ghost of miles

Wish we got TCM around this neck o' the woods (at least as part of an affordable cable package). I'll post this in the radio forum on Wednesday, but this week's Afterglow Mercer tribute is already up: Too Marvelous With Words: Johnny Mercer, America's Poet Laureate

Same here--surprisingly well, will probably end up around $15,000 over goal. Just tuned in and you're about to go to Ratliff.

We're ending our fund-drive in about 10 minutes--I'll be listening tonight from my desk at home.

I've become a big fan of Harburg in recent years--highlighted several of his songs in the recent Afterglow show Popular Song on the Picket Lines. Great to see Finian's Rainbow having a succesful revival; there's quite a story behind the attempt to make an animated movie of it in the early 1950s (quashed by Walt Disney, among others. Some good music from the failed film that shows up on the Sinatra movie box-set.

Video: dog freaks out over soldier's return

New trailer. If nothing else, it's going to send me back to the original stories.

Up for one last day and night--any contributions made to this Night Lights page over the next 24 hours will count towards the goal for tonight's live broadcast. On deck for the show: MINGUS AH UM, SKETCHES OF SPAIN, and KIND OF BLUE Legacy editions, all being offered as thank-you gifts. Many thanks to the two Organissimo board members who pledged last weekend.

Some baseball-history entertainment while we're warming ourselves around the hotstove:

We're re-airing Dolphy '64 this week on Night Lights; you can listen to it online now.

Sounds like another knockout show on the way, Lazaro. Hopefully our fund-drive will be over (scheduled to end by 5 p.m. that night if we make goal) and I can tune in from home on my laptop.

It's all dark, y'know.

Happy birthday to a great guy who brings wisdom, wit, and wonderful camaraderie to every conversation--not to mention the world's finest taste in imported beverages and imported mini-LPs. We're lucky to have you here, R. Gabba gabba hey!

Just picked up the Wadada Leo Smith SPIRIT CATCHER reissue today at Landlocked Music here in B-town. Landlocked stocks Nessa titles and provides production support for Night Lights...now there's a record store I gotta patronize. Planning to get the new Vonski and the Bradford/Stevens twofer next.

Some free-agent and option news here.

KXT now live for the Dallas/Texan crowd.

Loved it--the last three episodes of this season were pretty amazing. Can't wait to see where this goes in Season 4... they've blown things up in a very interesting way as the show moves into the mid-1960s era. Great exchanges between Peggy and Don in the finale, btw. "I'm not going to stand here and beg you." "Beg me? You haven't even asked me." And then Don's visit to her apartment and his "something terrible has happened" passage.

The Lawrence CD of Mulligan arrangements is being sold by Newbury for $2.99 right now through Amazon Marketplace.

OK, we've got a challenge from somebody who's offering to match any pledge or contribution made in the next 40 minutes dollar for dollar--so if you pledge $25 he'll pledge $25, if you pledge $40 he'll pledge $40, etc.: Support Night Lights Listen live

Thanks so much, Allen--much appreciated. Best place for folks to make any kind of contribution is probably here.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope...it's a late-evening, 11 p.m. Saturday jazz program being asked to raise $1000 in a single hour. Why? Because that's how much you've supported Night Lights before--that's how much WFIU believes that you believe in the value of a weekly, thematic, lovingly-detailed historical jazz show--so I've been asked to reach that goal again. I'll be broadcasting live this evening from 11-midnight U.S. EST, playing music from the Miles Davis Kind of Blue legacy edition, Kenny Dorham's Round Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia, and Freddie Hubbard's 1969 concert CD Without a Song (offering all of these as thank-you gifts, by the way). Three great trumpeters, heralding you to pledge your support to Night Lights...you can do so by calling toll-free 1-800-662-3311. You can also pledge online here or here (be sure to write that your contribution is meant for the Night Lights program):' I'm really hoping to hear from some Organissimo posters tonight! But if the late hour daunts you...if "round midnight" is a better jazz theme than it is a listening time...then please, feel free to pledge now at the links above. (And listen to some shows in the Night Lights archives while you're at it.) I'm so grateful for all of the support that this show garners...your contributions and your notes mean a great, great deal. It's one reason why Night Lights is now on 13 stations (including one in Manila!) and why you're able to hear the show archived online every week. It's one reason why I think it's worth sometimes putting in 30 or 40 hours of work on a single program. It's one reason why I think we'll make the $1000 goal yet again tonight. So I hope you'll decide to support Night Lights for another year. But most importantly of all, thanks simply for listening. (And for helping--several Organissimo posters have provided significant assistance for the production of certain programs.) David

So, with all the Yankee WS victories there are, they haven't won one with a Republican president since 1958 when Ike was Prez. Since then, they've appeared in 16 World Series and are 9-2 with a Dem prez and 0-5 with a Repub in power. What the article doesn't point out is that in the last half century of WS history, the Yanks appeared in 11 of the 21 years (52% occurrence) there was a Dem prez and only 5 of the 29 years (17%) there was a Repub administration. Amazing statistics that in all probability mean nothing. Of course it means something--it's the Curse of Nixon! Another really nice quote from A-Rod in the Times today--a reprise of what he said the other day, but I love it that he feels this way: ...part of what made NY such a fun and likable team to watch this year...I hope they can somehow retain that chemistry for at least another year, whether they end up winning one more title or not. NY, All Along Broadway

I've got several copies of the Hubbard release to give away as thank-you gifts for the Night Lights fund-drive show tonight. We're broadcasting live tonight from 11 p.m.-midnight EST (theme is "Triple Trumpets"--playing Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, and Hubbard), but you can pledge online any time here: Night Lights WFIU Just be sure to tell 'em you want the contribution to count towards Night Lights and that you want the Freddie Hubbard WITHOUT A SONG cd.

Thanks much, Ted--I remember Nate Dorward or somebody else here mentioning that this book was in the works a year ago or so. Looks to be a good year for jazz bios, at least of mid-20th-century NYC-based pianists of note...

Jeter, Pettitte and Posada on David Letterman last night: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (includes a cameo by Matsui)

Hey, I was onto this long before NY Observer's Jonathan Rosenthal in 2003! The curse of Nixon ...still holding true!