fasstrack

Jeff, you big dope. Keep your mouth shut, take requests for Toad, After Midnight, and Bell Bottom Blues. And watch the cash roll in. And, um, buddy, could I hold $20? Why? I'm giving to one of Ronald MacDold's charities. Yeah, yeah. THAT'S the ticket...

Dick Cavett and Woody Allen had great chemistry. Cavett was as good a straight man as Carson. Woody made him naughty, though. A lot of their misbehavior can now be seen on youtube. Since Jim mentioned the band, there was one bit Watrous et. al. were in where Woody was going to play a blues with the band. Naturally there was about 10 minutes of hilarious business before he played a note, including some priceless ad-lib non-sequitors assembling the horn. Finally, a la Pete Barbutti, he got in about 35 seconds of music. Maybe someone could put it up. I have no working computer, only a cell phone, or I would, it's hilarious.

The sad irony IMO is that in the end Lenny Bruce took himself much more seriously.

Wynton and Don. I guess I'm 2 for 2 now in the majority opinion department..... Nobody beats Dick Cavett for throbbing veins. And he's a WASP. For Chrissakes.....

Probably not. The world got too uptight...

Give 'em enough rope.....

One time Rickles was performing and singled out someone of Arabic descent (a fellow 'Semite', if you think about it). He ribbed the guy all show long. Then, at the end, he made a sincere brotherhood speech and said 'ladies and gentlemen, there's a gentleman here of Arabic descent, and I've been giving him hell all night. He's been such a good sport I think he should get up and take a bow'. Guy stands up. Smiles. Applause. 'GET THE ROPE!!'

And I'm old enough to remember when Moses played himself in The Ten Commandments....

Do they do rim-shots in Fralach?

Also, b/c I horse around, etc.---which is mostly what I've been doing re the Jew thing ---doesn't mean I see the world from a 'Jewish perspective'. About that I'm serious as a heart attack. I've spent a lifetime trying to build bridges, not stay on an ethnic island. That's a real turnoff. But, again, if it bugs people or they get the wrong idea, or interferes with the real intended message of unity I guess maybe I shouldn't do it. At least not here. With my friends, I guess... Hit us with your best shot. Longhorn.....

OK. I did it. And let's all move on.... If it floats his boat who cares? I can't tell people what to do, but I'm relaxed with it. But if the consensus is that it offends that many people here I'll take one for the team and stop. Fair enough?

No, I said I was snotty and uncalled for. They conflated the two posts. Not my doing. But, sadly, I see my comment about relaxing that was meant for you does seem to apply. And what I delete or choose to leave is my business. I don't think it's gonna work out between us, Chuck, not to mention it's not important enough to become a sideshow and bore everyone else to tears. Someone please tell me how to 'ignore' and I will. I can't figure it out. And I really do wish you well.

I will if you will It's actually a long, ahem, Jewish tradition, self-deprecating humor and just being publicly Jewish. It's sort of automatic and inbred, and to me harmless. As far as other ethnic groups not referring to themselves, I don't believe that for a second. People are too fucking uptight. Anyway, if there are a lot of Jews here, and there seem to be, and they (we) want to bond or whatever in a harmless way, what's the big deal? No one's getting hurt. As long as at the end of the day you see the big picture and similarities of everyone I don't see the harm. Just my opinion. Oh yeah. Tradition. I forgot about that. I don't have any so I will sit on the sidelines and wait for you to express yourself. Do whatever you want. And so will I. Alright, that was a little snotty and uncalled for. But could you please relax a tad?

And music in your soul... Touche!

I will if you will It's actually a long, ahem, Jewish tradition, self-deprecating humor and just being publicly Jewish. It's sort of automatic and inbred, and to me harmless. As far as other ethnic groups not referring to themselves, I don't believe that for a second. People are too fucking uptight. Anyway, if there are a lot of Jews here, and there seem to be, and they (we) want to bond or whatever in a harmless way, what's the big deal? No one's getting hurt. As long as at the end of the day you see the big picture and similarities of everyone I don't see the harm. Just my opinion.

E 87th, N and Seaview. That Canarsie enough for your ass, MF? Here we go. I grew up with Warren. Do I have stories? Don't get me started......... Here we go. I grew up with Warren. Do I have stories? Don't get me started.........

