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I enjoyed the trio date Tony's Tunes. It was released in 2003 on Chiaroscuro.

Instead of copy protecting CDs, Universal has plans to change the jewel case every year.

Sounds good, but wasn't "Fun With Your New Head" by Thomas M. Disch? Indeed it is a Disch novel (who is a favorite of mine)--but "fun with my new head" is how I feel after reading nearly 30 PKD novels in a row. I would imagine. It's sure going to feel weird when you're done and have to leave your high castle.

Sounds good, but wasn't "Fun With Your New Head" by Thomas M. Disch?

Yeah, I read that piece. But wow - 80,000 books per year! Almost 220 a day!

All I can say is that I have my CDs are taking over my house. I sometimes think they get together at night and breed. I can hear them moving from room to room or jumping from the shelf to the floor. (Or maybe it's just the cats playing with my mind.)

Walk more, eat less. Buy fewer CDs, file away more of the strays. Draw more. Get rid of more books than I take in. Go to more concerts.

I sure would've have like to have been in that club!

Beautiful photos! (Are these all by Gottlieb?)

Class puts engineering theory to practical use December 8, 2003 ASSOCIATED PRESS HOLLAND -- When Hope College senior Luke Olinyk finished his engineering design final, he didn't just hand it in to his professor, he also decided to apply for a patent. Olinyk designed a breath-a-phone -- a combination cell phone and alcohol breath analyzer -- for associate professor John Krupczak's semester-long course. Olinyk estimates the final product would cost about $30 more than a regular cell phone. It's about 20 percent bigger. Krupczak said the class challenged students to turn their lessons into real design. "This gives them a real incentive to learn the methods and theories taught in this class and apply them," he said. http://www.freep.com/news/mich/gadget8_20031208.htm - 30 - I'm not sure if this will catch on, at least as a percussion instrument!

Good to hear something nice in the news, for a change.

Those photos all make me want to take a trip to Paris on the way-back machine!

Jazz giant Artie Shaw dies at age 94 Famed for his recording of ‘Begin the Beguine’ Updated: 4:45 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2004 - Reuters LOS ANGELES - Bandleader and clarinetist Artie Shaw, famed for his recording of “Begin the Beguine” and one of the giants of the swing era of jazz, died Thursday at age 94, his manager Will Curtis said. A self-declared perfectionist, Shaw put down the clarinet in 1954 and never played it again, saying he could not reach the level of artistry he desired. He had been ill for several years, Curtis said.

Yes.

Sounds like the Gulf's party place.

Very sad news...

I was visiting Matisse when he heard news of the first calendar using images of his paintings. I've never seen anyone so livid! He vowed that he'd find who was responsible and poke out their eyes with a stick!

That's a purdy organ. And here's a Purdy drummer:

Here's the best article I've that relates to this discussion. White sometimes hurt others with his words By BOB FORD Philadelphia Inquirer, Posted on Sun, Dec. 26, 2004 PHILADELPHIA - It would be nice if the legacy that Reggie White leaves behind was really as neat and understandable as the legend that will be constructed after his sudden and sad passing on Sunday morning. Reggie, and the public life he led, did not allow for such uncomplicated readings, however. Simple renderings can't do justice to this multi-dimensional man, and White would have hated it if the snapshot of his life were presented in soft focus. He was more just than a football player, although one of the greatest ever; more than just a friend to the disadvantaged community, although his work there was generous and sincere; but in the end, sadly, he was also less than the leader he could have become and desperately wanted to be. This was through no fault of his own, because White knew his mind and he spoke it. But when he misspoke, White continued to charge forward as if pursuing an elusive quarterback. Too often he sacked common sense and threw good judgment for a loss. I loved being around Reggie White when he played because he was always an interesting, provocative conversationalist, and because he was one of those rare leaders who can lift a team to his level. But Reggie also was maddening to be around because the same fervor that allowed him to get around hundreds of offensive tackles in his career convinced him that he was always headed in the right direction. And he often punctuated the rightness of his points of view with references to the Lord, even if the Lord didn't seem to have a place in things such as football contract disputes or the wanderings of a free agent seeking the best compensation. White's wranglings with the Eagles' organization at the end of his time here became acrimonious beyond what was necessary. It would be popular - and somewhat accurate - to blame those disputes largely on former owner Norman Braman, who was an easy target. The simple truth is that White wanted to make more money than the Eagles wanted to give an over-30 player, so he had to leave to get it. If White's career had come along a decade later, it's logical to assume he would have had the same issues with Andy Reid and Joe Banner, the same issues that sent Hugh Douglas and Duce Staley and Troy Vincent and the others off to seek their fortunes. But White found it necessary to turn his quest into The Crusades. He said he would leave, and said he would sign with a team in a large city, with a large minority population that he could help and minister to. That was right before he signed with Green Bay, where he found a great contract but none of his other stated requirements. Reggie merely said he was following divine instructions. There is no doubting the sincerity of White's beliefs, though. He was deeply devout and didn't use his faith as some athletes do, as a convenient cover for a wayward lifestyle. There were a few chapters of the book Reggie seemed to have missed, however, because while he cherished and proselytized his beliefs, he didn't have much time for those who differed with his. This is a handy lesson about why it is dangerous to accord athletes any platform larger than their playing fields. As always, Charles Barkley's advice rings true: Don't look to sports for role models. Look to your parents, teachers and community leaders. If Reggie White had not been a football player, it wouldn't have really mattered if he warned young black groups that the police were out to get them and wanted to find them dealing drugs and carrying guns. His words wouldn't have carried the added weight that is given to sports heroes. When White spoke in front of the Wisconsin Legislature and said that blacks "like to dance," that Hispanics "can put 20 or 30 people in one home," that Native Americans excelled at "sneaking up on people," that whites "do a good job with building businesses," and that Asians "can turn a television into a watch," he was raising the walls of stereotypical thinking rather than knocking them down. When he said homosexuality had "run rampant" in the United States, an indication of increasing Godlessness in the country, he added, "I'm offended that homosexuals will say that homosexuals deserve rights." Whatever your personal beliefs on these matters, it has to be said that White didn't always advance the dialogue of brotherhood among all. And at a time when many of the terrible ills of the world can be traced to religious fanaticism and fundamentalism, the debate isn't furthered by anyone drawing deeper lines in the sand. Eventually, White's words trivialized him and reduced his impact. CBS dropped him as a candidate for its pregame show because of his tirades. His work in the community continued, but only as isolated programs, not as the far-reaching change he would have preferred. If he had used his forums differently - how many chances does one have to address a legislature for an hour? - the result might have been different as well. It is tragic that Reggie White is gone at 43. Time might have mellowed him and allowed statesmanship to overtake his stridency. We'll never know. He should be celebrated and remembered as the great husband and father he was. Celebrated as the great football player he certainly was. And he should be mourned as the great leader he very nearly was.

Took me a minute to figure out where this was taken from. Around 28th Street facing East? You can almost see the building that I work in...

I also like Pullen on David Murray's "Shakill's Warrior." Pullen plays organ throughout.

Wasn't this supposed to come out as a record? A DVD version will be out on Feb. 1.

Also reading those two. Just finished Richard Russo's "Empire Falls." And just started Jeffrey Magee's The Uncrowned King of Swing: Fletcher Henderson and Big Band Jazz (Oxford University Press)

My holiday present: a buncha Jazz in Paris discs and a BYG AEoC disc from Dustygroove. (The %$**s!!) My bill should arrive shortly after my retention bonus...

You can hear the review at npr.org. The review starts 18' into the stream.