Chalupa

Joel Dorn, Grammy-winning producer By JOHN F. MORRISON Philadelphia Daily News morrisj@phillynews.com 215-854-5573 "IT FEELS like there's a big gaping hole in the universe," said an associate of Grammy Award-winning record producer Joel Dorn. Kevin Calabro, of Hyena Records, a company Joel helped found, described the "soulful and inspired way he lived his life," the kind of "amazing life you can lead by keeping it real. Joel kept it real to the very end." Joel Dorn, who grew up in Delaware County and got his start on Philadelphia's jazz station WHAT-FM in the late '50s, died Monday of a heart attack in New York. He was 65. He was the producer behind many of Atlantic Records' most successful jazz releases in a seven-year association. He also produced for a number of other labels and branched out to include pop music, rock 'n' roll and R&B. When he started at Atlantic in 1967, "it was an age of musical exploration, in jazz as well as rock, and Dorn's approach behind the boards - fashioning a framework that would allow musicians maximum freedom - brought out the best in such artists as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, Yusef Lateef and Herbie Mann," wrote John Hagelston, publicist for Warner Music Group. In 1972 and 1973, Joel won consecutive "Record of the Year" Grammys as producer of Roberta Flack's hits "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song." Joel, who was born and raised in Yeadon, started his music career while still a teenager as a disc jockey for WHAT-FM. He had a great impact on impressionable young fans like a 13-year-old kid named Jonathan Takiff, now pop-music critic for the Daily News. "I'd call him up and request songs from people like Ray Charles, Cannonball Adderly and Oscar Brown Jr., and he was nice enough to schmooze with me, even though I was clearly a pipsqueak," Takiff said. In those days, the late '50s and early '60s, Joel followed Sid Mark doing late night stints on the station. "He was extremely influential on me as a listener," Takiff said, "helping to develop my taste and knowledge." Although Joel was a successful DJ, his heart had always been in producing, and he specifically wanted to work for Atlantic Records. At the tender age of 14, he began sending letters to the label's co-founder, Nesuhi Ertegun. "I'd send letters telling him who I thought they should duet with Ray Charles, what talent they were missing out on, all sorts of critiques and suggestions," he once said. The producers were no doubt aware that as a DJ, Joel was pushing many of Atlantic Records' discs, and in 1963, Ertegun offered Joel the chance to produce one record by an artist of his choice. He chose Hubert Laws, a young flutist he had seen in Philly performing with Mongo Santamaria's band. The resulting album, "The Laws of Jazz," was a success and Nesuhi Ertegun hired Joel as his assistant in 1967. Altogether, he accumulated 10 gold albums, five platinum albums and seven gold singles before he left Atlantic in 1974. Besides Roberta Flack's records, Joel produced Bette Midler's debut album, "The Divine Miss M." "Some of the best times I've ever had involved recording artists who were completely unknown at the time, like Roberta and Bette, and then watching them ascend to national prominence," he once said. He produced for a variety of labels and artists in subsequent years, and won another Grammy for "Best Country and Western Instrumental" with Asleep at the Wheel's "One O'Clock Jump." He helped create Hyena Records, an independent label, in 2003. "Joel bridged the worlds of jazz and pop with enormous skill and grace, never compromising the integrity of his artists and their music," said Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman and chief executive of Warner Music Group. Joel lived in Bala Cynwyd for a time. He is survived by three sons, Michael, David and Adam (aka Mocean Worker), and his longtime girlfriend, Faye Rosen. Services: Were being arranged. * Find this article at: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/obituaries...g_producer.html Joel Dorn, 1942-2007 Producing records was his 'art form' By Dan DeLuca Inquirer Staff Writer Joel Dorn, the Grammy-winning record producer from Yeadon who got his start as a jazz DJ in Philadelphia and went on to work with Roberta Flack, Max Roach and Charles Mingus, died of a heart attack on Monday in New York City. He was 65. Mr. Dorn got his start in the music business in 1961 as a DJ for Philadelphia radio station WHAT-FM. "The DJ gig was a great way to get to know all record companies and get involved in the business, but I had my heart set on producing the entire time," Mr. Dorn said recently. In 1967, he moved to Atlantic Records, where until 1974 he worked alongside the label's jazz head, Nesuhi Ertegun - with whom the young Mr. Dorn had begun corresponding when he was 14. Herbie Mann, Les McCann, Eddie Harris and David "Fathead" Newman all recorded for the label in that period. In 1972 and 1973, Mr. Dorn won back-to-back record-of-the-year Grammys for Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song." Throughout his career, Mr. Dorn said recently, his strategy was to "bring pop techniques and pop sensibilities to jazz and R & B records." He cited songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and producer Phil Spector as his biggest influences. "He had a very good ear," Newman, who worked with Mr. Dorn on more than a dozen albums for Atlantic, said in a telephone interview yesterday. "And he also had very good ideas and concepts for the music, a lot of which he got from his experiences as a DJ." Newman had good reason to pay attention to Mr. Dorn's radio show: the young DJ turned Newman's song "Hard Times" into a hit by opening his WHAT show with it every night. Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the saxophonist famous for playing three instruments simultaneously, would only work with Mr. Dorn, recalled his widow, Dorthaan Kirk. "Rahsaan wasn't easy to work with," she recalled with a laugh. "But he had come to trust Joel. He didn't want to work with anybody but him. And after he died [in 1977], Joel was the single person responsible for keeping interest in his music alive." Mr. Dorn "was a giant in every way," said producer Hal Willner, the producer and Northeast Philadelphia native who is music director for Saturday Night Live. In an e-mail yesterday, Willner called Mr. Dorn "the funniest man I ever met." "As a producer he understood record making as an art form like painting, film and literature. His influence is far deeper than the general public will ever realize. He was truly a magician, and the trick never showed." In 1974, Mr. Dorn, who signed Bette Midler as well as Flack to Atlantic, left the label and went on to produce albums by Lou Rawls, Leon Redbone, Mink DeVille and the Neville Brothers. Along with knob twiddlers like John Hammond and Joe Boyd, Mr. Dorn, who was celebrated by the Recording Academy in a tribute yesterday as "a true music lover," was was one of the greatest of a brand of producers who weren't musicians, but worked in a broad range of musical styles and shaped the careers of artists they worked with. When Willner, who apprenticed under Mr. Dorn in the '70s, first went to work for his mentor, "he was mixing Jimmy Scott, doing overdubs on Peter Allen and recording Don McLean. Plus, I got to see two Roland Kirk records done. It was incredible to watch." Mr. Dorn founded a series of independent record labels beginning in the 1980s, including the Hyena label, whose artists include his son Adam, recording under the name Mocean Worker. In 1997, he released Songs That Made the Phones Light Up, on his 32 label, a collection of soul and jazz tracks that were favorites in the early days of his music career when he was spinning records for WHAT. He expressed his appreciation for his listeners with a credit line that read: "Produced by the audience of WHAT-FM 1961-67." Mr. Dorn produced the 13-CD boxed-set history of the Atlantic Jazz years for Rhino and earned a Grammy nomination for a seven-CD John Coltrane set called The Heavyweight Champion. At the time of his death, he was working on a boxed set for the reissue label called Homage a Nesuhi, a tribute to the executive who handed him his first job as a record producer, with flutist Hubert Laws' The Laws of Jazz in 1963. Mr. Dorn is also survived by his sons David and Michael, and longtime companion Faye Rosen. Contact music critic Dan DeLuca at 215-854-5628 or ddeluca@phillynews.com. Find this article at: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/obituaries/..._1942-2007.html

