ejp626

All I can say is wow. I think an awful lot of us have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and a lot of pent-up frustrations. I guess it was last year about this time we had the same problem. Personally, I do think couw was out of line or at least crossed the line when he wrote "good ole bitter Chris." Ultimately it is Jim's call, but I've always liked the libertarian approach to this board and yes, if push comes to shove, I do hold free speech as more important than civility.

Being a bit compulsive about things, I am pleased that I have reorganized my music shelves. They are alphabetical, but now I have a stand-alone rack of roughly 600 of my "top" jazz recordings separate from the rest (mostly BN or OJC releases but some Verve and ECM sprinkled throughout). I am going to try to alternate, listening to a couple of old favorites, and then listen to some of the newer purchases (particularly unopened ones!) each day. I think this will help me from feeling so overwhelmed about having too much music. Also, the rack is a lot easier to reach than the rest of my collection, so I can grab something on the way out the door. So I guess I am going for a deeper appreciation of what I already have. As far as other resolutions, I am going to go ahead and block Organissimo at work. I was doing this for about six months, but slipped up a while back. I'm certainly not going to vanish, but a better balance would be good (and more fair to my employers).

I've always found this album sleep-inducing, not that that's always a bad thing. I literally play this on nights I have trouble falling asleep. I've starting playing it for my son as well.

Can't link to it right now, but at the MCA here in Chicago they have hired a group of actors to kiss each other for 8 hours a day (they do shift in teams) and enact various famous poses (Rodin, Klimt, etc.). After a few minutes, it is more interesting watching peoples' reactions than the performance itself.

I like a lot of Brubeck albums but perhaps my favorite overall album is Jazz Impressions of Japan. In general, I think the classic quartet work is the best, but of late Brubeck, I do like Nightshift and Late Night Brubeck on Telarc. These are with Bobby Militello on reeds. I'll try to catch the show tonight.

This has been very touching, and I never doubted we would pull together once Jim made it clear what the finances are. I think we ought to try something similar to make sure the band can make another album. The sponsor a song/mp3 idea might be the way to go, or Jim just says we need $X to go back to the studio. I'd be more than happy to contribute to that as well.

Last one standing gets to name a teddy bear after their favorite jazz icon (living or dead). (Dang it, I just dragged politics into this.) While renting a place is probably the way to go, someone in my office learned how to go through the hoops to set up a block party where they close off the street and everything. I believe that getting the license for live musicians isn't much extra. That would also be mighty cool -- the East Lakeview block party featuring Organissimo and friends.

Sweet -- I call the Afterparty's at jazzypaul's place. What a ride -- from despondency to new hope in just a day or two. And maybe even an Organissimo concert in Chicago! Too sweet. I can definitely help (a bit) with Chicago logistics. If Hothouse is still semi-viable (i.e. not totally foreclosed) by the late spring/summer that would be an amazing place to rent, and I imagine it would be easier/cheaper now than a year ago. There are a handful of other places (I was investigating this two years ago before the band made it to Chicago), but Hothouse would be the best.

Why do I have this eerie feeling this has happened before ... I think the outpouring of support has been great, and I think it bodes well for continuing the forum in some fashion. In any case, as has been said before, many thanks, Jim.

No chimps, monkees or gorillas? They certainly do a lot of self-loving, if you get my drift.

I'm glad to hear there's hope. I totally understand that you're feeling overwhelmed. It is hard to make sound decisions when you are stressed. I've been pushed hard at work and am operating on a few hours of sleep a night, and I have come close to quitting a couple of times over the last couple of weeks. Which I would totally regret later. This is an awesome site, despite some bruised feelings now and then. On the whole, I think probably leaving the political forum as is makes sense, since the discussion (and occasional rancor) will spread to the non-political forum if it isn't there as a kind of lightening rod. Maybe you ought to set up a list of donors somewhere on the site. And the running tally of donations each month is not a bad idea. This would subtly encourage people to pony up without making it exclusive or subscription-based so that new members aren't put off. We all hate asking for money -- but it isn't fair for the band to carry the expense, and I'm sure there are about 100 of us that would split the cost even if no one else did. We are well aware of how much we would miss the site, and it is worth it to us to find a way to keep it going. But maybe it is worth considering renaming the forum, just to get a bit of distance from the band. That's obviously your call. But we'll support your decisions ... and just gripe a bit later. Eric

Jim, thanks for everything. I have learned a lot from this board and have been tipped off to some great CDs and some great shows as well. I haven't managed to see you guys live, but hopefully you'll make it through Chicago in 2008. I'll keep my eyes peeled. I'd add that I hope you reconsider, but I can understand why you wouldn't. Eric

Paul looks eerily like a young Larry King in this photo.

