Chrome

Anyone ever watch the "Surreal Life"? What a nutty show ... I saw the Vanilla one doing that "Ice, Ice" song at a karaoke bar on one episode.

I'm also curious about clubs like BMG ... do the artists get full royalties on CDs sold through these kind of outlets? I split my buying pretty evenly between BMG, new and used. And I can relate a little to the "immaculate collection" approach, at least when it comes to books. My rule there is that if I am buying new, I'll only buy a super clean copy. If I'm paying for something used/remaindered, I figure I can sacrifice on the condition of the book. Despite the $$$ I spend on CDs, I still can't get my arms around the idea of them as "collectible" in the way I do for books.

"Blues all night long" from the late 1980s is pretty good ... features Houston Person, Jimmy Ponder.

Those were the days ... how 'bout: "I don't know why, I don't understand, how you sold me down the river!"

But, from an objective standpoint, what else is there? You can't measure things like "emotional impact" objectively. That what makes these arguments both so much fun ... no wrong answers, lots of interesting comments. PS: Man in the High Castle is fantastic ... I wonder when they'll make a movie out of this.

I love the Stax sound ... the very first boxed set I ever got was that huge singles set from them. Estelle Axton, co-founded Stax, dies Label one of the great homes of soul music Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Posted: 2:52 PM EST (1952 GMT) MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -- Estelle Axton, co-founder of the famed Stax Records Co., which generated hits from acts including Sam and Dave, Otis Redding Jr. and The Staple Singers, has died. She was 85. Axton died of natural causes Tuesday at the hospice at Saint Francis Hospital, said her son-in-law, Fred Fredrick. The musicians on the soul record label called Axton "Lady A," and others who knew her described her as a calming, nurturing presence in the Memphis neighborhood. "Were it not for her, there's no way Stax could have become what it became," said David Porter. Porter and Isaac Hayes co-wrote numerous Stax hits, including Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Coming." Hayes said Axton was responsible for the racial harmony at Stax. "You didn't feel any backoff from her, no differentiation that you were black and she was white," Hayes said. "Being in a town where that attitude was plentiful, she just made you feel secure. ... She was like a mother to us all." Between 1960 and 1975, Stax's roster also included Booker T. and the MGs, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, The Mar-Keys and the Bar-Kays. Axton and other family members went on to establish the Fretone label which produced Rick Dees' 1977 hit "Disco Duck." Porter said Axton encouraged him and others in the Stax neighborhood after she mortgaged her home to help start the record company with her brother, Jim Stewart. Stax began as Satellite Records in 1957 but was forced to change the name because a California company already was using it. The siblings combined their last names -- the "St" from Stewart and the "Ax" from Axton -- to come up with Stax, which became a rival to Detroit's giant Motown sound in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Axton's daughter Doris Fredrick worked in the Stax record shop said her mother's experience as a teacher gave her a special nurturing ability. "She worked 12 hours a day. She had time for anybody that came through the door," Doris Fredrick said. "I'd say, 'I'm sorry she's booked today.' And she'd come out and say, 'Oh no, I have time for them. I'm never too busy' if it was the neighborhood kids or someone who wanted to play a song for her."

Can't help on Payton, but have you heard Hargrove on "Parker's Mood"? It's him w/ Christian McBride on bass and Stephen Scott on piano, playing Charlie Parker tunes. Combining Parker's music w/a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary lineup of instruments makes for a very interesting listen.

Aston Martin Virage "Shooting Brake":

... not that our fine posters here aren't experts, of course.

Based on my experiences here, I would bet somebody could turn up info on what Miles' band mates thought of his playing, etc. ... kind of an expert opinion on the matter.

Vincent: Thanks for that interview ... fascinating/slightly depressing ... and a very prescient comment at the end there about Michael Jackson!

Hopefully, this won't be a problem in 2004.

Speaking of Clifford, how 'bout Brown/Roach live at Basin Street ... (I know about the record, but I'd still like to have seen it!)

For me, this is the definitive take on Davis ... it's easy to argue about the different specific aspects of his playing (his tone, his chops, etc.), but he had something that was greater than the sum of of the parts. On the other hand, I think the fact that he has become a "name brand" does prevent some critical thinking about his music, at least among some people. (This is not aimed at posters here.)

I really enjoy this multi-instrumentalist's sideman work, and love his "Roamin' with Richardson" disc ... any recommendations?

Let's see, axe in one hand, some kind of bag in another ... what exactly was this guy doing?

I also understand (seriously) leeches are again being used in some medical contexts.

Just finished a John Updike story collection ... "The Music School." I had forgotten what an incredible writer he can be.

I think this is out of print, but "Joyride" is pretty cool ... it features Turrentine in an all-star big band context (Herbie Hancock, Phil Woods, other people who I can't remember right now).

While it may be hard to pick one Mingus disc as his "best," I'm blown away to see anyone consider this as his "worst."

Jazzmoose ... I have to admit, it was a close call ... but I managed to avoid temptation.

Coincidentally, I'm eating a frozen thin mint right now! Got two boxes yesterday and put 'em straight into the freeze. I wonder how much $$ they make on these things ...

------------------------------------------------------- CBS apologizes for OutKast performance Some saw Indian-themed number as racist Monday, February 16, 2004 Posted: 10:15 AM EST (1515 GMT) LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- CBS television issued a new round of apologies, this time for any offense taken at the American Indian-motif Grammy Awards performance by the hip-hop group OutKast that some Native Americans have condemned as racist. The San Francisco-based Native American Cultural Center posted a notice on its Web site last week calling for a boycott of CBS, OutKast's label Arista Records, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which sponsors the Grammys. "It was the most disgusting set of racial stereotypes aimed at American Indians that I have ever seen on TV," NACC board member Sean Freitas said in the online statement. "It was on par with white people dancing sexually in black face, or yarmulkes ... I am shocked and outraged." NACC Chair Andrew Brother Elk said he has lodged a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission over the telecast, which he branded as "racist TV programming." A little more than two weeks ago, CBS came under fire from the FCC for the breast-baring Super Bowl halftime performance by Janet Jackson on the Viacom Inc.-owned network. "We are very sorry if anyone was offended," CBS spokeswoman Nancy Carr said when asked about the NACC boycott. She declined to comment further. The performance in question came near the end of the Grammy telecast last Sunday night, as OutKast singer Andre "3000" Benjamin, dressed as a Native American, led a show-stopping dance number built around the hit song "Hey Ya!" The piece opened with the sound of drums and smoke wafting from a teepee-shaped structure before a group of female dancers emerged to bump and grind in skimpy, fringed costumes, braided hair and feathered headdresses. They were accompanied on stage by members of a university marching band. Benjamin told reporters backstage afterward that the number was meant as an American Indian-inspired performance. OutKast went home with three Grammys that night, including the coveted prize of best album for its hit double-CD release "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below." ----------------------------------------------------------------