While searching the EMI and Abbey Road archives for the original master tapes to be used in this release, it became clear that the producers had unearthed some previously unreleased versions of tracks from the Piper sessions. As previously reported, the 40th Anniversary release is newly remastered by James Guthrie from the original recordings, with Discs One and Two containing the full Piper album, represented in both stereo and mono versions. Disc Three includes bonus tracks, including the following: all the Pink Floyd singles from 1967, (Arnold Layne, See Emily Play, and Apples and Oranges), plus the B-sides Candy and a Current Bun and Paintbox as well as previously unissued versions of Matilda Mother, Apples and Oranges (1967 stereo version) and two rare edits of Interstellar Overdrive, one previously only available on an EP in France (French Edit) and take six of the track from the original recording sessions discovered in the EMI archive. When the re-mastering of this groundbreaking album started to come together, a collector loaned EMI a copy of the original French EP, much to the surprise of Guthrie it was a different version of Interstellar Overdrive to what had been supplied from the EMI archive... CD 1 Track Listing 1. Astronomy Domine (Mono) (2007 Remaster) 2. Lucifer Sam (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 3. Matilda Mother (Mono) (2007 Remaster) 4. Flaming (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 5. Pow R. Toc. H (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 6. Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 7. Interstellar Overdrive (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 8. The Gnome (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 9. Chapter 24 (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 10. The Scarecrow (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) 11. Bike (Mono) (2007 Digital Remaster) CD 2 Track Listing 1. Astronomy Domine (Stereo) (2007 Remaster) 2. Lucifer Sam (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 3. Matilda Mother (Stereo) (2007 Remaster) 4. Flaming (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 5. Pow R. Toc. H (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 6. Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 7. Interstellar Overdrive (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 8. The Gnome (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 9. Chapter 24 (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 10. The Scarecrow (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) 11. Bike (Stereo) (2007 Digital Remaster) CD 3 Track Listing 1. Arnold Layne (2007 Digital Remaster) 2. Candy and a Currant Bun (2007 Digital Remaster) 3. See Emily Play (2007 Digital Remaster) 4. Apples and Oranges (2007 Digital Remaster) 5. Paintbox (2007 Digital Remaster) 6. Interstellar Overdrive (Take 2) (French Edit) (2007 Digital Remaster) 7. Apples and Oranges (Stereo Version) 8. Matilda Mother (Alternative Version) 9. Interstellar Overdrive (Take 6)

