Chalupa

Did anyone get to see Sunny Murray perform???

They were nervous, that's understandable. They'd driven half the day to what seemed like the middle of nowhere for their one shot at impressing the Gods of Music. They were five players from Camden Creative Arts High's mighty big band, and just getting an audition for Oberlin College's prestigious conservatory was an honor. But when Wendell Logan, the Ohio school's chair of jazz studies, asked them if they wanted to play anything special, they froze. "Mr. Dickerson had told us to play 'Tribute to Trane,' " Alexander Cummings, 18, recalls, referring to their band director, Jamal Dickerson, who'd started him on saxophone in fourth grade. That piece let everyone show off, Cummings in particular - on four horns, absolutely owning the medley of John Coltrane songs. But they showed nothing. They could barely speak, let alone play. So Logan suggested the standard "Body and Soul," and the result was good, but nothing special. Dickerson sank in his seat. "When you miss the opportunity, you may never get it again. Who needs another saxophonist? Especially a broke saxophonist?" In April, Cummings heard from the school. Wait-listed. Dickerson was crushed. He'd been in his first year of teaching when he began working with the lanky boy, who lives with his mother, a Puerto Rican factory worker, in Camden's Cramer Hill neighborhood. He'd assigned the boy "long notes" to practice, and at their next lesson, the kid blew him away by playing an extended-note scale. "I said, 'You really practiced, didn't you.' " The next year Cummings was playing in an all-city band. After that he was winning awards every time he competed. Dickerson doesn't even remember handing Cummings a sheet of paper listing the jazz giants the boy should seek out: Trane, Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Jackie McLean. But the boy still has it filed away at home. How many kids spend their time chasing down the works of Lee Morgan? "I got them as presents from relatives," he said. "Some of my teachers let me borrow them." He's been hearing music ever since, filling in any moment of silence with imaginary arrangements for horn sections, copping what he hears on the radio and at shows. "It's about all I think about," he said. He practices at school for three hours a day, and then an hour after homework. He practices about three hours each weekend. His talent and drive caught the attention of the writer James McBride, who has been working with the Camden school for the last three years, trying to cultivate talent. McBride, an Oberlin grad and saxophonist, had paid for Cummings and the four other boys to travel to Ohio. After Cummings was put on the wait list, McBride wrote to the conservatory's admissions director. He didn't mince words: "Alex is exactly the kind of student that Oberlin says it needs . . .," he wrote. "He is a young man of excellent character and one of the top graduates of his class, with a GPA well over 3.0. . . . His hardworking mother barely speaks English. His father has abandoned the family. This kid grew up in an environment where he has overcome tremendous odds. To be turned away at this point in his life from a school like Oberlin gives him, and those of us who recruit for Oberlin, the clear message that there is no place for kids like him at our school." Migdalia Lopez, 45, was home from her job - she packs boxes at a Camden factory - and had just finished cooking rice and beans for dinner when her son came home with the news. Oberlin was offering him a full scholarship for four years. A year there costs about $52,000. Cummings is one of 20 students accepted into the conservatory's jazz studies program. He made it on a borrowed saxophone. rest here.... http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20...?cmpid=16339736

Cool. Looking forward to Bloomsday.

Wow. 105. Incredible. Thanks for posting that.

Bought it when it came out and later bought the cd. Always loved the music but had no idea it was only 31 minutes - it seemed just right. Great recording. Kept the lp. Does the CD have extra music??

Cecil Taylor - Solo (Trio)

The Tony Williams' Lifetime - Emergency! (Polydor) Stockhausen - Gesang der Jünglinge/Kontakte (DGG)

If it were anyone else I would have to say,"good non-call" but considering Kobe's history of throwing elbows I think the league needs to review it. I also think they should suspend Michael Pietrus for that foul on Gasol.

I caught the last two minutes of the game. I don't think I've ever seen a crowd in any sport so dejected after a loss. Total silence. No one leaving for the exits. Just sitting there in shock. Really weird. And how would you like to be Hossa right now??? Left the Pens to sign with the Red Wings after they lost to Detroit in last years Cup finals. Bad move dude.

