King recording. I was a happy camper!

Happy Birthday Jim!

A regular on a cigar board a few years ago was a guy named Pimpslap Da Hoe.

I once spoke with Bob Purkey on the phone! I was a salesman working my way through school at the time, in Pittsburgh, and I called an insurance agency. It turned out that he was the head honcho there. I asked him about the following story, which I think I read in Baseball Digest: The story goes that Bill Rigney, the Giants manager, was tired of Purkey throwing at Willie Mays. So he said that the next time they play the Reds and face Purkey, he's going to bring Mays in from the outfield and have him pitch to Purkey. The Commisioner, probably Ford Frick, immediately put in a rule, that I believe still exists to this day, that no one may pitch unless he is designated to be a pitcher on the roster. (Various publicity stunts have had I think Cesar Tovar and Jose Canseco and others pitch; and I believe that the Commissioner's office has always been informed in advance of the intention to use them on the mound.) Anyway, I mentioned this to Purkey, and right away he denied ever throwing at anybody, and he was very forceful about it. Since he was a favorite of mine when I was a boy, I believed him, sort of!

I believe that the third baseman for the Cardinals in the Roger Maris trade was Charlie Smith, not Charlie James. Jazztrain, I think you're right. I'm losing my mind! Was there a football player named Charlie James? A running back for the Redskins or a quarterback for the Cardinals? Edit: I'm pretty sure that the Cardinals QB was Charlie Johnson. Now I'm wondering if the Redskins halfback was Dick James. I'm thinking in the early 60s timeframe.

Thanks Claude! I think I can see which one is me.

I remember a third baseman for the Cardinals named Charlie James. He was traded for Roger Maris.

Well, I did what I said I wouldn't do, and I listened to this one a number of times over the weekend. I guess you can't stay laidback every minute of December! To give you a better idea of what it sounds like, I would compare it to what Miles was playing in the early 70s. I can't recall a specific album it reminds me of, but it sounds like something Miles would have done. The CD is 9 tracks, 47 minutes long. Peacock deserves the credit as the brains behind the project. He wrote all of the songs, and produced the album. However, as the pianist he is the weak link. Two tracks feature piano solos, and they are both clunkers. I'm going to burn a copy omitting tracks 3 and 5, and enjoy the remainder.

Ten years ago I spent the winter in Quebec City. They have price supports there. I learned that the Quebec govt has enough maple syrup stockpiled to last for years if production were ever discontinued, which it never will be. I haven't made up my mind between Quebec and Vermont. I think I prefer Quebec, but I've had Vermont much more often. I've never had New Hampshire before. I think Ontario makes it too.

I read on AAJ some months ago that Valerie is the widow of Walter Bishop, Jr.