I've seen Rudresh 3 times(just missed him on Friday due to my nasty head cold ). Each performance was excellent. The best was 2 or 3 years ago when he was touring w/ Kadri Gopalnath. That was some of best music I've heard in my life. I wish he would put out an album from that tour/ project.

Check it out... http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/12/...-avenue-reprise and http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/12/...e-reprise-print

Lon, have you had any time to listen to more of the new box??

Morgan's junkie years were spent doing what junkies do to get money to support their habit. Several convictions for robbery, etc. & failed paroles. Oh. I knew he had spent some time(I was thinking it was just a few years) in prison but I didn't realize it was for robbery. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

"30 years in prison"????? WTF? Did he kill someone?? Sad day. I'm glad I got to see him a couple of times in the past few years. Rest in peace, Frank.

Thanks. Damn that's really sad news.

Herbie Lewis.

Holy crap! When did this happen?? I totally missed the news.

It's only in my latter day zeal for the GD that I've actually grown to love this era, even though I'd been familar with the Live/Dead material for many decades. So I got the box and love it to bits. I didn't know about this digital meddling. I know now. And don't care! That's cool. I mean sorry if I sounded a little harsh in my previous post. I'm glad you're digging the music. The box is a nice, albeit historically flawed, document. I just feel that they should have been forthcoming about adding elements to the mix. It wasn't until after they released the box that a bunch of very picky Deadheads(myself included) started complaining that they fessed up to it. I think that when it comes to fiddling around w/ history the less the better. If it boils down to authenticity vs. perfect sound, well.... I want warts and all.

Matthew I assume that you haven't heard this version. You may be surprised to know that the recordings were "cleaned up" for release, and not for the better, IMHO. Example: they added digital delay to a bunch of Jerry's solos. Of course. I’ve gotten some flak online about some delays and other little things I put in on the 2/28 “Dark Star,” but they were things that I thought would make it sound a little better, whether they were right or wrong. But for the actual Live Dead material, I really tried not to do anything that was going to change it radically from what people already knew. David Lemieux was the guy who clued me in and said, ‘You know, people are going to be expecting this to sound a certain way. You don’t want to jar them too much.’ Matthews’ original mix was really excellent. I can see why everybody loves it so much. * Not sure how you feel about that but that was over the line for me(and for the record he added stuff to more than just 2/28's DS ) It's a shame because the box set represents the best version that we will probably ever see released commercially. * http://www.dead.net/features/interviews/mi...-jeffrey-norman Edit to say depending on how familiar you are with the original recordings of the entire run you may not mind or even notice the changes.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/mitchell/index.jsp

How much did it go for?? I sold mine last spring for $310.

A friend of mine saw the English pop band Gorillaz play the Apollo in Harlem 2 years ago. Ike came out and played one or two numbers. My friend said Ike was awesome - playing the piano with his butt, etc. - sounded like he almost stole the show.