I don't really listen to live radio ever. I do listen to podcasts, but mostly I stream BBC Radio 3 (a couple of days out of sync). This is a habit I picked up while living in the UK, and so far it is still available outside the UK (there are occasional calls to restrict the listen again features outside the UK). I find it so much richer than US Public Radio, though I suppose that is unfair since I don't follow Public Radio to get a sense of how many concerts they broadcast and the range of classical and jazz performances available. I probably should, but am just barely able to keep up with the BBC. Anything more would be too much. Anyway, I generally listen to about 2.5 hours/wk of jazz and 2 hours/wk of world music, and 10 or so hours of classical programs. The world music programs lean towards recordings, but the jazz leans towards broadcasts of concerts, so you get a decent overview of who is playing in London each week.

This morning I had a melody running through my head and finally realized it was the theme from the first movement of Shostakovich's 7th. That's fairly remarkable for me (to actually recall a theme I haven't heard dozens of times before). Of course it may simply reflect the fact that the theme is repeated over something like 350 bars (according to the program notes).

Most of what I bought was a reissue, so I'm not sure whether to count it here or not, esp if I had it in LP format. My favorite new CD was Brecker's Pilgrimage, which I spin once a month or so (high by my standards).

Saw a concert by the Chicago Symphony today. This was the program: Ravel - Piano Concerto in G Major Yundi Li, piano Shostakovich - Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad) Don't know how others view Ravel's Piano Concerto but I was not impressed. Even a soloist much better than Mr. Li would still not make me rate this concerto highly. Kind of a poor man's Gershwin (ironically Gershwin asked to study under Ravel but was turned away). But I thought they did a magnificent job with the 7th Symphony. Really stirring (though the whole symphony could definitely stand to be 10-15 minutes shorter). I'm getting the opportunity this year to see 4 or 5 Shostakovich symphonies live, and am appreciating it.

After staying off eBay for a long time, I won a few things from Newbury Comics in their $0.01 sale, though I mostly paid $2-3 for them: Young Bloods by Phil Woods Late Hour Special by Gene Ammons Everything in their eBay sale was OJC -- these guys must have bought out the warehouse! I also ordered some classical music (Lionel Rogg and Dorati conducting Tchaikovsky) from them through normal channels.

I've been waiting for this for a while. But it still caught me by surprise, since I thought they were arriving in Dec. Fox Studios (not the Fox Network) worked out an agreement with Matt Groening to create 4 movie-length episodes of Futurama. They got the main voice cast back together and many of the key writers, so it shouldn't suck like some reunion thingies. The new "movies" go straight to DVD, and then will be carved up into 4 episodes each and shown on Comedy Central. So it is essentially a completely new season of Futurama and a chance to wrap up various loose threads. (I think they are all essentially done and are just being doled out, so the writer's strike shouldn't affect them.) Wired has a good interview on the whole thing: Wired I am so incredibly psyched. Futurama was/is my favorite show, and I hope to have this in my hands by Friday!

I am sorry to hear of your loss, esp. for her to die so young. I don't have cats now, but have had them in the past and understand how attached one can get to them.

Uri Caine also has a jazz-inspired or at least jazz-infused Goldberg Variations. Maybe I should give that a spin today, since I have been listening to the Gould 1955 and 1981 Variations.

Dusty Groove is carrying a few copies of Blue Mitchell's Bantu Village (LP) so I grabbed one of those. Of course now this and Collision in Black will probably be released by Water -- or maybe will be available as MP3s on the Blue Note website. Whatever. I just ordered a set of Lionel Rogg playing Bach on organ, but it hasn't arrived. Looking forward to that, as well as getting the replacement for the Glenn Gould OJC collection.

My son (about the same age) is doing the same thing, and he insists that I stay in the room until he falls asleep. In his case, he is starting to get afraid of the closet, under the bed, etc. I imagine it is all these free-floating anxieties (as his world keeps expanding and he has trouble making sense of it) sort of coalescing. It is frustrating, but it is only a phase (I keep telling myself). Anyway, we are going to the south side of Chicago for dinner with the in-laws. My wife and kids stay through the weekend, but I have to work Friday, so I'll come back north. Then we'll meet up again on Sat.

As if there wasn't already enough nannying and nagging in the UK. I don't use an iPod, but the idea that this self-righteous group can take it upon themselves to go around telling people to turn off their own (not piped-in) music (even in a humorous way) is odious to me. Come try it in New York or Chicago, and you'll probably not get the response you are after.

Dizzy Digs Paris (on Giant Steps) is a re-issue of the 1953 Pleyel concert (on the Vogue discs). They claim this is the first complete version of the concert. "Digitally remastered two CD live set recorded to a standing-room-only audience of jazz aficionados at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, February 9, 1953.For the first time ever, this CD presents the newly remastered and unedited version of that evening's events with a number of previously butchered solos fully restored plus the addition of Bill Graham's previously discarded showcase 'I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance' for which Dizzy makes a rare appearance on piano." Sound is quite good and the playing superb.