I never got to finish what I wanted to say, and killed my cell phone battery for this. That's dedication! Now, from a computer, and that we're all friends again, I want to finish my original point, in a kinder, gentler way than before, and explain why I went off the way I did. I really think a lot about heroes and doers. They inspire me. They inspire you. Buzzy and others were boyhood heroes. They made me want to play, especially him b/c he was my age. If he could do it, so could I. If one guy makes it we all make it in a way. Wynton Marsalis may not be your favorite musician. I never said he was mine. He sure can play his ass off, though. It's not the point, anyway.To young kids especially he found a way to preach about jazz and make it fun. I had a conversation about this with my friend, the late Chuck Clark---a great saxophone player and composer. His exact words were (Wynton's) 'sure getting a lot of young cats playing'. To that I would add that makes him heroic in the sense that he could have taken the fame and money and stayed home and got laid, etc. Instead he did not only the above but carved out a place for jazz---maybe not currently the most forward-looking---but nonetheless there's a place for jazz in not only a place, Lincoln Center, that had virtually none, but in one of the most expensive pieces of real estate maybe in the world, certainly in Manhattan. There is a lot of money needed and he has raised plenty. We have to think about the future, and if he helps popularize jazz and get people in the tent recording with Clapton, Willie Nelson, or Lou Ferrigno, and it works, well shit, I'd say good for him, and for us. Lincoln Center is a museum. It's never gonna be cutting edge, let's get real. It's a MF of a political balancing act to even do what he did, admit that at least. And if young musicians look up to him as a hero or leader, instead to that hip hop bullshit, or other shit that's really killing music IMO, again, is that bad? So, again, if one makes it--even if they have opinions etc. you or I might not share, we still all have hope we didn't before. This country, to make a larger but inevitable point is very good at disunity. Look no further than the lack of cooperation with a man named Barack Obama to get my point. If you'd rather grumble that's your business. I say get behind the guy in the spotlight who's at least doing something for the popularity and future of jazz. Take what you can get, even if it ain't perfect or to your liking, and run like a MFing thief. Comes down off soapbox. As you were, ladies and Germans. And now I will listen to some Sweets Edison. Then Robert Johnson.

[sorry, double posted. JF

Allen: I don:t know if I went to that one. Maybe. I definitely saw them at Woodstock and the FE. Buzzy I think as good as any guitarist to play blues or pop. He

One of us AKs should write a book on Jews and (black) blues, how we came together as pie-eyed rebels. Guess I should. WTF, it's only my life. After the 1st one on the NYC 1970s-80s jazz scene. To those rebels! 'Our kind of Sabi'!

I just posted a heartfelt reminiscence of growing up a white boy blues guitarist, thought I was a bad MF, who my heroes were, what they meant--the best fucking writing I've done on here, only to accidently f-ing delete it. Highlights: Canarsie teen years-lot of talent there ca. 1970, Butterfield to the Kings, Jimmy Reed, SB Williamson (my friend Gary and I still don't say 'hi', we say 'Little village, motherfucker, little village') etc., hearing all the blues acts at the Fillmore (sneakin' in the back through the open window of a Hippie pad!), Butterfield, Buzzy Feiten--still a MF w\the best time feel and SO soulful, 2 great bands, Full Moon and The Electric Flag (integration!). I'm still a blues guitarist, via the ASB and fancier harmony. No blues, no me. Shit, no US. ('talkin' 'bout My Generation'). That's the gist. Hope somebody feels me. Bloomfield got us in the ground floor and this Jewboy bows in gratitude...

Um Ptah, could I get that in writing? The part about the millions, I mean... I'm nothing anyway. Good thing Doug Wamble--Wynton's personal web Clarence Darrow--gave up trolling for the cloth, or something. MF made me look like Ghandi...

Dana: I think we're both right. I remember that Bloomfield record, don't know if I heard the music. But if it's half as good as his score to Medium Cool...I also remember Andy Statman and his merry mandolin on an LP cover with that name. I just need, um, the 2nd Jew. Josephus? Paging Gregory Hines...We should start a sub-forum for old Jews. The beauty part: all you need is a minion...

I think it was Kinky Friedman. Maybe. Remember Richie Schulberg (Citizen Kafka) from WBAI? He always had Statman on his show. Kafka dif recently. Another good live radio persm gone...