GA Russell

Happy Independence Day!

Well, it's summertime, and it's hot as Hades here, so I'm in the mood for something appropriate. As I've mentioned elsewhere, most of what I think of as summertime music is rock and roll, and I've pretty much lost all interest in that. Back in the day when I lived in an apartment complex with a swimming pool, we would waste the day by the pool (those were the days!) and the radio often played Sade's Smooth Operator. So I think of Sade as a summertime act. I had a hard bop album next up on my queue, but I have changed it at the last moment and so now next up is... Sade - Lovers Rock I bought Sade's previous album when it was new back in '92, but she waited so long to put out her next album (eight years) that I lost interest. So now it's time to catch up at Your Music's prices. Anybody else picking up anything interesting for the warm weather?

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm sort of thinking about Time's Mirror, or maybe Labyrinth. I was unaware of the Chesky CDs. I'll have to give them some consideration.

I like what I've heard of Tom Harrell, particularly The Art of Rhythm and Sail Away. I don't like his disc for the Joe Lovano Quartets at the Village Vanguard double CD. The songs are too free for me. Do you have a favorite of his? I could be talked into picking up something soon.

Thanks Mike. I note that the four Black Hawks are numbered consecutively.

I received an email from BMG a couple of weeks ago telling me that I would lose some Music Points if I didn't spend them by June 30. So I ordered Never No Lament on Thursday, and it arrived today. Shipping was $6.77, so that's a deal! Three CDs of classic Ellington for less than seven dollars. I have listened to Disc 1. I have an old stereo that is not very hi-fi, and the disc's sound is certainly good enough for me.

In those days, popular acts released three albums a year. I wonder why, if they were going to issue all four volumes over the course of thirteen months, Contemporary didn't follow the norm and release one every four months. Maybe they were issuing other Shelly Manne albums at the same time.

It looks like "His Men" at the Black Hawk got paid quite a bit! By the way, you're old enough to remember, and maybe you know...Did Contemporary release all four volumes of At The Black Hawk at once, or did they stretch it out the way Prestige stretched out the 1956 Miles Quintet sessions?

Thanks Chuck! I'll look forward to your detailed explanation.

My question is about albums recorded live in concert. Do union rules require that the sidemen get paid twice - once for the gig and another time for the recording? And if more than one album is released from the same gig, do the sidemen get paid a separate time for each album? Listening to Shelly Manne & His Men At The Black Hawk brought this to mind.

Last night I finished Pope John Paul's Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way. It was about his life as a bishop in Poland. What I found striking was how religion flourished under the oppressive communist regime. After communism's fall, he spoke out against the rising consumerism in Poland, and apparently the religiosity of the people seems to be on the wane.

Happy Birthday!

I second Groove Holmes - Soul Message.

For me, Tony Bennett hit his peak in the 90s. My favorite of his is the album Perfectly Frank.

Ron, yes I really enjoy this one. I'm a little surprised they haven't offered this as a box set. It would seem a natural.

Shelly Manne and his Men - At the Black Hawk, vol. 1 Listening to it now. Picked it up based upon the good reviews of this series I read here.

That's the idea! I think it's the flax seed. Anyway, I think that's why Kellogg encouraged his patients/clients to start the day with cereal.

Various Artists - The Story of Bossa Nova This is a Brazilian compilation EMI put out in 2000 on the Odeon label there and on the Hemisphere label here. Some tracks are from the sixties, and some are new. I haven't figured out which yet. A few famous names, like Joao Donato, Walter Wanderley and Marcos Valle, but mostly people I'm not familiar with.

Have Gun Will Travel, season 1 Peter Gunn, volumes 1 & 2 Dragnet, assorted Shotgun Slade, assorted

Sorry to hear of it, Indestructible. The issue is why I was seriously looking into the Sony MiniDisk. When that hardware goes bad, you still have your disks with your time invested in them.

Happy Birthday!

GOOD GOD! For twenty years now, I've been looking for somebody who actually bought this stuff in hopes of understanding why it's on the shelves of every supermarket, in spite of the fact that the shelf space is ALWAYS full! LOVE the packaging on the that stuff, btw. I'll read the box before putting it back on the shelf. ← Yeah, put me down for Uncle Sam cereal too! Downright tasty with soy milk! I dig the little FLAX SEEDS floating about! Gives me the daily dose of Omega 3 acids. ← Better than Wheaties, and the price is right. I love it drowned in milk. Any time of day.

Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of...

Uncle Sam!

My favorite Mosaic box: Paul Desmond, Disc 1.