Thanks for that story. I was just listening to "Fields" yesterday afternoon. I was thinking that it sounded incredible and then I spied your name on the back cover. Excellent recording! I was lucky to find a nice vinyl copy for cheap. Anyway, I was wondering what you thought about "groove cramming" - seeing how both sides of the album clock in at over 30 minutes - is that a real problem or is it exaggerated? Oh and BTW, was this album recorded in analog or digital?

This afternoon.... Julius Hemphill - Roi Boye & the Gotham Minstrels (Sackville) Stockhausen - Microphonie I & II (Columbia, Gray label two eyes) David Murray - Live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club vol.1 (India Navigation) Archie Shepp - Live at the Panafrican Festival (BYG)

Aren't there labor laws to protect workers from these hazards? (mild work warning - no nudity just models in bikinis)

That's sounds awesome. Lucky you. Today at Noon a free concert by the Meat Puppets. Later tonight - Sunny Murray and Odean Pope duo.

RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL!

This afternoon.... Steve Lacy - Trickles (Black Saint) John Carter - Fields (Gramavision) Stockhausen - Ceylon/Bird of Passage (Chrysalis)

Here's a trivia question.... Name the only MLB player to have been thrown out of a game yet never played in a MLB game in his career.

Allen Iverson and Bruce Hornsby ???? http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-7-10...nsby--1993.html

Sigh.... OK look. For someone, like Phil, who has spent over 30 years in the NBA he should know the rules better than I. I never said that I knew the rules better. I said that he needed to brush up on them because he clearly doesn't understand the current NBA goaltending rule. Here's the link from my earlier post.... http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_11.html Section I- A Player Shall Not: i. Vibrate the rim or backboard so as to cause the ball to make an unnatural bounce. Did any of Gasol's actions cause the rim/backboard to vibrate?? No. The officials made the correct call - no goaltending. As for your 2nd point we all know that those two tandems had zero NBA rings before teaming up w/ Phil but that has more to do with the talent that surrounded them then w/ coaching. Jordan was in the same boat as LeBron until Pippen came along, and Pippen had only been in the league for two years when Jackson started coaching the Bulls and hadn't fully developed. IMO those two get a pass. Now you could make an argument that Shaq should have won it when he was teamed w/ Penny in Orlando and if Nick Anderson had not bricked his 4 free throws in the 4th quarter of game 1 he may have. However Kobe was only 20 at the end of the last season before Phil was hired to coach the Lakers. So it would be unfair to say that the Shaq/Kobe tandem should have won a ring before Phil. But let's turn this around and ask how many championships did Phil win w/ out those two tandems? Zip. Shaq at least got another ring w/ Miami. As to your Auerbach/Jackson debate – There’s no question that Auerbach won w/ incredibly talented teams. He definitely had more talent (7 HoFers compared to 4 possibly 5 for Phil). Regardless, I would give the edge to Jackson because when Red coached you didn't have to mollycoddle millionaire ballplayers w/ egos that could fill the Grand Canyon. Chuck Daly was right - it’s a player’s league now; and because of that dynamic coaches have to deal w/ a lot more b.s. then they had to when Auerbach reigned in Beantown. To tell you the truth I think they are both a bit overrated. Not saying that they aren't great - they are - but give me Larry Brown over those two any day. YMMV. Flame suit on.

How many would he own if he hadn't coached Jordan/Pippen and Shaq/Kobe??

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/200...tory?id=4246830 Phil needs to brush up on the goaltending rules.

This has been covered already here... http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...st&p=793144

http://www.aumfidelity.com/david-s-ware-health.html MAY 13, 2009 – transplant surgery a success! Friends, the great news is that David and Laura's transplant surgery yesterday was a success. Both David and Laura are doing fine and resting as I type this. The 3-4 month recuperation period for David begins today...

Why Johnny E is rooting for the Lakers

Phillies put Lidge on DL call up catcher. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4245956 I not sure if two weeks will long enough to get his knee right. Also confused by the need for a third catcher. Why not call up catcher of the future Lou Marston??