Conclusion. Got the arm back on Monday. The dealer actually sent it back to Rega to have them fix it. Looks like they installed a new RCA cable. Unlike the old cable, on this cable the left and right outputs are not covered in a big chunk of plastic. Additionally, it looks like they resoldered the leads to the cartridge. It seems to be working fine. I just need to tweak the cartridge alignment some more before I can go on a vinyl listening binge. Man, I've learned more about tonearms in past month or so they I ever wanted to know about them.

And here's the latest proposal... http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/12409351.html

Back in the early 80's there was a local pop band called The Vels. They had a huge groundswell of support, signed to Mercury records, and promptly faded from view. Their keyboardist was well known/respected in the local music circles. Chris Larkin http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/11881517.html

Here's more on the back story..... Jill Porter | Music to the ears: City changes its tune on Rittenhouse performers Philadelphia Daily News IT'S TIME to strike up the band. Because the silencing of musicians and singers in Rittenhouse Square has - blessedly - come to an end. City Solicitor Romulo Diaz Jr. settled the rancorous controversy yesterday by re-interpreting a Fairmount Park regulation to allow casual musicians to sing and play in the square, so long as the music doesn't violate noise ordinances. It went into effect immediately, he said. No more arrests. No more threats of arrest. No more ridiculous clampdowns on the joyful sound of music in the park. "Wow. That's great." So said Drew Gillis, who's been agitating against the music ban with protests, petitions and the founding of a nonprofit organization ever since his bandmate, Anthony Riley, was arrested three months ago in the square. Riley - who I couldn't reach last night - was arrested for disorderly conduct on March 27 when a police officer told him to stop singing and he refused. He spent the night in a roach-ridden district lockup, an outrageous turn of events that mushroomed into a huge controversy. Police continued to rigidly enforce a park regulation that requires a permit for any "musical performance," threatening to arrest anyone who strummed a guitar in the park - even though the regulation clearly was designed to apply to large-scale concerts. Police said they were clamping down at the request of residents of the high-rises that ring Rittenhouse Square, who complained about the noise. Riley, who with Gillis and Robby Torres make up the band Stone Soup, is a popular street musician in the city. The band, ironically, has been booked by the Fairmount Park Commission to play at several of its summer concerts at Love Park. Riley's followers and devotees of that kooky tradition known as the First Amendment - yes, the ACLU got involved - objected to the music ban. When the head of the city's own Civil Affairs Unit, Capt. William Fisher, opposed the crackdown because he believed it violated freedom of speech, the city's top lawyer decided it was time to get involved. "This story has aroused a lot of passions in the community," Diaz said. "On the one hand, you have people who are very concerned about freedom of expression and First Amendment rights. "On the other hand, we have residents who are equally concerned about protecting their homes and places of business." After meeting with police and park commission representatives several weeks ago, Diaz issued a memo yesterday to Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson that draws the line between casual music-making and formal presentations. "The fact that an individual is simply playing a musical instrument in a public space, even if the individual is accompanied by others or attracts a few onlookers," doesn't make it a performance requiring a permit, the memo says. If the group that gathers gets large - over 50 people - police can put a stop to it since "such crowds are likely to significantly impact others' use of the Park and traffic flow." The residents of the square would be protected by noise ordinances that prohibit sounds above a certain decibel level - in this case, 5 decibels to 10 decibels, Diaz said. "Is this going to satisfy everybody? I'd be delusional if I thought that," Diaz said. "I've tried to come up with a common-sense approach that hopefully allows everybody to enjoy the park in a way that doesn't interfere with the way that others enjoy the park. "Everybody's going to have to give a little." Wendy Rosen, president of Friends of Rittenhouse Square - which was erroneously portrayed as the villain in this conflict - said she welcomed music in the square. "I don't know how the fingers got pointed at us; we didn't have anything to do with it," she said. "We love music in the park." She and others object to the panhandling that went with it, which she said may have prompted the police crackdown. Diaz said he's going to post his memo on the city's Web site next week, to see what kind of public reaction it elicits. It certainly restores sanity to the situation and restrains police from the ridiculously heavy-handed tactics they used to enforce an illegal silence. Riley, however, still has one more obstacle to overcome. The trial stemming from his arrest is scheduled for court on Tuesday - the day, ironically, before we celebrate our freedoms: July 4. *

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/12350246.html (photo) Suit on outdoor music is settled Flutist arrested on the street will get $27,500. Police will be told performing is legal. By Robert Moran Inquirer Staff Writer Let freedom ring in Philadelphia, and sing, and even play the flute. The city last week settled a lawsuit filed by Felix Wilkins, a 66-year-old street musician who alleged that his civil rights were violated in March when he was arrested for playing the flute on a Center City corner. As part of the agreement, the police commissioner is required to issue a memorandum instructing all officers "that the ability to play a musical instrument or sing in a public place and solicit funds are forms of expression that are protected by the First Amendment." Under the settlement, anybody wishing to be tuneful must comply with the city's long-standing ordinance on when a person can "play a hand organ or other musical instrument." Rittenhouse Square, which has been the focus of controversy over who has the right to be musically expressive, is not mentioned in the settlement. But Paul Messing, the lawyer who filed the suit on behalf of Wilkins, a classically trained flutist, said the agreement "should have citywide application." The city also agreed to pay Wilkins $27,500 to settle claims of damages. U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez approved the settlement Thursday. About 4 p.m. March 28, Wilkins was playing the flute at 18th and Chestnut Streets when a police officer ordered him to stop. Wilkins showed Officer Scott Wallace a copy of the city's public music ordinance, which he always carries when he plays. Nonetheless, the officer arrested Wilkins for disorderly conduct, handcuffed him, and took him to a police station to be cited. The case was dismissed May 7 by Municipal Court Judge Gerard Kosinski, and Messing filed the suit a week later. Wilkins' arrest came one day after police apprehended Anthony Riley for singing in Rittenhouse Square. The case against Riley, who was singing Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," was dismissed in July. His arrest was part of a controversial crackdown by police on musicians and performers in Rittenhouse Square based on complaints from nearby residents. Riley also has a lawsuit pending. Evan Shingles, his attorney, said he also believed the Wilkins settlement should apply to Rittenhouse Square. He called the crackdown on performers in the park "patently ridiculous." City Solicitor Romulo L. Diaz Jr. did not respond to a request for comment. Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson and administrators of the Fairmount Park Commission were unavailable for comment. Messing credited the city for agreeing to the settlement and "taking concrete steps to make sure these rights are protected." He added: "I think at the end of the day, everybody recognizes that music is protected and that musicians are a rich cultural asset for the city." This is not the first go-around for Messing and the government regarding street musicians. He represented Byard Lancaster, a jazz saxophone player, against the city and twice against SEPTA. The transit agency paid Lancaster $15,000 in 2002 and an additional $18,000 in 2003. That led SEPTA to tell its police officers to leave street musicians alone. After Philadelphia was criticized this year for its latest effort to target musicians, city lawyers tried to craft new rules, but they essentially punished performers who drew crowds - for example, barring performers who attracted more than "a handful" of people. Those rules, Messing said, should now go by the wayside and the old regulations for organ grinders (with or without monkeys) should prevail. Under the existing ordinance, musicians cannot play on the street between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m., near a hospital or "other institution housing sick persons," or in front of school during class or a house of worship during services.

Man, I thought the Sixers might be the worst team in the NBA but I forgot about the Knicks. How can they justify keeping Thomas after losing back to back games to the Sixers, the last one by 28 in MSG??

Obit from today's Philly Inky..... edit: I didn't realize that he was related to Marcus Belgrave.

"Wins Above Replacement Player"??? What kind of nonsense is that?? All that shows is that his replacement(s) REALLY sucked. (Memo to Joe Sheehan. If your using a stat like WARP to bolster your argument you're in trouble.) Look, I hope for Noj and all of the other Dodger fans out there that I'm wrong and he comes back and puts up ARod numbers in return for the ARod dollars he'll be getting. But from what I've seen of him the past two years against the Phils he ain't worth the risk. Especially at that money. Interested to hear what Conrad has to say about this deal.

I hear what you're saying, however, if this is the case then why wasn't he super motivated the past two years?? People were saying that he was going to have a great year last year after 2006 because he would be looking to cash in. He won't be that easy to move because of his 'no trade' clause. And who, besides the Dodgers, are going to take on an $18M contract for .226 hitter? The only 'good' thing about this deal is that it's only two years.

The Dodgers signed AJ for $18M PER???? What the F is their GM smoking?? Did he watch him play the past two years?? Did he check his stats?? Jones is now the 5th highest paid (per year) player.